This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The Northridge offense wasn't quite hitting on all cylinders right out of the gate in its 41-14 win Friday at Kearns.

But as soon as the Knights started rolling, there was nothing Kearns could do to stop them.

"Our offense can be powerful," Northridge senior running back David Adams said. "We can score so fast. Once our defense got us the ball a few times, we got going."

Kearns held Northridge to 18 yards of offense over the first 15 minutes of the game. Northridge exploded for 24 points and 199 yards over the next nine minutes.

It only took three key plays to snap the Knights out of their early game funk.

The first came when Adams dashed 40 yards down the left sideline to the Kearns' 29-yard line. Junior quarterback Nate Kusuda threw the ball up for grabs while under heavy pressure from the Cougars defense on the next play. Senior wide receiver Zach Hayes made a spectacular one-handed catch in the end zone to break a scoreless tie.

Northridge kicked it high and short on the ensuing on kickoff, and Kearns mishandled it. The Knights recovered and turned it into a field goal. They were off to the races from there.

"Kearns did a good job keeping our offense off the field in the first quarter," Northridge coach Erik Thompson said. "We only had five or six plays, so we couldn't do much. I'm glad our guys were able to respond with some big plays."

Adams, who had his fair share of big plays, finished with 161 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including one that went for 80 yards. Adams also had a 12-yard touchdown reception.

"I haven't been satisfied with my performance yet this season, but I'm satisfied with that game" Adams said. —

Highlights

After being held scoreless in the first 16 minutes of the game, Northridge scored 24 points in the final eight minutes of the first half.

Senior running back David Adams rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a receiving touchdown.

Senior wide receiver Zach Hayes had three receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown.