Back

North Huskies vs Central Bears - at Bundrant Stadium Oct 18 2013

Game Stats    Game Recap   

Offense

Team Stats

Defensive Stats

Game Recap

EARLY TURNOVERS BURY HUSKIES IN 49-21 LOSS TO BEARS

Central jumped out to a 21-0 lead on North in Friday night’s 49-21 victory and the Bears seldom had cause to look back.  With the Huskies turning the ball over four times to Central, mistakes played the biggest role in the Bears’ first win in the North Side Trophy game since 2010.

Over the course of the game, North had opportunities to win but the Huskies gave those opportunities away with a combination of sloppy ball handling and poor tackling when it counted.

BEARS MOVE EARLY

Central went 71 yards on their opening drive and struck pay dirt when a North defensive back lost the ball in the lights and allowed a receiver to stand wide open at the goal line.  When the Huskies went “three-and-out” on their first possession, the Bears then bulled their way 72 yards on 11 plays to take a 14-0 lead barely eight minutes into the game.

CENTRAL DISREPECTS THE HUSKY DEFENSE

After North suffered an interception at the Central 20 yard line, the Bears quickly showed that their early success had given them confidence.  Faced with fourth and three at their 27 yard line, a situation in which 99% of all teams would punt the ball, the Bears decided to “go for it”.  Junior Zac Turi came up with a big hit that stopped the runner short of the first down marker and the Huskies took over on downs.

Unfortunately, a busted play on second down resulted in a North fumble and Central got the ball right back.  The Bears then went 60 yards on just four plays and had a 21-0 lead.

BUTLER MAKES IT “A GAME”

Despite the fact that it was Senior Night against their biggest rival and they were playing at home in Bundrant Stadium, the Huskies had started the game flat.  Half way through the second quarter, the Huskies had turned the ball over twice, only managed ten plays in three possessions, and already given up 212 yards of total offense and 21 points.

To say they came out “flat” is probably being generous… until senior running back Maalik Butler decided to light a fire under the squad.

As a result, somewhere just before halftime, a football game broke out at beloved Bundrant.

It started with Butler’s exciting 43 yard return on the ensuing kickoff.  Fielding the short kick on the fly, Butler broke straight thru the middle of the defense and then cut sharply to his right.  Wearing high top white socks, his legs beat like pistons as he sprinted up the visitor’s sideline before being forced out of bounds at the Central 39.

On the first play from scrimmage, Butler took a pitch on the “speed option” that was timed to hit him just as he made his break forward toward the line of scrimmage.

The incredibly fast senior looked like “the fastest man on turf” as he took the ball and turned up field at nearly the exact same point where he had been forced out of bounds on the kickoff.  This time Butler danced his way along the sideline like a tightrope walker, easily outdistanced his pursuit, and turned on the after-burners on his way to the goal line.  Turi’s extra point kick made the score 21-7 and there was some life back in the Huskies.

THE PASS RUSH COVERS FOR THE OFFENSE

It only took 45 minutes, but the Huskies had finally woken up and it could not have been more evident than when senior Dylan Powell laid out the Bears quarterback with a 9 yard sack on the next possession.  The sack effectively ended the Bears’ drive and they were forced to punt a couple plays later.

The Husky offense began to hit on all cylinders and rapidly moved the ball into Central territory and looked to be inspired by Butler’s play.

Until yet another fumble turned the ball over to the Bears with 3:22 to play in the half.

Once again, it fell to the defense to rise to the occasion and remind all in attendance that this was a rivalry game.  The Bears worked their way to the North 21 yard line before the defense stiffened and forced a fourth down.  The Husky pass rush overwhelmed the Central offensive line and a desperation pass fell far outside the end zone to thwart the Bears chances at another score.

THE OFFENSE STARTS TO PERCOLATE IN THE SECOND HALF

There was a bit of a buzz at halftime that perhaps the Huskies could take the opening kickoff and get themselves back into position to win.  Their last two possessions of the first half had shown an ability to move the ball against the Bears’ defense.  The Husky defense had slowed down the juggernaut that had steam rolled over them earlier.

The Huskies took the opening kickoff and drove 64 yards in just six plays.  Butler, having saved his best game of the season for senior night, broke open down the middle on a pass play and quarterback Jesse Millikan hit him in the hands with a perfect pass at the five yard line.  After the extra point it was 21-14 and the faithful were fully aware that the Huskies had answered the call of the wild and were finally making a game of it.

A FINAL FATEFUL FUMBLE

Despite the fact that Central answered with a score of their own to break back to a 28-14 advantage, the Huskies were still in the ball game.  The touchdown had come as a result of a long, but contested pass and the defense had yielded the rest of the yardage in small chunks.  When the offense took over at the 20 after the kickoff, the stands were still buzzing at the recent success the Big Green had in moving the ball.

North put together a text book drive that mixed both runs and passes equally.  Trailing by two scores but with a fair amount of time on the clock, the Huskies were conscious of the need to move with a sense of urgency.  

And move they did. 

…until it came time to convert on fourth and 3 at the Central 42.

A slant pass to the left was caught by the North receiver and he quickly covered the ground to garner the first down.  Unfortunately, a defender stripped the ball from his hands, possession was lost, and Central scored three plays later to effectively put the game out of reach.

Turnovers had told the story of the ball game.

North committed four and Central committed none.

Terrible tackling on the fringes of the defense allowed the Bears to extend their lead to 49-21 before game’s end.  North’s only bright spot for the remainder of the contest came when Butler scored his third touchdown of the night against a Central defense that was already loaded with second-stringers.

A slow start coupled with too many turnovers dug a hole from which the Huskies could not escape.

BACK TO TOP