CAMP WALKER, South Korea – All week long heading into Friday’s crucial showdown with Humphreys, coach Phillip Loyd and Daegu knew they had to key on Blackhawks running back Jaylin Barmer, who’d scored all three times he touched the ball a week earlier against Osan.
So Loyd had defensive tackles Anthony Calhoun and Joshua Weatherford key on Barmer.
It worked, as the Warriors kept Barmer hemmed in except for one breakaway 40-yard fourth-quarter run, and rallied from a first-quarter deficit to edge Humphreys 40-30.
“I have two really phenomenal inside tackles,” Loyd said of Weatherford and Calhoun. “Before (Barmer) could get a head of steam, they were on him. We focused on him. We definitely went into this game to stop him.”
Daegu’s defense didn’t limit itself to shutting down Barmer. Zach Fowler returned a fumble for a touchdown, and also rushed for a score and caught a TD pass to help fuel the Warriors’ comeback.
Quarterback DeAndre Rosalie also threw touchdown passes to Tyler Bailey and Tyler Pak, while picking off two Humphreys passes out of the free-safety slot. Yechiel Peterson added a touchdown run for Daegu (1-0).
All of that helped offset a huge day for Blackhawks quarterback Brice Bulotovich, who threw three touchdown passes to Nate Hellams and one to Jordan Holden. “Their passing game was really good,” Loyd said.
“They (Daegu) had a very good attacking defense,” said coach Mundy of the Blackhawks (1-1). “They swarmed the ball, they took it to Jaylin, they shut him down and we had to go to the air.”
“Our defensive backs just weren’t ready” for Bulotovich’s onslaught, Loyd said. “They’ll get better. He (Bulotovich) had a trigger finger; we were all in his face, and on two of his touchdown passes, he was on the ground.”
Humphreys and Daegu each face a Korean high school team next Saturday, Humphreys hosting Songdo and Daegu entertaining Dong-a. Each game kicks off at 1 p.m.