When Mark Richt and Manny Diaz are in attendance for a high school game for more than a half of play, you know it is an important matchup on the field. -- and this game lived up to its billing.
The Miami Northwestern Bulls are BACK and last night was their statement victory. Their 19-14 was impressive on the stage with an 8A powerhouse in Columbus. Before I dive into specifics, it's important to note just how fast this Northwestern defense is -- something that you can really appreciate by watching the Bulls play live.
MNW's pass rush gave the Explorers problems all night, especially when the Bulls pinned their ears back and lined up with five down linemen on 2nd and 3rd-and-long situations. Now to some prospects and other trends that caught my eye...
1) The Columbus trio of Miami Hurricanes commits at defensive back all flashed different parts of their game on Thursday night.
Trajan Bandy: The future nickel corner at Miami played on the boundary for the Explorers as he normally does. Early in the third quarter, he made a nice read on a WR screen and lowered his shoulder for a nice hit and jarred the ball loose. Columbus recovered. That was a perfect example of the types of momentum-swinging plays that Bandy will bring with him to Coral Gables.
C.J. Henderson: Henderson has been dealing with an ankle issue dating back to The Opening in July. He tweaked the injury in the preseason classic game against Boyd Anderson and sat out the remainder of that game, as well as last week's matchup with Jackson. Prior to this season, the Canes cornerback commitment had only played five snaps at defensive back at the varsity level -- having played primarily running back on offense. The plan for the Explorers coming into this season was to use Henderson both ways, and as a receiver offensively as well. Henderson did not get any reps all week in practice, but tested it out on Thursday night and the coaches decided to let him give it a go. That decision paid off, as C.J. recorded his first career interception at the varsity level.
Josh Jobe: What a freak athlete Jobe is. To me, his is a 5-star athlete physically and he plays with the type of speed and physicality that you'd expect a player of his magnitude to attack with. Jobe enjoys hitting and he made a few exceptional open-field tackles last night. One play in particular that stood out was on Northwestern's attempted fake field goal late in the game, when Jobe came flying out of nowhere to completely erase the ball carrier's apparent open running lane. He made the tackle and Columbus got the ball back with a chance to drive down field.
2) Northwestern QB Tutu Atwell is a terror for defensive coaches to plan for. He is such a quick thinker and decision-maker with the football in his hands and that is what makes Tutu so special. Atwell makes some nice timing throws and can get out of the pocket to extend plays with his feet. The Bulls are in great shape for the next two seasons with the dynamic leadership of Tutu Atwell.
3) 2019 MNW DE Samuel Brooks is a big, fast, and strong looking prospect off the edge. His fumble return touchdown of about 50-yards put the Bulls on top for good late in the 4th quarter. He was MOVING on the return.
4) 2018 CB commit Thomas Burns is fast. He's not as lanky or tall as his brother Artie, but it might not be fair to compare him to a recent first-round draft pick (even if it his his blood). I have heard that he's coming to Miami on a track scholarship.
5) Columbus is 1-1 now with a mega battle with Southridge coming next week. That is one of the most highly-anticipated games in Dade county this season, especially down south.
Northwestern is 2-0 with another massive opportunity next week traveling up to Plantation to face American Heritage. The Bulls have positioned themselves as an early favorite to make the playoffs in their district along with Central.
