Second Half Surge Not Enough For Grand Saline To Overcome Quitman

The Grand Saline Indians got their passing game cranked up in the third quarter, but the Quitman Bulldogs, and tailback Devontae McNeal had the answers in Quitman’s 37-23 homecoming night win.

After falling behind 21-0 early in the third quarter, Grand Saline scored 16 straight points to pull within five. Having already scored three rushing touchdowns, McNeal (43 carries, 330 yards, 4 TD’s) threw a halfback pass to Nathan Barron for an 18-yard touchdown to stop Indian run.

After a scoreless first quarter, McNeal had rushing touchdowns of six and 57 yards in the second quarter to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 halftime lead.

The Indians had a chance late in the quarter after Brice Thompson picked off an Andre Thompson pass to give Grand Saline possession at the Bulldog 27. A Taylor Phelps to Greg Evans pass gave the Indians a first down at the ten, but a bad shotgun snap on third down resulted in a turnover with 2:27 left in the half.

McNeal picked up where he left off after halftime, scoring on an 11-yard run to cap a 70-yard drive. McNeal carried the ball on all six plays of the drive.

The momentum swung in Grand Saline’s favor on the ensuing possession, when Phelps connected with Thomas Miller (4 receptions, 148 yards) for 46 yards on a third-and-10 conversion. On the next play, Phelps to Josh Carpenter gained 20, and two plays later, Phelps scrambled for six yards and a touchdown. Saulo Galvan kicked the extra point to cut the lead to 21-7.

The Indian defense caught the wave and forced consecutive three-and-out for Quitman. On the second one, a bad snap on the punt resulted in a safety, and the Quitman lead was cut to 21-9.

The short free kick gave Grand Saline possession at the Bulldog 36. Three plays later, on first-and-10 from the 20, Phelps connected with Austin Bolin for a touchdown. Bolin made a great catch in the end zone with a Bulldog defender hanging on, and after the Galvan kick, the Indians were within five with :46 left in the third.

Quitman answered with a drive that lasted close to five minutes culminating in McNeal’s pass to Barren. Quitman receiver Jacob Golden had the big play on the drive, picking up 53 on a flanker reverse.

Grand Saline needed less than a 90 seconds to answer, as Miller got behind the Quitman defense for a 63-yard touchdown reception. Galvan’s kick mad the score 29-23 with 6:36 left, but that would be as close as the Indians could get.

After an onside kick gave the Bulldogs possession at the Grand Saline 48, McNeal took a pitch out the distance for the final score. He added at the two-point conversion for the 37-23 lead.

Grand Saline drove back down to the Quitman 26, but four straight incompletions sealed the Indians fate.

The Indians (1-6, 1-3) will return home to host Lone Oak next Friday night.