Rogers, Running Game, Stout Defense Lead Byrnes Past T.L. Hanna

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DUNCAN |</strong> The first night at the new Nixon Field didn't go quite as planned for Byrnes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oh, the Rebels got a 30-10 win over T.L. Hanna and the stadium's grand opening went off without a hitch. Byrnes just had to get there a little differently than they had planned.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822516' first='Caine' last='Rogers'] </strong>(pictured) threw for 254 yards and a touchdown on 14-for-19 passing and the Rebels rushed for three scores in the victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"The gameplay was to run the ball down their throats," Rogers said. "They came out in man, blitz, cover zero, and we just decided to start throwing it around."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Throwing it around resulted in a dagger at the end of the game. Leading 23-10 with just more than six minutes left, Rogers found <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1271241' first='Chanin' last='Harris']</strong> streaking down the home sideline past his defender. Harris stretched for the ball, somehow kept his feet, and raced 78 yards for the score. It was the Rebels' fourth play of more than 30 yards on the night. Rogers said having the Rebels' weapons at his disposal was a great feeling.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"It feels like you're on top of the world," he said. "It feels like we can do anything. We've got two fantastic running backs and a group of wide receivers. It feels like nothing can stop us."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Byrnes dominated the second quarter, largely behind steady play from Rogers and the strength of the running game behind <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1036721' first='Tre' last='Segarra']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604062' first='Jacobi' last='Fuller']</strong>. Rogers flipped the field for the Rebels twice during the quarter, both times finding <strong>Nicqlous Watson</strong> for gains of 42 and 33 yards. He finished the half 10-for-13 for 136 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Segarra had 118 of his game-high 131 yards in the first half, while Fuller had 18 yards and a score before the break.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Segarra scored the first touchdown in the new stadium on a one-yard run, and Fuller did a lot of the lifting on the second scoring drive. Rogers found Watson for 33 yards, Harris had an eight-yard catch, and Fuller carried for the final 15 on runs of eight, five, and two yards to make it 14-0.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The nail in the coffin just before the half came courtesy of Segarra. After a good punt backed the Rebels up inside their own 2-yard line, he gave them some breathing room with two carries out to the nine. His third rush of the series went 91, right behind a great block from <strong>Michael Piggee</strong> and straight through the heart of Hanna's defense for a 20-0 lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Those guys up front are amazing," Segarra said. "Especially on that run that I had, I'm really proud of those guys,"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meanwhile, Byrnes' defense was making life miserable for the Yellow Jackets. Hanna had just 44 yards in the first half, thanks mostly to a stingy Byrnes defensive line. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='797155' first='Justice' last='Hopkins']</strong> made plays all over the field, with a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery on the first two plays alone. He combined with <strong>Wyquail Moss</strong> for another TFL, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822514' first='Cole' last='Searfoss'] </strong>had a sack, and the biggest hit of the half came from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1820013' first='Tyler' last='Clark']</strong>, who leveled a Hanna runner in the middle of the field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I think the defense played amazing," Hopkins said. "Honestly we've been working on this since last spring. We haven't beaten them in years. The Wing-T is very hard to beat. We've definitely been working, and I think our defense played even better than we thought we would."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Yellow Jackets' defense more than held its own early on, largely behind some big plays up front. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1793678' first='John' last='Michael Tripp']</strong> came up big with an early tackle for loss, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1592687' first='Jameerion' last='Oliver']</strong> pounced on a loose ball for a takeaway. But the offense was anything but typical, struggling to move the ball on the ground against the Rebels. As usual, a ton of guys carried the ball for T.L. Hanna, but most of the Yellow Jackets' offensive success came through the air. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='595709' first='Gavin' last='Magin']</strong> threw for 126 yards, with a 31-yard screen to <strong>Camden Lawson</strong> setting up Magin's one-yard run for Hanna's only TD of the night. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1579733' first='Walker' last='Kelley']</strong> looked good offensively for Hanna, recording the team's longest gain in the first half, drawing a key pass interference penalty to keep a second half drive alive, and snagging a two-point conversion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->