But former Temple star Kenneth Davis then got the Wildcats pumped up before they sprinted through their inflatable tunnel to begin the second half, and Temple proceeded to deflate Belton with two dominant quarters.
Derrick Davis, Lache Seastrunk and Daniel Carr all surpassed 125 rushing yards to highlight the Wildcats’ 442-yard output and their defense shut out Belton’s potent passing offense after halftime as Temple seized a 46-21 win Friday night at Tiger Field.
“This was a great win for us tonight,” Temple coach Bryce Monsen said after the Wildcats - who beat Belton for the third straight year - grabbed their fourth consecutive win to move to 4-5 overall and 4-2 in District 12-5A, sharing second place with College Station A&M Consolidated.
“We played a great second half, and that’s a tribute to our players and coaches. We got together and said, ‘The score’s 0-0.’ They did a great job of playing hard for 24 minutes.”
Even at 4-2 in 12-5A, Temple hasn’t clinched one of the four playoff berths entering next Friday’s home game with Killeen Shoemaker (3-3 in district). And although Belton (2-7 overall) fell to 2-4 in the league, the Tigers - who must win at Bryan - still have a shot to get into a three-way tie for fourth by the end of next Friday night.
Powerful junior Davis (Kenneth’s nephew) charged for 152 yards and three touchdowns, speedy junior Seastrunk ran for 145 yards and a TD and added an 86-yard kickoff return for a score, and tough senior Carr rushed for 127 yards as Temple ripped Belton’s defense for 279 ground yards after halftime.
“We were doing a pretty good job of guessing where they were going (in the first half),” Belton second-year coach Rodney Southern said of Temple’s Wing-T rushing attack. “I think in the second half they decided, ‘We’re just going to line up and come downhill,’ and they changed some of their blocking schemes and they made some plays.”
Area rushing leader Seastrunk, who passed Gerald Watson for third place on Temple’s career rushing list with 2,868 yards, said the Wildcats’ attitude keyed their second-half explosion.
“Mr. Kenneth Davis talked to us and gave us the spark we needed for the second half,” he said. “Our offensive line was amazing. They set their minds on what they had to do.”
Added Temple senior center Brett Gunn, whose blocking helped the Wildcats run for 537 yards in last year’s 56-0 win over Belton: “It was a lot of fun. Belton’s defense had a lot more bite this year, but we had pretty good execution.”
A small-but-strong blocking back last year, Carr didn’t get into the end zone on this Friday night but ran extremely hard in racking up his career-high 127 yards - 102 after halftime - on 17 carries.
“The line was blocking great and I was just running hard for my team,” he said. “We knew we had to leave it all on the field as seniors. It feels good.”
Belton sophomore David Ash, the area’s leading passer, completed 27 of 43 attempts for 309 yards and two TDs, but Temple’s defense raised its intensity and contained him in the second half.
“Belton’s offense throws and catches the ball really well,” Monsen said. “Our kids got more aggressive as the game went on.”
Said Ash: “We just missed our opportunities. I missed my opportunities to make big plays.”
The first half was back-and-forth battle, with Temple taking the lead three times with touchdowns before Belton responded each time.
Marcus Jones’ 8-yard scoring rumble midway through the first quarter was answered by Jeff Lepak’s 23-yard catch-and-run TD on the ensuing drive for a 7-7 deadlock.
Seastrunk blazed down the right sideline for an 86-yard score on the ensuing kickoff to put the Wildcats up 14-7, but two minutes into the second period Anthony Huber took an Ash screen pass and sprinted through the defense for a 40-yard TD and a 14-14 tie.
Temple’s Stedman Moore tackled Kevin Thornton short on a fake field goal, leading to Davis’ 10-yard touchdown run 46 seconds before halftime to make it 21-14. However, quick passes and penalties set up Huber’s 4-yard TD on an option play to the left as the clock showed 0:00, producing a 21-21 game at the break.
The Wildcats then drove 82 yards on their second drive of the second half, capping it with the 240-pound Davis’ 16-yard TD rumble for a 27-21 lead.
Temple then forced a turnover on downs and rode Carr and Davis on a 79-yard drive that Davis completed with an 8-yard burst to make it 33-21 early in the fourth.
The Wildcats then made Ash fumble on a hard hit and recovered the ball at Belton’s 16, setting up quarterback Kevin Lock’s 5-yard TD run.
Seastrunk added a 32-yard scoring dash with a minute left.
gwille@temple-telegram.com
