What maybe wasn't expected was the kind of offensive success the Cougars had in a game they were thought to have no shot at. The Cougars did something against the Purples they were unable to do in their district opener against Barren County and that was score a touchdown.
Grayson County also racked up 11 first downs against the Purples, though several of those came in the second half when Bowling Green was using many freshman players in their lineup.
However, the first Cougar touchdown came against the big boys. The Purples had taken an early 7-0 lead after senior Brian Grant had lost a fumble at the Cougar 20-yard line on Grayson Conty's first possession.
The Purples then forced a punt, but the Cougar defense rose up on the next Bowling Green possession to stop them near midfield. The Purples tried to go for it on fourth-and-six at the Grayson County 37, but sophmore Dustin Thomas sacked quarterback Trent Steelman at the 48 and the Cougars took over.
Two runs gained a first down at the Purples' 37, but two more runs gained only a yard. On third-and-nine, Thomas made a marvelous catch of a pass from sophomore quarterback Jacob Clemons to give the Cougars a first down at the 15.
Clemons then carried for another first down at the four before Grant carried it the rest of the way for the score. Exchange student Rick Hussell added the extra point and, amazingly, with 3:30 left in the first quarter, the Cougars were tied with the mighty Purples at 7-7.
Clemons was in the game because of an injury to starting quarterback Jacob Hicks, who had broken a collarbone in last week's Homecoming contest against McLean County. Clemons did a creditable job in a tough situation, completing three of the four passes he threw on the night for 41 yards.
The Cougars had suffered another blow on Thursday when freshman quarterback Hunter Gary was lost for the season, also with a broken collarbone. Those two losses were more than just at the quarterback position. Hicks was also the team's punter and played in a backup role in the defensive secondary. Gary was a starting cornerback on defense, played some slotback on offense, was the long-snapper on punts, the regular place kicker and was the backup punter.
“After we found out Thursday we had lost Hunter for the season, we were in here on Friday scrambling to figure out who was going to play where,” said head coach Ed Smart.
Freshman Dustin Peak was told as he boarded the bus for the game that he would be doing the punting for the Cougars. The Purples did not rush the punts and after a shaky beginning, Peak did a solid job in another tough situation.
After the Cougars tied the game, it was pretty much all Bowling Green the rest of the night. The Purples took the ensuing kickoff and drove 53 yards in six plays to take a 14-7 lead, one they would not give up the rest of the way.
The Purples made it 21-7 just a few seconds later when defensive end Robbie Johnson wrestled the ball away on a Cougar handoff and carried 10 yards for the score. Grayson County lost three fumbles on the night and all three led to Purples' touchdowns.
While Smart was pleased with the way his offense moved the ball, he was not pleased with the turnovers or the way his depleted defense played.
“Not so much of how many points they scored, but how they did it. In looking at the film, five of their touchdowns came came on drives of three plays or less,” he said.
The Purples led 42-7 at the half, then took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove 69 yards in seven plays to grab a 49-7 lead.
Grayson County responded by driving 63 yards in nine plays for their second touchdown. Thomas, Grant and Clemons took turns carrying the ball on the drive.
Thomas picked up a big first down with a 12 yard run on third-and-six at the 47. Clemons gained 11 yards for a first down at the 19, then Grant carried to the five for a first-and-goal. Thomas then took a pitchout and carried around the left side for the score that made it 49-13.
That would be it for the Cougars. The Purples added two more scores before things concluded. Junior Tevin Barksdale ran 48 yards for one score while freshman Tevin Anderson scored from a yard out in the fourth quarter to conclude the scoring.
Grayson County will be at home again this Friday night as they play host to Clinton County (0-7). That game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.
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