Rocky Mount, NC - Elizabeth City State University came into its game Saturday night expecting to win.
Starting running back Daronte McNeill felt it before the game, and coach Waverly Tillar saw it as the first half progressed. A victory was far from certain when the Vikings walked into the locker room at halftime ahead by only seven points.
Before the second half kicked off, Tillar reminded his team of three things: What they want, why they were there and where they are going.
After three touchdowns in the third quarter and two more in the fourth, the Vikings finally are headed back in the direction they wanted to go with a 49-7 victory against Livingstone College in the 14th annual Down East Viking Football Classic at Rocky Mount Sports Complex.
“Coming in, they probably had the game won already in their minds,” Tillar said. “It wasn’t like that. You have to play one snap at a time, 11 people at a time. You have to play the entire game. At the half, I got their minds straight and told them what to do.”
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Showing posts with label Down East Viking Football Classic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Down East Viking Football Classic. Show all posts
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Fayetteville State fails to capitalize on early lead
Rocky Mount, N.C. - Fayetteville State was given every chance to put away Elizabeth City State during the first half of the Down East Viking Football Classic on Saturday at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex. But as time continued to tick off the clock and a partisan Elizabeth City State crowd grew restless with some poor play by the Vikings early, hope emerged.
It came in the form of a defense that didn’t let things get out of hand, and when Elizabeth City State’s special teams caught a break, momentum followed in its favor. “We had a few stumbles and falls, but we picked it back up, and that’s what we needed to do,” Elizabeth City State wide receiver Dexter Manley said after his team rallied for a 38-26 victory in the 13th edition of the Classic.
Photo Gallery: Down East Viking Football Classic tailgating
Elizabeth City state rallies for Down East Viking Classic victory
With roughly a minute remaining in the first half, Fayetteville State had already watched its 13-point lead against Elizabeth City State shrink to three.
It came in the form of a defense that didn’t let things get out of hand, and when Elizabeth City State’s special teams caught a break, momentum followed in its favor. “We had a few stumbles and falls, but we picked it back up, and that’s what we needed to do,” Elizabeth City State wide receiver Dexter Manley said after his team rallied for a 38-26 victory in the 13th edition of the Classic.
Photo Gallery: Down East Viking Football Classic tailgating
Elizabeth City state rallies for Down East Viking Classic victory
With roughly a minute remaining in the first half, Fayetteville State had already watched its 13-point lead against Elizabeth City State shrink to three.
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