Week 3: #1 BTW at #3 East Central

In a game that came down to the 4th quarter Booker T. Washington was able to escape East Central with a 27-24 win on Thursday. Unlike the previous two years this was a close game but the Hornets managed to play good enough defense to move to 2-1 on the year. Isaac Bennett was the star of the night carrying the ball 18 times for 165 yards and also catching the game winning touchdown pass. He made up for the struggling offense that was led by the return of quarterback Jordy Albert who went 4-8 for 43 yards an INT and a touchdown pass. Booker T. jumped out to an early 10-0 lead thanks to a 38 yard field goal by Dylan Seibert and then followed by an interception return from Tre Jones. But in the second quarter the Cardinals got the offense rolling continuously pounding the football and scoring 10 points making it 13-10 at half. That was the story the whole game, EC's front seven dominated the Hornets defense leading to big run after big run. EC tailback Donta Burge finished with 185 yards on the night. The major weakness however was the passing game as the Hornets returned all 3 back for a touchdown, but the last one was called back for an illegal block in the back. The Cardinals QB John McDavid when under pressure just threw the ball up for grabs instead of throwing it away, and that would turn out to be the difference. A fourth quarter INT return and TD pass was just enough to win 27-24. The Hornet's have relied on the defense this year as the offense has struggled to get anything going. The passing game has not shown to be dependable however Albert should gain confidence as he is getting back into rhythm. Isaac Bennett is the fire to that offense but giving him the ball every play will eventually get shut down. Around 20 carries a game is a good number for him so it maintains a good offensive balance as well as reduces the injury risk. Another weakness that was exposed again is the run defense. In the past two weeks the Hornet defense has allowed over 500 yards rushing, not only does it move the ball, but it tires out the D opening up more possibilities for the offense. This cannot continue to happen, the pass defense has been just a little bit better, but what concerns me is that what will happen if we play a team with a solid QB and RB such as Broken Arrow. Adjustments are necessary to prevent another loss. If McDavid played smarter who knows what the outcome would have been. The suspension of Terrence Taylor does not help as he has played corner for three years, and was great in coverage. His absence was felt as the Cardinals scored on the same pass play two times during the game. Another thing is not having a good fullback. In high school it is not a big deal but BTW could have used one. I do not like Delshawn McFadden at fullback, he missed a few blocks as well as one in the open field which would have given Bennett a long TD run. He is good in that number two spot as he too has good speed and vision. Maybe putting a linebacker in there for a few plays, but when in the I formation one is key. This year's team is lacking the intensity on both sides of the ball but especially on defense, a player needs to step up and take up that big hitter role. Next week's game will be very beneficial against Skiatook so these issues can be figured out and taken care of.
Player of the Week: For the second week in a row Army All-American candidate Isaac Bennett is the player of the week. He rushed 18 times for 165 yards and catching the game winning touchdown pass in the 4th quarter. At this point it is hard to tell if there will be another player of the week as he has carried much of the load for this team. Runs to the outside went very well and he was name the State Farm Classic player of the game.