Last season, Rosebud-Lott defeated the Bulldogs 27-0 in McGregor.
A combination of a balanced offense, a swarming defense and impressive special teams play provided a convincing win for McGregor.
On offense the Bulldogs tallied 170 yards rushing and 96 passing as they racked up 13 first downs. Julian Young was the workhorse in the running game, carrying 15 times for 134 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Dylan Ripley completed eight passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
McGregor’s stingy defense, led by Cruz Chaires, limited the Cougars to four first downs, 44 yards rushing on 35 carries and zero yards passing. The Bulldogs also recovered two Rosebud-Lott fumbles.
In the kicking game, Kirk Gerhardt hit field goals of 40 and 30 yards and McGregor averaged an impressive 39.7 yards on three punts. Most important, the Bulldogs’ coverage teams limited Rosebud-Lott’s speedy return men to only one lengthy kick return - and even that turned into a positive when the Cougars fumbled the ball away at the end of the play.
McGregor scored on its first possession, moving from its 44-yard line to the Cougar 20 in four plays before the Rosebud-Lott defense stiffened. The Bulldogs had to settle for a 40-yard field goal from Gerhardt.
Their next drive also resulted in points as Young broke loose for a 59-yard touchdown run. Gerhardt’s PAT gave McGregor a 10-0 lead with 4:18 left in the opening period.
Late in the second quarter Rosebud-Lott had a chance to score when DeAndre Thompson intercepted a Ripley pass, giving the Cougars possession at the McGregor 39.
Running back Brashawn Buhl picked up 4 yards on first down, then quarterback Ernesto Flores kept for 13 and a first down at the 23. But a 2-yard loss and three incompletions gave the ball back to McGregor with only a second remaining in the half.
The Bulldogs scored on their first three possessions of the second half. The first ended on Ripley’s 35-yard touchdown pass, capping a 50-yard, six-play drive.
On its next possession, McGregor moved from its 37 to the Cougars’ 10 thanks in large part to a 50-yard run by Ripley. But Rosebud-Lott’s defense, sparked by Jared Hoelscher, Austin Pomykal, Jared Hodges and Devonte Williams, held and the Bulldogs settled for Gerhardt’s 30-yard field goal.
On McGregor’s next play on offense, Young broke loose for an apparent 55-yard touchdown run. But an illegal block instead gave the Bulldogs a first down at the Cougar 13. McGregor scored two plays later on Ripley’s 8-yard touchdown pass, and Gerhardt’s PAT kick made the score 27-0 with 2:58 left in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs had another scoring opportunity in the fourth period when they recovered a Rosebud-Lott fumble at the Cougars 24. But Rosebud-Lott’s defense held, and Gerhardt’s 47-yard field goal attempt fell short.
Rosebud-Lott was led on defense by the play of Pomykal, Hodges and Alec Newman.
The Cougars travel to Moody, which edged Thrall 19-18 on Friday, next week to play the Bearcats.
rray@temple-telegram.com
