By ALEX ABATE ~ DAR Sports Writer

DEXTER -- The Dexter Bearcats had streaks of solid play Friday night against Poplar Bluff, but a 38-13 loss Friday put the Bearcats in rather unfamiliar territory.

This is the first 0-4 start for the Bearcats since 1994 and the last time they started 0-5 was 1990 when Dexter went eight games before getting a win.

Dexter coach Aaron Pixley said it is paramount the team looks ahead to a road matchup with 1-3 Malden next week.

"We have to put (the losses) behind us," Pixley said. "We really don't have a choice. If we continue to stick out our lip about these four games, then we will not get better as a football team."

Despite the 25-point differential, Mules coach Shane Kearbey is confident the Bearcats will right the ship.

"Coach Pixley is a heck of a coach, and Dexter is going to be good," Kearbey said. "He's going to have them going by the end of the year, and they'll be competing for a district championship just like they always do."

Pixley stressed physical play as a key heading into the game against the Green Wave.

"The bottom line is this, we have to go to Malden as a physical football team, with the same mentality we had in the first half," Pixley said. "I felt like we were a lot more physical in the first half of this game than we have been all year and we have to do that the whole game."

Pixley talked in the middle of the week about finishing off drives inside the 20-yard line and it was an issue for them again against the Mules. In the second quarter, the Bearcats were driving but quarterback Ben Mills fumbled and the Mules recovered at the 20-yard line, one of four fumbles on the night for Dexter.

"That doesn't help us by any means and that is just another thing that we have got to correct and get better at," Pixley said. "I believe we will."

The Mules finished the game with 280 yards on the ground, including a touchdown on their second offensive play of the third quarter, a 54-yard touchdown scamper by Zach Ferguson.

"In the second half, we played hard but we got sucked up on that one long run there on the fullback," Pixley said. "The whole left side of my defense was tackling the fullback and then they gave it to the next back through. We had no one staying at home out there."

The Bearcats had just six penalties for 48 yards but they were rather costly Pixley said.

"Jumping offsides, we did that once on offense, it was on first down, if it was third-andone, it wouldn't feel so bad," Pixley said. "If it is first down, then you are at first-and-15, then we roll out to pass and we get sacked and now it is secondand-20. Things like that have got to stop happening, its been happening all year long."

The halftime deficit of 20-6 tied with last week for the closest the Bearcats have been after two quarters so far this season.

"We didn't feel great at halftime but we felt like we were still in the football game, we felt like we had some momentum," Pixley said. "Our kids were bright-eyed and focused in (the locker room)."

Pixley said the Bearcats need to stay positive against the Green Wave.

"The main thing is, we got to start playing with confidence and we got to believe we can do things."