By Mike Marzelli/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFFLAS CRUCES, N.M. — Oliver Stone couldn’t have penned a more stunning script than the one that very nearly unfolded Saturday evening.
In almost completing a turnaround that could have easily been ripped from a Hollywood movie, an Arkansas-Pine Bluff team that couldn’t have been more down and out after a humbling 55-point loss just seven days ago waltzed into New Mexico State and outplayed what was supposed to be the most difficult opponent in school history, but fell just short when Paul Young booted a game-winning 37-yard field goal on the last play from scrimmage to allow the Aggies to escape with a 20-17 win before 15,329 pink-clad fans.
State was put in position for its final drive after UAPB (1-4 1-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) squandered a golden opportunity to grab the lead when quarterback Johnathan Moore was intercepted in the end zone by the Aggies’ Derrick Richardson with 2:36 to play after the Lions had driven down to the 28-yard line.
NMSU (3-2) backup quarterback J.J. McDermott opened the game-winning drive under center after starting quarterback Chase Holbrook was knocked from the game on the previous series, but Holbrook returned after McDermott moved the ball to his own 45-yard line and completed the 11-play, 60-yard drive to set up Young on the right hash mark of UAPB 20-yard line. The end-over-end kick was right down the middle and set off fireworks and a stadium-wide celebration.
“I thought our kids accepted the challenge and we took it down to the wire, we just came up short,” said UAPB head coach Mo Forte, who coached the game from the press box. “ Our defense played really well and our offense finally generated some yards and we put it all together and had some chances, we just didn’t finish it off.”
UAPB showed a renewed sense of confidence and a far better execution in racking up 297 total yards. Moore played his best game of the season, completing 16-of-34 for 234 yards and a touchdown, while wide receiver Jason Jones caught five passes for 64 yards and Raymond Webber hauled in three for 32 yards and a touchdown.
The passing game was sparked by a modest yet much-improved running game, led by Martell Mallett’s 84 yards and a touchdown, but the biggest improvement came up front, where UAPB’s offensive line put together an effort that easily surpassed anything it had shown to date.
“We knew that if their quarterback got hot they could really cause us some problems but their offensive line really surprised us,” New Mexico State coach Hal Mumme said. “We didn’t underestimate them because we knew they have athletes, my hat just goes off to coach Forte because his team played great.”
The Golden Lions played equally well on defense, holding one of the NCAA’s top offenses to 367 yards and limiting Holbrook, who has been mentioned as a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate, to 246 yards and an interception just one week after giving up 58 points to Southern Illinois.
“Last week was just an off week and we were embarrassed,” UAPB defensive end Ledarius Anthony said. “This week the defense came together and the offense played its best game all year and we had the game in our hands, it just slipped away from us.”
Down 10-7 after 30 minutes, the overwhelming underdogs from Pine Bluff could have called it a night after first half and left with a moral victory. Instead, they showed that they meant business on the first drive of the third quarter, converting a 3rd-and-11 from the State 27-yard line with a 26-yard pass to Jones and tying the game two plays later on a 1-yard Mallett touchdown run. The 11-play drive covered 70 yards in 5:05, yet more than anything it signified that the contest was far from over.
The teams traded blanks for the next 30 minutes of the game, with a missed 42-yard field goal from Heflin and a botched 34-yard attempt by State’s Paul Young the only serious threats during the stretch until the final second.
“Our guys were confident even after last week and they played that way,” Forte said. “We knew we could play with these guys and we hung around the whole way.”
The Golden Lions fell behind 10-0 right off the bat, but unlike last week they refused to fold. After consecutive three-and-outs to open the game, UAPB’s offense bounced back from the deficit with an 8-play, 89-yard drive in just 2:55, culminating with a 17-yard touchdown from Moore to Webber at the 3:04 mark of the first quarter.
Things could have gotten even closer midway through the second quarter when defensive linemen Kenneth Leichman forced Tonny Glynn fumble and cornerback Menall Webster fell on it at the Aggie 39-yard line, but UAPB’s drive stalled at the 14-yard line when Mallett was stuffed on a 4th-and-1.
New Mexico State rallied around the defensive stand, turned around and drove 85 yards in 10 plays to take a 17-7, however that did not put a stop to the Lions’ furious charge, as they marched right back down the field and got a 43-yard Brodie Heflin field goal on the final play of the first half to head into the locker room down 17-10.
UAPB could have gotten more out of the drive but twice let more than 20 seconds run off the game clock without calling time out despite the fact that they had all three time outs remaining.
The Golden Lions will be off this week before returning to SWAC play on Oct. 13 when they will face Grambling State in the Delta Classic for Literacy Little Rock.
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