Huntingdon knocks off previously unbeaten Louisiana College

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Huntingdon football team marched 99 yards in the final minutes and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:18 to play in a 34-27 win over Louisiana College on Saturday.

Junior quarterback Taylor Hughes connected with junior receiver Taylor Belsterling on an 11-yard touchdown pass to complete the drive. The Hawks (2-0) held Louisiana College (2-1) to four incomplete passes to end the Wildcats' final threat.

"We were fortunate to win today," Huntingdon head coach Mike Turk said. "We made some good plays, but we made a lot of mistakes too. There were times when we looked a lot better than them and some times when they looked a lot better than us. But I'm proud of the way our guys finished. I was excited to see how our guys performed with everything on the line."

Belsterling's game-winning reception was just the 16th catch of his Huntingdon career and his third career touchdown. Hughes' two touchdown passes on Saturday matched his career total entering the game. Hughes rushed for 35 yards and passed for 39 yards on the game-winning drive.

"We just knew we had to make plays," Belsterling said of the final drive. "The offensive line blocked and we were able to fight down the field and win the game. When we lined up for the touchdown play, Taylor signaled he was coming my way and I knew I had to make the play."

Belsterling finished with a game-high five receptions for 88 yards. Jamichael Bibb caught the first four passes of his Huntingdon career, scored on a 45-yard reception from quarterback Ryne Taylor and finished with 65 yards receiving. Sophomore Darius Dawsey turned his first collegiate reception into a 31-yard touchdown.

"I said in the preseason, we have a lot of talented guys with potential," Turk said. "But with the players we've had the past few years, these guys just haven't had the opportunity to make plays for us yet. Some of those guys got their opportunities tonight and they came through for us."

Huntingdon led for most of the game. Jeremy Murphy blocked a punt and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown in the first two minutes of the game. Bibb and Dawsey helped make it 20-7 in the second quarter, but the Hawks trailed 27-20 early in the fourth quarter.

Senior running back Garrett Fletcher scored on a 6-yard run to tie the game 27-27 with 12:37 to play. Fletcher finished the game with 60 yards on 15 carries. David Ballard converted 4-of-5 extra-point attempts. 

In addition to the three touchdown passes, quarterbacks Hughes and Taylor combined for 277 yards. Hughes was 10-of-14 for 139 yards and an interception. Taylor was 10-for-17 for 138 yards.

Defensively, senior linebacker John-David Swiger led a unit that limited Louisiana College for most of the day. The Wildcats, who finished with 374 yards of offense on 82 plays, scored on an 85-yard run early in the fourth quarter but averaged just 3.6 yards per play on the other 81 plays.

Two of the Wildcats' four scores came on an interception return for a touchdown and a 2-yard run set up by a 53-yard punt return.

"This was a huge win for us," Swiger said. "Both teams stepped up today. I thought we played well on both sides of the ball. Our defense made the stops when we needed them and our offense made the scoring plays we had to have.

"We just have to keep working. I think we showed what we're made of today and we're going to continue to be relentless and try to get better each week."

Swiger finished the day with 17 tackles. The performance ties the school record set by former defensive back Keith Anthony in 2010. Swiger also had 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. Defensive back Anthony White was in on 14 tackles and linebacker Zach Brownell added 12 tackles. Defensive back Craig Granger recorded the Hawks' first interception of the season and Derick Bothwell finished with a sack and a fumble recovery.

"I'm proud of John-David and the whole defense," Turk said. "John-David was all over the place today and our defense played well against a good offensive team. We had some breakdowns at times and we've still got work to do, but when it mattered our defense got on the field and got back off with key stops."

Huntingdon opens conference play on Sept. 28 when Ferrum College comes to Samford Stadium for Homecoming. Kickoff for the Hawks' first USA South Athletic Conference game is set for 1 p.m.