Football shows promise after first game of the season
Photo by Easton Clark, Photography Editor
With 10 minutes left in the second quarter, Chapman had Hardin-Simmons University pinned inside the 10-yard line. This was their chance to force a punt and help their offense tie the game.
That's when junior safety and business administration major Jacob Gaudi blitzed off the edge. He hit the quarterback hard, and the ball popped out. It was the first sack and forced fumble of his career.
Gaudi, who was chosen as a pre-season All-American, was quick to shout out his teammates for setting him up to make the play.
“I will give credit to Tate Zimmerman, my boy,” Gaudi said. “I told him (to) pull in the (offensive) tackle a little bit, like force him inside so I have free range inside and it worked out perfectly.”
Perfectly indeed. After recovering the ball on the nine yard line, the Panthers’ offense capitalized just three plays later with a six-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback and business finance major Tyler Pacheco to junior wide receiver and business administration major Brendon Manzano.
However, the rest of the game was not as perfect. Chapman lost a competitive battle in their first game of the season last Saturday at home on Wilson Field, and the team has many things to reflect on — but plenty to celebrate.
Coming into the game as huge underdogs against the number six ranked NCAA Division III team in the nation, nobody thought Chapman was going to put on the show that they did. While they weren’t able to pull out a win, their ability to stick with their opponents through all four quarters showed grit and unrelentingness.
A relatively uneventful first quarter ended with Hardin-Simmons leading 7-0, thanks to a 10-yard touchdown pass from senior captain and quarterback Kyle Brown to fellow senior captain and wide receiver Kriss Simms.
After Gaudi’s big play and Manzano’s touchdown, the teams traded field goals and the score was 10-10 at halftime.
Kade Zimmerman trying to create space against his defender; Photo by Easton Clark, Photography Editor
Gaudi wasn’t the only member of the Panther team to have a special moment last weekend. Casey Shine led the Panthers in his first game as both interim head coach and offensive coordinator, replacing the great Bob Owens who was in attendance.
Play after play, drive after drive, quarter after quarter, Shine walked up and down the sideline, never giving up, never seeming defeated. Many of the players on the team seemed to feed off of his energy and not let the score discourage them from playing hard all four quarters.
Gaudi spoke about how great it was to have Shine at the helm for the first time in his career with the program.
“It was amazing… everything I expected out of him,” he said. “He showed great competitiveness and just love. (When) we made mistakes, he picked us up.”
Coming out of halftime, the score was tied 10 apiece with two more grueling quarters of football ahead. The Panthers kicked off and Hardin-Simmons began their drive with a few strong plays, capitalizing on a 20-yard pickup with 9:24 left in the quarter to set up a potential touchdown.
After a fake jet sweep taken in by quarterback Kyle Brown for a one-yard touchdown, Chapman got the ball back and began their drive.
Not seeming to be able to do much with the ball, Chapman was stifled pretty quickly into the series, being forced to punt the ball back to Hardin-Simmons. Suddenly, the away team had all the momentum.
On the first play of their next drive, a 76-yard touchdown run by running back Noah Garcia quickly put the Cowboys up by two scores with 7:21 left in the quarter, taking only 13 seconds off the clock. It looked like Chapman’s chances at an upset were slipping away.
However, after a 40-yard return on the next kickoff by Manzano, the Panthers were fired up to get some points on the board, and in pole position to do so. After a stellar 62-yard, eight play drive led by quarterback Tyler Pacheco, the Panthers were on the 12-yard line and primed to get in the end zone.
On a read option play — which is designed to let the quarterback either hand the ball off to a running back, pass to a receiver or run it — Pacheco bet on himself. He took off out of the pocket, sprinting towards the end zone, jumping over a defensive back and being flipped head over heels for a Panther touchdown.
The play did more than just put six points on the board for Chapman — it got the team fired up for the rest of the game they had to play, putting them within one score of a nationally ranked program.
A blocked extra point kept the score at Hardin-Simmons 24, Chapman 16. As the third quarter ended, the Cowboys sideline started dancing and spraying water around. They were pumped up to try and finish off the game.
The fourth quarter started off rough for the Panthers, with Hardin-Simmons scoring a quick touchdown on a three yard run by running back Braylon Henry. Soon after there was an interception by cornerback Collin Hill at the 11-yard line, just as Chapman was putting a good drive together.
After a great defensive effort from Chapman, Hardin-Simmons had to send their punt team out to kick it from inside their own 10-yard line, with the kicker expecting to punt from somewhere in the endzone.
Chapman thwarted their plans as they were able to impose an impressive rush on the Cowboys line and block the punt. In the mayhem that ensued it seemed as though the ball was picked up and dropped at least four times. Hardin-Simmons briefly had the ball before it was finally recovered in the end zone by Chapman safety and business administration major Trenton Dewar for a Panther touchdown, and the very first of his career.
Because of Dewar's effort, the Panthers were down 31-23 needing a touchdown and a two point conversion to tie up the game. A lot easier said than done.
A strong four play, 72-yard drive by Hardin-Simmons ended in a 31-yard pass from quarterback Kyle Brown to wide receiver Wes Douglas for a Cowboy touchdown. Luckily, Chapman was able to stop the bleeding for the time being with a blocked extra point, only allowing their opponent to put six points up on the scoreboard.
With skin still in the game, the Panther offense took the field ready for a quick score so their defense could get the ball back to them one last time in hopes of a last minute comeback.
Pacheco marched his offense down the field, putting together a 10-play, 75-yard drive leading Chapman to the Cowboy’s 11-yard line. An 11-yard touchdown pass from Pacheco to wide receiver and communication studies major Kade Zimmerman meant part one of their plan was complete, but they only had 53 seconds to get the ball back on offense and score.
The kickoff team came out to attempt an onside kick, but it wasn’t enough. The kick was swallowed up by the Cowboys who brought their offense out in victory formation, preparing to take a knee to close out the contest.
After Chapman had used up all their timeouts, that’s exactly what they did, ending the game with a final score of Hardin-Simmons 37, Chapman 30.
Although the Panthers lost, there were more positives than negatives they could take out of the contest. They went toe to toe with a premier team at the Division III level. Now that they know the level these teams play at, they can elevate their practices, workouts, film sessions, diets and mentality to make sure they dominate #15 ranked Linfield University next week. That game will be in Oregon on Sept. 20.