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North vs Henderson County Colonels - at Bundrant Stadium Aug 24, 2012

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Game Recap

LAST SECOND PASS SPOILS HUSKIES' COMEBACK IN 24-21 LOSS TO COLONELS

For a few fleeting moments in Friday night’s 24-21 loss to Henderson County, it appeared that the adage “youth will be served” would hold true.  In the game’s waning moments, however, “experience counts” became the saying that ended up being most relevant.

On a gorgeous night that once again saw more than 5,000 fans fill Bundrant Stadium, the Husky faithful turned out in droves to watch the school’s most exciting team in years do battle under the lights.

OPENING DRIVE

Senior Blake Howell took the opening kickoff back to the 40 yard line giving the Huskies great field position to start the game.  Facing a team with an excellent nose-tackle and speedy linebackers, North’s usual flashy option offense looked to be up against an opponent “built” to stop them.  As the Huskies faced 3^rd and 5, the ‘option to the outside’ play call did not seem to be the wise choice.

Instead, QB Max Mooney lined up in the I formation and then dropped back to pass.  Against Bosse, the senior’s timing had appeared to be just a bit ‘off’—perhaps testimony to the lack of work afforded him as he comes back from knee surgery. 

On this night, however, the result was a precursor of things to come.

As TE Drew Watters ran a drag route across the center of the field, Mooney delivered a strike that hit the big senior in the numbers and North had a first down at the Henderson 38.

MOONEY FLASHES SOME SPEED

A few plays later, up against 4^th and five at the 33, Mooney again dropped back to pass.  This time, however, the center of the Henderson County defense burst through North’s line and forced Mooney to roll to his right.  Wearing a pair of knee braces, the senior quarterback has seldom flashed the speed that made him such a dangerous “dual purpose threat” in 2011.  He evaded the nearest tackler, juke-stepped a linebacker, found a crease in the defense, and skipped along the sideline for a ten yard pick up and a first down at the 23.

The drive later stalled and an attempted field goal went wide to the right.  North had nothing to show for a near six minute, eleven play drive to open the game.

TEDDY WILBOURN IMPRESSES

Senior defensive tackle Teddy Wilbourn joined the Huskies late last season and didn’t make the starting lineup until week five.  In 2012, the 6’1” 225 lb tackle is living up to the promise he showed in last season’s final games.

On first down, Wilbourn wrestled County’s speedy tailback to the ground for just a two yard gain.  On second down, Wilbourn dropped the same runner for a one-yard loss.  On third down, Wilbourn and DE “Big” Mike Johnson brought a rush against the quarterback that contributed to an over-thrown pass. 

DISASTER STRIKES

After a long opening drive and forcing a ‘three-and-out’ on their first defensive opportunity, the Huskies looked to be controlling the tempo of the game.  On third-and-three at the North 44, however, North lost the initiative, lost momentum, and, most importantly, lost the football.

With Henderson routinely blitzing the “back side” linebacker on each play, Mooney rolled to his right to pass.  No one picked up the back side blitz and the quarterback was stripped of the ball from behind.

Henderson recovered the fumble at the 36 and four plays later put the ball in the end zone to take a 7-0 lead.

SECOND QUARTER

After a North drive stalled out, Henderson took over at their 40.  Running an option oriented offense, they possess a quarterback who is both nimble and elusive.  As a junior, he ran for 111 yards and 3 scores against the Huskies.  He is athletic and experienced, but he is not known for his passing skills.  The Husky defense contained his running ability throughout the evening and when the Colonels moved the ball into North territory on their next possession, they had to rely on their passing game when North’s defense stiffened.

COUNTING ON THE “FRONT FOUR”

On first down at the North 25, the Husky defensive line put sufficient pressure on the QB that he released the ball early and overthrew an open receiver.  With Duvante Lane stopping a run for a short gain on 2^nd down, it fell to the pass rush to protect the young and inexperienced North defensive secondary.

All four Husky starters in the defensive backfield are missing from 2011.  A pair of speedy underclassmen and some un-tested seniors are attempting to pick up where last year’s excellent backfield corps left off.  It is a work in progress that will get better with each game that North plays.

For now, the Huskies’ veteran, rangy, and vicious “Front Four” on defense has to put on a pass rush to make certain that the young backfield doesn’t have to play beyond their experience.

On 3^rd down, the “Front Four” got the job done again and Henderson had to settle for a Field Goal when another pass was overthrown due to a heavy rush.  Henderson led 10-0 with 8:20 to play in the first half.

YOUTH IS SERVING ‘NOW’

One of those young defensive backs is a multi-talented sophomore who starts on both offense and defense.  5’7” 150 lb sophomore Chase Whitler is a powerhouse wrapped in a small package.  The younger brother of one of North’s most prolific passers in school history, Whitler is a ‘gym rat’ who plays multiple sports and always has his ‘head in the game’.

He is also as fast as greased lightning.

Fielding a Colonel punt on the bounce at the North 44 with just over four minutes to play in the half, Whitler darted to his left to avoid a defender.  With a jet of speed, he split a seam in the coverage and raced to the 28 yard line before being brought down.

ANOTHER SQUANDERED OPPORTUNITY

Despite the excellent field position, the Husky drive failed to gain momentum.  A pair of back-to-back illegal shit penalties brought up a quick 3^rd and 17.  When Brock Underwood was overthrown on a fly pattern down the left sideline, the yellow flag tossed by the official brought a howl from the Henderson County stands.  Regardless, the Huskies had a 1^st down at the 20 due to a Pass Interference call against the Colonel defender.

A botched handoff on second down resulted in a five yard loss and narrowly missed being recovered by the defense.  On 3^rd down, Mooney’s pass to Drew Watters at the goal line was batted away.  A fourth down field goal attempt barely went past the line of scrimmage.

North went into the locker room down 10-0.

SECOND HALF

Henderson County destroyed the Huskies with the “dive” play in 2011.  Multiple times they took a straight handoff into the line and watched as their running back ran for multiples of ten yards at a crack.

When the Colonel running back went 22 yards on the first play of the second half of this year’s game on a ‘dive’ play, it caused quite a bit of anxiety among the Husky faithful.  The Colonels went ‘back to the well’ on the next two plays but each time the North defense was ready for the runner.  DE Brock Underwood collapsed the line from his end position and held the runner to a short gain on first down.  LB Duvante Lane met the runner at the line of scrimmage on second down and stopped him for no gain.

On third down and six, the Henderson quarterback attempted to set up for a pass and once again, the Husky front four put on a tremendous rush.  Teddy Wilbourn split through a gap and sacked the quarterback from behind for a 7 yard loss.

DUVANTE LANE IS A STEAM ROLLER

Senior fullback Duvante Lane is seldom the Huskies’ leading rusher.  Certainly his 600 career rushing yards and his 13 career touchdowns indicate that he has skills as a runner.  It is his willingness to do the “other” things that makes him so valuable to the Husky offense.

He catches passes, he drives the ball into the middle of the line for the ‘tough’ yards, and he blocks for all the other backs.

Oh boy does he block.

On North’s ensuing possession, Lane only carried the ball once but in the 65 yard drive that resulted in the Huskies’ first score of the evening, no player was more valuable than the drive-blocking senior fullback.  On 2^nd and five at the North 40, Blake Howell took a pitch and darted to the left of the line.  Lane zoomed ahead of him and laid out the linebacker with a powerhouse block that freed the runner to break outside for a 12 yard gain.

“Big” Mike Johnson took the handoff on the next carry and deployed a “Heisman-esque” stiff arm that knocked the first defender away.  As he neared the end and looked to turn up field, there was Lane again clearing the way for what would be a 31 yard gain.

When the drive appeared that it might stall on fourth-and-two at the 9 yard line, Lane screened the end and sprung Howell outside for a first down at the two.  From there, guard Antwan Ogburn and center Dylan Simmons can openered a hole in the Henderson defense and Howell drove into the end zone.

After Zac Turi’s extra point kick, North had cut the lead to 10-7 and firmly established their presence in the game.

ANOTHER ‘DIVE’ FAILURE

The relief along the North sidelines was short lived when, on the third play of the next drive, Henderson County’s running back broke through the line of scrimmage on a ‘dive’ play and went 65 yards for a touchdown.  North trailed 17-7 with five minutes to play in the third quarter.

MOONEY GETS ON A ‘ROLL’

In the season’s first game, Max Mooney’s passing was noticeably ‘off’.  Completing just 4 of 13 passes, he struggled with the timing of his deliveries.  On North’s final possession of the third quarter, it appeared that the ‘old’ Max Mooney had finally returned.

Henderson County’s defense began to exert itself in the interior of the line and North’s usual array of trap plays and ‘quick-hitters’ between guard and center were being thwarted.  In particular, Henderson’s nose tackle was giving fits all along the line of scrimmage with his penetration and lateral pursuit.

In addition, “Big” Mike Johnson, who had provided a pair of big runs earlier in the game, was now on the sidelines on crutches.  North had lost his services as a runner AND as a defensive end for the rest of the evening.  As a result, it fell to the passing game to generate the offense for much of the rest of the contest.

In an eleven play, 80 yard drive that would bring the Huskies ‘back’ within three points, nearly 50 of the yards came on ‘four-for-four’ passing by Mooney.  He hit 6’5” Brock Underwood on an ‘out’ pass for 6 yards (a play that would be a staple of the second half for North) and he executed a perfect ‘naked bootleg’ play wherein he rolls out without a protective blocker and hit Watters for a 20 yard gain. 

CALM UNDER PRESSURE

On the first play of the fourth quarter, facing a critical fourth-and-six situation, Henderson County mounted a fierce pass rush up the middle.  Mooney stood tall in the pocket, withstood the rush, and delivered a strike over the middle to Watters again for 16 yards and a first down at the 24.

On the very next play, Henderson’s defense again appeared to be posing for a team picture in front of Mooney as he dropped back to pass.  With two defenders hanging on him and as he started to fall, somehow the quarterback had the presence of mind to flip the ball to his right and hit RB Blake Howell in the numbers.  Howell then turned a certain 10 yard sack of Mooney into a five yard gain.

LANE RISES TO THE OCCASION

On second down at the 19, Lane leveled the linebacker with a picture perfect block as he led Howell through “the six hole” between tackle and end and Howell made it to the 11 before he was knocked out of bounds.

With first and ten from the 11, Mooney called Lane’s number in the huddle, and the fullback blasted up the middle between Ogburn and Simmons, used a shoulder on the linebacker, and ran into the end zone.  Turi’s extra point kick pulled the Huskies within 17-14.

The score was not without significant cost, however.  Antwan Ogburn went down as he made the key block that opened the hole for Lane and didn’t get up.  He had to be helped from the field and did not return.  Without him, North lost its starting left guard on offense and right defensive tackle on defense.  The vaunted “Front Four” was now down to just two starters.

FINALLY A BREAK

Henderson County strung together two first downs and managed to convert a fourth down near midfield.  North was giving ground begrudgingly.  Substitutes Trevor Burklow, Dylan Simmons, and Connor Rausch were filling in admirably for the injured starters, but nine consecutive running plays by Henderson found the Colonels in Husky territory with just under seven minutes to play.

When the Henderson running back broke through the line on another dive play, he looked certain to pick up the first down.

And then the ball fell out of his hands.

Duvante Lane was ready to make contact just as the ball squirted to the ground and instead of hitting the runner, he dove for the ball, and North had its first turnover of the game at the game’s most fortuitous moment.

NORTH TAKES THE LEAD

When Henderson crowded the line to stop the North running game, it fell to Mooney to back the Colonels off. He hit Underwood with a slant pass that picked up a quick five yards.  Howell carried the ball for some tough yards off tackle and gained a first down at midfield, but for that bit of success, the drive appeared as though it would stall at the Henderson 46.

County stacked the line as they prepared for what they were certain would be another North option attempt to either gain five yards or lose the game.  For the third time in the half, Mooney instead hit Underwood with a short ‘out’ pass that picked up 7 and the first down.

Lane carried the ball to the 34 and set up second down and five.  Whitler lined up wide right and on the snap he streaked down the field on a fly pattern.  Mooney executed a play-action handoff that froze the cornerback for just an instant and that instant was all that Whitler required to breeze past the defender.

Mooney delivered the prettiest arcing pass of his career and he hit the sophomore wide receiver in stride at the five yard line.

North led for the first time in the game and the stands erupted.  Turi’s third kick of the night made the score North 21 Henderson County 17 with 1:51 to play.

THE RECORD DOESN’T SHOW HOW CLOSE IT HAS BEEN

The series record between North and Henderson will show that the Colonels have won 7 of the last 8 meetings between the two teams.  Those seven wins include:

·         2005—The Colonels were ranked #3 and North was an under .500 team.  North lost in DOUBLE over-time 28-21.

·         2006—The Colonels won again in over-time 16-13.

·         2008—North trailed by two touchdowns in the 2^nd half but the game ends with the Huskies on the Henderson 8 yard line and the potential winning pass skipping off the hands of the receiver on the game’s final play.  The Colonels won 21-17.

None of those close losses, however, were as heart-breaking as the final minute of last Friday night’s game.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

When DT Trevor Burklow and Brock Underwood stopped the Henderson runner on first down for no gain, the clock was running down and Henderson County was in a bind.  North, however, was short both Ogburn and “Big” Mike Johnson up front due to injury.

Henderson County’s quarterback had plenty of time in the pocket as he set up and a receiver slipped in behind the North secondary.  Finding himself with a receiver streaking past him and the ball in the air, Whitler reached out and grabbed the receiver’s jersey.  The official whistled him for pass interference, but the penalty likely saved a certain touchdown.

The yellow flag gave Henderson the ball at the 46.

The Colonel quarterback executed a quick two step drop and the North pass rush provided no surge.  The quarterback whipped the ball to the slot back and Henderson had 12 more yards to the North 42.

The same play resulted in 22 yards on the next play.  North’s defense was having difficulty tightening up against the receivers and the line was not able to get a hand in the quarterback’s face.

On first down at the twenty yard line with 42 seconds to play, The Colonels had plenty of time to throw and a receiver was open near the right hand end zone flag on a corner route.  He leaped high for the ball and came down in the end zone for the game winning touchdown.

LESSONS LEARNED

North played an exceptionally good game against a much tougher opponent than week one.  The sophistication of the Colonels’ offense, the physical nature of their defensive line, and the special teams play were far superior to North’s earlier opponent.

And the Huskies played them even up.

The continued recovery of Mooney—he ended the game 14 of 20 for 142 yards passing—and the presence of Lane, Howell, and Johnson in the backfield insures that North’s offense will continue to be a match for opposing defenses.  Whitler’s offensive skills are already making fans forget last season’s explosive All-SIAC wide receiver.  Watters is sure handed and Underwood is proving to be invaluable as a safety valve.

When healthy, the defensive front four can tame any opponent’s expectations on offense.  There were plays where the backfield appeared to make strides in their development as a cohesive unit. 

Memorial looks to be experiencing a ‘down’ season as they head to North for next Friday’s game.  They always bring a “pass first, run second” philosophy to the contest and if the Huskies are to have success, the young defensive backfield can use lessons learned in the fourth quarter to make that success a reality.

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