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North 14 Castle 35 - at Castle Stadium Sep 16, 2011

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Game Recap

HALFTIME LEAD WON'T HOLD IN NORTH'S 35-14 LOSS TO CASTLE

If there’s one thing about the 2011 Huskies that’s far from typical, it’s their “Take-away Ratio”.  Ask any long time observer of football and they will tell you that the team that takes the ball away from the other team more often than they turn it over has a decided advantage in a football game.

For the season, North has committed just five turnovers and forced their opponents into coughing the ball up nine times.  That should generate into more scoring opportunities and an advantage that the opponent has to struggle to overcome.

The Huskies forced three first half turnovers on Castle (two interceptions and one fumble) and as a result worked their way to a 14-12 halftime lead.

FIRST QUARTER

Castle began the night with an “Air Offensive” against North.  Their junior quarterback fired a 20 yard gain on a corner route to the right hand side on the first play from scrimmage.  He pulled off a 21 yard completion to the left side on the second play and completed a short screen pass on the third play.  They had the ball at the North 31 when defensive tackle Jeff Burch brought the runner down from behind.

Three consecutive runs then brought the ball to the North 16 and it certainly looked like the Huskies were in for a long night against the #7 ranked team in Indiana’s top football division (5A).

Burch then made his presence felt again.  When the Knight quarterback dropped back to pass, the senior tackle got his hands up in the air, tipped the ball, and plucked it out of the air for an interception.  Burch ran like a tight end and rambled 18 yards to the 31 yard line. 

Unfortunately, the first of THREE first half Personal Fouls was called against North on the play (after the interception) and the ball was spotted at the North 16 yard line as 1^st & 10 for the Huskies.

What followed was North’s finest drive of the season so far.

THE BIG DRIVE

With a steady diet of running plays and a mixture of formations that included an “I” set, “The Pistol”, and “The Wildcat”, North put enough different looks in front of the Castle defense to confuse even the wiliest of opponents.  QB Max Mooney ran the mid-option around left end for 11 yards on 1^st down.  Blake Howell took a reverse from the Wildcat formation and ran for 10 on the next play.  Senior Ty Pauley took the direct snap in the Wildcat on the third play from scrimmage and sliced his way back through the center of the defense for 19 yards.

By the time North reached midfield, the Knights were beginning to get their “sea legs” and they began to stiffen somewhat.  The Huskies were faced with a critical 3^rd and 7 when Mooney ran the mid-option to the left again.  This time big wide receiver Brock Underwood was split wide left and as Mooney turned up field behind him, Underwood ran his defender down and made a lane for the quarterback to run in.  North had a first down in Castle territory after a 14 yard gain.

Shortly thereafter, the Husky drive looked like it would stall when a lineman was called for a false start on 3^rd and inches.   After a five yard penalty, North lined up in “The Pistol” formation and Mooney raced down the line to his left.  Just when it looked like he would be stopped by the end for no-gain, the quarterback pitched the ball to the trailing running back—“Big” Mike Johnson.

With a wall of defenders in front of him, Johnson took the pitch and ambled straight up field.  Before he reached the first down marker three defenders had clung to him—to no avail.  He carried them past the 1^st down and two more defenders latched onto him.  He carried all five would-be tacklers forward another ten yards and North found themselves with a 1^st down at Castle’s 25 yard line.

Mooney threw an 11 yard slant pass to Pauley and then fullback Duvante Lane busted up the middle on a ’30 Trap’ play for another 11 yards.  Following a loss on 1^st down, Mooney lined up in the spread formation and tossed a quick pass to Underwood in the end zone for the score.

North had sustained a 15 play drive, overcome two penalties for 20 yards, converted three 3^rd down situations, and jumped out to a 7-0 lead versus Southern Indiana’s best team.

To say it was a good way to start the night was an understatement.

GOOD FIELD POSITION = POINTS

Despite a long kickoff that came down inside the five yard line, Castle returned the ball out past their 46 yard line.  On first down, Ty Pauley picked off a Knight pass with an amazing one handed grab and returned the ball into Castle territory.  Unfortunately, North’s defensive end had made slight contact with the quarterback after he threw the ball and the Huskies were whistled for their second personal foul in five minutes of play.  Instead of Husky ball at the Castle 49, it was Knights’ ball at the North 40.

“Big” Mike Johnson made up for the penalty on the next play by sacking the quarterback before he had a chance to pass the ball.  New addition Thomas Wilbourn stopped a runner for no-gain on the next play and it looked like the Huskies’ defense might hold until a Castle receiver slipped in behind the secondary on third down and gained 32 yards to the Husky 14.

Three incomplete passes left Castle facing 4^th and 10 and they kicked a field goal to make the score 7-3.

GOOD FIELD POSITION = POINTS AGAIN!

The Knights tried to surprise North with an on-sides kick, but senior linebacker Brandon Dickens was in the front line of the kickoff return team and quickly smothered the ball.  Despite the good field position, the Huskies committed their only turnover of the night three plays later with an interception and Castle had the ball near midfield again.

With a formula that would make itself even more clear in the second half, the Knights handed the ball to their sophomore tail back on 8 of the next 10 plays and ran the ball down North’s throat for a score.  The score was 10-7 in favor of the Knights and the momentum had definitely shifted.

DUVANTE’S RUN

On a night when it seemed the Knights could return any manner of kicks at will, their kicker recorded his first of three “Touchback” kickoffs on the ensuing play and denied the Huskies a return opportunity.  As a result, North was looking at 80 yards of enemy territory between them and the end zone with 6:32 to play in the half.  A pair of “flood” passes to the right side to Ty Pauley moved North out from in front of its own goal posts.

The second such reception was then aided by a personal foul call against Castle (their only significant penalty of the night—compared to five such against North) and the Huskies found themselves in Knight territory.  A couple of runs gained a few yards and the North was facing 3^rd and 3 with just over 4 minutes to play when they called the “30 Trap” play again.

Full back Duvante Lane was ready again when the call came.  Taking the handoff into the middle of the line, he bucked his way through the hole, shirked one would be tackler, and then jetted to the right and made for the sideline.  He raced toward the flag and scored what was an apparent touchdown as he danced around two would be tacklers.

The official nearest the play called for a summit with his fellow officials and they decided that Lane had stepped out on the one foot line before scoring.  Blake Howell rendered the argument moot on the next play as he rambled into the end zone behind guard Damon Byars and when freshman Zac Turi booted the extra point, North led 14-10.

ANOTHER BIG CASTLE RETURN

Despite a kickoff that landed at the 5 yard line, Castle returned the ball to the 50 yard line.  To make matters worse, North was called for its 3^rd personal foul of the half on the play and suddenly, just as quickly as the Huskies had taken a lead, the Knights were back knocking on the door for another score.

Johnson missed a tackle for a loss on a reverse on first down and the runner ended up gaining 13 yards to the Husky 22.  The defense stiffened after that and the Knights were looking at 4^th and 7 at the 19 yard line.  They brought out their kicker for a field goal attempt but a North defender was called off sides for lining up in the neutral zone before the ball was ever snapped.

On 4^th and 2, Castle gained 3 yards on a run to the left and with a 1^st and 10 at the 11, it looked like North’s lead was in peril.

PAULEY MAKES A PICK

There’s an energy that certain players bring to the game.  Big moments call for big plays and some guys seem to make them more than others.  Ty Pauley is one of those guys.

Castle threw the ball into the end zone of first down and for an instant it appeared the big receiver was open.  At the last second, Pauley floated into the scene and leapt in front of the Knight and grabbed the ball four yards deep in the end zone.  He danced past a couple players and then made it to the 18 before he was dragged down.

It appeared North had dodged a bullet with 2 minutes to play in the half.

Then the punting game let the Huskies down again.

SAFETY

The Huskies don’t punt well.  Five games into the season is probably a big enough sample to make that claim without too much dissent.  That’s not to blame the players who punt the ball themselves—the punt team as a whole has not performed as well as our competition.  Long returns by the opposition and the occasional short or wayward snap are as likely a culprit as a short kick on any given punt attempt.

In this instance, facing 3^rd and 9 at the 25 yard line with barely 90 seconds to play in the half, the snap soared over the punter’s head.  The ball lay on the two yard line and it must’ve appeared to the hapless kicker that Castle was posing for a team picture just yards away from him.  He responded by booting the ball out of the back of the end zone and Castle got two points.  North still led 14-12.

The Huskies got to "free kick" the ball from the 20 yard line after the safety only to have Castle put together a long return that brought the ball back to the Husky 40 with 1:29 to play and two time outs remaining.  DB Heath Spindler and LB Colton Lord answered the call, however, and Spindler popped the ball loose from a receiver on the Knights’ first play from scrimmage and Lord scooped up the fumble to stop the threat.

SECOND HALF

The Huskies got a lesson in “Smash Mouth” football in the second half.  Despite facing a team that featured a number of sophomores and juniors in critical roles (much like North), it was Castle who controlled the game after intermission.

North gambled on its first possession when they went for it on 4^th and 1 at their 45.  Johnson ran behind guard Sam Jones and was stopped for no gain. 

Recalling their success on their lone touchdown of the first half, Castle took over and ran the ball on 10 consecutive plays.  The same back ran the same play—alternating left hand “Stretch” plays and right hand “Stretch” plays—all the way down the field.  The “Stretch” play calls for a runner to begin running to the strong side (where the tight end is lined up) and then ‘cut back’ to the middle as an opening presents itself in the line.

Castle executed this play successfully for four or five yards per play on 10 consecutive plays.  Consequently, they went ahead for good at 20-14 after they completed a two point conversion pass.

GOOD FIELD POSITION = CASTLE POINTS AGAIN!

Castle’s kicker continued his string of “Touchbacks” and following three plays that gained 3 yards combined, North punted the ball 27 yards.  Castle made no return but started their fifth consecutive possession at or near midfield.

With but one pass thrown in, they ran a variation of the "Stretch" play on seven of eight downs and the Castle offensive line overpowered North.  Eating up yardage in short, continuous bursts, the Knights effectively put the game out of reach on the final play of the 3^rd quarter with a one yard TD plunge.  Following a 2 point conversion pass, the Huskies trailed 28-14.

FINALLY A RETURN, BUT IT LEADS TO A DISASTER

When the Huskies finally got a chance to return a kickoff, even the return worked against them.  Despite a Blake Howell return to the 30 yard line, the Huskies were penalized for Holding on the play.  To compound the issue, Ty Pauley was whistled for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the play was over and then ejected from the game almost simultaneously.  Both whistles appeared to be of dubious quality to the Husky faithful and certainly came without warning.

Despite starting at their 4 yard line, the Huskies made a “go” of it and eventually worked the ball into Castle territory.  Facing 4^th and one at the Castle 44, North went for it and Howell’s plunge into the center of the line actually lost three yards.

Castle made short order of their sixth consecutive mid-field starting position and went up 35-14 four plays later.

ONE LAST EFFORT

North made one more drive deep into Castle territory.  When it appeared that the drive had stalled at the 32 on 4^th and 9, “Big” Mike Johnson took a fake punt snap and ran 25 yards around right end for a 1^st down  at the Castle 43.  Mooney, having looked to Drew Watters as his primary target after Pauley’s ejection, found the big tight end for his fourth reception of the game on a seam route at the Knights’ 25.  A dropped pass by a receiver, an overthrow, and a loss on a run set up 4^th and 12 at the 27 with 3:56 to play.  Mooney rolled right on the mid-option and nearly picked up the 1^st down with an 11 yard gain, but it wasn’t enough.

Castle got the ball back and effectively ran out the clock.

CLOSING

North put up 300 yards of total offense and only gave up a similar amount of yardage in the game.  They forced more turnovers and appeared to have an offensive game plan designed to keep the opponent guessing.

What they didn’t have was effective special teams play on kickoffs and punts.  Nor did they have an answer for the 3^rd quarter consecutive running plays by the Knights. 

It wasn’t North’s best showing but it was not a night without positives.  With some fine tuning and attention to detail on special teams, this is a club that still must be reckoned with.

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