Unable to contain a fierce blitzing defense by Georgia Military College, the Fort Benning Doughboys managed just nine first downs and 140 yards of offense in a 45-0 loss Saturday at Doughboy Stadium.
“They were blitzing every play … but there were plays to be made and we didn’t make them,” said Fort Benning quarterback Blake Powers, who often was forced to get rid of the ball earlier than he wanted. “We just have to get better.”
The nine-man front of the Bulldogs defense shut down the Fort Benning running game as running back Emmanuel Batson had 23 yards rushing.
Georgia Military College is an NJCAA Division I team that was ranked No. 12 in the country last year and won the 2001 NJCAA national championship. While the Doughboys easily defeated the LaGrange College junior varsity squad Oct. 2, the Bulldogs brought their varsity team to play Fort Benning as a scrimmage game during the team’s bye week of its regular season.
“We knew they were a good team,” Fort Benning head coach Jason Gibson said. “I think this is good for us. To play someone at a high level … it’s going to make us work harder. Teams are always better after a loss than after a win. I would play them again tomorrow just for the chance.”
The Bulldogs scored on their first play after forcing the Doughboys to a three-and-out on the game’s opening drive. Bulldogs wide receiver Mario Alford was wide open after faking a screen and running a fly pattern, as Fort Benning had no safety covering the area. Quarterback Nico Ranieri hit Alford in stride and Alford went 67 yards untouched.
After a poor punt that gave the Bulldogs great field position at the Fort Benning 49-yard line, Georgia Military capped a 10-play drive with a 3-yard touchdown run by R.J. Robinson.
The next Bulldog touchdown deflated the momentum of an interception by Doughboys cornerback Ramel DeReese. Unable to take advantage of the turnover, the Doughboys offense faced another fourth down at its own 43. Darrius Edwards blocked the punt and took it the opposite way for a touchdown, giving the Bulldogs a 21-0 lead.
“I think we played well defensively, we were just putting our defense in a bad spot,” Gibson said. “If the offense could have moved the ball, it would have been a different story.”
The Bulldogs started the second half much like they did the first and put the game out of reach as Ranieri threw to Alford, who shook off a tackler near the sidelines and raced to the end zone for his second score of over 60-yards, making it 31-0.
Things improved offensively in the fourth quarter for the Doughboys as Powers connected on passes of 27 and 25 yards, part of an 11-play drive that started on the Fort Benning 5-yard line, but ended with a turnover on downs at the Bulldogs 20.
Powers, who completed only 11 of his 27 pass attempts, said the team will move on and look ahead to the Doughboy Bowl Oct. 27 against Columbus State.
“I don’t think we’re fazed by it,” he said. “A lot of these guys have been through tougher situations than losing a football game. We want to win … but I don’t think it’s going to hurt our demeanor at all.”
