Bob Jones must regroup after opening game loss

MADISON-  It was the worst loss for Bob Jones since 2012 and only the third time Bob Jones has lost their opening game under Coach Kevin Rose.

But faced with adversity Bob Jones has in the past bounced back strong. The 2010 team won eight in a row after losing to North Gwinnett and the 2012 team won seven of the next eight games after losing to Northridge.

“I have great confidence in this football team and that is why I scheduled Central-Phenix City,” Head Coach Kevin Rose said two days after the loss. “I could have scheduled someone we would have beaten but that would not have made us a better football team. Friday night was good for us. I’ve never been afraid to play great teams like Hoover or North Gwinnett.”

Rose isn’t promising a winning streak but a closer look at the Patriots 33-7 loss to Central shows the game got away from Bob Jones in the second quarter where two costly penalties gave Central the ball back and they pounced for 14 points in the final three minutes.

Trailing 12-7 Bob Jones forced a punt but an offsides gave Central a new set of downs and they scored. Later in the quarter Bob Jones punted but was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct putting Central in striking distance and they scored another touchdown.

“The speed of the game we saw we aren’t going to play anyone faster than Central. We will just learn from it and move on,” Rose said.

Bob Jones had limited success running the football and was held to 183 total yards.

“They were significantly better than us,” Rose said. “We were overmatched from a talent standpoint but I was proud of our guys. We were competitive. But you can’t make those type mistakes against a team like Central who is a state championship contender.”

“We had two holding penalties. It seemed when we got something going we would get a penalty to kill the drive. Their defense was fast and they disrupted our offense all night but Jalen and Isaiah ran hard.”

There were bright spots. Bob Jones won the turnover battle. Jaydon Hill shut down Central’s top receiver who they went to all night. Hill finally made them pay with an interception. Terrell Jennings, playing safety had two interceptions.

“John Michael Riley did a good job punting and our coverage teams played well.”

Bob Jones had two turnovers. Dylan Ray was stripped of the ball after a reception and Ray fumbled in the backfield another time.

“I expect the guys to bounce back and give a great effort Friday night, it’s senior night.”

Austin comes in ranked #4 in 6A. They feature the top running back in the state, Asa Martin (#20) who has committed to Auburn.