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| MARSHALL - Good teams don't turn the ball over, and good teams take advantage of those that do.
Longview excelled at both here Friday night, not committing a single turnover, but turning Marshall's mistakes into points as the Lobos opened the 2003 high school football season with a 49-16 victory at Maverick Stadium. Six different Lobo players carried the ball into the end zone, with backup tailback Vondrell McGee scoring a pair of touchdowns. Rogers Taylor, Jerrel Williams, Chris Jones and Quincy Grant each scored on the ground offensively, while free safety Keaton Daniels returned a fumble for a touchdown. "I think Rodney Southern and his staff have put together an offensive football team that's better than last year. We knew they had a good quarterback with good feet, and with their quick passing scheme it makes it tough to defend," said Longview head coach Pat Collins. "If you take those away those turnovers, it might have been much closer. I look for consistency, and anytime you can put that much points up on the scoreboard you have to be pretty happy." Marshall fumbled the ball six times, and each time there was a Lobo to fall on it. Four of the Mavs' turnovers turned into Longview points, with the back-breaker being Daniels' 85-yard fumble return early in the third quarter. The Mavericks managed 200 yards passing from C.J. Byrd, who was 23 of 28 for the game. He completed passes to eight different receivers. Sophomore Jackie Robinson also rushed for 106 yards on 24 carries, but he fumbled three times. Grant was 4 of 8 passing for 108 yards - all in the first half. Jones led the Lobo ground game with 52 yards on 12 carries, while Williams gained 28 yards on eight. McGee rushed for 30 yards on three carries, and Arthur Jackson had 31 yards on four carries. The ball started bouncing away from Marshall early as the Mavs muffed the opening kickoff, but still managed to recover it. However, one play later, Longview would have the ball and its first possession at the Maverick 25 courtesy of a Daniels recovery. Taylor would score Longview's initial touchdown of the season, taking a reverse handoff down the left sideline for a 24-yard scoring run. Ryan Howard followed with the one of his seven extra points with 58 seconds elapsed in the contest. A short Maverick punt would set up the Lobos' second scoring drive. A one-handed grab of a Grant to Malcolm Kelly completion for 19 yards, and Tate Casey's 13-yard connection down the right sideline, set up Williams' 9-yard bull run into the end zone. Marshall would answer with its deepest drive of the first half, but a second fumble would give the ball back to the Lobos at their own 10-yard line. Grant went immediately to the air, hitting Kelly for 44 yards and then Taylor for 32 to the Mavs' 14. Three straight carries by Jones led to his 1-yard dive up the middle. Three Lobo possession and 21 points scored. The Mavericks were able to move to the ball into Longview territory, but the Lobo defense would not break. Marshall had fourth-and-one on the 38 after Longview was called for running into the kicker. But Robert Henson stuffed Mavs' quarterback C.J. Byrd on a 7-yard loss and turned the ball over on downs. Marshall did briefly slow the Lobos down. Fumblitis found the Mavericks again as Gordon Freeman came up with the recovery at the Marshall 26. A quick diet of Jones and Williams ended with Grant scrambling untouched into the end zone on a 6-yard bootleg for a commanding 28-0 lead with 48.3 seconds left before halftime. Longview did commit an early mistake to start the second half as the ball was snapped over the head of punter Justin Rector, who then kicked it out of the end zone for a safety. Any hopes of a Marshall comeback was ended on the Mavs' next series as Daniels scooped up the loose ball at his own 15-yard line and raced the opposite direction for his third career defensive touchdown. He returned two interceptions for TDs in 2002. McGee would score his first varsity touchdown with under 15 seconds left in the third quarter. The Mavericks finally got on the scoreboard with nine minutes remaining as Byrd snuck across on a 1-yard keeper. The try for two points failed. Williams then took the ensuing kickoff and ran it back 88 yards to the Marshall two-yard line. McGee finished the brief two-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown. A Byrd-to-Nick Lewis 17-yard scoring strike, and subsequent two-point conversion pass from Byrd to Williams Osborne ended the scoring with 4:13 to play. |