Home field advantage means a lot. Last year, Ferrum fell at home to the Muskies 31-3. I was there, and it was not a pretty day, on the field or weather wise either. Frankly, I was concerned that this trip to Ohio would prove even more difficult for Ferrum than last year's game did. I was wrong. Yesterday's performance had many positives, and I was pleasantly surprised with many aspects of the game.
Starting off I want to highlight the often-overlooked Special Teams. Seth Deaton went about his business with little fanfare, but by days end, he was a huge plus to the Panthers. He scored the first points of the season on the first play of the second quarter, with a 35 yard field goal. He followed that up with a 40-yard FG later in the game. Besides being 2 for 2 in that department, he was also 2 for 2 in extra points. Punting and kickoffs were also strengths. 6 punts averaging 41 yards, and an average of 46.6 yards on kickoffs rounded out a strong performance by Seth.
Ferrum's new quarterback Braxton Hughes was a pleasant surprise. He showed a strong and accurate arm and was not afraid to run the ball when needed. Hughes went 18 of 32 for 195 yards and one touchdown and no interceptions. Hughes also ran for a touchdown. This was a solid performance. There were 6 receivers that caught passes on offense, and while E.J. Bratcher had the teams only receiving touchdown, I was very impressed with Marquise Woodruff who had four receptions for 50 yards. His first reception, on the first play of the game was his longest of 29 yards, and a heck of a catch under tight coverage.
Ferrum had some very solid defensive moments as well. 2 interceptions in the game were turned in by Nick Rea, and Jameson Hackett. Hackett accounted for 6 tackles and the one interception which he returned for 17 yards to the Muskingum 6-yard line, setting up Ferrum's next score. Rea's pick was Ferrum's first INT of the season, and he made a solid return of 21 yards. This would lead to Ferrum's first score of the game. Huge Shout Out to DE Will Hariston whose name seemed to be called continuously by the Muskingum broadcasters. Hariston had 11 tackles and 1 sack on the day. Overall, I thought there were a lot of wins on defense, and they should be proud of their effort.
If there is an area that Ferrum seemed to struggle with, it was the running game. This part of the offensive attack just could not get going yesterday. I am not sure where the blame lies, but this area must improve. A stronger running game would have meant a more balanced time of possession, meaning that Muskingum would have had the ball less, and possibly scored less. If Ferrum can figure this out, they will be in a far better place this season.
Go Panthers!
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