John Denny Montgomery
The Wayne Bulldogs open their 2024 football season tonight (Thursday) at 7 p.m. against the Crooked Oak Ruf Nex in Oklahoma City.
Wayne expects to face a very athletic team, and head coach Brandon Sharp said his team will need to be disciplined.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Sharp said. “They have a really talented senior running back. We’re going to have to showcase our running ability on defense and bring the tailback down.”
Sharp said Ruf Nex’s offensive line will be big and physical and his players will have to match that physical game.
On offense, Crooked Oak will rely on a spread offense from the shotgun position and will try to create space for its playmakers.
“They will spread you apart in defense,” Sharp confirmed.
On defense, Crooked Oak will consist of a 3-4 front.
“They have big linemen and really strong linebackers,” Sharp said. “Their back line is extremely athletic. We have to maintain blocks and try to get blockers to the second level.”
Southwestern Union
Wayne coached against Southwest Covenant last Friday and Sharp said there were things he was happy with but others that needed improvement.
“Overall, I was happy with their effort and attitude,” he said. “That’s what I look for in these practice games. If they mess up, we can accept some mistakes as long as they play hard.”
“We can fix it if they don’t line up properly or make a few mistakes. But commitment and attitude – that’s up to them.”
Sharp said he and his staff expect some missteps as the team adjusts to a new offensive tactic.
“We had a few misses on the offensive line,” Sharp said. “The front they gave us was a little different than we expected. Guys had to adjust on the fly. With this offense, it doesn’t matter what the front looks like as long as they follow the rules.”
Sharp felt his backfield did a good job during practice as well.
“The offense is different, but they’re adjusting,” he said. “When we come in, Sloan (Jackson) is a home run threat every play. Logan Simpson is a good hitter back there and it’s a good one-two punch.”
“Jaxon Dill is doing good stuff. He’s correcting some of the things he did wrong on the bootlegs. He’s a senior and he’s going to get it corrected.
Wayne stuck to his basic defense throughout practice and Sharp was pleased with the way they rushed the ball.
“We always had six or eight getting the ball,” he said. “We forced them into a lot of negative plays, and that’s what you expect from your defense.”
Wayne allowed some passing plays during the practice game and Sharp said he left his cornerbacks on an island.
“We will adapt and do some things to help them in the game,” he said.
