Unlike three years ago, there was no quit in the Southern Durham Spartans this time.
In 2016, when Orange roared out to a 35-7 lead at Spartan Stadium, a disgruntled Southern starting running back threw his shoulder pads down and stormed off to the locker room during the third quarter, never to be seen again. Orange tacked on two touchdowns in his absence in a 49-7 rout, and the Panthers faced little resistance from the rest of the league that year.
On Friday night, with the Big 8 Championship possibly hanging in the balance, the Spartans couldn’t have had a more inept first half offensively. This time, the Spartans responded with a sense of urgency, and now they have a clear path to its first Big 8 Championship since 2015.
Senior Sincere Lecraft scored two touchdowns, including a 70-yard touchdown run on the 2nd play from scrimmage in the third quarter, as Southern defeated Orange 28-14 at Spartan Stadium on Friday night.
It ended Southern’s three-game losing streak to Orange. The Spartans (5-1, 2-0) shut out Northern Durham 13-0 last week and can ensure its first winning season since 2016 with a victory over Vance County on Friday.
Orange jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but the only consistent thing in the game was Southern’s defense. After Wyatt Jones’ touchdown at the end of the first quarter, the Panthers were held to 69 yards and two first downs the rest of the night.
Orange (3-4, 1-1 in the Big 8) finished with a season-low 146 total yards, but it was a night of defense.
“The field position is what changed,” said Orange coach Van Smith. “The whole second quarter, we were punting out of our end zone. We were working inside our 5-yard line, and there’s only so much you can do there. You can’t run outside. You can’t run misdirection or counter stuff because it takes too long. You have to run at them.”
This was one meeting where Southern had the better special teams performance. Orange started its last four drives of the first half inside its own 25-yard line, two inside its own 10.
The Orange defensive line of James McAdoo, Courtney Edwards, Khaleb Smith and Will Torain lived in the Southern backfield during the first half, leading to an incredible contrast between the two halves.
Not only was Southern Durham scoreless at halftime for the first time this season, they had were held without a first down. Despite starting four drives in Orange territory, the Spartans went into intermission with minus-6 yards total offense, including minus-15 yards from its usually potent running game. They also committed three turnovers.
Smith, also Orange’s defensive coordinator, wasn’t surprised in the least.
“I expected that,” Smith said. “That’s what I totally expected us to do coming into this game. We just got worn that and you saw how incredible momentum could be.”
All that Orange worked for in the first two quarters was washed away within the first five minutes of the second half. Lecraft, shaking off a stiff hit at the knees from Machai Holt the play before, roared around right tackle for 70 yards and a touchdown. John Paulino’s extra point cut the Orange lead in half.
Southern’s Deonte Odom picked off a Wyatt Jones’ pass on the next Orange drive, returning it to the Orange five-yard line. On 3rd-and-goal, Southern benefited from good fortune when the snap went through Smith’s legs, but was picked up by Lecraft, who scampered around right end for the touchdown.
Orange slogged through the rest of the half offensively, only netting one first down and committing three turnovers. Southern took the lead for good when Smith found Xavier Rhodes, who ran out of a tackle attempt for a 42-yard touchdown on a 1st-and-31.
The Panthers’ only decent drive in the second half started when Holt returned the subsequent kickoff 42 yards, and Southern was penalized for a late hit. But the Panthers fumbled at the Spartan 17-yard line, which was recovered by Odom.
Orange started the game with a surprisingly strong 73-yard drive where they dissected the Southern defense with its running game. Running backs Holt, Omarion Lewis and Elliott Woods took turns carrying the ball down the field over the course of eight plays. After Woods gained seven yards to the end of Southern’s pink goal line, Holt scored his fourth touchdown of the season.
Southern committed turnovers on its opening two possessions. Woods recovered a lateral from Smith, who was pressured by Edwards into making a desperation heave. The ensuing Orange drive ended with a missed field goal.
Smith responded by throwing the ball right to Orange’s Caulin Fansler, who returned it inside the 10-yard line. After Holt ran to the 1-yard line, Jones scored on a quarterback sneak. Nigel Slanker’s extra point put Orange ahead 14-0, but the offense spent the rest of the night in a malaise.
SOUTHERN DURHAM 28, ORANGE 14
ORA-Machai Holt 1 run (Nigel Slanker kick)
ORA-Wyatt Jones 1 run (Slanker kick)
SD-Sincere Lecraft 70 run (John Paulino kick)
SD-Lecraft 5 run (Paulino kick)
SD-Xavier Rhodes 42 pass from Omari Smith (Paulino kick)
SD-Smith 10 run (Paulino kick)
RUSHING: ORANGE 43-132 2 TD (Holt 9-58 TD, Omarion Lewis 15-50, Elliott Woods 10-43, Joe Kiger 2-(-3), Jones 5-(-15) TD, team 1(-1).
SOUTHERN DURHAM 25-108 3 TD (Lecraft 10-74 2 TD, Alex Phelps 3-15, Smith 7-10 TD, Jaylen Wright 5-9)
PASSING: ORANGE (Jones 3-7 6 yards 2 INT)
SOUTHERN DURHAM (Smith 4-18 69 TD 2 INT)
RECEIVING: ORANGE (Zyon Pettiford 2-4, Lewsi 1-2)
SOUTHERN DURHAM (Rhodes 1-42 TD, Cincere Clark 1-12, Logan Harper 1-9, Lecraft 1-6)