Turnovers and penalties – those are two words that haunt every football coach.
Noxubee County head coach Teddy Young has harped to his team all year about how not staying focused at practice and during games can lead to catastrophic consequences, and on Friday the team added a few more moments he can point to against rival Louisville in the Toothpick Bowl.
The Tigers committed four turnovers, one fumble and three interceptions, and had many good drives halted by flying yellow flags in a frustrating 25-20 loss that gave the Wildcats the opportunity to celebrate with the trophy. Trailing 25-8 late in the fourth quarter, the Tigers got a 28-yard touchdown run from Laderoun Mosely and quarterback Jykeim Goodwin punched in a 2-yard touchdown run, which was set up by a blocked Louisville punt, to make it a one score game with 38 seconds left to play. Noxubee opted for the onside kick and Louisville hauled in the ball after it hopped off the turf to end the Tigers’ comeback hopes. Two touchdown runs by Zaiden Jernigan, one early and one late in the game, helped provide the scoring difference for Louisville.
“We didn’t win the trenches. That was the key to win this game and they dominated us up front on the offensive line, they dominated our defensive line,” Young said. “We couldn’t run the ball like we’ve been running. So we just made too many mental mistakes offensively, just mental breakdowns. (We) had four turnovers; we can’t beat a team like that.”
Both teams traded punts to open the game and struggled on the ground and through the air to move the ball, and each team needed a mishap to find the edge. The first break went Louisville’s way late in the first quarter when Jadien Tayler mishandled a catch on punt return and fumbled the ball away to the hungry Wildcats. The turnover left Louisville on the Tigers’ 9-yard line. It only took one play for Jernigan to find pay dirt and he barged through the middle of the line for the game’s first score. Wildcat quarterback Triston Edwards carried in the 2-point conversion for an 8-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
On Noxubee’s following drive, quarterback Goodwin was intercepted, which gave way to a scoring drive for Louisville. Edwards connected with Kentrell Haynes for a 26-yard strike for a 15-0 lead that broke the game open. The Tigers embarked on a drive in response that carried them into the red zone, but Goodwin was intercepted near the goal line to kill their scoring hopes. The team, while upset, wasn’t fazed. Noxubee’s defense forced a three-and-out and its offense got onto the board late in the second quarter on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Goodwin to Cameron Chandler, and Goodwin carried in the 2-point conversion to find the offense some needed momentum.
A strong defensive effort by the Tigers kept the Wildcats from scoring just before the halftime horn. Linebacker Donvon Conner put his helmet on the ball after a Wildcat caught a pass near the end zone and popped the ball free and into the waiting hands of fellow linebacker BJ Payton to keep Noxubee’s halftime deficit at 15-8.
Louisville opened the third quarter with a drive of 13 plays that chewed up seven minutes, mostly on the legs of Jernigan, and ended with a 36-yard field goal drilled home by Kirby McCullough for an 18-5 lead. In the fourth quarter, Jernigan rumbled for a 9-yard score with 8:02 left to play to give the Wildcats a 25-8 advantage before Noxubee County’s comeback attempt got kickstarted. Despite the loss, Young said his team showed they will play to the final whistle no matter what.
“We played hard,” Young said. “We had some guys who are not playing and had some guys step in, and I liked the way they stepped in and battled. So, we just have to learn and focus on the little things.”
Noxubee (3-2) begins Region 4-4A play on Friday against Yazoo City.
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