We Applaud Bowling Green Purples Football Team For "Taming The Tigers" Of St Xavier 28-20.

Taming the Tigers
Purples get program’s first win against St. Xavier
By ZACH GREENWELL

LOUISVILLE — The Bowling Green Purples were all business as they left the football field Friday night.

But there was no hiding the significance of the situation.

Bowling Green (3-0) overcame a 14-7 deficit at halftime to top St. Xavier, 28-20, at Brother Thomas More Stadium, beating the Tigers for the first time in nine all-time tries.

“The old, grumpy man side of me says we have another game next week,” Bowling Green coach Kevin Wallace said. “But this is special. We’ve been knocking on the door against St. X and Trinity for a number of years, and our kids fought their hearts out.”

Click here for more photos from Friday’s football games.

The victory also marked the first time a Kentucky team other than Trinity has beaten St. X since Male did it in 2006.

“We came in confident that we could do it, knowing that we could do it,” Purples senior quarterback Scooter Hollis said. “We were able to execute, and we pulled it out.”

Hollis and St. X quarterback Alex Mattingly accounted for four rushing touchdowns in the game, but it was two big defensive plays that were the difference for the Purples.

After Hollis tied the game in the third quarter with his second score, senior Michael Bailey returned a blocked punt for a touchdown to give Bowling Green a lead it never relinquished.

Senior Jerrett Ingram later recovered a Tigers fumble, setting up the Purples to ice the game with a touchdown run by senior running back Hunter Neveras.

“We had a couple big turnovers ourselves,” Wallace said. “It was just an ebb-and-flow kind of game, and we seemed to get the plays at the right time late.”

St. X advanced into Bowling Green territory on its first drive, but the Purples stifled the threat with an interception by senior Landon Turner at their own 14-yard line.

Bowling Green then marched 86 yards in 11 plays on its opening possession, capped with a 34-yard touchdown run by Hollis at the 4:20 mark of the first half.

Hollis finished the game 8 of 13 passing for 86 yards, rushing for 147 yards on 18 carries.

“We talked to Scooter about it all week,” Wallace said. “We said if they played us in man coverage and the pocket breaks down, you’re more athletic than the one guy you’ve got left. He did a great job, but I don’t think it was a matter of luck. It was something we prepared for.”

Mattingly wasn’t going to be outdone, however, breaking off a 25-yard run with a dead sprint up the right sideline for a score.

That scramble came on the first play of the second quarter, and a missed extra point by St. X kicker Brad Shickel made it 7-6 with 11:50 left in the first half.

Bowling Green gave the Tigers good field possession with about seven minutes to go in the half after a 35-yard punt return by Matt Wempe.

Charles Walker carried the ball 28 yards to the BG 1-yard line, and Mattingly punched it in for his second rushing touchdown of the game. The quarterback also ran in a two-point conversion try, pushing St. X’s lead to 14-7 with 6:58 left in the second.

Hollis was the one who answered out of halftime, ending Bowling Green’s first drive of the second half with a 35-yard touchdown run.

“It was a challenge to me because he was scoring, and I was trying to score,” Hollis said. “I got caught up in it and was trying to make big plays, and that actually led to my interception. But he’s a great quarterback, probably one of the best I’ve played against.”

St. X got nothing going on the ensuing possession, and Shickel’s punt was blocked into the hands of Bailey.

Bailey scooped up the ball and returned it 28 yards for a score, giving Bowling Green a 21-14 advantage at the 7:37 mark.

The Tigers added a 33-yard field goal by Shickel after that, but Neveras provided the exclamation point - a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:34 left - after Ingram’s fumble recovery.

St. X also tacked on another field goal with less than a minute left but couldn’t recover an onside kick attempt.

Bowling Green outgained the Tigers 327-241 in the game. Mattingly finished 6 of 19 passing for just 137 total yards, and St. X was limited to 94 total yards in the second half.

The Purples play their first true home game of the season Friday, when they welcome Henderson County at 7 p.m. at El Donaldson Stadium.

“It’s a great moment, but when Henderson County rolls in next week, it all starts over,” Wallace said. “We don’t get any points for that. I like the business-like approach of our football team. We’ve got a lot of places we can improve, but I like our kids.”

BGHS 7 0 14 7 - 28

STX 0 14 3 3 - 20

First quarter

BG - Scooter Hollis 34 run (Sam Williams kick), 4:20

Second quarter

STX - Alex Mattingly 25 run (kick failed), 11:50

STX - Mattingly 1 run (Mattingly run), 6:58

Third quarter

BG - Hollis 35 run (Williams kick), 9:30

BG - Michael Bailey 28 blocked punt return (Williams kick), 7:37

STX - Brad Shickel 33 field goal, 1:13

Fourth quarter

BG - Hunter Neveras 1 run (Williams kick), 1:34

STX - Shickel 33 field goal, 0:47

Editor's note: Click here to view more pictures.