The Austin football team is looking to get a bad taste out of its mouth as it heads to Rochester Century this Friday for a 7 p.m. game.

The Packers (1-1 overall, 0-1 Big Nine) are coming off a loss were they played good, but not great; the Panthers (0-2 overall, 0-1 Big Nine) are coming off a loss to Winona — which snapped a 39-game losing streak in the Big Nine Conference.

Century took a big hit in it’s opner, when their starting quarterback, Jared Malone had his season end on an ACL injury.

“I think that Century is still looking for their identity on offense, after losing their quarterback in the first game,” Austin head coach Tim Hermann said. “They still are a multiple offense, with two and one back looks, the pass has become a bigger part of their game, in part because they have been playing from behind in the first two games. I look for them to work to establish the run on offense.”

Hermann said he expects the Panthers to run a 3-3 stack on defense with an aggressive look. The Packers have been riding the legs of Jerrad Ryks in the first two games of the season. Ryks has amassed 52 carries for 286 yards (5.5 average) with 3 TDs in the first two contests. The junior back will probably be the focal point again this Friday.

“At this point, we are running the ball well on the offensive side of the ball and that is what makes us competitive,” Hermann said. “Looking back at the first two games, we are doing what we need to do offensively. When the pass is there, we hope that we will be able to execute.”

Packers quarterback Nate Justice has completed 19 of his 30 attempts this season for just 126 yards in their first two games — but that’s a good thing. Unless they’re playing from behind, the Packers would prefer to keep it on the ground.

Hermann is pleased with how his team has played this season.

“I feel pretty good about the way our team has played in the first two games,” Hermann said. “We need to continue to improve. We have an excellent chance against most teams when we play mistake-free football.”