The answer? About half a game. After sputtering through a scoreless first half, the Eagles overcame a 14-point deficit to slip by Franklin 28-21 Friday night at Merk Field to hand Walker his first victory as Rogers’ head man.
Kason Lowrance sliced into the end zone off right tackle from the 5-yard line with just six seconds left to give the Eagles their first lead and the win. Rogers scored on each of its four second-half possessions.
Now, the question is how good the Eagles will be when they actually understand what they’re doing.
“We’re still learning the offense,” said Walker, who masterminded the attack that led Liberty Hill to Class 3A state titles the last two years. “We’re about 50 percent there on offense and 50 percent on defense. But we’re 100 percent heart. We’ve got a long way to go with X’s and O’s, but we’ve got a lot of heart and pride. There’s no quit in this team.”
Even while on a learning curve, the Eagles impressed statistically. Jordan Sebek rushed for 214 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns, and Lowrance added 149 on 23. The Eagles piled up 414 yards of offense - all coming on the ground.
By the fourth quarter they were already figuring out how to use the clock to their advantage. The Eagles took almost all of the final 7:07 off the board to drive 65 yards in 14 plays, including a pair of Chase Marek sneaks to convert fourth-and-inches plays. They methodically milked the clock and moved well within Ben Baecker’s field-goal range, but Lowrance broke through on a second-and-goal from the 5 to close it out.
That drive, coupled with key defensive stops in the second half, turned the tide for the Eagles, who trailed 21-7 midway through the third quarter.
“I think they smelled victory,” Walker said of his team. “We didn’t play that well, but we’re going to get better.”
While the Rogers faithful were waiting for the highly anticipated unveiling of the new offense, Walker unveiled his sense of humor. The Eagles lined up for the first play in a spread formation with three receivers to the right and two to the left. An illegal procedure call spoiled the fun. That was the first of five penalties that killed the Eagles’ opening drive.
Franklin, which runs a very similar offense, got on the board first early in the second quarter. Ross Bishop zipped through the middle, bounced outside and scampered 34 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. Howard Campbell’s extra point made it 7-0 with 9:13 to go in the half.
The Lions took some more momentum into halftime after forcing Rogers to turn the ball over on downs at the Franklin 45 with 50 seconds left. Quarterback Jake Russ scrambled for 21 yards to the Eagle 33 with just a few ticks left. Russ then hit Bishop in stride running alone along the right hash for a touchdown as time expired to give the Lions a 14-0 halftime lead.
That was the only pass completion of the evening. Both teams attempted two passes.
“I told the team I’ve come from behind from much farther than that before,” Walker said. “This offense allows us to make some halftime adjustments and see how people are lining up.”
Rogers exploded out of the second-half gate, with Sebek rambling 56 yards on the first play. Four plays later, Lowrance went in from the 3 to cut the Lions’ lead in half, 14-7.
Franklin came right back when Russ went 79 yards on a bootleg to put the Lions up 21-7. Russ led them with 104 yards as they had 288 yards overall.
The Eagles closed back to within seven with a 72-yard march in nine plays. Sebek had carries of 14 and 33 yards before going the final 5 to make it a 21-14 game at the 4:49 mark of the third.
Rogers tied it early in the fourth when Sebek flicked away a tackler in the backfield and cut it back 32 yards for a touchdown to finish a 77-yard drive in seven plays. Baecker’s third of four extra points evened it 21-21 with 11:03 to play.
“For me it’s just play for 48 minutes and let the scoreboard take care of itself,” Walker said. “It’s not about me.
“You can’t ask for anything more than that,” he added. “We’ve got to get better as coaches. We’ve still got a lot of coaching to do.”
twaits@temple-telegram.com
