Fumbles doom Bob Jones; injuries mount
Jalen Williams gets an escort on this run against Austin (Photo Contributed/Tammie Stephenson)
DECATUR- Aided by three second half fumbles, Austin pulled away for a 29-14 win over Bob Jones late Friday night. The game was delayed two hours due to a thunderstorm.
“We got outplayed and outcoached and they did a better job of holding onto the football and they deserved to win,” said Bob Jones head coach Kevin Rose.
By the second half the Bob Jones defense was out of gas but Austin’s Tyrese Swoopes was still going strong. Swoopes outran defenders for touchdown runs of 55 and 35 yards to put the game away. Austin took a knee deep in Bob Jones territory to end the game.
Bob Jones had a chance go ahead but Jaylen Williams fumbled going into the end zone in the fourth quarter. Austin then marched the ball 80 yards to go up 22-14.
Bob Jones played without their top offensive threat Brad Anderson who suffered cramps during practice Tuesday with temps hovering around 100 degrees. Dehydration was the cause and he will return for the James Clemens game.
With Anderson out quarterback Brady Polson turned to the passing game. He was off target in the first half completing only one pass. He also was sacked and fumbled just before halftime and Austin hit a 33 yard field goal to make it 10-0.
Polson had a big second half aided by some leaping catches by Milkhi Stewart and Demontrez Brown.
Jalen Williams got Bob Jones first score on a seven yard touchdown run.
The next possession, Polson hit Brown for 46 yards then Stewart for 12 yards and a touchdown.
The defense responded as Trey Langford recovered a fumble and Bob Jones was driving to take the lead. Stewart made a leaping 37-yard completion and Polson hit Brown on fourth down to the goal line. The next play Williams appeared to score before the ball came loose but officials ruled it a fumble and Austin took over at their 20 yard line.
The game was non-region and does not count in the standings.
“Sure it matters, we try to win every game we play,” Rose said. “I congratulate Coach Perkins. They outplayed us and deserved to win. I thought Demontrez scored on the pass play and looked like the ball broke the plane of the end zone on Jalen’s fumble. We still had an opportunity to respond so we’re not going to use that as an excuse. They scored two touchdowns after that.
Hopefully we can grow from this loss and play better next week against James Clemens. We don’t want to get wrapped up in the atmosphere. We need to play with confidence and play loose and have fun.”
Offensively for Bob Jones Jalen Williams rushed for 107 yards on 20 carries and Polson was 10 of 20 for 170 yards.
Having Anderson certainly could have changed the course of the game.
“Sure we missed Brad but we have to have people to step up and produce when Brad or whoever is out. We can’t depend on one player,” Rose said.
Injury update: Mikail Stewart tried to play on an ankle he injured last week but came out in the second quarter and did not return. Linebacker D.J. Butler left in the first half with a chest injury and did not return.
