Pine Prairie hosts Port Barre; eyes third victory of season

The 2016 season has not gone as planned for the Pine Prairie Panthers, as they stand at 2-5 on the season and have dropped five of their last six games.
Still, the Panthers have a chance to match the most number of wins in a season tonight if they can come away with a home win over the Port Barre Red Devils. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
In their last three losses, Pine Prairie has not produced much in the way of offense. The Panthers have scored a total of 21 points in those three contests and have turned the ball over six times, including two fumbles inside of their opponent’s five-yard line.
“Offensively, our linemen are going to have to start coming off the ball better than we have the last few games,” said Pine Prairie head coach Yves Prince. “They have to play better. We also are going to have to give the ball to our tailbacks more. We cannot just rely on our fullback to carry the load.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Pine Prairie has struggled mightily. The Panthers have given up a 107 points in their last three games, an average of 36 points per game.
This next matchup may be just what the doctor ordered for the Panthers. Port Barre comes into the game sporting a woeful 2-5 record. The Red Devils do not have a very potent offensive attack, only averaging 6.5 points per game and have scored six points or less in five of their games. Defensively, Port Barre allows 22 points per game.
“We have a great opportunity in front of us,” commented Prince. “I think if we can hang on to the football and control the line of scrimmage we have a good shot at getting the win. They are big up front and have a couple of decent running backs, but I believe our defense is up for the test.”