2012 Week 1

IT WAS A DONE DEAL WHEN...
WR Chris Jenkins was streaking down the sideline on the way to the endzone with less than 2 minutes to play, and he got cauht from behind and fumbled the ball away. A touchdown would've made the score 35-33, meaning we needed a 2 point conversion to tie it. But we never got the chance.

GAME BALLS
Chris Jenkins, despite the fumble, still gets a game ball. He set a new team record with 251 receiving yards. He was unstoppable and didn't drop anything thrown to him. ... LB Richard Longshore got two sacks and forced a fumble.

KEY STATISTICS
What really made the difference? We went into the redzone 4 times on offense and came away with only 2 field goals. That's where we lost the game, with some early turnovers in the redzone by John Powell (who was outstanding aside from his picks, which he threw under serious pressure).

NOTES
Freshman HB Melvin Hawkins got no room to run, picking up only 6 yards on 12 carries as he attempted to replace David Taylor, who graduated this spring after setting a new school record for career rushing yards. Hawkins needs some help from the o-line, to be fair, though. ... John Powell's 412 yards are the 2nd most passing yards we've ever had in a single game. D.J. McPhearson is #1 on that list with a 453 yard effort back in 2008 against Columbia.