Marines overcome flaccid start, make goal-line stands, stay perfect

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jacob Barreiro
  • 19th Airlift Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  In the first 30 minutes, the Marines didn't look like an undefeated team with their sights on a championship, but they proved their mettle and resolve in the final 10 minutes, scoring 16 unanswered points and stopping the 19th Operations Group four times at the 1-yard line to preserve their perfect season and complete a 16-14 come-from-behind victory.

For three quarters of the game the Marines' flag football team couldn't seem to do anything right on offense. They turned the ball over on their first five possessions (three interceptions, twice on downs) on their way to amassing a 14-0 deficit against the 19th Operations Group.

"We played (awful), but we're still undefeated" said Victor Mancini, the Marines coach. "They played us good though, it was a good game."

The last 10 minutes of the game obfuscated an otherwise strong performance from the 19th OG, whose players lamented the loss, but credited it to the caliber of the competition and vowed to move on from the tough loss.

"You know, you can't turn over the ball, and you can't make mental mistakes and expect to win," said Matt Musser, 19th OG quarterback and safety. "All in all, the Marines played a great game, but we're keeping our head up and we'll be ready for the next game."

Musser said the19th OG's game plan was to employ a type of west-coast offense.

"We want to run a lot of option, pound them down with that, and strike deep when we get the opportunity," he said.

The strategy worked early on as the 19th OG took the ball first and drove it down the field in 8 plays, resulting in a long touchdown pass on 4th down and take an early 6-0 lead.
Those we're the only points scored in the first half, which saw a fair share of offense and big plays, but neither team was able to finish drives. Both the Marines and the 19th OG turned the ball over on goal-to-go situations, with each QB throwing INTs in the end zone.

Coming out of half-time the bungling of opportunities continued as the Marines threw another INT on the first play of the half. The 19th OG took over in great field position, but its receiver was stripped of his flag at the 1-yard-line on a 4th and goal, and the 19th OG turned the ball over on downs, keeping the score close and foreshadowing the dramatic events later in the game.

Narrowly avoiding a two-score deficit, the Marines' offensive woes continued, as they failed to get a first down, and turned the ball over once again to the 19th OG. This time the 19th OG capitalized on the opportunity, and took three plays to score another touchdown, adding on a two-point conversion to take a dominating 14-0 lead.

Needing points, and needing them quickly, the Marines changed QBs, and the strategy quickly payed off as they steamrolled the 19th OG defense on a four-play drive that ended with their former QB, Ryan Postlewait, now playing receiver, using his distinct height and size advantage over the 19th OG's cornerbacks to haul-in a jump-ball for a TD. A two-point conversion was tacked on to cut the score to 14-8.

"We needed a change at QB because of the short field," the Marines said nodding toward the football field, newly moved from the quarter-mile track to the softball outfields. "He was too big for the field ... the smaller guy gave us a better chance."

Musser said the Marines' QB change wasn't responsible for the mental lapses their defense made while losing a 14-point lead.

"Our defense was playing pretty solid," he said. "My mental errors at quarterback and safety cost us."

With a rejuvenated offense and boost from the score, the Marines' defense took the field and delivered as they had been doing most of the night, forcing the 19th OG into a three-and-out and the only punt of the game.

Down by six points, in possession of the ball, and with roughly five minutes to play the Marines and their smaller, faster QB again moved right down the field, mixing up running plays and passing plays to score another TD, and tack on another two-point conversion to take their first lead of the game with approximately two minutes to play.

Faced with their first deficit of the game, the 19th OG appeared to answer the call when a wide-receiver scored a TD on streaking catch-and-run on the second play of the drive, but the score was called back due to flag guarding. The penalty was enforced at the one-yard-line, and instead of leading leading 20-16 with less than a minute remaining, the 19th OG was once again faced with a goal-to-go situation, this time trailing 16-14.

The 19th OG ran the ball three straight times out of the QB-option formation, each time getting stopped roughly at the one-yard-line.

"We tried to go for a little (change of pace) and trickery," Musser said. "We got a little cute down there when all we needed was one yard."

On fourth down Musser rolled out and attempted to hit a wide-receiver in the end-zone, only to have the ball swatted onto the sidelines by Ryan Postlewait, a Marines defender. The Marines took over on downs and ran out the clock, along with the 19th OGs hope for an upset in a game full of power-shifts, defensive stands and last-minute theatrics.

"We don't always have a game-plan per say," said Mancini. "Just to win, we're undefeated, and glad to still be undefeated."