Rebels rule Indians, 42-14

Photo by LARRY HILLIARD Gaffney High quarterback Joe Craig is brought down by a Brynes defensive lineman during first-quarter action Friday at The Reservation. The No.1-ranked Rebels beat the Indians, 42-14. About the only thing Byrnes star running back Marcus Lattimore hasn't accomplished in his stellar career was to post a victory at The Reservation.

Check that off his list.

Lattimore, who lost twice at The Reservation in 2006 as a freshman, rushed for 215 yards and two touchdowns to help the No. 1-ranked Byrnes Rebels to a convincing 42-14 victory on Friday.

Although Lattimore outraced the Indians for a 71-yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage for his first "did you see him do that" moment, his biggest run came in the third quarter after the Indians appeared to gain the momentum with a touchdown that pulled them within 27-14.

On a third-and-14 at their own 16, and the normally rocksolid consistent Byrnes quarterback Chas Dodd looking uncomfortable in the pocket, Lattimore restored order and control of the game for the Rebels with a 64-yard run on a draw play.

One play later, Dodd, who finished an uncharacteristic 10 of 19 for only 194 yards, hit Craig Weick for a 29-yard touchdown to put the Rebels on top 34-14 with 2:54 left in the third quarter.

The Indians never seriously threatened again.

"(Lattimore) is pretty good," Gaffney defensive coordinator Dan Jones said. "If (Alabama coach) Nick Saban wants him, you know he's pretty good."

Lattimore also had a 26-yard TD run in the third quarter.

"You can't arm tackle Marcus Lattimore," Gaffney coach Phil Strickland said. "He's as good a back as I've seen in 27 years of coaching. One arm isn't going to bring him down."

The Rebels dominated the statsheet and the scoreboard. The Rebels piled up 487 yards of total offense. What makes the figures so remarkable is they came against an Indian defense that had limited opponents to an average of 215 yards of total offense and 11 points a game.

The Rebels also put up the numbers on a sloppy field and without injured star wideout Ricco Sanders.

"They ended up running the ball a little more," Jones said.

That meant more Lattimore. And more anguish for the Indian defense.

There were some bright spots for the Indians. Quarterback Joe Craig settled down in the second half and engineered two touchdown drives. He gained 91 yards on the ground and completed 6 of 10 throws for 41 yards and no interceptions.

"He ran a little bit harder in the second half," Strickland said.

Tailback Kendrick Lipscomb also showed promise with 61 yards on 12 carries.

After Lattimore's touchdown run, the Rebels took advantage of good field position on their third possession, marching 43 yards on seven plays to go up 13-0 on Dodd's 1- yard sneak.

A controversial decision to go for it on a fourth-and-inches at their own 30 backfired on the Indians when the Rebels recovered an errant snap at the 15. Two plays later, Dodd hit Weick on a 14-yard touchdown with 3:16 left in the first quarter.

"We screwed up there," Strickland said. "We snapped the ball too early. That was a big momentum swing."

The Rebels had a chance to add to their lead in the final minute of the second quarter but fumbled on a fourth-andgoal from the 1.

Behind the running of Craig and Lipscomb, the Indian offense came alive in the third quarter. Craig capped a 74- yard drive with a 12-yard run. Lipscomb had a big 15-yard run in the drive.

The Rebels responded quickly on their next possession with Dodd and Nick Jones hooking up on a 47-yard touchdown and a 27-7 lead.

After a rare Lattimore fumble, Craig found Emison Hughes open in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 27-14.

Lattimore redeemed himself on the next series with his game-changing 64-yard run.

Dodd and Weick combined for the Rebels' other touchdown, a 29-yard touchdown toss in the third quarter.

Gaffney, 3-2, will host rival Spartanburg (3-2) on Friday.