AUBURN – What defenses see when they line up against Edward Little’s spread formation is not always what they get.

Sometimes they get the expected aerial assault, with Cody Goddard at the controls and firing passes to a cadre of talented receivers. But if they get too preoccupied with the passing game, it only takes one play for the Red Eddies to shift gears and give the ball to the running backs who embody their deceptive philosophy, Merton “Buddy” Foss and Dylon Therrien.

If the defense doesn’t adjust quickly, the senior duo can be just as explosive on the ground as Goddard and Co. are through the air.

“When our passing game is looking good, it just makes our job a little bit easier,” Therrien said.

It makes the defense’s job virtually impossible, though, even on the rare occasion when Goddard is having trouble finding a rhythm. No one knows that better than rival Lewiston, EL’s Pine Tree Conference semifinal opponent, Lewiston (3 p.m. Saturday, Walton Field).

The Eddies spent the early stages of their first meeting two weeks ago trying to get their passing game going, only to run into a Blue Devil roadblock each time. Midway through the second quarter, they decided to start grinding it out, running the ball on the first 10 plays of an 11-play, 87-yard drive that ended in the game’s first touchdown and put the Eddies in control of the contest, which they eventually won, 19-12.

Foss and Therrien credited the threat of the pass, a veteran offensive line and the advantages of running out of the spread formation for making those yards easier to pick up.

“There’s more open space and you have a little bit of time to think before you come into contact with somebody,” Therrien said. “We’re mostly running out of shotgun, so you can sit back there and look at the defense.”

As runners, they are the prototypical combination of power and finesse. Ironically, Foss, the smaller of the two backs, is the more physical runner, a fact he takes pride in.

“We’ll watch film and see a kid get run over and then a broken tackle and a little speed outside and someone will say, ‘Is that Dylon?’ and coach (Travis) Dube will be, like, ‘No, that’s our 150-pound tailback,'” said Foss, who actually tips the scales about 25 or 30 pounds heavier. “With the speed that I have, there’s really no point in trying to stop and change direction with it. You already have all that momentum going forward, you might as well drop your shoulder.”

“Merton’s a more downhill runner. It sounds crazy. He’s 181 pounds, but he’ll run right through ya,” Hartley said. “Dylon’s got great vision and he’s got skinny hips. He’s 208 pounds but he’ll make you miss.”

Foss and Therrien combined for over 1,200 yards and 11 TDs rushing this season. Foss finished sixth in the PTC in rushing with 801 yards, while Therrien was one of Goddard’s favorite targets, finishing second on the team with 17 receptions and seventh in the conference with 282 yards receiving.

Therrien said he has recovered sufficiently from a knee injury suffered in last Saturday’s game against Messalonskee to play against Lewiston. If he can’t go this Saturday, his loss may be felt more on defense, where he is the Eddies’ top play-making linebacker.

“Dylon goes about his effort making eight or nine tackles a game, a pick for six or a sack on a blitz,” Hartley said.

“If there’s a pile-up, Dylon’s always the first one on the bottom,” Foss said. “He’s in on just about 80 percent of the tackles.”

Foss recently joined Therrien in the linebacking corps after spending a portion of the season in the secondary. EL coaches figured it was time to take advantage of his penchant for contact and moved him closer to the line of scrimmage, “Merton just lights people up,” Hartley said. “He loves to hit people.”