Bowling Green 49 - Franklin-Simpson 34

By J. Trace Kirkwood

Two very gutsy teams put every physical ability they had on the field at El Donaldson Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky, last night. The visiting Wildcats rolled up U.S. 31-W with a team full of athletes that includes two of the best in the state with Courtney Dalcourt and Patrick Flippin. Bowling Green stood its ground with one of the strongest back field runners I've seen at the high school level with Tevin Barksdale.

I was excited because Frankin-Simpson had the attitude that they didn't care that Louisville Trinity is the only team to beat Bowling Green at home in the past several years. They took the field to win the game and not cower at the Purples' tradition. The Wildcats did what any good street fighter has to do to win a well-matched fight: come out and pop the big guy right in the nose and hope that he doesn't get mad enough to kill you.

Franklin's Hayden Williams picked off a J.P. Jackson pass about three-and-a-half minutes into the game in Bowling Green territory. Courtney Dalcourt found Brandon Kinnaird with a touchdown pass, and the Wildcats took a quick 7-0 lead on the Purples.

The Wildcats had an opportunity to take a two touchdown lead, but their drive fizzled in the worst sort of way late in the quarter. I won't "if" things because football is filled with important plays, ones where the momentum of the game shifts. Late in the first, Bowling Green seemed surprised by Franklin's tenacity and possibly with Dalcourt's superb athletic ability. Everything seemed to be going for the Wildcats. Dalcourt connected on a downfield pass that would've netted a first down with Franklin heading into the Purples' end of the field. However, a holding call brought the ball back. Instead of it being first and ten near the 50 (I can't remember where the play had ended, and I apologize) their next play started deep in their own territory with a 2nd down and 20.

The Wildcats couldn't get the first down.

Bowling Green got the ball back and finished the first quarter with a touchdown pass from Jackson to Zack Williams.

I have no way of knowing if the holding call ended a Franklin-Simpson drive and touchdown, after all, the Wildcats had two more downs to get a fresh set of downs. I just feel like if they punched another touchdown on the Purples and made it 14-0, they would've had a pretty good shot at winning the ballgame.

That's the beauty of football, though. In basketball it's hard to measure what a foul or a lost ball does to a team, but in football the mistake is measured out in one yard hash marks. After a penalty, when the referee puts the ball down on the grass, the fans can see "we are here and we could've been there."

It was tied at 7 at the end of the first.

Each team scored a touchdown in the second quarter. Bowling Green's Tevin Barksdale made one of the most impressive touchdown runs I've seen with a spinning, tackle breaking 48 yard rumble into the endzone. Barksdale showed everyting a running back needs to be good in that run. He showed agility by avoiding tackles and his own blockers by spinning like a springtime cyclone. He showed strength by busting through tackles. He showed speed by flying through Franklin's backfield.

Franklin's defense probably felt a little like a trailer park in April after that run.

The Wildcats didn't back down. That's why I like Tim Schlosser's team so much. They answered with a drive and touchdown with 4:50 left in the half. The teams went to halftime tied at 14 a piece.

Bowling Green opened the second half with a 24 yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Barksdale. The Wildcats blocked the point after attempt, and for awhile I thought it might prove critical to the game. That left the door open for Franklin to take a lead possibly win a close game. And, Franklin responded with a touchdown and a point after to take the lead 21-20 with 4:37 left in the third quarter.

Their lead was short lived because Bowling Green answered with at touchdown at the 1:53 mark in the quarter. The Purples opted for a the two-point conversion. Jackson dropped back and made a short pass into the endzone where a gang of Purples and Wildcats were clustered in line with the right hashmarks. I couldn't count how many times the ball was tipped, but it ended up in the hands of Tevin Barksdale. The Purps slammed shut the door the blocked extra point left open.

The Purples' first possession of the final quarter featured a long drive and a J.P. Jackson keeper into the endzone. Jackson did a superb job of faking a hand-off. I bought it. The Wildcat defenders bought it. I was convinced he handed the ball off to Barksdale, and I think for a split second J.P. Jackson was the only person in Donaldson Stadium that knew he had the ball.

Bowling Green was up 35-21.

Franklin-Simpson looked tired. That's what the big lineman for Bowling Green does to teams. They wear them down. Even though the Wildcats looked fatigued, they managed to score two more touchdowns in the fourth, but the Purples scored two more. The game ended in an absolute scoring frenzy.

Here's what I took from this game: If Courtney Dalcourt ends up at a 1-AA football program, that lucky school will have the steal of the decade. As a Hilltopper fan, I'd love to see this kid wearing red and gray next season. the guy is a heck of an athlete, and he is among the best football players in the state.

Franklin-Simpson is the most dangerous .500 football team in the Commonwealth. They won't be .500 for long, and should finish the season 6-4. Sorry, Coach Schlosser, the Wildcats are good, but I don't see them beating Fort Campbell on the road. The Wildcats are off next week then they paly three at home before heading to The Fort.

Tip to Coach Schlosser: When you play Fort Campbell, stay out of Oak Grove, unless you have a post game steak at Charlie's. There are rites-of-passage available in Oak Grove, but for young football players a steak at Charlie's is the only one they need to experience.

Also, Tevin Barksdale can run the ball late in the game with four or five guys on his back. He had a run in the fourth quarter and carried three Franklin defenders five yards. I'd hate to have to try and tackle him in the open field.

OBSERVATIONS

Doctor, Doctor: Apparently, in order to be eligible for Homecoming Queen at BGHS, you have to be the daughter of a local doctor. Th elist of last names for the candidates and their escorts are all the ones my insurance company has paid. For a minute I thought I was listening to pages at the Medical Center.

Throw Backs?: Bowling Green's cheerleaders celebrated Homecoming by climbing into an attic at the school and dragging out old uniforms. It was a nice touch. I did notice that none of them wore the long sleeve sweaters, knee socks, longer skirts, and carried gigantic pompoms like they did back in my day. It wasn't so much of a "throw back" as a "toss back." Wait! Toss back? That's a whole 'nother subject.

National Geographic Moment: The stadium lights attracted some of the most impressively large grasshoppers I've seen outside of National Geographic photos from Africa. One kid crushed one in front of me, and it sounded like he crushed a bag of potato chips.

ESPN: I guess they broadcasted last night's game in Bowling Green. There were cameras there, and the one in the north endzone was up in one of the most precarious looking contraptions. I can't even describe it, but they would have to pay me hazardous duty pay to ascend in that thing.