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Tigers demolish Patriots as expected, 41-3
Oglethorpe started the game with a 16-yard kickoff return to its 30- yard line. On third down and 13- yards to go, the Patriots completed a 35-yard pass down to the Tigers' 38-yard line. Oglethorpe drove all the way down to the W-W nine-yard line before the Tiger defense tightened up, forcing the Patriots to kick a 26-yard field goal with 8:20 left in the first quarter. Washington- Wilkes now trailed in a football game for the first time since week two against Thomson.
And the Tigers never looked back.
On the third play of the ensuing Oglethorpe drive, corner Gary Wilburn intercepted the Patriot pass at the 50-yard line. A questionable Tigers vs. Oglethorpe The Tiger defense hadn't given up a touchdown in the last two games, and they weren't about to give one up now. On third-and-goal for the Patriots on the W-W two-yard line, corner Wilburn came up with a tackle-for-loss, moving Oglethorpe back to the Tigers' four-yard line. On fourth down, linebacker Trey McCants stopped the Patriot halfback for no gain, turning the ball over to Washington on its four-yard line. Wylie got the Tigers some breathing room, taking the ball out to their 15-yard line on first down. Wilson completed a short pass to Wilburn, now at receiver. After catching the pass, Wilburn broke a tackle, cut back across the entire width of the field, breaking two more tackles on the way, and went 85-yards for a Tiger touchdown. Tench was good for the PAT, making the score 21-3 just 57 seconds into the second quarter. (Wilburns 85-yard receiving touchdown is an all-time Tiger record. The previous record had stood for 35 years having been set on an 82-yard Henry Darby pass to Dal Cronic against Louisville in 1971. Thanks to Tiger historian Skeet Willingham for that bit of information.) The Patriots were forced to go three-and-out on their next drive, with Gresham fielding the punt and returning it 15 yards to the W-W 34- yard line. Two holding calls caused the Tigers to have their first unsuccessful drive of the night with Wilson punting the ball down to the Washington 48-yard line. The Patriots again went three-and-out, with a 20-yard punt return by Gresham putting the Tigers on their 32-yard line. Four rushes by Wylie in a row, the last of which was for a 47-yard gain, produced another Washington- Wilkes touchdown. Tench's PAT put the Tigers up 28-3 with 3:01 left in the half. Oglethorpe fumbled the following kickoff, which Khiry Tutt recovered on the Patriots' 31-yard line. A holding call on the Tigers, as well as two questionable personal foul calls, caused the drive to stall, with Tench attempting a 42-yard field goal with just over a minute left in the half. The kick fell just short, giving the Patriots the ball on their 20-yard line with enough time for two plays. Defensive end Dan Wylie stopped the Oglethorpe rusher for a two-yard loss on the first play, and linebacker Quarica Smith had a three-yard tackle-for-loss to end the half. Patrell Turman started the second half with a 20 yard kickoff return to the Tigers' 45-yard line, but a questionable clip call brought Washington back to its 25-yard line. Wylie got the Tigers to the Oglethorpe 46- yard line on two carries, but an illegal block moved them back to their 48-yard line. Wylie got another first down with a 10-yard gain to the Patriots 42-yard line, and then Wilson threw another hitch to Wilburn, which he took 42-yards for a touchdown. Tench was good again, giving the Tigers a 32-point lead with 10:15 left in the third quarter. Oglethorpe went three-and-out on its first drive of the second half, punting the ball down to the W-W 24-yard line. A 12-yard run by Turman on first down was called back because of yet another penalty on the Tigers. Gresham moved Washington out to its 35-yard line with a 22-yard run. Two plays later, a 40-yard pass from Wilson to Wilburn was called back because of a controversial pass interference call, and the drive would stall. On the Patriots first play, defensive lineman Deronn Walton caused a fumble on the Oglethorpe 46-yard line, and linebacker Smith recovered it. Two fumbles by Tiger running backs would cause the subsequent drive to fail, with Wilson throwing an incomplete pass on fourth down. The Patriots took over on their 40- yard line and again went three-andout. Washington-Wilkes took over on its 25-yard line with Small at quarterback and moved town to the Oglethorpe 13-yard line before the end of the third quarter with an 18- yard gain by Turman and a 43-yard gain by Small. Three plays into the fourth quarter Small called his own number and scored from seven yards out. Roderigo Rodriguez came on to attempt the PAT, but a penalty backed the Tigers up five yards and the kick was no good, giving the game its final score of 41-3 with 10:30 left in the contest. The Patriots started on their 20- yard line and again was forced to go three-and-out. The young Tiger offense took over on their 46-yard line. Runs by quarterback Dede Stewart and running back Dexter Norman moved Washington down to the Oglethorpe 24-yard line, but a fumble on fourth down gave the ball to the Patriots on their 17-yard line. Oglethorpe gained their first first down since the first quarter on the young defense with a 25-yard run on first down, but on the next play defensive end Calvin Sorrow forced a fumble and defensive tackle Clinton Cade recovered it on the Patriots 42-yard line. A 17-yard run by Stewart ended the game, making the Tigers 6-1 on the season and 4- 0 in region play. The W-W offense had its best game of the season, gaining 604 yards, 194 yards in the air and 410 yards on the ground. Wylie was the leading rusher with 12 carries for 217 yards and two touchdowns. Small was next with eight carries for 63 yards and a touchdown, and then Stewart with three carries for 49 yards. Wilson was three-for-eight passing for 194 yards. Wilburn was the leading receiver with two catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Gresham was right behind him with a catch for 65 yards and a touchdown. The offensive line had an outstanding game, opening huge holes for the running backs and giving Wilson plenty of time to get his passes off. This is the fourth consecutive game they have allowed the offense to accumulate over 400 yards of total offense. The Tiger defense forced four turnovers on the night. Wilburn had an interception, and Tutt, Smith, and Cade all had a fumble recovery. The defense was lead by linebacker McCants with six tackles and four assists. Gresham was next with seven tackles and two assists. Mark Tench was five-forthrough five on PATs. This Friday night the Tigers host the War Eagles of Putnam County. Putnam is a young team going
a rebuilding year. They run a wing-t offense and use a multiple front defense. Kickoff is at 7:30 at Tiger Stadium.
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