Oxford and Columbus will play each other for the second year in a row at Bobby Holcomb field in Oxford.  Oxford is coming off a disappointing 28-17 loss to the Horn Lake Eagles, whereas Columbus is yet to win a single game this year under new head coach Eric Rice.  In last year’s matchup, Oxford was victorious with a 17-7 win.

Players to watch:

Oxford QB John Meagher: After starting off the season with 9 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions, the past two games for Meager have been less than stellar.  Against Horn Lake, Meagher completed just 7 of 22 passes and only had 59 yards.  Coming up against an 0-8 team, Meagher will have a chance to rebound from his past two games and get back in form.

Columbus QB Jaelan Craddieth: Craddieth has had a rough first 8 games of the season having 13 interceptions compared to just 5 touchdowns.  If the Falcons wish to have success against Oxford’s stout defense, Craddieth will need to manage the game well and not give the ball away.

Oxford DB Byron “Tank” Pearson: Pearson nearly got his third pick six of the season against Horn Lake last Friday, but it was called back due to a flag.  Still, Pearson has four interceptions this year and could find himself another with the Falcon’s poor quarterback play this season.

Columbus RB Devarkus Ramsey: Debatably Columbus’ most efficient player on offense, Ramsey is second on the Falcons team with 490 total yards.  Along with that, Ramsey has had three 100+ yard games and 4 touchdowns.  On a team that focuses more on their ground attack, Ramsey will be an important factor for the Falcons in tonight’s game.

X factor: 

Oxford Offensive Line: The Charger’s offensive line will attempt to forget about last week’s game against Horn Lake and turn a new page against Columbus.  Horn Lake’s defensive line had 7 sacks last Friday, 26 tackles for loss in total.  If Oxford wants to come out and dominate Columbus like they should, the offensive line will need to give Meagher protection in the backfield and also create the space for the running backs to make plays.

Prediction:

The Chargers won last season’s matchup by only 10 points, but this is a new year.  On Friday night, I think the Oxford defense will continue to play at a very high level and that the offense will have a bounce back game. Chargers get the win at home with a score of 34-7.