CCLP/TJ MAXWELL - Cove senior quarterback Caine Garner makes a throw during the Dawgs’s scrimmage against Abilene on Aug. 19CCLP/TJ MAXWELL - Cove senior corner back Marcus McRae breaks up a pass during the Dawgs’s scrimmage against Abilene on Aug. 19. The Dawgs get their season underway tonight against Mexico’s UANL.

Cove Bulldawgs football set for season opener….again

By TJ MAXWELL
Cove Leader-Press
 
The Copperas Cove football team was all dressed up with nowhere to go last Friday when electric storms forced the cancelation of their season-opening clash against no. 20 A&M Consolidated.
 
The Dawgs will now get their season underway against the Tigres of Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) of Mexico.
 
The Dawgs have had their way with UANL over the years, but with the stunning 23-14 win over district rivals Shoemaker last week, the Cove coaching staff is expecting a fight.
 
The Tigres’ defense held the Grey Wolves’ offense to just 186 total yards and all but eliminated the run game, allowing just 32 yards in the contest.
 
The Dawgs have outscored the Tigres 205-49 in their four meetings but the Cove coaching staff saw a different Tigres’ team than in past meetings.
 
“They are much improved,” said Cove offensive coordinator Tracy Welch. “They are flying to the football. These kids can run, they are playing hard, playing good and they are well coached.”
 
The Dawgs have yet to be tested in a live game and head coach Jack Welch knows they are up for a good one tonight.
 
“They’re a good football team,” said Welch. “They are totally different than when you saw them a few years ago. They were just learning the game of football. They’re older and wiser and they are doing a heck of a job.”
 
The Tigres offense also had a good showing against the Grey Wolves’ defense that led the district last year. Quarterback Jose Miguel Patino led the team to 275 total yards and 12 of 17 passing, including a 66-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Niebla.
 
The Tigres running back duo of Sebastian Javier Gomez and Juventino Reyes also contributed scores for UANL.
 
“They are pretty much a spread team but they run a bunch of formations,” said Cove defensive coordinator Reb Brock. “Their main quarterback (Jose Miguel Patino) is a big, thick kid. He’ll run the ball and his passes very effectively. They have 80 kids on the sideline. They came out with a whole new group of skill guys in the second half. The line pretty much stays the same.”
 
The Dawgs finish off their three-game home stand next Friday against El Paso Franklin.
 

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