A DEVIL OF A TIME FOR THE HUSKY OFFENSE
It was a game the Port Huron Northern Huskies deserved to win but it was also a game where they couldn’t move the ball consistently on offense and they came up just short to the bigger and higher rated Grosse Pointe South Blue Devils on Thursday Night. It was a tough 10-7 loss but in reality, it was a well played defensive game by a Husky unit that could just be at its all time peak. The Husky D dominated what, in many cases was a better Blue Devil squad but Northern played with one main characteristic that allowed them to be in the game, almost win it and quite frankly…to frustrate the Grosse Pointe South players – HEART. Is it due to the fact that new Head Coach Pat Connell continues to get the most out of his players? ABSOLUTELY! As I said last week, this is a new Husky team, a new Husky Coach and a new Husky era. As highly rated as Grosse Pointe South was going into this one…they walked away with a late victory ONLY on a last second field goal. In my opinion, the Huskies were as close as a football team can come to winning a game without actually doing it.
There was no scoring in this game until the 4th quarter. It shocked me that the Blue Devils had a big goose egg on the scoreboard at that point but it certainly was a tribute to the way PHN was playing defensively. It was an effort I had seldom seen before from Northern IF EVER. The Huskies actually opened the scoring with the bomb. Husky QB – Alex Johns-Moore (7 for 14 for 158 passing yards) gunned a beauty 81 yards to WR – Macauley Hill (3 catches for 116 yards). Despite being defended closely in double coverage for much of the game, Macauley still pulled that one down for PHN! It was the 3rd time in 2 weeks that the 2 have hooked up. It was 7-0 Huskies late in the game and the HUGE upset was almost complete. The problem was all of that GPS size and strength was finally beginning to show. They were moving the ball at ease on the follow-up drive. Let’s face it though, this Husky D was extremely tired at that point and were the reason the game was even within reach in the first place. A visibly frustrated Grosse Pointe team quickly responded with highly touted QB – Ben Fry (146 passing yards) hitting Victor Mattison for a 16 yard TD that tied the game. Robby Kish eventually put the Blue Devils ahead for good with a 28 yard field goal with less then 20 seconds left in the game to finish off the Huskies – 10-7. It was a lucky victory for a frustrated team that obviously thought they were a lot better then how they played but, in the end they squeaked it out anyway with 10 straight 4th quarter points.
PHN’s Coach Connell talked about the state of his team after the game and claimed, “The kids are very disappointed, but at the same time, we realize this is all part of the process.” I couldn’t agree with him more. It is a process, particularly when you switch offensive styles. Success just doesn’t come overnight. This game certainly made me think the future is bright for Northern though, particularly its awesome defense which overcame the huge GPS size advantage and got more out of their 11-man unit then they certainly could have asked for. They clearly frustrated Blue Devil QB – Ben Fry by keeping as much pressure on him as they could throughout the game. On his defense, Connell claimed, “”It was a nice, tough, physical football game. Our defense played outstanding and kept us in the game. My hat’s off to Grosse Pointe South. They came through when it mattered and made some plays down the stretch.”
Perhaps the biggest reason for Grosse Pointe South also dominating this game on the defensive end was their tremendous ability to stop the Huskies ground attack which just didn’t exist in this game. An unreal 25 total rushing yards was all PHN could muster? Total rushing yards were 126 to 25? First downs were 16 to 4 in favour of GPS? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Talk about a boring battle of the defenses. If you would have told me before this game began that PHN would only lose 10-7 to a GPS team that was THIS talented I’d say you were nuts and that it would be just plain boring. The interesting thing was…it wasn’t boring. Not at all. Due to the fact that the Huskies did keep stopping the Blue Devils time after time after time it was refreshing and it couldn’t help but make you cheer for the underdog. Any offense at all from PHN besides the one big bomb clearly would have won this game but again, just as Northern’s D was great, Grosse Pointe South’s was simply unbelievable.
Coach Connell and this “HUSKY PROCESS” is indeed a WORK IN PROGRESS to say the least. As far as offenses go this was not the week to improve or show any greater development in the new Husky regime under Coach Pat due to such strong competition. Better weeks are certainly coming though. The aggressiveness of this Northern football team is something that I haven’t seen from them in years. They are playing with fire, desire and like they care again and it’s great to see. According to Coach Connell, “It’s (next week) another chance for us to prove ourselves. Another chance to get better.” Mark my words Pat…YOU WILL!!!
NOTE: The above pictures are property of the Port Huron Times Herald. From top to bottom…Huskies – Mark Perez, Alex Johns-Moore, Macauley Hill, Jalen Hayes tries to get to Grosse Pointe South QB – Ben Fry and Flynn Murphy looks on.
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Big D, going back to this article, you summed up the Husky season from the beginning. Even with the flash of a very much improved offensive scheme, the D is the heart of good team. Offense can win games, but defense wins championships. I am not saying by any stretch that they will win a championship, but I truly think the Huskies will make the playoffs from the first time in over a decade if memory serves me correctly, and a major part of that is the defense is stingy to say the least.
I am a proud parent of a Husky D-Lineman/Nose tackle, and have never been more proud of him, and all of his friends, that are also Husky football players.
Thanks for the great articles you write, as they are a nice look at the games, as compared to the Times Herald, and it is always nice to hear the point of view of someone who sees the whole picture.
Hey Mike…thanks for writing in. Since you dont seem to have any trouble giving feedback (which is a great thing) what do you think of the play-by-play that I do on CPHS – Channel 6?
Anyway as for what you said … I agree … this Husky team is definitely a playoff worthy team and very scary because of their BIG DEFENSE. Who would want to play a unit so aggressive and nasty? It’s awesome to watch but I wasnt sold until the Utica game. Anyone who can go into their place and beat them there when they are 3-0 and a division up from PHN is simply awesome. That was the defining moment. Now I believe they can seriously go 8-1 and host a home playoff game. The rivalry game is never a definite and the Big Reds are playing a lot better (very good defensively too) but at this point PHN is clearly going to be the favorite going into that game.
The most impressive thing about it all to me is the turnaround. How do you go from a team that barely has a pulse with 1 and 2 wins every year to a 7 or 8 win team and the playoffs in a matter of 10 months? Two people that I think need all the credit in the world are Coach Connell (Head Coach) and Coach VanDrew (defensive co-ordinator). Clearly their hard work is the difference and it’s paying off.
Thanks again for your comments Mike. Very interesting. You should be proud of your son too. Very proud. The whole Husky D is kicking ass. Indeed LETS GET NASTY PORT HURON NORTHERN!!!!
Play by play for the rivalry game will be awesome. I CANT WAIT!
-BIG D (Channel 6 play-by-play)