Indians offense staggers into bye week
Moving the ball doesn't have to be pretty
LARRY KRANTZ

Backup quarterback Kyle Stacy throws a successful pass on a 10-play, 73-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter. In the final play of the drive, Stacy puts six points on the board with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Clint Copeland. The Indians fell to Corsicana, 33-17. PHOTO: MIKE CUMMINS, SPORTS PHOTOS USA

CORSICANA - Change is rarely easy.

And just because a person or a group wants to change doesn't ensure that change will happen.

The Jacksonville Indians are finding that out the hard way.

After losing 33-17 to Corsicana last Friday, Jacksonville is winless heading into its unusual Week 2 bye before playing host to rival Palestine on Friday, Sept. 21 at the Tomato Bowl.

Between now and then, the Jacksonville football team will be up on blocks, hoods and trunks raised on a new passfirst pass-often offense that hasn't jelled, and a defense that hasn't come up with a statement-making stop.

The only facet of the Indians team that doesn't need work is the special teams. In two games, the Jacksonville kickoff return team and the field-goal block team have each scored points.

LARRY KRANTZ

In fact, Jimmy Gray's 90- yard kickoff return for a touchdown and kicker Brent Colvin's first-quarter field goal accounted for Jacksonville's only points in the game's first 47 minutes.

Against Brownsboro, Colten McCown returned a blocked PAT 102 yards for a two-point conversion.

Punter Chad Leinback has also been busy, punting 15 times this season.

But the fact that Leinback's been busy indicates just how slowly the Indians offense has started this season.

Quarterback Paxton Lind- sey stumbled out of the gate, completing 27 of 60 passes for 241 yards, four interceptions and a touchdown. He's completed 10 of those passes to receiver Kelvin Hall for 138 yards, but Lindsey's only touchdown pass went to Chris Hall against Brownsboro.

Lindsey's backup, Kyle Stacy, saw limited action against Corsicana, but led the Indians on a 10-play, 73-yard scoring drive he capped with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Clint Copeland.

True, the swarm of angry bees Lindsey was swatting away with one hand while trying to complete passes with the other doesn't compare to the read-and-react prevent defense Stacy worked against, but it does raise a couple of questions and possibilities.

Who should be the Indians quarterback?

The short-and-medium pass offense is predicated on being able to throw screen passes and post routes. Lindsey has struggled with both.

Stacy who sailed his first few passes 20 feet over the heads of his receivers settled down and completed two of three pass attempts, including a 23-yarder to Terrance Canady to set up Copeland's touchdown reception on the next play.

Now, just because Stacy threw a touchdown pass doesn't mean that he's unseated Lindsey. It won't matter who's at quarterback if the Jacksonville running game doesn't come out of its shell.

So far, the Indians, who've spent the past five seasons under Coach Copeland smashing the football between the tackles with big running backs, have rushed for a total of 73 yards on 34 carries.

Combined. Right now, the Indians offense doesn't have teeth.

It has dentures. Having said all that, let me offer this:

Rewind back to last season. Paxton Lindsey is on the varsity as the backup to senior quarterback Jazz Scott. He plays some defense and occasionally turns some heads with his ferocious tackling.

Hmmm … Ferocious. Turning heads. Two things the Jacksonville offense either isn't or doesn't do.

Is there room for both Lindsey and Stacy in the backfield? Could Lindsey be moved to an H-back position that would allow him to block, carry the ball and catch the ball? It's not like he'd have to relearn the playbook.

The Indians' running backs, who have been so only in name thus far this season, could use a little attitude.

It's just a thought.

But no matter what changes the coaching staff makes during this bye week, there's precious little time left before the games start counting.

The Indians need to move the ball. It doesn't have to be pretty, but it does have to work.

Game Stats

SCORING BY QUARTER
JHS 3 0 0 14 -- 17
CHS 0 14 7 12 -- 33
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
JHS - FG: Brent Colvin, 27, 6:20
Second Quarter
CHS - Tim Smith 3 run (Kyle Richardson
kick), 11:50
CHS - Omarius Hines 68 pass from Ethan
Bryant (Richardson kick), 7:08
Third Quarter
CHS - Nea Williams 33 pass from Bryant
(Richardson kick), 4:20
Fourth Quarter
CHS - FG: Richardson, 29, 9:26
JHS - Jimmy Gray 90 kickoff return (Colvin
kick), 9:11
CHS - FG: Richardson, 42, 4:13
CHS - Hines 61 run (kick failed), 3:04
JHS - Clint Copeland 25 pass from Kyle
Stacy (Colvin kick), :39
JHS CHS
First Downs 9 20
Rushes-Yds. 18-31 47-236
Passing Yds. 159 281
Comp.-Att.-Int 14-30-1 16-25-0
Punts-Yds. 8-35.9 3-43.0
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 2-1
Penalties-Yds. 5-27 10-90
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING - Jacksonville: Kyle Stacy 3-16,
Chris Hall 4-9, Paxton Lindsey 7-4, Quentin
Womack 4-2; Corsicana: Scotty Bryant
19-100, Omarius Hines 3-74, Ethan Bryant
16-41, C.J. Fowler 6-12, Tim Smith 3-9.
PASSING - Jacksonville: Lindsey 11-21-1
108, Stacy 3-9-0 51; Corsicana: Ethan bryant
16-24-0 281, Tyler Harrison 0-1-0 0.
RECEIVING - Jacksonville: Kelvin Hall
5-73, Dowindle Hamilton 3-15, Terrance
Canady 2-28, Clint Copeland 2-28,
Chris Hall 1-11, Quentin Womack 1-4;;
Corsicana: Hines 8-180, Fowler 3-41, Nea
Williams 2-36, Matt Ward 1-17, Hill Crawford
1-9, Scotty Bryan 1-(minus-2).
MISSED FIELD GOALS - Corsicana:
Richardson, 30, wide left.
graphic: Cherokeean Herald

Scoring Detail

Firsrt Quarter JHS - After holding Corsicana to a threeand out on its game-opening possession, Jacksonville takes advantage of 25 yards of Tigers penalties to drive to the Corsicana 11 before settling for a Brent Colvin 27-yard field goal. Jacksonville 3, Corsicana 0, 6:20

Second Quarter CHS - Corsicana's Omarius Hines returns a Jacksonville punt 20 yards to the Jacksonville 24, setting up a crisp 5- play, 24-yard scoring drive capped by Tim Smith's 3-yard touchdown run. Corsicana 7, Jacksonville 3, 11:50 CHS - Hines outruns his coverage for a 68-yard catch-and-run touchdown on the second play of a drive that started with running back C.J. Forlwer gaining one yard on the previous play. Corsicana 14, Jacksonville 3, 7:08

Third Quarter CHS - Tigers running back Scotty Bryant carries three times for 19 yards and Ethan Bryant completes both of his passes, including a 33-yard touchdown pass to Nea Williams, capping a 5-play, 61-yard drive. Corsicana 21, Jacksonville 3, 4:20.

Fourth Quarter CHS - Corsicana kicker Kyle Richardson nails the first of his two field goals, this from 29 yards out after the Indians finally put the breaks on a 13-play, 42-yard drive that ate up 5:11. Corsicana 24, Jacksonville 3, 9:26 JHS - Jacksonville specialist Jimmy Gray returns the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. Colvin adds the extra point. Corsicana 24, Jacksonville 1, 9:11 CHS - Richardson connects again, this time fro 42 yards out after the Indians defense snuffs out an 11-play, 55-yard drive. Corsicana 27, Jacksonville 10, 4:13 CHS - Hines takes an end-around 61 yards, capping a drive that saw Corsicana start at its own 7, its worst field position by far in the game. Richardson's kick fails. Corsicana 33, Jacksonville 10, 3:04 JHS - Clint Copeland hauls in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Stacy, capping a 10-play, 72-yard drive against the Tigers' second-string defense. Colvin adds the extra point. Corsicana 33, Jacksonville 17, :39

graphic: Cherokeean Herald