RALEIGH, North Carolina -- Cyril Davis (R-Fr./Orangeburg, SC) came off the bench in the second half to throw two touchdown passes and Brian Richards (R-Sr./Waldorf, MD) caught six passes for 153 yards and a touchdown as Saint Augustine's University downed Johnson C. Smith University 13-6 in a CIAA football contest at John H. Baker Stadium on Saturday, November 2, 2013. The contest was designated as Senior Day."It's Senior Day, and you want to play well," St. Aug Head Coach Michael Costa said. "You want the seniors to go out on a good note. The seniors stepped in and did what they needed to do."
Chris Roberts (R-Soph./Albany, Ga.) recorded 3.5 sacks for the Falcons, who snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 4-5 overall and 3-3 in the CIAA. The Golden Bulls fell to 4-5 overall and 2-5 in the CIAA after dropping their fourth consecutive game. The Falcons have beaten the Golden Bulls three consecutive times at home.
Davis, playing his first career game, sparked the offense of the Falcons, who trailed 6-0 at halftime. The Falcons took a 7-6 lead in the third quarter on a 65-yard pass from Davis to Chris Dalton (Sr./Statesville, NC) and Michael Lima's (R-Jr./Miami, FL) extra point. On the touchdown play, Dalton turned a short pass into a long run with no defenders in sight to put the Falcons ahead.
The Golden Bulls threatened to re-gain the lead in the fourth quarter. They droved inside the Falcons' 20-yard line, but the Falcons pushed them back to SAU 44-yard line where the Golden Bulls were forced to punt.
The Falcons stretched the lead to 13-6 with 3:25 left on an 89-yard pass from Davis to Richards on their next possession. Davis scrambled to his left to avoid pressure and found a wide-open Richards downfield. Richards caught the pass in stride and ran untouched down the left sideline for the score. The play was the longest this season and one of the longest in school history for the Falcons.
The Golden Bulls drove past midfield on their final possession, but the drive stalled at the Falcons' 48-yard line. Facing fourth down and one, the Golden Bulls were penalized for a false start. On the next play, Kharea Roseboro (R-Jr./Statesville, NC) stopped Kyle Gregg for no gain with a vicious hit on a pass play to give the Falcons possession on downs. Lined up in victory formation, the Falcons ran out the clock for the victory.
Davis threw for 187 yards on 6 of 13 passing for the Falcons and was not sacked. He also threw two interceptions in addition to his two touchdown passes, but his calming presence uplifted the Falcons in the second half.
"He did a good job," Costa said. "Once he starts working more with the first team and gets his timing down, I'm pretty sure he will do even better."
Dalton had three receptions for 91 yards and a score for the Falcons. JJShawn Pinkston (R-Sr./Mooresville, NC) added 46 rushing yards on eight carries.
The Falcons' defense, ranked among the CIAA's best, stymied the Golden Bulls offensive attack until the St. Aug offense got on track. CIAA tackles leader Chaz Robinson (Sr./Hampton, Va.) recorded a game-high nine tackles for the Falcons, who held the Golden Bulls to 73 rushing yards. The Golden Bulls scored 35 or more points in seven of eight games entering Saturday's contest. The Falcons finished with four sacks and picked off three passes – including one each by Jordan Griffin (So./Middletown, DE), Brandon Taylor (Fr./Opelika, AL) and John'ta Cooper (Jr./Cairo, GA).
"I think we played one of the best defensive games we've played in a long time," Costa said.
For the Golden Bulls, Gregg rushed 13 times for 69 yards and Fred Scott caught seven passes for 59 yards. Andrew Alexander competed 13 of 20 passes for 131 yards including a 38-yard scoring pass to LeAnder Barney in the first quarter for the early lead. But Alexander was intercepted once and sacked four times. Keahn Wallace entered for Alexander in the second half and completed 9 of 16 passes but the Falcons intercepted him twice. On defense, the trio of Austin Jacques, Leon Minto and Anthony Allen each finished with five tackles for the Golden Bulls.
Before the contest, 19 football seniors were honored along with nine band seniors. The football seniors were Au'Darius Blackwood (Mooresville, NC), Dalton, Jadarius Dean (Milledgeville, GA), Dante Devouse (Phenix, AL), Javarous Faulk (Macon, GA), Javon Harley (Newark, DE), Bryan Jones (Warner Robins, GA), Jermaine Jones (Wilmington, NC), Newton Miller III (York, PA), Ronald Moore (Greensboro, NC), Alex Munro (Ashburn, VA), Shonquez Nelson (Lake City, SC), Rodricaus Peters (Decatur, GA), Pinkston, Herman Reaves (Miami, FL), Richards, Robinson, Roseboro and Tucker.
The Falcons conclude the regular season against crosstown rival Shaw University at Durham County Stadium in Durham, NC, on Saturday, November 9, 2013. Game time is 1 p.m.
"We have to be ready," Costa said. "It's a rivalry. It's all about us being ready."
COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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