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North Huskies vs Harrison Warriors - at Bundrant Stadium Sep 8 2017

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Offense

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Defensive Stats

Game Recap

WARRIORS RALLY TO BEAT HUSKIES 17-14

The North Huskies yielded a last minute touchdown to lose to the Harrison Warriors 1-14 last Friday night at Bundrant Stadium. Despite signs that the young Husky defensive line is rapidly becoming an imposing force, penalties and a spotty pass defense opened the door to North's eighteenth loss in their last 19 games against SIAC opponents.

The North defensive line was the story of the game as freshman Gage Sales and sophomore JT Skinner combined for 20 tackles in the interior while sophomore Braylen Neighbors and junior Drew Routh combined for another 10 on the outside. The fearsome foursome combined for three tackles for loss and a quarterback sack as the Huskies held their opponent to an average of just 2.8 yards per carry on 44 rushing attempts.

North's offense struggled on the night mounting just one sustained drive that led to a touchdown. The Huskies' other score came following senior Eric McClain's 'strip-fumble' of a punt returner and gave North the ball at the Warrior 20 yard line. Dylan McKinney scored his second touchdown of the game (and seventh of the season) just four plays later on an 8 yard run and gave North a 14-10 lead with just 7:14 to play.

LOOKS LIKE THE GAME IS OVER...

Following a bobbled kickoff at the five yard line that the Harrison runner nearly lost control of, the Warriors were pinned in against their goal at the ten. The Huskies gave up a first down on a pair of short runs, but senior Ryan Huebner blitzed in and threw a runner for loss on the ensuing first down.

Sophomore tackle Caleb Weber, very capably substituting for Sales, deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage on second down and a third down pass was overthrown when the defensive line put a rush on the quarterback.

A punt gave North the ball at the Husky 40 with just over five minutes to play. The offense generated a first down on a steady diet of McKinney runs, but stalled at the Warrior 45. Junior Koshei Sugiyama's seventh punt of the game was taken in at the 20 and returned to the 26.

Harrison had but 2 minutes left on the clock and 74 yards between them and a victory.

...BUT IT'S NOT

The Huskies were called for defensive holding on the first play of the drive.

The Huskies were called for encroachment on the second play of the drive.

Suddenly Harrison was out beyond their 41 yard line and no time had gone off the clock. With the North defense expecting pass, a pair of running plays gained another 25 yards.

With the ball near the 40 yard line the Warriors committed a holding penalty--their twelfth penalty of the night and pushed their total over one-hundred yards in the night--to set up second and nine. Neighbors and Weber stopped a runner for a short gain to set up third and long at the North 40.

Harrison ran a drag route across the middle, hit a wide open receiver who broke the first tackle attempt by a defender, and he ran all the way to the North 3 yard line before being dragged down.

Skinner and Weber combined to stop a runner on first down for no gain. A trick play was botched on second down and junior Trevor Rumsey flew in to make a tackle for a three yard loss as the Harrison runner scrambled for the loose ball on the ground.

There were 24 seconds on the clock when the Warriors snapped the ball on third down and they were out of time outs.

Their quarterback rolled right on a "pass or throw" option. Seeing an lane to the pylon at the edge of the goal line, he took off with the ball tucked under his arm.

He scored the winning touchdown with 17 seconds to play.

OFFENSE FACES A TEST

Sixteen of North's last 21 possessions have ended in either a punt or loss of possession on downs. Of the five that didn't, one ended with a turnover. Of the four scoring drives, two came late in the Memorial game against their reserve defense. Of the remaining two, one of those drives was just 20 yards in length. Taking the fourth quarter of the Memorial game out of the equation, the Husky offense has generated a total of 153 yards in its last two games.

Taking on Mater Dei at Reitz Bowl in their next game, any sparks generated by the defense have to be whipped into flames by a squad that has struggled of late to produce smoke, let alone fire.

The pass defense will be tested by a Mater Dei team that doesn't feature its normally vaunted offensive weapons, but retains its ability to deceive. Past history has shown that the Wildcats can usually generate long gains on "wheel routes" run by receivers who lag a bit before crossing the line of scrimmage. The Husky pass rush will have to break down the offensive line to force the Mater Dei quarterback to dump the ball off early.

The weather will be near perfect for football at game time. The venue is a great one in which to watch a contest. Mater Dei has their least talented team in nearly a decade. This could be a coming out party for a well prepared Husky squad to perhaps catch an opponent 'looking past' them.

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