Offensively, it wasn’t pretty, but Jay still managed to hold off Stevens’ comeback bid to improve to 5-0 on the season.
Despite the Mustangs gaining just 200 yards on offense, the squad still defeated the Falcons 21-14 at Gustafson Stadium. Dominating for most of the game, Jay stood steadfast against a vicious Stevens rally in the waning minutes of regulation.
It was an unexpectedly tight affair, considering Stevens has only won a single contest. And it started out heavily in the Mustangs’ favor.
Jay began the game by scoring on their first drive, converting a two point attempt to take the 8-0 lead. A safety followed an errant snap to Stevens’ punter, pushing Jay’s lead to 10-0 before halftime.
The third quarter was more of the same, with Stevens’ scoring on an 8-yard slant pass and another two-point conversion. The team followed the touchdown with a 30-yard field goal by kicker Jacob Quinland with less than five minutes left in the game.
Inexplicably, Jay opted to rest their starters with time expiring, while Stevens took advantage of the strategic faux pas.
The squad was able to find the end zone twice in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter; with 2:23 remaining, quarterback Kristian Morales hit receiver Rodney Boisley for a 4-yard touchdown, followed by a score by Dominic Mason at the 1:21 mark. A failed onside kick was the deciding factor that sealed the win for the gassed Mustang back-ups.
The deciding factor was Jay’s resilient defense, sacking the quarterback four times and forcing two fumbles—one of which set up a score. Frequently, the Mustangs got in the Falcons’ backfield on third and fourth downs to halt any momentum had by their opponent.
It doesn’t get any easier Jay’s schedule; two of their next three games are against undefeated San Antonio programs.
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