PREGAME NOTES
Howe’s overall record 362-333-24. This is game number 720 in season number 72.
In 2014, Howe’s offense ranked 5th of 71 Bulldog teams with 28.7 points per game. The previous year was ranked 54 with 11.8 points per game. That was an improvement by 16.9 points per game which was the biggest turnaround in school history from one year to the next. The previous high was 13.7 from 2009 to 2010.
The 2014 Howe Bulldogs were the 14th team in school history to make the playoffs. They set a record for the most points scored in a single playoff run with 101 and a record for the most points scored in a playoff game (50 vs. Hughes Springs).
The 2014 Howe Bulldogs also gave up a school record tying 71 points to Waskom in the regional championship. The 1992 team gave up 71 to Van Alstyne on opening night. Last year Howe gave up 123 points in the playoff run, which also was the most by any team.
While the offense was in the top five in school history, the defense, with four freshman starters ranked 64th of 71 by giving up 26.8 points per game. Those numbers were heavily skewed in the final game vs. Waskom. Coach Zack Hudson’s defense was actually statistically a little better in his first year of 2013 by allowing 24.2 points per game. Hudson arrived in Howe and inherited the worst ranked defense in school history that gave up an astonishing 38.1 points per game in 2012. The 13.9 point improvement from ’12 to ’13 was the biggest turnaround in school history from one year to the next.
When the defense improves by nearly two touchdowns and the offense improves by nearly 17 points, wins start to total up and a 2-8 team in 2012 became a quick three-round playoff team in 2014.
Howe games on August 28:
2009: Howe won at Blue Ridge 27-9
Howe is 7-5 in games played in August
Since 2000, the Bulldogs are 8-7 on opening night, but have won 7 of the last 8.
This will be Zack Hudson’s first season opener at Bulldog Stadium. His first game as head coach to open the 2013 season was at Lindsay.
Coach Hudson has a 10-13 record at Howe. His next win will tie Terry Davis, who went 11-18 from 1993-95. If Howe were to win 9 games this year, Hudson would only trail Norman Dickey (51), Jim Fryar (41), Davey DuBose (34) and John (Buck) Smith (29) in career wins.
Overall record vs. Bonham, 1-0; Howe won the first ever matchup last year 14-0