The Huskies, while showing some big-play potential of their own, gave up touchdowns on a 23-yard interception return and a 97-yard kickoff return as well as a 41-yard pass en route to a 55-28 loss at Myers Park last Friday night.

“We can’t give up big plays on special teams, and we can’t give up the ball offensively and win football games,” said Collins after the game. “As a coaching staff, we need to find a way to keep it even more simple and let our players make plays and give our quarterback a chance to win the football game.”

Of the Mustangs’ 415 yards of total offense, 104 came on two plays, the 41-yard strike from quarterback Alex O’Brien to wideout Terrance Long that staked the Mustangs to a 14-7 lead with 9:33 remaining in the second quarter, and a 63-yard bomb down the right sideline from O’Brien to receiver Kennedy Barkley later in the quarter, which set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Shaquore Harrington for a 28-7 lead with 4:44 left in the half.

In between was another of the big plays that has Collins concerned, the 23-yard interception return by Mychal Turner, who jumped the route and picked off a Josh Stilley pass in full stride on the Huskies’ first play from scrimmage following the Mustangs’ go-ahead score. Within 15 seconds, the Mustangs had turned a 7-7 tie into a 21-7 lead with 9:18 left in the second quarter.

Take away the two deep passes and the Mustangs out-gained the Huskies by a margin of only 311 to 298 total yards, and without an interception and kickoff return for touchdowns the margin is 14 points closer than the 55-28 blowout score.

But those represent the big plays that Collins knows often determine the outcome of a game, and those that his Huskies need to prevent.

“I think if you can score 28 points a game offensively, that’s enough to win a ball game,” said Collins.

Hough’s big plays

The Huskies had a few moments of their own. Cornerback Jared Sobo quickly opened up the scoring by picking off an O’Brien pass on the third play from scrimmage and returning it 23 yards for a touchdown. That gave the Huskies a 7-0 lead with 10:32 left in the first quarter.

Senior receiver, defensive back, kick returner and all-around team leader Brandon Mobley showed why he is a big-play threat, catching eight Stilley passes for 137 yards and returning kickoffs for 27, 21 and 52 yards, the latter being pushed out of bounds by the Myers Park kicker at the Mustang 43. Following that return, the Mustangs intentionally kicked short to avoid having to deal with Mobley, who accounted for 237 multi-purpose yards.

“Jared Sobo made some big plays and had that big interception, so that was good to see,” Collins said. “Brandon Mobley just does it all.”

Stilley the man

Sophomore quarterback Stilley continued to show signs of becoming a top flight quarterback. His arm isn’t in question as his long, tight spirals are impressive for a player his age. And Collins knows he will rely on him to win games — he talked about giving the quarterback “a chance to win the game.” That means Stilley isn’t being called upon simply to manage the game, but to make plays.

Stilley and the Huskies will be going for that first win against two losses this Friday at 0-2 Providence which allowed three touchdown passes by Hopewell in a season-opening, 41-13 loss.

Against Myers Park, Stilley was 17-of-33 for 187 yards and a touchdown, but did throw three interceptions, two when defensive backs jumped routes. He barely overthrew receivers on a few long passes as well, while enjoying solid protection from his offensive line.

PATs

After rolling up 314 yards in the first half, the Mustangs totaled just 100 yards in the second, despite scoring 27 points. Statistically, Hough dominated the second half, gaining 191 yards on offense. ... The game featured two back-to-back touchdowns — the 41-yard scoring pass/interception return combo that gave Myers Park its 21-7 lead, and a 97-yard kickoff return by Myers Park’s Jermiah Rainey, which immediately followed a 7-yard touchdown run by Hough’s Jackson Campbell that tightened the score to 38-21. The return of the ensuing kickoff immediately restored the three touchdown lead the Mustangs
enjoyed just before giving up the score by Campbell.