Miles Golden Bears Dominate Lane on Senior Day

FAIRFIELD, Alabama --  Miles knows its ticket to the SIAC Championship Game will likely depend on whether it can earn a win against Tuskegee on Nov. 7. But head coach Reginald Ruffin and his team knows that they can not take any team lightly in the interim, which meant bad news for visiting Lane on Saturday afternoon at Albert J. Sloan-Alumni Stadium.

The Golden Bears ran over, around, and threw the Dragons, racking up 305 of its 446 offensive yards on the ground with two players - running back Jamarcus Nance and quarterback David Whipple - each breaking the 100-yard rushing mark en route to a 37-10 Senior Day victory. The win was the third straight for Miles (4-4, 3-0 SIAC West), which can earn a spot in the league championship game on Nov. 14 with wins at Stillman on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and Tuskegee in two weeks.

Miles' defense was not its usual, stingy self against the Dragons (2-6, 0-4 SIAC West), allowing 237 rushing yards and nearly five yards per play. But the Golden Bears forced four turnovers - two on interceptions by Caleb Duncan - and a 13-yard fumble recovery for a score by Braysean Jones to quell any chance Lane had of remaining competitive.

Nance (18 carries, 129 yards) scored both of his touchdowns in the first half. He opened the scoring on Miles' opening possession with a 4-yard scamper, then ended the half with a 14-yard run that gave the Golden Bears a 27-0 lead at the break. When Jones scooped and scored less than a minute into the third quarter, Lane was down 34-0 and the only remaining question was the final margin of victory.

But the Dragons continued to fight as Miles suffered an apparent letdown that has become all to common in all of its games this season. Lane got on the board with a field goal on their ensuing possession, then added a 58-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-1 play with 8:18 left in the third quarter.

The offense did not find the end zone in the second half but Whipple did a good job moving the chains in the second half and, ultimatelty, burning the clock. He rushed for 101 yards and threw for 141 more as he had his most solid performance of the season.

Nick Christiansen closed out the scoring with a 27-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter, one of three he made on the night. Emmanuel Ray had a team-high 10 tackles and a fumble recovery while Albert Cruse and Rodrick Holloman each had sacks for the defense. Earnest Bell, Jr. also scored early for Miles on a fumble recovery in the end zone.

Box Score 

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