Brandeis senior running back Noah Copeland has drawn some interest from college recruiters, but none has come close to offering him a scholarship.
That could change after his stellar performance in the upstart Broncos’ 51-37 victory over Pflugerville on Saturday in a Class 5A Division II second-round playoff game at the Alamodome.
Copeland rushed for 318 yards and six touchdowns, his last a 66-yard jaunt with 3:32 left that punctuated a memorable afternoon for him and his team. Copeland started right on the play, then cut back to his left when he saw his path blocked and raced down the sideline untouched.
“I’m glad that the city got to see him,” Brandeis head coach John Campbell said. “It was a phenomenal performance, but it doesn’t surprise us because we’ve seen him all season. And I’m not trying to be arrogant or egotistical when I say that.”
Copeland, who had 34 carries against Pflugerville, also scored on runs of 5, 69, 25, 3 and 1 yards. He has rushed for 2,087 yards and 32 TDs on 263 carries this season.
“I give all the credit to my offensive line,” Copeland said. “They did a great job today. We just play smash-mouth football.”
While this is only the second season in Brandeis history, the Broncos are playing like a team accustomed to making long playoff runs.
“We don’t think of ourselves as a second-year school,” senior middle linebacker Cody Rogers said.
Brandeis (11-1) plays Edinburg North (9-3) in the 5A Division II regional semifinals at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Alamodome.
The Broncos have won nine consecutive games since losing to Clark 33-14 in their District 28-5A opener. No one had scored more points against the Brandeis defense until Saturday.
“We knew Pflugerville had some very good athletes and that was a concern,” Campbell said. “We had some trouble making adjustments to their speed at the beginning and it showed in some of our tackling.”
Copeland’s big game overshadowed the outstanding play of Pflugerville quarterback Alex Dean, who threw five TD passes.
Dean’s last scoring strike, a 17-yarder to Drew Travis, cut Brandeis’ lead to 44-37 with 3:53 left, but Copeland’s final TD on the second play of the Broncos’ ensuing possession slammed the door on the Panthers’ rally.
Campbell said Copeland, who played in the Clark secondary as a sophomore, showed good instincts on his last TD.
“We had a check-off because their rover moved over, but the play was 100 percent Noah Copeland,” Campbell said. “He cut back on his own. He’s become one of those natural runners.”
Copeland credited his father, Frederick L. Copeland, for helping him become a better runner.
“He tells me to cut in and out,” Copeland said.
Copeland, 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, celebrated his last TD by blowing kisses at his girlfriend, Ligia Marcela Cediel.
Dean completed 8 of 17 passes for 200 yards. He threw 48 yards to Travis for another TD, and also had scoring passes of 56 yards to
Julian Ward, 36 yards to Jordan Moon and 24 yards to Sammy Flowers.
Pfugerville (7-5) led only once, going ahead 30-29 on Dean’s TD pass to Flowers with 6:17 left in the third quarter.
Brandeis responded with a nine-play, 80-yard drive on its next possession, Copeland scoring on a 3-yard run around right end.
Copeland had 12 carries for 135 yards and three TDs in the first half, helping the Broncos take a 29-23 lead at intermission. Brandeis’ other first-half TD came on an 18-yard pass from Michael Barrientos to John Jackson. The score, combined with Nick Huizar’s two-point conversion, put the Broncos up 29-20 with 25 seconds left in the half.
Pflugerville cut the deficit to 29-23 on a 41-yard field goal by Sean Ianno with two seconds remaining.
Barrientos, who alternated with Kyle Sewell at quarterback, also threw to Jackson for a two-point conversion that gave Brandeis a 44-30 lead after Copeland’s 1-yard TD with 8:20 left.
One of the keys to the Broncos’ success, Copeland said, has been their ability to enjoy the season while still focusing on what needs to be done.
“We have nothing to lose,” Copeland said.
Campbell smiled when asked about his team’s mindset.
“They don’t know any better,” he said. “We’ve told them not to get caught up in the hype and just go out there and play.”
The Brandeis-Edinburg North winner meets the New Braunfels-PSJA North survivor for the Region IV title.
New Braunfels advanced to the regional semifinals with a 42-14 rout of Corpus Christi Carroll on Saturday night at the Alamodome. The Unicorns (9-3) play PSJA North (11-1) at 4 p.m. Friday at the Alamodome.
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