BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Bonnie and Clyde. Batman and Robin. Cambridge and Hardy.
Two of those duos are well known but at the rate Miles quarterback Joseph Cambridge and running back Justin Hardy are wearing out opposing defenses, the Golden Bears new dynamic duo may not be far from joining the list.
The freshman signal caller threw for two touchdowns and ran for another while the junior tailback slapped the exclamation point on Miles' fourth straight win with an electrifying fourth quarter touchdown run as the Golden Bears defeated Clark Atlanta 38-17 Thursday night at Sloan-Alumni Stadium. The win put the Golden Bears (6-3, 4-1 SIAC West) in position to earn a berth in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship game in two weeks if they win next week at Tuskegee.
Since Cambridge became the starting quarterback on Oct. 7 against Central State, Miles has averaged more than 34 points and 419 yards of offense per game, jumping on opponents quickly and forcing them to play from behind...sometimes, WAY behind. The formula was no different against the Panthers (4-5, 2-3 SIAC East), who quickly found themselves in a 21-0 hole and never really threatened the rest of the way.
CAU dug its own hole early, as a mishandled punt was recovered by Miles deep in Panthers territory. Two plays later, Cambridge ran in from two yards to open the scoring. On the Golden Bears next possession, it was Hardy who went to work, gobbling up 41 of the 52 yards on the drive, culminating with a 10-yard scoring scamper that made the score 14-0 after the opening quarter.
But what has made Miles so dangerous this month is Cambridge's ability to make teams pay in the passing game. CAU started to take punishment in the air in the second quarter when a pass to Leonard Tyree (five cathes, 78 yards) turned into an array of great moves and a strong burst to the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown and a 21-0 advantage midway through the second quarter.
The Panthers would get a 5-yard scoring run from Jajuan Lankford late in the second quarter to send Miles to the locker room with a 21-7 advantage. But those scoring plays were singles and doubles compared to the home run balls the Golden Bears would hit in the second half.
After Nick Christiansen (46 yards) and Carlos Saldana (41 yards) exchanged field goals to open the third quarter, Miles used two devastating quick strikes to put the game on ice.
After forcing a punt, Miles used one play to get into the end zone when Cambridge (8-of-14, 161 yards) connected with Trey Smith on a 65-yard touchdown pass with 4:43 left in the third quarter to push the advantage to 31-10. The defense, which has also been solid during the Golden Bears resurgence, denied CAU four times after facing first-and-goal at the 2. Miles would get the ball back at its own 4 and after Hardy ran for 10 yards on the first play, he quickly finished the drive with a career-high 86-yard touchdown run.
The final run of the day for Hardy gave 177 yards on 17 carries. He became the first running back under Reginald Ruffin to rush for more than 1,000 yards, as he now has a SIAC-leading 1,081 yards. He also leads the league in rushing touchdowns (11) and total touchdowns (12), and has 732 yards and eight rushing touchdowns since Cambridge took over at quarterback.
MarQuel Shelton had a team-high seven tackles (six solo), 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, giving the freshman a team-high 8.5 sacks this season. N'Ktavious Floyd, Michael White and Anthony Hardy each had six tackles for the Golden Bears, who will travel to Tuskegee next Saturday at 1 p.m.
17
4-5 , 2-3
38
6-3 , 4-1
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 | |
| 14 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 38 |
MILES COLLEGE GOLDEN BEARS SPORTS INFORMATION
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