BUCS WIN DEFENSIVE BATTLE WITH CISCO, 26-13
Blinn scores the final 10 points of the game to seal the victory
BRENHAM, Texas – Blinn College football narrowly led Cisco College by three with 10:29 left but was able to score the final 10 points to pull away for a 26-13 victory Saturday night at Cub Stadium in Brenham.
The offense came alive when it needed to as the Buccaneers improved to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference.
“A lot of our offensive struggles came because we were shooting ourselves in the foot,” said Ryan Mahon, Blinn interim head coach. “But we rebounded and got past the lull and started executing again.”
Kentory Matthews proved to be the workhorse for Blinn on the ground as he finished the game with 21 carries for 124 yards and scored the final Blinn touchdown. D’Anthony Hopkins also scored a touchdown in the first quarter and added 60 yards rushing.
Yardage wise, both Buccaneer quarterbacks were close to being equal. Caleb Hill got the start and completed 5-of-15 for 73 yards and a touchdown. Aaron Sharp completed 3-of-8 passes for 70 yards. Corey Henderson led Blinn in receptions with three for 61 yards and a touchdown.
After faltering on its opening drive, Blinn put together a 52-yard drive with 12 plays that was capped with a four-yard touchdown rush by Hopkins up the middle for a 6-0 lead with 5:10 left in the first. Cisco took advantage of a Blinn fumble to score a touchdown late in the first quarter to tie the game up at 6-6.
Sharp came in at quarterback and completed a pair of passes for 53 yards to move the ball for the Buccaneers. Brandon Hower caught one for 30 yards and Henderson caught the other for 23. The drive stalled but Ryan Buckley was able to nail a 30-yard field goal for a 9-6 Blinn lead with 12:19 left in the half.
Blinn kept the momentum going on its next drive as Matthews chewed up 28 yards on the ground and Hill capped the drive with a touchdown pass to Henderson for 21 yards to give the Buccaneers a 16-6 lead that would hold up until halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, Cisco struck early in the fourth with a touchdown to get within 16-13 with 10:29 left in the game.
That is when the Blinn offense turned it on as Hopkins rushed for 21 yards on the ground and Ernest Patterson caught a pass for 27 yards to get the Buccaneers down to the 2-yard line. Matthews finished off the drive with a one-yard touchdown rush for a 23-13 lead with 8:23 left. Buckley added a 37-yard field goal on the ensuing Blinn drive to make the final score 26-13.
Blinn will hit the road for a conference game against Navarro College on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m.
The Blinn College cheer and dance teams received their national championship rings at halftime of the game. This game was also the Blinn College Alumni & Friends/Lettermen Association event.