UNFAIR TIMING
BLOOMSBURG — Bloomsburg coach Mike Kogut was pleased with the Panthers' in-game response, turning a 17-point deficit into a one-possession game early in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, the Panthers couldn't get closer than three points in a 32-23 defeat, their first of the season, to Loyalsock. The loss now makes Kogut curious to see how the team turns the page and responds as they prepare for the second half of the campaign.
That's especially the case when the team has the week off for the Bloomsburg Fair, which could be a distraction for the players, as he hopes they will double down and learn from the experience.
"We didn't take them lightly, and we know Loyalsock always plays us tough all the time, but it's our first loss. They're young men, and they're used to winning. How are they going to rebound?" Kogut said. "We have to take the good with the bad and learn from it. We have fair week and have off from school. It changes our routine. Are we going to be at practice daily and focused? Are we not going to be worried about the fair? They're all things I want to see in how we rebound."
If it's anything like the Panthers did to start the second half, Kogut has nothing to worry about.
Bloomsburg scored touchdowns on its first three possessions, taking what the Lancers would give them with drives of six, nine, and five plays — none going for more than 22 yards on a contested touchdown grab by Jharee Moore-Stewart.
The sophomore running back also had an 8-yard touchdown run to cap Bloomsburg's scoring on the first snap of the fourth quarter. Quarterback Wyatt Brosious found Shane Frey in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion to make it a 26-23 contest.
Sandwiched between Moore-Stewart's scores was a 4-yard run by Waytt Schrader.
Brosious led the charge by finding the underneath man, often Moore-Stewart or Jack Katulis, a lot of the time. He finished 16 of 28 for 162 yards passing, putting together streaks of six and eight straight completions in each half. He also ran to the tune of 79 yards on 18 carries, only getting sacked once in a critical situation late in the fourth quarter.
Coming up with big defensive plays was a common sight for the Lancers.
None was arguably bigger than when the Lancers, pinned against their own end zone with a fresh set of downs, stopped Bloomsburg on four straight run plays within the 2-yard line. The Panthers ran 12 plays on the drive and came away with nothing to show for it. Kogut, though, thought they might have on one of their "tush pushes."
"It's essential when playing a team like this. They have great athletes and are going to make plays," Loyalsock coach Justin Van Fleet said. "You have to get takeaways, get stops in tight spaces, and make them uncomfortable. I think we did that today."
The Lancers also won the turnover battle, something Kogut credits as crucial for the final linescore.
"I'm proud of our kids. They fought back in the second half — they always do. But when we fought back, so did Loyalsock, Kogut said. "We made too many mistakes with three turnovers. It's the first time we lost the turnover battle in a game, and we have to take care of the ball better."
Danny Dowell intercepted Brosious twice in the first half, including once in the red zone. Dowell capped off his first takeaway with an 11-yard rushing touchdown for the game's first points. He had himself a big night on both sides of the ball, finishing with 160 yards on 18 carries — just shy of 9 yards a carry — from quarterback.
He posted three rushing touchdowns, the last coming on the ensuing drive as the Panthers made it a field goal game. If that score didn't take the momentum away, a forced fumble, recovered by Jeremiah Johnson, did the trick with just under 3 minutes to play.
Dowell, a converted wide receiver, also made his first completion go for a 31-yard touchdown to Jalil Coates. The running back, who finished with 117 yards and a rushing score himself, made a one-handed reverse body snag on the score.
Van Fleet said he was proud of his players for keeping their heads up despite nearly beating themselves with 14 penalties for 125 yards. Flags erased passes of 88 and 94 yards from Dowell and a 40-yard run from Coates.
The Panthers may not be in the classroom this week, but Kogut is still hoping they take this time and turn it into a learning lesson.
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