Goldsboro offense comes alive in 4th quarter

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on October 26, 2008 2:00 AM

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Goldsboro head football coach Eric Reid insists the football locker room is intact. A new paint job is not necessary and the roof is stable.

He didn't lose his temper, but he did get his message across to his players. The Cougars exited halftime more energized and focused on a miserable, rainy Friday evening and rolled over Farmville Central 42-12 in Class 2-A Eastern Plains Conference action.

However, the final score doesn't reflect the outcome.

The Jaguars (1-8 overall, 1-2 EPC) owned the first-half edge in time of possession, total offensive plays and total offensive yardage. The Cougars (6-2-1, 2-1) managed just 50 yards of total offense and had just one first down.

An incensed Reid refused to use the inclement weather as an excuse for his team's offensive futility. No consistent running game, missed blocking assignments and a blown scoring chance in the Jaguars' red zone produced concern.

"The rain is a great equalizer, but it was raining on both sides of the ball," said Reid. "We couldn't catch a rhythm and Farmville did some things to confuse us on defense. We were in the same position last week against Greene Central, but without all the fumbles.

"Once we got into (halftime) and got our composure, we talked about the changes we needed to make. We changed our blocking scheme and it seemed to work."

Instead of bouncing outside and slipping on the rain-soaked turf, the Cougars' backs bulled their way for yardage behind their big offensive line. The Jaguars eventually wore down from the onslaught and finally broke down in the fourth quarter.

Until then, though, Goldsboro found itself tied at 12-12 and facing a possible overtime. Jones' 23-yard scoring gallop, his second of the night, forced the deadlock after 36 minutes of play.

"That was one thing that bothered me," said Reid of the tie.

Goldsboro's running game accounted for four fourth-quarter touchdowns within a 7 1/2-minute span. Jones broke loose on scoring runs of 35 and 32 yards, and finished with 93 yards on nine totes.

A.J. Parker and Andre Montgomery added touchdown runs of 10 and 30 yards, respectively. Parker amassed 63 total yards, compared to 61 for Montgomery.

"We had to do some downhill running and once we began running between the tackles, we got some positive yardage and the momentum built from there," said Reid. "I'm proud of the kids for picking up on the changes that we made at halftime and listening to what we told them.

"The linemen did a wonderful job blocking and that was a key for us. Everybody finally got on the right page and we went to work."

Farmville owned a 71-48 edge in offensive plays and total offensive yards -- 305-278.

"We've just got to learn to put two halves of good ball together," said Reid. "For some odd reason, we just cannot get it clicking until the second half and that could hurt us down the road. I am happy for the win, but I really feel like there are certain things we need to work on.

"We're not there yet."