Baylor Must Contend With MBA's Chandler In DII-AA Semis

Big Red RB Was Not A Factor In Team's September Game

  • Thursday, November 20, 2014
  • Larry Fleming

If there is one thing different about Friday’s TSSAA Division II-AA semifinal playoff game between Baylor and Montgomery Bell Academy at Tommy Owen Stadium in Nashville from the teams’ regular-season matchup, Red Raiders coach Phil Massey knows exactly what it is.

Or, well, who it is.

It’s Ty Chandler.

Chandler, a 6-foot, 180-pound sophomore running back, has added an offensive punch the Big Red didn’t have – or weren’t ready to fully utilize – in September when the Red Raiders pulled out a 23-20 victory on Colin Brewer’s third field goal, this one a 22-yarder, with 6.8 seconds remaining.

“My biggest concern in our game Friday is stopping number 44 (Chandler),” Massey said Thursday.

When the Red Raiders and Big Red squared off earlier – it was the season’s third game for both teams – neither offense overwhelmed the other, although Baylor quarterback Nick Tiano, who passed for 124 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 125 yards and a 1-yard touchdown and running back Kalvin Watson added 100 yards on the ground, Massey said.

With dual-threat quarterback Cole Euverard, the son of Big Red coach Marty Euverard, considered the team’s biggest star, it was Chandler who was a thorn in the side of McCallie in MBA’s 43-14 quarterfinal win.

“He is a tough kid,” coach Euverard said in a story posted on the Tennesseean web site after the McCallie game. “He doesn’t look that big, but he runs big. He runs like a man. He just keeps getting better each week.”

Chandler rushed for 181 yards and scored five touchdowns on 15 carries and completely overshadowed Cole Euverard and McCallie running back Alex Trotter – both Mr. Football candidates.

“They’re running Chandler a lot more now,” Massey said. “He didn’t run nearly as much against us earlier. It’s obvious they have more confidence in him and he’s an excellent back.”

Chandler scored six touchdowns in a 49-40 victory over Pearl-Cohn a week after the close loss to Baylor.

So, Baylor’s defensive game plan this time will be tweaked, taking into account Chandler’s expanded role.

“It’s also going to be important for us to run the ball, pass in situations where we need to and be efficient with our offense,” Massey said. “Nick and Kalvin each had over 100 yards rushing and that was the best rushing production we had all year.”

Massey was asked why that type of rushing production hasn’t been more consistent throughout the year.

“In that game, we were 11-of-15 passing and that softens a defense a little bit,” he said. “Effectively running and pitching and catching keeps a defense balanced. If you can’t throw, then when you run, they (defenders) know it and force your hand. They can force you to throw. In the earlier game, our balance led to our success.”

Something else is coat-tailed with the balanced offensive attack.

“The thing we did the last time is take care of the ball and sustained drives,” Massey said. “We probably had at least twice as many offensive plays as MBA had. That’s because we kept drives going and eat a lot of clock, keeping them out of any type of offensive rhythm.”

In MBA’s playoff rout of McCallie, which was the Big Red’s first game since a 58-41 win over the Blue Tornado two weeks earlier, coach Euverard’s squad scored 30 straight points and converted three turnovers into touchdowns.

And, as Massey pointed out, turnovers usually prove fatal in the tough East/Middle Region.

Massey said the Red Raiders (8-4), No. 4 seeds, have had “very up-beat practices” this week in preparation for the 9-2 Big Red, who are seeded second. Massey has “taken his foot off the pedal” in terms of physical sessions and stressed the “mental approach” to this week’s game.

“The kids know what this game will take from a physical standpoint,” Massey said. “We’re about to play our 13th game. Our team has shown a lot of maturity. We’ve had setbacks through the season; we’ve had close losses and some lopsided losses; we had a loss to McCallie and you don’t know how a team will respond to that; we had a three-point loss to Oakland, a top 10 team, and a one-touchdown loss to Brentwood Academy.

“I’m most proud of our team for coming back and striving to get better. We took a deep breath after the regular season and understand now that we have to play our best football ever in the playoffs. Our kids have a lot of confidence. They not only think, but believe they can win.”

The Red Raiders, who won their only TSSAA state championship in 1973 with legendary hall of fame coach E.B. “Red” Etter at the helm, are one win from taking their latest crack at a second title. The bid was kept alive last week when Brewer drilled a 22-yard field goal with 6.8 seconds left in the game.

MBA has appeared in eight championship games, capturing six titles, including three in a row from 1998-2000.

“We’ve got a shot to reach the championship game and we used that as motivation for our young men,” Massey said. “Every year you start the season and your goal is to play for a state championship. When you reach this point in the season, it’s just one game from the reality of fulfilling an opportunity to make that happen.

“We’ve approached the first two playoff games saying it could be the seniors’ last game. We can’t allow distractions to affect our preparation and have to make sure we’re focused and mentally prepared to play four quarters against one of the best teams in the state.”

Ensworth (9-1) entertains Memphis University School, the only team to burst the East/Middle Region’s bubble of dominance this postseason, in the other Division II-AA semifinal.

Ensworth defeated Baylor in 2010 and 2011 to trigger a four-year championship run.

TSSAA Quarterfinal Pairings

Chattanooga Area Teams

Games Start At 7 p.m. Local Time

Class 5A

Rhea County (12-0) at Oak Ridge (12-0)

Class 3A

McMinn Central (6-4) at Notre Dame (11-1)

Class 2A

Trousdale County (9-3) at Marion County (10-1)

Class 1A

Copper Basin (7-4) at Monterey (8-3)

Division II-AA

Baylor (8-4) at Montgomery Bell Academy (9-2)

(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)

 

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