Corpus Christi Tritons vs Salina Liberty: Game Recap

The Tritons throttled the Salina Liberty in their season opener 40-12. The coin toss came up Tritons, and they did not stop winning from then on. For both teams, though, there are adjustments and fixes to be made.

Workhorse Defense

The most impactful part of the game for the Tritons was their unrelenting defense. The pressure was constantly being applied to Liberty QB Javin Kilgo. He only went down behind the line of scrimmage a couple of times thanks to his mobility. However, most of the damage was done when the ball left his hand. The Tritons were able to tack on six interceptions. Dewayne Hollis and Lakeith Murray had one each. Impressive, but Isaiah McFarland hauled in four picks of his own, returning two of them for a touchdown. 

The Tritons defense was shutting out the Liberty until the end of the third quarter, but it was not on them. A botched snap in their own territory allowed DeWayne Autrey a short scoop and score. The Liberty offense did not make their way to the end zone until late in the fourth quarter. 

A Different Salina

The Liberty had a great season last year. They ended up third in the league with a 6-2 record and was only a game away from making the championship game. The performance tonight was not indicative of that same team. The dominant run game we have seen in prior seasons did not hold up. The offensive line was simply overwhelmed the whole game. 

Javin Kilgo did his best to avoid rushers and did a pretty decent. Being flushed out of the pocket constantly meant he had to make many throws on the run or cross-bodied. It was hard for him tonight. The offense ended up going 0 for 5 on fourth downs and a measly 1 for 6 on third downs. The Liberty are going to take a long look at the game film this week. It very well could be that they just lost to a better team this week, but history says that this team can do more. 

Player of the Game

The Player of the Game is no doubt Isaiah McFarland of Corpus Christi. He was a force in every aspect of the game. He was nimble, smart, and was able to read the offense like a book. The stats do not lie. He hawked six interceptions, with two touchdowns, a handful of tackles, and a tackle for loss. He not only contributed 12 points, but heavily influenced the momentum of the game. 

Impact Players for Corpus Christi

The entire defensive line deserves praise for the outcome of this game, but Robert Fuentes and Torrance Williams stand out as also making some key swats at the line. You also cannot talk about impact without mentioning Fred Payton Jr. The quarterback’s debut with the Tritons saw two rushing TDs and two passing TDs. 

Impact Player for Salina

In a hard night for Liberty fans, they should see a silver lining in Luis Gonzalez. He is a rookie to the arena, and he showed promise tonight. Although it was a tough night for the rush, keep in mind he put up 2900 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns in college. This is definitely a guy that Salina will be able to work with moving into the next couple weeks of practice. 

Quarter by Quarter

Q1

The first quarter gave a glimpse of what this game was going to be. It started off with a good return by Malik Honeycutt which was brought back by penalties. A few plays into the drive, Isaiah McFarland took advantage of some miscommunication, getting his first pick-six of the game. The Liberty got the ball back, but turned it over on downs The Tritons’ first offensive drive would go to waste when Fred Payton Jr threw his only interception of the game. The Liberty could not capitalize on the interception, turning the ball over on downs thanks you a line of scrimmage swat by Robert Fuentes. The next drive for the Tritons ended in Darius Prince’s first touchdown in Corpus Christi. Unfortunately, two bad snaps on PATs would lead to blocks. The first quarter ended 12-0.

Q2

Salina started this quarter with the ball and marched down the field. Kilgo’s 4th and goal shot at the end zone ended up as a circus interception. The ball went off the hands of the intended receiver, off the net, and into the waiting hands of Lakeith Murray- a moment that makes you love the arena. The next drive for the Tritons nearly ended without a score, but Corpus Christi  were on the favorable end of a questionable pass interference call, setting them up on the Salina side of the field. Payton Jr would punch in a touchdown on a designed run, but that would be followed up by a failed fake PAT attempt. Attempting to make up for lost PATs, Aeden Johnson booted the next kickoff through the uprights for his first deuce of the season. The half ended with a QB sneak for the Tritons which was colorfully nicknamed the “Corpus Collapse” by the commentators. The game would go to half with the Tritons up 27-0.

Q3

The third quarter marked a point where Corpus Christi may have lost focus. They were unable to move the ball in a short yardage situation and brought out Aeden Johnson for a field goal attempt- which was missed. It was another great quarter for Isaiah McFarland, though, who snatched two more interceptions and returned one of them for a touchdown. Saline ended the Tritons’ shutout bid with a scoop and score from Dewayne Autrey late in the quarter.

Q4

The last 15 minutes of the game was more of the same. The Tritons tacked on another six points with a 21 yard connection from Payton Jr to Quintavius Workman. The Liberty got their only offensive points of the game with a well drawn up pass. Kilgo found Ed Smith who made good moves on Tritons defenders, breaking for a 21 yard touchdown. The exclamation point was Dewayne Hollis who snatched a one-on-one ball for the sixth Tritons interception.