The Pike County Bulldogs travel to Brewton today take on the T.R. Miller Tigers in the second round of the Class 3A Football State Playoffs.

Bulldogs head coach Fred Holland hopes recent tough battles have prepared the team for a tough match up with the Tigers.

“Our last few games have sort of been like playoff games,” Holland said. “It has given us a lot of experience going into the game. I can definitely say the game against Aliceville has helped us out a lot.”

The Bulldogs owned the first six games of the season by outscoring their opponents 316-8. Week eight rolled around and the games got a little bit tougher.

T.R. Miller (8-2) is coming off a commanding 67-16 win over Central-Coosa in the first round of the playoffs. The Tigers entered the playoffs as a No. 1 seed after winning the Class 3A Region 1 regular season title.

The game will be a battle of staunch defenses. Pike County only let up five points per game, the most points the Tigers have put up so far this season was 26 in a losing effort to W.S. Neal.

“They present a big challenge in offense, defense and special teams,” Holland said. “They do a really good job in all of them. They are a really good team, they are well coached and they play hard.”

For the last two weeks the Bulldogs have entered each practice with the mindset that their next game could very well be their last. “They understand the severity of the game,” Holland said. “They understand if we lose the game its over. They realize what is at stake and … as far as the game goes, we feel like we are where we need to be.”

One thing to look for during the game is how the Bulldogs react if they fall behind. The Bulldogs have only trailed for a handful of minutes to Daleville in a game they lost 20-15. How they react to adversity could go a long way in determining their playoff fate.

“Hopefully that won’t happen,” Holland said. “I always tell them to turn the game into a grudge match. We would need to keep fighting. Even if we give up some points and fall behind, we need to learn to fight through it.”

Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Municipal Stadium in Brewton.