Oh Canada! USA Defeated 38-35 In
Title Thriller
February 05, 2005
Canada finally defeated the United States in the Championship
Game and lifted the NFL Global Junior Championship IX
for the first time since 2000. In a thrilling contest
at The Bolles School in Jacksonville Canada saw leads
of 14-0 and 31-14 chipped away before a touchdown by MVP
Jerome Messam sealed a 38-35 victory. Messam rushed for
an incredible 308 yards on the night.
“This is an experience we will treasure for the
rest of our days,” said Canada head coach Danny
Maciocia, who returns north of the border to resume his
role as head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos. “Canada
has waited a long time to beat The USA and at last our
time has come.”
Canada came out of the gates determined to establish the
running game, and they succeeded. Led by their big, physical
tailback Messam, Canada drove the ball 80 yards down field
on their opening possession. The Cananadians reached the
end zone on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Danny Brannagan
to running back Samuel Fournier. Fournier and Messam combined
for 64 yards rushing on the drive.
USA’s offense reached the redzone on their first
possession, but failed to come away with any points when
kicker Aaron Locke missed a 35-yard field goal.
Canada stuck to its game plan on its second possession
and Messam opened the drive with a 34-yard run on the
first play. Messam followed that with runs of 13, 8, 8,
and 9 yards, respectively. Messam finished the drive with
a 10-yard touchdown run, giving Canada a 14-0 lead. Canada
did not attempt a single pass on the drive, instead rushing
the ball 7 times for 88 yards.
Team USA responded by following Canada’s strategy.
USA earned three hard first downs against Canada’s
defense before running back Brandon Higginbotham of West
Nassau High School broke three tackles on his way to a
35-yard touchdown run.
On USA’s next possession, quarterback Riley Skinner
of The Bolles School provided the highlights. Skinner
connected with Bolles teammate Rocky Ross on a nice 33-yard
pass across the middle, putting USA in Canada territory.
Skinner continued his precise passing as he found another
Bolles teammate, tight end Colin Peek, on a 24-yard touchdown
pass.
Two crucial penalties late in the first half negated a
pair of Canadian touchdowns, one on a kick-off return
by Messam and another on a potential 33-yard touchdown
pass from Brannagan to wide receiver Jared Manchulenko.
Canada was able to produce some points as Christopher
Milo kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expire in the
first half.
Canada led 17-14 going into halftime behind the strength
of Messam, who rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown in
the first half.
After USA stalled on its first possession of the second
half, Canada began its first drive inside the USA 49 yard
line. Canada picked up right where it left off in the
second half, rushing the ball 5 times in a row, ending
with a quarterback sneak by Brannagan for a touchdown
from one yard out. Messam continued his dominance with
31-yard run that put Canada in position to score.
Canada’s Jean-Michel Laplante intercepted Skinner
on USA’s next possession, and Canada once again
took advantage of the opportunity. Messam struck again,
running over would-be tacklers with a 29-yard scamper
and a 25-yard touchdown run, putting Canada ahead 31-14.
With their backs against the wall, USA needed a score
to keep the game within reach and, more importantly, keep
Canada’s offense off of the field. Team USA decided
to reach into their playbook for a few trick plays to
keep Canada’s defense guessing. With the ball on
the Canada 30-yard line, Skinner dropped back for a pass
and hit Joe Singleton on a screen behind the line of scrimmage.
Singleton then dropped back and threw a perfect pass to
Peek in the end zone for his second touchdown catch of
the day.
On USA’s next possession, the team turned to Skinner
and Ross once again to lead them. The two Bolles teammates
connected on a 22-yard pass and then a 48-yard bomb for
the score, pulling USA to within three, 31-28.
The momentum continued to turn in USA’s favor when
Travis Prince of Raines picked off a Brannagan pass and
returned it 26 yards for a touchdown. USA gained its first
lead of the game, 35-31.
Canada responded to the USA’s hot streak with a
lengthy, time-consuming drive of their own. Turning once
again to the strength of their rushing game, Canada drove
the ball to the USA 20-yard line, sparked by a 24-yard
run by Fournier. From there, Brannagan found Fournier
open in the flat, and the big back pounded his way into
the end zone. Canada regained the lead 38-35 with under
three minutes to play.
USA was unable to gain a first down on its final possession,
and Canada ran out the clock after Messam gained one final
first down. Messam finished the contest with 39 rushes
for 308 yards and two touchdowns, leading his team to
victory 38-35.
Passing:
USA, Skinner 11-25-203-2-1
USA, Singleton 1-1-30-1-0
CAN, Brannagan 5-12-62-2-1
Receiving:
USA, Owens 2-24-0
USA, Peek 5-81-2
USA, Ross 5-128-1
CAN, Giguere 2-41-0
CAN, Testa 1-11-0
CAN, Fournier 3-40-2
Rushing:
USA, Higginbotham 6-59-1
USA Owens 10-54-0
USA, Skinner 2-3-0
USA, Daniels 8-51-0
CAN, Messam 39-308-2
CAN, Fournier 9-53-0
CAN, Brannagan 3-5-0
Interceptions:
USA, Prince 1-TD
CAN, LaPlante 1 |
