Hough couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. They were just a hair shy of victory on Friday and fell 45-44 to the Northwestern Trojans. The Huskies gained 180 more yards on the day, but it was the Trojans that made the best use of them.
Defeat or not, Hough got some senior leadership from Ralph (Trey) Blakeney and Sean Brady. Blakeney threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 14.8 yards per attempt, while Brady. picked up 212 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Brady's longest reception was for an incredible 85 yards. Another player making a difference was Tyran Evans, who picked up 175 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Even if they lost, Hough's defensive line still kept up the pressure with four sacks. In that department, Chris Hilliard was the leader with three. He didn't just play on offense: he also picked up three sacks and made six total tackles (3.0 for loss). Another thorn in Northwestern's side was Morgan Linton, who made 15 total tackles.
Even though they lost, Hough was moving up and down the field and finished the game with 574 total yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Northwestern only gained 394.
A big part of the victory came down to the chemistry between Finley Polk and his top target Kameron Vance. Polk threw for 253 yards and four touchdowns while completing 73% of his passes while Vance picked up 130 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayden Nichols, who picked up 113 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Hough will host Myers Park at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Northwestern, they will head out to square off against Ridge View at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Northwestern is looking to tack on another W to their six-game streak on the road dating back to last season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
