Flower Mound Marcus quarterback connects for 5 TDs in rout of Keller Central

Senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier showed off a rocket arm and the ability to throw on the run Thursday night as Flower Mound Marcus throttled Keller Central 49-10 in a non-district football game at Keller ISD Athletic Complex.

Nussmeier, an LSU commit, was magically able to avoid the Chargers’ pass rush time after time and then find open receiver after open receiver.

The senior completed 19 of 25 passes for 216 yards and five touchdowns in three quarters of play. Nussmeier connected with Cal commit Michael Sturdivant for scores of 21 and 8 yards. Sturdivant was the Marauders’ leading receiver with five catches for 68 yards.

Receiver Connor Vaughn, who hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass, finished with five receptions for 54 yards. Dallas Dudley had five catches for 46 yards including a 15-yard score.

Marcus (3-0) led 28-7 at halftime and added three second-half scores as Nussmeier threw two touchdown passes and Gabe Espinoza scored on a 15-yard run. Espinoza paced the Marauders’ running game with 10 carries for 96 yards.

The Marauders offense collected 403 yards on 58 plays for an average of 6.9 yards per play. Marcus threw for 236 yards and rushed for 167 yards on 27 attempts.

The Chargers’ (1-2) only score of the second half came following a muffed punt recovery when Braden Roof booted a 29-yard field goal. Central’s offense struggled all night after senior quarterback Landon Walker left the game in the first half with an injury. Central finished with 155 yards of offense on 45 plays.

After a three-and-out on its first possession, Marcus needed six plays to take a 7-0 lead at the 7:10 mark of the first quarter when running back Walker Wells broke free up the middle for a 43-yard score.

Nussmeier then capped a 12-play, 64-yard drive with a 21-yard pass to Sturdivant that put the Marauders up 14-0 with 20 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Chargers cut the lead to 14-7 with 9:18 to play before halftime, thanks to a 35-yard scoring strike from Walker to Devin Crawley. Corbin Koba set up the score with an interception at the Marcus 40.

The Marauders responded two plays later when Nussmeier sprinted to his right, then threw back across his body to Tyler Schott for a 23-yard score and a 21-7 lead at 8:25 in the second quarter.

Marcus pushed its lead to 28-7 with 54 seconds remaining before halftime when Vaughn caught a pass at the Central 10 and raced into the end zone for a 15-yard score.

This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 10:58 PM.