Football: Oakton Nabs Fifth Straight Outback Bowl Win

After a first half that saw the crosstown rivals evenly matched, the Oakton Cougars tightened their passing game to defeat the Madison Warhawks with a 35-13 final score to win its fifth straight Outback Bowl. 

"It's very important to come into the season and start off on the right foot," said quarterback and co-captain Kyle Downer. "If you start out 0 and 1, it takes a lot to get back on top with a record you want. The crosstown rivalry adds to the importance. You're playing with kids you grew up playing football with."

The Cougars struck first with a one-yard Mike Wandey touchdown with 1:53 left in the first quarter, which followed an offense that relied heavily on running game centered around Wandey, who tallied 118 yards rushing.

Toward the end of the first quarter, the Warhawks' Ian Cooke had a 75-yard kickoff return, and the Warhawks came within one yard of the end zone before the first-quarter buzzer. On the first play of the second quarter, the Warhawks scored on a one-yard pass from quarterback Dan Powers to receiver Dan Schwab to even the score.

The Cougars tried to respond with a passing game in the second quarter, but threw six incomplete passes and an interception before completing their first on a 14-yard pass to Kelly Brooks-Muse, and scored on a 16-yard pass to Brooks-Muse on the next play with 25 seconds left. Brian Burns kicked his second successful extra point of the night to put the Cougars up 14-7 heading into halftime.

"We thought we could get up the middle a little more than we did. They contained the middle pretty nice, but we started going outside a little more in the second half and getting more yards there," said Downer, who completed four passes for 101 yards and rushed for 84 yards. "We really struggled with our passing game in the first half, so Mike [Wandey] carried us through the first half. Then we got our passing game going in the second half."

The second half belonged to the Cougars, who took over the scoreboard with three straight touchdowns — a 24-yard pass to Brooks-Muse, a five-yard run from Downer and Ryan Ladson's 75-yard interception return — before the Warhawks could answer with their last touchdown of the game.

After the Warhawks scored on a 5-yard pass to Tom House, the Cougars' Andy Boone blocked the extra point to put the final score at 35-13.

The Cougar defense held the Warhawks to 138 yards versus the Cougars' more than 320 yards.

"I liked what our defense was doing. We had a couple people come in who weren't starters Week One of preseason," Downer said. "I think holding them to 13 points showed how good they are and how good they've become. We just need ot kep improving."

The Cougars continue the 2012 season next week at South County Secondary, the second of five nondistrict games before facing Concorde District foes.

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