Mustang rebounds from bitter loss with resounding win at Norman
By Michael Kinney
NORMAN - Kaden Jones was upset.
The Mustang senior saw the way his squad looked last week in a blistering loss to Tulsa Union and it was not pretty.
So, when the Broncos took the field Thursday, Jones wanted to make sure that someone felt the same hurt that his team felt the week before. Unfortunately for Norman High, that problem fell to them.
Mustang rolled over Norman, 49-10, Thursday at Harve Collins Stadium.
“That loss last week made us hurt,” said Jones, who recently committed to the Air Force Academy. “So we came back this week and everybody was more energetic.
"We just need to keep that for the rest of the season.”
The Broncos rang up 542 total yards on the night. That included 234 yards on the ground.
While the Tigers rushed for 230 yards themselves, they were able to only account for 23 passing yards as Mustang made them strictly one-dimensional.
Not only were the Broncos eager to atone for last week, they also wanted revenge for last season's wild 62-58 win by the Tigers on that same field.
“We kept our hype up and definitely everybody was doing their job this week because last week everybody was trying to do somebody else's job when it went down,” Jones said. “This whole week of practice, we just really emphasize that.
"And last year we did get beat by (Norman) and we definitely wanted to show that we were the better team.”
Mustang came out of the blocks firing on all cylinders. Less than a minute into the game, quarterback Tristen Russell connected with Oklahoma commit Jacobe Johnson for a 70-yard touchdown strike.
Two minutes later, tailback Jay Bedford scored on a 7-yard run and just like that, the Broncos led 14-0.
Norman got on the board when its first successful drive of the game stalled on Mustang’s side of the field, and Sam Hernandez booted a 22-yard field goal.
However, the Broncos quickly responded on the ensuing drive with another touchdown pass from Russell to Johnson to start the second quarter.
Russell threw two more touchdowns in the second quarter. Both went to Keegan Bass, including a 28-yard strike across the middle with just 40 seconds left in the first half to put the Broncos up, 42-3.
“We wanted to attack the corners. We felt like that was the weakest part of the defense,” Russell said. “Attack the corners, a little play action and then get the linebackers down.
"Just go right at them and then run the ball. Just keep them on their toes the whole game.”
Russell threw one more touchdown pass in the third quarter when he hit freshman Jaden Johnson on a 63-yard bomb down the middle of the field. That gave Russell five for the night.
Norman’s only successful offensive drive in the second half came midway through the third quarter. Quarterback Tias McClarty was able to break some long runs, which set up a touchdown pass to Max Wilson.
Other than that drive, the Broncos' defense shut down the Tigers. McClarty was held to just 68 yards on the ground a year after running all over them.
“That was our whole defense this week was to shut him down because he ran all over us last year,” Jones said. “And so that was definitely our key and we did it.”
Along with his five touchdowns, Russell threw for 297 yards on 11-of-18 passing. Johnson had two catches for 103 yards and two scores, while Bass added five receptions for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
Bedford averaged 10 yards a carry as he tallied 71 yards on seven carries for Mustang. Bryce Sanders, who played most of the second half, ran for 95 yards on 10 carries.
“It felt good to get the bounce back after last week,” Russell said. “We got our minds right Monday morning and we came out here and did what we do best - score touchdowns and play defense really well.
"So it was good to put up that many points and allow that many and get ready for next week.”
Mustang (6-2, 4-1) will host Edmond North Oct. 28 in its final home game of the regular season. Norman (2-6, 2-3) is set to host Yukon on Oct. 28 as well.
