As host team most years for the annual Dixie Rotary Bowl, the Dixie Rebels are always gracious hosts. Teams come in from all over the country and go away singing the praises of their experience at the bowl game.
For the 8th annual Rotary Bowl Saturday, the Rebels were a little too gracious and accommodating against Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College.The mistake-prone Rebels gave up fumbles, let tacklers slip through their hands, committed penalties and allowed their opponent to run all over them Saturday afternoon in a 60-36 thrashing at Hansen Stadium.
"Our mistakes killed us," said Dixie coach Greg Croshaw. "You can't turn the ball over three or four times and expect to win."
Croshaw was especially displeased with a sequence in the third quarter where his team lost fumbles on two consecutive kickoffs, turning a close game into a rout.
The Rebels were trailing just 32-28 after a Red Raven field goal when they fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Seven plays later the visitors scored again to make it 39-28. On the next kickoff, the Rebels fumbled again, and this time it took Coffeyville just two plays and 33 seconds to score for a 46-28 lead.
"Those things happen. But we don't practice fumbling kickoffs," said Croshaw.
But it was more than fumbles that did the Rebels in Saturday. They had a penchant for offsides penalties, getting six in the game to help the Ravens keep drives alive.
They also had difficulty tackling, allowing Coffeyville runners to pick up extra yardage on several occasions. For the day, Coffeyville gained 551 yards, including 411 on the ground. They only had to punt once all game.
Three Coffeyville players rushed for more than 100 yards on the day as quarterback Arrion Smith and Tyrone Baker each ran for 127 yards and Brian Knuckles picked up 111.
Coffeyville coach Skip Foster was surprised how many yards his runners were able to pile up.
"We thought we'd have to mix it up more. We were scared of Dixie," said Foster. "But our running backs ran well."
Smith, who was named Coffeyville's MVP for the game, got things rolling on just the second play from scrimmage when he faked a handoff up the middle against Dixie's stacked up defense and then bootlegged around left end for a 64-yard touchdown run. A pass off a fake kick made it 8-0.
Thanks to their defense, the Rebels came back to take a 14-8 lead. Brandon Smith returned a fumble 40 yards to set up a 6-yard TD pass from Roger Cook to Kiesh Easterwood. Then Vea Ofa hijacked the ball from Knuckles and ran 32 yards for a score.
The Red Ravens went to the air to take a 22-14 lead as Smith hit Maurice Givens on a 39-yard TD strike and followed with 2-yarder to Mike Gruber.
Just before the half, Dixie moved within 22-20 when Cook hit Micah Deckart with a 20-yard touchdown pass. A 2-point try to tie failed.
On their third play of the second half, Dixie took the lead at 28-22 when Amerson went 56 yards for a touchdown and Cook hit Deckart on the conversion.
But they ran only five more plays the rest of the quarter as Coffeyville dominated with four scoring drives, three set up by Dixie errors.
A Knuckles' 2-yard run capped off a six-minute drive to make it 29-28. Eric Cales kicked a 47-yard field goal after a 10-yard Dixie punt.
Then came the back-to-back fumbles on kickoffs and Coffeyville took advantage with a 19-yard Smith-to-Knuckles pass and a 10-yard run by Baker.
Dixie came right back with a short touchdown run by Cook set up by a 56-yard run by Amerson, who added a 2-point conversion run.
"I knew they'd be a good team - they're one of the best programs in the country year in and year out," said Croshaw. "They deserve a lot of credit."
Amerson finished with 189 yards on just 16 carries, while Cook completed 12 passes for 170 yards.
Deckart, who caught six passes for 102 yards, and linebacker Mike Smith shared honors as Dixie MVPs.