KINGDOM CITY, Mo. - Tailing Stephen Talbert and subsequently trying to bottle him up may require some sort of influence on his thought process.
That will be the taxing test for the North Callaway defense tonight when the Thunderbirds host Clopton/Elsberry's dynamic senior quarterback and the undefeated IndianHawks in an Eastern Missouri Conference showdown. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
North Callaway is 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the EMO after a 36-14 loss last week at South Callaway in the annual Callaway Cup rivalry game. Clopton/Elsberry, meanwhile, improved to 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in conference play with a commanding 50-14 blitz at Montgomery County.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Talbert is a dazzling dual threat who has already rushed for 619 yards (12.4 average) and nine touchdowns as the IndianHawks are scoring at a dizzying pace of 51 points per game. Talbert has also completed 36-of-81 passes (44 percent) for 577 yards, eight scores and three interceptions.
"When you give him time, he's going to pick you apart," North Callaway coach Kevin O'Neal said. "Whether he's running the ball on a read option or whether he's dropping back to pass, we've got to get pressure on him and make him make a decision quickly."
The Thunderbirds have plenty of game video on Talbert to reference after his sensational performance in North Callaway's dramatic 42-37 victory at Clopton/Elsberry last year. Talbert accounted for almost 400 yards of total offense and scored five touchdowns - three passing, two rushing - in the last-second loss.
"There were a couple of times we hit him pretty hard," O'Neal said. "I think there was even a spot in the middle of the game where he came out for a little while and then came back in. He just refused to come out of that game and he's definitely the leader of that team and that offense.
" I was impressed as much with his grit as with anything."
Senior wide receivers Jamon Graham and Kevin Hammett - who both had touchdown catches in last year's game - are among a diverse set of targets for Talbert. Graham has caught just seven balls this season, but they've gone for a team-high 202 yards (28.9 average) and three touchdowns.
Hammett has eight receptions for 131 yards (16.4 average), while junior running back Blake Kendall owns a team-high 16 catches for 176 yards (11.0 average) and three scores. Sophomore wide receiver Derrick Taylor has also tallied seven receptions for 91 yards (13.0 average) and three touchdowns.
O'Neal stressed the Thunderbirds' defensive unit would concentrate this week on sharpening the basics after surrendering 375 total yards in the South Callaway loss. North Callaway limited the Bulldogs to 178 yards rushing, well below their 299.7 average entering the game, but South Callaway junior quarterback Landon Horstman passed for 197 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
"It was a big game and so sometimes, in big games, we revert back to old habits," O'Neal said. "I talked to the guys about it Saturday morning. I know that they've been taught the right things to do and a couple of times we reverted back to the old way of doing stuff and it hurt us, it cost us.
"We've got to get back to doing fundamental stuff and we're going to get better at that, and hopefully play that way Friday night."
The Thunderbirds' offense accumulated 333 total yards last week, but senior quarterback Milo Henry was picked off on the first play of the game to set up the Bulldogs' initial score. South Callaway then tackled Henry in the end zone for a safety late in the first half, flipping that for prime field position to pave the way for a touchdown by the Bulldogs to give them a 22-0 halftime lead.
North Callaway put up both of its scores in the fourth quarter. Henry connected with senior running back Wyatt Branson on a 98-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown, then Henry followed with a 32-yard sprint for a score.
Henry topped the Thunderbirds with 128 yards rushing on 25 carries, but completed only 6-of-16 passes for 129 yards and was intercepted twice.
Henry supplied the game-winner in dramatic fashion in last year's victory at Clopton/Elsberry, scoring from 1 yard out on fourth down with 6.4 seconds to play.
North Callaway will contend tonight with an IndianHawks defense that is giving up a skimpy 6.5 points per game. O'Neal pointed out Clopton/Elsberry is blitzing constantly this year out of its 3-3 stack alignment.
"We have to be prepared for that blitz on every snap, because they're going to do it every time," O'Neal said. " We've got to be more consistent with what we do offensively.
"We have to - every single play - execute where we're supposed to execute."
O'Neal added junior running back/outside linebacker Adam Reno - who suffered bruised ribs in the Sept. 2 win against Mark Twain - should be back to a full role tonight against the IndianHawks. Reno had just one carry for 3 yards and two catches for no yards last week.
Ironically, Reno broke his collarbone in last year's Clopton/Elsberry game and missed the rest of the season.
North Callaway hosts Clopton with Elsberry
North Callaway Thunderbirds Football Podcast [Clopton/Elsberry preview, Sept. 16, 2016]
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