The Reed and Oak Ridge offenses gave the scoreboard operator’s fingers a workout Friday night. The two teams combined for 96 points and more than 1,072 yards of offense.
But it wasn’t either offense that decided the outcome. It was Reed’s defense that made the pivotal play late to preserve a 54-42 home win over the No. 35 team in California.
Leading 47-42, Reed’s defense forced a fourth and one at the Oak Ridge 39 with 3:36 to play. Instead of putting the ball in the hands of quarterback Ian Brock, a Notre Dame commit who had already thrown five touchdowns, Oak Ridge coach Eric Cavaliere elected to run the ball.
Stuffed.
“That’s the game. That is the game,” Reed coach Ernie Howren said. “(Fouth down) stand and to end it right there on that? That’s amazing.”
Oak Ridge goes for it on fourth and 1 from own 39 and gets stuffed. Reed ball with 3:36 left.
— Nathan Shoup (@Trib_Shoup) September 19, 2015
The Raiders quickly found themselves in the same fourth and one situation four plays later but Jorden Carter moved the chains by a half yard with 2:02 left then busted a 29-yard game-sealing touchdown run the next play.
Carter had a monster night, rushing for 193 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.
Cavaliere said punting wasn’t an option on the fourth-down play.
“It was one yard and if we can’t get one yard, we don’t deserve to win the game,” he said. “They had a fourth and one, they got it. We had one, we didn’t get ours … That was one of the differences tonight.”
Reed’s forced turnover on downs came after allowing touchdown drives on five of the Trojans’ six prior possessions. Reed broke a 21-21 halftime tie with a 10-play touchdown drive out of the locker room as the two teams proceeded to trade touchdowns until the late stop.
Total yards at the half: Reed: 231 on 29 plays Oak Ridge: 287 on 36 plays — Nathan Shoup (@Trib_Shoup) September 19, 2015
Oak Ridge grabbed its first lead of the night, 42-41, with 7:04 remaining after Reed missed a point after try two minutes earlier.
Reed senior quarterback Matt Denn connected with senior tight end Parker Houston 1:58 later on a screen pass for a 17-yard touchdown to put the Raiders back in front—for good. Howren elected to go for two, and it worked, only for the play to get called back for holding.
Denn lobbed a 22-yard fade to Houston in the corner of the end zone but couldn’t connect, leaving the Raiders with a 47-42 lead and 5:06 left on the clock leading in to the defense’s play of the night.
“What I love about that, so those things didn’t work and our kids just kept battling,” Howren said. “Putting yourself in a position to win, that’s what’s important.”
Denn finished the game a modest 9-of-15 passing for 132 yards and a touchdown but had a night to remember on the ground. The reigning DI North Offensive Player of the Year ran the ball 22 times for 149 yards and five touchdowns.
Matt Denn had 22 carries tonight for 149 yards and five (!!) touchdowns.
— Nathan Shoup (@Trib_Shoup) September 19, 2015
“Frickin’ Matt’s a stud. That’s all I got to say. Matt’s a stud,” Houston said. “That’s it.”
Cavaliere said the team was certainly aware of Denn’s running abilities but chalked his success on the ground to sound execution.
“Reed just does such a good job in their run game and their offensive line is one of the best we’ve seen in the last year definitely,” Oak Ridge’s coach said. “They’re on the level of Folsom (2014 California state champs) when it comes to the o-line.
“He (Denn) is the returning Offensive Player of the Year. We knew we needed to stop him and we schemed to that but they are just well-coached, they executed, they blocked our guys and when they block that well, a good runner is going to find seams.”
Denn’s longest run of the night, a 46-yard touchdown scamper with 46 seconds left in the half, tied the game at 21 just 25 seconds after Oak Ridge grabbed a 21-14 lead. Robert Ferrel set up Denn’s run with a long kickoff return.
Oak Ridge wide receiver Tommy Dunnigan had a monster night in the loss, grabbing four of Brock’s five touchdown tosses.
The 12-point final score margin was the largest of the night as neither team’s lead grew larger than seven until Carter’s final touchdown of the night.
“That ranks right up there as one of the cooler games I’ve been associated with here at Reed,” Howren said. “What a battle.”
Reed remained a perfect 4-0, 0-0 with the win and closes out the non-league portion of its schedule next Friday at Douglas (0-4, 0-0). Oak Ridge (3-1, 0-0) suffered its first loss of the season.
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