Hillcrest Victory Formation

It didn’t take long for Hillcrest to get on the board. Wide receiver Jeremy Coleman hauled in a 69-yard touchdown pass on the Hornets first play from scrimmage. The senior’s next touch was a 91-yard kickoff return to the house, and Hillcrest spoiled Glendale’s Homecoming celebration, 28-16, on Thursday night. The Hornets (2-3) scored on three of their first four possessions never really looked threatened. Glendale (0-5) minimized some of the collateral with long clock-chewing drives. The Falcons dominated time of possession and total yards, but were unable to meaningfully capitalize.

It’s what Glendale needed to do – control the clock, and keep Hillcrest’s explosive offense off the field – but the it got pretty yawny. The News-Leader’s Matt Schoch appropriately tweeted in the second half that the crowd had fallen into a coma. Nail on the head.

Notes and Observations

* Glendale had the ball for nearly 37 minutes, and at one point it had possession (with the exception of a 0.3 seconds) for more than an entire quarter. Straight. Spanning three possessions. An onside kick and the end of a half help make the math work.

* Hillcrest totaled just 183 yards of offense, but wasn’t on the field to be more productive. Coleman had two magnificent plays and Dorial Green-Beckham scored a touchdown on an electrifying run late in the fourth quarter.

* Glendale senior Adam Noble was under center for the Falcons – filling in for Jake Ray (details undisclosed) – and took on a heavy load. Glendale’s game-plan was blatantly simple. The first 11 snaps for the Falcons went like this: Shotgun set, snap to Noble, hope he makes a play. Last week against Kickapoo Noble had one carry for 13 yards. Against Hillcrest? Forty-three carries. 43!!! Noble finished with 155 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t make mistakes throwing the ball, but made a critical error at the end of the first half, spiking the ball to stop the clock on fourth down inside the Hillcrest 3 yard line. It wasn’t completely his fault, a play call to run it with less than 10 seconds to go on 3rd and Goal from the 4 was … (fill in the blank – if you can’t say anything nice). If the Falcons would have scored, they would have been within a touchdown.

* If he’s playing, why not use him? Cameron Johnson is undoubtedly a great athlete and potential playmaker, right? Noble did connect with Johnson on a 55-yard touchdown pass with less than a minute to go, but it just begged the question of why Johnson hadn’t been looked at throughout the contest. He was targeted just three times and the touchdown was his only catch.

* Green Beckham took an end around for a 10-yard gain, but fell funny. DGB on the turf with trainers forced a nervous moment, even on the road. He said there was a “pop” in his knee. He gingerly walked back to the huddle then went down near midfield. He came back a few plays later, with a bit of a limp in his step. Of course, he coasted past the entire Falcons defense on that 41-yard touchdown, so early signs were positive.

* Rumored to be in attendance was Alabama coach Nick Saban, but we couldn’t find him or confirm that.

* Speaking of recruiting, DGB said Jeremy Coleman has a couple big-time offers.

Stat Geekage

Hillcrest 28

Matt Futrell, junior QB: 4-for-15, 137 yards, 2 TD, INT
Jeremy Coleman, senior WR: 2 catches, 80 yards, 2 TD (one receiving, one kickoff return – 91 yards)
Dorial Green-Beckham, junior WR: 2 catches, 57 yards, TD

Glendale 16

Adam Noble, senior QB: 8-for-20, 160 yards, TD;
43 carries, 155 yards, TD
Cody Jacobs, junior WR: 8 catches, 64 yards

VIDEO

Regrettably, neither Cameron Johnson’s 55-yard touchdown catch or Jeremy Coleman’s 91-yard kickoff return were captured. I failed you. Please accept this apology.

Dorial Green-Beckham: 3 touches, 1 touchdown and an injury scare

Jeremy Coleman catches 69-yard TD on game’s first play