No Rust with These Tigers
The Katy Tigers emerged from the bye week and knocked some rust off on the way to a 57-6 win over a winless Taylor club. Katy will play four teams in the top half of the district standings to close the regular season. Cinco Ranch is the only top half team Katy has faced so far. Jordan, Paetow, Tompkins, and Mayde Creek is the final stretch before the playoffs.
Against Taylor, Katy worked through a few challenges early on and got beat over the top a time or two on defense. The ability to stay over the top of deep routes and make plays on the football in single coverage are a couple of a handful of things Katy has struggled with consistently in recent years.
It was good seeing the MVP Jeremiah Smith back on the field, and he plugged back in at the Will linebacker spot he’s claimed this season. With how well Sewell had been playing, I wondered if Smith would roll back over to the Sam outside backer spot. Sewell will still get on the field plenty, and now Katy has a very important depth piece in the unit. Aferi Davies remained the starter at Sam backer, and he has had a strong season there so far.
Both Sides of the Line Clicking
The Katy defense is very close to having a clean bill of health for the first time all year, and I am really looking forward to seeing what this unit is capable of doing then. I liked the interceptions in this one, in particular the one by Saulsberry, because he did a great job getting on a route down the deep middle and finding the football. It was perfect fundamental coverage and making a play on the ball.
On offense, Katy kept things simple out of the bye and we didn’t see any expansion or experimentation with the passing game. The running back trident continues to run hard and do very well behind the great blocking Katy has had since the second game of the season. Katy was excessively polite in the second half by attempting a few first down field goals. I like to see the back-ups finish drives in the end zone. You might need these guys to step into bigger roles in a critical moment later on, so I want them in the end zone. Personal opinion.
The Road Ahead
I am not sure if any of the remaining district opponents will be able to force Katy out of its comfort zone by limiting the Tigers’ ability to run, but each of them has some talented players on the offensive side that will test the Katy defense’s ability to match-up and make plays against athletes. If Katy is put to a 2+ score disadvantage at any point, we will see what the response is then.
My concern with the offense remains the passing game outside of the passes to George and Zuehlke in the flat. Katy is going to need the ability to convert first downs through the air, and the offense is not developing enough of a drop-back passing package to give confidence it can make plays in each horizontal zone of the field or get over the top vertically. If it just is what it is and the ground game has to dominate, then that’s the horse we’re riding and it has to work. Getting the defense completely healthy and settled obviously will help the offense and give a little more margin.
Jordan is next up and they’ve struggled a bit the past two weeks having lost to Cinco in surprising fashion, and then limping by Seven Lakes in a lower scoring game. They’ve recently poured all their resources into beating Katy, so the Tigers will stay sharp and focused through a strong week of preparation. Katy needs to continue getting better every day and there are plenty of fundamental things to clean up when looking at the Taylor film. Keep the trajectory of the season pointed upwards and lock it in. The final march to the post-season is here.
