Friday night, the Oxford Chargers look to get back on track as they travel to Grenada for a “Chargers vs. Chargers” showdown. Grenada is coming in off a 6-12 loss on the road to Clinton and has now lost 4 of the last 5 games. Grenada holds a 5-4 overall record and a 1-4 division record. The Chargers are coming off a disappointing loss as they fell to the Starkville Yellow Jackets by a score of 47-18. In last year’s matchup between the two teams, Oxford had a close win on senior night with a score of 19-17.

Players to Watch:

Oxford Senior RB Roman Gregory- Like I said a few weeks ago,  in order to win big games, you need great performances out of your star players. With the Chargers in a must win situation, Gregory will need to continue to be a problem for a stout Grenada defense. He has already surpassed the 1,000 total yards mark and on top of that has 12 touchdowns. I expect the Chargers to continue to gameplan around Gregory and his abilities. 

Grenada Sophomore RB Macaleb Taylor- The Grenada offense relies on their running game. They are led by sophomore Macaleb Taylor, who has run for 966 yards and 7 touchdowns. Being less than 50 yards from reaching 1,000 yards as just a sophomore is extremely impressive. He’s been a really difficult guy to tackle as he uses both power and speed, and he’s continued to be a serious problem for defenses all season. Be sure to keep an eye on Taylor as he leads that stellar offensive run game.

Oxford Senior LB Alex Sanford: Sanford, a 3-star linebacker, Arkansas commit, and a member of the 2022 Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen, has lived up to his potential so far this season. The senior linebacker leads the team in total tackles with 77, and total TFL with 10. Standing in at around 6’4, 235 lbs, Sanford has used his size and strength to tear down every offensive linemen he has faced. Alex will be a major part of defending a strong running game from the Grenada Chargers, so be sure to keep an eye out for big number 0 on the field.

Grenada Senior LB/DB Jaylon Townes– So far this season, Townes has been a major leader for this Grenada defense. He leads the team in total tackles with 71. Grenada Linebacker Tre Parker, is the next guy in the stat line for total tackles, and he holds 20 tackles less than Townes. Townes is also responsible for almost 20% of the tackles all season. Grenada loves to utilize Townes’ talend and you will see him line up all over the field in all kinds of ways. This will be one of the best linebackers the Chargers have faced and will be a guy to watch as the game goes on. 

X-Factor:

Oxford Front Seven: It’s no secret that the Grenada Chargers like to run the ball often. Out of 448 recorded offensive plays this season, they ran the ball 315 times, or around 70% of the time.  If Oxford can contain the run and force Grenada into third and long often, they should have an easy night.

Prediction:

Look, the Chargers are in control of their own destiny. If the Chargers are able to win their final two games, they will be a lock in for the playoffs. The mindset of the team has to be that the playoffs start tonight. There is no other scenario that can keep the Chargers away from a playoff spot, so it’s just win and you’re in. I like the fact that it is all up to the Chargers, and feel they will play with a sense of urgency knowing this is it. The Chargers are in desperate need of finding a rhythm offensively and will need to incorporate more of the pass game tonight. This is a Grenada team that plays so close to teams every week but seems never to get the job done. I feel tonight is no different, I like a low-scoring matchup, with the Chargers on top, 21-13.