Miami Central beats Northwestern on last-second field goal in latest rivalry classic
There is only ever one proper way for a Miami Central-Northwestern game to end.
Pandemonium.
The 2021 version of the rivalry — or, at least, Part I — delivered on that promise with a wild, 24-21 win for Central.
“Those guys,” Rockets coach Roland Smith said, gesturing to the packed stands at Nathaniel “Traz” Powell Stadium, “got their money worth tonight.”
In the first quarter, a Central assistant coach got ejected. In the second half, there was a shooting scare. (It was a false alarm after a fight broke out in the bleachers.)
Both teams turned the ball over four times. With five minutes remaining, the Rockets led by two touchdowns. Three minutes later, the game was tied.
It all came down to the right foot of Jayden John, who missed a potential game-winning kick against Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Week 2 of the season last month. As time expired, the Central specialist drilled a 32-yard field goal straight through the middle of the uprights to give the Rockets their first win against the Bulls since 2018.
“Hard work made that kick,” John said. “I’m speechless right now.”
John’s field goal rescued Central from a near collapse in Miami.
The Rockets went ahead 7-0 early on a fourth-down touchdown run by running back Ghana Oboh, but were tied 7-7 at halftime because of a missed field goal and a fumble in the red zone during the second quarter.
In the third, the Rockets lost another fumble in the red zone, then another in Northwestern territory. Central finally regained the lead with 9:22 remaining when quarterback Dyllan Tulloch scrambled for a 19-yard touchdown, and the Rockets pushed the lead to 21-7 with 5:49 to go when Tulloch hooked up with Lamar Seymore on third-and-20 and the star wide receiver, broke a tackle, made another two defenders miss and ran 55 yards into the end zone.
“There were so many mood swings,” Smith said.
Central was one stop away from winning. The Bulls wouldn’t go away.
In 1:37, Northwestern quarterback Taron Dickens led the Bulls 80 yards in seven plays to cut the Rockets’ lead to 21-14 with 4:12 remaining. The Northwestern quarterback went 5 of 6 for 63 yards on the drive and Bulls running back Jamari Ford punched in a 2-yard touchdown run to keep Northwestern alive.
Now, Central only needed a few first downs to win. Again, the Bulls didn’t go away.
Oboh picked one first down with three short runs and the aid of a penalty, then he broke one for 15, only to fumble after he picked up another first down.
Northwestern defensive back Jamari Sharpe ripped the ball away, and Bulls linebacker Kareem Maycock scooped it up and rumbled 35 yards into the end zone to tie the game 21-21 with 1:57 left.
Oboh finished with 151 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, but lost three fumbles.
Tulloch and the Central offense went back onto the field for one more drive.
“We had to score,” Tulloch said. “We were not losing that game.”
The junior, who began the season as the backup and took over in Week 2 after an injury to fellow quarterback Keyone Jenkins, started the drive with a couple handoffs for 14 yards, then fired a slant to running back Santwan Brinson for another 13 to carry the Rockets from their own 23 out to midfield.
On first-and-10, a play broke down and Tulloch tried to scramble. He slid back at the line of scrimmage and folded in half on a late hit. He stayed down on the turf for close to a minute, the wind knocked out of him after an awkward landing, before he hopped back off and went to the sideline. Northwestern took a timeout and Tulloch, after initially heading to the bench, went back into the game.
Now at the Bulls’ 35, Tulloch threw one short pass to running Jonathan Harris for 1 yard, took one errant shot at the end zone and then tried to set up the game-winning field goal. He took his final snap with 10 seconds left and hit Seymore again in the seam for a 22-yard gain.
Seymore, who is orally committed to the Miami Hurricanes, finished with six catches for 143 yards and a touchdown. Tulloch went 14 of 23 for 233 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 40 yards and another touchdown on four carries.
Northwestern tried to ice John with their final timeout and it didn’t matter. The senior split the uprights and the sidelines empty to celebrate a heart-pounding win.
It may well only be the first chapter, though. This season, the Greater Miami Athletic Conference is hosting its inaugural championship series, which will consist of a host of bowl games later this month. The top two teams in Class 6A and smaller will meet at Traz Powell Stadium on Oct. 28.
As of now, those two teams are the Rockets and Bulls.
“Every time we play them, no matter who’s the favorite, the underdog’s always going to play hard,” Smith said. “It’s a neighborhood rivalry. The kids know each other. They played with each other in the park, so that’s the type of game you’re going to get.”
This story was originally published October 2, 2021 at 12:04 AM.
