Sports Update
Shaken, Rattled and Rolled: North Texas runs down Collin County in MPFL Championship
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
BEDFORD -- After spending the past four months taking the state semipro football circuit by storm, the Collin County Rattlers met their match Saturday night at H.E.B. Pennington Field.
And unfortunately for the now-once-beaten Rattlers, the North Texas Stampede was anything but willing to acquiesce with the franchise's bid for its first-ever championship, dealing Collin County a 48-21 shellacking in the third annual Shanklin Bowl.
"It's devastating," said Tim Smith, Collin County head coach. "We expected to win this game, but we just didn't come to play tonight. We didn't play our best football; that's the bottom line."
The Rattlers seized their first and only lead of the night with 41 seconds remaining in the first half after a scuttled sequence on fourth-and-goal led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Maurice MiShaw for a 14-7 lead. North Texas struck back on a 42-yard hookup between quarterback Ty Bell and Dwayne Guyton just 28 seconds later and while the Rattlers still carried a 14-13 edge into the break, the late score would lay the groundwork for a 35-7 North Texas run over the final two quarters.
It was an unbecoming finish for a Collin County defense that entered Saturday's contest having surrendered just 6.4 points per game.
The Stampede posted 355 total yards of offense.
"You've got to give it up to the Stampede and Ty Bell," Smith said. "Ty made the difference with his feet and his running. We made our mistakes, but you've got to give them credit for playing such a great game."
Bell was at the forefront of the North Texas push, capping his finale at 193 passing yards and five touchdowns on 12-of-24 attempts, plus 61 rushing yards and a score.
The Stampede scored on 5-of-6 possessions in the second half, with Bell connecting on passing touchdowns to Cameron Carrathers (4, 16 yards) and Guyton (8), while adding a 35-yard touchdown run that led to a 42-21 advantage with 6:29 left in the fourth quarter.
"We knew what [Bell] was capable of," Smith said. "We game-planned for it, but you can only plan so much for a player like that.
"Hats off to them, 100 percent."
All that could slow the signal caller was a fourth-quarter leg injury on a scramble. And even with that, the Stampede found the end zone behind the arm of backup quarterback Vernon Sharp. He connected on a 24-yard strike to Demarcus Bates -- who led North Texas with 59 receiving yards and a score -- for the game's final touchdown.
Things didn't come as easily for the Rattlers, who countered North Texas' 355 yards with just 208. Immersed in the Stampede's crossfire was Collin County quarterback Terry Barber, whose season ended with 78 yards passing and two touchdowns on just 9-of-33 completions.
Barber connected on just one of his first 10 passes, a matter complicated by the fact Collin County enjoyed relatively advantageous field position all evening.
The Rattlers began seven of their first eight drives in Stampede territory and had just 14 points to show for their efforts during that stretch. It wasn't until 5:03 remained in the first half that Collin County finally found the end zone, offsetting a North Texas touchdown one series prior with a 1-yard sneak by Barber to knot the count at 7-7.
A fumble recovery on the ensuing North Texas kickoff return set up MiShaw's rushing score and marked the final Rattlers score until the 5:37 mark of the third quarter. There, a double reverse to Quinten McKinney led to the receiver hurling the ball downfield to a wide-open Rich Morris, who scampered 62 yards for the touchdown to trim North Texas' lead to 27-21.
McKinney's pass would be the closest the Rattlers got to a comeback, with 21 unanswered Stampede points to follow.
"I think we got a bit worn down," Smith said. "I don't think it was frustration; we came ready to play, but this one just got away from us."
The loss continued what has become an unfortunate trend for Collin County. After another regular season laden in lopsided victories and a status among the nation's elite semipro outfits, the Rattlers were done in during the postseason for the third consecutive year.
And so a league championship continues to elude the Rattlers, whose 2012 campaign comes to a close at 12-1.
And unfortunately for the now-once-beaten Rattlers, the North Texas Stampede was anything but willing to acquiesce with the franchise's bid for its first-ever championship, dealing Collin County a 48-21 shellacking in the third annual Shanklin Bowl.
"It's devastating," said Tim Smith, Collin County head coach. "We expected to win this game, but we just didn't come to play tonight. We didn't play our best football; that's the bottom line."
The Rattlers seized their first and only lead of the night with 41 seconds remaining in the first half after a scuttled sequence on fourth-and-goal led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Maurice MiShaw for a 14-7 lead. North Texas struck back on a 42-yard hookup between quarterback Ty Bell and Dwayne Guyton just 28 seconds later and while the Rattlers still carried a 14-13 edge into the break, the late score would lay the groundwork for a 35-7 North Texas run over the final two quarters.
It was an unbecoming finish for a Collin County defense that entered Saturday's contest having surrendered just 6.4 points per game.
The Stampede posted 355 total yards of offense.
"You've got to give it up to the Stampede and Ty Bell," Smith said. "Ty made the difference with his feet and his running. We made our mistakes, but you've got to give them credit for playing such a great game."
Bell was at the forefront of the North Texas push, capping his finale at 193 passing yards and five touchdowns on 12-of-24 attempts, plus 61 rushing yards and a score.
The Stampede scored on 5-of-6 possessions in the second half, with Bell connecting on passing touchdowns to Cameron Carrathers (4, 16 yards) and Guyton (8), while adding a 35-yard touchdown run that led to a 42-21 advantage with 6:29 left in the fourth quarter.
"We knew what [Bell] was capable of," Smith said. "We game-planned for it, but you can only plan so much for a player like that.
"Hats off to them, 100 percent."
All that could slow the signal caller was a fourth-quarter leg injury on a scramble. And even with that, the Stampede found the end zone behind the arm of backup quarterback Vernon Sharp. He connected on a 24-yard strike to Demarcus Bates -- who led North Texas with 59 receiving yards and a score -- for the game's final touchdown.
Things didn't come as easily for the Rattlers, who countered North Texas' 355 yards with just 208. Immersed in the Stampede's crossfire was Collin County quarterback Terry Barber, whose season ended with 78 yards passing and two touchdowns on just 9-of-33 completions.
Barber connected on just one of his first 10 passes, a matter complicated by the fact Collin County enjoyed relatively advantageous field position all evening.
The Rattlers began seven of their first eight drives in Stampede territory and had just 14 points to show for their efforts during that stretch. It wasn't until 5:03 remained in the first half that Collin County finally found the end zone, offsetting a North Texas touchdown one series prior with a 1-yard sneak by Barber to knot the count at 7-7.
A fumble recovery on the ensuing North Texas kickoff return set up MiShaw's rushing score and marked the final Rattlers score until the 5:37 mark of the third quarter. There, a double reverse to Quinten McKinney led to the receiver hurling the ball downfield to a wide-open Rich Morris, who scampered 62 yards for the touchdown to trim North Texas' lead to 27-21.
McKinney's pass would be the closest the Rattlers got to a comeback, with 21 unanswered Stampede points to follow.
"I think we got a bit worn down," Smith said. "I don't think it was frustration; we came ready to play, but this one just got away from us."
The loss continued what has become an unfortunate trend for Collin County. After another regular season laden in lopsided victories and a status among the nation's elite semipro outfits, the Rattlers were done in during the postseason for the third consecutive year.
And so a league championship continues to elude the Rattlers, whose 2012 campaign comes to a close at 12-1.
Copyright © 2013 - Star Local News