FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Lambert turned Flowery Branch's struggles into touchdowns in a 43-20 win at Falcons Field on Friday.
The Falcons (2-2) started the game on the struggle bus as Cam Bland picked off Brody Jordan's pass on their 31-yard line. Flowery Branch committed four penalties on the drive allowing the Longhorns to capitalize and take an early 7-0 lead.
The Falcons had 11 penalties for 62 yards in the first half. Those penalties and the lack of offense in the first half allowed the Longhorns (4-0) to rush out to a 28-0 lead.
Senior quarterback Jame Tyre didn't help the Falcons any, either. The dual-threat quarterback made plays, many of them in the first half, eluding Falcon defenders numerous times and finding leading receiver Brandon Jones down the Branch sidelines on a 14-yard TD strike for the first score of the game. Tyre connected with Jones seven times for 174 yards and two TDs. He hit jones again on a 24-yard pass with 10:36 left in the first half.
Tyre was 13-of-26 for 260 yards and three TDs.
Ethan Terry, who rushed 13 times for 57 yards, added two scores in the first quarter, on runs of 2 and 16 yards.
The Falcons put together a 99-yard drive late in the first half that included a fake punt. Cam Haynes converted on the fake and stumbled for seven yards and the first down to extend the drive. After a Lambert 15-yard penalty, Jordan hit Jeremiah Ware on a 28-yard pass for a TD. The Falcons converted on the 2-point try with a pass from Jordan to Haynes to cut the lead 28-8.
Jordan finished the night 10-of-19 for 157 yards, 2 TDs and 3 interceptions.
Lambert ended the half with five unanswered points -- a safety and a 41-yard field goal from kicker Ryan Degyansky and a 33-8 lead.
After Degyansky nailed a 44-yard field goal on the Longhorns' opening drive of the second half to go up 36-8, both teams traded punts over the next eight minutes until Branch broke the drought on a double-pass touchdown to Myles Ivey.
Brendon Corry, who received the pass from Jordan, hurled it toward Ivey down the visitor sideline for the score. The Falcons cut the lead to 16 points after forcing the Longhorns to punt on the next drive. Jordan hit Ware on a crossing route, and he darted 94 yards for the score to cut the lead 36-20.
The Falcons tried an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, and it looked as if they recovered it. However, the officials called Flowery Branch for illegal touching (the ball must go 10 yards before the kickoff team can touch it).
Although the Falcons would hold the Longhorns on the next drive and get the ball back with just over 7 minutes remaining, Lambert's Tommy Morris squashed any homes of cutting the lead to single digits when he snatched a Jordan pass out of the air for the interception. Lambert tacked on the final touchdown two plays later when Tyre found Tommy Lafayette on a 40-yard TD pass for a 43-20 lead.
