BLINN FOOTBALL BEATS NMMI FOR SECOND STRAIGHT CONFERENCE WIN
(Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information)
With every game now a must-win, the Blinn College football team has seemingly discovered a winning formula.
Score 20 points and make sure the opponent doesn’t.
For a second consecutive week, that strategy was a recipe for success as the Buccaneers rallied for a 20-16 victory over New Mexico Military Institute in Southwest Junior College Football Conference play Saturday in Roswell, New Mexico.
Blinn’s latest triumph also kept the Bucs in contention for one of the SWJCFC’s four conference playoff berths.
“I’m just so proud of this team, of the way they traveled, of the maturity they showed, and the way they battled today,” Blinn head coach Ryan Mahon said. “I can’t put into words how much I love this team and the way they go to work every day.”
The Bucs (4-3, 2-3 SWJCFC) flexed their defensive muscles for a second consecutive game after earning a 20-14 home victory over Snow College on Oct. 3.
After Blinn took the lead Saturday on sophomore running back Bryson Batts’ 2-yard touchdown run with 1:57 remaining, the Bucs’ defense went to work.
Following the ensuing kickoff, the Broncos took over at their own 30-yard line. NMMI managed just two plays before freshman defensive lineman David Agyemang disrupted a third-down pass attempt, nearly sacking Broncos quarterback Brandon Mann. As Mann was dragged to the ground, he tossed up an ill-advised pass that was intercepted by Bucs freshman linebacker Adam Kirtley.
“If you’re prepared, you do the right things in the right moments, and those types of plays happen,” Mahon said. “Our defense made the plays they had to make when they needed to make them.”
Blinn also made enough offensive plays to get the job done.
Sophomore running back Lorenn Johnson returned the game’s opening kickoff to the NMMI 45-yard line, and the Bucs needed just five plays to take the game’s first lead. Sophomore quarterback Jack Emerson connected with sophomore wide receiver Savion Conteh on a 31-yard touchdown pass.
Freshman kicker Camilo Garcia-Matute converted the extra point to make it 7-0.
Garcia-Matute extended the lead with a 32-yard field goal late in the first quarter and added a 42-yarder in the second to put Blinn ahead 13-3.
After NMMI stormed back with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns, the score remained 16-13 until the final minutes.
Blinn’s game-winning drive was set up by a botched Broncos punt that gave the Bucs possession at the NMMI 31-yard line.
On the first play of the ensuing possession, Emerson hit Jayphon Duncan on a short pass. The sophomore wide receiver broke one tackle and spun away from another before racing down to the 2-yard line. Batts punched it in on the next play to give Blinn the lead.
“We were stubborn and we showed some grit,” Mahon said. “Just like the defense, the offense made plays when it had to.”
Mahon credited the Bucs’ rushing attack with helping the defense stay fresh by controlling the clock and giving Blinn’s defenders plenty of rest on the sideline.
“We had a gameplan and we trusted the process and stuck to it,” Mahon said. “With the talent we have in the backfield, we should be able to run the ball successfully and we did. Credit to our guys for buying in.”
Up next, Blinn will host Cisco College at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at Cub Stadium in Brenham, Texas, in another important conference matchup.
“We’ll celebrate this victory for 24 hours and get back to work,” Mahon said. “This one was a lot of fun, but we know there’s still work to be done in front of us.”