UMS-Wright went on the road to beat T. R. Miller 16-14 in their final Non-Region game of the 2023 Season. The Bulldogs took a 17-16 all-time series lead over long time rival T. R. Miller.
Region 1 Scores from 9/1
Williamson 22 - Leflore 0 (played 8/31)
Vigor 26 - B. C. Rain 18
Gulf Shores 31 - Citronelle 0
Faith Academy 44 - Elberta 13
Region 1 Standings (as of 9/4)
Faith Academy 1-0
Gulf Shores 1-0
Vigor 1-0
Williamson 1-0
UMS-Wright 0-0
B. C. Rain 0-1
Citronelle 0-1
Elberta 0-1
Leflore 0-1
Region 1 Schedule for 9/8
Williamson at Elberta
Citronelle at Vigor
Gulf Shores at Faith Academy
Vigor at UMS-Wright
B. C. Rain (Bye)
Game Recap
For the second week in a row, the Bulldogs gave up an opening drive touchdown, but tied the game at 6-6 in the 1st quarter. UMS-Wright scored late in the 2nd quarter to lead 13-6 at the half. Kingston Phan's 27 yard field goal put the Bulldogs up 16-6 in the 3rd quarter, but T. R. Miller returned the ensuing kickoff to pull the home team back within 2 points at 16-14. After forcing a goal line fumble late in the 4th quarter, the Bulldogs secured the victory.
1st Quarter
T. R. Miller drove 80 yards, aided by a Pass Interference penalty against the Bulldogs, to take an early 6-0 lead (Failed 2-pt conversion). Denton Elliott's kickoff return set the Bulldogs up with good field position near midfield, but a short series ended with a punt. UMS-Wright's defense answered with a strong stand forcing a 3 and out. On their next possession, the Bulldog offense moved the ball 40 yards on a short field to tie the game. Joe Lott connected with Camden Taylor on a critical 3rd down conversion to put the Bulldogs near the goal line. James Hollon punched it in for the 1 yard score, but John Ramsay's PAT missed wide.
End 1st Quarter
UMS-W 6
T. R. Miller 6
2nd Quarter
Jeff Holston deflected a 3rd down pass attempt creating another 3 and out for the Bulldog defense. The Bulldogs started their drive on their own 38-yard line. Facing a 4th down near midfield, Joe Lott picked up a first down on a fake punt - but the drive stalled at the Miller 45 yard-line and the Bulldogs punted. T. R. Miller picked up one first down on their next series before trying a fake punt of their own. UMS-Wright snuffed it out and started a 47 yard scoring drive with several consecutive rushes from Bo Wills. Lott hit Ty Yance for a big gain before taking it in himself for the touchdown. Kingston Phan made the PAT and the Bulldogs took a 7 point lead into halftime.
Halftime
UMS-W 13
T. R. Miller 6
3rd Quarter
Bo Wills returned the second half's opening kickoff to the Bulldog 46-yard line, but UMS-Wright couldn't do much with the good field position. T. R. Miller struggled on their first possession of the half as a host of Bulldogs including C.J. Stewart, McNeil Mostellar and Mac McGinley sacked their QB. After the Miller punt, Wills had a nice run and Lott found Yance again for a completion deep into Miller territory. Phan put the Bulldogs up 16-6 with a 27-yard field goal. T. R. Miller answered immediately with an 87 yard kickoff return for a touchdown followed by a successful 2-point conversion and trailed 16-14
End 3rd Quarter
UMS-W 16
T. R. Miller 14
4th Quarter
The Bulldogs had a promising drive stopped short and were forced to punt. The drive started on the Bulldog 43 yard-line and Lott completed a pass to Denton Elliott for a big gain across midfield before punting it away. T. R. Miller could not overcome a holding penalty and punted it right back to the Bulldogs. Starting at midfield again, the Bulldogs couldn't move the ball and set up to punt on 4th down. The snap was high and William Taylor covered it up at the Bulldog 18 yard line where Miller started 1st and 10. Miller broke off a big run, but William Tanner made a touchdown saving tackle at the 2-yard line, which proved to be a HUGE play as Miller fumbled at the goal line 2 plays later. UMS-Wright took over and Wills picked up a first down on the ground, but the Bulldogs found themselves facing a 3rd and 8 deep in Miller territory. With the game on the line, Lott hit Camden Taylor across the middle to pick up the first down, allowing the Bulldogs to run out the clock for the win.
Final
UMS-W 16
T. R. Miller 14
Plays of the Game
Offense: Joe Lott's long pass down the right sideline to a high reaching and well covered Camden Taylor is the offensive play of the game. Trailing early 6-0, the completion set the Bulldogs up at the goal line for UMS-Wright's first touchdown of the game.
Defense: William Tanner's game saving tackle at the Bulldog 2 yard line late in the 4th quarter is the defensive play of the game. The hustle play proved to be a key play in the game as Miller would fumble the ball away without scoring just 2 plays later.
Team Statistics
Rushing
UMS-Wright 177
T. R. Miller 60
Passing
UMS-Wright 88
T. R. Miller 90
Total Yards
UMS-Wright 265
T. R. Miller 150
First Downs
UMS-Wright 14
T. R. Miller 9
3rd Downs
UMS-Wright 4 of 11 (36%)
T. R. Miller 4 of 9 (44%)
Penalties
UMS-Wright 8 for 67 yards
T. R. Miller 7 for 55 yards
Turnovers
UMS-Wright 0
T. R. Miller 1
Individual Stat Leaders
Rushing
Wills: 17 Carries - 104 yds (long 27)
Lott: 17 Carries - 68 yds (long 19) - TD
Passing
Lott: 8 for 11 - 88 yards (long 27)
Receiving
C. Taylor: 3 receptions - 35 yds
Elliott: 3 receptions - 35 yds
Yance: 3 receptions - 28 yds
Defense
Caplyn Reed: 10 tackles
C.J. Stewart: 7 tackles - TFL - Sack
McNeil Mostellar: 6 tackles
Charlie Jeffery & William Tanner: 5 tackles
Perry Hand: 2 tackles - Fumble Recovery
Special Teams
Kingston Phan: 27 yd Field Goal / 1 for 1 PAT
John Ramsay: 4 Kickoffs - 1 Touchback
W. Taylor: 3 punts - 42 yd average - Long 55
From the Coaches
Coach Dean on the Offense:
When you go to Brewton to play T.R. Miller, you know it's going to be a challenge. We had success running the football again, but still had trouble finishing drives. We still have to correct our mistakes that result in penalties and putting the ball on the ground. Hayden Breal, Jack Otts and Liston Peterson led the way up front. Joe Lott was once again effective running, and also made some good throws through the air. Camden Taylor had two clutch catches that set up our first score, and the last one on a big 3rd down to allow us to run the clock out. Bo Wills led the way at H, grinding out over 100 yards. If we eliminate our self inflicted mistakes, we have the potential to put up some points.
Coach Koziol on the Defense:
It's always good to go on the road and get a win! I wasn't pleased with how we started the game on defense. We had some guys playing passive and without confidence. Their mentality has to change, and they need to accept the role they're in and trust their technique and ability.
I felt our run fits were better in the box and we did a good job between the tackles. Teams will continue to attack us there because we are undersized. The LBs and D-line did a good job handling the box and there was improvement from the St. Paul's game. C. J. Stewart, Mac McGinley, Caplyn Reed and William Tanner all played solid games. We need more players to step up and perform on a more consistent basis.
Next Up:
The Bulldogs open Region 1 play at home against Leflore on Friday night.
