Fortune favors the bold, except when you go for two for a win in overtime.
At least that was the lesson that Super 25 No. 11 John Curtis learned the hard way in an upset loss to Archbishop Rummel on Friday night. The setback certainly ended John Curtis’ hopes of a national top-10 finish as the Patriots fell 21-20, their first loss and the first time they scored fewer than 35 points this season. Here’s what we learned from one of the most eventful upsets in recent weeks:
1) Patriots went for glory … and got gut punched
John Curtis was in position to force overtime with an extra point. Instead they went for two and the win … and came up short. The play call may have left something to be desired, with quarterback Collin Guggenheim appearing to try a fake handoff on an option that Archbishop Rummel immediately sniffed out. Credit for the gumption to go, not the execution.
2) Rummel refused to roll over
Other teams would roll over when falling down 14-0 to the likes of John Curtis. Not Archbishop Rummel. The Raiders first scratched back a touchdown to pull within seven just after the start of the second half, then knotted the score in the third with a Logan Diggs touchdown run. From there the defenses took control until overtime, and John Curtis’ fateful two-point attempt.
3) DONOVAN KAUFMAN WAS RUMMEL’S X-FACTOR
Every major upset has an under-the-radar hero, and Rummel’s upset was Donovan Kaufman. A 5-foot-9 safety who hits far bigger than his size, the blitzing defensive back was a constant disruptive factor in Rummel’s win, foiling multiple John Curtis drives. The Vanderbilt star hasn’t received nearly as much attention as some of his teammates and opponents from Friday. Maybe that will change now.
