SANDY — Northridge stepped into the unknown Friday night—literally.
With a new quarterback, a tandem of sophomore offensive lineman and junior running backs the Knights were not sure what to expect in their opening game against a tough Jordan team. That uncertainty was evident early after a miscommunication among the defense and a perfect toss over the middle by Alex Hart to Cory Hunt led to a 92-yard score for the Beatdiggers on their first play. But rather than bury itself into a bigger hole, Northridge came right back for three unanswered scores en route to a 36-27 pounding over Jordan.
"The one thing I will say is this the most together, coachable team I have had. They play hard," said Northridge coach Eric Thompson. "We know we are mentally ready going into a game."
That mental toughness was evident as the Knights responded to the 92-yard strike by marching down the field after starting on their own 16. In his first play from scrimmage, Travis Harper kept the ball and ran for 19 yards. The play was followed up by what would become commonplace when Jordan Lee rushed for 10 yards on back-to-back plays. Brock Johnson capped the drive with a 28-yard run, while Nick Wheadon punched through the extra point to tie the game at 7-7. More importantly the drive built confidence in the team, which scored again on the next drive after Lee stretched over the goal line from two yards out.
The Knights tripled up the Beatdiggers shortly after as Jordan fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Harper hit Colton Hill for the first of the duo's scores. Jordan went on to turn the ball over two more times in the game, all of which Northridge scored off.
"The turnover gave us momentum early and helped with the confidence," said Thompson. "Jordan probably gave us some favors with the turnovers.
"I was very pleased with the quarterback play. He's (Harper) undersized, but was crucial on third down and bought us some time by hanging in there."
Lee and Johnson were complimentary of their offensive line, crediting them for huge holes on all sides of the field. "They just executed so well," said Johnson. "The line also helped our passing game too, which opened up the running game," echoed Hill. "Them, and Colton (Hill) made some amazing catches tonight."
What pleased Thompson the most about the night was that he was not surprised four different guys found the end zone.
"When you have stars, you have to get them the ball and you become predictable. I wasn't even sure who was on the field when I was calling the plays or who the ball was going to, that makes you less predictable."
Though Jordan has some kinks to work out, Hart accounted for 301 yards in the first half before Northridge switched to man-to-man with its defensive backs. The switch shutdown the quarterback in the second half, where the only score came on the final play of the game after he hit Hunt again.