There was, therefore, cause for some criticism in Coach Mike Taylor’s postgame assessment.
“The kids played hard, but they didn’t always play smart,” Taylor said after his team posted the most penalty yards in a game in recent memory.
Still, with OCC tacklers swarming and shackling Cougar rushers, and holding Southwest (0-2) to 16 yards of total offense through three scoreless quarters, there was plenty of leeway for the OCC offense to eventually find the end zone in the second half.
Sophomore tailback Ray Holley, who collected 222 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries in the season opener, was once again the marquee attraction for the Pirates. He slashed, sprinted and spun through the Southwest defense for 163 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 35 attempts.
Holley’s five-yard scoring run with 7:07 left in the third quarter capped a 14-play, 87-yard drive that put the Pirates firmly ahead, though they were clearly already in firm control.
Holley, whose halfback pass was tipped near the line and intercepted in the end zone to thwart OCC’s first serious scoring threat, capped the Pirates’ scoring with a seven-yard sweep with 3:07 left in the game.
Freshman Lucas Vandeman opened the scoring with a 39-yard field goal early in the second quarter and freshman Mike Patrick blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety to make it 5-0 with 8:42 left before halftime.
OCC sophomore quarterback Kyle Manning connected with freshman Lano Fuentes for a 74-yard scoring pass just three plays after Southwest got on the scoreboard with an early-third-quarter field goal.
The TD toss represented nearly half of Manning’s 153-yard aerial production. He completed nine of 22 attempts and threw one interception.
But it was the defense that deserved most of the credit for the Pirates.
