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1954 Bucks win their first home game 42-7

Wed, 09/05/2018 - 12:00 am
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    Jean Hayworth Historically Speaking

The first home game in 1954 was against the Brownwood Lions and the hometown fans had the Buckaroo banner stretched across Walker Street for the downtown pep rally at 3 p.m., at the Stephens County Courthouse.

The Lions roared into town with seven chartered buses and 1,000 fans. Unfortunately, the Lion crowd and the buses left town rather quietly after being soundly defeated by the Bucks 42-7.

Once again the Lions lost. In the 27 years of the two teams playing each other, the Lions had only won twice, which were in 1931 and 1940 and one scoreless tie. In 1942, the Bucks soundly defeated the Lions 79-0, to avenge the loss in 1940 when the Lions won 18-13.

The current 1954 game demonstrated the Bucks’ speedy backfield and the breaking backs that dazed the Lions. The Bucks had 12 touchdowns in two games, which allowed their opponents only three.

The Bucks proved to be very deceptive with the ball handling by Bennett Watts and the other Buck backs. Lion players often could not figure out where the ball was or who had the pigskin. The Bucks gained 349 total yards against the Lions. Clyde Harris (RH) had 165 yards in14 carries. Dick Carpenter (FB) had 102 yards in seven carries. Jake Sandefer (LH) carried the ball 12 times for 83 yards and Watts gained 58 yards in 14 carries. Other yardage was gained by Bob Acree, Bobby Knight and Edwin Robertson.

Extra point conversions were kicked by Harris with four for four completed. John Cotten had two for two kicks that were good.

Sandefer helped rack up the first two touchdowns. After five running plays in an 84-yard drive, Sandefer ripped off a 27-yard jaunt around right end and a touchdown. Sandefer had begun this first offensive drive with a 49-yard romp from the Bucks’ 16 to the Lions’ 35.

The second Buck touchdown had Sandefer toss a 12-yard pass to Harris, who caught the ball on the Lions’ 42 and then scampered the rest of the way for the second TD.

Into the second quarter, Watts ran seven yards in for a TD, which climaxed a 64-yard drive.

Watts initially took the Lions’ punt for a 34 yard scamper to the Lion 30 and then helped rattle off a few running plays until Watts called his own number for the final seven-yard run for the TD.

Early in the third quarter, the Bucks hiked the score to 28-0. Watts made eight yards around end and then lateraled to Carpenter (FB), who dashed 62 yards to the Lion’s goal line for another Bucks TD.

A 71-yard drive that used up 11 plays, earned the Bucks their fifth TD. Watts went over from 13 yards out. Sandefer, Harris and Watts baffled the Lion defenders that whole drive to the goal line.

The Bucks added their last TD with just 10 seconds to go in the game. Sandefer intercepted a Lion pass on the Lion 30-yard line and dashed to the goal line and another Bucks TD. Brownwood scored their lone touchdown when they recovered a Harris fumble on the Bucks’ 42.

Two completed passes for 18 yards and a 15-yard penalty by the Bucks, advanced the ball to the Bucks one-yard line and the Lion quarterback took it over for their lone touchdown.

The final score was 42-7.