Late charge propels St. Edmund past Iota

EUNICE – For most of the game Friday night, Iota and St. Edmund were well on their way to a draw, and had it been the “other” kind of football – or soccer as it is known stateside – that may have ended up the case.
A literal stalemate for three-plus quarters, the Bulldogs and Blue Jays each spent more time in downs and distances that were in the upper 20s and 30s in that time frame than mounting successful drives.
But, in the fourth quarter, the dam broke and St. Edmund was able to notch that elusive first score. And, in a game that close, it would only take those seven points.
When the horn sounded, the Blue Jays (1-1) earned their first win of the year with the 7-0 score line. The Bulldogs, meanwhile fell to 0-2.
“Offensively, we did everything wrong, everything you could do to lose a game,” said Iota coach Josh Andrus the morning after the game. “I don’t know if it was an overconfidence thing, or what, but they did everything wrong.”
And, once again, lost more than just the game it seems, as starting running back Kaleb Guillory disappeared from the field for the remainder of the game after only one series and, specifically, three downs, of play.
That perhaps was the biggest side note to come from the loss for Iota. Down to backup offensive linemen and a backup quarterback after the first week, the Bulldogs would be forced to call upon Guillory’s backups to fill the void. Sporadically, they would. Led by Alex Frey, who moved from change of pace back to featured back with Guillory’s absence. Frey, a junior like Guillory, would see most of his success come in the second half, though there were positive yardage spots in the first half as well.
But, the burden was not just Frey’s and sophomores like Cameron Ledet and Nicholas Gravot also were called upon to make plays on the field. They too would find more success in the second half than the first.
Realistically, though, yardage against a well-disciplined Blue Jays defense was hard to come by, especially with backups.
As for the already in place backups like quarterback Kameron Aucoin, much like his running back crew, a mixed bag came from Friday’s game. On one hand. Aucoin showed the ability to escape pressure, pick up yardage when possible and even showed off an arm that caught several Dogs like Cade Covalt and Hunter Andrus as they streaked past defenders. On the other, costly turnovers with bobbled center to quarterback exchanges and forcing a pass that would be intercepted late in the fourth quarter.
In fact, Brad Miller’s interception in Iota territory with less than 2 minutes to go in the game would end up being a game-clincher for the Blue Jays.
The Bulldogs defense wasn’t without its moments as well, especially in the first half. Perhaps no more so than on the first drive. St. Edmund would start the game with the ball and be forced into a three-and-out deep in their own territory. But no just any three-and-out, no. Iota’s defense seemed to have an early read on the St. Edmund pulse, timing blitz packages to snap counts perfectly throughout the first half and recording many tackles for loss. And, on that first drive, Iota would send St. Edmund backward 10 extra yards on the three plays, including a 6-yard sack on quarterback Peter Miller.
“Defensively, I think we played great,” said Andrus. “Our defense did everything it could to put us in the position to win the game.”
In the midst of the many negative plays – both caused by penalties and caused by defensive stops – Iota and St. Edmund struggled mightily to get anything going. That is, until the touchdown.
It was then that St. Edmund finally was able to break through the scoreless wall.
The game-winning drive was started on Iota’s 37-yard line with about 11 minutes to go in the game. It ended in the touchdown via a 1-yard rush. The drive would suck up 4 minutes of the remaining time and leave the Bulldogs practically no time to waste in an attempt to score and re-tie up the ball game.
In those four minutes, five different Blue Jays would touch the ball over the nine play drive. Luke Doucet would carry the ball three times for 22 yards, Jack Miller would offer one carry for 1 yard, Brad Miller would add a catch at no gain during the drive and, finally, Peter Miller would add three carries for 23 yards.
Doucet would end his night gaining 53 yards on 11 carries and was the Jays’ leading rusher. Brock Bieber would go seven carries for 32 yards, Brad Miller (8-28) and Peter Miller (14-23). In total the Jays would rush for 127 yards on the night.
Iota also relied heavily on a running game Friday night to attempt to make headway in the game. And, though, ultimately that was its undoing. Frey would lead the way with 13 carries on 18 yards. Aucoin’s negative 22 yards on seven carries – most of which were actually sacks – would be the lowlight for Iota’s rush attack. In fact, with all the negative plays, Iota would only muster 19 total rushing yards on the night.
Aucoin, meanwhile, would go 8-14 for 55 yards and one interception. His top receiver was Covalt with four receptions for 44 yards.