On their way to the 2004 state title, the MUS Varsity football team had to win its share of close games to reach their goal, and it did, winning five games decided by seven points or fewer.
For the first time in 2005, the Owls found themselves in a close game, this time against neighborhood rival ECS, and just like last season, they found a way to win a close game, defeating the stubborn Eagles, 21-3, last Friday night at Hull-Dobbs Field.
The Owls (4-0,1-0), knew they would be in a tough game as ECS (3-1) shut down the MUS offense, averaging over 37 points-per-game, on its first possession. Then the Eagles showed that they were for real as they drove down the field on the salty Owl defense.
Taking over at their own 8-yard line following a Drew-Alston punt, ECS used ten plays to reach the MUS 19. But from here, the Eagles started retreating following four consecutive penalties, facing 4th-and-20 at the Owl 29. Jordan Thompson then came out and connected on a 47-yard field goal to give ECS the early lead.
MUS tried to answer the score, but the Eagle defense, putting intense pressure on QB Michael Park, would not allow the MUS offense to get in sync.
But as it has for the last year and a half, Coach Bubba Burr’s defensive unit came through with a big play.
CB Logan Welch picked off QB Stephen Box’s pass at the ECS 40 early in the second quarter, and the offense took advantage. On the next play Park found Stephen Bowie in the back of the endzone for a 40-yard touchdown. Chad Hazlehurst’s PAT was good, giving the Owls a 7-3 lead with 11:43 remaining in the half.
And that is the way the half ended as neither team could consistently execute offensively against the opposing defenses.
At the break, the Owls were quietly confident in their situation. Even though the game was close, the MUS coaches knew that ECS would struggle to score against the staunch MUS defense and the Owls’ depth and size would eventually wear on the smaller but game ECS defensive front.
And the second half proved them right. The ECS defense did begin to show holes as the Owls put together long drives. However, MUS could not capitalize as they failed to execute inside the Eagle 20 on three consecutive possessions.
Despite the Owls’ inability to finish long drives with scores, they began to win the battle for field position by holding the Eagle offense to short drives of 5, 3, and 3 plays within ECS’s own territory.
Ultimately, the Owl defense forced ECS to make mistakes, which the opportunistic Owl offense turned into points.
Following a Donnie Malmo interception and return to the ECS 32 with 2:20 left in the game, the Owl offense needed only two plays, a 14-yard pass from Park to Max Prokell and a 9-yard run from Devin Owens to extend the lead to 14-3 with 1:53 remaining.
Then the Owls completed their flurry of late points as NG Mason George single-handedly ended the Eagle hopes for a comeback with two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Hazlehurst’s PAT finished out the scoring.
Though the score was close until the two late scores, the Owls gained control and dominated the second half. Despite the missed scoring opportunities, MUS ran 20 more plays (37-17) and held the ball nine more minutes in the second stanza. With a 351-161 total-yard advantage, MUS looked poised to break the game open much earlier than it did, but a feisty Eagle squad kept the game close and represented well.
Next week MUS travels to Chattanooga to take on Baylor (3-1, 0-1), the lone team to beat the Owls last season. Kickoff is set at 6:30 CST. Fans who cannot attend the game can hear it on 91.7 FM.