The Tellico Plains Bears will have a chance to pick up a road win when they travel to Meigs County on Friday night. The Bears do not have a win away from Tellico to their credit, but the Tigers have shown an affinity for losing at home. The Tigers are not very good and if the Bears can jump on them early like they did against Harriman, it could be a blowout.

The key to the Bears' win over Harriman was how well they ran the football. Time of possession is a factor in any game, but when both teams are desperate for a win, controlling the ball becomes a bigger issue. Turnovers, in turn, also have a huge effect in games like this one. Early in the year the Tigers did not have a full compliment of players, and thus feel they grab a victory at home. On the other hand, the Bears have been here before.

The Bears have to run the ball with Adam Reece. We don't know how much he'll be available though. If that is the case and Reece, can't go then Garret Reno and Devon Collier will need to step up, as will Dwayne Hollingshead. Tellico will need to build a sizable lead early because Meigs will be fighting all night.

Tellico has arguably played one of the tougher schedules in the state this season. In that schedule they have faced at least six teams that will make the TSSAA playoffs this season. That fact alone should tell you that the Bears have had quite a time dealing with their opponets. Any team would have a difficult time with that list, regardless of the talent they had. I commend the Bears for banning together through this hard strectch of games.

Those tough losses have not broken the spirit of this Bears team. John Mullinax and his staff won't let that happen. The whole team has show night after night that no matter the opponent they are going to give all they have on Friday. That is again, a testament to the coaching staff and the Bears dedication to the game and each other.

The players believe they can win in Decatur, and I think they'll pick up their first road win of 2012.