Interceptions By Joel Lowenberg, Jamyan Theodore Spark Win Over Rabun Gap
Almost nobody remembers how an event begins, but most everyone can recall how it ends.
That was certainly the case for the Baylor Red Raider football team as they played nationally-ranked Rabun Gap on a hot and clear Sunday afternoon in front of a near-capacity crowd at Heywood Stadium/E.B. "Red" Etter Field and a nationally-televised game on ESPN.
The first half was something to forget as almost nothing worked well for Baylor. They were really lucky to only be behind 7-0 at intermission to the team located in the Georgia mountains just outside Clayton.
The Eagles extended that lead to 14-0 with a long touchdown run to start the second half, but Baylor's defense saved the day with some big stops in the final two quarters as the Red Raiders rallied for a heart-stopping 21-14 victory.
"What a performance," blurted Baylor coach Erik Kimrey to his team as they knelt near midfield when it finally ended.
"We played an ugly first half, but that was the best defense I've seen since I've been at Baylor. We made the plays when we had to, but at the end of the day, the team in red is the one who leaves here with a win," he added as everyone nearby cheered.
Chris Brown is Baylor's defensive coordinator and he did a magical job of making changes in the second half to stop the high-powered Eagles after their only TD in the second half with 9:47 left in the third quarter.
He could only smile with pride after Kimrey's comment, but he takes great pride in his defenders and apparently the guys on that side of the ball do as well.
"That was just an outstanding effort from our kids," Brown began a minute later.
"We changed a few things, but we were able to out-execute them in the second half and that's a tribute to our players. We tried to be aggressive the whole game, but we made a few adjustments at the half and our guys just played their tails off," he added.
Rabun Gap coach Derek White certainly didn't make any excuses for his team.
"We just didn't play very well as we got in the red zone three times in the first half without any points. This is just the first one and we have 13 more games to play, but we'll get better," he nodded.
Baylor got the opening kickoff where Ole Miss-commited Shekai Mills-Knight had gains of 8, 7 and 10 yards on his first three touches. There wasn't much else to cheer about for the Baylor offense as they were limited to just 54 yards in the first half, including just 32 on the ground.
And while the Baylor defense basically kept their team in the game in the first two quarters, the Red Raider offense finally got moving in the final two.
After Walker Bryson gave the Eagles a 14-0 lead with a 48-yard sweep on the seventh play of the second half, Mills-Knight had a 57-yard run from the 24 down to the 19, setting up a 16-yard run by David Gabriel-Georges for Baylor's first touchdown with 8:10 left in the quarter.
The Red Raiders then tied the game on their next possession, Mills-Knight ending a six-play, 83-yard drive with a 62-yard sweep to the right as he turned the corner and completely outran everyone. Philippe Laforge then booted the second of three extra points and all of a sudden, momentum was back on Baylor's side.
Rabun Gap didn't score again as the Eagles were stopped on their final six offensive drives, two on downs, two on punts and two on Baylor interceptions.
The Red Raiders took their first lead with 7:10 to play when quarterback Briggs Cherry hooked up with Joakim Dodson on a swing pass to the left that went 53 yards.
All of a sudden, time was quickly becoming a factor, Baylor had the lead and desperately needed a big play from its defense.
Jamyan Theodore, who had blocked an Eagle field goal attempt in the first half, had another big defensive play when he intercepted a pass from Gavin Owens, putting Baylor in business at the Rabun Gap 37 with 4:49 to play.
The Eagles stood tall and stopped Baylor on downs at the 29, getting one final chance to tie the game with 2:22 to play. Baylor's defense stopped the Eagles on downs at the Rabun Gap 42 with 1:13 to play, but the offense couldn't produce and were forced to punt from the 45.
The ball went out of bounds at the 10 with 47 seconds to play, but the Baylor crowd erupted in celebration when Joel Lowenberg intercepted another Owens pass that deflected off the intended receiver.
Cherry just had to take a knee as the clock expired without further damage.
Baylor finished with 279 total yards, including 200 on the ground highlighted by 160 yards on 14 carries by Mills-Knight. Gabriel-Georges had the other 40 on seven attempts. Dodson was Baylor's leading receiver with 59 yards on three grabs, including the 53-yard TD.
Rabun Gap ended the game with 367 total yards, including 205 through the air and 167 on the ground.
Marshall Pritchett was the leading receiver with 67 yards on seven grabs while Bryson had 44 yards on three catches.
Anthony Quinn Jr. was the leading rusher with 105 yards on 22 carries that included 83 yards in the first half. Bryson added 52 yards on three attempts.
Baylor will be at home again on Friday when they face Gray Academy, a team from West Columbia, South Carolina.
RABUN GAP 7 0 7 0 -- 14
BAYLOR 0 0 14 7 -- 21
RG – Anthony Quinn Jr. 27 run (Zumi Mikkaichi kick), 2:35 left in first;
RG – Walker Bryson 48 run (Mikkaichi kick), 9:47 left in third;
BAY – David Gabriel-Georges 16 run (Philippe Laforge kick), 8:10 left in third;
BAY – Shekai Mills-Knight 62 run (Laforge kick), 2:53 left in third;
BAY – Joakim Dodson 53 pass from Briggs Cherry (Laforge kick), 7:10 left in fourth.
INDIVIDUAL STATS:
RABUN GAP RUSHING: Anthony Quinn Jr. 22 for 105 yards and TD of 27 yards; Walker Bryson three for 52 yards and TD of 48 yards.
RABUN GAP RECEIVING: Marshall Pritchett 7 for 67 yards; Walker Bryson 3 for 44 yards.
RABUN GAP PASSING: Gavin Owens 25 of 43 for 205 yards and two interceptions.
BAYLOR RUSHING: Shekai Mills-Knight 14 for 160 yards and TD of 62 yards; David Gabriel-Georges seven for 40 yards and TD of 16 yards.
BAYLOR RECEIVING: Joakim Dodson three for 59 yards and TD of 53 yards.
BAYLOR PASSING: Briggs Cherry seven of 16 for 79 yards and one TD of 53 yards.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)
Baylor Gets Defensive In 21-14 Comeback Win - Chattanoogan.com
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