BUCS LOSE HEARTBREAKER TO TYLER 13-10 IN 2OT

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

A defensive battle between Southwest Junior College Football Conference adversaries required overtime to be settled, and when it was, Tyler Junior College escaped Cub Stadium with a 13-10 victory over Blinn College on Saturday in Brenham, Texas.

The Buccaneers (2-3, 1-3 SWJCFC) fell victim to missed opportunities as they failed to convert on promising drives, red zone chances, two field goals, and what ultimately would have been a game-winning touchdown after moving the nose of the football to the Apache goal line early in the fourth quarter.

"We put ourselves in a position to score multiple times, and when you do that, you have to finish with points," Blinn head coach Ryan Mahon said. "That was the most frustrating part of the day."

The Bucs were again the beneficiaries of a stout defensive effort.

Blinn's defenders stalled numerous Tyler drives, recovered a fumble, came away with a timely interception, and also blocked two Apache field goal attempts.

The Bucs opened the scoring in the first quarter after freshman linebacker Caden Baldwin recovered a loose ball after Tyler botched a handoff. The turnover set up the Blinn offense at the Apache 20-yard line.

The Bucs advanced to the 6-yard line before sophomore quarterback Rylan Wooten zipped a touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Austin Abram III. Sophomore kicker Max Nowak nailed the extra point to make it 7-0 with 5:43 to go in the first.

From there, the game transformed into a defensive struggle, with neither team finding the end zone again until the Apaches finally broke through in the third quarter.

"I'm so proud of our defense," Mahon said, "because they continue to keep us in games and are giving us every opportunity to win. We have to start rewarding those efforts on the offensive side of the football."

A short touchdown run with 6:35 remaining in the quarter made it 7-7.

The game took a wild turn in the final 1:10 of regulation when Blinn's defense stalled Tyler's final possession of the fourth quarter. The subsequent Apache punt was ruled to have deflected off a Buccaneer near the Blinn 25-yard line, and was recovered and downed by Tyler at the 7.

From there, however, the Apaches salted away the game clock until 4 seconds remained, only to see their 23-yard field goal swatted away by the Bucs as regulation ended.

In overtime, Blinn opened the untimed period with the football at the 25-yard line and took a 10-7 edge on Nowak's 44-yard field goal. The Apaches proceeded to tie the game with a field goal of their own to cap their first over-time drive.

In the second overtime period, Tyler began with the football and seized the lead for good on a 35-yard kick through the uprights.

The Bucs' final drive of the contest ended with a fumble on second down.

"Outside of one tough half of football (against Navarro College), every game we've played this season has been tight," Mahon said. "We have to find a way to come out on the right side of those games. At the end of the day, though, it's my responsibility to put my team in a position to be successful, so this one is on me."

Blinn will take a break from conference play to host John Melvin University at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, at Cub Stadium.