The Southwestern University Pirates football team heads to Jackson, Mississippi to face Belhaven University, seeking to stop the bleeding in more ways than one after a two-game slide down the American Southwest Conference standings.

Injuries have depleted the Pirates' depth, not only removing talented players from the field, but eroding the overall corporate knowledge of the team's system. 

"It's hard because we have to shuffle things, redesign our schematics to make them more basic and cater to the skills of the players we have left," Head Coach Joe Austin said. "That can be challenging. We're not all first years but we have enough young players where we have to simplify and reduce. It's not where we thought we'd be right now but that's just the way it is."

Series History

The Pirates have won both meetings against the Belhaven Blazers, winning 60-31 on the road in 2016 with big rushing performances from current Pirates Elijah Smith (18 carries for 96 yards and one touchdown) and David Brandenburg (eight carries, 86 yards). 

Southwestern won last year by a score of 21-10, wearing down the Blazers with a powerful, multifaceted running game. Current Belhaven quarterback Hunter McEachern completed 14-of-24 passes for 222 yards, getting a large chunk of that from an 89-yard touchdown to Jacob McNeill. 

Scouting

Belhaven's 1-4 record belies how tough they've played opponents, holding defending national champion Mary Hardin-Baylor, the No. 1-ranked scoring offense in the nation at 55.8 points per game—to just 23. 

"They're unique compared to everyone else we play because of their style," Austin said. "They play almost all man coverage and bring a lot of guys from a lot of different angles. They've been really good on defense this year." 

The nature of Belhaven's defensive scheme leaves it vulnerable to big plays via the passing game, giving up 209 yards per game and 11 touchdowns through the air, ranking seventh in the 10-team conference. With so many injuries, there's a question of whether Southwestern can exploit it. 

Southwestern University will start its fourth quarterback in five games, turning to the first year signal caller from Stephenville, Texas, Hank Moore. 

Learning a complicated option offense Coach Austin describes as the most unique in the ASC would be difficult enough on its own for any first year. Executing said offense in a first start against a defense that thrives on variance and creating chaos could be taxing. 

"He did a good job [last week] of recognizing the defensive fronts and making adjustments," Austin said of Moore. "He should be in a learning phase where he's getting experience in J.V. games like a normal first year but instead he's getting thrown in." 

The Pirates spent the week tailoring the offense to his strengths and trying to reduce the pressure Belhaven likes to bring. 

"Normally, [recognizing the blitz] is the quarterback's job," Austin said. "But it's going to be a lot for Hank to do in his first start. We're going to try and do things with our scheme to take care of a lot of the pressure he might see to minimize the number of adjustments he'll have to make." 

Southwestern will need to lean on its offensive line to reinvigorate its vaunted running attack, taking pressure off not only its young quarterback but its defense. 

Last week against Sul Ross State, the defense kept the Lobos from crossing the 50-yard line throughout the entire first half. But injuries and fatigue set in over the second half, giving up all three touchdowns after the break. 

Even among the remaining players, the defensive talent remains to turn the game into a winnable war of attrition. Garrett Womack, Grant Mitchell, and Nicholas Smith give the Pirates a formidable trio up front with Womack leading the ASC in sacks with five. 

The issue becomes when the backups' backups are pressed into action, mixing in players without the same grasp of the system, leaving the Pirates vulnerable to big plays. 

"In the first half last game, Sul Ross ran the same formation 10 times and gained 11 yards," Austin said. "In the second half, they ran the same formation against a bunch of backups and gained 160 yards on four plays." 

Belhaven hasn't been an offensive powerhouse, ranking just seventh in the ASC, but play with a fast pace that attempts to disorient a defense. To end its two-game slide, the Pirates can't afford many three-and-out offensive possessions or defensive mistakes.