Log In


Reset Password
Sports Youth Sports Professional Sports More Sports College Sports High School Sports

Doyle rules for FLC football

Skyhawks make all the right adjustments, mount massive comeback
Fort Lewis College junior quarterback Jordan Doyle was a force to be reckoned with in the second half Saturday night at Oklahoma Panhandle State. Doyle finished the game 24-of-40 passing for 366 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball 17 times for 117 yards and another three scores. Doyle was the only Skyhawk with more than 15 yards rushing.

Behind 28-10 at halftime, the situation appeared bleak for the Fort Lewis College football team.

The FLC Skyhawks faced their second consecutive loss to open the 2014 season, as they trailed by 18 points after one half on the road at Oklahoma Panhandle State.

But head coach John L. Smith made all the right adjustments at halftime, and FLC junior quarterback Jordan Doyle led one of the biggest comebacks in FLC football history to send the Skyhawks (1-1) to a 45-38 victory in Goodwell, Oklahoma.

Doyle finished the game 24-of-40 passing for 366 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball 17 times for 117 yards and another three scores. Doyle was the only Skyhawk with more than 15 yards rushing.

“They were throwing the kitchen sink at us with all kinds of blitzes. They had a lot of success with that in the first half,” FLC head coach John L. Smith said of the Panhandle State defense. “We couldn’t run it with a running back, so we put five wide receivers out there and spread the field, and Doyle became our running back. Of course, he threw good balls, and young receivers made big plays.”

Big passes deep over the top of the FLC secondary cost the Skyhawks dearly in the first half, as Panhandle State senior quarterback Caleb Holbrook hit receiver Zacari Lavendar for two deep touchdown passes in the first half. Lavendar added a rushing touchdown in the first half to go with his 151 receiving yards on four receptions.

But FLC found an answer defensively in the second half to eliminate most of the Aggies’ big plays.

“We did a great job of playing as a team. When the defense wasn’t doing too well, the offense held the rope,” Smith said. “We talk all the time to the kids that there comes a point in time where you have to hold rope for your buddy until he gets his footing. That’s kind of what happened. The offense held rope for the defense, and then the defense played OK and got a few stops at the end.”

Panhandle State (0-2) connected on a field goal early in the second half to take a 31-10 lead. From there, it was all Skyhawks.

FLC redshirt senior defensive back Kaulana Waalani-Arroyo was able to intercept a pass from Holbrook at midfield and return it 50 yards for a Skyhawks touchdown, cutting the Panhandle State lead to 31-17.

The Skyhawks scored again on a Doyle touchdown pass to Andrew Johnson, and that trimmed the deficit to just 31-24.

Panhandle State answered with a deep touchdown pass from Holbrook to Devyn Williams on just a one-play drive, but the Skyhawks found another answer when Doyle busted a 20-yard run for his second rushing score of the night that made it a 38-31 game with 7 minutes, 56 seconds to play in the game.

FLC forced a quick punt, and a 30-yard touchdown run by Doyle tied the game at 38 with under 5 minutes to play.

Another strong defensive stand by the Skyhawks led to another punt by the Aggies, and FLC took over just inside its own 30-yard line.

A screen pass picked up one first down, and an out to a tight end led to another FLC first down, as the Skyhawks quickly got into Aggies’ territory.

Facing third-and-10 on the Panhandle State 38-yard line, Doyle hit the game-winning touchdown pass to Esley Simmons to put the Skyhawks up 45-38.

The Skyhawks defense recorded a sack on the Aggies’ first play on the following drive, and that set up FLC for their final defensive stand to ice the game.

Johnson had 80 yards and a touchdown on two catches for FLC, and Simmons had 110 yards on five catches to go with his game-winning score. Nova Hardy added 79 yards receiving on seven catches.

FLC junior defensive lineman Ryan Ross led the FLC defense with seven tackles, three of which went for a loss, including one sack. Freshman defensive lineman OJ Thompson also recorded a sack for FLC.

Holbrook was 15-of-35 passing for 357 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

It was a big road win for FLC after losing the season opener 52-17 at Division I University of California-Davis. The Skyhawks will begin Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games next week at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. They won’t play at home until Sept. 27 against New Mexico Highlands.

“Any time you win, it makes the bus ride home a lot better. This win is a springboard for next week with another 14-hour trip coming,” Smith said. “I think the kids will come to the practice field, continue to learn how to prepare, and our attitude will be a lot better this week.”

jlivingston@durangoherald.com

Sep 13, 2014
FLC has a tough time in Big D
Sep 12, 2014
Settling into the 6-2


Reader Comments