Panthers stop Cougars in Danville Cat Fight30-9

Ferrum College came alive in the second half, and dominated the Cougars of Averett University winning the contest, 30-9. Trailing 9-7 at halftime, it was the Ferrum ground attack that again led the offense for Ferrum with 252 yards on 48 attempts. The Cougars however had more offensive yards than the Panthers 310/277.

In the pregame post, I listed several focus areas that would ensure the Panthers victory. While not all of these areas were dominated by Ferrum, there were enough positives to give the Panthers a solid win on the road. A review of the focus areas finds:

Ferrum scores first.-NO Averett scored a safety when Panther QB Matt Dobson was dropped in the end zone @ 14:25 in the second quarter.

Ferrum dominates the time of possession- NO Averett 33:09 / Ferrum 26:51

Ferrum special team coverage-Much Improved as Averett had 48 return yards on 5 punt returns, and 68 return yards on 6 kickoff returns. This is a huge improvement.

Minimize penalties- Ferrum and Averett each had 6 penalties, but the Panthers were assessed 30 more yards in penalties 67 yards to Averett's 37.

Control Line of Scrimmage- YES Ferrum gained more yards on the ground than Averett (252/125) and limited the Cougars to an average of 4.3 yards per play. Averett's defense had 14 tackles for lost yardage, where as the Panthers only had 5. Overall this is a success from an Offensive perspective, as Ferrum's O Line was able to open holes in the Cougar line and give the backs a chance to gain 252 rushing yards. Each team sacked the other's quarterback 2 times, and the Ferrum defense only allowed an average of 3.2 yards per rush.

No Turnovers- YES No fumbles and No Int's for the Panthers. The defense accounted for three interceptions of the Cougar passing game, 1 of which resulted in a touchdown. This is an area that Ferrum continues to improve in. Great job secondary!

Control the Red Zone- YES Averett only entered the Panther Red zone three times, and came away with a lone TD. Great job by the Ferrum defense as they had a huge goal line stand in the third quarter, and stopped the Cougars on a 4th and less than a yard for a touchdown.

Maintain Kicking Consistency- YES T.J. Grzesikowski, punter for Ferrum was able to maintain his consistency. During the game, T.J. had 7 punts averaging 45.7 yards per kick. His longest was 63 yards, and there was another over 50 yards. Coming into the game, T.J. was ranked 5th in the nation in Division 3 punting.
Clint Slappey was 2-2 on extra point attempts, and did not attempt a field goal.

Offensive Player of the Game-Marcus Mayo had what is arguably his best game of his young college career, as he rushed for two touchdowns, and passed for a third. In addition to this, Mayo was successful on a two point conversion twice, once rushing, and passing to Quinn Tibbs.

Defensive Player of the Game- Ferrum Linebacker Maureik Goode had 12 tackles in the win over Averett.

Final Thoughts- It appeared that Ferrum made some adjustments, or had a very frank discussion with Coach Dave Davis at halftime. Things went far better for the Panthers on both sides of the ball after the break. Ferrum came away with a big win, and moved to 4-1 (2-0) The Panthers seem to be "gelling" as a team, and each week have improved. The teams that they have faced so far have a combined record of 6-18. Next week Maryville will come to Ferrum for the Panthers homecoming game. This will undoubtedly be the toughest opponent that Ferrum has faced this season. Maryville will come into the contest with one of the best rushing defenses in the nation. (18th nationally through week 4) They have the number one ranked defense in the conference, and Ferrum has the number one ranked offense in the conference. Last year, Ferrum lost a heart breaker in overtime, playing before a very vocal Scots home crowd. This year look for another close game. Both teams will have to bring its "A" game, and it could go down to the wire or beyond the wire into overtime. I will post a more in depth preview later in the week, but get ready for a war at W.B. Adams stadium.