COOKEVILLE -- Oakland's football team was built for a championship run this season, and much of it was predicated on a stout defense that allowed just 4.8 points per game.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, they relied and leaned on their defense too much Saturday night when they lost 12-9 in the Class 6A BlueCross Bowl at Tennessee Tech's Tucker Stadium.
Oakland's defense manhandled the Tigers for almost three and half quarters before giving up two touchdowns in the final seven minutes.
Make no mistake, Whitehaven is an outstanding team that matched Oakland athlete for athlete.
There's an old adage about letting a team hang around and not putting them away.