2023 Week 4 Bear Tracks

Hey there, Bear fans! Another week, another W for BHP as the season keeps rolling on. The Bears remain undefeated, thanks to a stellar performance from the offensive line and the unstoppable force known as Marquise Henderson. This week, the Bears hit the road, ready to do some Purple Pillaging.

But before we dive into this week's preview, let's take a moment to recap what went down last week. BHP squared off against the Woodruff Wolverines, and it wasn't the lightning-fast start that we've become accustomed to. BHP led by a modest 7-6 margin after the first quarter. Then, right at the beginning of the 2nd quarter, BHP lines up to punt, but a high snap turns into a safety. This put BHP behind 8-7, marking the first time they trailed since the 6:07 mark in the 1st quarter of the Westside game. And from that very moment, it was all about the Marquise Henderson show. When the dust settled at the end of the 3rd quarter (his last rush), BHP was up 35-15, and Henderson had racked up 301 rushing yards on 14 carries, with all 5 TDs to his name. The Bears then tacked on two more TDs in the fourth quarter, stretching their lead to 49-15.

Now, I know we often get caught up in the offensive fireworks, probably because it's the easier side to measure, but let's not forget about that Bear defense. Woodruff had 5 different guys trying their hand at rushing, but none of them managed over 50 yards, and only 2 broke the 10-yard mark. Plus, our defense really tightened the screws when Woodruff made it to the red zone, allowing only 6 points on several trips.

Sure, there are areas for improvement on both sides of the ball, and the Bears need to avoid playing down to their opponents. But as they keep rolling, they're stacking up those positive plays. Chapter 3 is in the books, and it's looking like a best-seller.

Shout Outs:

Every game there are a few guys that just...stand out. Here are my notables from the Woodruff matchup:

• Ri Barnette: This guy was all over the field, racking up 6 solo tackles, 6 assisted tackles, 2 sacks, 1 pass breakup, 1 hurry, and 1 tackle for loss. He was a defensive dynamo.
• Oliver Merett: We talked about one of his line-mates last week, but this time, Oliver made some huge blocks for the Bears. Everyone knows it all starts up front.
• Marquise Henderson: Henderson pulled off one of the craziest offensive stat lines ever seen at BHP. 14 rushes for 301 yards and 5 TDs, and he even blocked a PAT. The man makes it all look too easy, but what he can do on that field is truly one of a kind.

Week 4 Preview

The Bears are hitting the road, and they're bound for Greenwood County to take on the Emerald Vikings this Friday night. Now, the BHP team, they're aiming to keep that undefeated streak alive, but over on the Emerald side, well, they're still hunting for that first W of the season. It's been a bit of a tough road for the Vikings, but don't let that record fool you. They've been knocking on the door, with three straight heartbreakers - Ninety-Six, they slipped by 28-27, Hampton County, a squeaker at 27-24, and Saluda, a tight one at 9-6. That's right, folks, these guys are a lot better than their record suggests. They've been hanging tough, losing those three games by just a measly 7 points combined.

Now, let's talk about this Emerald defense, 'cause that's where the rubber meets the road. They've got some athletes out there and they might just be the toughest D the Bears have encountered all season so far. On the offensive side of things, Emerald's aiming for balance, but you better believe they're gonna lean on their big, strong rusher when they need to move the chains.

As for our BHP squad, well, it's another week where they've gotta put in the work to get better. It's not so much about sizing up the opponent, it's about looking in the mirror and focusing on self-improvement. Because, you see, when the Bears get better, the score takes care of itself. That's the mantra this week, folks, and you can bet your bottom dollar they'll be giving it their all on Friday Night.

2022 Game Stats (Last Matchup)

Score: BHP 35 -- Emerald 6

BHP Yardage:

Team Rushing: 42 rushes for 227 yards and 4 TDs
Team Passing: 9/16/1 for 126 yards and 1 TD
Team Total: 58 plays for 353 yards and 5 TDs

Rushing Leader: #3 Marquise Henderson - 11 rushes for 100 yards and 1 TD
Passing Leader: #7 AJ Pendleton - 7/13/1 for 117 yards and 1 TD
Receiving Leader: #15 Nevada Bullips - 2 receptions for 91 yards and 1 TD
Defensive Leader: #12 Norikus Cowan - 2 pass breakups, 1 TFL, 2 solo tackles and 1 big hit

Emerald Team Yardage:

Team Rushing: 28 rushes for 82 yards and 1 TD
Team Passing: 9/16/0 for 48 yards
Team Total: 44 plays for 130 yards and 1 TD

Rushing Leader: #3 Jaylen Foster - 10 rushes for 28 yards and 1 TD
Passing Leader: #12 Key Holloway - 9/16/0 for 48 yards
Receiving Leaders: #1 Ean Ryans - 5 receptions for 25 yards

Quick Stats

• BHP is 6-0 against Emerald all-time.
• Emerald is one of only 3 teams BHP has never lost to when playing 4 or more times.
• Against Emerald all-time, BHP has averaged 37.3 points per game while allowing only 13.5.
• Since 2014 no BHP rusher has had more than 500 total rushing yards in the first 3 games of the season, until Marquise Henderson’s 704 this season.
• Marquise Henderson is 1 of only 6 BHP rushers to run for over 300 yards in 1 game.
• BHP’s Ri Barnette is one of 4 players since 2018 (when we have game-by-game defensive stats) that had 45 or more defensive points in a game.
• BHP has 13 rushes over 20 yards and has only given up 2 rushes over 20 yards this season.
• BHP is averaging 102.7 more rushing yards per game than last season.
• BHP has caused 29.2% more negative yardage plays over last season.
• Since 2014 Marquise Henderson and AJ Pendleton are the only BHP players to score 5 or more TDs in a game (Pendleton 2022 vs Laurens and Palmetto).
• Marquise Henderson has 11 rushes over 20 yards or 20.8% of his rushes. 
• BHP is averaging 7.2 points per game more than last season.
• BHP is on pace for 467 rushes for 3,850 yards and 57 rushing TDs.
• All three of BHP's top rushers average over 6 yards per carry (Henderson 13.28, Robbs 6.28, Lathon 7.44).
• The 130 total yards last season for Emerald was 1 of only 16 times since 2012 that BHP’s opponent gained less than 150 total yards.

Wrap Up

You see, folks, this Bears squad, they've been doing precisely what we all anticipated this season. No surprises there. And you know what? We're not straying from our expectations this week either. The Bears hit the road, but mark my words, the outcome, well, it's going to be more of the same.

Prediction: BHP 42 - Emerald - 8

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One for the road, “How Bout Them Bears”