Bulldogs tune up for home opener by stopping Buffalo

Coach Nicc Crosby is learning more about his 2024 Lovell Bulldogs football team every time they take the field, whether in practice or game situations, and
so far he likes what he has been seeing – for the most part.

After two weeks of summer practice, the Bulldogs traveled to Buffalo Saturday for a week zero game against the Class 3A Buffalo Bison. Lovell won 26-16, with the varsity outscoring the home team 20-16 and the junior varsity added a touchdown later.

Crosby said the varsity played the first three quarters of the game, and two more “quarters” featured the younger players: the “twos” – main backups -- in the fourth quarter and the youngest players in the fifth period.

There were many positives – and a few negatives – for the Bulldogs in the game, Crosby said.

“I think the biggest thing is that all the hard work and emphasis on tackling has really made a difference,” Crosby said. “We rallied to the ball really well and wrapped up in tackling.

“We knew we have a lot of weapons coming back on offense, and it was good for some of our experienced skill position players to take a few lumps and be humbled a little bit. But they did a good job bouncing back and executing after a rough start.”

Junior running back Chase Crosby scored two rushing touchdowns on one-yard runs, and senior quarterback Davin Crosby added a touchdown on a four-yard run. In the JV portion of the game,
junior Cash Wassmer burst free for a 68-yard touchdown run.

Coach Crosby said decision-making by senior quarterback Crosby and execution between Crosby and his receivers needs to improve, and he said the running game was “all right,” adding, “We put in some new running concepts this year with mixed results. Sometimes we blocked well, sometimes not. We need to clear that up. We need to make sure we’re maintaining the right leverage on our kickout blocks.

“Our pass protection was exceptional. Davin got pressure just a couple of times and was able to maneuver and extend plays. Our run blocking was encouraging. We had very few penalties and played pretty disciplined in that regard.”

Crosby was especially pleased with the play of the Bulldog defensive line.

“They really outplayed Buffalo,” he said. “We owned the line of scrimmage and played with good pad level and technique. Our defensive line consistently pressured the quarterback, which freed up out linebackers to make plays.

“We’ll be facing a Big Horn team where we’ll need to be much more disciplined in fulfilling our individual pass coverage responsibilities and apply the techniques we work on in practice in the game. We’ve got to improve against a Big Horn team that likes to sling the ball around.”

Home opener

The Bulldogs will open the 2024 regular season at home Friday against the Big Horn Rams, who knocked the Bulldogs out of the playoffs in the first round last season in Big Horn, 49-28.

Crosby said the Rams play a wide-open spread-style offense, noting, “They throw a lot more than most 2A football teams. We used to just worry about their passing game, but last year they made strides in improving their run game.”

The Rams bring back starting quarterback Avon Barney and running back Cruz Hernandez as major weapons. Big Horn did lose speedy wide receiver Gavin Stafford and running back Drew Heermann to graduation.

“They lost some guys on the perimeter, but from what I can see they just reloaded with new receivers,” Crosby said.

Defensively, the Rams bring a lot of pressure with their front seven and play an umbrella coverage with their defensive backs, Crosby said, in hopes that the pressure can force a quarterback to get rid of the ball quickly, with the secondary players rallying to the ball.

As for defense against the running game, he noted, “They try to make you have a hard time finding a running lane with all of the pressure they send.”

Kickoff Friday at Robertson Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.