The start of each new football season brings anticipation and hope to all teams across the land as each squad is undefeated and has visions of grandeur. The MUS varsity team was no different as it eagerly looked forward to the end of two-a-days and the start of the campaign. Though the Owls' youth and inexperience created concern, coaches and players could not wait for the year to begin as the Owls were scheduled to take on the Whitehaven Tigers in the final game of the third-annual Bridges Kickoff Classic at the Liberty Bowl.
Though MUS fell to the bigger, faster Tigers, 35-21, the Owls learned much about themselves and now look forward to getting back out to practice to work and improve.
MUS (0-1) was not intimidated by Whitehaven (1-0) as they took the opening kickoff and drove 74 yards in seven plays to score as QB John Conrad McCrary went in from 1-yard out. The Ben Tacker PAT was good to give the Owls the early 7-0 lead fewer than two minutes into the game.
But the Tigers got even on their first possession as they used five plays to go 80 yards. RB Orlandus Rogers went in from 1-yard out, and Fernando Hardaway's extra point tied the score as the shootout had begun.
The Owls did not blink on their next possession as the MUS no-huddle offense continued to keep Whitehaven off-balance. Kane Alber's 35-yard kickoff return set the Owls up at the MUS 48, and from there they needed seven plays to retake the lead. McCrary was 5-5 passing on the drive, and Alber culminated the possession with a 2-yard run. Tacker's PAT gave MUS the 14-7 lead.
Whitehaven looked to answer as they had begun to control the line and rush the ball effectively. Four straight runs got the Tigers into MUS territory, but sophomore Donnie Malmo ended the threat with an interception.
After a series of punts, the Owls began one of their most impressive drives in recent history. Starting from their own 1-yard line, MUS slowly worked down the field, aided by a 30-yard scamper by McCrary on a 3rd-and-7 from their own 4-yard line. Seven plays later, McCrary found Rob Heflin from 20-yards out for the score as MUS had built their largest lead of the game at 21-7.
Whitehaven needed only two minutes to answer, however, as they found more success running the ball. After an initial incompletion, five straight runs covered 65 yards as Dominic Thompson finished the drive with a 6-yard run to cut the lead to 7 as the half ended.
Though the Owls had the advantage at the break, Whitehaven had found success on the ground, amassing 188 rushing yards, and MUS knew that if they wanted to win for the first time in a Bridges Kickoff Classic game, they must shut down the Tiger ground attack and tackle much better.
In the second half, they were never able to accomplish those goals.
Whitehaven held the ball nearly sixteen of the twenty-four second-half minutes as they ran the ball right at MUS, wore the smaller Owls down, and scored on three consecutive possessions. The Tigers tied the score on their first drive, using ten plays and 4:19 to go 80 yards as Brodie Clayton powered in from 1-yard out.
The Owls could not answer, and Whitehaven took control when they got the ball back. On a punishing drive, the Tigers combined ten runs and three passes to go 80 yards. The 5:18 drive culminated in a Thompson 9-yard run to put Whitehaven on top at 28-21 after the Hardaway PAT.
The Tigers tacked on one final score with 5:03 remaining in the game as Marcus McCall hauled in a 10-yard Omari Avant pass for a touchdown to give Whitehaven the 35-21 victory.
MUS could never get untracked in the second stanza to keep up in the offensive shootout. Their 83 total yards were not enough to withstand the powerful Whitehaven squad.
After a stellar first half in which he tallied 89 yards rushing and 98 passing yards on 9-12 passing, McCrary was slowed in the second half by a quick Whitehaven defense. That the Owls only had four possessions in the last half did not help either as Whitehaven controlled the ball on the ground, amassing 350 rushing yards and 473 total against a defense that missed nearly thirty tackles during the evening.
MUS opens their home schedule this Friday night with a 7:30 kickoff against Jackson (MS) Prep, the defending Mississippi private school state champion. The Patriots will look to avenge last year's 35-14 loss.