Bluejays pass stiff road test at Ottawa
Fifteenth-ranked Tabor uses special teams to down Braves, 24-14
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
At a time when the KCAC's top-ranked offense couldn't get its running game going, the Bluejays instead got a boost from their special teams Saturday afternoon at Ottawa.
Punting, kicking, converting the bothersome PATs, and returning all came up big Saturday when No. 15 Tabor (6-0, 5-0 KCAC) clinched a 24-14 win over the struggling Braves (1-5, 1-4 KCAC.)
"What I was most pleased with was our special teams play," said Bluejay coach Mike Gardner. "We covered kicks, we punted well, we hit the PATs, we kicked a field goal and did things in the kicking game we haven't been able to do."
Highlighting the card was the Bluejays' potent offense going up against the KCAC's best defense with Ottawa, limiting teams to 227.8 yards a game.
The Bluejays took advantage of decent field position from return men Caleb Marsh, Jake Barber, and CJ Hill.
Tabor's 316 yards of total offense came from having a short field.
"In the stats, it doesn't look like we had that much yardage, but you have to look at where our starting point was," Gardner said. "Our starting point was outside the 35-yard line which is a really nice place to start your offensive drive."
There wasn't much nice about the start of the game for Tabor, much of that attributed to the Braves' swarming defense.
The Bluejays burned all three of their timeouts in the first quarter amidst a defensive breakdown.
The football was hard to hang onto for either team, with the Bluejays fumbling four times, losing two, and Ottawa losing all three.
Luckily for Tabor, the Braves were only able to get seven points from three turnovers while Ottawa spotted the Bluejays with 17 from five mistakes.
The 10-point swing was the difference in the Bluejays staying unbeaten.
Tabor's only mistake that hurt was on their second drive of the game.
Facing second and short at the Tabor 45, Brave quarterback Josh Short hit Matt Middleton for a touchdown to put Ottawa in front 7-0 just under 4:00 into the game.
Throwing for 209 yards, Ishida was 4-of-7 from 18 completions on the Bluejay scoring drive.
Ishida orchestrated an 18-play 73-yard drive that ate up 6:12 of the first half with Butler punching it in from three out.
Searching for consistency on the PATs, Marcus Manny was a perfect 3-for-3 on the day.
Then it was the Braves' turn to be generous on the ensuing kickoff, losing the ball at their 22 and Tim Stevens recovering for Tabor.
Butler carried the ball 21 times for 59 yards, gaining 11 to help set up first and goal at the four.
The stingy Brave defense, holding teams to 88 yards a game on the ground, kept Tabor out of the end zone.
With :38 in the books in the second quarter, the Bluejays took the lead for good with Manny connecting on a 32-yard field goal.
Ottawa gave Tabor another seven points, fumbling a fake-punt attempt and Britt Jones recovering.
Mike Beach was Ishida's go-to receiver, catching seven passes for a game-high 96 yards.
An 11-yard completion to Beach and a 15-yarder to Marsh had the Bluejays were knocking on the door again.
Two plays later with :11 left in the first half, Ishida took it in for a two-yard touchdown to put Tabor up 17-7 at halftime.
With Britt Jones already responsible for one fumble recovery, Tim Jones caused and scooped up a muffed punt by Braves standout return specialist Jeff Pillion.
Ted Telemaque paced the 107-yard Bluejay ground attack with 19 carries for 61 yards.
His six-yard touchdown set up by Tim Jones' recovery seemingly put the game on ice for Tabor with 11:38 left in the third quarter.
Brian Kimsey punted five times for 211 yards, giving the Braves poor field position and him a 42.2 average.
Led by Tyler McKim, Hill, Jake Schenk, and two picks from Stevens, the Bluejay defense held Ottawa to 265 yards offense with 230 coming through the air.
Ottawa completed the scoring with the aid of a bobbled catch on Tabor's punt return deep in its own territory with 3:49 still remaining in the third.
Starting at the Bluejay 15, Tyler Davis capped off the drive with a one-yard run.
Ottawa threatened for the final time in the closing 4:37 of the game, storming 59 yards in five plays.
With the ball at the Tabor 30 on fourth and nine, Brian Durowaiye denied Short, stopping him one yard short of the first down.
On deck for the Bluejays Saturday is a 1:30 p.m. showdown with the visiting McPherson Bulldogs at Reimer Field.
"They are very well coached and they're going to be prepared," Gardner said of the Bulldogs. "We're going to have our work cut out for us again."
