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Nighty Knight: Collin County cruises past Texas in conference semifinal
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
MURPHY – The Collin County Rattlers played their first game in three weeks Saturday evening in an American Conference Semifinal against the Texas Knights.
For spectators at Kimbrough Stadium, the on-field product looked like anything but a Rattlers team 504 hours removed from its last game, as evidenced by a 42-6 shellacking of the Knights.
“We feel great,” said Tim Smith, Collin County head coach. “We prepared for this, we knew what they would do and everything we do right now is geared towards [the West Texas Drillers] next week.”
Despite the unsettling finish, the Rattlers looked no worse for wear than on May 12 in a 52-14 victory over the Cooke County Outlaws.
That much was evident from the opening kickoff as the defense helped jumpstart a 21-0 lead after one quarter.
“We had a walkthrough this morning,” Smith said. “Getting in a practice on a Saturday is tough, but the whole team was there and you could tell right there that they were ready to go.”
Quick to the ball in their pursuit, the Rattlers’ secondary fired a warning shot after scuttling a Texas option play that equated a fumble. The recovery by Eddie Morgan, who also managed two interceptions, gave the Collin County offense 30 yards to work with. Three plays later, those 30 yards were amassed entirely on the arm of quarterback Terry Barber and the hands of receiver Quinten McKinney, capitalizing on a Texas miscommunication for a 7-0 Rattlers lead with 9:17 left in the opening frame.
McKinney wasn’t done there, taking the Knights’ special teams unit to task with a 37-yard punt return touchdown one series later for a 14-0 edge.
“[McKinney is] a different player,” Smith said. “Our starting tailback (Michel Sohi) was out, so we had to rely on a few others to step up and our offensive line was dominant. Our quarterback, Terry Barber, was seeing the field really well too, but a guy with Q’s ability just changes the game.”
McKinney and the secondary proved the two constants in Collin County’s lopsided victory. The former accounted for three touchdowns while bagging 124 receiving yards.
The latter parlayed the pressure from the Rattlers’ defensive line into four interceptions off Texas quarterback Patrick Field. That figure matched the number of passes Field completed to his own teammates, with the signal caller limited to just 4-of-21 throwing for 76 yards and one touchdown.
“We have Division I players throughout our entire secondary,” Smith said. “It’s a different level than what you’re used to seeing as this level. The speed, what we do in zones and mixing up coverages, it’s hard for quarterbacks to adjust to it.”
An end zone pick by Donte Pettis, his first of two interceptions, furthered the Rattlers’ stranglehold on the opening frame, giving Collin County the ball at midfield. There, a 32-yard hookup between Barber and Rich Morris set the table for a 4-yard touchdown run by 6-foot, 315-pound defensive lineman Romell Terry for a 21-0 cushion.
“[Terry is] a fullback by nature,” Smith said. “I made a jumbo package with Rod (Richardson) at fullback and Romell at tail, and [Texas] just opened up the hole for us.
“We’ll keep that package throughout the playoffs, for sure.”
A swing pass late in the first half from Barber to Maurice MiShaw equated a 6-yard touchdown and the 28-0 lead the Rattlers carried into the break, while the Knights’ offensive rhythm remained dormant during the first 30 minutes of play.
Texas amassed just two first downs in the first half and was limited to minus-7 yards in the second quarter – mustering just 17 yards total by halftime.
In all, the Knights executed just seven plays that netted positive yardage – the most beneficial of which came with 3:50 left in the third after a downfield heave by Field found Henry Newbell Jr. for a 42-yard touchdown catch. The play comprised 56 percent of Texas’ total yardage for the game – 75 yards.
The score offset a 1-yard touchdown run by MiShaw, who totaled 65 yards and two touchdowns. The Rattlers put an exclamation mark on the outing with backup quarterback Michael Smith finding McKinney over the middle and letting the receiver do the rest, scampering for an 85-yard touchdown with 10:02 left in the fourth quarter.
In victory, Collin County advances to Saturday’s American Conference Championship where it will host the Drillers from Kimbrough Stadium at 7 p.m.
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