G.W. EDGES NITRO ON PAT
Publication: THE
Published: 09/13/1997
Page: P1B
Headline: G.W. EDGES NITRO ON PAT
Byline: TOMMY R. ATKINSON
It's the little things that go unnoticed that make the difference.
A missed extra point proved
to be the deciding factor as George
Washington edged host Nitro 14-13 at Underwood Field Friday night.
An estimated crowd of 500
attended the Mountain State Athletic
Conference Gold Division matchup.
The Patriots improved to
2-1 overall and 1-1 in the division, while
the Wildcats fell to 2-1 and 0-1.
After Nitro junior running
back Zack Collins scored on a 3-yard
touchdown run late in the third quarter, a TD that was set up by Joey
Murphy's blocked punt, the Wildcats missed what proved to be the tying
extra point and trailed 14-13.
"It's the special
teams that got us,' Nitro coach Robert Burdette
said. "It's all on me. We're just going to have
to emphasize special
teams. It [the extra point] turned out to be huge.'
Nitro also threw three
costly interceptions that halted drives in the
second half. G.W.'s John Pennington came up with all
three interc
eptions, two in the fourth quarter.
"We knew he
[Pennington] was capable of making some plays at very
crucial times,' G.W. coach Steve Edwards said. "I
can't say enough
about our kids. Our seniors have never beaten this bunch. We knew they
had a reputation of having a pretty good defense.'
G.W. thus ended a four-game
losing skid against the Wildcats.
Running back Rob Wilson
gained 108 yards on 21 carries and scored two
TDs for the Patriots. Teammate Dustin Kalos gutted out 77 yards on 25
rushes.
For the Wildcats,
Collins picked up 88 yards on 19 totes and a score.
Freshman quarterback Jason Ward completed 8-of-26 passes for 93 yards
with three interceptions.
Senior receiver Isaac
Eastwood hauled in three passes for 42 yards and
junior wide receiver Chris Martin caught three for 28 yards for Nitro.
After a 10-yard punt ended
Nitro's first possession, G.W. took over at
the Wildcats' 33-yard line and scored on
quick 7-0 lead with 8:01 remaining in the first quarter.
Nitro fumbled the ensuing
kickoff and the Patriots recovered at the
Wildcats 9.
"We fumbled a kick
return, we have people who don't know they're
supposed to be in the game,' Burdette said, "and we miss an extra
point.'
The Patriots outrushed the Wildcats 208-85, most of those yards
coming
in the first half.
"That was our game
plan,' Edwards said. "To come in and run the ball.
They shut us down in the second half.'
The Wildcat defense only
yielded 66 yards rushing in the second half,
but turned the ball over three times on offense.
"That's the second
week in a row that we've got ourselves in tough
situations,' said Burdette. "He [Ward] came
through on a big pass.'