PHILIPPI – Heading into their contest with the Philip Barbour Colts Friday night, Buckhannon-Upshur head coach Zach Davis said winning the turnover battle would be a key to victory for the Bucs.
Unfortunately for the Bucs, they lost that battle as they turned it over five times and wound up dropping a 35-14 decision to the Colts in a Big 10 Conference game.
Philip Barbour turned four first-half B-U turnovers into a 21-0 lead putting the Bucs in a huge hole that they were never able to fight out of.
“I think we saw some youth tonight creep in,” stated Buckhannon-Upshur head coach Zach Davis. “It was the first time that some guys had to carry the load for us in a rivalry game. Last year we could count on Savion Farmer to do that, and he is no longer here. I am still proud of how we fought, we fought to the bitter end. At the end of the day, we had a difficult time blocking them. Our lack of mobility hurt us tonight. We had a tough time moving to our blocks, we work on that a ton, but it’s different in a game.”
The Colts raced out to a 21- 0 lead capitalizing on those four B-U turnovers on a 12-yard run by Michael Morral, a 22-yard run by Nathaniel Hulver and a four-yard scamper by Hulver.
The Bucs got on the scoreboard late in the second quarter when Dawson Tenney connected with Ian Strader for a 29-yard touchdown pass.
Wyatt Mason’s point-after try was good making it 21-7, which would be the score at the half.
The Bucs worked their way back into the game when the Tenney-Strader combo struck again with a nine-yard scoring reception with 5:52 remaining in the third quarter.
The momentum was short-lived as Logan Beam took the ensuing kickoff back 89 yards for the touchdown giving Philip Barbour a 28-14 lead.
The Colts tacked on one more touchdown late in the fourth quarter when Hulver picked off a pass and returned it 63 yards for the score.
The Bucs, who were penalized seven times for 55 yards, saw two fourth quarter touchdowns taken off the board because of flags, including one on a bizarre illegal man downfield penalty when the ball was at the Philip Barbour two-yard line as lineman are allowed to block three yards down field.
The Bucs gained 241 yards of total offense getting 113 on the ground and 128 through the air.
Wyatt Morris led the B-U ground game with 67 yards on 17 carries while Tenney gained 39 yards on 13 carries.
Tenney completed 12 of his 25 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
His favorite target was Bryson Johnston who hauled in six catches for 52 yards while Strader caught four passes for 60 yards and two scores.
Philip Barbour racked up 233 yards of offense gaining 172 on the ground and 61 through the air.
Nathaniel Hulver led all backs with 143 yards and two scores on 20 carries while Kaden Humphreys gained 43 yards on 13 carries.
Humphreys completed four of his 12 passes for 61 yards and was intercepted twice.
Philip Barbour improved to 2-0 on the season.
The Bucs dropped to 1-2 and will face Elkins next Friday on the road.
Elkins will enter the game 0-3 after dropping a 47-7 contest on Friday to Lewis County.
“We just have to move onto the next game after this,” concluded Davis. “Have some reflection and get ready for Elkins.”
The boxscore:
Buckhannon-Upshur 0 7 7 0 – 14
Philip Barbour 14 7 7 7 – 35
(Scoring)
Philip Barbour – Michael Morral, 12-yard run (Layna Grassi kick)
Philip Barbour – Nathaniel Hulver, 22-yard run (Grassi kick)
Philip Barbour – Hulver, 4-yard run (Grassi kick)
Buckhannon-Upshur – Ian Strader, 29-yard pass from Dawson Tenney (Wyatt Mason kick)
Buckhannon-Upshur – Strader, 9-yard pass from Tenney (Mason kick)
Philip Barbour – Logan Beam, 89-yard kick-off return (Grassi kick)
Philip Barbour – Hulver, 63-yard interception return (Grassi kick)
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs – Buckhannon-Upshur: 15 (6 rushing, 5 passing, 4 penalty); Philip Barbour: 15 (13 rushing, 2 passing, 0 penalty).
Rushing yards – Buckhannon-Upshur: 35-113; Philip Barbour: 44-172.
Passing yards – Buckhannon-Upshur: 128; Philip Barbour: 61.
Total yards – Buckhannon-Upshur: 241; Philip Barbour: 233.
Passes – Buckhannon-Upshur: 13-26-4; Philip Barbour: 4-12-1.
Penalties – Buckhannon-Upshur: 7-55; Philip Barbour: 10-112.
Punts – Buckhannon-Upshur: 3-41.3; Philip Barbour: 3-33.3.
Fumbles – Buckhannon-Upshur: 3; Philip Barbour: 1
Fumbles lost – Buckhannon-Upshur: 1; Philip Barbour: 0.
All-Return yards – Buckhannon-Upshur: 135; Philip Barbour: 171.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Buckhannon-Upshur – Wyatt Morris 17-67; Dawson Tenney 13-39; Drake Davis 1-4; Bryson Johnston 1-2; Luke Yardley 3-1. Totals 35-113.
Philip Barbour – Nathaniel Hulver 20-143 (2 touchdowns); Kaden Humphreys 13-43; Michael Morral 5-14 (1 touchdown); Logan Beam 1-5; Cameron Bennett 2-(-4); team 3-(-29). Totals 44-172 (3 touchdowns).
Passing
Buckhannon-Upshur – Tenney 12-for-25 for 120 yards, 2 touchdowns, 4 interceptions; Brody McDaniels 1-for-1 for 8 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions. Totals 13-for-26 for 128 yards, 2 touchdowns, 4 interceptions.
Philip Barbour – Humphreys 4-for-12 for 61 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions.
Receiving
Buckhannon-Upshur – Johnston 6-52; Ian Strader 4-60 (2 touchdowns); Cooper Antolini 2-12; Carter Zuliani 1-4. Totals 13-128 (2 touchdowns).
Philip Barbour – Trenton Bodkins 2-47; Braylyn Edwards 1-7; Morral 1-7. Totals 4-61.
