After losing 69-14 on the road against undefeated Class 2 No. 6 Bowling Green, South Callaway football returns home to face a winless Cuba team on Senior Night Friday night in Mokane.
It'll be a nice feeling for the Bulldogs to head home after two long bus trips the past two Fridays.
"Those (bus trips) aren't much fun," South Callaway football coach Zack Hess said. "But I think for us, the idea is we just want to play better football -- better Bulldog football. We're not worried about as much who we're playing or what their record is. But we have to perform better and execute better than what we've done. And I think players know that there's a sense of urgency to right the ship and get back on the right track. And that starts with what we do this week in practice."
Last Friday was a tough time for South Callaway's offense, though it has been consistent for most of this season. As Hess has mentioned in previous games this season, execution will be critical for the Bulldogs' offense.
"We just need to execute well and be physical at the point of attack," Hess said. "Try to win the line of scrimmage. And open up some running lanes and some windows for our running backs -- whether that's inside or out on the perimeter. And just focus on taking care of the ball and getting positive plays."
South Callaway's offense has an excellent opportunity to get back on track against the Wildcats' defense that allows 52.3 points per game through six games.
"They run a 4-3 and they've got some big boys there in the middle," Hess said. "Cuba has always played us really tough. It's gonna be a challenge no matter who we play, just to execute. There are times where we run plays on error and we don't do a good job. So let alone playing against another varsity defense."
Unlike its last two games, the Bulldogs are coming up against a team that likes to throw the football.
"They run spread look and they like to throw the ball around, which is good and bad," Hess said. "It's good because when you throw the ball two out of three things that could happen are good for the defense. But, the bad thing is if they connect or if they execute their passing game well, then that means big plays for them. And that's not good for us."
Facing an offense that likes to pass means South Callaway's defensive backs will have to play well.
"We're gonna have to defend the pass play well," Hess said. "We're going to have to have better perimeter run and pass fits than what we've had recently. All the players know this. We've talked at length about what we've got to do better now. We just have to go and execute it better than what we have."
The Bulldogs' defensive line will also have to be ready.
"They've got some playmakers on the edge," Hess said. "They've got some big guys there on the line. And we're gonna have to be on point and be ready to play on Friday."
One player who came ready to play last week was South Callaway quarterback/defensive back Tayber Gray.
Against the unbeaten Bobcats, Gray was involved in both Bulldogs' touchdowns and made a team-high seven tackles. Gray's first touchdown was a 68-yard pass to Evan Sconce-Martin and his second was a 49-yard run.
"I thought Tayber did a really nice job Friday," Hess said. "We talked a lot in the week leading up to the game just about being competitive. And what it means to be competitive, and just go and compete. I thought Tayber was one of the guys that really did a good job of that. He's a competitor for sure. And he has great heart and he did a really nice job. Especially being a little undersized, he just plays with great passion."
Gray and the rest of South Callaway's team will return home for Senior Night with a passionate fan base in the crowd.
Leading up to Friday night and at the game as well, the Bulldogs' nine seniors will be honored for what they have done for the program.
"Senior Night is always a special event," Hess said. "Especially, when you have it later in the season. I think that makes it even more impactful. We do some things with our team leading up to Friday. We try to honor our seniors and give them an opportunity to share some things and speak out. And then we do an event with our senior dads on Thursday evening. That's pretty special. That has the potential of being a really, really special thing between the player and their father or father figure. That, without overloading the seniors, I think that that's pretty good. I think they take that to heart. And then they, for the most part, want to go out and perform well on their night."