Arlington Sam Houston fails to capitalize on red zone chances, falls to Irving MacArthur

Arlington Sam Houston football had moments where it looked like a team on the rise.

Then others, the inability to capitalize on chances led to a second straight loss.

Three trips into the Irving MacArthur red zone didn’t yield points and the Cardinals pulled away for a 28-14 win on Thursday night at Joy and Ralph Ellis Stadium.

Now, the Texans’ head football coach, Chris James, is tasked with ensuring that two losses in a row won’t start a snowball effect.

Heading into the season, the Texans had lost 25 in a row. Since posting the first win since Sept. 16, 2021, they have had back-to-back two-score losses.

“I believe in the character of this team,” James said. “We have really good character and the kids are showing up. They’re positive and they are doing everything we ask of them. You know, we are just going to continue to improve. For the past few years, it’s been a process. I knew that this process was going to be long and we’re going to stay the course and continue to work and get better.”

A microcosm of the game happened on the first four drives of the second half.

Tied 14-14, the Cardinals got the ball first and were moving when quarterback Brock Cassis-Willis threw a 10-yard pass for a first down, but the Texans knocked the ball loose. Defensive back Naftali Gekonge picked it up at midfield for Sam Houston.

The Texans moved the ball into MacArthur territory and on third down, Jaylen Harper got the carry but came up short for a first down. What was going to be a 4th-and-1 from the 29, turned into 4th-and-16 at the 44 after a personal foul on Sam Houston.

The Texans chose to punt and McArthur took over at the 20.

On the first offensive play, Cassis-Willis connected with Femi Uhunoma for an 80-yard touchdown and broke the tie for the final time.

Sam Houston wasn’t out of the game though. The Texans marched from their 16-yard line to the Cardinals’ 20-yard line. However, a 4th-and-1 attempt came up short and another turnover on downs happened.

Sam Houston got another chance when the Cardinals fumbled on the next drive and junior defensive back Jovanie Mutombo picked it up at the 18-yard line.

However, the Texans were unable to capitalize on another short field. They gained six yards on three plays and missed a 30-yard field with 8 seconds left in the third quarter.

“We had a couple of possessions where we couldn’t get in the end zone,” James said. “Our offense played well at times, but it’s about becoming consistent and that’s what we’re working toward right now. It is about being consistent and getting better.”?

That turnover on downs led to the game’s final points.

A 7-play drive saw the Cardinals cover 61 yards, keyed by a 32-yard run by wide receiver Banner Nitcholas on a reverse. Uhunoma added 14 yards on another run by a wide receiver and running back Wyatt Davis had a 15-yard run on a direct snap to give the Cardinals a 28-14 lead with 8:06 left to play.

For most of the game, the Texans seemed to have moments when they were in control against the Cardinals (2-1) but never could capitalize when the opportunity arose.

That happened early for Sam Houston, now 1-2 heading into the District 8-6A opener next week at South Grand Prairie.

A bad snap on a punt for the Cardinals led to a tackle at the 4-yard line on the second drive of the game.

MacArthur’s defense buckled down to set up a fourth-and-goal situation from the 1 and then sacked quarterback Ken Jones for a 16-yard loss on the next play.

The Cardinals, who matched last year’s win total in only three weeks this year, got on the board first on a 41-yard touchdown from Cassis-Willis to Nitcholas on a jump ball situation, where the junior beat the Sam Houston defender and dashed into the end zone with 2:25 left in the first quarter.

The teams traded scores from there, going into the break 14-14.

Harper had a 4-yard touchdown run with 10:14 left in the first half. Earlier in the drive, the Texans had an 11-yard touchdown run by Carlos Santillan negated by a holding call.

The Cassis-Willis to Nitcholas connection led to a 67-yard touchdown on almost the same play in the first quarter, a jump ball that the 6-foot-1 junior receiver won and he was off to the races.

“I think all of their plays were big plays,” James said. “I mean, they didn’t run the ball well on us, but we have to learn how to eliminate the big plays. Eliminating those big plays would be momentum swings for us.”

On their penultimate drive of the first half, the Texans forged a tie.

Harper converted on a fourth-down attempt to get inside the Cardinals’ red zone. Santillan had a 19-yard carry on a reverse to move the ball to the 1. Jones then scored on a keeper with 3:10 left in the first half.