Friday night bring’s us one of 5A football’s marquee matchup’s in the form of the College Station Cougars versus the A&M Consolidated Tigers. Consolidated will have to “travel” to their cross town foes whom they are 0-3 against all time. College Station has thrived under head coach Steve Huff over the past two and a half years in 5A. The Cougars have gone 22-4 in the regular season, including 2 playoff appearances and a 6-0 start to their 2016 campaign.
After an injury to quarterback Ty Brock in week two, junior Marquez Perez has taken the reins of the Cougar offense and doesn’t seem to be letting go. Though he is throwing for just over 100 yard per game, Perez’s ability to take care of the ball has been crucial to the Cougars success. Perez has thrown just two interceptions compared to 10 touchdowns and having rushed for over 100 yards twice, 200 once, this season, he has also dazzled fans with his running ability. Beside Perez in the backfield is running back Chris Monroe who has been almost unstoppable so far this year. Monroe, who is averaging 6.5 yards per carry, has rushed for an average of 119 yards per game this year and scored eight touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the Cougar defense has been impenetrable. Though they lost star cornerback and Houston commit Timarcus Davis before the season began, the Cougar defense has stepped up and allowed just 11 points per game.
While the Cougars have appeared stout in all aspects of the game this year, they’ll be lining up against their most formidable opponent yet in A&M Consolidated. Consolidated’s record of 3-2 may look as if they’re having a down year, but their two losses have come to teams that are a combined 9-2 on the year. With dynamic starting quarterback Cade Williams at the helm, the Tigers have caused defenses fits all season. Williams has passed for 586 yards and six touchdowns this season, but has also made a difference on the ground, rushing for 351 yards and three touchdowns.
Beside him in the backfield is senior running back Robert Franklin. Franklin has carried the ball 58 times for 334 yards and four touchdowns. In the Tigers week one loss to still undefeated Foster, he notched 118 yards on just 14 carries resulting in his best stat line of the season. Though he hasn’t reached the 100 yard mark since week two, Franklin is a player the Cougars will have to contain to win the contest. Defensive wise, the Tigers have been stout in the games they’ve won, but have surrendered 34 points in each of their defeats. Linebacker’s Kaiden Williams and Jonathon Sylvester lead a strong linebacker corps, however the front four of the Tigers have struggled at times. With the question marks on defense in big time games and going up against a team who averages 55 points a game, the Tigers defense will surely be facing its biggest challenge of the year this Friday night.
