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North Huskies vs Bosse Bulldogs - at Enlow Field Sep 18, 2020

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Offense

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Game Recap

HUSKIES TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS IN 48-0 WIN

It wasn’t a pretty game to watch—certainly not like the last four victories—as the North Huskies tried new schemes and different lineups in a 48-0 victory over the Bosse Bulldogs.  It was an example of a very good team taking care of business against an overwhelmed opponent.  North scored three times in the first quarter against an opponent that seemed bent on self-destruction.

FIRST DRIVE, FIRST SCORE

In a change of pace that reflected the reduced level of competition, no North starters pulled “double duty” Friday night.  Each regular starter that would normally play both offense and defense was designated as one or the other.  As a result, the Huskies featured some new starters on both sides of the ball and it was apparent on offense.

The opening drive went 67 yards on eight plays, but it was not a ‘typical’ Husky scoring drive, certainly unlike anything they had displayed to date.  The drive began with a series of false start and holding penalties that threatened to stall the possession just as it began.  Then there was the play calling itself that was different:  every play was a passing play.  When the Huskies found themselves facing third and fourteen yards to go at the North 42 due to the penalties, it fell to the reliable ‘Dynamic Duo’ of junior quarterback Ethan Brawdy and sophomore Jaylonn Mitchell to rise to the occasion.

Brawdy, who would consistently be blessed with a near perfect pocket of protection to pass from all evening, took the snap, went through his receiver reads and selected Mitchell as the sophomore streaked downfield on a ‘skinny’ post route.  Despite having a defender stride for stride with him, Mitchell went up for the ball at the Bosse 30-yard line, hauled in the spiral, turned and picked up another 20 yards after the catch to give North first down and goal to go at the ten.

Following a Bosse penalty, Brawdy faked a handoff to sophomore Angelo St. Louis that ‘froze’ the Bulldog safety in the middle of the field and left junior Jewellz Hailey open on a slant route in the center of the end zone.  Brawdy whipped a ‘dart’ to Hailey and North went up 7-0 following sophomore Mitchell Renfro’s first of six extra-point kicks.

BOSSE SELF DESTRUCTS… AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN

To say the defense overwhelmed their opponent Friday is a serious understatement.  At no point on any play during the entire game did Bosse ever threaten to score on North’s defense.  The North defensive front seven completely dismantled, disappointed, and destroyed the Bulldog’s timing and rhythm. 

Senior Gage Sales plays nose tackle in North’s 3-4 defensive scheme.  That means he is routinely lined up head-to-head (and in fact nose-to-nose) with the opponent’s center.  In all five games this season, his influence in the middle of the defensive line has yielded an additional bonus besides his sterling defensive play.

He intimidates the opponent’s centers in shotgun formation and on long snaps.

He intimidates them to the extent that they forget their primary job of snapping the ball long and straight and simply begin to worry about self-preservation.

As evidence of that fact, consider:

1. 1.       Against Castle with the Knights nursing a 7-6 lead in the fourth quarter and facing third down and 12 in a shotgun passing formation, the center (having been eaten alive by Sales throughout the game) snaps the ball before the quarterback is ready, the ball rolls free, and North recovers at the Castle 14.  North goes on to score the game winning touchdown.

2. 2.       On Memorial’s second possession of the game and with the Tigers facing third and 24 at their 13 yard line, their center snaps the ball over the quarterback’s head into the end zone where senior linebacker Luke Willis tackles their quarter back for a safety.  This play sets the tone for the game.

3. 3.       Against Harrison, the Warriors center snaps the ball over the quarterback’s head on second and ten at their 29.  The hapless quarterback scooped up the ball, tried to evade sophomore Angelo St. Louis who stripped him of the ball and Willis recovered the fumble.  North drives to score from the 25-yard line and take a 14-0 lead with less than six minutes played in the game.  Harrison never recovers.

4. 4.       Reitz, trailing 21-7, returns a kickoff to their 42 and has great field position to try and answer North’s score.  On third down, their center snaps outside the quarterback’s reach, scrambles for the ball, and senior Brody Tichenor drops him for a nine-yard loss. The Tigers punt and North drives down the field to go up 28-7 and never look back.

Four games, four crucial points in the contest that required a simple snap from center, and all four centers fail to perform their most critical obligation to their team.

One man, nose-to-nose with all four of them…

Gage Sales is a disrupter, an intimidator, and likely the best defensive lineman to wear the green and white in a decade or more.  While he is accompanied by a collection of talented players like senior Aidan Mercer, Willis, Tichenor, juniors T. J. Hankins and Mitchell Happe, and sophomores St. Louis and Cale Johnson, it is Sales who is ‘head up’ on the center.

Bosse, in the first quarter alone, ‘blew’ three snaps from center that resulted in turnovers and stalled possessions.  Their first punt attempt lost 21 yards because of a bad snap and was recovered by Happe at the one-yard line.  North scored one play later on the first of senior Capelton Presswood’s three touchdowns and the Huskies led 14-0.

On their next possession, the previous punt attempt having gone so badly, the Bulldogs decided to ‘go for it’ on fourth down.  The center snapped the ball poorly and the Bosse quarterback was tackled for an 11-yard loss and a fumble recovery by Mercer.

On their final possession of the first quarter, facing third and three at the 27-yard line, a high snap from center left the Bosse quarterback chasing the ball and recovering it before fumbling it away to junior Garrett Mooney.  Faced with a ten-yard field in front of the Huskies, Presswood’s second touchdown raised the difference to 21-0.

Sales and the rest of the defense had disrupted the game to the extent the Bosse could never recover

HUSKIES GOT THE JOB DONE

The game was a consistent procession of unforced errors as the two teams totaled 23 penalties for 168 yards.  There were multiple plays nullified by off-setting penalties including a Bosse pass that witnessed Tichenor run down from behind and tackle a Bosse receiver escorted by a pair of blockers.

For his part, Brawdy put on a show of how to draw an opponent off-sides and his skills were picked up by freshman Sam McKinney.  North quarterbacks would draw Bosse defenders into encroachment penalties no fewer than EIGHT times in the game.

McKinney displayed North’s depth at quarterback as the freshman would run for one score behind the first team offense early in the second quarter and ultimately complete six of ten passes for 82 yards in the game.

As mentioned, the defense overwhelmed their opponent and the Huskies got the job done (as expected) against a weak opponent.  The Husky defense has allowed fewer than 100 yards rushing FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON—an unheard of accomplishment for any team, let alone one that has played Castle, the defending State Champion Tigers, and the Reitz Panthers.

Take away the 89-yard run by Castle on the first play from scrimmage of the first game of the season and North’s defense has yielded just TEN YARDS RUSHING on 123 attempts by opponent ball carriers in 2020.

Let that sink in for a second:  Husky opponents are averaging less than THREE INCHES per carry in their last 123 rushing attempts.

NOW IT IS MATER DEI

The Huskies won big at Enlow Field and many players had distinguished moments.  In truth, Bosse is not today an average football team.  Next week will be a different kind of test as the Wildcats of Mater Dei come to Bundrant Stadium.  The Wildcats ride a 12-game winning streak over North and it would be a terrible disservice to overlook a team coached by an Evansville legend.  Mater Dei will come in prepared to win and the Huskies will need to eliminate the mental errors so obvious in the Bosse game to keep their winning streak alive.

Lest anyone forget last season, North’s best team in a decade went into the Bowl and had Mater Dei tied at 21 three minutes into the second half—and got beat 24-6 over the game’s final 20 minutes of play.  Mater Dei plays to the final whistle and rolls over for no team.

Having seen this coaching staff work together this season, there is little reason to doubt that North will be equally prepared to ‘snap’ the losing streak against Mater Dei.

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