Written by Leland Acker – An ominous wind blew over Longhorn Stadium Friday night as the Early Longhorns suffered a 62-0 loss at the hands of the Jim Ned Indians.
The Horns won the opening coin toss and deferred to the 2nd half, hoping to have the advantage of the wind at their backs for the 1st quarter. The Indians elected to receive, and mounted a 61-yard drive into the wind which culminated in a 5 yard run for a touchdown to go ahead 7-0 after the PAT.
The Longhorns were unable to respond on their first drive, having to punt to midfield after failing to advance the ball. Jim Ned responded with 47 yard touchdown pass to go ahead 13-0 after the PAT failed, with 7:01 still remaining in the 1st.
Early looked to rebound on their next drive, amassing 22 yards on two rushes by Jose Pessina before the drive was cut short by a fumble that was recovered by the Indians. Jim Ned went on to mount a 51-yard drive that burned five minutes off the clock, scoring another touchdown and going ahead 20-0.
Early’s next three drives would result in punts, then a failed 4th down conversion, and another lost fumble. Meanwhile Jim Ned cruised to two more touchdowns before their offense began to sputter midway through the second quarter.
With 5:15 left in the 2nd, Jim Ned coughed up a fumble that was recovered by Longhorn defensive tackle John Griffin. After Early turned the ball over on downs, Jim Ned lost another fumble on the Early 29 yard line. The Longhorns were still unable to capitalize.
At that time, the Jim Ned offense launched a passing attack, adding four more touchdowns to put their 62 points on the board.
Longhorn quarterback Ryan Trompler completed 14 of 27 pass attempts for 83 yards. Pessina rushed 5 times for 31 yards. The Longhorns were penalized five times for 35 yards.
The Indians were penalized six times for 55 yards. Jim Ned was able to gain 163 yards on the ground and 232 yards in the air.
The Longhorns fall to 3-5 on the season, 1-2 in district. Early travels to Merkel Friday to play the badgers. Game time is 7:30 p.m., and will be broadcast on KXYL 102.3 FM, 1240 AM, and streamed online at BrownwoodRadio.com.
