The Blinn College football team earned its first conference win of the season with a 28-21 victory over Northeast Oklahoma A&M College on Saturday in Miami, Okla.
The Southwest Junior College Football Conference (SWJCFC) triumph improved the Buccaneers to 3-5 overall and 1-5 in conference play.
Freshman quarterback Rylan Wooten, a home-grown product out of Brenham, Texas, made his first collegiate start and accounted for all four of Blinn's touchdowns. The dual-threat signal caller scored each of his TD's on the ground as the Bucs built a 28-7 halftime lead.
"I thought it was a really gutsy performance from him in his first collegiate start," Blinn head coach Ryan Mahon said. "You'd think there would be nerves and he just didn't have any."
Saturday's playing conditions were anything but ideal as rain and mist enveloped the field for the entirety of the contest. Mahon said the weather turned the contest into an "old school" football game.
"I'm really proud of the kids for playing hard in an adverse situation; I'm just happy for them," Mahon added. "In a game like that, you find out who the tough people are very quickly and who really loves football. Our guys showed their toughness."
With both teams' passing attacks dampened by the rain, Mahon praised his offensive line, which paved the way for Wooten's big day, as well as a hard-nosed collective effort from the Blinn running back corps.
Wooten attempted just six passes and completed four of them for 10 yards, but did damage with his feet to the tune of a team-leading 171 yards on 21 carries. Freshman running back Kelton Weathers added 105 yards on 23 touches.
"Our kids played well up front, the running backs ran hard, and the wide receivers blocked really well, too," said Mahon. "It was just a very productive day all around."
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Caden Holt registered 12 tackles and two sacks to pace the Bucs.
Up next, the Bucs host third-ranked Kilgore College for a SWJCFC bout at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4, at Cub Stadium in Brenham. Blinn will celebrate Sophomore Day prior to the opening kickoff.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 44 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
