Bluejays tame Lions in season opener
n 24th ranked Tabor football team shakes off slow start, beats SAGU, 26-7
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Looking for something to compare the Bluejays' performance in Saturday night's season opener in Waxahachie, Texas against Soutwestern Assemblies of God, look no further than a VCR.
Adjust the tracking so the picture on the screen is fuzzy.
That's how Bluejay coach Tim McCarty described how the picture looked against the Lions.
"We were just a hair short of being sharp," said the Bluejay coach. "Our screen looked fuzzy and we need to adjust the tracking so we can get the picture clear."
The Lions had plenty of advantages over the Bluejays.
First, they were playing at home. Second, they already had played one game against no cream-puff in 23rd ranked Southern Nazarene.
Last, but not least, the Lions also had a full scrimmage whereas the Bluejays had only practiced two weeks.
Not too bad for opening performance as the Bluejays topped the Lions in a deceivingly close 26-7 win.
Tabor's 443 yards of total offense bettered any game the Bluejays had during its record-breaking 2002 season.
However, the Bluejays got off to a slow start in the first quarter.
Tabor missed a slew of chances to blow the game open, hampered by its inability to punch the ball in, not to mention hang on to it.
That caused several drives to stall inside the Lion 20.
"The first quarter, we were not where we were at last year," McCarty said. "We had problems with pass protection and shotgun snapping. The SNU coach told us SAGU was better."
The Bluejays coughed up the ball four times, losing it three, amidst being hit with 13 penalties which totaled 159 yards.
But that gave Keenan Morris the opportunity to set a school record, connecting on four field goals.
Morris' 25-yarder with 7:41 left in the first quarter put Tabor on top, 3-0.
Back from a broken collar bone that sidelined him for eight of the Bluejays' 10 games a year ago, Tyson Ratzlaff was back to his old form.
Hauling in four catches for 68 yards, an 11-yarder from Dave Hernandez to Ratzlaff pushed Tabor's lead to 9-0 with 1:31 left in the first frame.
The only knock against Morris on the night came on the PAT, which was batted down.
Also back from an injury shortened season was Tyler Marsh.
Marsh was a one-man wrecking crew to SAGU, racking up 229 yards of total offense.
Hernandez finished 13 of 30 for 202 yards with a team-high 94 going to Marsh, who snagged seven catches.
Both the Bluejays' special teams and ground game got off to a good start, two factors which did their fair share of backfiring on Tabor last season.
Marsh returned four punts for 53 yards and two kicks for 76.
Punter Brian Kimsey punted four times to leave the Lions in rugged field position.
Tabor's ground game was the story with sophomore running back Dwayne Cleaves rolling up a game-high 155 yards on 13 carries.
The score stayed 9-0 until Morris split the uprights from 26 yards out for the 12-0 lead, barely 4:00 into the second half.
Tabor's defense, paced by big plays from C.J. Hill and Justin Friesen, held the Lions to 309 yards of total offense.
SAGU quarterback Ryan Smith completed 20 of 38 passes for 211 yards.
The Bluejays secondary got its only burn of the game 51 seconds after Morris delivered his second field goal.
A 75-yard chunk of Smith's 211 came on a bullet to John Norman that cut the lead to 12-7 after the PAT.
Cameron Conant answered the touchdown on the Bluejays' ensuing drive, plowing his way in from 17 yards out.
Matt Insley hit Jeff Mackinnon on the two-point conversion and Tabor was in command, 20-7.
Morris capped off his record-setting night kicking 42- and 33-yard field goals for the Bluejays' final six points in the fourth quarter.
"We were thankful to go down there, get a win and come back injury-free," McCarty said. "We've got to have better execution offensively and better focus though."
The 24th-ranked Bluejays return to action Saturday at 7 p.m. when they host the Sterling Warriors at Reimer Field.
The Warriors were mauled in their season opener by Southern Nazarene, 49-6.
