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North 42 New Albany 13 - Central Stadium Oct 26, 2007

Game Stats    Game Recap   

Offense

NORTH FOOTBALL VS. NEW ALBANY              
      RUSHING            
NO. NAME RUSHES YARDS AVG. FUMBLES FUM. LOST TD'S EXTRA PTS. TOTAL POINTS LONGEST
24 Meriweather 10 116 11.6 0 0 2 0 12 45
2 Pendleton 11 73 6.6 0 0 2 0 12 29
25 Carlile 1 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 5
1 Jackson 1 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 4
33 Clements 13 33 2.5 1 0 0 0 0 7
35 Broerman 4 6 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 7
21 Johnston 4 5 1.2 0 0 0 0 0 7
  44 242 5.5 1 0 4 0 24 45
                   
      PASSING            
NO. NAME COMP. ATT. COMP.% YARDS AVG. COMP TD'S INT. LONGEST  
2 Pendleton 8 10 80.0% 177 22.1 2 0 51  
15 Whitler 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0  
  8 11 72.7% 177 22.1 2 1 51  
                   
      PASS RECEPTIONS            
NO. NAME REC. YARDS AVG. FUMBLES FUM. LOST TD'S EXTRA PTS. TOTAL POINTS LONGEST
6 Parkman 1 35 35.0 0 0 1 0 6 35
80 Parker 5 89 17.8 0 0 1 0 6 34
12 Rushing 1 2 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 2
1 Jackson 1 51 51.0 0 0 0 0 0 51
  8 177 22.1 0 0 2 0 12 51
                   
      KICKS     HAD     TOTAL
NO. NAME TYPE ATT. MADE YARDS AVG. BLKED. FG EX. POINTS POINTS
8 Meador PAT 6 6     0 0 6 6
8 Meador Kickoff 7   279 39.9        
                   
                   
              Defense Scored   0
    TEAM TOTALS              
First Downs 18                
Rushing Yards 242     All Purpose Yards          
Rush Attemps 44     Name Rush Rec. Return Total  TD's/Pts.
Avg. Yds Per Rush 5.5     Jackson 4 51 12 67 0/0
Passing Yards 177     Pendleton 73 0 6 79 2/12
Completed 8                
Attempted 11                
Completion % 72.7%                
Avg. Yds Per Comp. 22.1                
Total Yards 419                
Plays 55   Returns            
Avg. Yds Per Play 7.6   Name Type of Kick  No. of Returns Yd's Avg. Fair Caught TD's/Pts.
Turnovers 1   Jackson KO R 1 12 12 0 0/0
Fumbles 1   Pendleton INT R 1 6 6 0 0/0
Fumbles Lost 0                
Interceptions 1                
Total Points 42                
PAT's (att./made) 6 6              
Punts/Avg. 0 0              
Kickoffs/Avg. 7 39.9              

Offensive line blocking scores:

Allgood   Tomlin   Foster    Douglas  Borman  Kuhlenhoelter

   

 Defense

  New Albany                
Name Solo Assist TFL SAC C-Fumble R-Fumble Deflection Int Blk Punt Points
Markie Johnson 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Ryan Bailey 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Marcus Garrett 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
Quintez Todd 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Travis Carlisle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Brent Williams 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
George Quarles 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Cameron Clements 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Clinton Brown 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Larry Meriweather 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3
Justin Rushing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Stephen Jackson 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 15
Mitch Parker 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Dion Pendleton 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5
Ryan Parkman 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Tyler Wilke 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Jacob Embry 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Drew Hawkins 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Alan George 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Zac Herman 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ben Green 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Kit Aldridge 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Ty Carter 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tony Mendoza 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9
Ryan Hufford 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Lucas Kaffenberger 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Randall Tomlin 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
James Marion 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cameron Whitler  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Dan Borman 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Ivan Irvine 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tehnemberg 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Aaron Hale 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 21 27 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 77

Game Recap

If asked, most coaches will tell you that the benchmark of a 'good' football team is the ability to put points on the board.

Ask that same coach what makes the difference between a good football team and a 'great' football team and he'll answer with one word: "Defense."

It's absolutely essential that a good football team be able to score with fluency. Sustaining long drives takes the legs out from under your opponent. Long passes and amazing runs instill fear and take an opponent out of their game plan.

But defense... good, solid, old-fashioned 'smashmouth' defense destroys the opponent's will to win.

For the last month, the North Huskies have been playing good, solid, old-fashioned 'smashmouth' defense.

If not for a trick play on fourth and 12 and a Husky fumble deep in our own territory, Christian County wouldn't have seen the end zone once against the first team defense.

Against Central, the starting defensive line and linebacker corps held the Bears' all-everything running back to 37 yards on 15 carries. The Bears wilted under the pressure and the score was 34-0 in the fourth quarter.

Jennings County's offense never got the number of the truck that ran over them. Between George Quarles' three picks and Stephen Jackson's 9 solo tackles, the Panthers produced a meager three first downs in the first three quarters of the game. The score was 28-0 when the starting defense came off the field. Long before that point, the Jennings County faithful had started dreading the long drive home.

NEW ALBANY TAKES THE FIELD

When New Albany took the field Friday night, there was a certain swagger in their pre-game drills. Having averaged 34 points per game in their previous four outings, the Bulldogs were confident that they would prevail in a high scoring, run and gun style football game.

Their coach had told his local press that during the two weeks that his team had to prepare for their 2nd round sectional match (they drew the bye in the first round), he had installed some 'new wrinkles' for North. Less than an hour after kickoff, the only noticeable wrinkles were the lines of worry on the Bulldog faithful's faces as they watched the Huskies hold up their end of the 'run and gun' football game.

For their part, the Bulldogs hit a wall.

A solid wall known as the Mean Green Defense.

Convinced of their ability to complete long passes against the Huskies, New Albany came out throwing deep and throwing often. Two bombs fell harmless on first and second downs, but the Bulldogs did manage a first down on the next play.

It was then that Mean Green Defense made its first of many stands.

GREEN = MEAN

Playing in muddy, slippery conditions it would be easy to blame the wet ball for the next three plays. On first, second, and third down a variety of handoffs, pitches, and passes ended up with the ball on the ground and players scrambling for possession.

But that's not what caused the errors.

On all three plays North linemen made quick and deep penetration into the offensive backfield.  The penetration forced the Bulldog quarterback to alter his motion. Whether it was extending the ball as a handoff or trying to maneuver thru a four-step drop to attempt a pass, Husky defenders were finding a way to get better footing in the slop in the middle of the field than their black and white clad counterparts.

Blowing past big but slow offensive linemen, the green defenders harassed and harried the Bulldog backs into making mistakes. It was the anticipation of a Husky in their face that caused all three plays to break down, not the conditions.

HUSKIES SCORE FIRST... AND SECOND... AND THIRD... AND SO ON...

None of this is to say that North is without a powerful offense capable of lightning strikes and sustaining spirit killing drives. Especially since they accomplished both feats upon fielding the Bulldogs' punt.

Starting from their own 32, the Huskies ran once to the right before attempting a medium length fade pass to the wide side of the field on second down. WR Mitch Parker hauled in the pass at the 40, broke free along the sideline in front of the Husky bench, and rambled to the New Albany 35 before being brought down.

It was a fine example of a 'lightning strike'.

What occurred after that was a 'spirit killer'.

North converted two third downs and took nine additional plays to cover the final 35 yards as QB Dion Pendleton ran the last six yards himself. It was a glimpse of what the rest of the night would look like--long passes generating scoring opportunities and long drives sapping the last vestiges of strength from an outmanned Bulldog defense.

DEFENSE SETS UP ANOTHER SCORE

When the Bulldogs bobbled the kickoff, New Albany was lucky to retain the ball at their own 15 yard line. When LB George Quarles 'thumped' the Bulldogs' highly regarded running back at the line of scrimmage on first down, New Albany resolved to spend the rest of the possession throwing the ball.

Second down didn't fare much better as their quarterback came under heavy pressure and slightly overthrew an open receiver in front of the Husky bench. Faced with third and long, everyone in the stadium understood that the next play would be another deep pass route.

The person who understood this fact the best was Dion Pendleton--now playing safety. Initially it appeared that New Albany's QB would have plenty of time to throw, but DE Randall Tomlin stripped his blocker and frantically rushed in. With Tomlin approaching like a freight train, the quarterback whipped the ball deep across the middle.

Pendleton, having read the play and camped in the center of the field, glided to ball and there was a notable 'thud' as the ball smacked up against his sternum. Reversing his direction, he picked up nine yards before being tackled at the Bulldog 35 yard line.

IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED...

The Husky brain trust tried to quickly capitalize on the turnover. On first down, Pendleton looked deep down the left hand side for WR Ryan Parkman. Running what looked to be a fly pattern, Parkman had his man beaten for what looked to be a sure touchdown only to have the ball either knocked away or careen off his hands in the end zone.

North went with a reverse play for a three yard gain on second down and on third and long, they went back to the well. On what looked to be a similar (if not identical) call to first down, Pendleton this time hit Parkman with a perfect pass three yards deep in the end zone. The Huskies led 14-0 and it certainly sounded like the New Albany team bus began to warm up at that point.

DEFENSE BENDS A BIT BUT EXTRACTS A PRICE

With junior Ben Green setting the tone on the ensuing kickoff with a jarring tackle inside the Bulldog 20 yard line, the defense re-engaged their brakes. While this drive would yield a first down for New Albany, every inch was hard fought. The Bulldogs drove the ball to mid-field and looked to be on the verge of getting back in the ball game.

They weren't.

With first down at the fifty, DT Marcus Garrett blasted past his man and pounded the New Albany running back for a loss of four. On second down, a ferocious pass rush yielded a holding penalty against the Bulldogs. Faced with third and too-long-to-count, New Albany threw up a prayer.

It wasn't answered.

With their punter taking the snap inside the 15 yard line, Ryan Parkman fielded the punt at the fifty. He side stepped one would be tackler and ran from the right hash mark to the left hash before turning up field. Breaking one more tackle at the thirty he streaked into the end zone. Unfortunately, a yellow flag at the 49 for holding called the play back.

THAT PATENTED QUARTERBACK DRAW PLAY

Five plays later, though, Pendleton was back in the end zone following one of his patented "quarterback-draw-up-the-middle-and-then-break-right-so-Justin-Rushing-can-destroy-the-cornerback-and-spring-you-outside" runs that we have seen so many times in this magical season. It worked as well on this occasion from the 29 yard line as it has the other ten times we've seen him run it on third and long.

When Preston Meador kicked the third of his six successful extra-points, the score was 21-0 and there was barely three minutes gone in the second quarter.

THE LAST HURRAH

With a good kickoff return, the Bulldogs got their only good starting field position of the night at their own forty yard line. A first down run generated another first down out past midfield. A third down pass completion advanced the ball inside the North 25.

At that point, the Husky line again began to get the better of New Albany. The Bulldogs attempted four consecutive passes. Four times the Husky rush forced the quarterback to move, to shift, to roll, and to evade. Four times Husky defensive backs batted away ball--the final one occurring as CB Mitch Parker made up ground at the last instant to knock a fourth down pass out of bounds.

When the drive stalled, New Albany was done. It was 'all over but the shouting' as they say here in southern Indiana.

MAKING SOME NOISE

Of course, some more 'shouting' was exactly what the North faithful had in mind. Setting out from their own twenty yard line, the Huskies took the ball relentlessly down the field. Where it appeared that the Bulldogs were struggling with the wet footing, it appeared the Huskies were playing on roller skates.

Everything worked on this particular drive. A pass to Parker, a run with Merriweather, a pass to Justin Rushing, a run by Pendleton--there seemed little that New Albany could do to deflect a long scoring drive.

And in truth, therein lay the facts of the game. New Albany could neither sustain a drive nor could they stop one.

And this drive ended with Pendleton tossing his second touchdown pass of the half. This one went to WR Mitch Parker from 19 yards out. The kick made it 28-0 and there was enough time left in the half for another score.

So North did just that.

BOMBS AWAY

When the Mean Green Defense forced a three-and-out on the Bulldogs, North took over with less than two minutes to play before the break. After a first down pass to Justin Rushing fell just out of his grasp, Pendleton hooked up with a streaking Stephen Jackson down the left hand side for a 51 yard completion. Two more running plays had the ball at the at the three yard line and less than 30 seconds to play.

The Huskies usually call RB Larry Merriweather's number in these situations. 39 times in his career he had answered that call with a touchdown.

When the Bulldogs lined up in their goal line defensive package, they positioned a man head up on both sophomore center Andy Kuhlenhoelter and senior tackle Cory Allgood. They placed a linebacker off the line of scrimmage in front of left guard Mike Foster. On the snap, Foster and Kuhlenhoelter double teamed the nose tackle and Allgood hooked the tackle like a can opener.

The net effect of "The Allgood, Foster, & Kuhley Moving Company's" efforts was to blow open a hole wide enough to drive a truck through. When Stephen Jackson capitalized on the linebacker's mistake of playing too far off the line of scrimmage, he plowed the defender past the back of the end zone.

Merriweather could have walked in for the fortieth rushing touchdown of his career. Meador made the score 35-0 and with the exception of an amazing 45 yard Merriweather touchdown run on the first possession of the second half, there was little left to describe.

After the 45 yarder early in the 3rd quarter, Coach Wilson went to the bench. On a sloppy field that had already claimed DE Travis Carlile to a high ankle sprain, the Huskies took no chances with their starters. It was with no small amount of enthusiasm that the sideline cheered the play of freshmen in the fourth quarter as they battled to deny the Bulldogs first downs.

A CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER CLUB


The glamour on this night belonged to the gaudy numbers put up by the offense. 42 offensive points, over 400 yards in total offense, six touchdowns in just over one half of play, and a perfect 6 for 6 kicking on a muddy field were the benchmarks of a 'good' team.

But if you were there and if you watched the game closely, you saw what made this a 'great' team. You saw the most dominant performance by our defense in the season to date.

Ask Bill Parcells or Mike Ditka. Read Vince Lombardi or Tony Dungy's books. They'll tell you: Defense wins championships.

For the better part of a month, the Mean Green Defense has performed like a group intent on making this club champions.

POST SCRIPT


Some folks perform under the lights without notice. They toil and work without glamour, without mention. If you paid close attention to the game on Friday night you noticed another detail about the game: no lost fumbles. In fact, there was only one mishandled ball by the Huskies and that occurred when a running back tried to carry while wearing mud smeared gloves on his hands--he tossed them angrily to the sidelines after his bobble.

A special recognition ought to go to two guys who worked non-stop on the sidelines to produce dry, easily gripped balls for the Husky offense on every play of the game. Working a rotation of five balls at a time through an assembly line process, managers Ben Grimm and Brian Grant provided North's offense with clean, dry footballs on each and every play.

Where New Albany struggled with their grip and routinely bobbled balls, North benefited from an experienced manager crew. It's another hallmark of championship teams--everyone knows their role and they pay attention to the little things.
 


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