Orange coach Pat Moser saw what everyone at Auman Stadium could see last Friday: the 3A Panthers have plenty of talent, enough to take a 26-0 first-half lead on a 4A team like Durham Jordan, but they’re still inconsistent enough to have some trouble sealing the deal.

“The offense had a really good first half. We just wanted to come out and run the ball some in the second half and just milk the clock, but it just didn’t happen,” Moser said. “The next thing you know it was the fourth quarter and we put in some subs and we didn’t look sharp.

“But we’ll take the win, absolutely.”

Orange scored twice in the last 2:39 of the second quarter Friday night at Auman Stadium to take a four-touchdown lead into the second half and ground out enough first downs after halftime to earn a 26-6 nonconference win over Jordan.

Jalen Pittman scored two touchdowns off passes from Sean Motley. Jon Evans also scored twice on dramatic plays – a 90-yard punt return on the first play of the second quarter and a 6-yard pass reception on fourth-and-goal on Orange’s last play of the half.

Pittman’s catch-and-runs gave him 130 yards on just six receptions, and he added 3 yards rushing on nine carries. Motley completed 11 of 15 passes for 168 yards.

Pittman opened the scoring 6:36 into the game with a 33-yard reception. He struck again on a Motley pass late in the second quarter, when he rambled 46 yards around end for a touchdown that put Orange on top 19-0 with 2:39 left in the half.

On Jordan’s next series, Orange linebacker Shaquille Bolden intercepted a pass at the Falcons’ 26-yard line with 2:00 left. Seven plays later, Motley hit Evans on a slant pattern over the middle for a 26-0 lead with 28 second left before halftime.

“Shaquille Boldin played really well on defense,” Moser said, “He was all over the field. He’s from Durham, too, so when we play a Durham school he really likes that. We seem to call his name a whole lot tonight. Our defensive line did a good job, to, all four of them.”

Jordan (1-3) got its only points against 3A Orange (3-1) on the Panthers’ second play of the fourth quarter, when Thomas Farrington separated reserve quarterback Garrett Cloer from the ball and Xavier Strothers fell on it in the endzone.

“Defensively, we allowed 26 points, regardless of what the offense did,” Strothers said. “We did struggle on offense, but we could have done better on defense, too.”

It marked the second straight week that Jordan failed to score an offensive touchdown. The Falcons lost 49-0 last week at Leesville Road.

Jordan starting quarterback Matt Gampe, still showing the effects of previous injuries after missing the game at Leesville Road, was held to 5-of-15 passing for 51 yards.

“He still inexperienced and a bit rusty after being out last week, and that’s not a good combination. Especially not tonight against a really good team,” Jordan coach LaDwaun Harrison said. “Hopefully he’ll be back in the swing of things after a few days of practice.”

Harrison hoped all the Falcons would learn from their mistakes as they headed into their first PAC-6 game of the season this Friday against East Chapel Hill (2-2).

“I view the conference season as a start over,” he said. “We know what our issues are; we know where our mistakes are. Now we have the opportunity to correct those and to go into a game against a conference opponent with a chance to get a W.”