Sometimes things just don’t go as planned, but a good football team will handle adversity with a positive spin. That’s what Notre Dame did again, and again and again Friday night against Breaux Bridge.
Senior running back Noah Bourgeois rushed for 220 yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns as the Pio held off the Tigers, 40-28, in an old-fashioned shootout. Notre Dame head coach Lewis Cook had praise for both teams post game.
“It was just a matter of coming out with more points and our guys found a way to do that. Hats off to our team because they fought it until the end. Early in the game we went up big and Breaux Bridge battled back and got us on a couple of plays to get back in it so give them credit, they played hard.”
The Pios controlled the opening on sides kick and marched 56 yards in 11 plays for a 7-0 lead. Bourgeois gained eleven on a third and five run and QB Ben Broussard connected on an eight-yard pass to Kaizer Lamm on third and six to keep the drive alive. Broussard scored on a two-yard sneak.
The Tigers went three and out on their first series with Pio Joe Pommier logging a first down tackle for a loss and Luke Valdeterro pressuring the QB for an incomplete pass. On third down Valdeterro dropped the ball carrier for an eight-yard loss and the Pios took over at the visitors 37.
Noah Bourgeois gained five on a fourth down and two at the Tigers 29. QB Broussard ran for 16 yards and three plays later C.J. Thibodeaux walked it in from the one for a 14-0 Pios lead.
“They were big inside, their two tackles are 280 and 290, so we made them chase us a bit early in the game,” explained coach Cook. “Their ends were not real big, but the linebackers were awful quick and recovered fast to the ball.”
It was the Pios that were quick to the end zone, increasing the lead to 21-0 on a 48-yard touchdown burst by Noah Bourgeois. On the next series, C.J. Thibodeaux split the defense behind a Gabe Doucet lead block and rambled 44 yards to make it 27-0.
With four minutes to go in the half, Breaux Bridge had one first down and 19-yards of offense. Joe Pommier and Daniel Gielen combined to stop the Tigers for a one-yard gain on third and two. An unsportsmanlike penalty after the play gave Breaux Bridge a first down at the 44.
On the next play, QB Cole Mouton found running back Kavion Martin uncovered on a circle route down the sideline. The 56-yard TD pass made the score 27-7 at the break.
“We let them kind of back in it with the long pass,” noted Cook. “You never want to give the opponent opportunities, but we get the penalty running our mouth after the play. You have to do the right things out on the field because poor decisions always come back to haunt you.”
A much different Breaux Bridge team took the field for the third quarter. The Tigers abandoned the running game and scorched the Pios for 255 yards passing in the second half.
Breaux Bridge took the second half kick and in just over a minute closed the gap to 27-14 with a 74-yard drive. The last 43-yards came on a pass from QB Cole Mouton to Dartravien Girod.
The Pios answered with a 70-yard drive in 11 plays, using half the third quarter clock. Noah Bourgeois kept churning up grass with a 27-yard run and a nine-yard carry to the Tigers three. Bourgeois scored from the three to make it 33-14 Pios.
The Tigers stormed back behind senior QB Cole Mouton who completed just 16 of 35 passes, but they went for 335 yards. On third and nine at the BB 41, Mouton hit Cohen Boyd on a crossing route and 56-yards later the Tigers were first and goal at the Pios three. It took three plays against the Pios defense but from the two, Girod faked a quick slant and turned outside to catch a two-yard TD and make it 33-21.
“They spread us out and we tried to get a rush to make him throw quick,” said Cook. “They ran some things that were able to get to us with what we were trying to do.”
Again, the Pios fought back to extend the lead back to nineteen. On third and seven at midfield, QB Ben Broussard play action faked and pulled up throwing to tight end Thomas Bellard clearing down the middle of the field for 27-yards. Gabe Doucet got the score, carrying tacklers from 12-yards out for a 40-21 Pios lead.
“The play is a tight end delay release and it allowed us to finish the drive and score,” added Cook. “It was kind of what they were doing to us in a little different fashion.”
The Tigers had a little gas left in the tank and struck back quickly. QB Mouton completed three straight passes, the last another circle route to RB Martin for a 62-yard touchdown that made it 40-28.
When the Pios punted it back three plays later with nine minutes to play, the game was still up in the air. Breaux Bridge pieced together a 13-play drive and had first and goal at the Pios seven. The Pios defense found itself to stop four plays and take over at the eight.
“When they started to make a run, we answered them,” added Cook. “We needed a score and we got it. We had to have a first down late in the game, we got it. We needed a stop on defense and we got it.”
The Pios picked up two tough first downs to run out the final six minutes of play. A solid running attack converted ten of fifteen Notre Dame third downs and allowed the PIos to control almost 31-minutes of the game clock.
“Breaux Bridge always has great athletes and big play ability,” summed up Coach Lewis Cook. “It was a good lesson for us. This kind of game helps you get a lot better and the way this one turned out will make us a better team.”