Orange’s 3rd down production was lacking on Friday night against Northern Durham.
Only because they didn’t have many 3rd downs to convert.
In its most efficient performance in years, the Panthers racked up 401 yards total offense. Kayden Bradsher scored two touchdowns and intercepted a pass as Orange defeated Northern Durham 43-22 at Auman Stadium. It was the Panthers first home win over the Knights since 2017.
The decisive result was a far cry from the previous meeting between the two teams in the spring of 2021, where Orange inched out a 7-6 nail biter in the midst of the pandemic at Durham County Stadium.
Senior quarterback Jackson Moody factored in on three touchdowns, including a 40-yard hurl to Preston Utley with 6:00 remaining in the first half to put Orange ahead 24-6.
Orange junior Markus Thomas ran for 173 yards and a touchdown, putting his season total unofficially at 883 yards after five games. Orange’s last 1,000 rusher was Marvantae Beasley in 2017.
Northern’s Demirion Kelly, who came into the game with six receptions on the season, caught three touchdown passes as the Knights suffered its third straight loss.
Orange (2-3) ended the nonconference portion of its schedule with a boost following a disappointing 34-22 loss against Eastern Guilford in Gibsonville last week.
Bradsher made his presence felt as a defensive back on the opening possession of the game. Knights’ quarterback Amir Liles tried to find Kristian Kidd over the middle on a 3rd-and-16, but Bradsher broke up the pass. On 4th-and-16 from the Orange 34-yard line, Ja’Carreis Jones was wrestled down by Bradsher five yards shy of the first down.
After a 13-yard gain by Thomas, Bradsher took a handoff around left end. Northern safety Zhyll Jones appeared to have an angle for the tackle, but Bradsher simply outran him for a career-long 75 yard touchdown run. Thomas added the 2-point conversion.
Northern went 3-and-out on its next drive. Following a 16-yard punt, Orange set up shop at the Knight 41-yard line, where they waisted no time in extending its lead. After Thomas had consecutive gains of 15 and eleven yards, Mason Stubbs rumbled 15 yards for his first rushing touchdown. Thomas’s 2-point run pushed the Orange lead to 16-0 with 3:09 remaining in the first quarter.
Northern got positive field advantage to start the second quarter. Liles found Kelly, a 6-foot-4 flanker, for a 32-yard touchdown catch with 9:40 remaining in the first quarter.
Once again, Orange didn’t face a 3rd down on its next scoring drive, a six-play, 72-yard series. Moments after being called for a chop block, Moody found Utley for a 40-yard touchdown. It was Moody’s second score of the year. Bradsher added the two-point run to make it 24-6.
After a first half full of big plays, Orange settled back into ball control mode to finish out the night. On its opening series of the third quarter, Orange faced a 3rd-and-3, just its third 3rd down situation of the game. Bradsher got eight yards on a handoff. Thomas bolted ahead for 18 yards to push into the Knight red zone. After Bradsher was stopped just shy of the goal line on a six-yard run, Moody called his own number for his first rushing touchdown of the year.
Northern crossed the 50-yard line on its next drive, but on 4th-and-6, Bradsher picked off a pass from Liles and returned it to the Northern 49-yard line. After yet another chop block penalty, Moody delivered a gorgeous ball that Bradsher caught over his shoulder for a 17-yard touchdown. Kicker Nalin Reddy followed with his first successful extra point of the season to push Orange’s lead to 37-6.
Liles hit Kelly with a 35-yard touchdown pass from 6:47 remaining.
Thomas got free for a 36-yard run on Orange’s final drive where he crossed the goal line, but was ruled out of bounds at the Northern 4-yard line. Thomas scored his first touchdown of the night, and his seventh of the year, on a 3-yard scamper.
Liles found Kelly again for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 1:36 remaining. Jones followed with a two-point run.
ORANGE 43, NORTHERN DURHAM 22
NDU–0 6 0 16–22
ORA–16 8 6 13–43
ORA-Kayden Bradsher 75 run (Markus Thomas run)
ORA–Mason Stubbs 15 run (Thomas run)
NDU–Demirion Kelly 32 pass from Amir Liles (pass failed)
ORA–Preston Utley 40 from Jackson Moody (Bradsher run)
ORA–Moody 1 run (run failed)
ORA–Bradsher 17 pass from Moody (Nalin Reddy kick)
NDU–Kelly 35 pass from Liles (Liles to Kelly)
ORA–Thomas 3 run (kick failed)
NDU–Kelly 15 pass from Liles (Ja’Cerris Jones run)
RUSHING–NORTHERN DURHAM 29-128 (Jones 11-69, Liles 11-30, Kamaree Moore 7-29)
ORANGE 34-340 4 TD (Thomas 26-173 TD, 10-140 TD, Stubbs 5-28 TD, Moody 1-1 TD, team 2-(-2))
PASSING–NORTHERN DURHAM (Liles 17-28 152 yds, 3TD, INT)
ORANGE (Moody 2-2, 57, 2TD)
RECEVING: NORTHERN DURHAM (Kelly 8-125 3TD, Jamal Lawson 2-20, Moore 1-10, Jones 1-(-3)
ORANGE (Utley 1-40 TD, Bradsher 1-17 TD)
