For both squads, everything was left in-between the boundary lines and the end zones on the night of Oct. 10. The crisp, cool and brisk air surrounding the area in the dark of the night would certainly prove to be a battle for both fans and players. However, the on-field product would provide its own sort of increase in overall temperature.
The Mustangs lost 35-28 against King’s College (PA) in this Friday night game, marking the very first loss of their season. From the very onset of the action, it became a shootout between dynamic offenses. One explosive play for one team was almost always followed up by another big-time sequence for the other in a flurry of haymakers between the visitors and the Mustangs. Ultimately, it did come down to the wire, and both teams should be commended for their respective efforts. However, the consistent production from the offense of the former proved too much to overcome by the tail end.
All the momentum in the game seemed to be on the side of the Mustangs football team by the beginning of the fourth quarter. King’s possessed the ball at this point, but the defense had done a relatively good job of keeping them contained, aided by an interception from third-year defensive back Daryus Henderson that eventually led to the 28-21 lead held by Stevenson at the time.
However, the final 15 minutes in close games like these can be where the money is made and where moments become etched in the hearts and minds of a fanbase. Stevenson’s front seven would be put to the test consistently as King’s College leaned heavily on their ground attack to pummel them into submission. More specifically, they leaned on fourth-year running back Brennan Robinson to wear down the opposing unit and grind down the clock strategically. His efforts would lead to an efficient and unrelenting performance, netting 213 yards on 23 carries (7.4 yards per carry) and 3 touchdowns on the night.
The second half was a little better for the defense in this regard, but sustained runs throughout the game and explosive runs early prevented them from ever truly being able to solve the Robinson assignment.
“I don’t think we tackled particularly well. I thought they did some things scheme-wise that we thought we’d patched up at halftime…..but, that makes it tough when you’re patching things back together,” head coach Ed Hottle said in an interview after the game.
Although a few calculated passes were mixed in to attempt to fool the Mustangs, the rushing game was clearly emphasized, and it became clearer what the goal was as the deflating flurry of carries ensued. More than half of the fourth quarter was taken off the clock by the visitors as King’s would trim the lead down to just one point following a rushing touchdown (and missed Point After Try, or the extra point) with around 7 minutes left.
Offensively, the production on the night was exceptional for Stevenson, but an ill-fated penalty would hinder their ability to do much on a potential put-away drive.
King’s continued to take the air out of the atmosphere with their commitment to the run game. With the game on the line, even as there was a 34-yard passing play in this sequence, all the faith was placed on the legs of Robinson in the backfield. His night would be capped off with a crucial fourth-down conversion and a touchdown run following the aforementioned pickup to give them the 35-28 lead.
Interestingly enough, more than a minute would trickle off of the clock in between the final plays of this possession despite Stevenson having all three timeouts at their disposal. While I can’t speculate or speak to any line of reasoning behind the decision to not use them, the reality is that it gave the Mustangs one final (and slim) chance to pull off a Friday night miracle.
They very nearly made this happen. Following an advance in field position after a kickoff out of bounds, the Mustangs had a truly promising sight.
Before you knew it, big-time catches from third-year wide receivers Ryan McClain and Dillon Johnson pushed Stevenson into scoring position even with the game seemingly being on ice. They and third-year wide receiver Stephen Tatum all had at least 70 receiving yards and a score in the game as the main culprits of a great offensive showing.
As valiant as their efforts were, though, they would not be able to tie the game up. Just enough pressure from the King’s defense would force a tough throw in the back of the end zone that sailed incomplete.
Everything was on display for the people to see, and they got a spectacular offensive matchup between the two teams. The speed of McClain on an earlier touchdown and the strength possessed by Tatum on another gave the fans something to be excited for.
Fourth-year quarterback Jordan Adams was also surgical and an elite distributor of the football in the game, putting up 300 passing yards and 4 touchdowns on 68.4% completion.
“It builds Jordan’s confidence, it builds confidence in the passing game. It just opens up another piece for us,” Hottle said.
The dynamic air raid was scintillating to view, but the contributions from Robinson and the King’s College (PA) rushing attack were just too much to overcome by the end of the game. People were certainly deflated by the loss, but this was still a hell of a show that both squads put on.
