McALESTER — An inability to throw the ball hurt the McAlester Buffaloes last week against Booker T. Washington. When McAlester faces Claremore Friday night on the road, passing may be essential against a defense geared towards stopping the run.
“They love to box up,” Buffs coach Bryan Pratt said Thursday. “It’ll be a good game for us.”
The 2-0 Zebras primarily work out of a 4-4 defense, sacrificing a defensive back in order to further curb their opponents’ running game. The defensive line plays an especially big role in this system, in particular senior nose tackle Waylon Whorton.
“His job is to keep the offensive line off our linebackers,” Claremore coach Rob Gilbreath said Thursday. “He has to come up big this week because of how McAlester runs the ball.”
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