Brandeis allowed 595 yards a week ago in arguably the most un-Brandeis-like game in school history. The Broncos came into their District 27-5A opener against Warren on Friday looking to get back to their roots.
“We wanted to show people that we have a defense,” linebacker Hayden Kovatch said.
A very good defense at that. Brandeis got back to its old self in a 21-13 victory over the Warriors at Farris Stadium.
The Broncos (2-1, 1-0 in 27-5A) held Warren (1-2, 0-1) to 5 rushing yards on 35 carries thanks to five sacks, and 233 yards overall.
Meanwhile, Brandeis' trademark power running game re-emerged, with senior Dayden Wooster carrying 25 times for 185 yards and a touchdown.
“We had to get back to what we do best,” senior linebacker Chase Guillory said.
The close, low-scoring game was a change of pace for both teams, who both boast offenses that have scored 60 points in a single game. They were scoreless after one quarter.
Brandeis, a week after setting a school record for passing yards, finished with 50 yards through the air and didn't even complete a pass until the second quarter. Senior Brian Chapman had two completions on that drive, including a 15-yard TD to Larry Stephens.
The Broncos took that 7-0 lead into halftime. They extended it in the third with a nine-play, 65-yard drive capped by a 10-yard TD reception by Sean Mellish on a clever play-fake and bootleg by Chapman.
Warren struggled to find offensive consistency, rotating quarterbacks Jordan Sneed and Christopher Casias. The Warriors finally got on the board after Derek Lopez made an interception deep in Brandeis territory, setting up a short TD pass from Sneed to Sean Eddington.
Down just a score in the fourth, Warren forced a three-and-out. But a tipped pass was picked off by Brandeis' Joel Flores Flores. The teams then traded two scores, but Brandeis sealed it by recovering an onside kick with 3:47 left.