Panthers Lose Close Contest to Hawks 31-28

Under a perfect sky, and a nice size homecoming crowd, Ferrum went toe to toe with the Huntingdon Hawks. This was a game that could and did come down to the wire, but unfortunately, Huntingdon ended up on top. Some will say Ferrum got a bad call on the onside kick toward the end of the game....more on that later.
What I saw boiled down to a ball control offense of Huntingdon vs. an offense that was more dependent on big plays to score or set up the score. Ferrum's first touchdown came after a Brian Mann 83 yard carry to the Huntingdon 5. Ferrum's second touchdown was on a 51 yard completion to Johnny White. The third score came on a 53 yard pass and run to Nick Pearce, and the final touchdown came after a hook and ladder play.....a 23 yard pass to Johnny White, and a pitch to Dre Davis who picked up another 24 yards. Some will ask why is this important? A touchdown is a touchdown, but one thing is for sure. The other team cannot score a touchdown if they don't have the ball. My point is ball control equates to time of possession and Huntingdon won the time of possession 34.18 to 20:25 (Not sure these numbers add up, but this is how it is reflected in the stats.....thinking the TOP in the third quarter may be inaccurate) At any rate, I am quite sure Ferrum lost the time of possession battle.
On the other side of the ball, a defense that had been very solid in it's first three games was up against a tougher opponent Saturday. It was again a strong effort, and they made life difficult for Huntingdon, but it seemed that they were on the field a lot.  While there was another defensive interception, the Hawks still gained 201 yards through the air, and picked up  three passing touchdowns.
Overall, it was as if Ferrum would catch up, but could never pass Huntingdon. The Panthers are a strong team, and I see a huge improvement over last year, but the rest of the season will have to be one game at a time.

Now as for the "illegal touching" call on the onside kick. I was standing at the top of the bleachers just about even with the 45 where the ball had to travel to be a legal kick. As the play progressed, I initially thought the ball was touched. I knew it was going to be close, and with all of the initial excitement and cheering, I was nervous to say the least. I knew Ferrum recovered the kick, but I saw a Ferrum players hand (Johnny White)appear to reach out before it had travelled 10 yards. I could not be sure if he did or did not touch it, but I was hoping that somehow, Ferrum would not be found in violation......this was not to be. Huntingdon took over possession and ran out the clock.
I have looked at the replay from all angles on the replay, and I paid attention to two things. Was it evident that White's hand did or did not touch the ball? To me, it appears he does not touch the ball.
Secondly, did the motion of the ball appear to change after it went past Whites hand? To me I thought it changed. So I was conflicted after watching the video. In my opinion, there is virtually no way, in a situation like that to expect a consistent rotation on such an odd shaped ball. In my opinion, Ferrum legally recovered the kick, but it was a very close call situation. It was a tough loss, but unfortunately, it is still a loss.
Hang in there Ferrum, more wins are coming.