Henderson says Bacone better than 1-win record

Butch Henderson doesn't see a one-win team when he looks at the Bacone Warriors.
 
"Their preconference schedule was as tough as anybody in the conference. They played three Lone Star Conference schools and an (NCAA) Division I-AA, so they had a pretty rough early season," Henderson said. "They are vastly improving and have good athletes."
 
The Wayland Baptist coach will line up his Pioneers (3-4, 1-2 Central States Football League) against those Warriors (1-7, 1-2) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Greg Sherwood Memorial Bulldog Stadium. It will be a battle of teams tied for fourth place in the conference but looking to move into the top tier as the regular-season winds down.
 
Sodexo Food Services will host a tailgate party prior to the game. Beginning around 12:30 p.m. in the home parking lot, Sodexo will provide free red and green chili to all fans, who are encouraged to greet the Pioneers on their way to the field for warmups around 1.
 
In honor of October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the game is being billed as a Pink Out event. Fans are encouraged to wear pink, and Covenant Health Plainview will be on hand handing out free pink paraphernalia as well as breast cancer literature.
 
Admission to the game will be by donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in support of breast cancer research.
 
Coverage links are available at www.wbuathletics.com. The game can be heard locally on 1090-AM and in Lubbock on 1590-AM.
 
Wayland is coming off a mostly-forgettable performance in a 40-14 road loss to now No. 25 Southwestern Assemblies of God University in which the Pioneers had trouble handling a wet football during rainy conditions and suffered eight turnovers, including five interceptions.
 
Henderson said a would-be touchdown pass to Trey Rowe that was ruled incomplete would have brought the Pioneers to within 26-21 early in the fourth quarter.
 
"Had we gotten that call, it's a whole new game," he said.
 
While the Pioneers were hurt by all those giveaways, Henderson said the Wayland defense played admirably.
 
"It was one of the best games I've seen us play defensively," he said. "We took what SAGU did away from them. We did a great job inside on the run and shut out their top receiver.
 
"What we've got to be able to do is have that type of play offensively and do some things consistently."
 
Bacone comes to town on a three-game skid, having fallen to Langston last week, 49-7, on the heels of a narrow setback to Texas College the week before, 21-20. The Warriors were downed by NCAA Division II Eastern New Mexico the week before that, 77-14.
 
Bacone's lone win was its CSFL opener over winless Lyon College, 37-35. That followed lopsided losses to Oklahoma Panhandle State (69-20), Angelo State in a game played at AT&T Stadium (56-0), Texas Southern (63-0), and Lamar (66-3).
 
Henderson said the Pioneers will try not to let Bacone pick up any momentum or gain any confidence.
 
"We've got to be able to hold their athletes down. If we can get control of the game, that makes it a lot easier," he said.
 
The coach said "like most people in our league," the Warriors have a mostly balanced run-pass offensive attack.
 
"They throw the ball well," he said.
 
Sophomore quarterback Trey Seward (6-2, 200) averages 125 yards passing a game while completing almost 50 percent of his passes and having thrown six touchdowns and four interceptions.
 
On the ground, senior Rodric Mackie and Johnny Thomas have combined for more than 110 yards rushing a game. They've combined for four TDs and both average at least four yards a carry.
 
On defense, Henderson said the Pioneers are trying something new.
 
"They're running a 3-4, which is different from what they've done in the past," he said. "Their secondary kids are athletic, and we'll have to work really hard blocking their front people. Their three down linemen are big and strong."
 
Henderson feels good about Wayland's final three regular-season games. After Bacone, the Pioneers host Langston before ending in Batesville, Ark., against Lyon.
 
"If we play like we're capable…," he said. "We have to keep playing like we have defensively and make another jump offensively."