GAFFNEY @ BYRNES RECAP (2011)

Indians Scalp Rebels At Nixon Field by a score of 35 to 13. The Tribe got off to a slow start offensively, as they fumbled on their first possession of the game. The fumble came after the Rebels took their first possession all the way to the Gaffney one yard line. The Gaffney defense came up with a big stop on 4th and goal from the one. The Indians appeared to have a 1st down on a pass from Copeland to Davis at the eleven yard line. Quinshad Davis took a big hit and fumbled the ball and Byrnes recovered. The Tribe's defense came up big again, as they held the Rebels to an 18-yard field goal. The first quarter ended with the Rebels leading 3 to 0.

The Gaffney offense started to click in the 2nd quarter, as they put together two scoring drives that had Copeland hitting Davis with TD passes of 36-yards and 17-yards. The Rebels would put together another drive late in the half, but the drive was thwarted when Gaffney's Marquis Brannon intercepted a Byrnes pass in the end zone. Instead of downing the ball in the end zone he tried to make a big play and was tackled inside the 5-yard line. There was less than a minute left in the half and it looked like the Indians would go to halftime with a 14 to 3 lead. Disaster would strike two plays later, as Copeland got a high snap and the ball was fumbled in the end zone and recovered by the Rebels for a TD. So the 1st half ended with Gaffney ahead 14 to 10 and Byrnes had the momentum.

The Tribe would get the momentum back in a big way, as Shaq Davidson took the 2nd half kickoff back 99-yards for a TD. Gaffney had increased their lead to 21 to 10. The Rebels would try to answer, as they drove the ball into the red zone, but had to settle for a 37-yard field goal. The score after the 3rd quarter was 21 to 13 in favor of Gaffney.

The Tribe would put the game away with two TDs in the 4th quarter. The first score of the quarter came at the 11:26 mark, on a 1-yard run by Copeland. That made the score 28 to 13 and started sending a large number of the Byrnes fans to the exits. The Gaffney offense tried to let the Rebels back into the game, as they threw an interception that was returned back to the 6-yard line. The Tribe's defense did what they had been doing all night, they came up with a stop. They forced a fumble on 4th and goal. The Indians would score their final TD of the night on a 7-yard run by Hyleck Foster with 1:01 left in the game. Victory was sweet for the Tribe! Gaffney won the game 35 to 13!

Game Stats Summary

First Downs Gaffney 17, Byrnes 14
Yards Rushing Gaffney 85, Byrnes 118
Yards Passing Gaffney 171, Byrnes 103
Total Yards Gaffney 256, Byrnes 221
Turnovers Gaffney 3, Byrnes 2

Individual Game Stats Leaders

QB Joey Copeland 18 of 29 for 171 yards and 2 TD passes, 1 interception, 1 rushing TD
WR Quinshad Davis 10 catches for 134 yards and 2 TDs
RB Hyleck Foster 4 rushes for 39 yards and 1 TD, 2 catches for 12 yards
WR Shaq Davidson 1 catch and a 99-yard kickoff return for a TD

My View From The Stands..... (1) The Gaffney offense did not play their "A" Game, three turnovers, but they still won the game. (2) The defense played a great football game. They were able to stop Byrnes on 4th and goal from the 1-yard line on the game's first drive. The Rebels had the ball three times inside the Gaffney 5-yard line and only got three points. They forced 2 turnovers in the red zone. They kept the high powered Byrnes offense out of the end zone. (3) The Indians had adversity for the first time and they handled it very well. Three turnovers in a hostile environment and they were behind for the first time this season. (4) The starters had to play the 4th quarter for the first time this season and they outscored Byrnes 14 to 0.

I am sorry for not having the game recap on Saturday. I had internet problems. Hopefully that won't happen again.

TRIBE FACTS..... Gaffney's victory on Friday night was their first win at Byrnes' Nixon Field since 1999.

Until Next Time.