Courtesy of Opelika-Auburn News
Dante Rudolph scored from 5 yards out to give Gadsden City a 34-28 double-overtime win over No. 5 Auburn High on Friday (Aug, 22) in the Titans’ season opener at Auburn.
The Tigers passed up a 43-yard field goal attempt after Auburn lost 16 yards on sacks and penalties in their second overtime possession.
The Auburn offense had struggled all night. Despite some success on the ground, entering the fourth quarter, quarterback Bradley Northcutt had been under tremendous pressure and had failed to connect on a pass of longer than nine yards.
But Northcutt and running back Tyus Flakes got hot in the final frame.
Trailing 14-0, the Tigers finally got on the board on a 15-yard Northcutt scramble on fourth-and-6 with 10:45 remaining in the game.
After forcing three-and-out, Flakes tied the game up at 14 with a 1-yard run with 4:58 left.
But the Titan offense, which had generated almost nothing since a blistering first quarter, drove 80 yards in five plays, aided by a 38-yard pass from Ahmad DeRamus to Jaylon Williams, and retook the lead on a 5-yard run by Gabriel Ford with 3:37 to go.
On the ensuing drive, Northcutt took the snap on second-and-6. He scrambled for time, and then heaved a pass down the left sideline. A Gadsden City defender jumped the route but missed, leaving Rob Smith all alone for a 67-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass to tie the game at 21 with 3:04 remaining.
DeRamus was 11-of-20 in passing for 200 yards. Ford had 10 carries for 61 yards.
The Titans led 14-0 at halftime after Rudolph’s 1-yard touchdown run at 3:41 of the first quarter and Ahmad DeRamus’ 17-yard touchdown pass to Orrin Ragland with four seconds left in the opening period.
In the first overtime session, Damon Williams’ 8-yard touchdown run gave GCHS a 28-231 lead before Auburn tied it with a 10-yard TD run by Flakes.
Parker Holland kicked five extra points for GCHS.
Gadsden City hosts Oxford on Friday.