Tatum Scores Three Times as Summit Rout Comets 44-16

AUSTIN - The Salt Lake Summit came to Texas and left with one of the more lopsided results of Week 10. Behind a balanced offense and a hard-running Miles Tatum, the Summit beat the Austin Comets 44-16 on Sunday.

The final was Summit 44, Comets 16. Salt Lake controlled the game on the ground and through the air, and Austin never found a way to slow either one down.

Tatum does the damage

Tatum, the Summit's running back, carried for 93 yards and scored three touchdowns. All three came on the ground. He was the most dangerous player on the field and the main reason the score grew the way it did.

Quarterback Victor Redmond made it look easy at times. He threw for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns, and he spread the ball around. Wide receiver Brandon Young caught passes for 65 yards, and the passing game kept Austin's defense guessing about whether the next play would be a run or a throw.

"Miles runs with a chip on his shoulder," Summit coach Gil Arnaud said. "Victor was sharp, the line was great, and the whole group played with energy. We wanted to come in here and set a tone."

Comets struggle to answer

Austin got something going on offense, but not nearly enough. Quarterback Aaron Everett threw for 193 yards without a touchdown pass. Running back Miles Knox gained 63 yards and scored a rushing touchdown, and wide receiver Miles Carver caught passes for 54 yards.

The Comets did get a push from their pass rush. Austin's defense recorded 3 sacks against Redmond's offense, compared with 1 for Salt Lake against Everett. But the sacks did not translate into stops when it mattered, and the Summit kept finding space.

Comets coach Lena Whitcomb did not hide her frustration. "We gave up too many big plays and we did not hold on to the ball field position," she said. "That is on all of us, starting with me. We will fix it."

Looking ahead

For Salt Lake, the win was a strong statement for the West Conference club. The offense scored early and often, and the defense did enough to protect a big lead.

The Summit's next test is a trip to Hartford in Week 11 to face the Sentinels. Austin will try to bounce back at Portland in the same week.

It was a day when almost everything went right for one side and almost nothing worked for the other. Tatum's three scores will get the highlights, but the real story is how complete the Summit looked from start to finish.

The Comets have little time to dwell on it. Their schedule does not slow down, and there is plenty of football left. For now, the scoreboard on Sunday afternoon read Summit 44, Comets 16, and that was that.