DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
CONVERSE — When Odessa Permian second-year coach Blake Feldt scheduled McAllen High for non-district games this season and next, he was simply trying to fill the schedule. All he wanted was a game. Any game.
He got what he wanted Saturday afternoon at D.W. Rutledge Stadium, courtesy of a 35-7 rout of the Bulldogs in each team’s season-opener. And Feldt has his defense to thank mostly for that, as the Panthers held the Bulldogs to 234 total yards (3.6 yards per play), forced three turnovers and especially swarmed senior quarterback Fred Hover all day long.
Hover, who compiled 2,481 yards of total offense and 24 touchdowns in leading his team to a district title last season, completed 16 of 28 passes for 92 yards and an interception while running 10 times for 112 yards and a TD.
“Two weeks in advance, we were game-planning for their quarterback,” Panthers junior nose tackle Angel Gonzales said. “We knew he was shifty, we knew he could get around the edge and take it 50 yards if he needs to.
“We did a good job keeping the quarterback in the pocket and not letting him flush out. We really focused on it every single day in practice.”
Aside from a 68-yard touchdown run with 7:16 remaining, Hover had troubles against a Permian defensive line that does not return a starter from last season. The Panthers run a 3-4 base defense, but switched it up often.
Sometimes the Panthers threw in an extra rusher, sometimes they sat back, but almost all the time they contained.
“Their quarterback is fantastic. He’s a stud,” Feldt said. “We were concerned about him, and how they execute offensively. We didn’t play as fast or with the intensity that we needed to. That’s a dangerous football team, and we’re pleased with the win.”
Hover said he left a lot of plays on the field.
“They really controlled the line of scrimmage,” he said. “We really wanted to establish the running game to do some different things off of it, but they brought a lot of pressure and they really clogged up the holes. I missed way too many throws that I should’ve completed. In the pocket, they bring a lot of pressure and I don’t make the throws that I should make. I owe it to the guys and my line to make those plays, so for me, personally, I have little things I have to work on.”
McAllen High coach Kevin Brewer, however, could not have been prouder of his veteran signal-caller. Brewer saw someone who was relentless in the face of adversity.
“He was getting pounded on in the pass game, they were bringing an extra rusher almost every time,” Brewer said. “He was getting hit, getting back up, operating the offense and made a heck of a play on a (TD) there late. That just sums that young man up right there. He’s just an out-and-out competitor and a warrior.”
It didn’t help that the Bulldogs’ running game was ineffective, particularly when senior running back Ricky Rodriguez was removed from the game early in the second half because of a shoulder injury.
“And that’s our M.O,” Brewer said of the run game. “When we can’t do that, it takes us completely out of our comfort zone offensively and makes us really rely on something that is more of an accentuator, the passing game, as opposed to the mainstay.”
Chalk it up to a learning experience for Hover and his offense. The Bulldogs are unlikely to face a defense as quick or as strong as the Panthers’ until the playoffs.
“We had three turnovers and they gave us opportunities, but our offense, we didn’t execute,” Hover said. “Credit to them for having a good scheme against us and throwing us off.”