Ruston's explosive plays bury Stephenville

LONGVIEW – No. 1 in Louisiana is better than No. 1 in Texas.
No. 1 Ruston's (5-0) top ranked status looked like the real deal over No. 1 (4A Texas) Stephenville, Texas, on Saturday, with the Bearcats using explosive offense to blow out the Yellowjackets 63-17.
It was all Bearcats from the start, with Ruston pouring on 313 yards of offense in the first half as quarterback Josh Brantley was 6-9 passing for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns. His top targets, Joran Parker and Ahmad Hudson, took the top off of Stephenville on multiple plays but had their biggest moments of the day late in the second quarter. Parker beat his man for a post route - ending in a 67-yard touchdown catch. Hudson, somehow only a sophomore, hauled in a 44-yard touchdown with six seconds left in the half to put Ruston ahead for good at 42-17.
Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh said explosive plays changed the game in a hurry.
"It's big. That's the name of the game is big plays. That's what changes games, Baugh said. "Normally we're an offense that's methodical about what we do. We hadn't generated a lot of big plays. But anytime you can do that, it's pretty demoralizing to the other team. I think that's what happened."
Ruston's 63 points are the program's most in any game in the last decade.
As for his dynamic quarterback Brantley, who finished with 251 passing yards – a career high – and 3 touchdowns, Baugh said Saturday should put both Texas and Louisiana on notice that the Bearcats aren't just the ground and pound team you're used to seeing.
Ruston's passing game is elite and there's no way around it.
"I think there was probably a misconception that he's just some athlete back there that we had at quarterback that all he could do was run around and couldn't throw the ball," Baugh said. "We've got some guys he can throw the football to and he's making the throws whenever he has to.
"I think that was one thing after the state championship game, I think that's one thing he wanted everybody to know was that wasn't just a one time deal, that he can continue to do that regardless of who we're playing and regardless of what the situation is."
Stephenville tried to cut it close on a 3 yard touchdown run to make it 28-17. But Ruston's big plays just couldn't be stopped.
Ruston's final three scores of the half took a total of 42 seconds of game clock. Parker's long touchdown catch? Fifteen seconds. A 90-yard kickoff return touchdown by Aidan Anding to make it 35-17? Fifteen seconds. And Hudson's score to end the half? Try 12 seconds of clock on the drive.
Ruston's other scores were equally eye-popping, starting with Dylone Brooks going 63 yards to the house to open the scoring. Later, Jordan Hayes scored on a brilliant 20-yard run and followed up with a modest but equally effective 3-yard score.
Out of halftime, surely Ruston was going to rest on its laurels and run the clock? Right?
Nope. Ruston's first drive out of halftime was a similar story as Brantley connected with Hudson for a 56-yard touchdown – putting Hudson over 100 receiving yards on the day with a pair of scores.
Stephenville turned the ball over on its first drive as Anding jumped in front of the ball for an interception to add to his big day.
Lander Smith scored on a touchdown run and backup quarterback Sam Hartwell rushed for his own score to pad the lead.
No. 1 Ruston (5-0) returns to Louisiana to open district play next week at Ouachita.