Rockdale routs Raiders

Madison County fumbled away the opening kickoff of the 2009 season and little else went its way in a 28-6 loss to Rockdale County Friday.

The Raiders (0-1) surrendered 284 yards on the ground and were held without an offensive score, dropping their eighth straight game dating back to last year.

Rockdale County, 5-5 a year ago, recovered the Raiders’ fumble on the opening kickoff and scored three plays later. The Bulldogs added three more scores in the first half to build a 22-point advantage.

Rockdale County ran for 198 yards in the first half, due in large part to the Bulldogs’ physical offensive line.

“They’re pretty stout,” Madison County coach Randell Owens said. “We knew going into it was, ‘how are we going to hold up on the line of scrimmage?’”

Jamal Cooper provided Madison County’s only score of the evening, finding a seam on a kickoff return early in the first quarter and using his 4.4 speed to blaze 94 yards for a touchdown, briefly cutting Rockdale County’s lead to 7-6.

But the highlights for the Raiders were few and far between.

Offensively, Madison County managed just 105 total yards and was hindered by three turnovers.

Rockdale County’s pass rush also harassed Madison County quarterback Jacob Owens for much of the evening. Owens finished just 6-of-17 through the air for 57 yards and was sacked eight times. The Raiders were forced throw more than originally planned after falling behind by multiple scores.

“It took us out of our game plan,” coach Owens said. “Our game plan was to try to control the football and run the football … We knew they would come after us heavy if we spread it out and tried to throw the football.”

Madison County missed some opportunities to score late, too.

The Raiders had the ball inside the Rockdale 35 four times in the fourth quarter but couldn’t covert.
Those possessions ended in two turnovers on downs and two turnovers.