With his hands on his hips, Austin running back Gavin Fuqua looked like he needed a break.
To open the second half of Friday night’s River City Rivalry showdown with Decatur, Fuqua carried the ball on every play of a seven-play drive that started on the Black Bears’ own 30-yard line.
Tired as he may have been though, Fuqua sucked it up and ran one more play, a play that went for a 4-yard touchdown that pushed the lead to 21-0.
Austin went on to defeat the Red Raiders 35-3.
“I was just trying to get in that box (end zone). I knew once I got in that the drive was over,” Fuqua said.
Fuqua had a strong night, carrying the ball 17 times for 160 yards and three touchdowns (2, 7, 4 yards). All of that came in the first half and the first drive of the second half. He rested afterward.
“I wasn’t surprised. Our offensive line is good, and they dominated the line of scrimmage,” Fuqua said.
Dominated might be a little bit of an understatement.
In addition to Fuqua/s 160 yards, Kenneth Joshua rushed for 70 yards and two scores. The Black Bears outgained the Red Raiders on the ground 238-120.
“We want to play physical football,” said Austin head coach Jeremy Perkins. “I challenged them on that this week, and they responded.”
The Austin defense had its second straight strong performance of the season, holding the Red Raiders to just three points and 160 yards of total offense, and forcing two turnovers.
“When you play really good defense, it’s easier to win,” Perkins said. “Our defense is stingy. They make plays.”
On the other side, it’s back to the drawing board for first-year Decatur head coach Aairon Savage.
“Football is all about controlling the line of scrimmage. We didn’t do that tonight,” Savage said.
Savage was coaching in his first River City Rivalry game Friday night. The loss brings Decatur coaches’ all-time record in first games vs. Austin to 1-3.
Perkins’ record vs. Decatur moves to 10-4. Austin avenged last year’s 28-14 loss, which snapped a seven-game win streak against the Red Raiders in the series.
Next week, Austin will travel to Sparkman, and Decatur will travel to Athens. The games open region play for both teams.
