By Marc Anthony
Momentum in the second half lead the Huskies to a dogfight for a 25-20 victory over Allan Hancock College on Saturday at Weingart Stadium.
With four minutes and 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter, down 20-19, the Huskies gained momentum to score on a two-yard rushing touchdown from DeGabriel Floyd making it 25-20 after a failed two-point conversion.
The Huskies came out of halftime and allowed three points, falling behind 13-3.
With quarterback Frank Alvarez under center, the Huskies were trailing by 10 points until a 10-yard pass from Alvarez to Floyd, followed by a successful extra point by kicker Ethan Rodriguez, brought the score to 13-10.
Floyd had an interception in the first half stopping Allan Hancock from scoring.
“I seen it was (a pass play), got over top and soon as I looked up the ball was in the air,” Floyd said about his interception with 56 seconds left in the first half.
The Huskies continued to carry their momentum onto their special teams when Maurice Newton made a big hit on Allan Hancock’s John Allen who fumbled the ball and was recovered by William Dorsey Jr.
“It feels great to be a big part of the team and make a big play at the right time,” Newton said.
The Huskies capitalized on this by kicking a 42-yard field goal to tie the game at 13.
The Huskies’ defense kept them in the game by stopping Hancock when they needed a big stop, but they were also hurting themselves with penalties making them stay out on the field longer.
Toward the end of the third quarter with all the momentum on their side, they commited an offside penalty which stopped the momentum and led to an interception by Hancock at the 31-yard line.
The defense for the Huskies were able to stop Hancock, keeping the game tied at 13 apiece.
The momentum was back on the Huskies’ side, as Alvarez was able to escape pressure in the pocket and run the ball to the one-yard line.
The Huskies switched quarterbacks as they were doing all game to Trillian Harris, who handed the ball to Floyd for a one-yard running touchdown, making it 19-13.
Nate Hidalgo couldn’t control the snap and was tackled for no extra point.
On the pursuing kickoff there were five flags on the field for both teams offsetting each other, which led to a re-kick.
Another flag on the Huskies for offsides made them kickoff one more time.
Hancock was then able to go down the field and score one more time making it 20-19 with four minutes 53 seconds left in the game.
The coaches were yelling to the Husky players from the side line that the Hancock players were tapped out.
The Huskies set themselves up for a potential game-winning touchdown.
They snapped the ball with a minute and 11 seconds left on the five-yard line, forcing Hancock to call a timeout so they could have a chance of getting the ball back and scoring.
Coming out of the timeout, Hancock was flagged for encroachment, moving the ball to the two-yard line for what would end up being the deciding touchdown rush by Floyd.
Hancock had 53 seconds left to try and win the game when a third-down sack by Travon Thomas led to a fourth down.
Allan Hancock threw the ball but was stopped four yards short of the first down, giving the ball back to the Huskies.
They would line up in victory formation and kneel out the remaining 10 seconds.
Floyd ended the game with one interception, one touchdown and two rushing touchdowns.
“I’ve been scoring touchdowns my whole life. I’m just thankful I can get it down for my teammates,” Floyd said about his performance.
Head Coach Bobby Godinez said about Floyd, “I’m never taking him off the field if I don’t have to.
“I’ve never seen anything like him and we’re gonna utilize him as much as we could.
“You know this team has done a really good job taking ownership for themselves,” Godinez said.
“We just need to come out and fight,” Godinez told his team at halftime knowing that the Hancock team was good.
The Huskies ran a dual quarterback scheme with Harris and Alvarez.
Each one has their own style, with one having a strong arm and physical stature, while the other is shorter and more athletic.
“In a game like this you just have to find what works best,” Godinez said about using both quarterbacks.
They improved to 2-0 on the season.
“I’m proud of our team. They fought,” Godinez said.
The Huskies next game will be on Saturday at noon against Fullerton College.