Jesuit Dallas came storming back from a three-score deficit to draw to within seven points of Flower Mound Marcus late in the third quarter, but a fourth quarter surge by the Marauders snuffed out the Rangers' comeback hopes as Jesuit suffered a 48-31 loss in the season opener on Friday Night. The Blue and Gold scored 21 points in the third quarter, the first time since 2017 that the team accomplished that feat, behind a pair of impressive varsity offensive debuts and impactful plays on the defensive end.
 
Junior Gage Roy completed 24 of 34 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns. Despite throwing two interceptions, Roy still finished with the highest passing yardage for a debuting varsity quarterback since Jesuit began tracking in-game stats in 2015. Roy found classmate Hunter Krepp for two touchdowns as the junior finished his varsity debut with five receptions for 136 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.
 
Senior Jake Taylor wasted little time getting back into form, finishing the first game of his senior year with two touchdowns and 74 yards rushing. Fellow senior Kyle Heckel caught five passes for 53 yards, and carried the ball five times to finish the game with 66 all-purpose yards. Junior Ford Butler caught a 46-yard pass during the Jesuit rally, finishing his varsity debut with two catches for 54 yards. Senior Parker Brown drilled a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter and finished the game 4-for-4 in point after attempts while recording touchbacks in four of his five kickoffs.
 
The Jesuit defense forced two turnovers as junior Robert Fitzgerald, who recorded the historic game-clinching interception last November in the UIL Regional Semifinal, snagged his first pick of the season while adding eight tackles and three pass breakups. Senior Jack Judson finished the game with 10 tackles and forced a fumble recovered by junior Lucas Hernandez. Fellow senior Major Kent led the team with 11 tackles as senior Sy Mendenhall tacked on eight stops.
 
A high-powered Flower Mound Marcus offense led by LSU commit Garrett Nussmeier and Cal-Berkeley commit J. Michael Sturdivant jumped out to a 17-0 lead with 2:54 remaining in the first quarter. An 18-yard strike from Roy to junior Cole Younger put the Rangers into Marauder territory for the first time in the contest, and Taylor would break through on a 27-yard rush to the end zone, capping a seven-play, 75-yard drive with Jesuit's long-awaited first touchdown of the 2020 season. The Jesuit defense kept Marcus in check during the second quarter before Judson's forced fumble set the stage for Brown to knock through his 38-yard boot with 25 seconds remaining before halftime.
 
After watching Marcus take the third quarter kickoff on a 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive, Jesuit scored with a one-play to cut the Marauder lead to 14 points. Roy found Krepp up the middle in single coverage, allowing the junior to turn on the jets and cruise into the end zone untouched. Marcus was quick to respond, scoring a touchdown of their own 35 seconds later to return the lead to 21 points.
 
Roy found Krepp again for a long touchdown pass, scoring from 35 yards out to bring the score to 38-24 with 4:26 remaining in the third. The Marauders recovered an onside kick attempt, but Jesuit forced a three-and-out to get the back with 3:27 left in the quarter. Roy found Butler for a 46-yard gain on third and 14, keeping the drive alive before Taylor broke through the Marcus defensive front to score from 15 yards out and cutting the lead to seven points. Marcus would score on a long drive, force a three-and out from Jesuit, add a field goal and shut the Rangers down on a fourth and six to end the comeback attempt.
 
Jesuit will return to action on Friday, Oct. 2 against Rockwall. Friday's matchup will mark the first time since the 2015 UIL Area Round that the Rangers and Yellow Jackets square off on the gridiron. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Postell Stadium.