Dalton's Jahmyr Gibbs, left, celebrates with teammate Parker Adams after one of his eight touchdowns in a 62-10 win over Ringgold.RINGGOLD, Ga. - Dalton senior running back Jahmyr Gibbs was nearly untouchable Friday night as he broke past defenders in every way imaginable in a 62-10 season-opening victory over Ringgold.
The Georgia Tech commitment showed an elite level of shiftiness, power and speed as he finished with 24 carries for 404 yards and eight touchdowns without playing a snap in the fourth quarter.
"Every time I get the ball, I am looking to make a move to break a long run," Gibbs said. "My offensive line was great tonight. If we continue to focus on the little things like we have been doing and fix the small mistakes, we can be very special."
Cutting from one sideline to the other, waiting patiently to bounce a run out wide and with the vision to attack the lanes with power, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound, three-star college prospect put on a show many won't forget.
"I think he enjoys the physicality of the game," Dalton coach Matt Land said. "He doesn't just cut to find an opening, he cuts to find an advantage. - whether that's running over somebody or running around somebody. He and all of our guys focused on the mental side of the game a lot this offseason, and they reaped the benefits tonight."
Gibbs scored on runs of 6, 58, 55, 54, 5, 29, 1 and 1 yard. He had an 83-yard touchdown run called back in a possession that did not result in a score for the Catamounts.
Dalton senior running back Jahmyr Gibbs breaks down the sideline for one of his eight touchdowns in a 62-10 victory at Ringgold in the season opener Friday night. Gibbs ran for 404 yards."I want to break the numbers I put up last year and go a lot further," said Gibbs, who had 1,895 total yards and 22 touchdowns last season. "I want to give a special shoutout to my offensive line because they played like men tonight and maybe made one mistake. It was special to do this against a rival - and a dream, really."
Dalton flew to the ball defensively as well and was dominant besides allowing a 14-play, 78-yard scoring drive to Ringgold as Kyle White scored on a quarterback keeper just before halftime.
Gabe Hill made ferocious hits for the Cats and fired up his sideline throughout. Hill dislocated his shoulder late in the third quarter and still had to be held back from going in.
"Seeing our guys fly around to the ball and our offensive line hit the second and third level running and blocking downfield was the football I love to see," Land said. "This is as good of a season opener performance our guys have had in my tenure. Gabe was a leader for us and never takes a play off. I am proud of them all."
For Gibbs, the explosive opener has created quite the buzz, and he said he is still open to any team until signing day as he has a trip to LSU in a couple of weeks.
"Jahmyr came to work tonight and punched his card and got after it with our guys," Land said. "Every game gets tougher from here. But to see him play like he did tonight, I don't think there is a guy more deserving. I am proud of who he is on and off the field."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.