By Chad Cook | Oct. 2, 2021 | AugBball
The Bulldogs ran off 27 unanswered points after briefly falling behind for the first time this season.
#3 Silver Bluff turned in a dominant all around performance Friday on homecoming night, topping #8 Wade Hampton40-14 in the class 2A, region 5 opener to establish a 5-0 record for the season. The defense played a nearly flawless game by holding Wade Hampton to 131 yards of total offense. And 56 of those yards came during the final drive of the game, after Silver Bluff had run off 27 unanswered points to take a commanding lead during a twelve-minute, second half stretch in which the Bulldogs dominated every facet of the game.
Defensive ends Davon Simpkins (5 tackles for loss) and Jaden McLeod (2 tackles for a loss and a sack) led a scary unit that held Wade Hampton almost 200 yards below its average per game output and forced the Red Devils into 5 turnovers, including 3 interceptions. Wade Hampton star quarterback Jamian Risher spent much of his time under heavy pressure and eventually left the game after suffering an onslaught of hard hits on both sides of the ball.
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“In order to play in this defense, you gotta have an attitude. You gotta have some toughness. You gotta have some grit,” fourth year head coach De’Angelo Bryant explained after the game. “Those guys understand what it takes. We talk to them about causing turnovers and taking advantage of opportunities. When the ball’s in the air, we gotta catch it. It’s something we put a lot of focus on.”
Dunbar Got Stronger as the Game Went Longer
The win marked the fourth time in five outings this season that the Bulldogs posted at least 40 points. One good reason for that has been the play of sophomore running back Traevon Dunbar, who has been attracting attention from media members and recruiters far beyond this area, and not only because of his video game like rushing statistics. Dunbar carried the ball 23 times for 219 yards and 3 touchdowns in the win. He possesses the entire package, including the proclivity to dole out punishment on a would be tackler, as Risher discovered early in the fourth quarter when he broke down to tackle Dunbar on the play before the first of Dunbar’s three fourth quarter touchdowns:
Dunbar, who will attend South Carolina’s game against Troy today on an unofficial recruiting visit, spoke on a statewide radio show after the game about how Silver Bluff’s players benefit by not having to play both ways, like many class 2A players on other teams do. Maybe that’s why Dunbar’s rushing output increased with every passing quarter in Friday’s win:
The composure of Maleik Williams
As dominant as Silver Bluff’s performance was, the Red Devils did hold a 14-13 second half lead after Robert Clarkintercepted a pass by junior quarterback Maleik Williams and returned it for a touchdown with 10:22 left in the third quarter. But in shaking off the setback, Williams displayed the kind of composure you might expect from a three year starter at the position.
Immediately after the mishap, Williams engineered a 10-play, 56 yard drive that ended with a 12 yard touchdown strike to Darius Dixon on fourth-and-8 that erased the only deficit Silver Bluff has experienced all season. Williams also converted a first down on fourth-and-10 from Wade Hampton’s 28-yard line earlier in the same drive with a 12-yard dash after being chased out of the pocket.
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“Coach always tells us… ‘play the next play,’” Williams explained after the game when I asked him how he put the pick-6 out of his mind. “I just went to the next drive and executed.”
The immediate answer to Wade Hampton’s brief lead seemed to ignite Silver Bluff’s entire squad. Shortly after Silver Bluff regained the lead, Zaden Davis intercepted a pass from Risher that was thrown under heavy duress. From there Dunbar went to work, scoring the first of his three touchdowns early in the fourth quarter from 13 yards out on the third play of a 29-yard drive to put Silver Bluff ahead 27-13 with a little more than 11 minutes left in the game. Two defensive stops, and two Dunbar rushing touchdowns (one 65 yards and the other 3) later, the route was on.
Williams Spread the Wealth
Williams completed 21 of 28 pass attempts for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns, and he also ran for a score, a 10 yard scamper that put Silver Bluff ahead 7-0 with 8:40 remaining in the second quarter.
Williams spread the ball around to four different receivers, including Nick Brown, who hauled in 9 receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown. Williams found Brown on a 22-yard completion over the middle that gave Silver Bluff a 13-7 lead with 51 seconds left in the first half.
Arthur Walker was another frequent target for Williams. Walker caught 7 passes for 79 yards, including a 52-yard gain in the fourth quarter that set up Dunbar’s third touchdown run.
Up Next
Next Friday Silver Bluff (5-0, 1-0) will visit Pelion (2-2, 0-0), whose score from Friday had not been reported as time this post was released. On October 15, the Bulldogs will visit #9 Barnwell (6-1, 1-0) in a highly anticipated matchup.
Wade Hampton (5-1, 0-1) will host Edisto (2-3, 0-1) next week.
Chad Cook is a contributor with The Augusta PRESS and also covers high school sports through his website AugBball.blogspot.com.
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