Bulldogs’ First 2-0 Since 2006

DAYTON - With 11 minutes to go in the third quarter, it began to dawn on the players on the Bulldogs sideline that a second victory of the season might be possible.

Garrett Turner had just caught a Dean Bickelhaupt pass on the 2-yard line and running back Hayden Fullerton punched it in for the touchdown, 19-14.

It wasn't just that the Bulldogs were ahead. It had as much to do with the fact that Dayton scored less than one minute after the visiting Enterprise Outlaws made a breakthrough running play for a touchdown.

The suspense remained with seesaw turnovers and with the Outlaws marching toward the red zone several times. But with each passing minute, it became clear that the Bulldogs were hungry enough to keep the upper hand, scoring again with barely one minute to go to put the game away at 26-14.

It was another indication of the 2011 team's confidence and maturity. Last year, the Outlaws beat Dayton in Enterprise, 34-0.

"It's always nice to come back and win against a team that beat you the year before, especially knowing they had a lot of the same kids back this year," Bulldogs head coach Dean Bickelhaupt said.

Bickelhaupt said Dayton hasn't come out of the gate with a 2-0 record in at least five years. "You'd have to go back to 2006," he said. The Bulldogs were off to a shaky start in Thursday's game. The Outlaws scored first. With about 6 and a half minutes to go in the first quarter, Turner caught a pass from Bickelhaupt, but fumbled it. Enterprise recovered the ball, running it in the other direction until Bickelhaupt himself made the tackle on the 45-yard line.

Isaiah Lambert stopped the Outlaws' run the second time on the 35-yard line, but he was the last to slow Enterprise's offense. The Outlaws went down the left sideline, evading the Dayton defense and reached the end zone with 5:34 to go in the first period.

The dogs got right back in the game with Fullerton leading the charge on the ground and in the air. His catch on the 32-yard line, which he brought down after a struggle with a defending Outlaw, fired up the crowd as did Lowden Smith's catch on the 24-yard line to bring his team within striking distance of the red zone.

On the next play, Bickelhaupt threw a pass to Fullerton, who made a diving catch for it into the end zone to put the Bulldogs on the board. His extra kick, however, hit the uprights on the bottom left corner, so Dayton failed to even the score.

With the Outlaws back in possession, Lambert picked off a pass and ran it back to the 45-yard line just before the end of the quarter. Lambert proved his mettle again moments into the second quarter when he made a spectacular diving catch on the 2-yard line, setting up for Chris Conely to punch it into the end zone to put his team ahead, 13-7.

On the next Outlaws possession, Dayton's defense struggled against the run until Turner recovered a fumble on the 14-yard line. But despite a Bickelhaupt-Fullerton ground and air attack, the Bulldogs failed to break into the red zone again.

The remainder of the first half saw two more scoreless possessions from each team with Enterprise relying on its ground game to pound away at the Dayton defense and Bickelhaupt finding himself in trouble on several plays as the Outlaws' defense tightened.

The Bulldogs' lead quickly evaporated in the second half. Enterprise returned the kickoff for 30 yards, then Enterprise's Marcus Lynn broke through down the right sideline, breaking Bulldog tackles to reach the end zone for the Outlaws' second touchdown crowned by an extra point that put them ahead 14-13 with 11:30 to go in the third quarter.

Showing composure and tenacity, the Bulldogs answered immediately with their own touchdown to make it 19-14.

Settling back into its ground game, Enterprise advanced steadily on its next possession until Dayton recovered a fumble with less than 8 minutes to go, only to cough up its own fumble a minute and a half later.

But the Bulldogs would deny the Outlaws any major advances on the next possession with the Dayton defense dropping runners for a loss behind the line of scrimmage, allowing its offense to take over on downs.

The Dayton defense held off the Enterprise march at the beginning of the final quarter, including a Kroft Sunderland sack. Sunderland also received a penalty for roughing the kicker on the Outlaws' fourthdown punt.

As Enterprise resumed its running strategy, the Bulldogs defense stepped up with Conely recovering a fumble.

But Bickelhaupt was unable to take advantage of his team's new offensive drive, throwing an interception with about five minutes left to go in the half.

The Dayton de f ens e stepped up again, pushed back the Outlaws' offense and forced another Enterprise punt that Bickelhaupt returned for 30 yards to the Outlaws' 25- yard line with 3:25 to go.

On its last possession, Enterprise still showed signs of life with a 30-yard touchdown pass, but it was called back because of offensive holding. Dayton shut down a quarterback run, then Sunderland sacked him on the next play to end the game.