Stay Connected with YourSeason
Morton denies second-half Hobart comeback
Updated: October 8, 2011 3:54PM
HAMMOND — Three weeks ago, Morton raced to a 16-point lead lead over Munster, but the Mustangs rallied for a comeback win.
This week, Morton held an 18-point halftime lead at home against Hobart. Unlike that earlier game, when the Brickies started coming back, the Governors made enough plays to earn a 41-23 win.
“We tell our kids that players have to make plays,” said Morton (7-1) coach Roy Richards. “Against Munster, we didn’t make those plays. This was the exact same situation; someone had to step up and make a play for us.”
When Hobart cut the Morton lead to 28-17, Alfred Dickey intercepted an Andrew Barras pass, setting up a 16-yard touchdown run for Shayeveon Miller.
“After they scored, we decided weren’t going to let them come back on our home field,” Dickey said. “The quarterback was eyeing the receiver, and when he stopped on the curl route, I took the chance.”
Later in the second half, Barras connected with Anthony Burgos on a 79-yard touchdown pass to make the score 35-23, and the Brickies recovered the ensuing onside kick at the Morton 40-yard line. But the Morton defense stiffened, forcing a turnover on downs. Then the Governors offense drove 76 yards, capped by a 9-yard touchdown run by Miller to seal the game.
“Our kids didn’t quit; they came out fighting in the second half and that’s what it’s going to take,” said Hobart (1-7) head coach Ryan Turley. “We made a few mistakes that cost us down the stretch, but the bottom line is we fought the whole way.”
It was a diverse attack for the Governors on offense. Playing without quarterback Chris McCormack, Morton still racked up 473 offensive yards.
“If someone hadn’t seen McCormack play before, they may not have known we didn’t have our starting quarterback tonight,” Richards said. “We’ve got a lot of weapons.”
Shayeveon Miller finished with 133 yards rushing on his 17 carries, including four touchdowns.
Aside from his key interception, Dickey also added 114 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Other key contributors for the Morton offense were Jimmy Glidewell (6-for-13, 159 yards) in place of the injured McCormack, running back Eleazar Henderson (118 rushing yards) and dual threat Kendall Huff (63 yards rushing, 38 yards receiving).
“Tonight showed that our offense doesn’t just revolve around one guy,” Dickey said. “When he comes back, we’re going to be ready for an offensive explosion.”
© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.
Cell Phone Alerts
Comments Click here to view or make a comment