by The Buckeye Bucks win streak stays alive as they defeat the Holy Name Green Wave 38-14. The Bucks were led by quarterback Case Murray, who was 5 for 8 for 143 yards while throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for 56 yards with a rushing touchdown. Being part of Buckeye’s identity, the Bucks ran the ball 35 times for 274 yards (7.8 per rush).
Holy Name would also emphasize the run, rushing for 168 yards on 33 rushes (5.1 yards per rush). While the score did not look close, Holy Name quarterback Andrew Cole kept the Green Wave in the game with his ability to escape the pocket and make plays you do not normally get to see. Cole was 12 for 20, throwing for 121 yards with two touchdowns plus 125 yards on the ground.
While on the outside, the game does not look that exciting. A 5-0 team versus a 1-4 team? That is a sleeper some might say. But to those in the GLC, these two teams have been a deciding factor for who wins the GLC or makes it to the playoffs.
1st Quarter
On the very first drive, the Bucks were hoping to make a statement. Thankfully for them they did. Using all-star running back Troy McCann as a decoy, the Bucks used McCann to distract the defense with Murray keeping the ball. After being held to a third and ten on Holy Name’s 14-yard line, Murray scrambled to the other side of the field and ran in for the touchdown. The extra point would be missed, but Buckeye’s statement was heard loud and clear.
With McCann starting to get stuffed on the line of scrimmage, the Bucks tried the passing attack. Murray, in a play-action play, threw a 59-yard bomb to wide receiver Austin Hyre for the touchdown. The 2-point try failed, but the Bucks were rolling.
2nd Quarter
On Buckeye’s third drive, Holy Name’s defense was keeping McCann and the run game in check. But thanks to a fake punt conversion and a couple of chunk runs, the Bucks were in the red zone. The drive would end with a screen pass to McCann, who took it up the sideline 21 yards for the touchdown.
This is usually the part when Buckeye’s defense continues its dominance against the opposing team. Crushing their hopes before the end of the half. Andrew Cole, however, had other plans. Cole used his huge frame and running ability to torch the Bucks defense. He made guys miss open field tackles and sacks thanks to his awareness. With the offense getting into a rhythm, the Green Wave found themselves inside Buckeye’s 10-yard line. Rolling to the right, it looked like no one was open. Feeling the pressure, Cole threw the ball across his body to the back of the endzone to receiver Nick Nemeth who was open on the other side.
3rd Quarter
With Holy Name to receive the ball in the second half down 19-7, it looked like they still might have a shot to come back in this game. They were however forced to a three and out. Buckeye then scored right away thanks to a 23-yard catch by Treytan Widenmeyer who set up the 1-yard touchdown run by Gage Nagy.
The Green Wave would again let Cole do his thing, running and passing the ball all over the field. A couple of times it looked like he would be sacked but would miraculously escape. Using a variety of quarterback draw plays and play-action passes, the Green Wave would once again find themselves deep into Bucks territory. On a straight drop back pass, a buckeye defender tried to sack Cole but missed. Cole started to roll to his left, dodging another tackle, and running towards the line of scrimmage. With the Buckeye defenders rolling up to stop him, Cole made a split-second decision and tossed the ball into the hands of receiver William Dix who ran in to score the touchdown.
4th Quarter
In the start of the 4th quarter, it was still anyone’s game. Still, there is always one play that could shift momentum drastically and have one team go on a roll and control the game. This play would come up on special teams. Late in the 4th, the Green Wave were forced to punt. The punter, however, lost control of the ball and was tackled in the endzone by Bucks defender Zach Augustine for the safety. The Bucks next drive would result in a 35-field goal try by Brayden Bonnet, who extende the Bucks lead 31-14.
Even though Holy Name was down by a lot, they were not going down without a fight. Cole would once again put his talent on display. He would escape sacks as he would stiff arm defenders into the ground, one time stiff arming two defenders on the same play. The Green Wave would end up at the Bucks 1-yard line thanks to some big run plays by Cole. Yet the Green Wave would fumble the ball with linebacker Travis Avallone recovering.
The Bucks would spend their time digging themselves out of their territory while chewing up the clock. Bucks running back Gage Nagy, however, would find the gaping hole on the Green Wave defense and run for a 79-yard touchdown. With that run, the Holy Name offense was out of firepower and time. The Bucks (6-0) will travel to face off against Lakewood next week in a conference matchup. While the Green Wave (1-5) will head back home to face in-conference rival Normandy.
Player of the Game
The player of the game, despite being on the losing team, was Holy Name quarterback Andrew Cole. With his exciting play and running ability, the Green Wave quarterback proved to be an asset for the Team. Andrew Cole was 12 for 20, throwing for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns while running for 125 yards.
