NEDERLAND — Because it’s easy to occasionally confuse offense with defense, Nederland’s offense basically succeeded at being this game’s best offense and defense.

Port Neches-Groves normally is the ball-control team of these two Mid-County squads, yet Nederland’s offense wins that award, too, by virtually five minutes.

That ability to control the ball caused PN-G’s offense to spend too much sideline time. While the Indians were standing there, they were noticing Nederland receivers whizzing right by their secondary... except for when Nederland’s receivers were making downfield blocks on the Indians defensive backs.

It all served to enable Nederland to ride the three-touchdown passing night of Kirby Bellow, the game-of-a-lifetime reception outing for Jude Vidrine and a convincing 41-21 scalping of PN-G before an overflow crowd of 12,000 Saturday night in Bulldog Stadium.

Nederland (2-1 and 2-0) completed its two-game district sweep this week thanks to the revised 20-4A agenda forced upon the eight schools by the Hurricane Ike evacuation. It also caused PN-G to fall to 3-1 and 1-1 but the Indians departed with an ample amount of district title motivation if their ball-control offense can do exactly that.

Nederland led in time of possession, 26:28 to 21:32 — a statistic that few analysts possibly could have expected.

“It’s been a rough week,” said Bulldogs boss Larry Neumann, who found the proceedings far more pleasant than Indians’ chief Matt Burnett. “Thank goodness it was a rival game. I think that really helped every one to focus on this game. Like I told Matt (in the post-game exchange), I believe they (the Indians) will be there at the end.”

Nederland gained 20 or more yards on seven snaps while PN-G managed the same accomplishment only four times, but the Dogs really turned out to be more productive than the Indians both at running and throwing the ball.

The Dogs owned the total yardage count, 425-331; first downs, 23-18; rushing yards, 193-139 and passing yards, 232-192. Those numbers understandably pleased NHS offensive coordinator Monte Barrow, but time of possession definitely did.

“Any time you play Port Neches, it’s a big key not to give them the ball back,” Barrow said. “It takes them out of their plan.”

The night’s longest gainer arguably amount to the game’s biggest play, too. Midway in the second quarter, Bellow and Vidrine solved PN-G’s zone for a 79-yard touchdown pass with the help of a nifty downfield clearing block from fellow receiver Asa Cardenas.

It could be termed way too early in the game to be considered a knockout punch but the momentum completely changed forever right then and there. Nederland faced 3rd and 13 on its own 21 and clinged to a shaky 10-7 lead.

Bellow retreated and Vidrine angled across the field on a skinny post route. PN-G played a Cover 2 (two-man zone) and Vidrine seemed to haul in the pass with his right hand and tip it to himself while never breaking stride.

“I don’t think there was a greater play all night than that,” play-caller Barrow reflected. “It was the first time they had brought in an extra defensive back and Jude came off the ball, his guy (Indians’ safety Alex Gaspard) didn’t go with him.”

It looked as it had the makings of a pass for less than 15 yards but Cardenas helped to turn it into a game-breaker.