www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=272430&pub=1&div=SportsStrong start sends MudCats to 6-0
4/27/2008 5:13:33 AM
Daily Journal
By John L. Pitts
Daily Journal
TUPELO - It was the kind of game where the home team led before the clock ever started, was up two touchdowns before the offense ever took the field and played an almost flawless first quarter to take control of the game.
The Mississippi MudCats (6-0) cruised to a 68-51 win against the Augusta Colts on Saturday night, winning for the 13th time at BancorpSouth Arena without a loss over two seasons.
Quarterback Tommy Jones bounced back from last weekend's struggles to throw for five touchdowns, including a pair of 40-yard bombs to his favorite target, Darryl Carter, before taking a seat midway through the third quarter. William Avery, the former Memphis Tigers quaterback, returned a kickoff to open the game and added two scoring catches.
And the MudCats' defense turned up the heat in BCS Arena, which was already steamy due to air conditioning problems, to drop Augusta to 5-2.
As impressive an effort as it was, the 2,331 fans who were there may only want to talk about receiver Josh Smith losing his pants.
The MudCats were up 36-10 early in the second quarter when Smith fielded a Colts’ kickoff and made it about 15 yards when he was grabbed by one leg of his uniform pants. Smith kept running for another yard as the pants more or less unraveled in the defender's hands.
"I guess that's every athlete's nightmare," said Smith, who quickly changed pants and returned to the game. "That's why we wear more than one layer."
By that point in the game, perhaps a little comic relief was in order.
MudCats kicker Trey Crum opened the game with a one-point kickoff. Avery's 50-yard field goal return and Ben Witcher’s 29-yard interception return helped stake the home team to a 15-0 lead before the offense ever took the field, with 5:34 left in the quarter. Jones quickly threw his first two TDs and the 'Cats led 30-3 after the first quarter.
"We had talked all week about getting off to a good start, but there we were watching from the sidelines for most of the first quarter," Smith said. "The offense was feeling butterflies, waiting for a chance to get in there and play."
Said MudCats coach Brian Brents: "I told the offense to be patient and they’d get their chance.”
By halftime, the home team was up 51-17, including a touchdown by defensive lineman Naton Stewart off a blocked field goal. Colts quarterback Anthony Young left with an injury in the second quarter and backup Brandon Satcher brought his team back with five touchdown passes and a scoring run.
"Their backup had a fantastic second half," Brents said. "He was doing a much better job of reading for the deep play and making the throws."
Mike Rathe, who threw seven TDs for Augusta last week, did not make the trip.
MudCats backup QB Aries Nelson worked much of the second half. He had an intentional grounding call that led to am Augusta safety, but also uncorked a 38-yard pass to Avery to set up his own uncontested 2-yard scoring run.
The MudCats, who wrap up a three-game homestand on Saturday night against Columbus, will visit Augusta
on May 23.
Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 4/27/2008, section 0 , page 0
