NORMAN — Norman High coach Greg Nation said earlier this week that practice was a “return to two-a-days” for the Tigers. It turned out to be a prescient comparison, since the script Friday against Southmoore was remarkably similar to the Tigers’ first game after two-a-days, when turnovers and mental mistakes caused them to fall behind early against Norman North.
While the Tigers came back to win that game with the help of some trick plays, there was no coming back Friday, as the Tigers fell to the SaberCats, 40-23.
The difference between the two games crystallized in the second quarter, when NHS tried to run the same end-around reverse pass they used to take the lead for good against North. Just like in that game, receiver Rico Hogan got the ball and ran laterally while looking downfield. But there was no Max Gillett waiting wide open this time — just a sea of Southmoore defenders — and Hogan was tackled at the line of scrimmage.
Nation didn’t sugarcoat the loss.
“We had it handed to us tonight,” he said after the game. “It’s something I’ve seen coming for three weeks now, it’s all the little things I’ve been talking about adding up and I think our guys finally saw that tonight.”
The Tigers were their own worst enemy — but Southmoore’s Andrew Long wasn’t far behind. NHS threw one interception and lost three fumbles in the game, two inside the red zone, ending several promising drives. Southmoore capitalized on the turnovers, turning them into 24 points as they pulled out to a 31-7 halftime lead. Several big third down plays were decided by penalties against the Tigers, as they racked up six penalties for 45 yards.
And the Tiger defense had no answer for Southmoore’s Long, who carried 30 times for 252 yards and two touchdowns. The yardage came in huge chunks, with six runs of more than 15 yards. He also scored a touchdown from a yard out on a fourth-down play in the third quarter.
“We wanted to upset the state this week,” Long said. “We lost to them at our homecoming last year, and that’s something that stuck with me. This game gets us one step closer to the playoffs.”
Southmoore jumped out to an early lead, taking the opening kickoff and driving 80 yards to take a 6-0 lead on a 6-yard pass from Tre Edwards to Johnathan Martin. Following a Tiger fumble at the Southmoore 5-yard line, the SaberCats kicked a field goal to take an early 10-0 lead.
Nation was most disappointed in the way his team reacted to falling behind early.
“They come out and go up 10 to nothing on us, and our kids crawled into a hole,” he said. “We got out-toughed tonight, and that’s not something I thought would happen.”
The Tigers looked better in the second half, but a lost fumble and an interception kept them from ever mounting a serious comeback.
Southmoore gained 509 total yards in the game while earning 28 first downs, while Norman put up 333 yards and 16 first downs. Donovan Roberts led the Tigers with 158 yards rushing and scored a touchdown, and Zach Long went 10-17 for 150 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
“There’s not a doubt in my mind we can fight back from this, but the kids have to want it,” Nation said. “Our true character will come out next week.”
