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Nederland tears up Central BEAUMONT - Nederland's football team went from playing runaway to playing keep away Friday night. Operating with precision on both sides of the ball, Nederland stunned Central by running away to a 38-7 halftime advantage. By late in the fourth quarter quarter, however, the Bulldogs had to drain valuable time off the clock to preserve the 40-29 victory that moved them to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in District 22-4A. After committing three first-half turnovers and generating very little offense before their disappointed homecoming fans, the Jaguars bounced back with three-straight scores to cut their deficit to 38-29 going into the final six minutes. The Jaguars did force a quick three-and-out by the Bulldogs, but they were unable to capitalize, having to punt from inside their 20-yard line. Given a second chance to drain the clock, the Bulldogs did so successfully, running off five plays over a span of 3:15 to dash the Jags' comeback hopes. "Our first half was exceptional," said Larry Neumann, Nederland's head coach. "I can't think of much that we did wrong on either side of the ball. "I told the players before the game that the way you win big games is to make big plays, play smart and play fast. "We did exactly that. We ran the ball well; Kirby Bellow threw the ball well; we made some great receptions; our offensive line continued to improve, and our defense played great again." Nederland's first big play was a fumble recovery by linebacker Chris Gutierrez on Central's second snap after the opening kickoff. The Bulldogs converted that turnover into a 33-yard drive that Gutierrez capped with a 2-yard plunge off right tackle. Central never got the opportunity to run a play this time as Grant Lovelady crashed through to recover Hykeem Janise's fumble on the ensuing kickoff. The Bulldogs made the Jags pay this time on a 41-yard field goal by Taylor Trahan. Next big play for the Bulldogs came when Ryan Brady outleaped a Jaguar defender to snag a Bellow pass and then raced 51 yards for the touchdown that made it 17-0 with 3:10 left in the first quarter. Central finally got untracked on a 55-yard, Patrick Fobbs-to-Derrick Hall TD pass on the first play of the second quarter, but the Bulldogs never flinched. They retaliated less than two minutes later on a 59-yard Bellow-to-Adam Broussard hookup on which Broussard simply outran his coverage down the left sideline. Central wasted an excellent scoring opportunity when Hall fumbled at the Bulldog 13-yard line and linebacker Jordan Landry made the recovery for Nederland. The Jaguars then appeared to be near the collapse mode a little later when punter Isaiah Wise kicked the ball into a teammate, and Nederland defensive end Wareall Grogan scooped it up and returned it 27 yards for an easy touchdown. By the time Bellow hit wide receiver Asa Cardenas in stride on a slant pattern for an 18-yard touchdown with 1:19 left in the half, the lead had ballooned to 38-7. "When you turn the ball over the way we did in the first half, it makes it difficult to win," said Donald Stowers, Central's head coach. "Our first half was lackluster, at best. "We did come back and show some resolve in the second half. I told the players we needed four scores to come back and win, and we got three. That was encouraging." Central's second-half scores came on a 5-yard run by Hall, an 11-yard run by Jeffrey Thomas and a 36-yard run by Charles Thomas. Bellow, who completed six-straight passes over one stretch of the first half, went on to go 14-of-26 for 208 yards without throwing an interception. Cardenas was his favorite target with seven receptions for 74 yards, and Cameron Bass paced the Bulldog ground game with 79 yards on 16 carries. Charles Thomas was the game's leading rusher with 100 yards on 11 carries, and Fobbs completed 10 of 16 passes for 155 yards for the Jaguars, also without throwing a pick. Nederland's only score of the second half came when Grogan sacked Fobbs in the end zone for a safety with 1:09 remaining.