Late safety deflates Goldsboro

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on August 23, 2014 11:36 PM

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Can I have that play back, please?

That thought crossed Goldsboro High head coach Bennett Johnson's mind as he watched quarterback Nashir Bowden get flushed from the pocket and get sacked in the end zone.

The safety squashed the momentum created by the Cougars' defense just seconds earlier and proved crucial in a season-opening, 29-20 loss to Franklinton at Cougar Stadium on a balmy Friday evening.

Tied at 20-20 early in the fourth quarter, the Red Rams methodically reeled off three first downs during a four-play stretch which set up a first-and-goal at Goldsboro's 5-yard line. Three rushing plays netted four yards.

On fourth down from the 1, Franklinton quarterback Rondez Taylor fumbled the snap and got dropped for a 5-yard loss.

The Cougars took over in hopes of halting their five-game skid in season-opening games. Bowden took the snap, couldn't find an open receiver on the short side of the field and got sandwiched by two Franklinton defenders in the end zone.

The Red Rams picked up two points.

"That safety hurt, that was a bad call and that's on me," said Johnson, who had his varsity coaching debut spoiled. "I got excited when we had that sack (on Taylor) and thought we had more room than we did. (I) wish I wouldn't have called it, but you live and learn."

Franklinton took the free kick and cobbled out a time-consuming, 10-play scoring drive that ended on Ty Williams' 5-yard dive with 1:52 left in regulation. Williams finished with 98 yards rushing on 23 totes.

Overall, the Red Rams piled up 360 yards of total offense -- including 324 on the ground against a Goldsboro defense that has eight new starters. Six-foot-1 freshman Ricky Person led all rushers with a career-best 190-yard, one-touchdown effort on 22 carries.

"We've got a young group. I need to do a better job of coaching them up," GHS defensive coordinator Mike Harper said. "It's all my fault, totally on me. We need to do a better job on the ends with squeezing and controlling the line of scrimmage. We penetrated too far, allowing that back to hit some gaps that we created.

"I should have prepared them better."

The Red Rams built a 20-0 lead on short touchdown runs by Taylor, Person and Shyheim Jones. Jones' score came after Franklinton recovered a fumble at midfield.

Goldsboro answered in dramatic fashion.

Bowden's 18-yard scoring run completed an 8-play drive that nearly lasted the length of the field. Two plays later, defensive cornerstones Taylin Davis and Sterling Dodson crushed Jones, who fumbled at the Red Rams' 44-yard line.

Senior defensive back Jamal Gaddy picked up the ball and rambled 44 yards to the end zone. Teammate Eric Bufkin almost duplicated the play on the Red Rams' next series when he recovered a fumble and broke loose for a short gain.

Four plays later, Bowden's 1-yard plunge knotted the contest at 20-20.

"Lights out," Johnson said of the defense's second-half effort.

"Most of that (success) has to do with energy and low pad level, which was the difference. They were flying around, they were looking to make plays. They lived up more to that in the second half, but not quite the first half.

"Going down 20-0 in the third quarter, a lot of teams would have thrown in the towel, our guys didn't do that, they fought. A couple of bad breaks here and there ... the harder you work those breaks will fall on our side of the ball."

They almost did.