Blinn College head football coach Ryan Mahon had three goals for his team Saturday: Validate its recent entry into the top 15 rankings; stop Cisco College’s Wing-T offense; and begin conference play with a victory.
Check, check, and check.
The No. 15 Buccaneers smothered the visiting Wranglers’ triple-option offense while grinding out an impressive rushing attack which highlighted Blinn’s 21-13 Southwest Junior College Football Conference victory at Cub Stadium in Brenham, Texas.
Blinn (3-0, 1-0 SWJCFC) limited Cisco (1-1, 0-1) to just one touchdown late in Saturday’s ballgame, otherwise allowing just two field goals in an impressive defensive showing.
(Pictured: The Blinn College defense swarms Cisco’s quarterback on Saturday)
“I thought we had a really good defensive plan, and there were very few plays on our side that I thought were breakdowns,” Mahon said. “Outside of that, our plan was good, and our kids went out and executed, and offensively, we put our defense in bad situations at times and our defense rose to the occasion.”
The Wranglers didn’t reach the end zone until the 1:47 remained in the game, and a failed onside kick on the subsequent kickoff sailed into the hands of a Buccaneers, effectively putting the game on ice.
It was a fitting conclusion for a Blinn team that spent most of the night bottling up Cisco ball carriers in the back field or at the line of scrimmage while pummeling the Wranglers’ defensive front with a two-headed rushing attack.
(Pictured: Blinn College running back JJ Branham, 6, picks up yardage against Cisco on Saturday)
Though Blinn freshman quarterback Brock Bolfing and sophomore wide receiver Tre Harden got the scoring started with a 16-yard touchdown connection with 9:11 left in the first quarter, the evening belonged to freshman Willie Eldridge and sophomore JJ Branham.
The halfback tandem carried the lion’s share of touches on Saturday, with each scoring a touchdown to help Blinn pull away. Eldridge muscled his way across the goal line from 14 yards out to make it a 14-3 game with 13:35 to go in the first half, and Branham bulldozed his way 2 yards to pay dirt with 4:57 left in the game, making it 21-6.
“Pretty much all week, coach Mahon told the running backs that we were going to pound the rock,” Eldridge said. “So, going into tonight we expected to carry the ball a lot and we just put our team on our backs and got the job done.”
Added Branham: “First off, I just want to thank our offensive linemen because we all came together to make this happen tonight. It’s a one-two punch from me and Willie every single time; we have speed and quickness, so we can hurt you on the inside and the outside. I think we showed that tonight.”
Blinn’s gritty offensive showing was held up by a strong defense that continued to shine in Week 3. The Bucs have now allowed just 13 points on the year.
“We had a few rocky plays at the start of the game, but when you’re facing a Wing-T offense like we saw tonight, it’s all about doing your individual job,” sophomore linebacker Nate Dyman said. “You have to be locked in on your job because you can’t do anybody else’s, and that’s what made this a trust game. I told my teammates this week that “This is a trust game. I have to trust you and you have to trust me. You look at the scoreboard tonight, and that was because of trust right there.'”
Blinn will enjoy a bye week in Week 4 before hitting the road for the first time this season. The Buccaneers will take on the defending NJCAA Division I national champions and No. 1-ranked New Mexico Military Institute in a SWJCFC showdown at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, in Roswell, N.M.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
