The talent is there for the St. Pauls Bulldogs football team.

Unfortunately, it's not showing up in the victory column.

St. Pauls is winless in three games this season, with two of those defeats coming against Class 4-A foes — Purnell Swett and Lumberton — by an average of 32.5 points.

From a defensive standpoint, tackling has been the Bulldogs' Achilles heel.

Stopping Purnell Swett's 225-pound fullback, Jock Clark, is no easy task for any county team, especially for a Class 2-A school like St. Pauls. The Bulldogs found that out first-hand in Week Two when they were unable to corral Clark, who gained 184 yards on 25 carries.

Wrapping up was again the problem Friday at home, as Lumberton fullback Maurice Lewis scooted his way for 181 yards on just five carries in limited action. St. Pauls' defenders had a hand on Lewis at the line of scrimmage on each attempt, but the back would shake a tackle with a spin move or stiff-arm to pick up healthy chunks of yards.

Perhaps Friday's glimmer of a revitalized passing attack will help St. Pauls pick up its first win soon.

After falling behind 21-0 with two minutes to play in the first quarter following three Lewis touchdown runs, Sasser elected to give quarterback Kalem Hunt the reins of the offense for the remainder of the game. Hunt completed 13-of-39 passes for 248 yards and had a 35-yard touchdown toss to Sandy Chavis on a quick slant.

The slant and post routes were open all night for the Bulldogs and Hunt did his best to try to find his receivers in space. However, most of the time, passes were dropped when thrown right to the receivers. Both of Hunt's interceptions came on deflected passes off the hands of receivers.

Sasser put Hunt in an empty backfield for most of the contest and even gave him the opportunity to pass in three and sometimes four-receiver sets. He said Hunt made good plays at times, but has room for improvement.

"Kalem played alright but he can get better," Sasser said. "We did some good things on offense in the second half."

Hunt completed three passes over 30 yards, including a 45-yard strike down the sideline for a first down to Deon Brown. Antonio Henderson caught two passes for 46 yards. Sasser may elect to use Henderson's height — he stands 6-foot-2 — to his team's advantage in goal-line situations for the Bulldogs.

Fellow quarterback Matt Reed gives the Bulldogs another viable threat under center with his feet just as much as his arm. Reed's ability to run the option can keep opposing defenses off balance, opening up the field for the play-action pass.

Despite being equipped with an above average air attack by high school standards, the Bulldogs' initial victory might not come until an Oct. 9 home game against Red Springs. Before the matchup with the Red Devils, St. Pauls travels to West Bladen and Gray's Creek and takes on Pinecrest Sept. 25.

As long as the Bulldogs’ receivers hold on to the football, though, St. Pauls has a bright future through the air.