The Bulldogs, under the steely guidance of head coach Louis Runyon, sent a stark message in Week 16 of the 1985 season, dismantling Freak Power 40-9 in a display that was as thorough as it was merciless. This wasn’t just a win—it was a statement, an emphatic flourish to a middling season that saw the Bulldogs finish with an 8-8 record, securing third place in the division and stamping their authority on a division rival woefully outmatched.

From the jump, the Bulldogs weren’t here to play coy. David Glover orchestrated the offense with surgical precision, carving up Freak Power’s defense with 277 passing yards and three touchdown passes. The opening salvo came early: at 10:34 in the first quarter, a razor-sharp pass from Glover connected with Bradley Odonnell for a one-yard touchdown, setting the tone immediately. The Bulldogs’ offense was a relentless machine, refusing to let up. A lightning strike followed shortly after—a 57-yard bomb to James Martinez that bulldozed Freak Power’s confidence and put the Bulldogs up 14-0 barely five minutes into the contest.

And the ground game? A brutal showcase. Running backs Larry Butler and John Pulliam trucked for a combined 195 rushing yards and two receiving touchdowns, their pounding runs wearing down Freak Power’s defense and carving out the kind of room that makes lesser teams fold like cheap card tables. Not to be outdone, Edgar Shields and Martinez chipped in with critical receiving yards, helping maintain offensive momentum throughout the game.

Freak Power’s offense, led by QB James Myer, tried to rally—Myer threw for a respectable 294 yards and one touchdown to Arnold Sorensen, who dazzled with some nifty footwork on his lone score. But all the glamor in the world couldn’t compensate for Freak Power’s failures in critical moments, particularly their three missed field goals that could have kept them within striking distance. Jonathon Flesher’s squad was stymied by the Bulldogs’ defense, which recorded four sacks and snagged a crucial interception. The pressure was relentless and Freak Power buckled under the weight.

Special teams also tilted the field heavily in the Bulldogs’ favor, with Earl Rivera hitting two field goals and converting every extra point, polishing the scoreboard performance to perfection. Meanwhile, Freak Power struggled mightily in the kicking game, missing two crucial field goal attempts wide left and right.

In short, this game was a clinic in dominance. Louis Runyon’s Bulldogs flooded Freak Power with a bruising ground attack, a precision passing game, and a defense that suffocated any hope of a Freak Power comeback. With three straight wins to close the season, the Bulldogs may be eliminated from playoff contention, but if there’s one takeaway, it’s that this squad has found a lethal formula that could turn heads next season.

As Runyon put it after the knockout: "When we fire on all cylinders like today—crippling their will early and clawing back every inch—they know the Bulldogs mean business. This is how we finish, and how we start anew. The future’s bright, no doubt."

In a season that has seen its share of struggles and heartbreaks, the Bulldogs’ emphatic, 40-9 shellacking of Freak Power offers a tantalizing glimpse of a team ready to roar back stronger when the 1986 campaign kicks off.