 "Photo: N/A")
Wolves Football team returned to University Stadium last Saturday to face off against the University of West Alabama Tigers, defeating them in a grueling hard-fought match 10-9 and ending the losing streak that has haunted the team for over a year.
Following the game, Coach Dickey said, “It’s been a really tough egg to crack, because of what these kids have been through, not just this year, but last year.” About the losing streak, he spoke definitively, “It’s over, done. Gone.”
The game started with UWA winning the opening toss and electing to receive. The kick was returned to the UWA 18 yard line, and the Wolves Defense fought to contain them, but the UWA offense went for the outside passes and deep middle rushes to befuddle the defense. The Wolves, however, recovered their fortitude in the red zone and put the Tigers in lockdown, forcing the field goal to bring the game to 0-3.
The Wolves started off their first drive at their 30 yard line off a 19 yard return by Kevin Myles. Yusuf Holloway made 7 yards of rushing on the drive, but the Wolves were swiftly halted in their advance by the Tiger defense and were forced to punt.
The Tigers started out on the UWA 14, and quickly saw their way past the 50 yard line, though harried the entire way by an aggressive Wolves defense, and an end zone pass from the Tigers Deon Williams was intercepted by Trey Wilborn and downed for a touchback.
The Wolves took possession and quickly began the rushing game, handing it off to Holloway for quick short gains to advance the chains down the field. However, just short of the 50 yard line, a Wolves fumble was recovered by UWA.
The Tigers started the next drive on the Wolves 42 yard line. Long passes kept their offense moving down the field, culminating in a 25 yard touchdown pass, bringing the game to 0-9 after a botched PAT.
The Wolves took a huge kick return for 27 yards to start them off a yard short of the 50 yard line, but the offense found themselves unable to capitalize, with the Tigers offense forcing another fumble off a sack against quarterback Sean Gray.
The Wolves did not let this go unanswered, and recovered a fumble of their own, taking the ball at the 42 after an unsportsmanlike conduct call deducted 15 yards from their starting position. The offense, however, was once again stymied and was forced to punt it away.
The Tigers took possession at their 26 yard line, and found themselves pushed back to the 20 after a yard loss and a 5 yard false start penalty. Despite the long 3rd down and 16 odds, the Tigers managed to convert the down and advance down the field off a dicey all-in long ball pass. UWA followed this up with some rushing, but the Wolves defense harried them until a field goal fake play by the Tigers on 4th down which the Wolves turned into a turnover.
Feeling the pressure from the 0-9 score, the Wolves were able to move the chains once, but a penalty followed by a major loss forced the Wolves into unfavorable position, leaving them with no option but to punt it away.
The Tigers started things off on their 32 yard line, but despite making decent gains, the Wolves defense prevented them from making it within even field goal range, forcing a punt and giving UWG another chance with just 1:20 left on the clock.
Holloway made a six yard rush to open up the drive, followed by a seven yard rushing gain that was almost entirely eliminated by a personal foul call that pushed the Wolves back 11 yards. Another short pass from Brandon Behenna to Holloway gained some yardage, but a rush play cost the Wolves 2 yards just before halftime.
The Wolves received the ball after halftime, and started their first second half possession at their 40 after Kevin Myles burned across the field for a 21 yard kickoff return. After a pair of penalties on the Tigers, the Wolves found themselves in a position to score, and with a 42 yard field goal attempt, Adi Brkic put it through the uprights to answer the Tigers back and tighten up the game 3-9.
The Tigers started things off on their 33 yard line, and managed to push forward 11 yards on their first play of the drive, but it was all for nothing when the Wolves intercepted a UWA pass at their 29 yard line.
The Wolves managed to push up for 6 yards to begin with, and continued rumbling down the field with Brandon Behenna making major strides against the Tigers. Huge passes by Behenna put the Wolves in the red zone, giving them the chance they needed to score a touchdown and take the lead 10-9.
With momentum on their side, the Wolves defense took to the field with the Tigers on their 38, but a big run put them within 25 yards of the goal line. The defense, however, went into total lockdown and forced them to settle for a field goal attempt that fell short of the uprights.
With just four minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the Wolves offense strode confidently to the field in hopes of widening their advantage. Holloway and Behenna connected repeatedly to keep the rushing game going, but several incomplete passes slowed the advance and led to the Wolves being forced to punt.
The Tigers took their shot to aggressively respond to the Wolves, taking the ball to the UWG 20 before the end of the quarter. After the 4th quarter started, the Tigers managed to cross the goal line, but the touchdown was reversed after a penalty call, which forced them back beyond the 20. An incomplete pass on 3rd down forced them to make another field goal attempt that went too far wide, leaving the score at 10-9 with the Wolves leading at 13:35 left in the game.
Heavy pressure foiled Behenna’s passing game early in the drive, and a long pass on 3rd and 2 forced a punt from Brkic that started the Tigers off at their 37 yard line. The Wolves defense held tight, repulsing their attempts to rush down the field and forcing a punt of their own that let the Wolves start out on their 21.
Behenna rushed up for a 3 yard gain early in the drive, and then followed it up with a solid pass that moved the Wolves further down the field. Small short passes kept the chains rolling and the clock ticking as the Wolves kept on hoping to open up their lead once more, but were foiled and had to punt it with 5:52 left on the clock.
With the Tigers starting out on their 22 yard line, the Wolves defense launched into an aggressive play style, holding them tightly, though it cost a first down through a pass interference call. After the setback, the Tigers squeaked by a big pass play that put them within the 30 yard line, but a holding call on the offense during a sack play pushed them back to the 38.
At 2nd and 18, with 3:09 to go, the Wolves defense lost Travis Payton to injury, but gained the energy of all the fans of the stadium, who in their excitement shook the concrete floors of the stadium, giving the team the support they needed for a huge play that ended in an interception with less than 3 minutes left in the game that sealed the Tigers fate.
The Wolves made it within the Tigers territory and forced the opposition to burn all their time outs while still making huge strides. With the home crowd positively electric, the Wolves continued to hand it to Holloway to get the first downs necessary to kill the clock and finish the game.
1 comments