Dixie College Coach Greg Croshaw's week was nightmarish.
Croshaw had to suspend 12 of his Rebels for the their encounter with the No. 4 rated and unbeaten (10-0) Garden City, Kansas, Broncbusters in the 9th Annual Dixie College Rotary Bowl Saturday.But Croshaw's nightmarish week turned into a dream, with his No. 15 ranked Rebels (8-2-1) upsetting Garden City, 26-21, Saturday.
"We beat a great college football team today," said the elated Croshaw. "I feel like a one-legged man in a mud kicking contest. But what a leg, huh?"
Indeed.
And what a gambler, too.
Midway through the first quarter, Croshaw gambled by allowing his punter Aaron McArthur to fake a punt and pass to former Alta star Cale DeHart on a fourth-and-two situation on the Rebels' 28-yard line.
The McArthur to DeHart trickery was good for 30 yards, placing the ball on the Garden City 48.
"That fake punt really got us going," explained Croshaw. "It really gave us some momentum and we were able to get on the board."
On the next play, Rebel quarterback Jamon Taylor, a freshman from Payson, hit Thedo Griffin - the game's MVP (five receptions for 93 yards and two TDs) - for a 46-yard pass completion. Afa Otuafi bulled his way the final two yards for the Rebs' first touchdown at 5:09.
Doug Lemons extra point attempt was blocked and Dixie led, 6-0.
The Rebels took a 12-0 margin at 11:05 the second quarter, when Taylor scored on a three-yard keeper. Dixie went for two points, but Taylor's pass attempt fail incomplete.
The momentum shifted, however, late in the second quarter, when the Broncbusters put together an 80-yard, 10-play drive, with Dillon scrambling up the middle for a three-yard TD at 4:33. With Ty Ross' PAT, Garden City cut the margin to 12-7 at the half.
The Rebels upped their margin to 19-7 in their first offensive series the second half. They marched 71-yards on seven-plays, with former Cyprus star Iioa Vakapuna's 22-yard rush, and Taylor's 22-yard TD pass to Griffin, being the big plays.
Croshaw substituted McArthur for Lemons to boot the PATs, and the former responded for the 19-7 lead at 12:28 the third quarter.
But Garden City wasn't through yet.
The Broncbusters responded with an 85-yard, 12-play drive, with Dillon driving for a one-yard TD with 2:10 left the third quarter. Ross added another PAT to cut the margin to 14-19.
Garden City grabbed the lead after Otuafi fumbled and Jabbar Williams returned it 46-yards for a TD with :54 left the in the period. Ross added the PAT, and the Broncbusters had their first and only lead, 21-19.
Dixie, however, showed its mettle by coming back quickly on a six-play, 70-yard drive, with Taylor rolling out to his left to buy time, finding Griffin alone for a 25-yard TD pass. McArthur added the PAT, 26-21.
Then, it was left up to the Rebel defense, with defensive back Ben Elliss, Utah's All-American Luther Elliss' brother, defensive backs Ron Kemp, James Sapp, James Humes, and defensive linemen Alfred Tukaufu, Soma Helu, and Terry Lyman coming up with the big plays.
Sapp's interception of a Chris Windsor pass in the end zone stimied a Broncbuster drive, which had started on Garden City's 35.
Late in the fourth quarter, Elliss dropped Windsor for a six-yard loss on a second-and-six situation on the Rebel 6.
Helu, Humes, and Elliss combined to sack Windsor for another four-yard loss thus making it a fourth-and-16 situation.
On the next play, Windsor hit Dillon with a pass and he was stopped short on the 1 by Kemp preventing Garden City's final opporunity to score with 2:37 left.
The Rebels were able to run out the clock for the win.
One can't fault Dillon's effort in a losing cause, rushing for 176 yards on 35 attempts and scoring two TDs.
Vakapuna, substituting for the suspended All-American Archie Amerson, had a lot on pressure on him. But he responded with 95 yards on 19 attempts for a 5.0 average, including a fourth-and-seven situation when he gained eight yards for the first down with six seconds remaining.
Croshaw actually wanted his Rebels to take a two-point safety. "We were supposed to run a safety," explained Croshaw. "Actually, I just saw Vakapuna running the ball up the field, and it was one of those `No! No! No! Oh, yeah!' deals."
But in responding to the pressure, Vakapuna said, "I just want to thank the coaches for giving me the opportunity to play, and of course, my offensive line. And that's all I want to say about that."
Said Garden City Coach Jeff Leiker, "Turnovers and poor decisions, period. That's what the bottom line was. We don't turn the ball over all year. And this game we do. They're a good football team, and they've got good athletes to replace the others."