LAUREL – It seemed all Hattiesburg had to do was get out of its own way.
The Tigers overcame an early 12-0 deficit and 22 penalties in the 102nd edition in the Battle over the Lil' Brown Jug. Hattiesburg maintained its composure and scored 31 points in the second half to hold on to the jug and come away with a 37-28 victory.
"The message we preached all week to them was that I didn't want it easy," Hattiesburg coach Tony Vance said. "I want it to be a tough game. I told them before we came out that it was a BYOG affair. Bring your own guts. It took some guts tonight. We had some guys step up and make plays when it was time to make plays. I can't say enough about these guys, man. I'm proud to be their football coach.
"We are taking (the jug) back to Hattiesburg."
Hattiesburg (1-1) couldn't have an uglier start with Deuce Vance throwing interceptions in the Tigers' first two drives. Laurel (0-2) took advantage of the second interception, with Laurel running back Brayden Jordan breaking out for a 32-yard touchdown run.
Two drives later, with three minutes left in the second quarter, the Golden Tornadoes took advantage of favorable field position. Backup quarterback Tommaj Harris, who came in for starter Kobe Pierce after Laurel's second drive, completed a 38-yard completion that set up a 1-yard run for Jordan, extending the lead to 12-0.
Hattiesburg's offense stalled throughout the first half, with nine penalties being the main reason for killing the Tigers' drives. But the Tigers' offense did find life after Laurel's second touchdown as they drove 66 yards in just four plays on the ensuing drive. Deuce Vance found Tristen Keys for a 19-yard touchdown to narrow the score to 12-6 at halftime.
"I couldn't be down on myself," said Duece Vance on putting behind his early interceptions. "I had to come back from it. I had to throw it out the window.
"(Coach) said to calm down. It was intense from the start. I was overthinking it myself...We had to handle the adversity. We had to bounce back from it."
Penalties plagued both teams in the second half, particularly in the third quarter, with Hattiesburg being flagged 11 times. Both teams were flagged a combined 24 times in the second half, with Hattiesburg having 13 penalties for 82 yards.
"It was self-inflicted wounds to start with," Tony Vance said. "Once we settled down and started playing, we made some plays. Kudos to our defense because they played a heck of a game tonight. We were in tough spots, and they responded.
"I had to fight for my team. As long as our kids see me fighting for them…they are going to keep fighting."
Hattiesburg managed to maintain its offensive momentum and put together a 7-play, 63-yard drive that ended with Tavares Wade scoring on a 1-yard run to tie the game. Yet Hattiesburg's penalties provided life for Laurel, which had just 94 yards of total offense in the first half and set up a 28-yard field goal, putting the Golden Tornadoes back on top.
"We found some things in the first half with our hurry-up offense that they didn't adjust to well," Tony Vance said. "They had a great game plan. It was totally different from how they played us last year. Once we adjusted, we found some things that worked."
Hattiesburg's Demarcus Baker quickly took away Laurel's small portion of momentum as he returned the following kickoff for a 75-yard touchdown, which gave Hattiesburg its first lead of the night.
Demarcus Baker is a heck of a football player. He put us right back in the game. That was huge. Guys found ways to make plays.
Regardless, Laurel still scored two more times, with Harris throwing a 12-yard touchdown and then scoring on a 15-yard run to put the Golden Tornadoes back on top at 28-18 with just under 12 minutes in the fourth quarter.
Hattiesburg's run game proved to be the biggest difference in the second half as it racked up 146 yards and set up a 3-yard touchdown run for Deuce Vance to narrow the score to 28-24.
"I can't say enough about our offensive line and receivers down the stretch with the way they blocked," Tony Vance said. "I thought they did a heck of a job blocking. We were able to add some bodies to the box, but they couldn't match up, and there were holes for our running backs."
The run game helped Hattiesburg maintain win the time of possession down the stretch and put together another 65-yard drive that ended with Wade scoring the go-ahead touchdown. Wade finished the game with 124 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns.
"I always say that I'm not the fastest or the biggest, but I have that dog in me," Wade said. "I had it in my mind already that I was going to score. I had to punch it in when we got down around the 10."
The Tigers' Jordan Bratcher then sealed Hattiesburg's win with a 7-yard run with less than a minute to go.
"They had the momentum at one point, and we just had to get the momentum ourselves," Deuce Vance said. "The jug stays at home. That's it."
Hattiesburg returns home next to host crosstown rival Oak Grove.
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