NEDERLAND — NEDERLAND — Nederland scored a touchdown on its first three possessions and its smothering defense led by overpowering performances from DeShawn Washington and Koby Couron was more than enough to hold off Crosby 21-7 Friday night at Bulldog Stadium

The Bulldogs opened their season at home in front of a vibrant crowd and used that momentum to score two touchdowns in the first six and a half minutes of the contest.

“I know we got better tonight. You could see it,” coach Larry Neumann said. “We just hadn’t been together as much as I would like. I believe we’re going to mature into being much better than we were even tonight.”

Quarterback Carson Raines notched the first two Bulldog scores with a pair of 1-yard runs. At the beginning of the second quarter, after Nederland used seven plays to march into the redzone, Raines hit wide receiver Seth Barrow for a 18-yard touchdown.

Barrow was wide-open in the flat past the left hash mark and trotted in for the Bulldog’s final score. He finished with two receptions for 23 yards.

Raines started the game 8-for-8 and did not record an incompletion until mid-way through the second quarter. He finished the game 10-for-19 with 160 total yards, three total touchdowns and two fumbles.

“We started this game throwing a little more to set up the run,” Neumann said. “Then we had some success running and tried to do that a little more.”

Crosby’s offense was stifled for much of the first half, recording just one first down on its first four possessions. The Cougar’s lone score came early in the fourth quarter when quarterback Aston Walter connected with receiver Raelon Singleton for a 21-yard touchdown over the top of an all-out blitz.

Nederland recorded six sacks in the game, including three by defensive lineman Washington and two by Couron. The swarming Bulldogs held Crosby to nine first downs, 43 rushing yards on 24 attempts and only 149 total yards.

“We feel pretty good about our defense,” Neumann said. “We just can’t give up explosive touchdowns. They got a nice fade on us. But the idea on defense is to not give up explosive plays.”

The Bulldogs’ offense failed to find the same momentum it had in the first half, ending its first four second-half drives with three punts and a fumble. Nederland had 12 first downs in the first half and five in the second half.

Neumann said a key point for next week would be continuing to make adjustments after half-time and finding continuity as the game goes on.

“I’ll have to look at the video,” Neumann said. “We weren’t as productive. I think Crosby made some good adjustments in the second half and I don’t know that we caught up with them as quickly as we would have liked.”

Nederland started the game with a pass-heavy attack as Raines connected on his first four throws, including an 18-yard toss to receiver Brandon Self. The Bulldogs made it to the one-yard line after a 10-yard run by running back Kendrick Hawkins, and Raines followed blockers over the strong side for the first touchdown of the year.

The second Bulldogs’ touchdown came with 5:34 left in the first quarter after Raines connected with wide receiver Michael Shaw for 27 yards. That placed Nederland at the one-yard line, and once again Raines ran it in.

Hawkins finished with 118 rushing yard on 23 attempts and caught a 16-yard pass. Shaw had three receptions for 67 yards.

Crosby running back Austin Walter had 55 rushing yards on 12 carries and two catches for 42 yards, and quarterback Aston Walter had 94 total yards and a touchdown.

Neumann said his focus is getting the team to reach its potential for conference games.

“You want to have continuity of personnel, but we’ve had some nagging injuries that prevent people from even practicing,” he said. “Football is a game where you get better in increments.”