Area Blitz Rewind: TV game an adjustment for Belton Posted On: Tuesday, Nov. 3 2009 05:09 AM By Nick Talbot and Angel Verdejo
Killeen Daily Herald

When it was all said and done Thursday night, Belton players and coaches said their nationally televised game against Temple was just that – a game.

"Well, it was a football game" Belton quarterback David Ash said. "It's still the same."

But Belton's 17-6 win over Temple wasn't an ordinary game. The broadcast was shown nationally on ESPNU, which, like most other games shown on television, meant more fans, signage and time.

The near-capacity crowd at Wildcat Stadium was possible as both marching bands were positioned in temporary bleachers behind the two end zones.

Temple also had a stadium wrap along the face of the visitor's seats.

And about the time?

The television timeouts were an adjustment, players and coaches said. The offenses and defenses stood in their respective huddles a little longer than usual as they awaited a signal from the referees, who waited on a signal from the television production staff.

"I understand now why college coaches pull their hair out," Belton coach Rodney Southern said of the television timeouts. "You never know when it is and now you're standing there for two minutes and I'm going, 'OK, call the defense,' but you still have a minute and a half left."

Holding onto the rock

In order to score, a team has to have the ball.

Gatesville's offense was its best defense Friday in its 31-21 win over West.

West had the ball for only four minutes and 40 seconds in the first half against Gatesville. Gatesville had three drives of nine or more plays in the half as they jumped out to a 17-0 lead.

The first was a nine-play, 36-yard drive that ended on downs. The drives just kept getting longer from there.

The second was an 11-play, 43-yard drive that ended with a Jake Truss field goal. The third? Well, that was the most impressive of the bunch, a 14-play, 65-yarder that took off 10 minutes and 42 seconds off the clock.

The drive ended with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Truss to Dexter Knox.

Gatesville even added a 12-play, 85-yard drive in the second half.

When it was all said and done the Hornets had run 70 plays to West's 45 and, of course, they had won by 10 points.

Full-speed ahead fullback

Edward Hall is no secret. The senior ran for 186 yards and a touchdown in Lampasas' 21-17 loss to Killeen Thursday night. While Hall is no secret, fullback Brode DuBose smashed heads rather than turned them. He had 84 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, including nine on the Badgers' first drive for 29 yards.

"Brode's back healthy again and our fullback position is very important and Edward blocks for him when he gets those yards," said first-year Lampasas coach Joey McQueen on Thursday night. "We just kind of feed it off him with our H-back

… I'm excited that we came over and played like that."

The Badgers turned the ball over twice in their final two go-ahead attempts to ultimately fall short of the upset, but a win Friday night against Hutto still gets the Badgers into the playoffs for the first time since 2000

Tracking Numbers

9 – The total number of wins for the Belton Tigers from 2004-08, which includes two 0-10 seasons and a 4-6 record in 2005. The Tigers can win their ninth game this year Friday against Bryan.

69 – The number of offensive plays the Badgers ran Thursday night at Killeen High. The Roos offense, ranked second in the district, ran just 41.

9.1 – Yards per catch by Gatesville receiver Dominique Moore, who caught nine passes for 81 yards against West. While the yards per catch may not have been high, Moore caught four of the passes for first downs.

Fast Forward

FRIDAY

Salado at Rogers – Salado (3-6, 3-2) is in a must-win situation against Rogers, but not only do they have to win, they have to win by four points. With Rogers defeating Academy last week, Salado now must win by four in order to win the tie-break system in 25-2A.

Gatesville at China Spring – Gatesville wrapped up a playoff spot Friday with a 31-21 win against West. Now, it must face one of its biggest rivals with only pride on the line for itself, but a playoff spot on the line for the Cougars. After falling to Glen Rose last week, China Spring now needs to win to claim the third playoff spot in 7-3A.

Bryan at Belton – Belton (8-1, 5-1) is in the driver's seat for District 12-5A. A win over Bryan (6-3, 4-2) at home Friday and the Tigers will at least claim a share of their first district title since 2003. A&M Consolidated (6-3, 5-1) ends the year against Ellison and can tie Belton with a win.

Hutto at Lampasas – The Badgers had two shots to beat Killeen but turned the ball over. They only have one more shot to get into playoffs. Friday night, when Lampasas hosts Hutto, the winner gets in, the loser is eliminated in the regular season finale

Kevin Posival contributed to this report.