Mojo Smothers the Bobcats' Offense in the Second Half

1st Quarter

Permian received the first-half kickoff and immediately went to work. A missed tackle turned into a long touchdown, and the Panthers led early after the touchdown. The Bobcats gained decent yardage on their first drive but stalled out near midfield. Central punted the ball away and surrendered another quick score on a long touchdown pass. Permian led midway through the 1st quarter 14-0.

The ‘Cats' misfortunes continued on the ensuing kickoff. A fumbled fair catch gave Permian the ball in Central’s territory. Mojo hit two more explosive pass plays to put the ball inside the Bobcats’ 5-yard line. After a short touchdown run, the game looked like it might get out of hand early.

Central’s offense finally got things going at the end of the 1st quarter. Christian English hit several receivers to move the ball down the field and inside the Mojo’s 10-yard line. Three plays later, the ‘Cats faced a 4th and goal at Permian's 3-yard line. A bad snap on 4th down almost went over English’s head, and the Panthers forced the turnover on downs as time expired in the 1st quarter.

2nd Quarter

Mojo took the momentum that the defense generated to hit another long touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Jakob Garcia hit a wide-open receiver in stride for a 59-yard touchdown. Mojo led 28-0 early in 2nd quarter.

The ‘Cats flipped a switch for the rest of the 1st half. Central finally found the end zone on the ensuing possession. English led the offense out on the field to start the drive at the 25-yard line. The ‘Cats then drove the ball 75 yards down the field, mostly through the air to score. Faced with a 4th down, the Bobcats went for it. English connected with Colten Hill for a big gain and a conversion. Hill followed that up with another catch where he broke free from the defender to score a 15-yard touchdown.

After a quick 3-and-out by the defense, the Bobcats scored again. Aided by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Permian, the ‘Cats found themselves at Permian’s 32-yard line. Curtis Owen, a senior receiver, was wide open, streaking down the field. English hit the young man in stride for a 32-yard touchdown. The ‘Cats narrowed Permian’s advantage 28-14.

Central’s defense stepped up again on the following possession. The Bobcats' big men flushed Garcia out of the pocket, and Garcia threw an errant pass right to Seth Mariano. Mariano picked it off and handed the ball back to the offense. Central went right down the field with under a minute remaining. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, the clock ran out before they could get into the end zone. The ‘Cats headed to the locker room at the break with all the momentum, but still trailed, 28-14

3rd Quarter

The ‘Cats failed to replicate the same success they had in the 2nd quarter on the first two drives in the second half. On the other end, Permian settled down and returned to what they do best. They pounded the rock and controlled the line of scrimmage to start the 3rd quarter. Mojo scored on its first two possessions of the second half and led 42-14 in the 4th quarter.

4th Quarter

The ‘Cats' defense did not allow another touchdown, but no matter how hard Central tried, they could not get the offense going in the second half. Permian made solid halftime adjustments and shut Central down. The ‘Cats fell to Mojo in this one, 42-14.