Bobcats beat Mustangs 44-8
The rain held off on Friday for Homecoming at Radford, but that didn’t stop the Bobcats from reigning over Eastern Montgomery. Radford used a strong running game and defense to hand the Mustangs their first loss of the season, 44-8, at Lineburg Field.
“All wins are great for us,” said Radford coach Matthew Saunders. “It puts us at 3-3 and 1-0 in the district. I don’t know if revenge was on our mind. There were different kids out there last year. I lost 22 kids from last year. Some of the kids had a little taste of it from last year. We just came out and played hard.”
Grant Mitchell on a pitch out that was good for a first down.
Coming into the game, you would expect the Mustangs (5-1, 0-1) to dominate Radford. They had scored an average of 50 points per game and only allowed a total of 62 points all season to their opponents. The Bobcats (3-3, 1-0) also lost last year to the Mustangs, 32-10. It was a loss that cost the Bobcats a chance at the playoffs.
All signs pointed to the Mustangs putting up 50+ points again at the start of the game. Their opening drive would see big plays from junior quarterback Shawn Christian. He would connect with Stephen Lilly for 21 yard first down early in the first quarter.
Eastern Montgomery would also get a huge 30-yard pass from Christian to Julian Stewart, but it would be negated by an illegible man downfield penalty. The Mustangs didn’t let that get them down though and scored two plays later on a 55-yard pass over the middle from Christian to running back Michael Shelor. A two-point conversion gave the Mustangs a 8-0 lead.
The two teams traded possessions before Radford got really good field position in Eastern Montgomery territory. Starting at the 26-yard line, the Bobcats used three plays to score, capping the drive with an 18-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Dontae Carter. They would match the Mustangs two-point conversion and tie the game.
The Bobcats defense dug in and held the powerful Mustang offense in check. They would stall in drive after drive in the first half. As the first quarter winded down, the Bobcats cashed in on another valuable field position opportunity. With help from the running game, guided by Carter, Radford would drive down to the 5 yard line.
The drive would stall and Radford sent out the field goal team. However, a fake field goal attempt would get the Bobcats another touchdown on a controversial play, as Carter found William Minter in the back right corner of the end zone. Another two-point conversion extended the lead to 16-8 at the end of the first quarter.
“Radford comes down and runs a fake field goal,” said Mustangs coach Mark Poston. “From our advantage point, it looked like the kid was bobbling the ball. The official said he didn’t bobble it. Those are swing plays in the game.”
The Mustangs looked like they would bounce back and tie the game, but a costly illegal shift penalty and a Bobcats sack from Josh Custer on Christian made Eastern Montgomery punt the ball away.
The two teams would trade possessions before the Bobcats got things going again. The run game would be crucial in draining the Mustangs defense of energy. Carter, DJ Palmer, and Grant Mitchell rushed for a total of 35 yards before Josh Mulky broke free on a 29-yard rushing score. The Bobcats would take a 23-8 lead into the locker room.
“One thing, you have to control the clock with them,” Saunders said. “If you run the ball, you are going to control the clock. I knew we were going to have some negative plays. I knew they play man to man and if we could spread them out a little bit, we could make a play if one kid missed a tackle. That is what happened on a lot of them.”
Coming out of the halftime break, the Bobcats continued where they left off. The running game would be crucial in the opening drive of the half. It looked as if Radford would have to settle for a long Michael Goodman field goal, but a costly Roughing the Kicker penalty kept the Bobcat drive going. On the very next play, Palmer would break free for a 12-yard gallop into the end zone. Radford’s lead had swollen to 30-8.
Desperate for an opening, the Mustangs tried varying up their offense and started to run the ball. Michael Shelor rushed for 46 yards on their next drive, but once again stalled on fourth down.
“The game plan was to throw it effectively, which we did and really up-tempo them,” Poston said. “It worked in the second half. I think you could see the genesis of our plan was to pass it and pass it. Then in the third quarter, we came out running it. It really made some hay. They were gassed. Tonight wasn’t our night.”
Radford’s final drive of the third quarter saw Kevin Adkins break free on the tired Mustang offense for a 38-yard rushing touchdown. Adkins would add one more rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter of 9 yards and seal the Bobcats Homecoming win.
“They were physically and emotionally ready to play, as we were,” Poston said. “A lot of times when you get two teams who are ready to go, frequently this happens. Very rarely is it a tight game. In all games, in what ever level you play, it comes down to defense, special teams, and turnovers. Who made the plays on defense? They did. We did not.”
Eastern Montgomery will look to rebound from this tough loss next Friday, as they play a home contest against district foe Giles. The Mustangs lost to the Spartans, 35-28, last year. Despite the tough loss, Poston was optimistic about the Mustang crowd and their game next week.
“I just want to say I was real proud of our fan support,” Poston said. “I wished we could have played better than what we did. This is why you practice and lift weights so you can play in an atmosphere like this. We’ll be back. We aren’t going away. We’ll get Monday back in the weight room and do what we do and get ready to beat Giles next week.”
Radford will now look to take their winning momentum on the road against Floyd County. The Buffaloes were State Runner-Up last year, but are only 2-4, 1-0 in district play. Floyd is coming off of an impressive 56-6 win over Auburn. They beat the Bobcats last year at home, 35-27.
“The district doesn’t get any easier,” Saunders said. “Our district is tough. That is why I had the schedule the way I did in the beginning to prepare for the district. Our next game is the biggest game of the year. That is the way we take it and approach it.”
