Similar to last season, Quitman could be running a duel quarterback system, especially if Thursday’s scrimmage at Marshall was an indication. Tied 7-7with just over nine minutes left in the final period of play, sophomore quarterback Hunter Martin scampered for a 95-yard touchdown and threw for a 61-yard touchdown to senior receiver Matt McRae, who made a leaping grab at the Bobact 30 and sprinted into the end zone.
McRae’s TD grab set the final at 24-15 for the simulated half of football, which consisted of two, 12-minute periods.
Last season, Quitman used Tim Smith and Aaron Parker at quarterback with Parker taking the majority of the snaps under center by the end of the season while Smith made plays all over the field. This season could be similar only Martin could relieve Parker, who also plays free safety.
Bulldog Coach Fritz Heidenreich says he will start Parker at quarterback, but in crunch time it will be hard to keep the ball out of Martin’s hands–whether playing quarterback, running back or receiver.
“He [Martin] is the kind of guy to be honest with you, when we’ve got to have it, he is going to come up and be quarterback a little bit. I can put him at receiver, running back, there are a lot of places. We are going to get the ball in his hands, it’s just a matter of where. Aaron Parker is doing a good job at quarterback, managing the ballgame but Hunter Martin is an excellent runner and he is going to be in there at crunch time,” said Heidenreich.
Marshall outscored the Bulldogs 5-2 in touchdowns in a scrimmage portion that had both offenses take 10 snaps starting at their own 40 and 10 plays from the opponents’ 10-yard line. Neither squad marched 60 yards for a score in the first 10-play portion from their own 40, but Marshall found the end zone five times in 10 plays from the Bulldog 10. Meanwhile, Quitman scored twice in 10 plays from the Bobcat 10 as Parker lobbed a perfect pass to sophomore receiver Hunter Bridges for a 10-yard touchdown on Quitman’s first play but the Bobcats defense stuffed the Bulldogs on their next three plays.
On fourth and goal from the 13-yard line, junior running back Zach Dickerson found a gaping hole over left tackle and cut back sharply towards the middle for an impressive touchdown run.
Heidenreich was encouraged by the running game on Thursday, especially the offensive line. “We want Zach to step up and be the man at running back. He has to play a lot of defense but we are hoping he will come through and do a good job running the football. The offensive line it looked like did a great job. We let them get pressure on our quarterback a few times but the run holes were there and the running backs ran tough. Dickerson could be a big key to some victories this year running the football.”
During the timed scrimmage, Marshall carried over its momentum from the goal line period, scoring on the first possession–a 7-play, 70-yard drive. Senior running back Mason Milsap, who earned all-conference honors as a junior, got the Bobcats rolling with a 12-yard run, plus a facemask penalty brought the ball inside Quitman territory.
An illegal procedure penalty wiped out an 8-yard sack by Dickerson, setting Marshall back five yards then a holding penalty placed the pigskin back in Bobcat territory. Senior quarterback Jarred Barrett hit senior receiver Jacob Johns on a post for 26 yards and Milsap powered up the middle for eight more, setting up second and two from the Quitman 18.
On the next play, running out of the Power-I formation still, Milsap found a huge hole over the left side and cruised into the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown with 8:28 remaining in the first quarter. Taylor Phillips added the extra-point kick, giving the Bobcats a 7-0 advantage.
Running an extremely quick no-huddle Spread attack, Quitman countered with a 16-play, 70-yard scoring drive that included a fourth-down conversion. After Dickerson took a trap over left guard for 3 yards, Parker kept around the right end for 5 yards. On third and 2, Dickerson plowed over left guard for 11 yards, setting up a first down near midfield.
Parker fired incomplete on first down and was swarmed under for no gain on second down, leaving the Bulldogs with third and 10. Quitman used a hard count to draw the Bobcats offside, then Dickerson barreled over left tackle for 10 yards.
A first-down screen pass fell incomplete before Dickerson ran up the gut for 7 yards, leaving the Bulldogs with a third and three.
Martin took a handoff up the middle for 3 yards while moving the chains then Parker passed incomplete. On second and 10, Martin got 3 yards on an inside draw but Parker passed incomplete on third and 7, leaving the Bulldogs facing a critical fourth down.
Parker kept around the right side for 11 yards and a huge first down then he took a bootleg over the right side for 4 yards, setting up second and 4 inside the Bobcat 10.
Dickerson capped the drive on the next play by breaking a tackle at the 3-yard line and spinning across the plane to complete a 7-yard touchdown with 3:15 left in the first quarter. Dickerson squeaked the extra-point attempt over the crossbar, tying the score at 7-all.
A heavy dose of Milsap and a few keepers from Barrett drove Marshall back into Quitman territory but once the Bobcats reached the 5-yard line, the Bulldogs held tight with a goal line stand.
The Bulldogs swarmed the line of scrimmage for a short loss on first down, then junior linebacker Jeremiah Johnson slammed Milsap for no gain before sophomore quarterback Justus Morrison fired incomplete, leaving Marshall with a third and goal from the Quitman 5. Morrison tired to keep on fourth down but was stopped by a pack of Bulldogs at the 3-yard line.
The Bulldogs struck for a score in only two plays as Dickerson carried for 2 yards over left guard before Martin faked a handoff and sprinted down the right sideline, outrunning a few players with angles while taking it to the house. Quitman missed the PAT, leaving the Bulldogs ahead, 13-7 with 8:32 left in the final quarter.
Quitman’s defense forced a three and out on Marshall’s next possession as sophomore linebacker Sawyer Johnson aided with a big stop. Quitman took over at its own 35 following a simulated punt and converted on two fourth downs on the way to another score.
Facing fourth and 11 from its own 34, Martin faked a handoff and hit the left sideline for a 20 yards gain, keeping the drive alive. A horse collar penalty pushed Quitman inside Bobcat territory then Dickerson pounded out 5 yards and McRae turned a quick screen pass into 5 more.
On first down, junior offensive lineman Christian Bartholomew kept the Bulldogs’ drive alive by recovering a fumble but Martin fired incomplete then kept for 2 yards, leaving Quitman with a fourth and 6.
Martin was stuffed on fourth down but a personal foul penalty kept the Bulldogs drive alive at the Marshall 12, where Dickerson powered up the middle for 2 yards and Martin made an option pitch to Dickerson for 6 more, setting up third and 2 from the Bobcat 6.
Martin faked a handoff and kept for 5 yards and Johnston plowed behind center for a 1-yard touchdown, extending Quitman’s lead to 19-7. Dickerson’s extra-point attempt sailed wide left.
With 1:18 remaining, Marshall only needed two plays to find pay dirt. After suffering a 5-yard loss, Johns caught a slant 10 yards down field and outran the Bulldogs’ secondary for a 75-yard touchdown. Phillips added the PAT, cutting Marshall’s deficit to 19-14.
Quitman answered with a 2-play scoring drive as Dickerson rushed over left tackle for 9 yards, then Martin threw deep down the right sideline for McRae, who made a leaping grab at the Marshall 30 and raced into the end zone for a 61-yard touchdown. After an excessive celebration penalty, the Bulldogs’ two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Bulldogs with a 25-14 advantage.
Marshall tried to strike back as Morrison hit Johns for 30 yards but sophomore cornerback Chase Stewart sacked the sophomore quarterback on the final play as the Bulldogs ended the scrimmage on a high note.
Overall, Heidenreich was very pleased. “We got into a rhythm on offense and we ran the plays we wanted to run at the pace we wanted to run. Our running game was really good but the passing game was a little shaky. The best thing we got out of it was running our offense, we did have one turnover but we didn’t turn it over a lot and that was a big key. Defensively, we did a pretty good job but they hurt us with the option. People knew what they were doing, they were in the right spot doing the right thing,” said Heidenreich.
Quitman opens regular season play on Friday against Rose Bud at Bulldog Stadium. Opening kick off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
