BRENHAM, Texas โ The offense for Blinn College football never did look too pretty in the season opening game against ASA College-Miami but it did just enough to pull away for a 29-19 victory Saturday afternoon at Cub Stadium in Brenham to start the season with a 1-0 record.
โWell itโs a win but it was an ugly win,โ said Blinn head coach Keith Thomas. โWe have got a lot of work to do but you kind of expect that the first game.โ
The defense stepped up in clutch situations to help keep ASA-Miami at bay in the fourth quarter to pull away for the 10-point victory. The play that turned the tide on offense was a 62-yard strike from Robert Mitchell to Garrison Mitchell to break open a tie game to give the Buccaneers a 26-19 advantage.
โThe catch felt good but I started cramping with about 15 yards to go but I was able to dive in for the score,โ Garrison Mitchell said.
Defense started off right when Jaylon Bowden intercepted an ASA-Miami pass on the first drive and the Buccaneers were able to convert that into a 28-yard field goal from Eric Piccione.
โThat interception felt good because I could kind of see him looking to my side so I just went up to grab it,โ Bowden said. โWe had a couple breakdowns on defense but I felt like we did good overall.โ
Overall Piccione had a good day for Blinn with three field goals to help the offense. ASA-Miami countered right back with back to back field goals to take a 6-3 with just seconds left in the first quarter.
Blinn used three quarterbacks on the day as Robert Mitchell got the start and then Caleb Hill got time and Timon Nolan even saw time. Nolan was used in the red zone early in the second quarter as he ran in a touchdown from seven yards out for a 9-6 lead with 10:35 left in the half. ASA-Miami would connect on a pass play for a touchdown to retake the lead at 13-9.
After a good kick return by Jai Edwards where he was able to hurdle a couple of defenders got the Buccaneers to midfield, Brandon Jackson was able to complete the drive off with a one-yard run up the middle for a touchdown and a 16-13 lead that would hold up until halftime.
Piccione added a 28-yard field goal on the Buccaneerโs second drive of the second half to boost the lead to 19-13 with 8:33 left in the third. ASA-Miami would tie the game up with a touchdown run but the point after attempt failed to keep the game locked up at 19-19.
The Blinn defense stepped up the rest of the way to keep ASA-Miami off the scoreboard and the Mitchell to Mitchell connection gave the Buccaneers the lead for good. Piccione added his final field goal late in the fourth to give Blinn its 10-point cushion that held up until the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Blinn will be at home again Aug. 29 when it hosts Texas A&T at 7 p.m. at Cub Stadium in Brenham.
The Blinn cheerleaders were honored before the game and were given their rings for a national championship and the Blinn Treasure dance team did the same but at halftime.
This game was also Adamโs Angels Ministry fundraiser game in which Blinn raises money and awareness for Adamโs Angels. Adamโs Angels Ministry is called to provide care and comfort for families that are in a battle against childhood cancer. The fundraising effort is part of Blinnโs annual Adopt-a-Charity program in which all Blinn athletic programs dedicate a portion of their gate proceeds towards a charity. For more information on Adamโs Angels Ministries visit www.adamsangelsministry.org.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 32 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit: www.buccaneersports.com.
