The score of 18-6 would normally indicate a close football game, but Friday night’s game at Fulton was much more one- sided than the score appears. The evening saw Morrison gain 300 yards on the ground ( Danny Willis gain 192 yards), the offense failed twice on a fourth and short within the 25-yard line, and ended drives with fumbles on the 15-yard line and again on the three. Then to cap it off, the only Fulton touchdown, a 79-yard pass and run, gained more yards than the entire team gained the remainder of the game. That spells one-sided.
Alex Volckmann opened the first series with a 19-yard scamper around the right side and Danny Willis and Andrew Connelly earned another first down before the drive stalled on the 25-yard line with an incomplete pass from Matt Wilkens to Volckmann.
Fulton generated one first down and was throwing for the first time on a third and three when Travis Keller blocked the throw and forced the Steamers to punt. From their own 40, Connelly got loose for a 19-yard gain and Willis advanced a pitch for another 26-yards and the Mustangs were first and ten on the 15-yard line when the drive ended with a Mustang fumble that Fulton recovered. Fulton moved the ball out to the 48-yard line with aid of a roughing the passer penalty but the Mustang defense wasn’t giving much of anything to the Austin Regenwether based offense.
Morrison started their next drive with 1: 27 left in the first quarter on their own 28-yard line and marched into the second quarter. The drive ended fourteen plays later when Wilkens recovered a dropped snap on the 15-yard line, an offside penalty moved the ball back to the 21-yard line and Willis was stopped on his attempt to get a first down on the eleven yard line and Fullton took over on downs. A penalty moved the Steamers back to the four before Auston Manon found room over tackle and hustled to the 21-yard line with 6:30 left on the half of a scoreless game. Quarterback Ethan Jones took a three step drop and completed a pass to Regenwether in the right flat and two missed tackles and he was gone sprinting down the right sideline to complete a 79-tyard pass-run to open the scoring. Jones was stuffed on the extra point and Fulton led the Mustangs 6-0 with 4:55 remaining in the half.
Willis returned the ensuing kickoff to the Morrison 40 only to have a holding call move it back to the 27. On the second snap, Wilkens and Willis completed a seventeen yard pass which was followed by a thirty yard run by Willis to take the line of scrimmage to the Fulton 12-yard line. Volckmann moved the line to the five before Connelly bulled over center to tie the score at 6-6. Volckmann’s extra point kick failed and the score was tied at 6 with 2:41 left in the half. Fulton was unable to move the ball and forced to punt with 0:265 on the clock and Morrison owned the ball on their own 38-yard line. Immediately Willis broke loose for thirty-one yards and another five before Wilkens hit him on the back end zone line with 5.8 seconds left in the half. Halftime score..Morrison 12 Fulton 6.
First half statistics revealed a ground game where Morrison totaled 208 yard to the Steamers 43.
The second half only saw the situation worsen for the Steamers as they owned the ball for three possessions in the third quarter and gained a total of 8 yards on the ground and 8 yards in the air as the Mustang defense decided at half that this the Steamers were not to cross the end line again.
Most of the third quarter was enveloped in a Mustang drive that required fifteen plays. Wilkens connected with Willis for 18 and with Volckmann for twelve and on a first and ten on the fifteen, Wilkens hit Willis in the right corner of the end zone and Willis was unable to pull the ball in and another score eluded the Mustangs. Three plays later, Fulton recovered a Brock Deter fumble on the 3-ayrd line and the scoring threat was ended.
As the teams entered the fourth quarter, the Mustangs fans were hoping for a little more difference in the score even though the defense was completely in charge. Morrison’s first possession of the quarter started on their won 31-yard line with 8:28 left in the game. Willis, Volckmann and Connelly continuously pounded the Steamer line with Willis breaking an 18-yarder on a fourth and one play. Connelly carried the final two yards into the end zone with only 1:44 left in the game to form the final 18-6 score. The Morrison defense only allowed the Steamers fourteen yards passing and eleven yards on the ground in the second half.
The final statistics revealed the offensive and defensive dominance of the Mustangs as they out gained the Steamers on the ground 300 yards (Willis gained 192 and Connelly gained 76 ) to 55 yards for Fulton. Wilkens completed 5 of 8 passes for 81 yards and one touchdown while Fulton’ s Jones was 5 for 11 for 96 yards of which one was a 79 yard touchdown.
The Mustangs end the regular season next Friday, October 19, when they recognize the seniors before the game against Bureau Valley at E.M Cole Field. The Mustangs currently own a 5-3 record and could guarantee a playoff spot with the sixth win next week.