The Madison County defense’s daunting task for week one: Stop the Rockdale County wing-T offense that took wings against the Raiders last year.
Madison County surrendered 235 yards rushing against the Bulldogs’ wing-T in a 25-14 loss in Conyers in 2008.
“They look like last year, just more comfortable in what they’re doing,” Raider head coach Randell Owens said of the Bulldogs, who went 5-5 last season.
Madison County gets its chance for redemption Friday when it kicks off the season at 7:30 p.m. against Rockdale County at home.
The wing-T is based largely on fakery and deception regarding where the ball is going. A series of different things can happen on a single play. Thus, the problem the wing-T poses a defense is several points of attack, Owens said.
“On every series action, you’ve got inside running game, outside running game, misdirection and some form of play action pass, all built off the same action,” Owens said.
Owens said Madison County’s challenge last year was simply chasing down Rockdale County’s speedy running backs. Now, the Bulldogs appear to be doing a better job of concealing the football, based on scrimmage footage.
“Last year, they didn’t really do as good a job of hiding who had the football, but the challenge was just catching them,” Owens explained. “This year, crap, not only do you have to catch them, you’ve got to figure out who’s got the darn thing.”
Of course, a team must have the right players to make the wing-T work, but Rockdale County appears to have those pieces in place.
“You’ve got a certain amount of speed and talent to make it effective, and they’ve got that,” Owens said.
The Madison County defense goes into the season opener having shut out Franklin County, 13-0, this past Friday.
The Raiders seek the program’s first victory in nearly a year, having last won Sept. 12, 2008, against Monroe Area.
