LOS ANGELES, CA - Val Ford returned two blocked punts for touchdowns in the first half and led Prairie View A&M to a 22-7 victory over North Carolina A&T in the the 2nd annual Angel City Classic Saturday afternoon at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
North Carolina A&T has now lost 18 consecutive games dating back to October 2005.
Three times in the second quarter the Panthers' (2-0, 0-0) defensive back and special teamer Riante Jones blocked three kicks that sparked Prairie View and led to two touchdowns. Early in the quarter Jones blocked Eric Houston's punt near the Aggies' 20-yard line. Ford picked up the loose ball and raced 18 yards into the end zone giving the Panthers a 7-0 lead.
The Aggies (0-2, 0-0) countered with a drive down to the Prairie View A&M nine-yard line but Jones blocked Lee Woodson's 27-yard field goal attempt, foiling the North Carolina A&T scoring threat.
With 2:03 remaining in the second quarter, Jones broke through the middle of the Aggies' front line for a third time and blocked Houston's punt for the second time in the game. This time Ford caught the ball in full stride and returned it three yards for a TD increasing the Panthers' lead to 13-0 The Aggies' offense moved the ball in the first-half but came up empty.
North Carolina A&T gained 182 yards in total offense and held the ball for over 20 minutes in the opening half, but was unable to score. In the second half the offense sputtered.
Late in the third quarter, QB Chris Gibson scored on a nine-yard TD run upping the Panthers' lead to 20-0. North Carolina A&T got on the board on a fourth quarter 32-yard TD pass from Shelton Morgan to Giorgio Lowrance.
Gibson completed 16 passes for 145 yards for the Panthers.
Anthony Weeden caught six passes and Joe Townsend and Shaun Stephens each had five catches for Prairie View. Michael Ferguson led the Aggies with 181 yards rushing on 22 carries.
Saturday's game was the first time the two teams have played each other.
Prairie View A&M holds the NCAA record of 80 straight losses between 1989 -- 1998.
No comments:
Post a Comment