Brown Reviews Bye Week Ahead Of Matchup With #7 Garden City 

INDEPENDENCE, Kan. - Coming off a bye week, the thirteenth ranked Independence Pirates (1-1) return to action at Shulthis Stadium to host the seventh ranked Garden City BroncBusters (2-0). In week 2, the Pirates fell to Hutchinson 37-27 despite an outstanding performance in the second half by QB AJ Wright who went 12 for 21 throwing for 145 yds and two touchdowns while also finding the endzone once on the ground along with the defense that held the Blue Dragons scoreless for the final 30 minutes. 

"We had to defeat bye week as that was our main goal in preparation and we accomplished that very well along with getting some well-deserved rest," coach Jason Brown said.  

In their first two games, Garden City has combined for 381.5 yards of total offense. While passing for only 37.5 yards per game, the BroncBusters find their main source of offense on the ground, leading the nation with a 344-yard average. 

"Every game presents a different set of problems," Brown said. "Garden City is a completely different team than Hutch was so if we play fast, physical and smart that will give us the edge to be successful." 

The Pirates have allowed 28.5 points per game on defense while allowing a total of 338 yards; 150 rush yards (75 YPG) and 188 passing yards (94 YPG).  

"Garden City will play hard and present some different looks for our offensive line," Brown said. "We will have to take care of the football, be smart in the kicking game and get off the field on third downs." 

The kicking game in the last outing for Independence struggled as the Pirates missed their only field goal of the night from 36 yards. Independence was 3 for 4 on extra points. The Pirates also gave up a safety on a bad snap at a punt attempt that went out of the back of the end zone. 

"Our special teams unit has looked a lot better with the extra practice we've had with the bye week," Brown said. "We've worked hard and implemented several new techniques in practice to make the unit more successful on gameday." 

Kickoff for Saturday night's top 15 showdown is at 7 pm. General admission for is $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for grades K-12. Children ages 5 and under get in free along with students who present their ICC ID.  Fans can also stream the game at http://www.949kind.com/icc-sports/