Post by Free Agent Fan on Mar 12, 2007 19:44:00 GMT -5
Mudcats derail Titans
By Bob Ferrante
The showdown between the top two teams in the Southern Division lived up to its billing. Unfortunately for the Titans, they came up just short in a see-saw battle for first place.
Rico McDonald's 6-yard run with 41 seconds left - his fourth touchdown of the night - gave the Mississippi Mudcats a 62-58 win over the Tallahassee Titans on Saturday night at the Civic Center.
The Titans had one last chance to drive and score a touchdown, but Ben Dougherty's third-down pass was picked off by Darryl Carter with 20 seconds left.
But the Titans also lamented missed scoring chances: a fumble on the Mudcats' goal line in the third quarter, another interception in the first quarter and a pass that went off a receiver's hands in the end zone late in the game.
Blake Kerivel also missed two extra-point kicks in the first half, and the Titans were hit-and-miss as they instead attempted two-point conversions.
“We had our opportunites,” Dougherty said. “Just a roller-coaster emotional game.”
Dougherty passed for four touchdowns Ð two in the second half to Patrick Harrington - and ran for two more for the Titans (3-1).
“We killed ourselves on the first drive and the last drive (with interceptions),” Titans offensive coordinator David Kelly said. “But overall I'm happy with the offense.
“It's a disappointing loss, but in this league it's something we can grow on.”
The Mudcats (5-0) scored 21 straight points in the first half - the last touchdown coming after a recovered onside kick. Tommy Jones, who had 24 TD passes coming into the game, had five more on Saturday.
While Mississippi put up some points, the Titans' defense provided two scores. Leon Scott scored first just minutes into the game when he recovered the quarterback-center exchange in the end zone.
Bryan Houston's 42-yard interception return for a touchdown with 4:23 left in the third quarter gave the Titans a 45-41 lead with 4:23 left in the third quarter.
“Tough loss,” Titans coach Keven Jackson said. “We had a chance to win it, but we just couldn't do it.”
With former Leon High standout John Peacock out with an injury, Harrington played linebacker beside Eugene Dunn. Harrington was a special-teams standout at Florida State, but he played on offense and defense on Saturday.
By Bob Ferrante
The showdown between the top two teams in the Southern Division lived up to its billing. Unfortunately for the Titans, they came up just short in a see-saw battle for first place.
Rico McDonald's 6-yard run with 41 seconds left - his fourth touchdown of the night - gave the Mississippi Mudcats a 62-58 win over the Tallahassee Titans on Saturday night at the Civic Center.
The Titans had one last chance to drive and score a touchdown, but Ben Dougherty's third-down pass was picked off by Darryl Carter with 20 seconds left.
But the Titans also lamented missed scoring chances: a fumble on the Mudcats' goal line in the third quarter, another interception in the first quarter and a pass that went off a receiver's hands in the end zone late in the game.
Blake Kerivel also missed two extra-point kicks in the first half, and the Titans were hit-and-miss as they instead attempted two-point conversions.
“We had our opportunites,” Dougherty said. “Just a roller-coaster emotional game.”
Dougherty passed for four touchdowns Ð two in the second half to Patrick Harrington - and ran for two more for the Titans (3-1).
“We killed ourselves on the first drive and the last drive (with interceptions),” Titans offensive coordinator David Kelly said. “But overall I'm happy with the offense.
“It's a disappointing loss, but in this league it's something we can grow on.”
The Mudcats (5-0) scored 21 straight points in the first half - the last touchdown coming after a recovered onside kick. Tommy Jones, who had 24 TD passes coming into the game, had five more on Saturday.
While Mississippi put up some points, the Titans' defense provided two scores. Leon Scott scored first just minutes into the game when he recovered the quarterback-center exchange in the end zone.
Bryan Houston's 42-yard interception return for a touchdown with 4:23 left in the third quarter gave the Titans a 45-41 lead with 4:23 left in the third quarter.
“Tough loss,” Titans coach Keven Jackson said. “We had a chance to win it, but we just couldn't do it.”
With former Leon High standout John Peacock out with an injury, Harrington played linebacker beside Eugene Dunn. Harrington was a special-teams standout at Florida State, but he played on offense and defense on Saturday.