Sweetwater Red
10-25-2008, 03:49 PM
http://reporternews.com/news/2008/oct/25/mustangs-win-defensive-duel/
Mustangs win defensive duel
By Evan Ren
Saturday, October 25, 2008
SNYDER -- One fluke play, one solid drive, and an evening's worth of clutch defense was just enough for Sweetwater to win the Big Country Game of the Week.
Held to just 130 yards in total offense, the Mustang defense repeatedly came up big whenever Snyder threatened to walk away with Friday's game and helped Sweetwater earn a physical 14-7 win.
Daniel Jackson rushed for 79 yards and Rufus McCann scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown to lead Sweetwater (7-1, 3-0 District 2-3A), which managed just 51 total yards in the first half.
Hurt by eight penalties for 75 yards, Snyder outgained the Mustangs nearly 2-1, yet fell to 5-3 and 1-2 on the year. In total, the Tigers saw five drives fizzle out inside Sweetwater territory.
"We didn't have much offensive production, period," Sweetwater coach Kent Jackson said. "But that's a testament to the grit and character that our kids possess and hat's off to them for hanging in there and believing."
With score tied at 7, Sweetwater put together its only offensive scoring drive at the outset of the second half.
Helped by a 15-yard fair-catch interference penalty, the Mustangs opened the third quarter on the Snyder 44-yard line. Ten plays later, McCann dove into the end zone from a yard out, giving Sweetwater all the points it would need.
Snyder tried to answer on the ensuing possession, but drove 45 yards on 16 plays only to see the drive die at the Sweetwater 16.
Of the Tigers' two fourth quarter possessions, one ended in a three-and-out with 4:19 to play, and the other ended on downs at the Mustang 47 with 1:35 remaining.
Sweetwater, in the meantime, burned nearly 14 minutes of second-half play clock, giving Snyder no margin for error.
"They outplayed us on defense and we just missed some little checks that we worked on all week," Snyder coach Chad Rogers said. "Maybe the magnitude and excitement of the game got to us a little bit."
Missed opportunities and mistakes marked the first half, beginning with Snyder's opening drive that was shut down by the Mustangs on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
Five plays later, Sweetwater gave the ball back when Dustin Brown recovered a Jackson fumble and returned it to the Sweetwater 10.
The Tigers capitalized, scoring on a 4-yard touchdown run by Kenneth Turner on third down.
Seven seconds later, however, Sweetwater knotted the score at 7 when Cameron Studdard scored on a bizarre play, returning a pooched kickoff 45 yards for a score.
"They had made a living off that (pooch kick). In fact, they hurt Graham with it," Jackson said. "We spent a lot of time working on it this week because they do a great job with it."
Beyond that point, Snyder missed two more first-half scoring opportunities, turning the ball over on downs at the Sweetwater 38 with 9:34 left in the half and fumbling it at the Mustang 18 one series later.
Sweetwater, which lost two of four first-half fumbles, accumulated just two first downs by the break. Snyder had seven first downs and 151 yards.
"They did what they do well," Rogers said. "We've just got to bounce back and keep playing."
Snyder will next see action when it visits Breckenridge on Halloween night. Sweetwater will travel to Brownwood the same evening.
Very incomplete stats here...
http://stats.reporternews.com/football/boys/schedules/games/3803/results/
Mustangs win defensive duel
By Evan Ren
Saturday, October 25, 2008
SNYDER -- One fluke play, one solid drive, and an evening's worth of clutch defense was just enough for Sweetwater to win the Big Country Game of the Week.
Held to just 130 yards in total offense, the Mustang defense repeatedly came up big whenever Snyder threatened to walk away with Friday's game and helped Sweetwater earn a physical 14-7 win.
Daniel Jackson rushed for 79 yards and Rufus McCann scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown to lead Sweetwater (7-1, 3-0 District 2-3A), which managed just 51 total yards in the first half.
Hurt by eight penalties for 75 yards, Snyder outgained the Mustangs nearly 2-1, yet fell to 5-3 and 1-2 on the year. In total, the Tigers saw five drives fizzle out inside Sweetwater territory.
"We didn't have much offensive production, period," Sweetwater coach Kent Jackson said. "But that's a testament to the grit and character that our kids possess and hat's off to them for hanging in there and believing."
With score tied at 7, Sweetwater put together its only offensive scoring drive at the outset of the second half.
Helped by a 15-yard fair-catch interference penalty, the Mustangs opened the third quarter on the Snyder 44-yard line. Ten plays later, McCann dove into the end zone from a yard out, giving Sweetwater all the points it would need.
Snyder tried to answer on the ensuing possession, but drove 45 yards on 16 plays only to see the drive die at the Sweetwater 16.
Of the Tigers' two fourth quarter possessions, one ended in a three-and-out with 4:19 to play, and the other ended on downs at the Mustang 47 with 1:35 remaining.
Sweetwater, in the meantime, burned nearly 14 minutes of second-half play clock, giving Snyder no margin for error.
"They outplayed us on defense and we just missed some little checks that we worked on all week," Snyder coach Chad Rogers said. "Maybe the magnitude and excitement of the game got to us a little bit."
Missed opportunities and mistakes marked the first half, beginning with Snyder's opening drive that was shut down by the Mustangs on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
Five plays later, Sweetwater gave the ball back when Dustin Brown recovered a Jackson fumble and returned it to the Sweetwater 10.
The Tigers capitalized, scoring on a 4-yard touchdown run by Kenneth Turner on third down.
Seven seconds later, however, Sweetwater knotted the score at 7 when Cameron Studdard scored on a bizarre play, returning a pooched kickoff 45 yards for a score.
"They had made a living off that (pooch kick). In fact, they hurt Graham with it," Jackson said. "We spent a lot of time working on it this week because they do a great job with it."
Beyond that point, Snyder missed two more first-half scoring opportunities, turning the ball over on downs at the Sweetwater 38 with 9:34 left in the half and fumbling it at the Mustang 18 one series later.
Sweetwater, which lost two of four first-half fumbles, accumulated just two first downs by the break. Snyder had seven first downs and 151 yards.
"They did what they do well," Rogers said. "We've just got to bounce back and keep playing."
Snyder will next see action when it visits Breckenridge on Halloween night. Sweetwater will travel to Brownwood the same evening.
Very incomplete stats here...
http://stats.reporternews.com/football/boys/schedules/games/3803/results/