Texas College (0-1) jumped out to a 6-0 lead after one quarter thanks to a 15 yard touchdown run by quarterback Vincent McNeil. The Steers defense also chipped in and stymied the Blazers high powered offense until late in the half.
Late in the second quarter, the Belhaven (1-0) offense began to find its rhythm and put some points on the board. On a nine play 80 yard drive, freshman kicker Alonso Acosta broke the scoring drought with his first collegiate field goal from 24 yards out. Acosta would add another trey from 42 yards away with 14 second to play in the half.
Sandwiched in between the two field goals was a two yard touchdown run by senior Rashad Wynes that gave Belhaven a 10-6 lead. The defense helped setup the score when senior Darrius Wren picked up a Steers fumble to give the offense prime real estate at the five yard line.
Earlier in the half, the defense slammed the door on Texas College by keeping the Steers out of the end zone. At that point, the Blazers trailed 6-3 and Texas College had the ball first and goal on the one. However, Belhaven pushed the Steers backwards on four straight plays with the result being a turnover on downs. That sequence was arguably the turning point in the game. Had Texas College scored, the contest could have taken on an entirely different complexion.
With a 13-6 lead, Belhaven's offensive momentum carried over into the third quarter on a pair of touchdowns and another Acosta field goal. The defense had a hand in the first TD when junior Brennan Dunklin picked off a McNeil pass and returned it to the Texas College six yard line. On the very next play Wynes was stripped of the football, but full back Patrick Wilson was in the right place at the right time to pick up the loose ball at the one and carry it in.
Another fumble by Texas College on the ensuing kickoff setup an Acosta 27 yard field goal with 12:00 minutes left in the third quarter followed by a 50 yard touchdown pass by Brian Ensminger to Jesse Gibson, Jr. to make it 29-6. Ensminger caught the Steers defense in an all out blitz and put the ball perfectly into Gibson's hands without him breaking his stride.
However, Texas College would not go quietly and began to mount a comeback of its own by reeling off the next 20 points. McNeil carried the Steers on his shoulders by firing two touchdown passes while running for another. A 22 yard pass to Jamaal Johnson with 7:04 to play cut the Blazers lead to 29-26 and at that point things got really interesting at H.T. Newell Field.
All teams face adversity during the course of the season and the Blazers certainly responded well late in the game Saturday. Junior running back Laderick Turner answered the Texas College touchdown with a 49 yard kickoff return that set Belhaven up at the Steers 23 yard line. Eventually Turner finished what he started by carrying the ball four yards to the house for a touchdown. The scoring burst capped a four play 23 yard drive that sealed the game at 36-26.
"Coach told me mainly just focus, you know the plays and you know what to do," Turner said. "Our line is outstanding and I came in with no worries. We really needed that (touchdown) and our offensive line was big for us tonight."
Belhaven Head Coach Joe Thrasher was pleased with how his team persevered for the win. "I told the team earlier a win is a win and I'm proud of those guys," Thrasher said. "Our defense came through when we needed them and at the end of the day it's about winning football games. Obviously there are things we are going to correct, but I'm proud of these guys because they fought and won the football game."
Turner led the offense with 53 yards and a touchdown on seven carries while quarterback Brian Ensminger completed 14 passes for 197 yards and a TD. The scoring strike landed in the hands of Gibson, Jr. with 8:03 to go on the clock in the third quarter. Senior Justin Kenyon caught six passes for 104 yards.
Senior Ben Chapman and junior Shawn Paul each turned in eight tackles while junior Victor Byers collected seven tackles and two sacks. Dunklin also made an impact defensively with a pair of interceptions.
As a team, Belhaven's offense generated 287 yards on 70 plays from scrimmage and had a slight edge in time of possession at 30:10. Both defenses were active as evidenced by a combined seven fumbles between the two teams with an additional three interceptions.
McNeil ran the ball 21 times for 133 yards and two touchdowns for Texas College. McNeil also passed for 216 yards and an additional two touchdowns. The Steers were led on defense by Luis Castro with nine stops. Overall, the Steers outgained Belhaven in yardage by a margin of 441 to 287.
Belhaven will be back on the field next Saturday at Louisiana College for a 7:00 PM kickoff. Fans can listen to all the live play-by-play on the Blazers Sports Network starting with the pregame show at 6:45 PM.
Texas College Steers next game is Saturday at University of the Incarnate Word (San Antonio, Texas) with a 6 p.m. kickoff.
COURTESY BELHAVEN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
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