NMMI Sports Press

The top-ranked New Mexico Military Institute Broncos once again needed some fourth quarter heroics to pull out a win against a ranked conference opponent, the No. 12 Blinn College Buccaneers, Saturday night at the Wool Bowl.

Last week it was two 61-yard touchdown passes in the final minutes on the road at Kilgore.

This week's comeback began with another 61-yard scoring strike, this one from freshman quarterback Koby Muasau to freshman wideout Treyvion Beamon to pull within four, and then a short touchdown pass to freshman tight end Quadarius Harrison to achieve the final score of 24-21.

The Broncos hit the turf running as they scored the first 10 points of the game; a five-yard rush by sophomore running back Tyran Cassie and a 52-yard field goal from sophomore kicker William Testa.

But the tide turned as the visitors scored 21 unanswered points in the second and third quarters, aided by an array of NMMI penalties, which added up to 14 for 107 yards by the time the final whistle blew. Blinn

"We had a bunch of penalties tonight and that's a recipe for disaster," said Bronco head coach Kurt Taufa'asau after the game. "We have to fix that. It's going to end up hurting us. IF you want to win clean and beat these teams at their best, and they're all going to give us their best, we have to be fundamentally sound and be good in all phases, and limiting penalties is a big part of it."

The Bronco offense finished the night with 293 yards; 224 in the passing game and just 69 on the ground, but the rushing attack was crucial, leading to seven first down, the same amount achieved by air.

Cassie led the NMMI rushing attack with 17 carries for 43 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore runner Jeiel Stark and Muasau each carried seven times, both totaling 15 yards and freshman Au'mhryaun Brown chipped in with two carries for 12 yards.

"We have three or four backs that can do that," Taufa'asau said. "Cassie is the biggest of them. That's what we expect from them. Run hard, protect the ball and make sure you're falling forward. I'm proud of the way the O-line worked tonight."

Muasau was efficient, completing 14-of-18 pass attempts for 218 yards and two scores, but also tossed an interception in the third quarter. Beamon finished the game with four catches for 132 yards and a score.

"There were a lot of plays left out there that should've been made," Taufa'asau said. "We'll go back to drawing board, get it fixed and be ready for the next time we hit the field. But it goes to show what we have on this team. They fight. It's something we teach and it's paying off."

The Black Swarm defense allowed 395 yards, but helped turn the tide with some big plays throughout the game. Shortly before the end of the first half, down 14-10, Bronco sophomore defensive back Buju Aumua-Tuisavura intercepted a Blinn pass near his own goal line to keep the Bucs off the board.

Aumua-Tuisavura and freshman defensive back Aki Harvey led the defense with seven tackles. Freshman linebacker Tyler Martinez and freshman defensive end Vili Taufatofua had six tackles apiece, the latter also getting into the Blinn backfield with a solo sack and assisted sack. As a team, the Broncos had three sacks.

"Those guys have that grit in them," said Taufa'asau about his defense. "We may give up a big play, but we're going to make them earn everything. That's what we're all about. That's what we preach on our side of the ball. Make them earn every inch. I'm glad our guys were able to settle down and get the job done tonight."

For the moment, none of the four remaining teams on the schedule are ranked, but that matters very little to Taufa'asau, who knows what a grind the Southwest Junior College Football Conference is every year.

"We don't look at that stuff," he said. "The media and people outside our circle can talk about it. We try to get our guys to focus on playing their best against the next best team, because every team that's left is the best team. We approach it like that."

The Broncos get a much-needed bye week and will return to action on Saturday, October 8 at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas.

"It's good for us to rest up our bodies," Taufa'asau said. "Going through the type of schedule we have, playing good teams, and being in the position we are in, I'm happy with that. But we have to continue to work, because it won't mean anything if we lose the next one. And we will get everyone's best shot."