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North Huskies vs Memorial Tigers - at Enlow Field Sep 06 2013

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Game Recap

BIG PLAYS COST HUSKIES IN 17-10 LOSS TO TIGERS

The Memorial Tigers made big plays when they had to on their way to a 17-10 victory over North at Enlow Field.  For their part, the Huskies dominated the game in every manner possible except for the scoreboard.  North had the ball for 30 minutes to just 18 for Memorial, held an advantage in first downs of 15-9, and ran 56 plays from scrimmage to just 34 for their host.

In the end, what mattered was that Memorial produced two big plays—one a 40 yard touchdown run to start the second quarter and the other a 74 yard pass in the third quarter—at precisely the moments that they needed them most.  For its part, the Husky offense consistently generated long, time consuming drives that ended deep in Memorial territory due to turnovers or failed 4^th down attempts.

TURI EXTENDS A RECORD IN 1^ST QUARTER

Junior Riley Fidler picked off a Tiger pass in the end zone to stop Memorial’s opening drive and the Husky offense then gave the North faithful a preview of the rest of the night.  Routinely using a “Trips Left” formation that featured three receivers in a cluster split wide to the left, quarterback Jesse Millikan completed a number of quick hitting screen style passes that ate up small chunks of yardage.  The running game consisted of quick handoffs into the center of the line and North marched all the way to the 15 yard line before the drive stalled.  After Millikan was sacked on third down and junior Zac Turi came out to attempt his fourth field goal of the young season.

Turi is on a pace to challenge for the North career Kicking Points record after just over two seasons as the Huskies’ varsity kicker.  As he lined up a 45 yard field goal attempt, he faced a kick that no Husky kicker had made in 25 years.

His kick was certainly long enough and would have traveled another ten yards or more had it not nicked the left hand upright.  With just the proper spin on the ball to compel it forward, the kick caromed downward but across the center post to make it good.  Turi extended his school record to 8 career field goals and now stands just one shy of tying the season record of 5 (set by Preston Meador in 2008).

MEMORIAL’S FIRST LIGHTNING STRIKE

Austin Payne sacked the Memorial quarterback for an 11 yard loss to set up second and 21 at the Memorial 39 yard line.  On the next play, the Tigers’ diminutive but fleet footed running back broke a tackle in the backfield and then raced exactly 21 yards to pick up a first down at the North 40.  On the next play, he streaked past North’s right end and scored the Tigers’ first points of the game.  After a kick, the Tigers led 7-3.

North’s next two possessions both made it to Memorial territory but were ended with an interception and a fumble.  Following the fumble, junior Buddy Waelde came close to stalling Memorial’s drive with a tackle for loss that was then followed by a Tiger off-sides penalty.  A third down screen pass managed to gain enough yardage to pick up the first down, but then the North defense held and forced the Tigers to settle for a field goal.  North went into halftime trailing 10-3.

SECOND HALF

The Huskies opened the second half like a team on a mission.  Lining up almost exclusively in an offset “I” formation with the quarterback under center, North drove the ball relentlessly down the field.   Alternating running plays by senior Maalik Butler and junior Ford Johnson, the offense made it to the Tiger 32 before facing its first test.

Staring at fourth-and-five, North chose to forsake another long field goal attempt and instead chose to try and pick up the first down.  Millikan lined up under center, took the snap, and rolled to his right.  The Tiger pass rush quickly pursued him and forced him to make an unbalanced throw that resulted in a “jump ball” between senior  receiver De’Oshay Johnson and three members of the Memorial secondary.  Johnson displayed his basketball skills and came down with the ball at the 19 yard line for a first down.

A fumble on the 15 squelched North’s scoring chances

LIGHTNING STRIKES A SECOND TIME

Memorial would only run three plays from scrimmage in the third quarter and only nine in the entire second half.  The third one of this possession would prove fateful.  On first down from the 26, the Tigers chose to move their running back out to wide receiver, split wide left.  The North defensive set left him in one-on-one coverage with the cornerback.  The running back’s speed advantage was apparent and a good throw resulted in a 74 yard touchdown pass.  It was Memorial’s final play of the game that netted more than two yards and it occurred with sixteen minutes left to play.

But it was enough and North trailed 17-3 after the kick.

EIGHTEEN PLAY DRIVE

Nothing typified the evening so much as the 18 play drive that ensued after the touchdown.  The Husky line provided just enough room that Butler and Ford Johnson busted the center of the defense in four and five yard chunks.  The Huskies ran out the final four minutes of the third quarter moving the ball methodically down to the Memorial 29.

As the fourth quarter began, the Huskies faced a fourth and one and Millikan squeezed between Waelde and guard Bryce Brown with an inch or two to spare for the first down at the 28.  It took eight more running plays out of the ‘I’ formation to hammer the ball down to the 2 yard line.  After an attempted sweep lost three yards, North was staring at third and goal from the 5 after 17 plays and over nine minutes of play had gone off the clock.

Lining up under center, Millikan had the ‘I’ behind him, two receivers split left, and De’Oshay Johnson as the lone wide out on the right.  The quarterback quickly spotted that the cornerback was playing to the outside of Johnson, took the snap, and zipped a pass to Johnson on an ‘inside’ slant rout that the senior caught easily for the touchdown.  Turi’s kick pulled the Huskies within a touchdown at 17-10.

DEFENSE STEPS UP

With 6:47 to play, North needed the defense to stop the Tigers quickly.  Scoring opportunities were not coming quickly to the Husky offense and it was apparent that North would need “time” to sustain a drive in order to score the tying touchdown.

The defense stepped up.

The line held for a short gain on first down and when a middle screen pass looked like it might break the running back who had already done so much damage free on second down, linebacker Ryan Wargel’s brilliant open field tackle brought him down after a short gain.  The entire North defense met the running back on third down when he tried to run left for the first down.  Memorial’s punter booted a shallow kick that junior Chase Whitler fielded at the North 38. 

Whitler, known for blazing speed in his own right, quickly juke-stepped one defender and raced up the North sideline for a twenty yard return.  North had the ball at the Memorial 42 with 5:11 remaining.

THE DEATH KNELL

Having run most of the second half from the offset ‘I’ formation with Millikan under center and following a “run-first” strategy, the Huskies now came out in the spread offense with the quarterback in ‘shot gun’ formation.  A long pass attempt on first down to Whitler as he ran a post pattern from the left side fell incomplete.  A second down run gained two yards.  Memorial blitzed heavily on third down and Millikan’s desperation pass to Butler in the flat gained nothing.

North faced fourth-and-eight at the Memorial 40 with 3:30 to play.  Consecutive timeouts by North and then Memorial proved that both coaches felt this would be the deciding play of the game.

With the Huskies in the spread, De’Oshay Johnson ran a post pattern from the left similar to the one that Whitler had run on first down.  With defenders both inside and outside of him as he streaked down the field, the pass was just a bit too long and the hit from the defender was just a bit too heavy for Johnson to hold on to the ball.

North turned the ball over on downs and the death knell had struck for Husky chances at a victory.

FACING HARRISON

Coming home to Bundrant Stadium next Friday after two road games, the young Huskies will face an opponent that also is playing for a new coach.  Turnovers will have to be contained and the edges of the defense will have to be better patrolled if the Huskies are to avoid similar disappointment to Friday night.  To have so thoroughly dominated an opponent and come up short has to be a bitter pill to swallow but is a classic “silver lining” situation: For the last two games, the Huskies have played well enough to win. 

Now that just have to do so.

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