The Fulton Hornets and head coach Pat Kelley know perfectly well what - and who - stands in front of them next.
"We know the situation, we know it's Hannibal," Kelley said. "There's not a lot to talk about from that standpoint."
Unbeaten Fulton travels to Hannibal to clash with the also perfect - and state-ranked - Pirates in a North Central Missouri Conference showdown tonight. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
The Hornets (5-0, 2-0 NCMC) - off to their best start in eight years - oppose the Pirates, ranked No. 9 in Class 4. The last time Fulton won its first five games was in 2007, which was also the last time the Hornets clipped Hannibal.
Fulton comes into tonight's contest fresh off last week's 53-35 conference home triumph against the Marshall Owls that was closer than the score might indicate. After jumping on top 26-0 midway through the second quarter, frustration set in and the Hornets unraveled a bit in the last 3 minutes of the first half.
Senior offensive tackle Zach Benner was ejected from the game after a tense exchange with a Marshall player, a sequence that will relegate Benner to the sidelines tonight against the Pirates.
Marshall's passing attack accounted for most of its offensive output as the Owls clawed back within 26-14 at halftime. But the Hornets held them at bay with four consecutive touchdown drives in the second half and were propped up by senior running back Travis Dean's career-high 307 yards and five total touchdowns.
Though the win over Marshall was maddening at times - and muggy, weather wise - Kelley felt like the game was a good teaching tool. Fulton survived its biggest back-and-forth contest since its opening win against School of the Osage.
"I hope we've coached up and talked about it, and do things a little bit better this week," Kelley said.
The Owls' bread and butter is a veer-option running game behind a big offensive line, the same as Hannibal. But that's about where the similarities end between those two squads.
"Offensively, we're going to see split-back veer, we'll see counter, we'll see trap and we may see a pass if they lull us to sleep," Kelley said of Hannibal. "... It'll be our toughest challenge this year."
Kelley believes this is as good a Pirates team as he's seen in his 19 years of coaching against them. Hannibal (5-0, 3-0 NCMC) is fresh off a 76-0 dismantling of Kirksville last week and is sparked by two lightning rods in the backfield and a stalwart lineman.
Senior Jerry McBride (6-0, 192 pounds) will quarterback Hannibal after being its No. 1 receiver last year. Kelley noted the Pirates usually feature multi-year starters at quarterback, but that McBride's running skills have led to a seamless transition from the outside and sparked the offensive unit to 46.7 points per game.
"He's stepped in there and done a great job, and the scariest thing is he's a great running quarterback," Kelley said.
Hannibal's primary running back -junior Shamar Griffith - has used his small stature and patience to give Kelley and his crew fits in his first two seasons. The 5-foot-4, 145-pound back rushed for 119 yards and four touchdowns against Kirksville. Griffith complements his speed with an ability to use his lack of size and the girth of his blockers to his advantage.
"He's very patient waiting for his blockers and it's tough, especially when they're in that veer set with all the big linemen up there and he's coming up the middle and you're trying to find him," Kelley said. "I think it happened to us last year where by the time we found him, he was 6 or 7 yards up the field."
Speaking of linemen, Hannibal senior Dylan Powell (6-3, 270) is an athletic load at tackle spots on both sides of the line. The Purdue University commit guides a Pirate defense that will present a mixture of fronts and looks for the Hornets' offense.
But this Hannibal defensive bunch isn't just led by the triumvirate of Powell, McBride and Griffith. Kelley is just as impressed with the surrounding parts. Needless to say, he won't just be keying in on the aforementioned threesome.
"You've got to focus on those three, but they're pretty solid all over the field," Kelley said. "Their defensive line is big and strong and fast, and that's obviously got us concerned."
Junior David James will slide into Benner's starting slot at offensive tackle, while a committee of defenders will rotate in at his defensive end spot. Defense could be where Benner's presence is missed the most as his four tackles for loss and two sacks both rank second on the team.
Though Dean is coming off a career night, Kelley's offense has to be more than a one-trick pony. Sophomore running back Cameron Vaughn has worked his way back into the rotation, while fellow sophomore Ammod Davis is averaging 6.8 yards per carry and has three touchdowns.
Kelley says his offense has a few new wrinkles it would like to throw at Hannibal, with the idea being to get its defense as spread out as possible.
"We're going to have to spread them out to try and find some lanes," Kelley said. "Travis has had some great games against Hannibal, but that's all predicated on getting a body on a body and get a lane."
As tall a task as the Pirates present, Kelley isn't presenting this game as anything more special than it is. Sure, this would be the first Fulton road win against Hannibal in the Kelley era, but the prospect has a more immediate benefit.
"What we've talked about is we have to go up and play the best we can," Kelley said. "We've talked about if you want to have a shot at conference - this year or any year - you have to beat Hannibal."
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