'It ain't a moral victory'

Word of advice. If you happen to run into Poplar Bluff football coach Brian Robbins -- or any of the Mules for that matter -- don't call Friday's 31-14 loss to Parkway West a moral victory.

I'll save you the trouble.

"It ain't a moral victory,' Robbins said Friday night. "We got to quit letting people off the hook. That's what we did tonight."

Call this game a moral lesson.

Both teams turned the ball over three times but the Longhorns scored 17 points off Poplar Bluff's turnovers while the Mules only converted one for 7 points.

The Mules gained 346 yards of total offense but only scored twice. They converted only 2-of-6 drives inside the West 20-yard line while the Longhorns scored on all three of their red-zone opportunities.

Robbins didn't want to compare what happened Friday to last season, when the Mules lost four games by seven points or less, but he did say his team has to learn how to win.

"When you've got (a team) down, you finish them," Robbins said. "You don't give them any room to breathe.

"That's what we've got to start doing."

Poplar Bluff controlled the line of scrimmage for the most part Friday night, not allowing a sack while putting pressure on West quarterback Blaine Gabbert all night. Poplar Bluff gained 264 rushing yards -- the most in 73 games dating back to when Lonnie Lewis and Erick Schuermann ran over Cape Central in 1999.

"Pretty good job by the line," senior back Jared Osborn said. "Probably the best I've seen them play."

Osborn (82 yards), fullback Aaron Ellis (74 yards), and sophomore Kerey Smith (63 yards) chipped away on the ground. There were only four runs of more than 10 yards, the longest being Smith's 29 on his first career varsity carry.

Junior quarterback Todd Bullington kept the defense honest by completing two of his first three passes for 52 yards and he did a good job managing the game, Robbins said.

Poplar Bluff's defense gave up only two big runs -- a 74-yard touchdown and a 31-yard scramble -- and made the state's top-rated quarterback look human. Dylan Janes sacked Gabbert, who also threw away a pass under pressure that hit Poplar Bluff's cheerleaders.

West appeared on the ropes as the Mules were looking to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter, but momentum quickly changed.

After the game, Osborn showed the morale of this team by talking about the play.

"I'm pretty upset by it, but we're going to come out next week and pick up the W," he said.

These Mules don't need a moral victory and they don't need any moral support. They deserve real wins and real support -- not just their family and friends who made the trip to St. Louis.

"They're going to win a lot of games this year," West coach Mike Roth said.

One game does not make a season just as one play does not decide a game.

"We've got some things to clean up," Robbins said. "But hey, if our kids continue to give effort like that, we'll get better."

Brian Rosener is the sports editor for the Daily American Republic. His column runs in the Sunday edition and online at darnews.com.