Game preview: US Grant at Putnam City

US Grant (0-3) at Putnam City (3-0)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Putnam City Stadium

Last week: Grant suffered a 63-6 setback to Ada. Putnam City finished off its non-district schedule with a third straight win, 42-22 over Choctaw.

Why US Grant could win: Under Matt Miller, this team is looking for an opportunity to make a statement. The Generals have a stout running game, led by GaVonte Bonds, and QB Ryan Ward is a dual-threat guy who is running a new offense that is more complex than what Grant ran last season. So there’s a learning curve, and the Generals will continue getting better every week.

Why PC could win: This Pirate team is on a mission out of the gate this season. They’ve only gotten better each week, with the offense putting up big numbers the last two games. The defense allowed seven points over the first two games, and didn’t give up big points against Choctaw until the game was in hand.

Key matchup: PC run game vs. Grant defensive front. As Choctaw learned last week, if you can’t stop Casey Curtis and Desmond Tilly, it’ll be hard to beat the Pirates. Curtis went for 200 and Tilly for 100 against the Yellowjackets and it was a one-sided contest.

The pick: PC 42, Grant 24. Grant is an improving team, but the Pirates are playing with too much confidence and too much momentum right now.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com