Athens didn’t rebound from the Logan loss in the most picturesque fashion. The team repeated the mistakes that have been its Achillies heel for much of the season, but there were still plenty of bright spots mixed in. After all, Athens did win the game.
Penalties and chunk plays continue
We’ll start with the bad news. The Bulldogs allowed 11 plays of 20 or more yards just one week after being sunk by those same plays against the Chieftains. Not only that, but they accrued seven more penalties for 98 more yards.
Athens is now up to 33 penalties for 318 yards in the last four weeks. Coach Ryan Adams said after the game Friday that he was amazed by the repetition of penalties.
The Bulldogs 3-1 record over that span is impressive, but how long can the team survive like this? There is a dangerous playoff team in those Bulldogs somewhere, but we might not get to see their full strength if they continue to hold themselves back.
Holy Brendan Sano
Athens quarterback Brendan Sano had the best game of his career Friday night. He set new career highs in total yards and total touchdowns. He accounted for 509 of the team’s 627 total yards and six (four passing, two rushing) of its nine touchdowns.
He had little run game other than himself to help take the pressure off the passing game until Michael Casteel got going in the fourth quarter, but it didn’t matter. Sano and wide receiver Robert Dickelman exposed the one-on-one coverage they saw from Meigs repeatedly.
The offensive line deserves a ton of credit as well for keeping a clean pocket most of the night, but Sano was pretty close to flawless. Sano has already surpassed his yardage and touchdown totals from last year, and has turned the ball over an implausible zero times through seven games.
After largely being known as the guy who got to hand off to Zacciah Saltzman last season, this is Sano’s offense — and it’s really, really good.
Resiliency
As much as it seems like coach speak when Adams talks about battling for four quarters, those words had some real weight behind them Friday night.
Athens was down two scores for a good chunk of the first half and still managed to snatch a lead before halftime. Despite scoring 62 points, Meigs stayed within striking distance for much of the game.
Adams said the lead never quite felt safe because of all the big plays Meigs produced. The defense persevered and finally came up with three straight stops to end the game after allowing 46 points.
The penalties and big plays remain a problem, but the good teams find a way to win even when they aren’t at their best. Athens did exactly that Friday night.
