The Wolves scored on every possession of the first half and exploded for 28 second-quarter points as they sealed the victory before a lightning delay intervened just before halftime.
Buford also forced three first-half turnovers to put the contest away and kick off 2011 in style.
"I'm real tickled," Wolves coach Jess Simpson said. "I didn't know what to expect tonight after last week's scrimmage, because we had to correct a lot of things. But I can't wait to watch the game film, because it looked like we went hard on every play out there tonight."
Indeed, once the Wolves pulled ahead on Andr'e Johnson's bruising 20-yard touchdown run with 8:11 left in the first quarter, the result hardly seemed in doubt -- certainly not with Buford's defense allowing just 53 total yards and forcing five total turnovers.
"It seemed like we did a lot of good things out there," Simpson said. "We really got thing started well."
The Titans only glimmer of hope came in the first quarter when quarterback Spencer McManes scrambled and found Chris Dore for an 80-yard touchdown pass. But the play -- which would have answered the Wolves' opening score -- was negated by an ineligible receiver downfield penalty.
It was all Buford from there.
Johnson -- who led Buford with 57 yards on three carries -- ripped off another touchdown run, this time 34 yards on fourth-and-three, as the senior broke free at the line of scrimmage and rumbled into the end zone for a 14-0 advantage.
Buford dominated the ground game throughout, as the Wolves finished with 147 yards on 15 carries in the first half. Buford went on to roll up 277 yards on the ground.
Wolves quarterback Sam Clay also got in on the action, breaking some tackles of his own to put the visitors ahead 21-0 on a 15-yard run with 8:04 left in the first half. The senior looked in control in his first-ever start, shaking off an incompletion on his first pass of the season to complete his next six attempts -- including a lofted 33-yard strike to C.J. Moore down the right sideline for a 28-0 lead with 4:13 left in the second quarter.
"He really was the surprise of the night," Simpson said of Clay, who finished 6-of-8 for 92 yards. "He finally gets his chance, and he showed some real swagger and confidence out there."
The Buford defense also came ready to play, picking off two Blessed Trinity passes in the first half, Jaylen Mize and Moore each intercepting McManes. And the third turnover of the game simply added the exclamation point for the Wolves defense when defensive end Rick Legrant scooped up a Titans fumble and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown and a 35-0 lead.
The score came just before a lightning delay, but the pause could do little to dampen Buford's spirits as the Wolves tacked on another score just after halftime when back-up fullback Andrew Sciara blitzed 35 yards for the final touchdown of the night.
Up next the No. 1-ranked Wolves (1-0) will play host to Gainesville in a game televised by ESPN 3 next Friday in Buford.
"Buford football has a had a chance to do a lot of neat stuff, but this will be a first, being on ESPN," Simpson said. "I think there will be a buzz around campus and around town all next week."
SCORING SUMMARY
Buford................7....28....7....0 -- 42
Blessed Trinity...0......0....0....0 -- 0
First Quarter
BUF -- Johnson 20 run (Petroni kick) 8:11, 7-0
Second Quarter
BUF -- Johnson 34 run (Petroni kick) 11:04, 14-0
BUF -- Clay 15 run (Petroni kick) 8:04, 21-0
BUF -- Moore 33 pass from Clay (Petroni kick) 4:13, 28-0
BUF -- Legrant 20 fumble return (Petroni kick) 3:11, 35-0
Third Quarter
BUF -- Sciara 35 run (Petroni kick) 8:33, 42-0
Buford's Jaylen Mize, center, celebrates a first quarter interception with teammates on Friday in Roswell.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2011/8/241261