Jags' defense suffocates 'Dogs, 20-0
NEDERLAND -- This season showed designs of becoming Nederland's first outright district championship, according to a few experts.
Beaumont Central's determined defenders proved that any Bulldogs thoughts of an outright title basically amounted to nothing more than an escape from reality.
Jaguars' pursuers Anthony Collins, Chris Price and friends gobbled up Nederland's attempts to create holes in Bulldog Stadium's soggy turf. The result turned into the most futile and ineffective offensive output in Larry Neumann's 11 years as head coach.
Beaumont Central defeated Nederland, 20-0, before about 9,000 fans, limiting the Dogs to 45 total yards -- the lowest yardage output for a Nederland team since the third game of the 1990 season-- Bobby August's first year as head coach.
You have to go back to Bay City's 41-0 win over Nederland in 1990 to find fewer total yards in a game for a Bulldogs' program. Nederland netted 21 yards and three first downs at that Bay City setback.
That's also the number of first downs which Kevin Thomas, Jeremy Gray and Central's suffocating defense permitted in this key 20-4A encounter as the Jaguars improved to 6-1 and 4-1.
Defensive coordinator Eric Jackson did not have Central (6-1 and 4-1) leading the district in defense by accident.
Nederland (4-2 and 3-1) was shut out in a regular-season game for only the second time in Neumann's 11-year tenure. The earlier occasion came in his first season, when Port Arthur Jefferson beat Nederland 21-0 in the second game of the 1993 campaign.
But Nederland's punchless offense did much less than pitch a shutout. The Bulldogs never even ventured inside Central's 30-yard line all night.
"That's the best defense we've played at this point and time, including La Marque," Neumann said. "We couldn't generate any running game or passing game for that matter. We had offensive opportunities in the first half. We had great field position and couldn't take advantage of it. Our defense played well in both halves, but the credit appeared to go to Central's defense."
Central allowed Nederland to start its first three possessions in Jaguars territory. When Nederland quarterback Dustin Hood came up empty after those three chances, it made many of the home fans wonder if points might be possible.
Monstrous defensive end Anthony Collins roared through to sack Hood twice for minus 18 yards during the night's first four plays. That early chapter suggested the difficult travel conditions which NHS faced all 48 minutes.
"Our plan was to put pressure on them," Central's defensive chief Jackson said. "We wanted to make sure they got out of the things they were comfortable in. We just came together and worked hard."
Jackson and Central's outstanding coaching staff worked on Collins' techniques. The 6-5, 220-pound pass rusher had "some good games and some bad games" before Nederland.
"I think the thing that changed that was mental," Collins said. "We tried to stay focused and we knew they (Nederland) had a downfall losing No. 15 (Josh Atterberry)."
Nederland's coaches minimized the significance of Atterberry's absence but the Bulldogs arguably needed Josh's talents Friday night and a whole lot more.
"I knew if we didn't play our best, I thought it could be like this," said senior fullback Daniel Tompkins. "We talked about it (Atterberry's dismissal from the team on Tuesday) during the week. The team will have to rise above this like we always have."
Neumann did not believe that he and his staff faced a job of getting this team back together after the impact of Atterberry's dismissal.
"I don't think this team is apart," the Nederland coach said. "I don't care to make that any kind of an issue... I don't know if one person would have made any difference tonight."
One person to make a difference for the Jaguars became junior quarterback Jordy Matherson, who ran and threw for a touchdown, enabling Central to build a 14-0 lead midway in the third quarter.
Matherson was supposed to pass the ball on his 54-yard scoring run with 10:50 left in the third quarter. But the plan changed when he noticed he had a chance to dash around an attempted corner blitz. He dashed down Central's sideline on a 2nd-and-20 situation, to break open a scoreless game.
"My wide receiver (Michael Roberson) made a big block," said Matherson, the game's leading rusher with 114 yards on 10 carries. "It was a designed pass but coach told me if I saw green grass, take it."
The Jaguars needed nothing more on the scoreboard but added a 36-yard Matherson-to-Roberson scoring pass with 6:48 left in the third quarter. Roberson made a diving catch to beat defender Ryan Butler in the NHS end zone.
"Their cornerback kept squatting and they were giving us the fly (route) because they looked concerned about me running at that point," Matherson said.
Jordy and his offense finished with 331 total yards but watched the defense complete the point parade with less than two minutes left in the game. Cornerback Ivory Williams intercepted Hood's pass at Central's 3 and sprinted 97 yards in front of Nederland's sideline for a touchdown.
Central's coach David Suggs was proud of his team's performance, especially his defense and his quarterback.
"We had another outstanding defensive game and Jordy no doubt did a great job," Suggs said. "We noticed in the spring after he led us to the playoffs that he really grew up a lot."
The Jaguars will seek another strong defensive performance next week when they will entertain West Orange-Stark. Nederland must travel to Little Cypress-Mauriceville.