By BILL ALBRIGHT
EasternPAFootball.com Senior Writer
LOCK HAVEN — Following a 57-13 shellacking of Lincoln University to open the season, the remainder of the Lock Haven University schedule was loaded with PSAC opponents.
Knowing that was the situation facing his young squad, LHU head coach Dave Taynor knew his troops were going to be in for some rough sledding as the 2019 season unfolded. As it turned out, Taynor’s assessment of the LHU sked was right on as the Bald Eagles have now suffered through nine straight losses, including a 56-14 loss to West Chester on Armed Forces Day Saturday at Jack Stadium.
“If you take a look at us, we are a very young football team,” said Taynor. “We are playing an exceptional number of young people, especially defensively. We knew it wasn’t going to come as easy as it did in the first game, but it did give them a little bit of an idea as to what success feels like. As we head into the last game of the season and into the off-season, our hope is that they realize what it is going to take to get there on a consistent basis every week. We need to have a phenomenal off-season during which we get bigger, faster and stronger across the board. Offensively we return everyone who is out there right now. We are playing a couple of young guys on the offensive line and as expected, they are struggling a little bit, especially on pass protection. We are running the ball effectively and those guys are finishing so I am looking forward to our overall development during the off-season.”
The Rams scored on their first six possessions to take a commanding 42-0 lead before Eagle quarterback Kyle Knight took matters in his own hands (actually his legs) when he swerved and juked his way 68 yards to the house for an LHU touchdown.
“It was a read run and we have been preparing all week for a weak side run game,” explained Knight. I read the end of the weak side and when he came up, I pulled it (the ball) and the line did a great job of creating a big hole for me. Once I get beyond the line, I was able to make the play. I love it. That (running) the ball is football for me. I might not be a quarterback at heart, but I got an arm and I can run a little bit. The name of the game is being able to take a hit and I love it.”
With the game well in hand for the Rams, the Bald Eagles scored their second of two touchdowns when they took a page out of their Halloween Trick or Treat script by successfully executing a trick play.
Normally on the receiving end of a Knight pass, former Williamsport Millionaire standout Jalen Jackson and Knight exchanged roles as Jackson tossed a 13-yard scoring strike to Knight who dived into the end zone just inside the pylon.
“We always have a specialty play where you do a lot of motion to try and get the other team thinking they had seen it before,” explained Jackson. “I went into a speed sweep and after taking it (the ball) I turned back and threw it to him for a touchdown. Sometimes you put a trick play in and they (opponents) catch it, but today they didn’t see it coming and it worked out well for us.”
