Season recap: Bulldogs hope to build on 2014 successes
Despite a 4-5 record, the Holmes Community College Bulldogs finished in the top 10 in rushing offense, pass defense and total defense in the country.
"I'm proud of the way our guys fought game in and game out," Holmes Community College Head Football Coach Jeff Koonz said. "We made some changes coming into the season regarding the scheme especially on the offensive side of the ball. We came up a game short. We did show improvement over last year which I'm proud of."
Offensively, the Bulldog switched to the flex bone when Offensive Coordinator Tim Stowers came on board in the spring. Holmes finished fifth in the country in rushing with 273.2 yards per game.
"For the first year we are really pleased," Koonz said. "It did accomplish what we were hoping for. Those numbers are on the low end of what he expected. We expect to be 300 plus per game, but we plan to stick with it. Now we can recruit to it. We are excited about that. Now we know what we have to recruit to and gave us some leverage to bring in some really good players."
Koonz said the Bulldogs committed too many turnovers. "We have to do a better job in ball security," he said. "The defense needs to give the offense more opportunities, which means more takeaways."
Gone at quarterback will be sophomore Jamario Benson, who had 474 yards on 153 carries and three touchdowns.
Offensive recruiting will be focused on a quarterback who runs the flex bone offense. "We've got to have the trigger man," Koonz said. "We would use an out of state spot on this position. We've got to find the style of quarterback that fits what we are doing there. Numerous times we didn't take advantage of play action passes."
Gone will be sophomore running back Mitchell Cunningham, who led the Bulldogs in rushing with 679 yards on 112 carries and seven touchdowns.
Koonz said Cunningham's speed set him apart from other runners in the league. "He had the ability to take it to the house, and he had several of those during the season," Koonz said. "The flex bone is the ultimate team offense but for him to put up those numbers is outstanding."
Freshman Aquindus Henson should be coming back in 2015. Henson finished with 334 yards on 60 carries with six touchdowns. "He hits the hole a little bit harder," Koonz said. "Aquindus doesn't have the breakaway speed, but we'll work on that in the offseason. To have nearly 1,200 yards of production is good. The option starts with the "B" back position."
Freshman running back Dre Massey also put up some impressive numbers for the Bulldogs. Massey finished with 503 yards on 41 carries with four touchdowns. "Dre is one of those guys when you see him run looks effortlessly," Koonz said. "Nobody caught him from behind. I can assure you that several teams in our league know how fast he is. In hindsight we probably should have gotten him the ball a little bit more in space. He's not the biggest guy, and we need to put some muscle on him. He will be a Div. I recruit. He brought a lot to the table."
Second Team All-State selections included: Benson, Cunningham, David Hendershot and Tripp Janssen. Honorable mention members included: Massey and Henson.
Defense
The Bulldog defense was ranked fourth in the nation in pass defense giving up only 126.8 yards per game and ranked 10th in total defense giving up 250.8 yards per game. The Bulldog defense gave up 21 points per game, which equaled the points per game from the Bulldog offense.
"Coach (Chris) Woods on that side of the ball returned as our coordinator," Koonz said. "His record speaks for itself. We run a more advanced defense than others in the league. My hat goes off to him on that side of the ball, and we wanted to find an offense that worked hand-in-hand.
"Those stats are not surprising," Koonz said. "Our linebackers led the team in tackles. The secondary did a good job, but we need more takeaways."
Antreon Bennett and Broderick Fordham each tied for 51 tackles on the defensive side of the ball. Bennett had two sacks and six tackles for loss while Fordham had three sacks and two tackles for loss. Mohamed Camara had 49 tackles with four sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss and three pass break ups while Jamal Veazey also had 49 tackles with two interceptions and four passes broken up. Andrew Walker finished with 46 tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss. Ryhean McMorris finished the season with 37 tackles with one tackle for loss, two interceptions and three passes broken up.
Mississippi State commit Traver Jung finished the season with 34 tackles, three sacks and three tackles for loss. He also had two interceptions, six passes broken up and two blocked kicks.
"We're excited for him," Koonz said. "It's a great opportunity for him. Traver is going to move right in there and have a chance to contribute. It's a big plus for Holmes CC."
Lyndon Johnson had 30 tackles with six sacks and nine tackles for loss. "Being successful starts up front," Koonz said. "They've got to take up space and demand double teams. He's an opposing physical specimen. He was very productive and is a work in progress. His best days playing football are ahead of him."
Koonz called Camara "our best blitzer coming off the edge." He added that Veazey was a smart football player and named him the "quarterback of the defense." He said Veazey had to make tackles to keep the opposition for making big plays. "I'm not sure what his status is going to be. He's a qualifier coming out of high school."
McMorris will be missed at cornerback. "He's the one that comes up and hits you," Koonz said. "He's very physical and did a great job for us."
Jung and Johnson were named First Team All-State after the season. Jung was also named All-Region.
McMorris was named Second Team All-State while Bennett, Camara and Veazey were named Honorable Mention All-State.
Special Teams
The Bulldogs had success on fourth down where they faked a punt 11 times and got a first down nine times. "I realize that anybody who would fake a punt 11 times needs to have their head examined," Koonz said. "We struggled with a conventional punt team and had to find a way to be successful there. Massey was a major contributor back there. You never knew what we were going to do. Nine more times the offense had the ball and were able to keep driving. We definitely got our money's worth.
"By being so successful, it got Coach Woods on the clinic talk," he said. "It put us on the cutting edge on a different punt formation. We may market that thing."
Jung and Kris Newson were also key on special teams with blocked kicks. "He's (Jung) willing to sacrifice his body and play football like it's supposed to be played and it will pay dividends for him."
Recruiting
Koonz said he and the Bulldog coaching staff are looking for players who best fit the offensive and defensive schemes. "We are always looking for outstanding athletes in all areas," he said. "At the receiver position, it's going to take a special player, one who can block on running plays but also one who can be ready for the homerun ball. We will also be looking to upgrade at the running back position, and I think we should be able to bring in some premier kids in that position. We have also located several quarterbacks who can run our offense."
Defensively, Koonz said he'll be looking for linebackers to replace the key players lost after this season as well as defensive lineman. "Recruiting is an exciting time of the year," Koonz said. "We have established our identity on both sides and the ball, and I think that's really going to help us."
Koonz said he's excited about the future of Bulldog football and working with new Holmes president Dr. Jim Haffey. "I hope to have a meeting with him soon to see if his vision matches our vision. I want to sit down with him or go over our five-year plan. With the state being open, it's become more competitive. I want to see where Holmes is going in the next couple of years."