It was a game of missed opportunities for two 1-5 teams.
The Raiders lost 19-14 to the Lorain Titans Oct. 3 in a GCC matchup at the Russell H. Rupp Field on Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night.
The Titans, now 2-5, dominated in the trenches, out rushing the Raiders 220 yards to 20 on the ground.
Faculty who were chosen to be honored by senior football players walked out with the Raider captains for the opening coin toss.
The Raiders returned the opening kick to the 39-yard line. Following an incompletion, senior running back Rayhon Johnson ran through a hole made by senior tight-end, defensive-end and Bowling Green commit Kingston Seals for seven yards.
Senior wide receiver Jacire Eaddy then caught a screen pass from senior quarterback Quinn Malone for 20 yards. Malone and Eaddy kept the chains moving again, connecting on a curl route for 11 yards. Eaddy led all receivers with 102 yards.
On second-and-10 from the 23-yard line, Malone shed a blitzer and stepped up in the pocket to scramble all the way in for a score. An extra point from senior kicker Loukas White put the Raiders up 7-0 following their opening drive. “It definitely felt great to show off the legs, and I love the adrenaline rush that comes with being out in the open field, so that was a lot of fun,” Malone said.
Lorain senior Toriano Allen ran up the gut for 12 yards which got called back for an offensive holding penalty. Allen caught a pass for 6 yards that again got called back for an offensive holding penalty.
On third-and-17, Lorain senior quarterback David Whitaker overthrew a wide open senior wide receiver BJ Serrano up the seam, resulting in an incompletion and a punt, putting the Raiders back on the field at Lorain’s 36-yard line.
Following two incomplete passes and a Malone pass to Eaddy across the middle of the field, senior linebacker and fullback James Wood couldn’t convert on fourth-and-2.
Lorain reentered the field with sophomore Malaki Hasan at quarterback. After Hasan’s own 4-yard rush, Allen ran the ball 12 yards on a read-option, including a hurdle over Raider senior defensive back Kevin Lowery, which was called back for another offensive holding penalty.
Following the penalty, Whitaker returned under center for the Titans. Seals dropped back into coverage to deflect a pass from Whitaker, and then Whitaker missed his target open on the sideline on third-and-10. A Titans punt pinned the Raiders down on their own 29-yard line.
The Raiders had a three-and-out after Malone was sacked by an unblocked Lorain defensive end, senior Josiah Agosto. A punt from White downed the ball on Lorain’s 31-yard line.
The Titans fed Allen again as he bounced off the right tackle for a 31-yard rush before being brought down by junior defensive back Jacob Pope. Allen took two handoffs up the gut for 11- and 7-yard gains.
Lorain senior running back Jayl Diaz then rushed right for another 11 yards after bouncing out of a clogged lane through the middle, putting the Titans at the 7-yard line down 7-0 to close the first quarter.
The Raider run defense clogged the lane for Allen to open the second quarter, and then junior linebacker Ben Guidugli got into the backfield to sack Whitaker for an 11-yard loss.
A muffed snap by Whitaker on third-and-16 led to another deflected pass by Seals. The Raiders red zone defense proved strong as the Titans came up scoreless after failing to convert on fourth-and-16.
The Raiders marched down the field quickly with a flurry of runs from Johnson and completions by Malone to the 35-yard line. On third-and-5, Malone threw an interception to senior linebacker Jamiyus Gates, who took the ball all the way in for a score. The Lorain extra point tied the game 7-7.
Senior defensive back and receiver Isaac Fadel returned the kickoff to the Titan 43-yard line. Malone then took the snap and flipped the ball back to Eaddy, who lined up and threw, connecting with sophomore wide receiver Deonta Robinson over the top for a 43-yard touchdown as the Raider crowd erupted in cheers. White’s completed extra point put the Raiders up 14-7.
Eaddy said his history as a quarterback keeps defenses guessing. “It makes them respect my arm, too. They can’t just send their guys and think they have us bottled up. It spreads them out and makes us more versatile,” he said.
Allen stayed hot, running straight through the Raider defense for another 15 yards. Following another 4-yard rush by Allen, Seals got into the backfield and tackled Whitaker for a loss. A 7-yard reception from Allen and 8-yard rush by Whitaker kept the Titans marching.
Allen ran to the left for another 16 yards to put the Titans in the red zone. The Titans offense stalled as three Raiders rushers got to the quarterback for a 5-yard loss. Fadel kept his momentum as he intercepted Whitaker on a throw to the end zone to close the first half.
Opening the second half, Allen got tackled for loss. Whitaker then ran for 21 yards through the middle on a read option. The Titans had three runs for minimal games until Allen fought through five Raider defenders to put the Titans in the red zone.
After three goal line tackles by the Raiders, Allen got in the endzone untouched for a touchdown. The Titans muffed the hold and Ravas got into the backfield to tackle the holder, keeping the Raiders up 14-13.
The Raiders drove down the field through senior running back Landon Bryant until Malone was sacked for 8- and 11-yard losses on successive plays. The Raiders elected to punt on fourth-and-31 where White pinned the ball at the Titans’ 12-yard line.
The Titans came out passing, with Whitaker quickly connecting for 12 and 19 yard gains. The Titans turned back to the run but a shoelace diving tackle by Lowery forced a third down for the Titans. The Raiders couldn’t keep stopping Allen as he ran for 11 yards on third down to close the third quarter.
A 19-yard pass up the seam from Whitaker put the Titans back into the red zone. The Raiders held Allen to two 10-yard gains before Whitaker ran a keeper for 8 yards to convert on third down.
Allen got into the endzone again after a 3-yard rush for his second touchdown. The Titans 2-point conversion failed as Whitaker was tackled at the 2-yard line, putting the Titans up 19-14.
Malone was sacked again on the Raiders’ opening play of the drive. Eaddy then took a big hit at the line of scrimmage on second down. On third down, a false start moved the Raiders back another 5 yards. On third-and-18, the pocket collapsed again as Malone slipped through defenders before fumbling; the ball was recovered by senior tackle Emery Landrum.
The Titans got the ball back and ran for gains that got called back due to penalties. On third-and-11 Whitaker threw to the endzone following a play action which was again picked off by Fadel, but a penalty against the Raiders kept the ball in the Titans hands. The Titans ran the ball on four successive plays to run down the clock but could not convert on fourth down.
Malone led the Raiders back onto the field from their own 10-yard line with 1:35 left in the game. Malone hit Eaddy on a comeback route where Eaddy broke a tackle and juked another defender running down the sideline for a 30 yard gain. “I try to keep finding different ways to get open for Quinn and my team when it’s crunch time. That’s my job to make those plays,” Eaddy said.
The pocket collapsed immediately on Malone who scrambled for a 2 yard gain immediately followed by a Raiders timeout. On second down the Titans pass rush got to Malone again who threw the ball downfield to avoid a sack for an incompletion. On third down Malone was hit as he threw again looking for Eaddy downfield as the Raiders’ sideline hollered for a pass interference call.
On fourth and eight Malone passed to Eaddy for 15 yards who then ran out of bounds. “I was able to stay confident because I know that all my teammates and coaches have my back and vice versa. It’s easy to be confident when you can trust the guy next to you,” Malone said.
Following the conversion, Malone’s pass was tipped by the Titan defensive line for an incompletion. On second down a Malone throw downfield intended for Eaddy bounced off his shoulder pads straight up in the vicinity of Pope but just an inch out of his reach for an incompletion.
Malone avoided Titan blitzers on the next two plays, throwing the ball downfield to receivers in the end zone on both plays for incompletions. On third down, Malone was sacked for a 12-yard loss.
On fourth down with 17 seconds left, Malone dropped back and threw deep to Eaddy into double coverage. The pass was deflected by Lorain defenders.
Whitaker knelt the ball to end the game and secure the Titans’ 19-14 win.
The Raiders will look to bounce back with remaining games against Mentor, Strongsville and Cleveland Heights.
