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University Clobbers John Marshall

Early trick play sets tone for the Hawks

John Marshall’s Nick Coulter and Chas McCool work to stop University’s Clay Bailey on Friday night. Photo by Jason DeProspero/The Dominion Post

MORGANTOWN — University opened up the 2017 season in unique fashion on its first possession against John Marshall. On hat looked like it was going to be a three-and-out, quarterback and punter Clay Bailey went with a punt option and saw a wide-open Buddy Leach for a 26-yard gain.

That set the tone for the rest of the game as University drove the field and scored on a 15-play drive, ending in Bailey finding Ben Gribble for the first score in a 34-8 victory over the Monarchs on Friday night.

“Our whole punt team is an option,” University coach John Kelley said. “It could be punt, it could be pass, it could be run. It all depends on how they line up and how they play it. That was a great play by Clay to stand up and throw it. People said we were crazy going for it. Sometimes it’s not going to work. It worked right there and I think it turned the ballgame because we went right down and scored and the momentum was on our side.”

John Marshall also had some key miscues on offense that helped spark the University defense.

After a field goal by University to put the score at 10-0 in the second quarter, the Monarchs fumbled on their first play and Trevor Barnhart picked up the ball and had nothing but field in front of him, running it back 25 yards for a touchdown for a 17-0 with 6:07 left in the first half.

Late in the second, John Marshall was on the Hawks 35, looking to cut the lead before halftime, but a sack took it back 10 yards and it was unable to respond.

After a late-hit call on the Monarchs defense on a later drive, the Hawks decided to go for the kill as Bailey found a wide open Evan Parow for a 51-yard TD and the score read 24-0.

“First of all, you have to give those guys credit because they’re a good football team,” John Marshall coach Rick Goodrich said. “They’re good. They created opportunities and good teams do that. But four big plays I think killed us and I told to our kids to be proud of the effort and we played hard and at times we didn’t play smart. We just have to get ready for Mountain Ridge next week.”

The Hawks came out of the locker room ready to go as on the first play from scrimmage, Bailey connected with Hunter Cottrell for 59 yards to the 1-yard line. Barnhart did the rest as he burrowed into the end zone for his first offensive touchdown to make it 31-0.

Bailey went 9 of 14 for 175 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 79.

“This offense … I’m old school,” Kelley said. “I want to huddle. I want to make sure we’re running what we run. I’ll give the credit to Clay Bailey, the receivers and the line because he has three options and he made great calls every single time. The receivers made some great catches. We got the big score in the first quarter and I think that set a tone too.”

John Marshall put up the only points in the fourth quarter when Jordan Wood found Dereck Hess in the end zone from 18 yards out as the scoreboard read 34-8.

Wood threw for 140 yards going 13 of 21. Hess was the leading receiver and rusher as he hauled in three passes for 52 yards and compiled 86 on the ground on 14 tries.

Nick Coulter had a team-high four receptions while Clinton Whitelatch contributed with three catches for 38 yards. Jarrod Yocum had three rushing attempts for 51 yards, all coming in the fourth quarter.

“We just have to worry about ourselves getting better,” Goodrich said. “I think what hurt us was not having a second scrimmage. So we’ve been off for two weeks since our first scrimmage and I think we looked a little rusty out there. But again, that’s not an excuse. We have to come and play and we just have to go out there and evaluate the film and see if we have the right personnel in there and do what we have to do to get better.”

University 34, John Marshall 8

John Marshall 0 0 0 8 — 8

University 7 17 10 0 — 34

U — Gribble 3 pass from Bailey (Phares kick), 5:19

U — Phares 36 FG, 6:21

U — Barnhart 25 fumble return (Phares kick), 6:07

U — Parow 51 pass from Bailey (Phares kick), 2:06

U — Barnhart 1 run (Phares kick), 11:27

U — Phares 24 FG, 4:25

J — Hess 18 pass from Wood (Wood to Carpenter), 6:17

Rushing: John Marshall 27-173 (Wood 2-9, Coulter 2-11, Hess 14-86, McCool 7-31, Team 2-(-25), Frohnapfel 2-8, Henry 1-1, Yocum 3-51, Boggs 1-2). University 39-155-td (Sanders 9-8, Bailey 12-79, Barnhart 5-35-td, Raber 7-31, Richardson 2-(-7), Summers 2-10, Maholic 2-(-1).

Passing: John Marshall 14-25-146-td (Wood 13-21-140-td, Hess 0-1, Frohnapfel 1-1-6). University 10-16-175-2td (Bailey 8-14-175-2td, Bucklew 2-2-0).

Receiving: John Marshall 14-146-td (Coulter 4-26, Feil 3-25, Hess 3-52-td, Frohnapfel 1-5, Whitelatch 3-38). University 10-175-2td (Gribble 1-3-td, Parow 2-66, Cottrell 1-51, Richardson 2-12, Leach 2-35, Turlington 2-0).

First Downs: John Marshall 12, University 13.

Penalties: John Marshall 2-10, University 2-21.

Fumbles: John Marshall 4-2, University 2-0.

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