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ROUND ROCK -- Forget about which district the opponent was from. Forget about which stadium was the site. A&M Consolidated's poor performance crossed UIL and geographic lines.
Round Rock McNeil thumped the Tigers 26-3 to open the 2008 football season Friday at Round Rock ISD Stadium.
It was Consolidated's fifth consecutive loss to teams from the Round Rock district. It was also the Tigers' second consecutive loss at the stadium, including last year's playoff loss to Round Rock.
McNeil, picked to finish in the bottom half of its district this year, continued the mastery on a night when the Tigers contributed to their own misery with terrible tackling on defense and five turnovers on offense.
"We're not very good right now," Consol coach Jim Slaughter said. "It's kind of like we're playing scared. I'm not real sure what we're doing as a coaching staff to cause the kids to feel like that, but it's got to stop.
"I went into this game with a deep fear that we weren't going to look very good, because I didn't feel good about the way we've been working out."
The Tigers allowed just one touchdown in the second half and Matt Stoll kicked a 35-yard field goal to avoid a shutout, but there wasn't much that Consol could feel good about. McNeil gained twice as many yards as the Tigers, and the outcome wasn't really in doubt after the first quarter.
"If I tell you that we're going to take something good out of it, I'll probably be lying," Slaughter said. "We've just got to go to work and get better. I guess the best thing is we've got the type of kids that will do that."
A pregame thunderstorm pushed the opening kickoff back 15 minutes, and the Tigers still weren't ready at the start.
McNeil scored on its first three possessions to thunder to a 19-0 lead, shredding the Consol defense and frustrating the Tiger offense.
Consol started the game in bad field position after the kickoff returner stepped out of bounds at the 5-yard line, so even after a first down and a nice punt, the Mavericks started their first possession at midfield.
McNeil scored in four dominant running plays, capped when Reginald Cole broke four tackles on a 17-yard touchdown.
Consol lost 13 yards on its next play from scrimmage, and then Cole Smith stepped in front of a Patrick O'Quinn pass for an interception.
The Mavericks then powered 26 yards in five plays, with Cole scoring on a 13-yard burst through a gaping hole up the middle.
The Tigers had a chance to gain their footing, but a dropped pass wiped out a potential big gainer and led to another punt.
Powerful 211-pound junior Adrian Smith ran over a Consol linebacker and broke free for a 49-yard scoring run. McNeil's two-point attempt failed, leaving the home team leading 19-0 less than 10 minutes into the game.
Consol drove to the Mavs' 18 on the ensuing possession, but Jarvon Searcy lost a fumble after converting a fourth-and-1 run. Linebacker Taylor Kieschnick intercepted a pass to give the Tigers another possession in McNeil territory, but Consol fumbled three plays later.
Late in the third quarter, a mishandled snap and resulting fumble by Consol set up McNeil at the Tiger 3. Smith scored easily on the next play to give the Mavericks a comfortable lead.
The Tigers' offense had failed to score during a preseason scrimmage with Round Rock Stony Point, and troubles continued in the opener. Andrew Fletcher returned a punt 33 yards to give Consol a first down at the McNeil 12 midway through the fourth quarter, but the Tigers lost yardage and had to settle for Stoll's field goal.
Consol will play another road game next week, facing Cypress Woods on Saturday.
