supercentex
11-26-2005, 12:17 AM
Late first-half scoring drive key to Bulldawgs' success
By Mark W. Miller
Killeen Daily Herald
WACO — Two minutes and 56 seconds.
That's how close the Garland Owls were to hooting with glee at halftime.
The Owls were on their way to getting embarrassed in their regional semifinal contest with Copperas Cove. They had fallen behind 17-0 in barely 7 1/2 minutes.
And then came the break they needed.
The Bulldawgs muffed a punt at their own 12. Garland recovered at the 10 and scored. Then the Owls got the ball back again and drove 91 yards for another TD.
Just like that, Cove's momentum had vanished.
But the Bulldawgs didn't fret. They went to work, starting at their own 27 following a short kickoff.
Donald Buckram picked up a first down on back-to-back runs to get Cove to midfield. Quarterback Brent Garner ran for 4 more.
And then the Bulldawgs went for it all. Garner dropped back and tossed a perfect strike to Darrell Armstead, who had beaten his man inside the 10. Armstead dropped it.
Two plays later, it was fourth-and-1. Cove lined up to punt. Tim Atchison went in motion behind the line and took a handoff on the short snap.
Everyone knew the Dawgs were faking, but the Owls had no defensive answer and Atchison, with his first carry of the season, picked up 6 yards for the first down.
Cove's star defensive back wasn't done yet. Two plays later, running the same pattern as Armstead, he hauled in another strike from Garner and scored on a 35-yard pass with 21 seconds left in the first half.
With that 73-yard drive, their longest of the night, the Bulldawgs had their double-digit lead back and the momentum. And they would add to it immediately in the second half, driving 71 yards for a field goal and a 27-14 lead in an eventual 30-14 win that sends the Bulldawgs into the fourth round of the playoffs for the first time.
For Atchison, it was his first catch of the season. "I'm not sure why they told me to go in at receiver," Atchison said, "but I went in and Brent just put the ball right on me and the offensive line blocked great. All I had to do was catch the ball."
"It shows what kind of football player he is," Cove offensive coordinator Tracy Welch said. "He understands the defensive backfield so much, he understood how to attack that (defensive) guy and get that guy turned around."
"He'll do anything that you need to do to win," Cove head coach Jack Welch said. "If I had to have him punt, he'd punt. If I had to have him kick he'd kick. And let me tell you something, he can do those things."
How big was that touchdown?
"I thought it was crucial," Tracy Welch said. "We came in at halftime feeling a lot better and had momentum on our side."
"We knew we couldn't give up or relax," Atchison said. "We had to keep playing, and that's what we did."
Garland DT impresses Cove
The Bulldawgs have bumped into some great defensive linemen over the years, but Tracy Welch was so impressed with Garland star Brandon Antwine, he sought him out and got his autograph after the game.
"I told the kid after the game, 'We haven't seen one like you since (Arlington Lamar's) Cedric Hilliard.'"
Hilliard went on to Notre Dame. Antwine, 6-foot-2, 275 pounds, is reportedly down to Southern Cal and Florida on his list of choices.
Where did Antwine sign for Welch?
"It's on my gameplan," Welch said, showing the laminated sheet with halftime notes to run away from Antwine's side. "I even showed him my gameplan. I said 'At halftime we game-planned for you. We were going to walk the tight end and get away from you.'"
By Mark W. Miller
Killeen Daily Herald
WACO — Two minutes and 56 seconds.
That's how close the Garland Owls were to hooting with glee at halftime.
The Owls were on their way to getting embarrassed in their regional semifinal contest with Copperas Cove. They had fallen behind 17-0 in barely 7 1/2 minutes.
And then came the break they needed.
The Bulldawgs muffed a punt at their own 12. Garland recovered at the 10 and scored. Then the Owls got the ball back again and drove 91 yards for another TD.
Just like that, Cove's momentum had vanished.
But the Bulldawgs didn't fret. They went to work, starting at their own 27 following a short kickoff.
Donald Buckram picked up a first down on back-to-back runs to get Cove to midfield. Quarterback Brent Garner ran for 4 more.
And then the Bulldawgs went for it all. Garner dropped back and tossed a perfect strike to Darrell Armstead, who had beaten his man inside the 10. Armstead dropped it.
Two plays later, it was fourth-and-1. Cove lined up to punt. Tim Atchison went in motion behind the line and took a handoff on the short snap.
Everyone knew the Dawgs were faking, but the Owls had no defensive answer and Atchison, with his first carry of the season, picked up 6 yards for the first down.
Cove's star defensive back wasn't done yet. Two plays later, running the same pattern as Armstead, he hauled in another strike from Garner and scored on a 35-yard pass with 21 seconds left in the first half.
With that 73-yard drive, their longest of the night, the Bulldawgs had their double-digit lead back and the momentum. And they would add to it immediately in the second half, driving 71 yards for a field goal and a 27-14 lead in an eventual 30-14 win that sends the Bulldawgs into the fourth round of the playoffs for the first time.
For Atchison, it was his first catch of the season. "I'm not sure why they told me to go in at receiver," Atchison said, "but I went in and Brent just put the ball right on me and the offensive line blocked great. All I had to do was catch the ball."
"It shows what kind of football player he is," Cove offensive coordinator Tracy Welch said. "He understands the defensive backfield so much, he understood how to attack that (defensive) guy and get that guy turned around."
"He'll do anything that you need to do to win," Cove head coach Jack Welch said. "If I had to have him punt, he'd punt. If I had to have him kick he'd kick. And let me tell you something, he can do those things."
How big was that touchdown?
"I thought it was crucial," Tracy Welch said. "We came in at halftime feeling a lot better and had momentum on our side."
"We knew we couldn't give up or relax," Atchison said. "We had to keep playing, and that's what we did."
Garland DT impresses Cove
The Bulldawgs have bumped into some great defensive linemen over the years, but Tracy Welch was so impressed with Garland star Brandon Antwine, he sought him out and got his autograph after the game.
"I told the kid after the game, 'We haven't seen one like you since (Arlington Lamar's) Cedric Hilliard.'"
Hilliard went on to Notre Dame. Antwine, 6-foot-2, 275 pounds, is reportedly down to Southern Cal and Florida on his list of choices.
Where did Antwine sign for Welch?
"It's on my gameplan," Welch said, showing the laminated sheet with halftime notes to run away from Antwine's side. "I even showed him my gameplan. I said 'At halftime we game-planned for you. We were going to walk the tight end and get away from you.'"