Written by: Danny Talbert
Ferrum escapes with a 13-10 win over the Panthers in a hard fought defensive battle.
Breaking down the three position units-
Offense-
Although the Panthers came away with only ten points on the day, they looked much improved from last week. In the first half, LC was able to move the ball up the field but stalled twice when getting into the red-zone. The offense was also moving the ball in the second half but stalled once. Besides the red-zone troubles, the Panther offense looked much-improved.
Quarterback- QB Rashod Brockington had a great game today with 183 yards with 17 passes on 29 attempts. On the drive in the fourth quarter which resulted in a field goal, Brockington showed his arm strength when he threw a beautiful 16-yard pass to J'Kyvious Wortham to keep the drive rolling. He also showed great poise and decision-making ability in the final drive of the game. With only one minute left and facing a second and 14 after a holding call, he noticed that Ferrum's defense was not spying him and took his opportunity to show off his speed by running for the first down himself. Brockington had a much improved game today for many reasons, including better offensive line play. The young core only allowed one sack this week and it took a lot of the pressure off of Brockington.
Running backs- The running back group found some better success today as well. Goldman Butler VI led the team with 57 yards on 10 carries, Aubrey Carter rushed for 18 yards on three carries and JayDon Cooper had 15 yards on four carries and scored the Panthers first touchdown of the year.
Wide receivers- Brockington was spreading the love to a handful of targets in today's game. Jaden Smith led the Panthers in yards with 60 on four catches, Devonte Scott had five catches for 51 yards, Dana Lucas completed three catches for 37 yards, J'Kyvious Wortham had four completions for 26 yards and Ashton Bryant had three catches for 26 yards. The receiving core looked better than last week and made some spectacular catches today.
Defense-
The biggest improvement between last game and today's, was the Panther defense.
The defense held Ferrum's QB Jaxson Hughes to only 75 yards and zero touchdowns. Last week, Hughes showed his quarterbacking ability by throwing for 189 yards and three touchdowns against N.C. Wesleyan. The defense also did a phenomenal job making plays in the backfield today. The Panthers had one sack and nine tackles for a loss in this week's matchup.
The Panthers defense bent at times today but did not break. They made two big red-zone stops in the first half and one in the second. In the four red-zone trips, Ferrum was only able to come away with 13 points.
Linebacker Yavari Scott had a phenomenal game today. He led the team in tackles (13), tackles for a loss (3) and sacks (1). At the end of the first half, Scott made two big plays which forced Ferrum to kick a field goal. On second and third down, Scott made a great open field tackle on the QB as he scrambled out of the pocket and then a play later he made a perfect form tackle on a Ferrum's WR running an underneath route to force the field goal.
After this great stop, the kick return team gave up a costly fumble which gifted Ferrum great field position. Even though they started on the inside the Panthers 15-yard line, the defense again was able to hold them to just three points.
Special teams-
Like the other two groups, the special teams also improved this week. Kicker Landon Eaker hit a 29-yard field goal today, the punters had more time to get the kick off and overall the returns looked better blocked. Ferrum did force a fumble on the Panthers kick return at the end of the second half.
Stand out Panthers of the game-
Yavari Scott- As mentioned, Scott led the team in tackles, tackles for a loss and sacks today. He was also commanding the defense while flying around making big plays.
Rashod Brockington- Brockington looked much-improved in this game. He made some great passes, showed poise in the pocket and was able to convert a big first down using his speed in the fourth quarter.
Devonte Scott- Scott also had a great game today. He was Brockington's leading target with five receptions and 51 yards and had some great catches.
When and where the Panthers play next-
The Panthers head home to begin in-conference play against Huntingdon on Saturday (Sept. 23). Kickoff is at 1 p.m. in Callaway Stadium.
