Week One - Anderson vs Westwood

I am starting off the season with the game between Austin Anderson and Round Rock Westwood played at House Park.  This is the second game played in the venerable old stadium since it was damaged by the Memorial Day floods that hit Austin.  The city and school district did a great job over the summer to get it ready for football.  But before I can get my game face on, I need to eat some barbeque.

The Barbeque

I had planned on eating at House Park Barbeque which is located just around the corner from the stadium.  Unfortunately, they are only open for lunch.  I had to find an alternative and ended up picking a good one:  Freedmen’s Barbeque.

Located at 2402 San Gabriel in the booming UT West Campus area, Freedmen’s is actually a full bar and beer garden that serves barbeque.  Sounds like a drunkard’s dream.  They are in a vintage building that dates back to around 1869.  















Great atmosphere and friendly service.  I ordered my usual: a half pound of sliced moist brisket, two pork ribs, and iced tea.  The brisket was very juicy and tender.  There was no need for any utensils, it easily pulled apart by hand and melted in my mouth.  The ribs were big and meaty, but the meat didn’t fall off the bone.  The meat was a little chewy, but still tasted great.  My order was served with two small slices of homemade bread (very good), pickled onions, a pickle wedge, and jalapenos.  While I didn’t order anything extra, I was also served a side of spicy beans with little chunks of brisket.  Very tasty.  Their sauce was pretty good, but then it’s only there to accentuate the meat.  All in all, a good place to eat some barbeque.  I’d happily take friends and family there. 

The Football Game

The Anderson Trojans entered the game with a 1-0 record, having beaten their arch rival McCallum the week before in the season opening Taco Shack Bowl.  (I know, a Week Zero game I missed.)  The Westwood Warriors had a 0-1 record, having lost their opener to Georgetown.  I sat on the Anderson side of the stadium, not because my kids graduated from there, but because it was in the shade.  The game could not have been more exciting if I had designed it myself.

Anderson warming up before game at House Park

Anderson dominated early.  They had a long drive on their second possession and scored a touchdown to go up 7-0.  Westwood responded with a long drive, but Anderson stopped the Warrior runner short on fourth and one to take over at their own 16 yard line.  The Trojans drove 84 yards and scored when Genuwyne Garza connected on his second touchdown pass of the night.  Anderson led 14-0 with about eleven minutes remaining in the second quarter. 

Facing first and 15 from his own 25 yard line, Warrior quarterback Jack Swensen avoided a heavy rush and threw a desperation pass.  The receiver is a head taller than the defensive back covering him, so he easily out jumped the DB to make the catch and ran the ball down to the Trojan 15.  Three plays later the Warriors scored on a 2 yard jet sweep to make the score 14-7.  Anderson fumbled the ensuing kick-off and it was recovered by Westwood.  After being assessed a couple of penalties, Westwood was looking at third and 19.  Swensen got great protection from his line, lofted a pass deep, and hit his wide open receiver in full stride at the goal line for a 47 yard touchdown.  The extra point tied the game at 14-14.  Anderson started a drive with 1:42 left in the second quarter.  They got deep into Westwood territory and a defensive holding penalty placed the ball on the Westwood 7 yard line.  Anderson tried a jet sweep, but the runner was tackled for a huge loss.  The Trojans failed to score with the second quarter clock expiring.  Half time score 14-14.

Westwood got the kick-off to start the third quarter and drove deep into Anderson territory.  The Warriors were facing third and 11 from the Trojan 14.  The drive stalled when a Trojan DB broke up the pass.  Westwood settled for a 31 yard field goal to take the lead at 17-14.  Anderson returned the kick-off to their own 15 yard line, but a holding call pushed them back to the 7.  After making a first down, Trojan quarterback Garza was stripped of the ball and Westwood recovered on the Trojan 16.  A pass interference call against Anderson set the Warriors up on the Trojan 2.  A jet sweep scored and Westwood extended their lead to 24-14. 

Anderson returned the kick-off to their 19 yard line.  Garza hit a big pass over the middle to his tight end that moved the ball to the Warrior 48.  Garza made several good plays with his feet, on scrambles and quarterback draws to move the ball deep into Westwood territory.  The Westwood defense was running out of gas, but an illegal substitution penalty against them and confusion among the referees let the defense catch their breaths.  It didn’t matter to Anderson as they ran the ball into the end zone from four yards out to tighten the score at 24-21.

The Warriors took possession on their own 25 after a touchback on the kick-off.  They continued to make good yardage with the jet sweep as the third quarter ended.  A pass interference penalty against the Trojan defense put the ball on the Anderson 35.  Swensen threw a perfect pass on a post route, but his receiver dropped a sure touchdown.  Facing third and 10, Swensen dropped back to pass and was pressured by the Trojan defensive line.  This time his desperation throw was picked off by Eric Slatter and returned to the Warrior 16.  On the second play of the drive, Garza tossed his third touchdown of the night.  Westwood was called for a personal foul on the play that would be assessed on the kick-off.  The Trojans retook the lead at 28-24.

With the penalty yardage marked off, the Trojans made a sqib kick from the Westwood 45.  The Warrior kick returner couldn’t handle the ball and a Trojan fell on it in the end zone for a touchdown.  Anderson had scored two touchdowns in just seven seconds to extend their lead to 35-24.  On the ensuing kick-off, the Westwood kick returner again could not handle the ball, this time fumbling it out of bounds on his own 3 yard line.  After a good run to the 20 gave Westwood a first down, Swensen was picked off again at the Warrior 40.  Anderson did not pick up the two yards needed on third down, so they decided to go for it on fourth and 1.  Hand-off up the middle, the running back broke it outside, and was steaming down the sideline.  A Warrior DB punched the ball out of his hands and it rolled out the back of the end zone for a touchback.  Had the runner stepped out of bounds on the 2 yard line before the fumble?  Without replay, it didn’t matter as Westwood took over on their own 20 yard line, trailing 35-24.

Time winding down in the fourth quarter.  The Trojan defense stuffed a wide receiver screen on third and 4.  With the ball on their own 27, Westwood gambled on fourth and 3.  Swensen’s pass was good for the first down.  The Warriors moved downfield on the strength of Swensen’s legs as he repeatedly ran the quarterback draw.  On third and 3 from the Trojan 23, Swenson hit Te’Shon McGinnis for a touchdown.  Instead of kicking the extra point, the Warriors decided to go for two.  An illegal procedure penalty pushed the ball back to the Trojan 8.  Swensen rolled to his right, stopped, and hit Garrett Aylor in the end zone on a throwback pass.  That trimmed the Anderson lead to 3 at 35-32 with 4:02 left to play.

Anderson lined up to defend against a possible onside kick.  Westwood kicked deep, over the return man’s head.  The ball rolled to the Trojan 2 and the returner ran it back to the 10.  The Trojans were trying to milk the clock.  A good run for 16 yards set up a first down on their own 26 yard line.  Facing third and 4 from their 32, Garza threw a short screen pass that went for a 78 yard touchdown to push the lead back up to 10 at 42-32.  Westwood was once again called for a personal foul on the touchdown that was assessed on the kick-off.

Kicking from the Westwood 45, the kick-off sailed through the end zone for a touch back.  With 2:20 left to play and the ball on their 25 yard line, Swenson hit a pass over the middle to move the ball to Warrior 41 yard line.  Swenson hit another pass over the middle.  This time the receiver would not be run down as he scored from 59 yards out.  That made the score 42-39 with 1:51 left in the game.

This time Westwood did try an onside kick, but it was recovered by Anderson on their own 49.  Anderson was able to run for two first downs to eat up the clock, then got into the victory formation as Garza went to a knee to end the game.  Final score: Anderson 42, Westwood 39.

The game had a little bit of everything: great runs, superb passing, good defensive plays, crazy bounces.  There were thirty-six points scored in the fourth quarter, 21 by Anderson and 15 by Westwood.  Genuwyne Garza ended the night completing 15 of his 21 passes for 220 yards and four touchdowns for Anderson.  Jack Swensen threw for more yards (295) and four TDs, but his two interceptions in the fourth quarter were costly.  The game was a real shoot out.  Both teams showed a lot of heart and never gave up.  It was a big win for Anderson as they get ready to start district play against Westlake next week.  Westwood will need to regroup as they prepare for Cedar Park.