WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & SportsBaylor gets shot at redemption in title game rematch

CHATTANOOGA (WRCB) -- One year later, it's still hard for some Baylor players to grasp exactly what happened in the final moments of the 2010 Division II-AA state championship game.

The Red Raiders saw a 21-7 second-half lead evaporate in a matter of minutes, then had victory literally ripped from their hands in the closing seconds.

"We came out hard for three-and-a-half quarters, but it just got away from us at the very end... Well, apparently," said a still somewhat skeptical Wyatt McRae.

McRae, now a senior linebacker, didn't get a good lock at the Ensworth's final play, but two TSSAA officials did. They awarded Tigers' receiver David Dingess a touchdown on a joint catch with Baylor's Jacob Huesman in the corner of the end zone with 7.8 seconds to play.

It was the deciding score in a 28-21 Ensworth win that clinched the program's first-ever state championship.

"I asked our kids to remember that feeling they had after the game in that locker room when it was all over," Baylor coach Phil Massey said. "Now we've got a chance to redeem ourselves and change that feeling this year."

Indeed a rare opportunity is at hand for the Red Raiders (11-1) in Thursday night's DII-AA state final in Cookeville. Not only are they back in the title game for a second shot at their second state title, but they get a second shot at claiming it against Ensworth (11-1).

"We just didn't take care of the little things, really," senior lineman Barrett Gouger said of the 2010 title game loss. "We've been working hard now to take care of the little things because that takes care of the big things.

"I think we're ready."

There was no doubt Baylor was ready for its first rematch with the Tigers in 2011.

Quarterback Matthew Oellerich ran wild and the Big Red's defense dominated the line of scrimmage in a 42-14 regular-season rout in mid-September. The Red Raiders held Ensworth's Mr. Football Back of the Year Corn Elder just 65 yards rushing, which was by far his worst outing of the season.

"Our defense played really physical," said McRae. "We hit Corn every single time he touched the ball. By the middle of the third quarter you could tell he was getting frustrated and his team was getting frustrated. They weren't used to having that much trouble offensively."

Massey said his team will need to repeat that effort if it is to have a chance at claiming the school's first state title since 1973, but he's confident his team can answer the call.

The Red Raiders have been circling this date for 12 months now, with a season-long theme of "unfinished business" as their rallying cry.

"It's just a chip on our shoulder," said McRae. "Beating them during the regular season doesn't really count. It's right here that counts, and we all know that."

Added Gouger: "We remember that heart-break from that loss a year ago, and that's going to make it even better when we bring it home this year. Unfinished business was our motto all year, and we're sticking to it."