PREGAME NOTES
Howe is 10-16 vs. Leonard since the first game on 10/20/1961 in which Leonard won, 43-0. Leonard has outscored Howe, 495-456. The Tigers won the first eight meetings between the two schools before Howe finally beat them in 1973. Howe started a 7-game winning streak in 1991 which lasted until 2004. The Bulldogs are 3-10 overall at Tiger Stadium in Leonard with the last win coming in a 28-21 win on 9/26/2003.
| 10/20/1961 | 0 | at Leonard | 43 |
| 10/26/1962 | 0 | at Leonard | 37 |
| 10/25/1963 | 0 | Leonard | 28 |
| 10/14/1966 | 8 | at Leonard | 23 |
| 10/13/1967 | 7 | Leonard | 27 |
| 9/27/1968 | 7 | at Leonard | 25 |
| 9/26/1969 | 22 | Leonard | 37 |
| 11/10/1972 | 13 | at Leonard | 19 |
| 11/9/1973 | 33 | Leonard | 20 |
| 9/10/1976 | 0 | at Leonard | 15 |
| 9/9/1977 | 21 | Leonard | 6 |
| 10/27/1978 | 28 | Leonard | 0 |
| 10/26/1979 | 23 | at Leonard | 24 |
| 9/7/1990 | 12 | at Leonard | 27 |
| 9/6/1991 | 27 | Leonard | 6 |
| 10/14/1994 | 28 | Leonard | 0 |
| 10/20/1995 | 28 | at Leonard | 0 |
| 11/6/1998 | 39 | at Leonard | 7 |
| 11/11/1999 | 34 | Leonard | 0 |
| 9/27/2002 | 23 | Leonard | 0 |
| 9/26/2003 | 28 | at Leonard | 21 |
| 9/24/2004 | 0 | Leonard | 10 |
| 9/23/2005 | 14 | at Leonard | 20 |
| 10/31/2008 | 28 | at Leonard | 59 |
| 10/30/2009 | 12 | Leonard | 14 |
| 11/7/2014 | 21 | Leonard | 27 |
Howe is 13-3 in their last 16 games going back to 10/17/2014 vs. Tom Bean. It’s the best 16-game stretch since 10/17/1997 – 11/19/1998 when the ‘Dogs went 13-3. Howe also had a 13-3 stretch from 10/31/1969 – 9/10/1971. Howe also had 12-4 stretches from 9/4/1987 – 10/7/1988; and 9/24/1959 – 11/10/1960. (Howe had numerous great 16 game stretches in the 1930s and 40s).
The Bulldogs have won 5-straight home games at Bulldog Stadium dating back to the final game of 2014 vs. Leonard. It is the longest Bulldog Stadium winning streak for Howe since a 7-game winning streak inside the 1998 season. The list of the longest home winning streaks:
13 games, 1988-1991
13 games, 1938-39
11 games, 1944-46
10 games, 1935-36
9 games, 1940-41
7 games, 1998
7 games, 1947-48
7 games, 1937-38
6 games, 1995-96
6 games, 1986-87
6 games, 1967-69
6 games, 1941-43
5 games, 2015
5 games, 1970-71
With the win over Whitewright, Howe moves to 8-1 on the season. Here’s a look at the Bulldogs’ best starts in Howe history:
9-0, 1940 (then 9-1)
8-0-1, 1946 (then 9-0-1)
8-0-1, 1936 (final record)
7-0-2, 1938 (then 8-0-2)
8-1, 2010 (then 9-1)
8-1, 1998 (then 9-1)
8-1, 1939 (then 9-1)
8-1, 1945 (final record)
8-1, 1987 (then 8-2)
8-1, 1960 (then 8-2)
8-1, 2015 (then ?)
The 29 points vs. Whitewright moves Howe’s points per game average to 35.44 which is better than any Howe team finished.
35.44, 2015 – District Champions
33.83, 1998 – District, Bi-District Champions
33.70, 1940 – District Champions
30.82, 2010 – District Champions
29.82, 1999 – playoffs
28.69, 2014 – Bi-District, Area Champions
28.46, 1989 – District, Bi-District, Area Champions
28.10, 1987
27.80, 1960
27.09, 1991 – District Champions
Howe’s shutout of Whitewright moves their points per game allowed to 10.67 which ranks 19 of 72 teams. The 10.67 is the lowest since 1991 when the Bulldogs allowed only 6.91 points per game.
The shutout of Whitewright gives Howe five so far in 2015. The last time Howe had that many in a season was 1985. The list of most shutouts in one season:
8, 1945
7, 1946
7, 1939
7, 1938
6, 1947
6, 1940
5, 1985
5, 2015
It was the first back-to-back-back shutout since October of 2001 when Howe blanked Anna and Tom Bean in consecutive weeks. The last time Howe had three shutouts in a row was in 1991 vs. Whitewright, Callisburg, and Tom Bean. The list of consecutive shutouts by a Howe team:
8, 1945
6, 1938
5, 1940
4, 1947
4, 1946
4, 1935-36
3, 2015
3, 1991
3, 1979
Howe gave up only 66 yards of total offense to Whitewright and 45 yards of total offense to S&S. Before that, Tom Bean was held to 10 yards. Not even the defense of 1991, which held every district opponent to under 100 yards of total offense and is statistically the best since the 1940’s, had back-to-back-to-back defensive games like this.
Howe’s average margin of victory in 2015 is 24.78 which is second only to the 1940 District Champions who won by a margin of 27.20. The list of the top 10 teams by margin of victory:
27.20, 1940 – District Champions
24.78, 2015 – District Champions
21.30, 1946 – District Champions
20.90, 1987
20.75, 1998 – District, Bi-District Champions
20.20, 1942 – District Champions
20.18, 1991 – District Champions
17.44, 1945 – District Champions
17.00, 1938 – District, Bi-District Champions
16.45, 1939 District Champions
Zack Hudson recorded his 18th win at Howe which moved in a tie for 5th all-time. The list:
51, Norman Dickey, 1964-1975 (3 gold footballs)
41, Jim Fryar, 1985-1989 (6 gold footballs)
34, Davey DuBose, 1996-2000 (2 gold footballs)
29, John “Buck” Smith, 1980-1984 (2 gold footballs)
18, Leslie Walden, 1938-1939 (3 gold footballs)
18, Zack Hudson, 2013- (3 gold footballs)
This day in Bulldog History:
11/6/1958, Howe lost to Southmayd, 32-12
11/6/1964, Howe lost to Collinsville, 8-6
11/6/1981, Howe beat Bells, 21-0
11/6/1987, Howe lost to Tom Bean, 23-20
11/6/1992, Howe lost to Little Elm, 15-13
11/6/1998, Howe beat Leonard, 39-7
11/6/2009, Howe lost to Melissa, 31-28
