After Saturday night's battle in Hoptown, the Tigers are preparing to face another big school – McCracken | high schools

“I thought we played extremely efficient football on the offensive side of the ball,” Cunningham said. “We have different players who produce at a high level. We have room for improvement, but I think we understand who we are as an offensive unit.”

However, due to the Colonels' high scoring output, the defense was also in the spotlight as Cunningham reflected on his team's results when asked if Christian County's offensive performance concerned him.

“NO. I'm more concerned about the missed assignments we had on defense,” Cunningham said. “Christian County has a lot of good athletes. I knew they would be successful. Our lack of discipline with the little ones However, things that don’t require talent to make helped.”

These little things need to be sorted out for next Friday night when the Class 6A McCracken County Mustangs roll into town looking for revenge. The Tigers escaped Paducah by a thrilling 38-35 lead last year on a pass from Collin Wilson to Zavion Carman in the back corner of the end zone with less than 7.2 seconds left in the game. The Mustang's passing offense is almost as potent as the Tigers', ranking 16th in the state with 242 yards per game, compared to Murray, who ranks fourth with 292 yards per game. Junior quarterback Maddox O'Neal and senior receiver Cooper Falconite are the most dangerous quarterback/receiver combination the Tigers have faced to date, as O'Neal ranks 14th in passing yards and 240 yards per game Falconite ranks 14th in receiving with 92 yards per game.

“It was fun for me to watch as a fan and as a coach to film the game of these two young men,” Cunningham said. “I have the greatest respect for both of them. You slow down the size, that's all you can hope for. We have a plan and we have a secondary plan. The results of the plan will show its face on Friday evening.”

But as exciting as all of these statistical leaders may be, Mother Nature has her own plan and could get even more exciting with a massive tidal wave on Friday evening.

Murray was very fortunate that the remnants of a hurricane two weeks ago held off just long enough for them to prevail against a strong force from Union County, but the remnants of Hurricane Helene are expected to arrive a day early this time and flooding is forecast Rain and wind were expected to continue day and night around Ty Holland on Friday. This prediction should slow both teams down and force them to rely on their running attack, which on paper could only tip the balance slightly in favor of the visitors.

Murray's leading rusher, junior Simon Rickman, averages 53.5 yards per game on the ground but was injured in the Christian County game. If the Tigers' leading rusher were to miss again, it could spell trouble. Junior Amarion Bomar filled in for Rickman last week and held the position for the evening with 52 yards and a score, while Robbins ran for 37 yards and two scores. The Mustangs' Kayden Wahl leads their rushing offense with 65.6 YPG and just two touchdowns this year.

Since the running games are pretty close together, it could come down to which defense or special teams can beat the others.

The Tigers' defense is allowing 22 points per game to opponents while McCracken County is giving up 31 points on the defensive side, which could mean a loss as the Mustangs' schedule has been more difficult. McCracken's opponents' total offense averages 337.6, compared to Murray's opponents' total offense of 199 YPG, which appears to benefit the Tigers due to their strong 27th-ranked rushing defense.

“No matter what you call a game, I call them all the same,” when Cunningham was asked how he prepares for “Revenge Games.” “It’s the biggest game on our schedule. The game we get to play this week is the only game we can win or lose.”