Panthers outgained 411-64 in 34-0 setback
The Panther football team traveled more than two hours to Wells last Friday and came away with nothing more than a wake-up call.
TMB was outgained 411-64 and had only three first downs in a 34-0 loss to United South Central in Wells.
“We really struggled offensively,” TMB head coach Ryan Kruse said. “We just couldn’t move the ball.”
Kruse’s statement was no exaggeration. TMB punted on its first six possessions, gaining a total of just 49 yards on those drives. Its next two possessions resulted in turnovers.
“We struggled to get first downs so we gave the ball back to them often,” said Kruse.
Despite their struggles, the Panthers found themselves down just 14-0 at the half, as the defense picked up the slack in the first two quarters.
“I thought we did a great job on defense,” said Kruse. “With all the plays we were on defense in the first half it was good we were only down two scores at half.”
The second half wasn’t kind to TMB, either. The two turnovers came during their first three possessions of the second half.
“We continued to battle in the second half but still failed to execute consistently on the offense side,” said Kruse. “Going forward, we really need to find the consistency to move the ball.”
The Panthers were playing shorthanded last week, which didn’t help matters.
Two starters missed their first of three games because of disciplinary reasons, and another starter, Brody Hauger, missed the second half Friday after injuring his shoulder (he said he intends to play this week).
The TMB defense was led by Aiden Sanow, who had 15 total tackles and recorded his third interceptions in just two games. Griffin Zick also had a pick and had seven tackles. Nolan Verlinde had eight tackles, and Lawton Verlinde and Ryker Freeburg both had six.
