The Carrollton Trojans are 0-2 for the first time since 1977. If new coach Ed Dudley is worried, he does a good job of hiding it over the phone.
Dudley inherited a roster that graduated 16 starters, including a bevy of high-profile recruits, off of last season’s team that reached the AAAA state championship game. There’s been significant adjustment to the schemes, as well.
“Complete change,” said Dudley in a Tuesday phone interview. “We went from a 5-2 base defense to a 3-3 stacks scheme defensively. Then, on offense we went from the Delaware wing-T to Nevada’s pistol spread offense. We’re about as diametrically different as you can be. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea, but I think long term us doing what we know as a coaching staff is going to pay dividends for our players.”
Dudley believes the personnel fits his systems and is excited about the progression junior quarterback DeMarcus Mitchell made from Game 1 to Game 2.
Game 1, a 20-7 loss to Kell, wasn’t pretty for the Trojans. Dudley described the offense in the opener as “stagnant.” He was being kind. Carrollton finished with 205 total yards of offense. Mitchell completed 7 of 14 passes with an interception. He had only four yards rushing.
Game 2 was another defeat, this time in dramatic fashion. Newnan’s Fran Williams returned an interception 48 yards for the winning touchdown with 2:43 to play. But Dudley said Mitchell and the offense dramatically improved against a good Newnan team. Mitchell rushed for 77 yards and completed 5 of 9 passes for 90 yards with the one costly pick.
“I think (Mitchell’s) really improving,” said Dudley. “Game 1 was a little shaky. We still have some areas we really need to improve on in the passing game, but Friday night he made plays with his feet and was able to put pressure on the defense that way. And I think that’s going to play some really big dividends for him down the line.”
Even though two of the Trojans’ toughest opponents are behind them, the improvement needs to continue. Nine of Carrollton’s 10 opponents reached the playoffs last season.
“Really more than anything, I think it (0-2 start) points to the caliber of competition that we’ve been playing,” said Dudley. “Right now, it’s extremely painful, but I think it’ll pay off in region play.”
It doesn't get any easier for the Trojans this week. They travel to perennial AAA power Calhoun on Friday.
Notes
--Marist's Joey Goegel kicked a 19-yard field goal with eight seconds left to lead the War Eagles past Godby High School of Tallahassee, Fla., 17-14, Saturday in the Battle of the Borders at Hallford Stadium. Here's the advice Marist coach Alan Chadwick gave his kicker before sending him out for the winning kick:
"I just told him to have a good plant foot," Chadwick said in an email. "In watching him in practice the last few weeks, he was opening that foot up to much which made him pull off the ball. When he has a good plant foot he contacts the ball much better and kicks through the ball and not around it."
--Class AAAA No. 1 Buford is ranked 17th nationally in the CBS MaxPreps Composite Football Rankings. The Wolves (2-0) are No. 7 in PrepNation's rankings, 19th in USA Today and 21st in both MaxPreps Xcellent 25 and MaxPreps Computer rankings.
Buford has won 27 consecutive games. The Wolves host AAAAAA power McEachern on Friday.
Week 2 AJC Rankings: Class AAAA
1. (1) Buford (2-0)
2. (2) Sandy Creek (1-0)
3. (3) Griffin (1-0)
4. (4) Marist (1-0)
5. (9) Burke County (2-0)
6. (8) Woodward Academy (1-0)
7. (6) Thomas County Central (0-1)
8. (5) Carrollton (0-2)
9. (NR) Cairo (1-0)
10. (10) Whitewater (1-0)
AAAA Product Watch
--Cedartown product Nick Chubb dazzled in his debut for the Georgia Bulldogs, rushing for 70 yards on four carries, including a 47-yard touchdown, in the 45-21 win over Clemson on Saturday. Chubb’s performance drew praise from quarterback Hutson Mason.
“He reminds me of Todd [Gurley] so much because he’s so physical,” Mason told the media after the Clemson win. “The one thing that I love about him is he never lets one guy bring him down. It’s pretty special to watch.”
SBNation.com has a great GIF of Chubb's run.
