Dawgs improvise for win after Horn makes some early noise Posted On: Saturday, Nov. 15 2008 08:05 AM By Evan Mohl
Killeen Daily Herald

WACO – The Bulldawgs brought in the big daddies on Friday night.

With winds swirling upwards of 25 mph, a new quarterback under center and Mesquite Horn stuffing nine men in the box, Copperas Cove needed something to generate offensive production. So in the second half, offensive coordinator Tracy Welch consistently put out his "Big Daddy" package on the field, led by all-state linebacker Tanner Brock and seldom-used offensive lineman Kendryx Madison.

It worked.

After being stuffed for much of the first 24 minutes with just 84 total yards, the Bulldawgs ran off 14 unanswered points – all out of the "Big Daddy" formation – as they escaped Mesquite Horn, 21-7 for the bi-district championship at Waco ISD Stadium.

"This might be one of the best offensive coaching jobs I've ever seen," Cove coach Jack Welch said. "With a new quarterback under these conditions facing this kind of defense, you can't throw everything at him. So we had to come up with things that would be effective."

The Bulldawgs will face Naaman Forest next Friday in Waco. The Rangers advanced to the area round with a 20-6 victory over Carrolton Creekview.

With the game tied 7-7 at halftime, Cove, veteran of five straight postseasons, looked like it might fall victim to an upset by playoff rookie Mesquite Horn. But Brock started the winds of change on the breezy night.

The TCU commit stymied a Jaguar drive in Dawg territory when he poked the ball out of receiver Matt Coleman's hands. Reggie Chapman fell on the ball at the Cove 37-yard line and turned things over to the offense.

In the jumbo set, Brelan Chancellor took the ball to the house on the next play. He broke one arm-tackle at the line of scrimmage before turning on the jets for 63 yards on a counter trap to give Cove a 14-7 advantage.

It was Chancellor's second touchdown of the game – he scored on a similar 39-yard play in the first quarter. The junior H-back finished with 165 yards of the Bulldawgs' 395 rushing yards.

"He's an X-factor," Welch said. "With his speed, he can break one on any play."

After the two defenses matched each other for three stops apiece, including a highlight-worthy one-armed interception by Dawg defensive lineman Dezmon Gibson, the Dawgs took over at their own 49. The Jaguars stymied them on the first three downs.

Then, out came the big daddies. On fourth-and-two, Brock ran off-tackle behind Madison and rumbled virtually untouched into the end zone to put the game away with 7:05 remaining.

"It was the Big Daddy package," explained Brock. "The offensive line opened up such a big hole I think all 300 pounds of Kendryx could have run through it."

The play capped a big night for Brock with 16 tackles, a forced fumble, a TD, two fourth-down conversions and 64 yards rushing.

"Tanner is All-American," Welch said. "We may not be the sharpest tools in the shed, but we know we have to utilize somebody like that."

Nic Greene, making his first start at quarterback for the injured Cody Vaughn, had an up-and-down game for Cove. He did not complete a pass and had a delay of game, but ran for 79 yards.

Greene's counterpart, Emory Miller, was superb. The dual-threat quarterback accounted for nearly all the Jaguars' offense. The junior went 36-of-50 for 250 yards to go along with 57 rushing yards. He scored the lone touchdown for Horn on a 7-yard run.

But most of that came in the first half, when he eluded Cove defenders as if there was Vaseline smeared all over his jersey. The Jaguars, however, managed just 87 yards after the break and registered one first down in the fourth quarter.

It certainly helped that the Big Daddy package produced 311 yards rushing in the second half.

"We started off shaky," Brock said. "Then, we started firing on all cylinders, and gave it to the big daddies to close it out."

Contact Evan Mohl at emohl@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7564.