University Lab rode a big, four-score night Thursday between friends Knox Kiffin and Kevin Smith Jr. to break through some early stumbles in both the game and the season.
The junior duo, who moved to Baton Rouge earlier this year when their fathers were hired by LSU, helped put the Cubs (1-2) play from ahead and hold off a tough Plaquemine (1-2) for the team’s first win of the season, 31-21.
“We had a lot of guys play really well tonight,” coach Andy Martin told the LHSAA Network broadcast after the game. “Think we still left some points on the board, but it’s a hard-fought win for us… (Kiffin and Smith) were in a rhythm tonight, and I think I told y’all early on it was gonna take us a while. It was gonna take us a while to start gelling. And I think our offense is starting to get them and our defense has got a ways to go, but I’m starting to see good things from ’em.”
Clinging to a three-point lead late with the Green Devils driving into the red zone, another pair of juniors combined for a critical play on the other side of the ball as safety Maher Heinse popped a fumble loose that lineman Cole Cammon pounced on for his second recovery of the night.
A pair of Plaquemine penalties, among the issues with which each team struggled in stretches during the contest, helped U-High improve its field position.
And Kiffin and Smith eventually linked up for their fourth score of the night and third of the second half to stretch the advantage to 10 points and all but slam the door shut on the Green Devils’ rally.
“It was almost like their corner just pressed on Kevin, and me and Kevin kinda just looked at each other,” Kiffin told the LHSAA Network broadcast. “It wasn’t the play call — some of ’em, we kinda just audibled it and from there it was a touchdown. He used his speed and his hands to catch it.”
UNLV-committed senior safety Emmanuel “ManMan” Moses snatched a late interception to extinguish Plaquemine’s final possession, and the Cubs run out the remaining minutes to head back across the Mississippi River victorious.
Each team struggled with miscues early with traded fumbles, penalties costly at times for both —particularly the Green Devils — and U-High dropping prime opportunities for big plays down the field.
Cammon corralled an early Plaquemine miscue on a punt snap to set up a 25-yard field goal by Kai Joo to allow the Cubs to play from ahead, 3-0, despite their slow offensive start.
And U-High put together an 83-yard drive on its next possession — a combination of Green Devils flags and Kiffin and company starting to find their rhythm and tempo — for the eventual quick fade to Smith in the red zone.
“We started off slow in the first half, but we adjusted to how physical they were and how aggressive they were being,” Smith said. “And we put it in the air, and it seemed to work out pretty good for us.”
The teams traded defensive stops in the second quarter, including a fourth-down run stuff by the Cubs and a Green Devils takeaway on a fumble forced by junior Hagan Collins and recovered by sophomore Kendrick Williams.
Plaquemine pulled within 10-8 on the opening drive of the second half as sophomore quarterback Jermaine Robinson bounced a red-zone run out to the sideline and to the end zone and senior running back Spencer Collins followed the same direction on the ensuing conversion.
But each time the Green Devils climbed firmly back onto the Cubs’ heels, Kiffin and Smith had an answer.
“It’s perfect,” Kiffin said. “I have a guy to go to. Whenever I need it, he’s there for me always. You know, we’ve been throwing since we were little kids, so all that chemistry builds up to when we’re out on the football field together it’s almost like a little bit unstoppable at some point.”
A nice kick return by Moses set up the next U-High possession with good starting field position, and Lafayette Christian transfer Caiden Bellard powered his way through contact for a critical fourth-down conversion to help set up the next Kiffin-Smith strike and the 17-8 lead.
Robinson hit Louisiana (Lafayette) commitment John Walker V, who started at quarterback, for an explosive play that set up a Spencer Collins run near the goal line back to within 17-14.
“That was a good job by them,” Martin said of the adjustment to bring in Robinson and move Walker around. “I think we were doing a good job kinda handling 14 in there, and he’s a weapon. They put him at wide receiver, and we kinda had to worry about him out there a little bit. He’s a really good player. But our guys started to settle in and see once we kinda figured out what they were trying to do and did a good job towards the end.”
But a Kiffin run of about 26 yards and then a 43-yard bomb to Smith for the dynamic duo’s longest connection of the game pushed the lead back to 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter.
Robinson found paydirt for the second time early in the final period, and Williams forced a fumble than Hagan Collins would recover to give the Green Devils a prime opportunity down just 24-21 with the ball at their own 43.
The Cubs secured the final necessary stops, though, and Kiffin and Smith continued their career night.
“We’ve gotta take it week by week, but this is a good start for us,” Martin said. “And that’s what I told our guys: We’ve played four really good opponents before this one with scrimmage and jamboree and the first two games, and then Plaquemine’s another really good opponent. And then we’ve got Livonia and Teurlings, so it doesn’t get any easier, but you know what: We’re gonna take it week by week, and it’s gonna make us better by the time we get to the playoffs.”
