Although frustrated by the excessive number of turnovers committed by the Northeastern A&M Golden Norsemen during their last two games, first year head coach Sherard Poteete knows that all of the mistakes are correctable.




"We've got to put the last two performances behind us and focus on Houston's Southeast Prep Academy that will be here next Saturday," Poteete said. "Perhaps the most disappointing thing about the mistakes we're making is that they have each come from different players and under different circumstances."
With a 28-23 loss to Blinn College Saturday before a large crowd at Robertson Field, the No. 17 Golden Norsemen are 1-2 on the season and 0-1 in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference.
NEO continues a four-game homestand next Saturday with a 3 p.m. non-conference game against the Spartans of Southeast Prep Academy from Houston, Texas. The 0-3 Spartans dropped a 49-0 decision at Tyler, Texas on Saturday.
"It will be good for us to take a brief break from conference games," Poteete said. "We'll spend the first couple of days this week re-emphasizing the importance of taking care of the football on offense."
Taking the opening kickoff against the Buccaneers (1-0 and 2-2), the Golden Norse offense under the direction of redshirt sophomore Mitch Manley consumed over nine minutes to march down the field for an apparent touchdown.
After a 43-yard pass from Manley to tight end Kegan Fox set the Norse up for a first-and-goal situation at the 1-yard line, tailback Sheldon Wilson fumbled the ball before breaking the plain and Blinn defensive end Darian Childers recovered the loose ball to end the threat.
NEO's defense stifled the Bucs on their first offensive possession and the Golden Norse offense took over at their own 39-yard line.
Three plays later sophomore tailback Elliot Hawkins burst up the middle for a 33-yard touchdown run with 4:29 left in the first quarter for NEO's only lead of the game. Tyler Cortez kicked the extra point for a 7-0 Norse lead.
Four minutes into the second quarter the Buccaneers concluded a 68-yard drive as sophomore tailback Klartel Claridy scored on a 2-yard run on the sixth play. Kade Robinson's PAT created a 7-7 tie with 11:07 before halftime.
Two consecutive Golden Norse offensive mistakes led to 14 points for Blinn over the next seven minutes.
Buccaneer cornerback Myles Curl intercepted an errant Manley pass and returned it 14 yards to the Blinn 33-yard line.
Three plays later freshman tailback Spencer Cowley raced 17 yards for a TD. Robinson's point-after gave Blinn a 14-7 lead with 9:43 until half.
NEO mounted another apparent scoring opportunity by marching to the Blinn 23-yard line before freshman tailback Cameron Wrenn fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Bucs cornerback Scott Middleton.
Claridy wasted little time putting points on the scoreboard with a 49-yard touchdown run on the fourth play of the 77-yard drive. The extra point by Robinson increased Blinn's lead to a 21-7 margin.
With 2:50 remaining until intermission, NEO's offense imploded again after a fumbled center exchange was recovered by Blinn defensive tackle Kohlton Tegeler at the NEO 7-yard line.
Once again, the Golden Norse defense pushed the Buccaneers back to the NEO 33-yard line where the Bucs attempted a 50-yard field goal by Will Janosek that fell short of its mark.
Starting the third quarter at their own 29-yard line, the Buccaneers covered 71 yards in 12 plays before Claridy scored his third touchdown of the game on a 1-yard plunge. The extra point by Robinson increased Blinn's lead to a 28-7 margin at the 9:38 juncture.
After committing five turnovers in the first two quarters, the Golden Norsemen marched 61 yards in eight plays before Cortez broke the scoring drought with a 34-yard field goal. The kick created a 28-10 deficit for NEO with 6:17 left in the third quarter.
Wilson brought the hometown crowd to their feet on NEO's next possession with a spectacular 43-yard TD run straight down the middle of the field.
But alas, the play was nullified by a personal foul on an NEO receiver.
Two minutes later, however, the NEO offense concluded an 80-yard, 13-play drive as freshman quarterback Tony Kiefer scored on a 5-yard run. Cortez booted the point-after for a 28-17 deficit heading into the fourth quarter.
With time running down in the game, sophomore free safety Devron Moore stepped in front of a pass by Blinn quarterback Garry Kimble and returned it 51 yards to the Buccaneers 42-yard line.
Manley returned under center and lofted a 42-yard touchdown pass on the first play to veteran wide out Alverey Braxton with 3:25 left in the game. Kiefer attempted to connect with Samory Collier on the two-point conversion pass but it sailed over his head.
The Golden Norsemen attempted an on-sides kick on the ensuing play, but the Buccaneers recovered the ball and ran out the remainder of the clock.
"Our offensive line played their tails off all night long," Poteete said. "They helped us establish a solid running game if we would have just taken care of the football.
Wilson led the Golden Norse ground game with 120 yards on 12 carries for an average of 8.6 yards per touch. Eight different ball carriers produced 242 yards on 44 carries and two TDs.
Manley completed 6 of 10 passes for 132 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. Kiefer completed 7 of 13 for 65 yards and no TDs or interceptions.
While NEO amassed 434 yards in total offense, Blinn accumulated the same amount of total yardage.
Claridy led the Bucs ground game with 157 yards on 27 carries and three TDs while Cowley gained 75 yards on 12 carries and Kimble contributed 65 yards on 15 carries.
Kimble completed 10 of 21 passes for 90 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns.
"Our defense continues to play well week in and week out," Poteete said. "They are being put in difficult situations by our offense, but they still just bend but do not break."
Blinn College;0;21;7;0 28
Northeastern A&M;7;0;10;6 23
Scoring summary
First quarter
NEO Hawkins 33 run (Cortez kick), 4:27
Second quarter
BCC Claridy 2 run (Robinson kick), 11:07
BCC Cowley 17 run (Robinson kick), 9:43
BCC Claridy 49 run (Robinson kick), 4:26
Third quarter
BCC Claridy 1 run (Robinson kick), 9:38
NEO FG, Cortez 34, 6:17
NEO Kiefer 5 run (Cortez kick), 1:23
Fourth quarter
NEO Braxton 42 pass from Manley (pass failed), 3:25
Team statistics
BCC;NEO
First downs;22;22
Rushes-yards;58-349;44-242
Passing yards;90;197
Return yards;47;88
Passes-com-att-int;10-21-2;13-23-2
Punts-avg;6-37;4-36
Fumbles-lost;1-0;3-3
Penalties-yards;9-105;3-25
Individual statistics
RUSHING Blinn Claridy 27-157;Cowley 12-75;Kimble 15-65;Johnson 1-32;Melancon 1-11;Worrell 1-7;Vinklarek 1-(-1);NEO Wilson 14-120;Hawkins 7-70;Kiefer 10-27;Dawkins 3-15;Wrenn 3-6; Vester 1-5; Myers 1-4;Manley 5-(-5).
PASSING Blinn Kimble 10-21-2-90;NEO Manley 6-10-2-132;Kiefer 7-13-0-65.
RECEIVING Blinn Johnson 3-36;Landry 2-23;Robinson 2-7;Wright 1-11;Melancon 1-7;Chandler 1-6;NEO Myers 4-49;Braxton 3-46;Fox 1-43;White 1-24;Hawkins 1-16;Rathod 1-14;Collier 1-10;Wilson 1-(-5).