Things started out very slowly for Hart. After the first three series, Pettee was 0-4 including an interception and had been sacked once. Howell had 7 yards on 3 carries.

Things weren't a whole lot better by the end of the first quarter. It was tied 7-7 and Hart had a total of only 57 yards. Loyola wasn't any better with only 55 yards.

The second quarter was all Hart. The Indians racked up 255 yards including 2 TD passes by Pettee and 2 TD runs by Howell. The Hart defense completely stuffed the Cubs holding Loyola to 22 net yards (and the QB was 1 for 7 and 2 INTs). Hart led 35-7 at half. (In the previous 9 games in this series, Hart has never scored more than 34 points in a game and has never had a lead greater than 18 points.)

Hart scored immediately after half to go up 42-7. The defense got a little lax (and there were a couple of very suspect calls) and Loyola scored twice late in the third to make it 42-21. Hart scored very early in the fourth to make it 49-21.

Pettee finished at 10 for 21, 171 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also rushed for 62 yards on 9 carries and a TD.

Howell had 234 yards on 25 carries and 3 rushing TDs. This was close to a Hart single game record and was particularly impressive in that most of the yards came out of the shotgun formation which is not exactly run friendly and against Loyola, a team that stuffed a very formidable running team, Dominquez, last week. Howell also had 43 yards on 2 receptions including a TD.

Some kudos: First, the receivers -- No dropped balls, not one.

Second: the linebackers -- I noted before the season that this group had the potential of being one the best set of linebackers ever. They were terrifyingly awesome tonight. They absolutely leveled both Loyola QBs on more than one occasion and there are several other runners and receivers who undoubtedly had very big headaches after the game.

Third: the defensive line -- the Hart lines are finally intact with only 1 kid playing both ways tonight (plus Ardnt at receiver and DB). In the Hart scheme it is the D-lines' job to slant and jam things up freeing up the linebackers. They did a spectacular job which is why the linebacker play was so terrific.

Fourth: the offense line -- they gave Pettee the time and Howell the running room.

Fifth: the wide receivers again -- not only did they catch every catchable ball but the blocking, especially by Arndt was directly responsible for several of the long runs by Howell and Pettee.

Last year, Hart scored 34 against Loyola, the most ever. This year the Indians racked up 49 and could have made it 56, taking two knees on the Loyola 5 at the end of the game. The defense -- other than the 5 minute rest period at the end of the third quarter -- was absolutely stifling. Loyola is not that bad. Hart was THAT good.

One final thought before I do the play by play: on the PAT after Hart's last TD, a Loyola player (I think it was Kevin Franks) was seriously hurt, apparently breaking his leg (the ambulance still had not left by the end of the game). Remember him in your prayers.

Play by play

Loyola returned the opening kickoff 11 yards to the 21: run for 3, pass for 3, incomplete and punt.

Hart got a 9-yard return by Howell to the Loyola 46: incomplete, SACK for -1 (the only one of the night), INTERCEPTION by Rossi returned to the Hart 11 where Pettee ran him out of bounds.

Loyola: run for 4, pass for 3, run for 3, run for 1 and the TD. Loyola 7-0 at 7:57.

Hart got a 36-yard return by Howell to the 36: run by Howell for 3, incomplete, incomplete and punt.

Loyola got no return on the punt and got tagged with a 15-yard penalty after the play (sportsmanship?) and started at the 11: run for 4, pass for 12, pass for 2, run for -3 on a bruising tackle by Arndt coming up from the corner, penalty for pass interference -- Hart inserted a "dime" package with Pettee as one of the safeties. He more or less shoved a receiver out of the way and Howell intercepted the pass. Pettee was properly called for interference (some of the parent commentary around where we were sitting was amusingly clueless) -- pass for 4, run for 3, incomplete and, on fourth down at the 48, incomplete on a fake punt.

Hart at the 48: run by Howell for 1, run by Howell for 3, pass to Arndt for 44 and the TD (the pass went right through 3 defenders down the left hash at about the 30 -- a great catch and a very nice run after the catch by Arndt. 7-7 at 1:38 in the first quarter.

Loyola got a 4-yard return and started at the 25: run for 4 (and a REALLY big hit on the runner by Larimore), pass for 15, run for 5 [END OF QUARTER], run for 0 (and another very big hit by Hickok), incomplete and punt.

Hart got no return and started at the 19: run by Pettee for 17, pass to Vairo for 9 (and a great block to spring him by Arndt), run by Pettee for 2, pass to Vairo for 9 plus another 15 for a late hit, run by Pettee for 0, incomplete and pass to Howell for 29 and the TD. Hart 14-7 at 9:23.

Loyola got a 44-yard return to the 49 with a score-saving tackle by the kicker, Blake Mendenhall. On the first play, INTERCEPTION by Luster who returned it about 15 yards to the Hart 47.

Hart: pass to Davis across the middle (and the line gave Pettee all day to throw), run by Davis on a reverse for 23, run by Howell for 18 and then run by Howell for 2 and the TD. Hart 21-7 at 8:07 of the second.

Loyola got a 10-yard return to the 25: run for -3, run for 0, incomplete and punt.

Hart at the 37 (no return): run by Howell for 2, incomplete, pass to Arndt for 8, run by Howell for 4, run by Howell for 4, run by Howell for 45 (and another great block by Arndt to spring him to the outside) and a TD. Hart 28-7 at 4:07.

Loyola got about 15 on the return started at the 27: run for 2, incomplete, run for 9 on a draw, pass for 14, incomplete and then an INTERCEPTION by Howell at the Hart 40.

Hart: run by Pettee for 9, run by Howell for 4, Penalty (personal foul after the play), run by Howell for 13, penalty (illegal procedure), run by Howell for 21 – on this play, Howell absolutely leveled Chris Conte a DB and WR for Loyola (he never returned) is this the first Skull and Crossbones of the year? incomplete, pass to Howell for 14, run by Pettee (flushed) for 13, incomplete, incomplete, penalty for illegal procedure and then a 13-yard pass to Arndt for the TD with 4.6 seconds left in the half. Hart 35-7. (Hart squib kicked to end the half).

Second half: Hart got a 23-yard return by Howell to the23: run by Howell for 4, run by Howell for 12, run by Howell for 7, run by Howell for 4, pass to Vairo for 10, run by Howell for -1, pass to Arndt for 24, run by Howell for 1 and then run by Pettee for 16 and the TD (another great block by Arndt around the goal line). Hart 42-7 at 7:25.

Here's when the defense went on vacation and the refs went a little goofy. Loyola started at the 35 after the kick went out of bounds. Kelly O'Brien started the second half for Loyola at QB: incomplete, pass for 7, pass for 3, run for 16 on a draw, incomplete, incomplete and then a play that set off the Hart fans. O'Brien threw an incomplete and was really clobbered by a blitzing Larimore. From my perspective, Larimore hit him right as he released the ball or about 1 hundredth of a second later. He got flagged for a late hit. BOOO. BAD CALL. Any way, instead of 4th down and 10, it was first down at the 15. Incomplete and then pass for 15 and the TD. 42-14 at 5:39.

Hart got no return: run by Howell for 6, incomplete, penalty for delay, penalty for holding (on a very nice completion downfield to Howell), incomplete and punt. I was bothered by holding call in that Loyola had been committing some serious and obvious holding (lots of really stretched-out Hart jerseys) and never once got called. This particular call buried Hart.

Loyola got a 16-yard return and started at the Hart 26: pass for 4, pass for 6, run for 13, penalty (substitution) the pass for 6 and the TD. 42-21 at 2:27.

Hart at the 20: run by Howell for 0, run by Howell for 31, run by Howell for 4, run by Pettee for 3, run by Howell for 5, run by Howell for 27 [END OF QUARTER], run by Pettee for 3, run by Howell for 0 and run by Howell for 8 and the TD. Hart 49-21 at 10:27.

On the extra point, two Loyola players appeared to run into each other and then Reyes fell on them. A Loyola player's leg was broken and the Loyola players instantly starting yelling over to the Loyola bench. The game was stopped for about 20 minutes (and it was absolutely silent) while the medical folks splinted the leg and put him on a stretcher. There was no ambulance. It didn't show until after the kid was off the field and on the sidelines.

Loyola -- obviously very deflated -- got a 10-yard return to the 26: incomplete, pass for 15, pitch (on what was shaping up as a halfback pass) and a fumble recovered by Loyola for a 10-yard loss, pass for -2, pass for 10 and then pass for 11 on 4th down, one yard short.

Holbrook came in at QB and started at the 50: run by Holbrook for 2, run by Holbrook for 6, penalty for illegal procedure, run by Holbrook for 19, run by Levingston for 1, run by Davis for 2, run by Levingston for 5, run by Levingston for 2, run by Levingston for 2, run by Holbrook for 2 and a first down at the 5. Two knees later and it was over.

Next week: Canyon at COC.