BUCS HOST NAVARRO FOR HOMECOMING

The Blinn College football team’s playoff hopes rest heavily on Saturday’s Homecoming game.

The Buccaneers and  Navarro Bulldogs are tied for the fourth and final playoff seed in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference (SWJCFC), and Saturday’s winner will be the frontrunner for securing the seed heading into the season’s final week.

Kickoff is at 3 p.m. at Cub Stadium, located at 1600 E. Tom Green St. in Brenham.

The Bulldogs (5-2, 2-2) dominated much of the season, even holding the No. 1 ranking the NJCAA poll for a week, but lost starting quarterback Josh Greer to a broken collarbone in Week 3 and have struggled since.

Trinity Valley upset the Bulldogs, 35-7, the next week, snapping their 29-game home win streak and knocking them out of the No. 1 spot in the rankings. Navarro then lost its second straight to third-ranked Tyler Junior College 17-10 the following week.

The Bulldogs whipped Southeast Prep 80-0 Saturday.

Blinn, despite coming off a 31-18 loss to Trinity Valley, has been dominant in recent weeks, especially with its rushing attack.

The Bucs have rushed for 1,323 yards this season, 652 of which have come from sophomore running back Klartel Claridy. The attack has benefitted from Blinn’s effective use of the option, as both Claridy, running back Spencer Cowley and quarterback Garry Kimble have emerged as threats to run.

Kimble has rushed for 291 yards this season and Cowley has added another 271.

Blinn’s rushing attack will face a Navarro defense that is giving up an average of 106 rushing yards and 18 points per game.

Navarro’s offense, despite being led by a freshman quarterback, has steadily improved since Carson Earp took control. Earp has thrown for 326 yards on 26-of-49 passing.

Sophomore running back Tim Wright has carried the bulk of Navarro’s offense with 918 rushing yards –– an average of 131 per game –– and 13 touchdowns.

Saturday’s game marks the end of Homecoming week for Blinn. During halftime, the Homecoming king and queen will be announced at midfield.

For more information on Blinn football, visit www.buccaneersports.com.

(Story Courtesy: Matt Keyser, Blinn Information)

Southwest Junior College Football Conference standings:

1. Tyler ­­-- 7-0, 4-0

2. Trinity Valley -- 5-2, 4-1

3. Kilgore -- 3-4, 3-2

T4. Blinn -- 3-4, 2-2

T4. Navarro -- 5-2, 2-2

6. Northeastern Oklahoma A&M -- 2-5, 0-4

7. Cisco -- 0-6, 0-4