Hewitt-Trussville senior quarterback Peyton Floyd ran for three touchdowns and threw for another and the Huskies defense pitched a shutout for three quarters as they dominated Hoover 28-7.

Class 7A sixth-ranked Hewitt-Trussville kept Hoover out of the end zone until midway through the final quarter.

Hewitt-Trussville (3-1, 3-0) stopped a 21-play drive from the Bucs (1-4, 1-2) with a goal-line stand at the half-yard line in the second quarter then marched for the first score.

“Our defense was incredible tonight,” said Hewitt-Trussville coach Josh Floyd. “I think the biggest thing was the goal line stand, because we didn’t start out very well offensively, and they (Hoover) were moving the ball on us and our guys were tough and stepped it up there at the end.”

A sideline penalty against the Bucs kept Hewitt-Trussville’s drive alive and the Huskies marched 99 yards in 12 plays as Floyd went up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown to break a scoreless tie midway through the second quarter.

The Huskies defense forced a pair of three-and-outs and Hewitt got the ball back at their own 49-yard line, going nine plays and scoring again when Floyd went up the middle for another 2-yard touchdown plunge for a 14-0 halftime lead.

Floyd marched the Huskies down the field for score to open the second half, directing a 10-play drive and again scoring from 2-yards out.

Floyd capped the Huskies’ scoring with a 19-yard pass to sophomore receiver Dylan Cope with 2:10 left in the third quarter.

Floyd was 8-for-17 for 91 yards through the air with a pair of interceptions and a TD while running 20 times for 70 yards.

“It honestly felt like they were defending a lot of the pass because we’ve been really effective passing early in the season,” Peyton Floyd said. “We had some of our better O-linemen not even play tonight so to see the next guys step in and play big like that, our O-line played tough football … they were just tougher and stronger tonight.”

It was too much for the Bucs — who dropped out of the ASWA’s poll rankings earlier this week for the first time in 23 years — to overcome, though sophomore quarterback Noah Schubach hit Avery Crawford for a seven-yard TD with 6:54 left in the game to finally get Hoover on the board. Schubach went 11-for-30 for 86 yards and the score.

“Again, inconsistent. Had a good drive, had a chance to score, and then the wheels fell off,” said Hoover coach Wade Waldrop. “That’s two weeks in a row, critical things have happened and there’s not been a great response.”

Play of the Game: With the game locked in a scoreless tie and Hoover marching on a 21-play drive, the Hewitt-Trussville defense buckled down and stopped the Bucs on fourth down to completely change the momentum of the game.

By The Numbers: Hewitt-Trussville racked up 14 first downs and shut down Hoover until the fourth quarter, at one point forcing five straight punts. Floyd threw two interceptions. Schuback had a tough game against Hewitt’s defense, with three incompletions on his last four attempts.

Game ball: Peyton Floyd accounted for four TDs on his 18th birthday.

Coachspeak: “We’re searching for answers right now and obviously not doing a good job of finding them.” — Waldrop

They Said it: “It feels wonderful. For the past few years we’ve been losing heartbreakers to this team, and for our defense to go out there and do what they did, I’m so proud of them.” — Hewitt-Trussville defensive lineman Tyrell Averhart

“Our goal first and foremost is to win every week. You know, some games your stat line may not be as good as vs. other teams. I knew that was going to be one of those nights, but I’m just trying to win.” — Peyton Floyd

“We’ve been chasing this win our entire careers here at Hewitt. I mean, every day when you go in for practice it’s always in the back of your mind, Hoover is one of those teams every week that you build toward. Tonight we got it done” — Huskies’ offensive lineman Grant Moore.

Next Week: Hewitt-Trussville hosts Huffman, while Hoover hosts Mountain Brook.