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Tigers start home streak with a win over Bulldogs, 54-7

Michael Clements , , , , , , , , ,

The last time the Tigers played at home was Aug. 27, which was a loss to McAdory. (The Central-Tuscaloosa game on Sept. 3 was cancelled.) The Tigers finally returned to Tiger Stadium for a home game on Homecoming 2021 night and turned in a 54-7 thrashing of the Marbury Bulldogs.

The Tigers won the opening coin toss and elected to receive. Unfortunately, the first possession for the Tigers ended with a fumble that was recovered by the Bulldogs at the Bulldog 7-yard line. However, the Tiger defense held and the ensuing Bulldog punt was taken with a fair catch by Kevin McElroy at the Bulldog 32-yard line. The Tigers got on the board at the 7:26 mark of the first quarter when Drew Seymore hit Kelvin (KJ) Rowser, Jr. for an 11-yard catch and run for a touchdown. Joseph Gantt’s PAT was successful, giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead.

10-15-2021 — Demopolis, Ala. — Demopolis’ Montgomery Freeman strides across the goal line for a Tiger touchdown during the Tigers’ homecoming win over the Marbury Bulldogs.

The second Bulldog possession of the night ended with a punt that rolled dead at the Tiger 45-yard line. On the first play of the possession, Seymore hit Montgomery Freeman for a 55-yard touchdown pass. The PAT failed, leaving the Tigers with a 13-0 lead with 5:37 remaining in the first quarter.

The Tigers fourth possession of the night ended with KJ Rowser’s 2-yard touchdown run at the 9:02 mark of the second quarter. Gantt’s PAT increased the Tiger lead to 20-0.

The Tigers added to their lead when the Seymore-Rowser connection recorded its second touchdown of the night on a 48-yard catch-and-run. The successful PAT stretched the Tiger lead to 27-0 with 5:44 to go in the second quarter.

10-15-2021 — Demopolis, Ala. — Demopolis’ Javien Blanks wraps up Marbury’s quarterback during the Tigers’ homecoming win over the Bulldogs.

Craig Nichols got into the scoring column on the Tigers’ sixth possession of the game. The eight yard run and subsequent PAT from Gantt gave the Tigers their final points of the half. With 1:52 remaining in the first half, the Tiger lead increased to 34-0 and would be the score at halftime.

After kicking to the Bulldogs, the Tiger defense held, forcing a punt, and turned the ball over to the offense at the Tiger 44-yard line. After a short run, Seymore and KJ Rowser connected for their third touchdown with a 47-yard pass. Gantt tacked on the PAT, giving the Tigers a 41-0 lead with 9:53 to go in the third quarter.

After another Bulldog punt, Seymore hit Camron Wright for a 50-yard touchdown with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter. The failed PAT left the Tiger lead at 47-0.

10-15-2021 — Demopolis, Ala. — Demopolis’ Craig Nichols drags a Marbury defender toward the goal line during the Tigers’ homecoming win over the Bulldogs.

With a running clock, several clean uniforms started making their way onto the field for the Tigers. One of those was quarterback Jose Tellez, who connected with Harrison Carroll for a 24 yard touchdown pass. A successful PAT gave the Tigers their final points of the night for a 54-0 lead with 11:30 to go in the game.

The Demopolis defense saw its own share of clean uniforms start hitting the field and that defense held until the Bulldogs got on the board with 2:30 remaining in the game. The Bulldogs scored on a 22 yard run and tacked on the PAT for the 54-7 final.

10-15-2021 — Demopolis, Ala. — Demopolis’ Keishawn Rowser makes a cut toward a seam in the defense during the Tigers’ homecoming win over the Marbury Bulldogs.

The Tigers offense wrapped up the night with 512 yards of total offense, while the defense only surrendered 93 yards. The passing attack for the Tigers tallied 374 yards and the ground attack totaled 168 yards. Seymore completed 13 passes for 350 yards and five touchdowns. Tellez completed his only pass attempt, which was a 24-yarder for a touchdown. Wright collected 123 yards and a touchdown on four catches. KJ Rowser caught four passes, resulting in three touchdowns and 119 yards. Freeman had two catches for 89 yards and one touchdown. Carroll had one catch for a 24 yard touchdown. Vincent Deas added one catch for 13 yards. Craig Nichols and Kenon Rowser each added one catch for three yards.

The Tigers (5-3, 5-0) will host the Selma Saints on Oct. 22 for their final region game of the year. The Saints are currently 4-1 in region play, meaning that the Tigers must win for an outright claim to the region title.