Once again Rockdale’s defense couldn’t get any help from its offense, as turnovers and bad field position mounted for a 49-0 loss to Flowery Branch on Friday.

The Bulldogs (2-3) had seven turnovers — four of which led to touchdowns — and a punt blocked on their side of the field in their worst loss since a 49-0 defeat to Salem on Sept. 17, 2004.

"We had this, that and the other," Rockdale coach Michael Etheridge said of the miscues. "We made stupid plays back-to-back-to-back."

The Bulldogs defense bowed its neck early, stopping the Falcons on a fourth-and-goal from the one in the first quarter, but Flowery Branch’s Air Raid offense proved too much.

Flowery Branch (5-0) struck first on a 29-yard touchdown pass from Austin Brown to Brody Thomas with 4:49 left in the first quarter.

The score capped off a 54-yard drive, and Flowery Branch would have one more long possession end in a touchdown.

With 5:32 left in the second quarter Jeremy Haley’s 4-yard touchdown run capped a 63-yard, 8-play drive.

"Our defense played hard in the first half," Etheridge said. "But then we started to make stupid mistakes."

From there the Bulldogs assisted on the rest of Flowery Branch’s scores, which boosted the first year Region 8-AAAA team’s point total to 200 throughout their last three games.

The Bulldogs had their second fumble of the contest on the possession following the Falcons’ second score, giving Flowery Branch possession on the Rockdale 19.

At that range life was much easier for the Falcons’ prolific passer, Austin Brown.

Brown, who finished with 231 yards and four touchdowns on 19-for-21 passing, put the Falcons ahead 21-0 on a 19-yard TD pass to Logan Conley.

Conley was Brown’s favorite target, finishing with 100 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches.

Conley caught his second touchdown after Rockdale’s punt was blocked and recovered by Flowery Branch on the Bulldogs’ 8-yard line. Brown found Conley in the end zone for a 6-yard score and a 28-0 lead with 3:02 left in the second quarter.

After two fumbles and a blocked punt, the Bulldogs would give away the ball one more time in the first half, this time on one of two interceptions by Darion Clark.

The Falcons returned the interception to the Bulldogs’ 9-yard line, and Brown found Casey Osborne in the end zone to cap a 28-point second quarter with 1:48 left.

"Every time we made a mistake they gained on it," Etheridge said.

The Bulldogs came out in the second half without hanging their heads and moved the Falcons’ side of the field for the first time early in the third on a 35-yard pass play from Clark to Michael Dawkins. However, the Bulldogs committed yet another turnover, as Neville Hewitt fumbled on the Falcons’ 2.

A series later, Rockdale again was on the Falcons’ side of the field, but Clark threw another interception. The pick resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by Flowery Branch’s Jimmy McIntyre.

The Bulldogs, who lost their second straight, have scored just 23 points this season and will return home Friday to host Salem.