Lumpkin offense to test Buford defense

DAHLONEGA - Two questions will be answered at one time Friday night when Buford heads into the mountains to play Lumpkin County.

One, is the Buford defense, which has not yielded a single point this year and is already considered one of the best ever in Georgia football history, even better than that. And two, is the Lumpkin offense as good as its 37 points and over 400 yards of offense a game average says it is.

"That'll be the big thing we'll all find out," Buford coach Dexter Wood said. "They have the best offense we've seen so far, and maybe the best we'll see all year. It'll definitely be a big challenge for us."

Lumpkin coach George Hoblitzell said they have been looking forward to Buford coming to town.

"We figure there is going to be a big crowd and we're excited about getting to play them. They may be the best team that's ever come to Dahlonega to play."

The Wolves come in having beaten arch-rival Greater Atlanta Christian 30-0 last week while Lumpkin is coming off its first loss, 42-28 to improved Wesleyan.

Hoblitzell said they will have to be balanced to have a shot against Buford.

"They make you one-dimensional. They shut your run down, then rush the passer and clamp down on the receivers, which makes it tough to throw," he said. "The key will be if we can run the ball, which is what we like to do. If we can do that I think we can move the ball on them."

The Wolves (4-0, 3-0 in Region 8-AA) come in ranked No. 1 in Class AA and have dominated each of their first four opponents,winning by a margin of 41-0. Senior running back Darius Walker leads the Buford attack with 557 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 60 carries - a 9.28 yards per carry average.

Hoblitzell said don't ask him how to stop Walker.

"We're definitely not one to ask because he just ran all over us last year," said Hoblitzell, whose Indians lost 35-3 to the Wolves last year. "We had a hard time tackling him. You have to get a lot of people to the ball when he's got it and hope you can bring him down."

Lumpkin (3-1, 1-1) is led by quarterback David Richardson, who has thrown for 464 yards and 3 TDs and run for 265 yards and 5 TDs for the season. The Indians are also getting a healthy Dorian Dorsey back.

Dorsey has played the last two weeks, gaining 174 yards, but was still getting back into playing shape after missing the first two games following hernia surgery.

"David is going to have to play a solid, smart game for us to have a chance," Hoblitzell said. "Dorian I think will finally be at 100 percent so if we can keep from making mistakes, we may be able to do something."

You can bet, however, that the Buford defense is also ready.

"Our defense has been playing well and they're taking a lot of pride so far in not giving up a point," Wood said. "In fact, they've been taking it personally when they give up a first down."