|
THE "LIGHTS OUT" GAME
I'll focus on some of the individual play and comments.
First comment: I don't know what the TV people covered but the first matter of business -- did you notice the team captains
for the game? Ryan Wolfe was one of Hart's. While Ryan suited up and warmed up, he did not play but its terrific for that
young man to be back out there.
Now to the game. Hart took the opening kickoff and Ciccone had about a 25-yard return. Canyon got tagged for a late hit
and Hart started the first series at the 49. Hart had an 8-play drive for a total of 65 yards with the score coming on a 20-yard
pass to Whitmore down the middle. And you ask - how did that add up to a 65-yard drive considering where Hart started? A holding,
a delay of game and a sack. Hart 7-0 at 7:35 in the game.
Canyon started at the 20. A ten-yard pass to Coen garnered a first down but that was it: 3 and out.
Hart started at the 36 and scored in 4 plays including a 21-yarder to Ciccone and a 40-yard pass to Surratt for the TD.
14-0 Hart at 5:15.
As Hart kicked off, all the lights in the stadium went out -- pitch black. Curiously, hundreds of Canyon fans "just
happen to have" glow sticks. Hmmmm? Was the "lights out" a "planned event". Welch has been known
to engage in various oneupmanship and mind-game tactics. Was this just another example.
Canyon fumbled the next kickoff and Hart recovered at the 21. Two plays later, Hart scored on a 21-yard pass to Leigh
right over the middle. Hart missed the PAT and it was 20-0 at 4:24.
Canyon started at the 28 and got down to the Hart 34 before losing 6 yards on a pitch play, throwing an incomplete and
then punting.
Hart started at the 20 and scored in three plays. Norris Whitmore caught a strike down the middle for a 66-yard TD. Elledge
caught a pass for the 2-point conversion and it was 28-0 with :47 left in the first. Norton had about as nice a first quarter
as a QB can have: 9 for 11, 212 yards and 4 TDs.
Canyon started the next drive on the 20 and went on a 15 play drive down to the Hart 7. Then the train went off the tracks
(otherwise known as the Hart D running wild): sack for minus 11, incomplete and sack for minus 10 on fourth down and Hart
took over at the 28.
Hart went on a 10-play drive and scored on a 9-yard Norton run for the TD. He absolutely demolished a Canyon DB at about
the one yardline. [See the video link below.] The killer play for Canyon was a roughing call on a FG attempt. While Hart
made the FG, the Indians took the points off the board and then scored the TD on the next play. 35-0 at 4:36.
Canyon started the next series on the 24 and moved the ball well, the big play being a 31-yard pass to Coen. Montano scored
on a one-yard run to make it 35-7 with 1:38 left in the half.
Hart did not slow down a bit. Bryan Toledo got a 51-yard kickoff return down to the Canyon 39. Hart scored 5 plays later
on another 9-yard Norton run. Hart 42-7.
Canyon moved the ball from the 39 down to the Hart 28 before time ran out.
At the half Norton was 12 of 18 for 261 yards and 4 TDs. He also had 45 yards rushing on 9 carries and 2 touchdowns.
Longshore was 10 of 18 for 135 yards and no TDs and minus 10 yards on 5 rushes including two big sacks. Montano had 54
yards on 11 carries.
The second half started a little precariously for Hart. Canyon started at the 33 and scored in 6 plays, the TD coming
on a 37 pass to number 24 (can't remember his name). (From the Hart perspective there was a big time offensive pass interference
when Coen pushed Ciccone who otherwise looked to have a sure interception -the Hart coaches kept on the ref for that one for
a good long while).
Hart started at the 35 and eventually got to the Canyon 33 but turned the ball over on downs -- the first and only possession
which Hart did not score. The parts just didn't quite click with Norton and the receivers, ending the series with three straight
incompletions that were a hair's breadth from being big plays.
Canyon, though, was still on the move. Starting at the 33, Canyon scored in 8 plays. The TD was a 35-yard pass to Peterson
(?) and it was 42-21 with 3:15 left in the third quarter.
Canyon squibbed the next kick so Hart started at the 34. Hart ran 13 plays and eventually scored on a double tackle play
from the 9 in which Norton pitched the ball outside to Ciccone who ran it in for the TD. 49-21 with 9:02 to play.
Canyon started at the 24 and looked to again move the ball well. The first play was a 10-yard pass to Coen, the second
an incomplete (dropped). Canyon then tried its first bit of trickery -- a double pass from Longshore to Coen and then down
field to Number 24. The pass went for 58 yards but Ciccone caught the receiver from behind and knocked the ball loose. Hart
recovered on the 8 and as they say "that's all she wrote." The Cowboys were completely deflated after that.
Hart started at the 8 and scored on a 10-play drive (9 run and 1 pass). Howell had a 31-yard run to finish the drive and
the scoring at Hart 56-21 with 2:35 to play. (There was another really odd call in this series. Norton threw a little pass
to Leigh in the slot. It was dropped but fortunately Leigh pounced on it -- the ref had apparently called it a lateral. From
my perspective it wasn't even close).
Longshore came out for one more play -- another bit of trickery, the fumblerooski. It went for big yards but was called
back on procedure. The second team finished out the game.
Norton finished the game at 18 for 29, 331 yards and 4 TDs (Whitmore for 2, Surratt and Leigh for the others). He also
ran 18 times for 96 yards and 2 TDs. Howell had 16 carries for 106 yards and a TD. Ciccone had a rushing TD.
Longshore finished at 16 of 28 and 239 yards and 2 TDs. Montano had 94 yards on 17 carries and a TD.
Comments: Hart's staff did an absolutely superb job of scouting out the weaknesses in the Canyon defense and getting the
matchups the Indians wanted. The TD passes were all pretty wide open and there were two drops in the second half that also
could have been TD passes.
Hart's running game sometimes comes in fits and starts but the big back and big line and quick QB really took over in
the later stages of the game. 327 yards passing and over 200 yards rushing is a VERY nice balance. Throw in some very nice
return yards and ya got yerself an offense.
I had noted in posts earlier this week that the Hart defense has really started to take over games. Here's more evidence:
Canyon has been averaging 50 points a game. They got 21 tonight. Hart showed only one "obvious" weakness and that
was at the cornerback spot on a couple of occassion. However, the TDs were in part due to a very deliberate calculation on
Hart to play a lot of one-on-one coverage and rush a lot of extra people. With a qualtity QB like Longshore and some sticky-handed
receivers, every once in a while you're bound to get burned.
A couple of additional thoughts. First, you somehow knew it was not going to be a good night for Canyon when we couldn't
even hear the National Anthem on our side of the field at all. Then the whole "lights out fiasco" seemed to portend
where things were headed for the Cowboys.
Longshore throws a very nice ball up to about 40 yards -- with zip and right on target. Coen has great hands. The biggest
shortcoming for Canyon is that they are a little on the slow side. Hart was a little faster at almost every position and much
bigger on the line.
Norton looked terrific in almost all aspects of the game. He and the receivers really came through on a lot of third and
fourth down situations.
The really scary thing for opponents has to be seeing Hart play so terrifically well in a high pressure game AND seeing
Ryan Wolfe in uniform on the sidelines.
I close with a note that I will not be writing anything for a couple of weeks as I am leaving for South America in a couple
of days to see one of my boys whom I haven't seen in two years. I will of course be checking the net for Hart results.
Recent addition: check the following link to youtube. About two minutes into the clip, there are a couple of plays from
this game including Norton trampling a Canyon DB on a 9-yard TD run.
Some plays from Hart-Canyon 2003 about 2 minutes into the clip
|
