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North Huskies vs Henderson County Colonels - Bundrant Stadium Aug 29 2014

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Offense

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Defensive Stats

Game Recap

HUSKIES LOSE CLOSE GAME TO HENDERSON COUNTY 27-21

Driving down the field with six minutes to play, the Huskies found themselves in a familiar place Friday night against Henderson County.  Down a touchdown with time running out, the Green and White had been in this position with the Colonels each of the last three seasons.  All that had changed in 2014 was “how” the Huskies got to this point and this time--it was a thrilling, roller coaster ride with new faces in old places.

FIRST QUARTER FIREWORKS

As has often been the case in this series, both teams started slow.  After an exchange of punts, North got good field position near midfield.  Senior Chase Whitler took a sweep around end and darted fourteen yards to the Henderson 40.  Two plays later, quarterback Zac Turi led Ford Johnson around end on an option, made a perfect toss back to Johnson, and the fleet wingback sprinted to the Colonel 12 yard line.   The Husky front line, consisting of seniors Riley Draper and Cody Smith at tackles, seniors Michael Hertweck and Alex Freeman at guard, and junior Bryce Brown, provided the push that allowed Turi to punch in from the one yard line a few plays later.  Turi’s extra-point kick made the score 7-0.

What followed next was a bit of fireworks by both teams.

Henderson County exploited a defensive lapse in North’s coverage on the very next play from scrimmage and it yielded a 65 yard Touchdown pass reception.  Sophomore Cage Street blocked his THIRD extra point in two games, but the Colonels were back within one point after just eleven seconds of play.

North then returned the favor.

After a kick-off out of bounds by Henderson, the Huskies took over at the 35 and this time it was North that exploited the weakness.  Lining Whitler up as a slot receiver to the right, there were more wide outs than Henderson had backs in the game to cover.

They chose the wrong one to leave open.

Whitler blew past the linebacker that was assigned to cover him and rocketed into the Colonel’s secondary.  Turi launched a strike that hit the open receiver at the twenty and Whitler turned on the after-burners to the end zone. 

In just 21 seconds of play, three touchdowns had been scored and Turi’s second extra point kick put the Huskies up 14-6.

When senior Mason Jenkins forced a fumble with a minute to play in the quarter that senior linebacker Ryan Wargel recovered, it appeared the Huskies had the upper hand on an overwhelmed Colonel club. 

Appearances can be deceiving.

SECOND QUARTER SELF-DESTRUCTION

North took the turnover and used a combination of Whitler and Johnson runs to drive inside the Henderson 30.  The Colonel defense stiffened in front of their goal and an inside reverse with senior Zach Pate came up short on fourth down and two at the 24.

The pass defense that had been whittled to pieces by Terre Haute South in week one began to show further evidence of cracks as Henderson County strung together a 13 play scoring drive.  They were able to do so by converting three third downs in the drive and completing four passes for ten or more yards.  When they converted a two-point run, the score was tied at 14 with 5 minutes to play in the half.

At this point in the game, Whitler and Ford Johnson had produced 150 of North’s 175 yards of total offense.  The duo would only touch the ball once again in the game and account for just seven more yards.  Either the defense shut them down or the strategy changed.  In either event, the two became non-factors and momentum switched to Henderson County immediately.

North fumbled on each of its next two possessions and the Colonels capitalized on both turnovers with touchdowns.  The defense committed a personal foul that made a bad situation worse and only Street’s FOURTH blocked extra point of the season offered up any resistance.

In just five minutes, the Huskies went from leading to trailing 27-14 at half, were now being led by a new, inexperienced quarterback, and the defense was giving up huge chunks of real estate.  Things looked dismal to say the least.

SECOND HALF

THE DEFENSE TURNS IT AROUND

From the darkest moments sometimes emerge the brightest futures.  North experienced just such a moment at half time against Henderson County. 

The Colonel’s first possession of the second half set the tempo for the remainder of the game.  Third year starter Buddy Waelde emerged as a force at defensive tackle and the ripple effects were felt along the line.  Turi, having started at linebacker in 2013, was inserted at defensive end and the two seniors punished the Colonel line.  All along the front, the Huskies began to get penetration and North held the Henderson offense to just 32 total yards in the quarter.  Waelde,  captain Ryan Wargel, and Zach Pate all recorded tackles for loss in the third stanza.

After having passed for over 200 yards in the first half, Henderson receivers could find no open space after the break.  Whitler broke up a second down pass play inside the North 30 and junior Trais Lowe dropped the quarterback for a loss on third down to force Henderson to punt.

ANOTHER QB, ANOTHER TD STRIKE

The Huskies changed things up with a new quarterback in the second quarter and the offense looked fundamentally different.  Zach Pate took over under center and managed 80 yards rushing on just his first six carries at the helm of the offense. 

It was his second pass that got everyone’s attention.

Pate’s first pass toward an open receiver hung up in the air a bit and allowed the defenders to converge on the Husky receiver.  Some clouds have silver linings, though, and North was the beneficiary of a pass interference call that set the ball at the Henderson 35.

The very next play, North faked a pair of handoffs in the backfield and Pate found senior Brock Johnson running a corner pattern at the ten.  Johnson hauled in the throw, danced along the visitors’ sideline, and slipped into the end zone just inside the flag and ahead of a defender.  Turi’s extra point kick put the Huskies back within six at 27-21.

North was back in the game with a suddenly resurgent defense and a spark plug quarterback.

A HUGE DEFENSIVE STAND

While Pate had taken over at the helm of the offense, Turi’s transition to defensive end paid big dividends in the fourth quarter.  As the game moved into the final stanza, the Colonels concentrated on running the ball and when they did try to throw, Turi had something to say about it.

A couple quarterback runs moved the ball to midfield and the Colonels had a first down at North’s 37 with 8 minutes to play.  After Mason Jenkins wrestled down a runner, it set up second and nine.  Turi blew past the offensive tackle and stopped a runner from behind to set up third and eight.  When the quarterback dropped back to pass, it was Turi who flew past his blocker and sacked him for a six yard loss.  The sack ended the threat and North was poised for yet another comeback in the series.

DOWN SIX WITH SIX TO PLAY

As has been the case in this series between these two schools, the game almost always comes down to the final moments.  Friday night, despite all the circumstances that led to a disastrous second quarter, North again found themselves in the familiar position of needing a fourth quarter drive to score a potential game winning touchdown.

However they got there, the Huskies appeared up to the challenge.  Jenkins busted up the middle for 22 yards on a play the Huskies call “Midline”.  One take away from the game is that Zach Pate appears to run the play to perfection.  He displayed a knack for knowing when to leave the ball with the fullback and when to keep it for himself.

He kept it for himself on the next play and picked up another 12 yards.  Whitler got his first touch since early in the second quarter and gained seven to bust the ball inside the Henderson 35.  Two plays later, Pate ran Midline for another 14 yards and the Huskies were exactly where they needed to be exactly when they needed to be there. 

North faced first and ten at the 18 yard line with six minutes on the clock and trailing by just six points.

After an opening night that could only be described as monumentally disappointing, after having experienced a blitz in the second quarter that few teams could overcome, after having changed quarterbacks, after having fought to find the right combination on defense, it was with great pride that the Husky faithful witnessed the epic defensive turn around and this expertly executed drive.

And then inexperience reared its head once again and North was left without fruit for its efforts.

The snap from center to quarterback was fumbled, the ball was lost,

Henderson ran the clock down before punting and then threw blitzes at the Huskies desperation offense as the game neared its end.

The clock ran out on the Huskies and the final score read 27-21.  The sixth time in ten seasons the game between these two was decided by a touchdown or less.

NOTABLE IMPROVEMENT—A WORK IN PROGRESS

The difference in the week two Huskies compared to the week one Huskies was immeasurable.  Holes were filled, disciplines were addressed, tactics were adjusted, and the results were far better.

Problems with ball handling still remain.  Pass coverages can be shaky at times.  A football team is a work in progress and the 2014 North Huskies look to be progressing along a curve that will result in victories in the near future. 

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