Running back Ife Durodoye’s 7 touchdowns power Justin Northwest in rout of Saginaw
JUSTIN – Its not often a player can almost double their season rushing touchdown totals in one game, but Justin Northwest running back Ife Durodoye nearly did just that in Northwest’s 64-0 route over Saginaw on Thursday night at Northwest ISD Stadium.
After forcing a punt on the game’s opening possession, Northwest (5-1, 3-1 District 3-5A Division I) seemingly had a very simple game plan against an overmatched Saginaw team: feed Durodoye.
The first play of the Texans’ first drive was a 14-yard run by Durodoye. He got the rock four more times and finished the drive off with a one-yard touchdown run to get the scoring barrage started.
“The game plan was for our (offensive) line to mash it down, and put the ball in the endzone,” Durodoye said after the game. “We knew that we could run the ball and that’s what we displayed tonight.”
Durodoye scored two more times before quarterback Leddie Thompson got in on the fun with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Terry Duncan to put Northwest up 30-0 just before the end of the first quarter.
The route certainly did not stop there, though. Durodoye scored four more times in the second quarter with 14, 4, 1 and 5 yard touchdowns to push the Texan lead to 57-0 at the half.
A week after rushing for 243 yards on 19 carries and three touchdowns in a blowout win over Azle, Durodoye followed that up with what looked like an effortless performance in Week 7, scoring seven touchdowns and finishing with 18 carries for 128 yards – all in the first half.
The seven first half touchdowns pushed his total from eight over the first five games of the season all the way up to 15 in six games – really five and a half games.
“It’s really a testament to the o-line and my coaches,” Durodoye said of his performance. “We practice so hard and to such a high standard that we knew we could get seven touchdowns.”
The defense was on its game just as much as the offense, holding Saginaw to just 91 yards and four first downs on the night. The first half is where the unit set the tone, limiting Saginaw to just 45 yards and three first downs while collecting two interceptions, forcing a turnover on down and making the Rough Riders punt the ball five times.
Saginaw (0-7, 0-5) wasn’t able to cross midfield until the 11:36 mark of the fourth quarter with the game well in hand.
The win puts Northwest in a tie for third place in the district standings with Denton Ryan, which plays Burleson Centennial on Friday night. The Texans take on The Colony next week, which could be a pivotal matchup for the playoff race for both teams.
“We’re 1-0 every week,” Durodoye added. “Next week we’re going to 1-0 again and keep that 1-0 mentality.”
Meanwhile, Saginaw is nearly eliminated from any playoff discussion with three games remaining on the schedule. It would have to win out and need a lot of help from the rest of the district for any possible shot. The Rough Riders take on Azle next week, which is also winless in district and on an open week.