Gottsch finally claims first win as Bluejays roll Aggies
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
One doesn't need a magnifying glass to see what's been keeping the Bluejays winless for the first time in seven years.
Tabor's carelessness with the football has caused it twice to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory.
Tabor got just the kind of game it needed Saturday night to work some kinks out of the hose, hosting NCAA Div. II opponent, 0-3 Panhandle State.
While Tabor (1-2) hasn't fully recovered from its carelessness, it happened to run into an opponent that was even more so, as the Bluejays used eight Aggie turnovers to cruise to a 49-28 victory.
"Our defense just kept giving us opportunity after opportunity and we weren't always getting seven out of it, but we were getting three," a finally victorious Gottsch said.
"The defense really set us up for some scoring tonight. I feel like we've been playing this hard for three weeks, and again, the turnovers are what kill people. We knew this was a young team and they'd be susceptible to some turnovers."
The eight turnovers — as many as the Bluejays have had in their first two games combined — led to 33 points, as its defense forced six in the first half alone.
Protecting a lead has hindered Tabor as well, and the Aggies cut the lead to 10-8 after Andrew McGlory hit Chad Sauceda with just more than five minutes left in the first half.
Special teams have been a bug for Tabor as well, but kickers Kevin Carroll and Derik Martinez were at a season-best with the two combining for a perfect 6-6 in field goals and 4-4 on extra points attempts.
Carroll's three field goals helped send Tabor into the break with a 23-8 lead as the Bluejays struggled inside the red zone, having to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns five times.
The Aggies then scored two unanswered touchdowns, pulling to within 26-22, 29 seconds into the second half with the help of one of three Bluejay turnovers.
Tabor kept the ball in running back Demetrius Cox's hands and the athlete delivered, spearheading a 57-carry, 302-yard team assault on the ground, with a game-high 220 yards on 33 carries.
"We felt like last week we were stymied with our running game," Gottsch said. "This week, we wanted to be able to run the ball."
Cox's monster night marked the first time since another Bluejay not named Roger Butler rushed for more than 200 yards in two years.
Jason Aubrey threw for a game-high 265 yards and three touchdowns, to cap off a season-high 565-yard offensive onslaught for the Bluejays while the defense held the Aggies to 330 yards.
Aubrey's favorite target, Caleb Marsh, hauled in six catches — two for touchdowns — for a game-high 126 yards.
Tabor faces perhaps its stiffest test yet on the road at 7 p.m. Saturday in Wichita against an angry Friends Falcon team, which dropped a heartbreaker this past week to upstart Bethany.
"We can't turn the ball over," Gottsch said of the upcoming match-up. "We've got to capitalize when we're down inside that red zone. We've got to come away with touchdowns and not three points."
