Corsicana Daily Sun, Corsicana, Texas

Sports

Discussion

August 27, 2012

Navarro football: Dawgs start strong

Navarro blanks Arkansas Baptist in Mayper debut

By Rob Ludwig Corsicana Daily Sun

Navarro Coach Brian Mayper was hoping for a little bigger number on the offensive side of Saturday’s 40-0 season-opening win over Arkansas Baptist, but that second number is the magical one he hopes for every time out.

“I tell the kids on defense that if you give us a big zero each week, we’re going to win every game,” Mayper said. “We played really well at times on defense, though we made a lot of mistakes on offense. I thought we should have won by a lot more.”

Considering all the drama that led up to the kickoff, posting 40 points in the first game of the season has still got to be pleasing.

Transfer Stump Godfrey was ready to go as the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs, but Navarro officials found that his transcripts from New Mexico and Hawaii, his previous two collegiate stops, had not arrived on the Corsicana campus. A valiant effort was made to get the transcripts in time for the ABC game, to no avail.

“(Godfrey) handled it well,” said Mayper, who added that Godfrey’s transcripts should be in order by Wednesday. “He showed a lot of maturity because you know it had to be a letdown.”

So Mayper went with a rotation of freshmen Riley Toler, Alex Allen and James Jordan, none of whom had taken a college snap.

Considering the circumstances, the trio performed well. Toler completed 8 of 11 passes for 81 yards, including a 16-yard scoring pass to Tony Drake less than two minutes into the game. Jordan hit on two of his three attempts for 42 yards, one going 13 yards to running back Tyler Middleton for a touchdown that made it 19-0 Navarro at the half.

Somewhat limited in its passing game by inexperience, the Bulldogs turned to the ground attack to churn out 239 yards on only 32 carries. Texas transfer Traylon Shead rushed 13 times for 83 yards and a 10-yard TD run in the fourth period. Middleton added 72 yards on only seven tries and the duo of Tarlandus Mitchell and Cameron Washington combined for 57 yards on eight carries.

Navarro had three touchdowns called back because of penalties, including a pair of Shead scoring runs. Tight end Gerard Shillow’s 14-yard scoring catch was wiped out in the third period because of an illegal shift.

“We had way too many mistakes,” Mayper said. “The only thing that stopped us was our self.  We’ve got to cut out those mistakes this week against (10th-ranked Hutchinson, Kan., Saturday at Tiger Stadium) if we want to win that game.”

Navarro’s defense was dominant at times under first-year Defensive Coordinator Dustin Landry. Arkansas Baptist had only 93 total yards, gaining 26 yards on the ground on 24 attempts. Navarro defensive tackle Arnold Blackmon turned in the play of the game when he nabbed a swing pass out of the air and rambled 37 yards untouched for a score.

“We held them to under 100 yards on 40 plays and that’s outstanding when you’re playing a team that is spread out like Arkansas Baptist was on offense,” Mayper said.

“But we’ve got to be even better this week. Hutchinson is an elite team in nation. We’ve got to play great defense and eliminate those mistake on offense.”

Text Only
Sports
House Ads
AP Video
Hoffa Mystery Still Fascinates After 4 Decades Raw: 1 Dead in Shooting at Mo. Apartment Complex Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park Raw: Obama Arrives in Berlin 3 Charged in Ohio With Enslaving Mom, Daughter Obama Seeks G-8 Support on Syria Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City Kid Couture: Spending Big Bucks on Babies Suicide Bombs Target Baghdad Mosque, Killing 29 Military Plans to Put Women in Combat Jobs Solar Power Chargers in NYC Parks Civil Rights Groups Sue NYPD Over Muslim Spying Raw: First Lady, Daughters Enjoy Irish Sights RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled Boeing, Airbus Battle for Sales Supremacy
Twitter Updates
Follow me on Twitter
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com