WARNER ROBINS - Led by a staunch defense that played on its opponents' side of the line of scrimmage and a punishing ground attack that racked up 417 yards of rushing offense, Warner Robins opened its season with a 44-6 win over Wheeler on Friday at McConnell-Talbert Stadium.

"Our mind-set was to get 11 men to the football," defensive tackle Jeffrey Whitaker said. "We wanted to play physical up front and set the tone for the season."

Whitaker and his defensive mates showed little regard for Wheeler's spread formations under the direction of quarterback Chris Allen. Demons defenders made six tackles behind the line of scrimmage for a total of 25 yards of negative yardage.

Linemen, linebackers and defensive backs all played in the Wildcats' backfield. Wheeler managed 123 yards of total offense. The Wildcats' lone points came when Allen connected with Derrick Evans for a fourth-quarter touchdown pass against the Warner Robins reserves.

Meanwhile, Warner Robins' backs were piling up yardage on the ground.

Sophomore reserve Brian Sutton led all backs with 124 yards on just seven carries. Half of that came on a 61-yard scamper off misdirection for the Demons' final score of the night. Senior Jonathan Jackson rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.

About a dozen Warner Robins backs got carries on the night. Even before the reserves played out the fourth quarter, the Demons hit Wheeler with several backs from several angles.

Quarterback Maurice Dudley's ball-handling and deception kept the Wildcats guessing.

"You've got to carry out your fakes in the wing, and that's one of the best things (Dudley) does," head coach Bryan Way said. "And all the other backs feed off his lead. We tell them a fake is worth two blocks. It's one of our keys."

After forcing a punt on Wheeler's opening possession, the Demons wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard. A pair of runs to the left produced little, but on third-and-long, Jackson tried the right side for a gain of 29 yards and a first down to the Wildcats' 35.

On the next play, fullback Dominic Butts burst up the middle and sprinted toward the far pylon which he hit while being dragged to the ground. Warner Robins first score of the new season came at the 7:48 mark of the first quarter.

In addition to the other areas of the game, Warner Robins (1-0) controlled field position. The Demons had seven first-half possessions and started at the Wheeler 48 on average. By contrast, the Wildcats scrimmaged from their own 18. Warner Robins had good kick coverage after scores.

Warner Robins doubled its lead just before the end of the first quarter. Dominique Primus' 6-yard run capped a six-play, 48-yard drive that made the score 14-0 in favor of the Demons.

By intermission, Warner Robins led 28-0 thanks to a pair of touchdown runs by Jackson. The first was set up by an interception from safety Darius Rogers-Wilson.

"We got out there and got after it," Way said, "and I think the players had a good time doing it."

The Demons put the game away by scoring the first 16 points of the second half. In addition to Sutton's run, Charles Colbert scored on a 40-yard run and linebacker Michael Lee blocked a punt out of the endzone for a safety.

The Demons might have put more points on the scoreboard, but they lost three of their four fumbles. Two came inside the Wheeler 5-yard line.