With the variety and misdirection of Devils’ option-style offense the Jackets had a difficult time preventing one devilish sweep after another.
But the Jackets’ defense was stalwart, and gaining yards was no cake-walk for the Devils--it was with three yards and a cloud of dust that the Devils made most of their progress down the grid-iron.
The Jackets defensive line was hitting hard all night, and big hits by Vinson Merritt, Eric Daniel, Travis Simmons, and Laquavious Brown gave the Blue Devils running backs something to think about on the field, and Jacket fans something to cheer about in the stands. Simmons made big tackles late into the game, putting many-a-Devil on his back, and Daniel stopped a breakaway by Devils tight end Anson Anderson in the third quarter, bulldogging him to the ground after a big pass. Vinson Merritt helped push back the Devils with tackles behind the line, and stopped a potential breakaway in the second quarter with a shoestring tackle.
“The defense played well from the get-go,” commented head coach Craig Davis, “and we played pretty good on special teams. But offensively we sputtered in the beginning and we sputtered all night.”
The Jacket’s offensive strategy focused on quick short lateral passes, with the hopes of drawing the Devils defensive line out wide and spreading the field. Yet while the Jacket’s saw some success with this strategy against Richmond Academy a week ago, lone running back Pat Smith had a harder time finding the holes in the bigger, stronger defensive line of the Devils.
“We tried our hardest--thats all we can do,” commented offensive lineman Sterling Young after facing one of the toughest defenses in the region.
Smith was certainly able to make the best of the few gaps offered by the Devils, slipping some sure tackles and making cutbacks that left fans and Devils alike rubbing their eyes. But without a dedicated blocker, the size and coordination of the Devils defensive linemen effectively repelled the Jackets attempted dives.
Smith’s best run of the night was a 55-yard return in the third quarter, and even if it failed to put any points on the board for the Jackets, it provided the fans with arguably the prettiest play of the night--by Jackets or Devils.
A reception by Derrish Pittman in the endzone put the Jackets only points of the night on the board late in the third quarter. The reception came after one of the Jackets’ longest drives of the game. Quarterback Wesley Taylor, under heavy pressure from the Blue Devils’ starting defensive linemen, stepped into the pocket to throw a long bomb from the 28--right into the waiting hands of Pittman for the touchdown.
But the PAT was no good, the quarter was soon over and neither team was to see the end zone again that night.
“We’ve gotta put more points on the board,” noted coach Davis. “[Taylor] threw a good touchdown pass. . . and maybe we should have gone vertical more often, but the thing is we weren’t consistent enough on offense tonight.”
With everything said and done, the Devils crossed the goal line five times Friday night. Most of their touchdowns, and the yards preceding them, were on the ground. But as the Devils began to establish their running game they were able to open up the pass and gain some big yards on long completions.
The Devils scored twice in the first quarter on their second and third possessions. The  first was on an eight-play, 76-yard drive carried in by No. 20, and the second was on a breakaway 42-yard run on their first down after a punt by the Jackets. All 5 PATs for the Blue Devils were kicked by No 8.
The Devils put seven more on the board after gaining possession from an interception by No. 24. A 17 yard completion and a 12 yard rush brought them to first and goal on the one-yard line and brute strength brought in the touchdown.
The third quarter saw points from both teams, and the Blue Devils final two touchdowns on their first two possessions after the half. The Devils ran in their fourth touchdown with a fullback dive and took over in good field possession on the Jackets’ 31 after a fumbled snap on fourth down. A 28-yard completion got the Devils a first down on the 2-yard line. Simmons, with a powerful hit, stopped the Devil’s first drive, but with only a yard to go, forcing a field goal was more than the Jackets could muster.
“I think we played well as a team, and we played with a lot of heart,” coach Davis said after the game.
As the clock wound down in the fourth quarter and both teams pulled their starters, the board stood at 35-6. While never satisfied with defeat, the Jackets put out a strong showing against one of the strongest teams in the region and remained focused on the rest of the season.
“We’ve got another big game coming up,” observed Pittman, “I hope we can win that one.”
The hits keep coming for the Jackets, who will host the Brunswick Pirates this Friday at Jaycee Stadium for a 7:30 kickoff.