The last time the Scotland football team lost a conference game, Barack Obama’s presidency was nearing the end of its first year. Cam Newton was weeks away from leading Auburn to a 28-27 win over Alabama in the 75th Iron Bowl. Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”, the Billboard Song of the Year in 2011, was nearing its release, and the San Francisco Giants were celebrating their first World Series championship since they moved to the Bay Area in 1958.
The Sandhills Athletic Conference was known as the Southeastern Conference when Richmond defeated Scotland 31-21 on Nov. 5, 2010. Six teams – Hoke, Lumberton, Pinecrest, Purnell Swett, Richmond and Scotland – competed in the Southeastern Conference. Jack Britt and Seventy-First joined when the league was revamped in 2017.
It took 2,898 days for Scotland to lose another conference game. Seventy-First defeated the Fighting Scots 21-6 on Friday night, halting the conference winning streak at 39 games.
Losing to a league opponent was an unfamiliar and perhaps uncomfortable experience for the Scots – even more so for head coach Richard Bailey, who had previously been undefeated in conference play since he took the job prior to the 2011 season.
Bailey has coached several talented teams in his tenure with the Scots. Many college football players started their careers under Bailey’s tutelage.
There certainly is next-level talent on Scotland’s football team this year. But the loss to Seventy-First made it clear that the Scots have long-term issues to address.
“We’re just limited with what we can do right now offensively,” Bailey said after the loss. “That’s just the fact of it.”
Despite the best efforts of running back Syheam “Smiley” McQueen, who rushed for 90 yards in his first full game back on the field after suffering an MCL sprain earlier in the year, Scotland’s offense couldn’t get the job done on Friday night.
And for much of the second half, Seventy-First’s defense watched the Fighting Scots self-destruct.
A muffed punt return, several botched snaps and numerous penalties prevented the Scots from gaining momentum against the Falcons.
Scotland’s defense held up its end of the bargain for most of the game. They held the Falcons scoreless in the first half – although Seventy-First returned the favor – and held strong in the second half despite hardly having time to catch their breath.
That’s been the story of Scotland’s season. There’s always an individual or group that steps up each week, but there’s also unforced errors and other shortcomings that leave the Scots with more questions than answers.
That’s to be expected from a young football team. And the last four weeks of the season may define this young team more than a 39-game winning streak ever could.
