Northern Patriots v. Patuxent Panthers: Game Standouts

Overview: Northern claimed victory in an exciting, high-scoring game with a final score of 40-34. Both teams put forth a great effort, consistently flipping momentum with scores from the offense, defense, and special teams. Win or lose, both teams put on an absolute show and put an exclamation point on the SMAC season. Here are four players that stood out to me in this contest. Day'veon Savoy Day'veon was able to use his speed to make an impact on both sides of the ball as both a receiver and defensive back. A majority of Day'veons damage came from his receiver position, where he caught two touchdowns on slants across the middle of the field. On the first, he exercised fantastic concentration by absorbing a huge hit while keeping a hold of the ball for the score. On the second, he really showed off his speed, catching the ball in stride and getting up-field before any defender had the chance to react. Northern's offense also did an excellent job of getting the ball in his hands to take advantage of speed using jet sweeps, also keeping the defense on their toes. Overall, Northern's offense needed Day'veons performance to get the win in this high-scoring shootout, and he showed up! Tyler Baskett Tyler was able to show off multiple attributes of his game during this contest as a defender and special teams player. On the defensive side of the ball, he did a good job delivering run support from his safety position. During this game, he was often put in a one-on-one situation with the ball carrier as the last line of the defense. He showed his ability to win in those situations with sure tackling, preventing explosive runs. Tyler did his damage on special teams as a return man, showing off his speed and shiftiness on a timely 85-yard kick return for a touchdown getting the momentum back for his team after a Patuxent touchdown. Tyler showed up at key moments throughout this game for both the defense and special teams units, proving to be a key player in the victory. Patuxent Justus Sewell Despite the loss, Justus was able to make an impact on the game from his defensive end position, where he showed several techniques that you love to from your defensive lineman. Justus showed the ability to fight against the reach blocks of the Northern offense, even fighting across the face tight ends with an alignment advantage, stretching the play to the sideline, allowing him to come away with a TFL. Justus also showed the strength to stand up offensive tackles in one-on-one situations and shed the block, limiting any offensive output on his side of the field. He also showed the ability to win reps in the pass rush game, coming away with both a sack and countable pressures that disrupted Northern pass plays. Overall, Justus did an excellent job playing to the final whistle, giving a great effort even in defeat. Adam Commodore Even in a loss, you cannot talk about this game without mentioning Adam's performance. Adam accounted for 5 touchdowns in his final game as a panther, including one rushing, three passing, and one interception return for a touchdown. As a passer, Adam showed off a ton of ability. He made some great decisions with the ball while on the move, showing off his elusiveness and accuracy, even hitting targets while being tackled. Adam also showed the arm strength to push the ball downfield, make connections, and create explosive plays with his arm. He showed off his strength and leg drive down on the goal line, fighting through multiple tackles en route to a hard-earned rushing touchdown. Adam had a dominant performance in this game and went out with a bang. He is definitely a player you need to keep your eye on in college.