By Malcolm Butler
Jerrod Baugh knew it was going to be a process.
It still is.
However, the Ruston High head coach has seen progress from his first year starting quarterback Josh Brantley the last two weeks and thus the Bearcats offense has began to show signs of evolving.
And the most exciting part for Baugh is the fact the offense is executing in some pressure situations.
Trailing 10-0 to Neville in the fourth quarter last week, Baugh, Brantley and the Bearcats powered their way to a pair of late scores to record an important 14-10 win over the long-time rival and previously undefeated Tigers.
And last night after seeing a 21-point halftime lead totally erased in the third quarter, Baugh had a front row seat to his junior QB leading the team to a pair of pressure-packed fourth quarter scoring drives once again.
The key? Brantley’s legs.
“I said it after the ballgame against Neville last week that I thought that last drive was going to give our offense some more confidence,” said Baugh following the 35-28 win over ASH. “With the game on the line (against Neville), we were able to make things happen in order to win the ball game. And Josh was a very big part of that last week.
“And that bleeds over to every area. It was rushing last week, but you could tell his confidence in throwing the ball tonight was better. I really think you will see it get better and better as you see these guys who were inexperienced coming into the season gain more experience.”
Brantley scored on a pair of 3-yard runs last week, including the game-winner with just 34 seconds left in the game. He rushed for 146 yards and the two scores on 17 carries against the Tigers.
“It’s really showing them what I can do,” said Brantley following the win over the Trojans. “The more plays I make, the more they trust me to make those plays. So at times like tonight when we needed a play, they just called on me to get it for us.”
And call on him they did.
Brantley gave Ruston a 7-0 lead on an 11-yard run where he outraced the ASH defense to the pylon in the first quarter. He added a 4-yard TD run with just 16 seconds to play before halftime as the Bearcats took a 21-0 lead.
Allowing the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder to utilize his physical running ability has been a concerted decision over the past two weeks.
“It started a couple of weeks ago when we couldn’t get things going offensively, and we said, ‘Hey, No. 3 is a runner,'” said Ruston QB coach Steven Ensminger. “But No. 3 is a passer as well. So if we can make people bring that extra guy into the box to try to defend him, then it will open up a lot more in the passing game. He is doing a good job of controlling the offense and not trying to do more than what we ask him.”
And once again with the game on the line in the fourth quarter Friday night, Brantley came through in the clutch. His throwback screen to Zhy Scott picked up 40 yards and gave the Bearcats possession deep in ASH territory. And after a couple of tough, physical runs by Brantley, it was Jordan Hayes who took a pitch from his signal caller and raced six yards to pay-dirt to give Ruston a 28-21 lead with 10:02 to play in the game.
Brantley’s ability to keep defenses guessing is opening up opportunities for others.
“We knew Josh was a good runner,” said Baugh. “There is a lot involved in the offense. Finding things the offensive line can be successful at along with what it is that he can do. Anytime you come into the season and you have inexperienced guys in the skill positions, you have to tinker with the offense to think about what the skill-sets of each individual player are. What can they do?
“I think you saw that tonight. I thought we did a really good job with some play action pass that made some things available, and Josh made some really good throws. It kind of opened some things up in the running game for us. Josh is getting to where he is more and more comfortable with the offense, and I think the more experience he gets, that will just get better.”
After ASH tied the game at 28-28 with 5:55 to play, Brantley and the Bearcats had another stress-filled drive. And they handled it like champs.
Brantley started the drive with a 24-yard run where ASH defenders bounced off of him. He added a couple of more power runs that set the Bearcats up inside the 5-yard line and then Dylone Brooks finished it off with a 3-yard plunge up the middle with 1:15 to play in the game.
It was a physical style of offense that the Bearcats will need to play if they want to make another run to the Dome.
“He is a physical kid,” said Ensminger. “He is a ball player. He thrives in moments where the game is on the line, and he wants the ball. I think it puts him in a more comfortable mood in the passing game as well. When he gets going he comes to the sideline and says ‘Feed me. Feed me.'”
Brantley was fed 23 times for 149 yards and two scores in the win Friday night. At times he looked like Derrick Henry, stiff arming ASH defenders to the ground.
“Power. Power,” said Brantley when describing his running style. “I can’t make a man miss, but I can sure run through somebody.”
Baugh said he is happy with the maturation process for Brantley, who he said is also learning how to be a better runner as well as a better passer.
“It’s hard when you are a heavy runner like Josh is … a big tall kid,” said Baugh. “You saw him tonight being able to stiff arm some guys because they are trying to go low on him. I think he is getting accustomed to that. Earlier in his career in freshman and JV, they didn’t know and they try to hit him high and they are just running over guys.
“Well now guys are going low on him and he is able to stiff arm some guys and get them out of the way. He is turning into a good running back whenever he has the ball in his hands. I think he has come a long way throwing the ball too, and that is just going to help us down the road.”
Brantley completed 7-of-17 passes for 129 yards which included some nice throws on short timing patterns. It also included some off-target passes on slants and downfield shots.
With the Bearcats now sitting at 6-0 on the season, 1-0 in District 2-5A action, and No. 1 in the Non-Select School Division I power rankings, Baugh feels Ruston’s offense has plenty of room for growth.
“I think the upside for our offense is really good,” said Baugh. “I like where we are at. I know some people early in the season questioned what it is that is going on because we weren’t scoring many points. Coming into the season we knew we had to lean on the defense. That is where we had the majority of the starters coming back. We knew if they could hold on long enough, then we would get things ironed out on the offensive side of the football. And that’s what happened tonight.
“We were forced to make some offensive drives with some pressure on us, and we were able to do that. I think Josh was a big part of that. You could tell that he was comfortable with what it was that he was being asked to do. And that’s the key.”
