STARKVILLE — Rodrigues Clark wasn’t happy with his play in the first half.
The Starkville High School football running back wasn’t involved much in the offense, but when he was, he wasn’t very productive. The Yellow Jackets didn’t need him, but Clark decided to be more productive in the second half.
With junior Andreus Swanigan out with an injury and sophomore K.J. Lawrence sidelined after he suffered an injury in the first half, the Yellow Jackets needed Clark. He answered the call with two second half touchdowns to help No. 3 Starkville beat No. 4 West Point High 28-6 Friday night at Yellow Jacket Stadium in The Dispatch’s Prep Game of the Week.
“The first half, I had pressure,” Clark said. “Then my coaches told me I had to tote the power, and that’s what I did.”
After having 6 yards on five carries in the first half, Clark was a different player in the second half. He led the Yellow Jackets (3-0) with 87 yards on 14 carries.
In the first two games, Clark had 76 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown, which came last week at Oxford.
The sophomore is still learning, but Starkville coach Ricky Woods feels Clark can build on the performance and gain confidence from it.
“He’s just a good, special, little running back,” Woods said. “He’s getting better every week.”
Two touchdowns in the first quarter by sophomore quarterback Malik Brown gave Starkville a 14-0 halftime lead. Brown found Tavian Clark for a 72-yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage. He also connected with Cameron Gardner for a 13-yard touchdown.
West Point (1-1) held Starkville in check in the third quarter. The Green Wave cut into the deficit on a 7-yard Clayton Knight touchdown. But senior linebacker Willie Gay, who is committed to Ole Miss, blocked the extra point to help Starkville maintain a 14-6 lead.
After three three-and-outs on the first three possessions in the second half, Clark put the game out of reach with a 50-yard touchdown with 6 minutes, 47 seconds remaining. The score pushed the lead to 20-6.
“I told my lineman to block and give me like three seconds in the backfield,” Clark said. “As soon as I saw the opening and the green grass, I took off.”
Woods said West Point was loading up the gaps and sending everybody to the ball. But he knew it would be over if Clark could find a crease.
“(The momentum) changed it a lot,” Clark said. “I got my team hyped, the fans, everybody.”
Brown watched as the play developed and knew Clark couldn’t be stopped when he saw the big hole.
“We’ve been playing ever since pee wee football,” Brown said. “He’s been my running back ever since. He’s good. Once he hits a hole or sees a hole open, he’s gone.”
Brown was 6 of 8 for 100 yards. He also was the second leading rusher with 27 yards on 14 carries.
Clark said he has been lacking confidence. Last season as a freshman, Clark broke his leg against Tupelo and didn’t get a chance to play on the varsity team.
“Ever since I broke my leg and my ankle, it’s been hard,” Clark said. “I’ve been kind of scared I was going to break it again. But now I’ve put all that behind me.”
Late in the fourth quarter on third-and-3 from the West Point 11-yard line, Clark broke a 10-yard run to give Starkville a first-and-goal from the 1. He scored on the next play and added the two-point conversion to seal the deal.
Clark might be his biggest critic. Even after the two touchdowns in the second half, Clark gave his performance a B-minus. He was critical of his play in the first half and felt it might have been a ‘A’ performance if he played as well as he did in the second half in the first half.
Starkville will have a bye this week before it is scheduled to play Sept. 16 at Meridian. The time off will give the injured players time to heal. It also will give Clark time to think about his performance and to build on it.
“I was kind of dry in the first half. I didn’t have any confidence in the first half,” Clark said. “I came back and my coach told me I could do it. I got my confidence back. You’ll see a lot more of me.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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