Football: Jackets start fast, then stall

By Jeff Budlong, Journal staff | Sunday, September 14, 2008

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SPEARFISH — The Black Hills State offense enjoyed an effective first three minutes the first time it had the football on Saturday against Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

The other 57 minutes the Yellow Jackets offense simply spun its wheels in a 10-7 loss to the Rangers.

On a day where the 18th-ranked BHSU defense played the bend-but-don’t-break game to near perfection, the offense suffered through one three-and-out after another in cool, windy conditions at Lyle Hare Stadium.

“I don’t think it was an effort thing at all,” said BHSU head coach John Scott of his team’s loss. “They had a real good defensive plan and carried it out well. They put a lot of pressure on us and we never got on track in the run game. When we did try to mix it up we got mixed up.”

Northwestern Oklahoma State

(1-1 overall) would break a 7-7 tie late in the fourth quarter with a 23-yard field goal from Ty Ray to win the game and hand BHSU its first loss of the season in its home opener.

The game began with the Rangers driving the ball deep into Yellow Jacket territory only to come up empty on a 23-yard field goal attempt.

BHSU responded with its most effective drive of the day as quarterback Drew Hodgs connected with Corey Wheeler on a 32-yard pass play to put the Yellow Jackets in Northwest Oklahoma State territory before the two hooked up again on a 22-yard scoring strike to go up 7-0 with 7:58 left in the first quarter.

Despite the strong start, Hodgs struggled in the passing game completing just 5-of-16 attempts for 87 yards on the day, while running back Tanner Ehrlich was limited to 78 yards on 17 hard carries.

The Rangers fumbled the ball away to BHSU on their next possession putting the Yellow Jackets on the 28-yard line, but four straight runs could not gain 10 yards and signaled what was to come for the home team.

“You hate to say in the second quarter that there was a transition or something that took place that you wish you could do over,” Scott said. “That 3rd and 4th and short and not to convert inside their 30-yard line where we could have gone up 14, that is one you look at and say, ‘What if.’”

The 15th-ranked Rangers offense was led all game long by senior quarterback Billy Barefield who proved dangerous with both his arm and legs. Three times in the first half the Rangers drove deep into BHSU territory only to settle for field goal opportunities that failed. That combined with penalties — Northwest Oklahoma State was whistled for 10 in the game — kept the Yellow Jackets in the lead late into the second quarter despite have just two three-and-outs in the frame to account for its offensive possessions.

“We were so limited with plays that we never did get in a rhythm,” Scott said. “The defense played well enough to win no doubt, but he is an exceptional quarterback who at times made us look a little funny.”

Barefield would finally find the end zone with 21 seconds before halftime as he raced 18 yards for the score to tie the game at 7-7.

“He is quite a player and he was getting 5 or 6 yards every time,” BHSU linebacker Richard Fairhead said. “We knew he was going to cut out one way or another, but we had to stay in coverage so he could go over us and it gave him some extra time.”

The Rangers opened the second half with a long kickoff return that put them 45 yards from the end zone. However, Josh Wood stopped that scoring chance with an interception in the end zone for the Yellow Jackets.

While the final numbers for the BHSU defense did not look good — it gave up 302 yards rushing and 139 receiving — the Yellow Jackets made the big play at the big moment despite living on the field after the first quarter.

Two first downs in the next three series kept the BHSU offense from moving the ball out of its own end, but the defense rose to the occasion again when Tony Dill recovered a fumble on the first play of the fourth-quarter giving BHSU the short field for one of the few times in the game.

Ehrlich, who was held in check much of the game, busted a 20-yard run on the first play of the drive, and Hodgs threw his second TD of the game to Clint Nicholes only to have the play called back on a penalty. BHSU settled for a 38-yard Wheeler field goal attempt instead which was blocked keeping the score knotted at 7-7.

“Corey is doing double duty trying the long field goal,” Scott said. “He is kind of driving it low anyhow because of the kind of kicker he is. There was either a breakdown in the middle or it wasn’t high enough.”

The Rangers used that momentum to put together a 14-play, 68-yard drive that ended with Ray’s only field goal of the day.

The Yellow Jackets had two possessions to try to tie or take the lead, but mounted little offense in either with the game effectively ending when Hodgs was intercepted on a 4th-and-7 pass.

The Yellow Jackets (1-1 overall) will look to get back in the win column Saturday when they host the South Dakota School of Mines in a non-conference game.