A gutsy 21-point comeback celebration on the Ida Baker sideline was short-lived in their season-opening road game at Dunbar Friday. A tipped ball in overtime sent the Bulldogs home with a 34-28 overtime loss to the Tigers.

Trailing 28-7 midway through the third quarter, the Bulldogs chipped away and eventually put together two late fourth quarter scoring drives to pull even with the Tigers and force overtime.

In a wild game which saw three Dunbar returns for touchdowns – two on kickoffs and one by interception – and a 21-point comeback, the ending also stays consistent with its thrilling nature.

Dunbar sophomore quarterback Jairus Johnson threw up a jump ball in overtime on second-and-goal from the Bulldogs’ 21. The pass was tipped by a Baker defender, tipped again by another player and snatched out of the air by Tigers junior runningback Kenny Benjamin for the six points.

The Bulldogs didn’t have any more comeback tricks left in their arsenal, as their four plays allotted in overtime didn’t result in a score ending the game 34-28.

“This was a good game to have it this early in the season,” said Bulldog senior quarterback Jordan Diggs. “It wasn’t a district game and it’s one which can make us better. Offensively, we made mistakes, I made mistakes and it’s something we can correct.”

It certainly was a game that produced some strange stats, as the Bulldogs dominated offensive output, outgaining the Tigers by a hefty 374 yards to 163. Dunbar scored 28 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to build their 28-7 advantage.

Dunbar’s athleticism was on display, mostly on special teams with each of freshman runningback Seneca Millidge and Benjamin going for kickoff returns for touchdowns from 79 and 72 yards out, respectively.

Junior strong safety Shanon Reid also got into the unconventional scoring category with a 51-yard interception return for six points, putting Dunbar up 22-7 with 1:22 left until halftime.

“We won’t see guys return the ball like that again this season. They have some very good athletes,” said Baker coach Brian Conn. “They will be the best athletic team we will see. I wish we onsided our kicks the entire game, to be honest.”

The Bulldogs defense ultimately kept the team within striking distance, especially in the second half when the offense started to gain some momentum.

Baker’s defense was put in some difficult field position in the first half resulting in Bulldog turnovers. Dunbar drove to the Bulldogs 5 after a muffed punt put them on the Baker 41 in the first quarter, but the defense turned the ball over on downs, capped by a senior strong safety Brian Conley sack on fourth and goal.

They also stopped the Tigers on downs three times, while forcing punts five times. The Tigers had only 94 yards rushing on 39 carries, led by senior runningback Malik Thigpen’s 37 yards on 13 carries.

Johnson was 7-of-16 for 69 yards and two touchdowns.

“We knew we could play good defense and stop them and put our offense in good opportunities,” Conn said. “Our defense was all over the place. We called them out last week because they were not prepared. That was not the case tonight.”

Diggs continued his poise in the pocket and that carried the offense through the second half. The offense was carried by the senior signal-caller and he was asked to fling the ball quite a bit down 21 points – and he delivered.

Diggs went 25-of-50 for 312 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. His top target was senior wide receiver Rasheed Golden, who followed his preseason debut of 222 yards with a 10 catch, 163-yard performance, along with a 49-yard slant and excellent yards after the catch run touchdown in the second quarter to put the Bulldogs up 7-0.

Diggs’ first official game as the Bulldogs’ starter was highlighted by his game-tying drive with 2:21 left in regulation and his team trailing 28-21.

After a shanked punt by Dunbar put Baker on its own 36, Diggs kept the drive alive with his legs, instead of his arm.

He ran for a 25-yard gain to the Dunbar 29 on a run-option over the right end. The other game-saving run came on fourth and six, when he picked up six yards on a run option, in which he kept the ball and ran right.

“We knew we had to get out of bounds and keep getting those first downs,” Diggs said. “We just kept picking up momentum and kept moving the ball.”

On another crucial fourth-and-10 from the Tigers’ 18, Diggs found junior wide out Luke Endsley crossing the field in front of the goal. The quarterback led Endsley perfectly, and with soft hands, pulled it in and tippy-toed right on the pylon for a first and goal from the Dunbar 1.

On the next play, Diggs dove in for six points. Conn decided to go for the tie and reliable senior kicker David Montoya split the uprights for the 28-28 deadlock.

I was very tempted to go for two, and I know my defense coordinator will be yelling at me tonight, but I just felt the way our defense was playing, we could stop them,” Conn said. “If it wasn’t for that jump ball in overtime, we had our chance.”

Endsley started the rally in the third quarter on a slant route for a 20-yard touchdown pass from Diggs. Baker ultimately scored 21 straight points, including a pair of TD runs by Diggs from four and one-yard out.

The offense certainly took a step in the right direction, as did the defense. Diggs is ready for the Bulldogs to clean up some mistakes and get better in the coming weeks.

“We’ve been building this offense for three to four years, I feel comfortable running it,” Diggs added.

The Bulldogs (0-1) visit North Port next Friday.