SAN ANTONIO — Brandeis junior quarterback Jordan Battles is not a one-man team, but the Broncos would be in trouble without him.
A starter as a sophomore, Battles helped lead Brandeis to the Class 6A Division II state quarterfinals and an 11-3 finish last year.
The Broncos looked sloppy in their 31-25 season-opening victory over Johnson on Friday night at Heroes Stadium, but there's no reason to think they can't make another long playoff run this season.
One of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the San Antonio area, Battles ran for touchdowns of 2, 20 and 9 yards, and threw an 8-yard scoring strike to running back Corion Holmes, who led Brandeis in rushing with 139 yards on 19 carries.
A crowd of 4,725 watched the Broncos lead for most of the game, but Johnson didn't go quietly into the night.
Down by two touchdowns with 10 minutes left, the Jaguars pulled to within 31-25 on Justin Rodriguez's 2-yard TD with 4:00 left. But the Jaguars never got the ball back.
Battles rushed 15 times for 113 yards and completed 7 of 13 passes for 111 yards. He sparked a Brandeis offense that finished with 431 yards, 320 rushing in 43 attempts and 111 passing.
The Broncos could have piled up more yardage, but were stymied by 14 penalties for 121 yards. They were flagged for five false starts alone.
Rodriguez was outstanding in the Jags' loss, leading all rushers with 167 yards on 19 carries and scoring three TDs. Johnson finished with 334 yards of total offense, 215 rushing and 119 passing.
The Jags nearly matched the Broncos in penalties, finishing with 13 for 120 yards.
Brandeis went ahead 28-13 on its first possession of the second half, when Battles scored on his 9-yard run and Xavier Lopez kicked his fourth extra point. Battles' TD capped a nine-play, 70-yard drive.
Johnson responded with a seven-play, 50-yard scoring march that was capped by Rodriguez's 3-yard run with 3:55 left in the third period. The extra-point was blocked, leaving the Jags trailing 28-19.
Brandeis escapes Johnson for Week 1 victory
The Broncos stretched their lead to 31-19 on their next possession when Lopez converted a 23-yard field goal after a drive stalled at the Johnson 1. Brandeis had a first-and-goal at the 1, but a false-start penalty moved the Broncos back to the 6.
Battles threw for one TD and ran for two others as Brandeis took a 21-13 halftime lead.
The Broncos' first TD of the season came on Battles' 8-yard pass to Holmes with 4:20 left in the opening quarter. Lopez converted the first of his extra-point kicks to put Brandeis up 7-0.
Johnson retaliated quickly, scoring on Rodriguez' 76-yard run on the first play of its next possession. Reed Kieny kicked the extra point to tie the with 4:03 left in the first period.
Brandeis took advantage of a short field to take the lead for good. Taking over at the Johnson 25 after a high snap forced punter Landon Brandvik to run on fourth-and-9, Battles scored his first TD on a 2-yard run. Lopez's kick made it 14-7 with 5:15 remaining in the half. Battles' run capped a five-play drive.
After forcing a punt on Johnson's next possession, the Broncos stunned the Jags with a three-play, 65-yard drive that ended with Battles' 20-yard TD run with 2:52 left in the half. Lopez made it 21-7 with his third extra-point kick of the first half. The big play in the drive was Holmes' 41-yard run on the first play of the possession.
Undaunted, Johnson trimmed Brandeis' lead to 21-13 on a 75-yard pass from Ty Reasoner to wide receiver Shane Johnson with 1:48 left in the half. The extra-point kick was blocked.
