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closeBengals can’t find momentum, lose 16-6
Defense plays solid but three field goals and punt return for touchdown end Bengals’ perfect start
Nate Hulings
In football, the kicker generally winds up either the hero or the goat. And to the chagrin of the Pierce County Bengals (1-1), Seattle Stallions kicker Justin Miller brought his cape Saturday night to Sunset Chev Stadium and kept his team undefeated. Miller finished with three field goals, highlighted by a 52-yarder in his team’s 16-6 victory over the Bengals in Northwest Football League play.
The tempo and style of the game was set before the first second ticked off the game clock. The opening Bengal kickoff sailed out of bounds and had to be replayed and once the Stallions finally gained possession it was apparent neither team was sharp. On the first play from scrimmage, Stallion quarterback Brian Stevens mishandled the snap, fumbling and nearly turning the ball over. The next snap resulted in the same miscommunication and this time a Bengal came out of the pile with the ball.
Bengals quarterback Anthony Rios had a hit-and-miss evening. Some passes were crisp and perfectly placed for big yardage including his 22-yard touchdown strike to Bernard Blosser in the first quarter. Others were under thrown, keeping the offense tame and stagnant for most of the game.
“Last game was energetic but today I was having an off game,” Rios said. “I need to step into my throws harder.”
The Stallions got on the board early in the second quarter when Miller nailed a 46-yard field goal, reducing the Bengals lead to 6-3.
Rios briefly left the game late in the third quarter after being dragged down by multiple Stallion defenders. On the play, Rios was flushed out of the pocket and wound up throwing the ball backward, prompting the refs to throw a flag for intentional grounding. By the time the play was whistled dead, Rios was on the turf writhing in pain. Jessie Baines entered the game for one series but Rios finished the rest of the contest. After the game, Rios said his left shoulder had taken a hit and was still sore.
Pierce County held a 6-3 lead until late in the third quarter when Stallion punt returner L. Wallace single handedly changed the tempo of the game. Returning the short punt from near midfield, Wallace broke multiple tackles on the left side on the field, quickly cutting across the entire playing surface for the 55-yard touchdown. With a lead and the momentum, the Stallions didn’t look back.
Now down for the first time in the game, the ensuing drive for the Bengals needed to show determination and grit. A solid 6-yard run from back Steven Parley got the offense moving but the gain was quickly negated when Stallion defenders Chance Savage and Siosifa Vave sacked Rios for a 10-yard loss. Rios and the offense never regained their composure on the drive and were forced to punt. Head coach Ron Baines tried to highlight the positives of the losing effort by emphasizing a lack of consistency, not effort, as the main culprit for his team’s loss.
“It’s early on and the guys are new so we just gotta get the timing down,” Baines said. “We had a lot of momentum but we couldn’t capitalize in the end.”
Baines noted the game was only the second of the season for the team and many players on the roster have not gotten enough practice time to show their true abilities.
“We need to start getting reps for the guys,” Baines said. “Tonight we had a lot of guys who had never played together.”
The defense was easily the most polished unit on the field and it showed.
Even though the Bengals defense surrendered 289 yards of total offense, it kept the Stallions’ offensive unit out of the endzone. Former University of Washington back Shelton Sampson led all Stallion rushers with 64 yards on the ground and backup quarterback Damino Stewart threw for 50 yards and ran for another 56.
Despite the big numbers on the ground for the Stallions, the Bengals defense stayed away from giving up big plays, giving the offense multiple chances to get back into the game.
“We ran into the number one team, we played them pretty darn good,” Bengals defensive coordinator Marlon Carter said. “Our defense is always solid.”
The Bengals’ defense picked-off Stallion quarterback Brian Stevens three times, none more potentially important than the last. With less than six minutes remaining in the game and only trailing by 8 points, Jessie Baines stepped up and came down with an interception deep in Bengal territory. The turnover gave the Bengals’ new life but once again the offense was unable to move the ball effectively.
Carter says the lack of focus is something that will be addressed this week in practice but coupled the problem with a promise.
“We’re going back to the drawing board, it’s a long season,” Carter said. “But we will have some more victories.”
This Saturday’s 6 p.m. home game at Sunset Chev Stadium matches the Bengals (1-1) against the Washington Cavaliers (0-2).