By Alex Benzegala
Panhandle Post
Last week was not the way the Alliance Bulldogs football program envisioned starting the season under new Head Coach T.D Stein, but after a 38-8 loss to Chase County, the Bulldogs feel good about their chances against 0-1 Gordon-Rushville.
"Our mantra this week was physical and intentional, we went back to the basics with how we tackle, focused on our route running from our receivers to get that as crisp as possible, so we feel confident."
The Bulldogs face a Gordon-Rushville team that lost to Stein's alma mater Chadron 48-0 last week, their worst loss since a 56-0 loss to Mitchell in 2020. Despite this, Stein knows his players cannot underestimate the Mustangs.
"Dating back to when I was in high school, they've always been a tough team," Stein said. "The biggest thing we've been trying to convey is that no game is an easy game. they might have gotten beat last week but so did we. These guys are going to be physical; they're going to give us a run for our money, and we have to execute the game plan, our plays to win."
Stein feels a big key is to establish a running game against G-R and have a more balanced attack against a Mustangs defense that is different than what they saw last week in Chase County. Quarterback Landon Crowe is looking to build off of one of his better passing yard totals of his career, while also limiting mistakes.
Kickoff is at 6 p.m. in Gordon tonight, with no radio coverage due to Huskers CSC Eagles football games going on at the same time. KCOW News/Sports Director Alex Benzegala will be at the game, providing updates on the Panhandle Post Facebook page.