Second half offensive explosion powers No. 7 Brenham past Gilmer

LONGVIEW - After a tight first half where No. 7 Brenham held a slim lead, Brenham coach Danny Youngs told his team to not try anything crazy to earn its fifth straight win.

Instead, all the Cubs had to do was be themselves on the field to secure victory.

No. 7 Brenham (5-0) executed the second half plan and showed its explosive playmaking brand to the tune of 21 points in a five-minute, 31-second span to open third quarter, paving the path to a 49-7 win over Gilmer (1-4).

Brenham received the second half’s opening kickoff with a 14-7 lead. The Cubs promptly took the ball down the field in a five-play drive that ended in a seven-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Xyran Upshaw to senior wide receiver Chris Guidry after just 93 seconds.

Upshaw and sophomore running back CJ Glover worked together to set up the touchdown with runs on back-to-back plays. They combined for 43 yards before Guidry’s touchdown catch.

Brenham’s defense then forced a takeaway by pouncing on a bad Gilmer snap. Sophomore linebacker J’Rius Booker pounced on the ball before Gilmer junior quarterback Zade Taylor could recover the ball.

Three plays later, Upshaw celebrated a 28-yard running touchdown to give Brenham a 28-7 lead with 8:36 left in the third quarter. He ran to the right side of the field and then tip-toed his way down the Brenham sideline to earn the score.

The Cub defense did its job once again to force Gilmer off the field in three plays. After a punt, Upshaw needed just one play to find Guidry on a streak route down the right sideline for a 62-yard touchdown catch.

The big play put Guidry over 2,000 career receiving yards, making him the first Brenham receiver in program history to reach that mark. He finished Friday’s game with 87 yards and two touchdowns on three receptions, putting him at 2,004 career receiving yards.

“I am going to break it some more and make it harder for the next people in the future that is trying to break my record,” Guidry said. “I am trying to hit 3,000 this year.”

The pass was also the highlight of Upshaw’s day at quarterback. The senior completed 10 of his 17 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a pair of touchdowns on 87 yards and carries.

“Last year I did not have my best game and just to be able to come back and put up points like this (felt great),” he said.

More from this section

Five notable numbers from Mizzou football's first five games

Howe Bulldogs chomping at the bit for Leonard test

Brenham’s scoring did not end once the third quarter came to a close. Cartelle Brown found his way upfield on the Cubs’ first offensive play of the fourth quarter and earned an 81-yard touchdown run over the middle.

Running back Tre Taylor earned a rushing touchdown later in the fourth with a two-yard score up the middle. A more methodical drive led by the ground game extended Brenham’s lead to 49-7 with 3:38 left in the game.

Taylor’s touchdown capped off a 35-yard effort on eight carries. He played a supporting role in Brenham’s team total of 314 yards on 40 carries. The Cubs ran for 210 yards in the second half alone, more than doubling their first half efforts.

Sophomore running back CJ Glover led the Cubs with 109 yards on 16 carries. He opened Brenham’s scoring in the first quarter with an 18-yard run to the left corner of the end zone.

Both Youngs and Upshaw credited the offensive line, which featured the return of Dawson Moran after a week’s absence against Killeen, for opening up running lanes throughout the night.

Brenham’s defense won the turnover battle thanks to Booker’s fumble recovery and two interceptions. Trelyn Kelly earned an interception in the first half with Ledrick Walker Jr. grabbing his interception early in the fourth quarter.

Kelly’s interception set the Cubs up to take the lead before halftime through a 13-play drive that ended in Upshaw’s first rushing touchdown of the game.

Youngs said there is still room for improvement, though, in an overall strong performance.

“I thought first we came out just executing great on defense and we kind of got in our own heads and doing our own head,” he said. “We can not let that happen. We got to stay focused and dialed in but all in all, we will take it.”

The players also want to improve. Upshaw said the Cubs are still working to reach their potential while Guidry is committed to continuing to put in work.

“We just can not keep our heads down,” he said. “We got to keep pushing and keep playing, work hard in practice, just hurry up and do what we got to do.”

Brenham will take its bye week next week before opening District 10-5A Division II play at Waco on Oct. 10.