Gannett News Service • September 1, 2008
CINCINNATI — Montgomery Bell Academy made its presence felt on the national stage Sunday with a dominating 21-6 win over Cincinnati Moeller in the Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series at Paul Brown Stadium.
The event pairs some of the top programs from the nation against one another, and MBA left little doubt as to its place among the best.
"They controlled the tempo," Moeller Coach John Rodenberg said. "They made it a slower game. They ran the 25-second clock down, and then they converted a lot of third-down plays. That really hurt us."
Moeller (1-1) wore down in Sunday's heat against an efficient MBA (2-0) attack that kept Moeller's defense from getting off the field. MBA ran 73 plays compared to 50 for Moeller and had an edge in time of possession of 32:30 to 15:30.
MBA led just 7-6 at half, but Moeller turned the ball over on three of its first five possessions in the second half. The game's turning point came late in the third quarter.
Facing second-and-11 from its own 43, MBA pulled off a perfectly executed hook-and-ladder play. Quarterback Spencer Wise hit William Tanner in the left flat, and he lateraled to Patrick Crum, who beat two defenders down the sideline for a touchdown.
"That play has worked for touchdowns three of the four times we've ever run it," MBA Coach Daniel McGugin said. "You can't run plays like that unless you have great players, and we have some great players."
Moeller quickly went
three-and-out on offense, and MBA struck again. Wise scrambled 8 yards for a score, capping a 70-yard drive.
Wise went 15-of-25 passing for 244 yards and he ran the option effectively, rushing for 22 yards. MBA outgained Moeller 440-197 in total yards
