St. Joe’s vs PC Preview

St. Joe’s vs PC has all the hype any football fan could want. Forget the national impact this game has with all the rankings.

The bottom line: St. Joe’s has not lost a game since giving up 21 second-half points to PC on the road and losing 44-35 last year. The Green Knights have won every game they have played so far this season in a landslide. PC is desperate for a win after losing to Bosco last week. The Paladins have the talent, but they need to learn how to manage the game better vs. other top NJ opponents.

What does each team need to do to win?

For Paramus Catholic, its all about limiting turnovers and letting Jabrill Peppers play his game. The Paladins turned the ball over on their first two possessions of the second half las week vs Bosco and that really hurt them. Joe’s comes into this game with a better defensive line than Paramus Catholic’s offensive line on paper. Last year, Peppers ran for 370 yards (mostly out of the wildcat) and four touchdowns. As tough as it will be, he is going to need to put up another performance like last year for PC to win the game. Definitely let Peppers run the wildcat from the get-go.

St. Joe’s has yet to see a member of the Big 4 or DePaul so far this year. St. Peter’s Prep kept it close vs Joe’s last week but the Green Knights buckled down in the second half and were able to dominate the line of scrimage. Controlling the tempo and winning the game up front will be key for the Green Knights. They have been able to control the clock on offense so far this year by sticking to the eye and the shotgun formation. As long as St. Joe’s can win the battle of the trenches and wear PC out up front like Bosco did, they will come away with the victory.

All the cards are lined up and this game has the potential to be special. We’ll see what happens.

The pick: St. Joe’s 35, PC 23