After winning their first game in two seasons last Saturday, the Colonels will head to Huntsville, Texas to play Sam Houston State University.
The Colonels defeated the Huskies 38-17 last Saturday, allowing only 221 yards of total offense. The Colonels also allowed the Huskies to have 19 minutes of possession while maintaining a season-high 40 minutes of possession.

The Bearkats have the number one scoring offense in the conference, with 49 points and 3,748 yards per game. Head coach Tim Rebowe said the team needed to continue to manage the clock and limit possessions against the Bearkats.

“They are playing for the national championship and have a great program,” Rebowe said. “We have to run the ball and control the clock. We will try to limit defensive possessions and see where we stand heading into the fourth quarter.”

The Colonels scored a season-high five touchdowns Saturday, with another season-high 425 yards of total offense. Rebowe said getting early leads in games will allow them to manage the game better.

“I really admired the way we jumped on them in the first quarter with a 21-0 lead,” Rebowe said. “We kept our defense off the field, and any time you can score touchdowns instead of field goals that’s a huge plus. If we continue to do these things, we will have success.”

Colonel quarterback Tuskani Figaro passed for 134 total yards and rushed for a total of 92 yards and two touchdowns. Both season-highs for him, Figaro also managed to score a rushing touchdown in consecutive games.

“It is important for me to make sure I’m getting the ball to the receivers and not turning it over,” Figaro said. “As I continue to grow as a quarterback, those numbers are starting to going down. We also have multiple options on offense, and it helps to keep us a little bit unpredictable for the other team.”
The Colonels accumulated 291 total rushing yards against the Huskies. Colonel running back Michael Henry scored two touchdowns and ran for 91 total yards on four yards per carry. He also managed to rush for a touchdown in two consecutive games. Rebowe said that winning the running and special teams battles will always put the team in a position to win.

“In this league, if you can run the ball, you have a chance to win,” Rebowe said. “If we can also keep improving in the kicking game and continue to give ourselves better field position, we will always have a chance to win each game.”

Colonel defensive back Jeff Hall intercepted the ball twice on Saturday with a net return of 31 yards, and the team also recovered one of the two forced fumbles. Hall said creating turnovers gets the players going.

“Once we see someone recover a fumble or an interception, everybody tries to block for that man,” Hall said. “It’s not every game we get to go for the true knockout shot, and it gives the team life.”

The Huskies only managed to rush for 30 total yards against the Colonel defense. The Colonels also held the Huskies to only 221 yards of total offense, which is a season-best for the Colonels. Rebowe said tackling is what will make the difference on defense in the upcoming games. The Colonels will play the Bearkats at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.

“I thought we tackled well on Saturday, and missed tackles give up yards,” Rebowe said. “The defense was very aggressive and the put themselves in position to make plays. It’s something we hope to see more of as the season goes on.”