On Saturday, Oct.12, the Paladins took to the field, hoping to follow up the previous week’s narrow victory over The Citadel with a crucial Southern Conference victory against the Chattanooga Mocs. However, the game did not go as planned. The Paladins turned the ball over five times and numerous key players were injured, resulting in a 41-10 blowout loss.
Freshman quarterback Trey Hedden assumed the starting job decisively after impressive showings versus Stetson, William & Mary and The Citadel. He threw three interceptions, two of which were on back-to-back drives. Hedden was later replaced with sophomore QB Carson Jones, who threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. The offense could muster only 233 total yards, with their only touchdown coming late in the fourth quarter from junior running back Myion Hicks.
To make matters worse, the Paladins are stretched thin throughout the roster with injuries, primarily on defense. Senior noseguard Xavier Stephens was sidelined against Chattanooga, and his return timeline is unclear. Stephens played a crucial role in stopping the run, and his absence was felt as the Mocs ran for nearly 200 yards. Freshman cornerback Jaylen Moson, sophomore safety AK Burrell, senior safety Jalen Tate and junior bandit/linebacker Alex Maier have also been sidelined due to injury. All-SoCon senior and team captain bandit/linebacker Luke Clark also left the field with an apparent shoulder injury.
The Paladins have five games remaining in which anything could happen, and the Paladins must find a solution quickly on offense in order to win. According to head coach Clay Hendrix, the Paladin offense is “lacking identity” and “physicality.” While this statement is true, the Paladins also need to schematically find different ways to get the ball to their highly athletic wide receivers, junior Ben Ferguson and sophomore Colton Hinton. The Paladins should draw up plays to get these athletes the ball, using touch passes or orbit motion run-pass-options to load up the tackle box and attack the field’s perimeter. As two of the most explosive players in the Southern Conference, keeping them involved is crucial to the Paladin’s offensive and overall success.
The Paladins will host the Western Carolina Catamounts at Paladin Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 2 p.m. for their homecoming game. This game will be crucial for the Paladins, as the Catamounts have arguably the best QB in the Southern Conference, Cole Gonzales. Pressuring him will be essential, though difficult, given the injuries the Paladins have on defense. One should expect many young players to play for the Dins on defense this week to fill in some of the gaps. You can also watch the game on ESPN+.
