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There are signs in the tea leaves that it will be a good day for Little Rock this Sunday when Murfreesboro makes its way to William Jefferson Clinton Stadium for Week 12.
It's not the fact that Murfreesboro has dropped their last two games, contests in which QB Billy Troutman has struggled going 44/82 for 504 yards 1TD and 6INT (45.99QBR)
It's not Little Rock's running game which has been on a tear in the last two weeks generating almost 200 yards per game at 5.34 per carry.
Nor is it hot-and-cold Thunder QB Albert Gianettino who has engineered successive 4th Quarter comebacks to defeat division rivals Texas and Tulsa and throwing for 581 yards and 5TDs (103.43QBR) in those victories.
It's not even Murfreesboro's 2-4 road record even though that doesn't help of course.
Nope it's none of that at all.
It's their mascot.
Murfreesboro will struggle this week because Little Rock knows how to play teams with equine mascots.
Just ask the Calgary Stampeders who got blanketed 35-0 in Week 5.
Put in a call to Vito at Salt Lake City and ask him how the Stallions fared in Week 6 (spoiler alert: they lost 41-14).
So if I'm the Mules, I'm afraid. Very afraid.
KEY MATCHUPS:
Murfreesboro QB Billy Troutman vs Little Rock Pass Defense: A stacked Thunder secondary has consistently under-performed all season. On paper it looks good for Little Rock but Billy Troutman has both form and history against us going 11-1-1 in 13 starts when he was with the Georgia Generals. He is 0-1 since switching conferences but remains a threat and is underestimated at our peril.
Little Rock QB Albert Gianettino: Ah good old noodle-arm. Bert. Bertie. Gianettino has been driving management crazy all season long with his inconsistent play and yet our two-game winning streak is all him. How will he do this week against the Mules is anyone's guess so I'm not going to predict anything other than to say if we win it's because of him and if we lose it's because of him too.
Murfreesboro RB Carlton Rose: The 2nd year running back never got going last week against St Louis but is likely to be featured this week against the Thunder who have been giving up over 116 yards a game at almost 4.3 yards a carry this season. Rose is a big, high-endurance back that could be the difference maker for the Mules if the game is close in the final quarter.
Murfreesboro WR Sean Sparrow: Selected at 1.22, the rookie has had a monster campaign and has eclipsed the more highly-touted WRs selected ahead of him in this year's draft. Sparrow has caught 61 passes for 1045 yards and 8TDs in just 10 games compared to Archers WR Ruben Levens (selected at 1.5, 30/334 1TD), Fresno's Randy Fife (1.7, 49/580 3TD) and Columbia's Ruben Bouie (1.15, 42/610 3TD). At 6'4" and 207lbs and averaging 17.13 yards per catch it's hard to think of this kid without seeing Randy Moss.
Little Rock Turf vs Everyone: Our field sucks, we all know that. We keep the sprinklers on too long, we cut the grass too short and we rent out the stadium for concerts, raves and revivals. None of that helps the state of the playing surface. A few weeks ago one of the Thunder players came off the field with an empty beer can stuck in his face-mask. Will the Curse of the Turf strike this week and if it does which team will feel it's ire?
Point Spread:
Murfreesboro by 5
Head to Head:
This will be the 8th meeting of the teams and Murfreesboro leads the series 3-4.
Last Meeting:
Week 12, 2027: Little Rock 23 def Murfreesboro 17 at Murfreesboro.
It's not the fact that Murfreesboro has dropped their last two games, contests in which QB Billy Troutman has struggled going 44/82 for 504 yards 1TD and 6INT (45.99QBR)
It's not Little Rock's running game which has been on a tear in the last two weeks generating almost 200 yards per game at 5.34 per carry.
Nor is it hot-and-cold Thunder QB Albert Gianettino who has engineered successive 4th Quarter comebacks to defeat division rivals Texas and Tulsa and throwing for 581 yards and 5TDs (103.43QBR) in those victories.
It's not even Murfreesboro's 2-4 road record even though that doesn't help of course.
Nope it's none of that at all.
It's their mascot.
Murfreesboro will struggle this week because Little Rock knows how to play teams with equine mascots.
Just ask the Calgary Stampeders who got blanketed 35-0 in Week 5.
Put in a call to Vito at Salt Lake City and ask him how the Stallions fared in Week 6 (spoiler alert: they lost 41-14).
So if I'm the Mules, I'm afraid. Very afraid.
KEY MATCHUPS:
Murfreesboro QB Billy Troutman vs Little Rock Pass Defense: A stacked Thunder secondary has consistently under-performed all season. On paper it looks good for Little Rock but Billy Troutman has both form and history against us going 11-1-1 in 13 starts when he was with the Georgia Generals. He is 0-1 since switching conferences but remains a threat and is underestimated at our peril.
Little Rock QB Albert Gianettino: Ah good old noodle-arm. Bert. Bertie. Gianettino has been driving management crazy all season long with his inconsistent play and yet our two-game winning streak is all him. How will he do this week against the Mules is anyone's guess so I'm not going to predict anything other than to say if we win it's because of him and if we lose it's because of him too.
Murfreesboro RB Carlton Rose: The 2nd year running back never got going last week against St Louis but is likely to be featured this week against the Thunder who have been giving up over 116 yards a game at almost 4.3 yards a carry this season. Rose is a big, high-endurance back that could be the difference maker for the Mules if the game is close in the final quarter.
Murfreesboro WR Sean Sparrow: Selected at 1.22, the rookie has had a monster campaign and has eclipsed the more highly-touted WRs selected ahead of him in this year's draft. Sparrow has caught 61 passes for 1045 yards and 8TDs in just 10 games compared to Archers WR Ruben Levens (selected at 1.5, 30/334 1TD), Fresno's Randy Fife (1.7, 49/580 3TD) and Columbia's Ruben Bouie (1.15, 42/610 3TD). At 6'4" and 207lbs and averaging 17.13 yards per catch it's hard to think of this kid without seeing Randy Moss.
Little Rock Turf vs Everyone: Our field sucks, we all know that. We keep the sprinklers on too long, we cut the grass too short and we rent out the stadium for concerts, raves and revivals. None of that helps the state of the playing surface. A few weeks ago one of the Thunder players came off the field with an empty beer can stuck in his face-mask. Will the Curse of the Turf strike this week and if it does which team will feel it's ire?
Point Spread:
Murfreesboro by 5
Head to Head:
This will be the 8th meeting of the teams and Murfreesboro leads the series 3-4.
Last Meeting:
Week 12, 2027: Little Rock 23 def Murfreesboro 17 at Murfreesboro.
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