A team’s performance every week matters twice as much in a season with half as many games. If a team struggles, it has finite time to correct itself or else that team's hopes for a postseason are dead before they have a chance to breathe.
Athens isn’t struggling, but it could use improvement.
The Bulldogs’ week two opponent, Vinton County, lost after a fourth quarter rout by Meigs. Athens narrowly avoided the same fate last week when Alexander attempted a second half-comeback. Both teams are still on somewhat equal footing this early in the season when the wins and losses haven’t drastically shaken morale.
Athens’ game against the Vikings could be close, however, the Bulldogs can still boost their chances by getting to the source of their problems.
Perhaps the biggest flaw in Athens’ hopes is how it struggled through the second half last week.
Athens didn’t score once during the entire second half against Alexander. The Bulldogs’ receiving corps had a bad habit of dropping an unusual amount of passes from quarterback Joey Moore. Those failed completions nearly cost the Bulldogs their first game of the season if the defense hadn’t held on.
And the defense barely held on. Much of the line also played offense and by the second half, the Bulldogs were exhausted. An overbearing Alexander offense didn’t help Athens’ situation, scoring in the fourth quarter and threatening to tie the game with 31 seconds left.
Coach Nathan White aired his grievances with what he saw as a poor performance after the game. The game was too close for comfort, and White wants to widen the gap against future opponents. White doesn’t place the blame on his players but on his staff. If they don’t fix what is wrong, Athens’ luck will run out.
So what does this spell for the Bulldogs in week two against the Vikings?
Vinton County lost, but it had one thing that Athens didn’t— steady offense. The Vikings had a slow start, but they scored in three quarters while Athens front-loaded its offense in the first half.
Both teams scored low, but when these two face off Friday the win will come down to who can remain stable. If Athens’ defense tires out in the way it did before, Vinton County will break through and steal the win.
Athens has an edge, though. Vinton County’s defense had its own rough outing last week. The Vikings allowed 22 points in the fourth quarter alone and blew an eight-point lead over Meigs.
All the Bulldogs have to do is wear down the Vikings’ defense and keep their passing consistent. It’s not a tall order. The biggest obstacle that stands in the way is Athens can only practice so much in a week, cut shorter by coronavirus restrictions.
Athens isn’t in dire straits yet. A poor performance in week one can be chalked up to first-game jitters and a lack of practice due to COVID-19. Perennial problems only show over a long stretch of games.
The Bulldogs just have to hope their problems stay in week one.
