By Alex Hampl
alexandrianews.org
The Robinson Rams routed the T.C. Titans 35-2. (Photo: James Cullum)
The T.C. Williams Titans did not open their season the way they would have liked. Hosting the Robinson Rams, T.C. lost fumbles on their fourth and fifth snaps of the game, which handicapped the Titans with a 13-0 first quarter deficit. T.C. never recovered, losing 35-2. The score was 29-0 at the half.
Offensively, the Titans started senior quarterback Doug Murphy, who played into the third quarter before he was replaced by sophomore Alec Grosser. Murphy completed 6 of 16 passes for 59 yards and Grosser finished 5 of 9 for 76 yards. The Titans struggled to get the ground game going, as they were hampered by the early deficit and fumble issues. Sophomore Dealo Roberson led the team with 30 rushing yards and looked good in limited action. The team mustered only 190 yards of total offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, T.C. sorely missed four of their top defenders. Jay Whitmire, Damien Benton, Israel Richardson, and Tre Sanders all watched the game from the sideline. Although Robinson scored six touchdowns, not all of them can be blamed on the Titan D. Two touchdown drives started deep in Titan territory thanks to costly fumbles, and Robinson ran a blocked field goal attempt back for a touchdown as time expired in the first half. However, T.C. failed to get crucial stops on fourth down several times. The T.C. safety came late in the fourth quarter when the snap for a Robinson punt sailed out of the end zone.
Titan Jalani Winbush runs the ball. (Photo: James Cullum)
Speaking to the team after the game, Coach Dennis Randolph said, “Today, they were a better football team in every aspect of the game. We’ve got to get past this loss and get ready for Mount Vernon.”
T.C. hosts Mount Vernon on Saturday, September 11 at 2:30.
