by The Buckeye Bucks ended their losing streak with a win over the Normandy Invaders 48-12. The Bucks were led by their dynamic rushing attack which had 353 yards on the day. Running Back Troy McCann led the way with 170 yards and a touchdown. Running Back Gage Nagy also had a day for the Bucks, rushing for 95 yards plus running for a touchdown. The passing game, though not around for much, was still effective. Quarterback Casey Murray went 6/6 for 90 yards and 2 passing touchdowns, both to tight end Treytan Widenmeyer. Murray would also run for a touchdown as well.
The defense was dominant for most of the game, having 7 tackles for loss and an interception. Besides an 87-yard touchdown pass the Bucks gave up early in the game, Normandy was held to just 64 yards passing. There were some plays in the game in which the Normandy offense had a receiver open, but the pass was either broken up or under thrown.
1st Quarter
Normandy started the game off strong, they had a big return on the opening kickoff that took them near Buckeye territory. After being held to a three and out, Normandy would get the ball back after they forced a fumble on Buckeye’s first offensive play. The fumble was recovered by Normandy cornerback Lyndale Bryant. But despite the change in momentum, Normandy was still held to a three and out and forced to punt.
Buckeye would respond immediately on their next drive. Not passing the ball at all, they drove down the field chunk play after chunk play. The drive ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by McCann. Normandy would punch back however, with quarterback Elijah Gray throwing an 87-yard touchdown pass in blown coverage. The 2-point try failed, but Normandy was still close behind.
2nd Quarter
In the 2nd quarter, the Buckeye that usually dominates on opponents like Normandy finally woke up. The next three drives ended in touchdowns for the Bucks. The first being another long drive with the help of Murray throwing effectively to Nagy to keep the drive alive. Murray ended the drive with a quarterback sneak at the 1-yard line. After an interception by defensive back Nick Balaban, the Bucks would take advantage of the turnover and score with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Widenmeyer. The Bucks would again use their run game to their advantage, gaining yards and pushing the ball down Normandy’s throat. With Normandy eyeing the run, Buckeye called a play-action pass that left Widenmeyer wide open for the 23-yard touchdown.
Down 27-6, Normandy had nothing left to lose. With limited time and no timeouts, Normandy began to drive down the field. Gray would use his feet to keep the drive alive. Whether it was from draws or scrambling, he led his team into the red zone. But with no timeouts, the Invaders were unable to score before the half.
3rd Quarter
Hoping to get a running clock started, the Bucks kept their starters in for the next two drives. While the Bucks defense continued to dominate and create havoc, the offense continued to score. Their opening drive put emphasis on the run game, ending with a 4-yard touchdown run by Roman Krettler. The next drive also ended with a touchdown run. This time by Nagy, who ran up the middle to the house for 26-yards and the touchdown.
This late in the game, the Bucks began to put some of their backups in. Some of these backups would make the most of their opportunity. Such as quarterback Turner Dolata, who ran for a 13-yard touchdown late in the 4th quarter on a quarterback keeper. The Bucks defense would also get some nice showings from their backups on defense. The Invaders did make a quarterback change late in the game and would score on a three-yard touchdown run as time expired.
The Buckeye Bucks ended their regular season at 8-2 and going 3-1 in conference play. With this win, the Bucks will clinch a home playoff game, who they are playing is still up in the air as of this report.
Player of the Game
The player of the game is no surprise, as Bucks running Troy McCann rushed for 170 yards on 24 carries (7.08 yards per carry) and had a rushing touchdown.
