STARKVILLE — Starkville High School’s football team did just about everything it could to lose its game against Oxford High on Friday night.
Thirteen penalties, five turnovers, dropped passes — Starkville coach Jamie Mitchell had a long list of reasons why his team blew a 10-point halftime lead in a 35-24 loss.
He even had one — a gamble on fourth-and-1 late in the game that turned into Oxford’s final score — to hang on himself.
Just a week after dominating Noxubee County in the season opener, the Yellow Jackets had “a season’s worth of mistakes” against Oxford, Mitchell said.
“When you can’t keep your butt onsides, you don’t deserve to win,” Mitchell said. “The mental fatigue was an issue. It was hot, and we were not strong enough to overcome some adversity. It was just terribly embarrassing.”
The Jackets outgained the Chargers 464-432, had 10 more first downs, and held the Chargers to one third-down conversion. But three interceptions and a fumble by quarterback Princeton Jones and two turnovers inside Oxford’s 25-yard line doomed what was an otherwise stellar first half.
The Jackets took a 14-0 lead in just five plays, including a 74-yard run from Jacquez Horsley (20 carries, game-high 162 yards) and a 30-yard interception return for a score by Marlow Rogers. Two turnovers deep in Oxford territory followed, and after a Tyler Rogers interception, a penalty nixed what could have been a touchdown inside Oxford’s 10. Instead, Starkville settled for a 21-yard field goal and a 17-7 lead at halftime.
“We had opportunities to put this thing away early but just didn’t,” Mitchell said. “We let them hang around. We had a 10-point lead, and it should have been more than that. When you do that, you’re asking for trouble.”
Trouble found the Jackets just four plays into the third quarter when Kenzie Phillips broke a 62-yard touchdown run up the middle to pull the Chargers within three. Starkville responded with a 13-play, 82-yard scoring drive that included a fake field goal, but more big plays by the Chargers exposed a winded and confused defense. Quarterback Jack Abraham had three passes of 20 yards or more on Oxford’s next two drives, including a 19-yard screen touchdown and a 56-yard strike up the left sideline to Kyree White.
The Starkville sideline could sense Oxford’s up-tempo offense, which routinely snapped the ball with more than 20 seconds on the play clock, starting to wear down its defense.
“They ran a ton of plays, and we just didn’t adjust very well,” Mitchell said. “I thought we had a good plan, but we just didn’t play very well. Oxford did. That’s about all you can say.”
The third quarter turnaround, which saw the Chargers score 21 points, stemmed from more than just execution and better play from Abraham, coach Johnny Hill said.
“The kids bowed up a little bit,” Hill said. “We thought we were in good shape to deal with how hot it was. It’s tough on anybody this early. We kind of got on a roll, but what I’m most proud about is our kids didn’t give up.”
Even though Oxford seized the momentum, Starkville was within striking distance, 28-24, with eight minutes to play. On fourth-and-1 from its 40, Mitchell elected to run Horsley instead of punt. The gamble backfired, and Horsley was dropped for a 3-yard loss. Oxford converted its fourth-and-short situation and took a 35-24 lead on the ensuing drive to ice the game.
Mitchell said the play was one of many he and his staff will see on film and “second guess.”
“That’s probably a mistake on my part,” Mitchell said. “I felt like we just needed to make a play. If I could go back and do it again, I would have punted the ball and played defense. In this business, you got to make a play and a decision in 25 seconds. Sometimes it’s not always the right one. (It’s) certainly one I wish I could take back.”
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