By Kyle Roberts
It can’t be easy to try to replace senior quarterback Josh Brantley at anything.
But sophomore quarterback Sam Hartwell certainly did a bang up job Friday night for the Bearcats, starting for the injured Brantley and accounting for three of Ruston’s seven touchdowns, tossing for 141 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
Oh, and Hartwell got it done on the ground, too, with 50 yards rushing and an added touchdown with his legs, leading Ruston to a 49-10 win over the Cabot Panthers on senior night for the Bearcats.
For head coach Jerrod Baugh, it sure is a blessing to know that his back-up quarterback can come in and not have a hitch in the offense.
“Sam knows our offense,” said Baugh. “Nothing really changed as far as the game plan. It’s always great to get the backup QB in. Sam did a great job running the offense tonight.
“He always does a good job making sure he is prepared each week on the game plan. Our coaches do a great job getting those guys prepared. It’s always good to see your backups get in and execute the offense like they did.”
Hartwell felt the same way about being empowered to run the offense in full — and not just be a “game manager” with the superstar Brantley on the sideline nursing an injury.
“It feels great and makes me play better,” Hartwell said about the support he received from the coaches Friday night. “They helped prepare me (to possibly start) all week and to get ready for this game. Everyone played their butts off, and we’ve got to give them the credit. It was a great game all around.”
The night started less than ideally for Hartwell on the first Bearcat drive of the night when the Panthers picked a tipped-pass off and scored just a few plays later.
But a calm and collected Hartwell, along with a solid o-line, led Ruston to six consecutive touchdowns before Cabot kicked a field goal in the last few minutes of the third quarter.
“We talk about it all the time,” Hartwell said. “We know that bad things are going to happen, it’s about how you respond. That’s a good part about our team — if something happens, we’re always jumping right back up. So we did a great job tonight.”
Perhaps the biggest play of the game for Hartwell came on a critical 3rd-and-12 with 8:15 to go in the second quarter. With the Bearcats ahead 14-7, Hartwell broke a tackle well in the backfield and sprinted forward for a 14-yard gain and a first down. The drive would continue for three more minutes and was capped off by a 19-yard touchdown run by none other than Hartwell.
“It was a designed-rollout,” Hartwell said of the third down conversion. “We needed to get that first down and we needed to score again and really put some pressure on them. I got out there, broke the tackle and was just green grass from there.”
Following his performance, there’s plenty of good reason for fans to be excited for Hartwell’s future. But for tonight, Hartwell will celebrate his team and the school he represents.
“Tonight was awesome,” Hartwell said. “I love it — Bearcat Fridays are the best.”
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