The 30-point second half was too much for the Sundown Roughnecks to overcome as they fell 44-20 to the Forsan Buffaloes, remaining winless this season.
At halftime, it was a 14-14 game; the Roughnecks were primed to earn their first win, but the Buffaloes surged in the third quarter, scoring 21 points and separating from the ‘Necks.
A key part of the Roughnecks losing momentum was giving the Buffaloes extra opportunities asthey lost two fumbles and threw an interception.
“We had three turnovers, and our turnovers turned into those 21 points,” Sundown’s head coach Brannon Rogers said. “When you turn the ball over, it stops your drives, gives them more opportunities, and it just kind of flipped the game on us.”
The fumbles negated the Roughnecks’ positive running-game momentum; they totaled 271 yards on the ground, but fumbling the ball derailed their game plan.
Making the extra effort play put the ball in the “danger zone,” said Rogers, about how trying to gain extra yards caused the two fumbles, exposing the ball to get loose.
In the first four weeks of the season, the Roughnecks have had at least one scoreless quarter, while giving up multiple touchdowns in a single quarter in that same span.
Being able to put together a quality four quarters requires “focus,” said Rogers, and having that intense focus in practices leading up to the game will be the difference in earning more wins.
“We have to have that intensity for four days in a row in practice, and then it’ll start happening in games,” said Rogers. “We’ve got to just get more consistent throughout the week, and then that’ll start translating to games.”
Pulling it all together will be the message for the Roughnecks versus their next opponents as they look to earn a win versus the Seagraves Eagles at 7 p.m. on Sept. 25 at home.