A long road trip led to a difficult 49-0 loss for the Harrisburg Bulldogs on Friday at undefeated Scotland County. The Bulldogs had won the previous four matchups against the former Lewis & Clark Conference opponent.

Harrisburg received the opening kickoff and marched down the field. Several solid runs by junior running back Caleb Sager set up a 31-yard quarterback draw by senior quarterback Trace Combs that put the ball on the four-yard line. But the Bulldogs’ offense stalled there, eventually turning the ball over on downs.

Scotland County used five consecutive runs, one that went for 27 yards and another for 58, to set up the Tigers’ first touchdown. The extra point was good, and they led 7-0.

Harrisburg’s second possession looked promising as they matriculated down the field. After two penalties forced a first-and-20 situation, Sagers ran for 12 and 14 yards to gain a new set of downs. He then added another 17-yard run deep into Scotland territory. However, an incomplete fourth-down pass returned the ball to Scotland County.

“We didn’t get off the bus ready to play, and that is on me,” said Harrisburg coach Brennan Claas. “Credit to their coaching staff for having them ready.”

Scotland County again marched down the field using their dominating run game to score, taking a 14-0 lead.

Their subsequent kickoff was short. And Scotland County recovered a Bulldog fumble to start a drive on the 40-yard line. The Tigers once again drove the field and looked to score again, but the Harrisburg defense forced a fumble near the goal line, which the Bulldogs recovered.

Harrisburg was forced to start its drive on the one-yard line, and the Scotland County defense made a tackle-for-loss, scoring a safety. Their lead grew to 16-0.

Harrisburg punted following the safety, and Scotland returned to its trusted run game, scoring another touchdown. They missed the extra point, making the score 23-0.

The Bulldogs had little time left in the half but marched down the field, nonetheless. Senior wide receiver Bryce Ott caught a screen pass and scampered 28 yards. The final pass of the half fell incomplete in the end zone, and the score remained 23-0 at the break.

“We moved the ball well between the 20s but couldn’t get it in the end zone. We certainly showed flashes of how good we can be, but we need to get more consistent heading into next week,” Coach Claas said.

Scotland County returned the second half’s opening kickoff for a 78-yard touchdown and never looked back, rolling up 49 points while holding Harrisburg scoreless in the game.

Combs was 6-for-16 for 62 yards passing. Ott had three receptions for 44 yards, and junior wide receiver Rylee Robinson made two grabs for 16 yards.

Sager led the rushing game with 16 carries for 88 yards. Combs ran seven times for 47 yards. Freshman running back Hunter Winscott picked up 43 yards on six carries.

Scotland County improved to 3-0 with the win, while Harrisburg fell to 1-2 on the young season. Harrisburg returns home for another challenging game against a former L&C opponent, Salisbury. The Bulldogs will also confront a familiar face on the other sideline. Former Harrisburg assistant football coach Zech Boman is now the head coach for the ninth-ranked Panthers.

As if that wasn’t enough distraction, it’s Homecoming week at Harrisburg.

“We need to focus on a week with many other activities going on as we prepare for a very good team,” Claas said.

Friday’s game kicks off at 7 p.m. in Harrisburg.