Sunday, September 25, 2016
Alabama State Hornets blow 11-point fourth-quarter lead
MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- The night did not start off well for Alabama State in its home opener, and it ended even worse.
Texas Southern quarterback Averion Hurts completed a 41-yard touchdown pass to Austin Watts with 3:44 left in the game to complete a 31-27 come-from-behind win over Alabama State at ASU Stadium.
The Hornets (0-4, 0-3 SWAC) outgained the Tigers 445 to 303 and held a 27-16 lead with more than 12 minutes left in the game.
Hornets quarterback Quinterris Toppings completed 21 of 31 passes for 323 yards and a touchdown with an interception. Willie White caught eight passes for 132 yards. Khalid Thomas carried the ball 17 times for 84 yards.
“I definitely saw improvement, but we still make mistakes that very young teams do,” Alabama State coach Brian Jenkins said. “We’ve got to do better in some areas. The loss falls on me. I’m not going to make any excuses. We just didn’t get it done.”
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Harrell runs Morgan State past Howard, 28-24
BALTIMORE, Maryland -- The game started fast and furious but it all came down to the last minute at Hughes Stadium on Saturday night.Eric Harrell scored on a four yard touchdown run with 30 seconds left capping a 13-play drive to help lead the Morgan State Bears to a 28-24 victory over the Howard Bison. This was the Bears' first victory for interim head coach Fred T. Farrier and his squad.
For Harrell, it was his first ever touchdown for the Bears, which came at the perfect time.
"When coach called my number, I did what I had to do," said Harrell. "We did what we had to do as a team. O-Line, fullback made their blocks, wide receivers made their blocks. I just got in."
"We just said we're going to run it in," said Farrier. "I said we're either going to win or lose it running the ball. If we didn't, we were going to send in the field goal unit. Eric did a great job on that (touchdown run). That could've been OJ [Orlando Johnson], Lamont [Brown] or anybody. The offensive line got that touchdown for us."
It didn't take long for Morgan State (1-2, 1-0 MEAC) to get on the board. Chris Andrews threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Willie Gillus just 41 seconds into the game. The extra point was missed by Alex Raya. The Bears led 6-0.
Howard (0-4, 0-2 MEAC) answered the Bears with a one yard touchdown run by William Parker. The extra point was good, giving the Bison a 7-6 lead with 5:44 left.
The Bears roared back with Andrews connecting on a 51-yard touchdown pass to Ladarious Spearman who seemed to juggle the ball before securing it. Duchon Davis ran in the two-point conversion to give the Bears a 14-7 lead with 3:51 left in the first quarter.
On Howard's possession, MSU junior Jai Franklin forced and recovered a Kalen Johnson fumble at the Howard 32. Andrews made the Bison pay on the next play, connecting on a 32-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Fisk with 42.4 seconds left. The extra point by Raya extended the Bear advantage to 21-7.
Howard answered with a 34-yard field goal from Jordan Griggs with 4:35 left in the second quarter. That was Griggs' first ever kick made for the Bison on his first attempt. That cut the Morgan State advantage to 21-10, which would be the halftime score.
Howard struck first to begin the second half with a one yard touchdown run from Da'Vaun Johnson with 9:29 left in the third quarter. Robert Mercer caught the two-point conversion pass to further cut the MSU lead to 21-18.
After forcing a Bears three and out, Howard marched for 13 plays to the Morgan State 6 yard line. The defense forced Griggs to convert a field goal from 24 yards to tie the score at 21 with 8:07 left in regulation.
On the next Bear possession, it didn't take long for Howard's defense to strike again as Chris Andrews' pass was intercepted by David Lee at the Howard 37 with 8:02 remaining.
The Bison took nine plays to drive the ball inside the Morgan State red zone. Griggs came through again with a 35-yard field goal to put the Bison ahead 24-21 with four minutes left in the game.
The key to Morgan State's last drive was Andrews converting on a 4th down and 8 with a 10-yard run to the Bears' 43 yard line to keep their hopes alive. The offensive line stepped up huge on the Bears last drive.
"I love my O line," said Andrews. "I love them big guys. They gave me a lot of room to pass for our touchdowns and on that last drive for the runs we needed. So as long as we keep moving like this, I don't see who is going to be able to stop us. But we got to keep getting better."
Next week, the Bears host Delaware State at Hughes Stadium. Kickoff time is scheduled for 1 pm.
BEAR SHOTS
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MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
SCSU Bulldogs Roll Over FAMU Rattler 48-14 in MEAC Opener
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- South Carolina State put on an impressive showing defeating host Florida A&M, 48-14, Saturday (Sept. 24) at Bragg Stadium. The Bulldogs amassed 431 yards' total offense in the win.SC State improved to 1-3 overall, 1-0 in the MEAC, while the Rattlers fall to 0-4 overall, 0-1 in the league. The win improves Pough's overall record to 13-1 over Florida A&M.
The Bulldogs scored first on a 3-yard toss from sophomore quarterback Caleb York to wide receiver Ahmaad Harris to jump ahead 7-0. FAMU tied the game 7-7 on a 19-yard strike from quarterback Kenneth Coleman to Desmond Noird.
Redshirt freshman running back Bishop Ford scored on a 1-yard punch to give the Bulldogs a 14-7 advantage. Freshman defensive lineman Paul McKeiver forced a fumble and recovered midway through the second quarter to put SC State in excellent scoring position.
York connected on a 14-yard touchdown score to Quan Caldwell to close out the first-half, giving South Carolina State a 21-7 lead over Florida A&M.
The second-half was all SC State with junior kicker Tyler Scandrett nailing back-to-back field goals of 31 and 27 to push the lead to 27-7. Sophomore tight end Deangelo Frazier caught his first collegiate touchdown on a 55-yard connection from York.
FAMU battled back to find the end zone for the second time on the night on a 2-yard run by Tevin Spells early in the fourth quarter. Ford and York connected on an 8-yard pass to give the Bulldogs a commanding 41-14 lead.
The Rattlers was doomed by costly turnovers, after redshirt junior linebacker Dayshawn Taylor ran a 52-yard interception back for a touchdown to seal the 48-14 victory for SC State.
The Bulldogs defense played lights out forcing seven (7) turnovers on the night with four interceptions and three fumbles. All-MEAC redshirt junior linebacker Darius Leonard led the charge on defense with a game-high 11 tackles, while senior defensive back Marquise Jones finished with two interceptions.
York led the air attack throwing 21-of-38 for 238 yards and four touchdowns, while Ford finished with his first career 100-yard rushing game with 14 carries for 105 yards and touchdown. He finished with 144 total All-purpose yards.
South Carolina State will have a bye next week before returning to action Saturday Oct.8, when they host Bethune-Cookman in a pivotal Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference showdown at O.C. Dawson Stadium. Kickoff is 1:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN3/ESPNU (Tape-Delay).
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SSU beats Bethune-Cookman, 16-10, in overtime thriller
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| COURTESY SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS |
A home-opening crowd of 5,374 at T.A. Wright Stadium watched as SSU (1-2 overall, 1-0 MEAC) won its first game since beating MEAC foe Florida A&M University, 37-27, on Oct. 3, 2015, at T.A. Wright Stadium. The win also snapped SSU's 16-game losing streak to Bethune-Cookman (0-3, 0-1 MEAC), which was picked to finish second in the MEAC preseason poll. Last season, Bethune-Cookman was a MEAC co-champion with North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central.
"There are all types of different emotions going through me right now," said Frazier, a senior whose only run was the game-winner. "I'm proud of the defense. I'm proud of the coaching staff. I'm proud of all my teammates. We just need to get this behind us and go attack the MEAC. Many people have downgraded us but we're about to do big things this year."
SSU's victory was the first for head coach Erik Raeburn, who in March was hired away from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind., where he compiled a 78-13 record from 2008-15 and earned five trips to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
"I'm so proud of them," Raeburn said of his players, who celebrated by dousing him with a bucket of ice-water. "They just hung in there and found a way to win."
Bethune-Cookman took a 3-0 lead when Uriel Hernandez kicked a 39-yard field goal with 2:16 left in the first quarter. Hernandez missed a 32-yard field goal attempt with 12:43 remaining before halftime.
SSU tied the game on John Barron's 38-yard field goal with 7:03 left before halftime.
The Tigers took a 10-3 lead into halftime thanks to freshman quarterback T.J. Bell's 26-yard touchdown pass to senior Jeremiah Harris with 3:04 left in the second quarter. Harris initially bobbled the ball as he attempted to catch it but somehow, without breaking his stride, snared it and darted through traffic into the end zone. Barron kicked the extra point.
In the fourth quarter, SSU botched a punt attempt, giving Bethune-Cookman the ball at the Tigers' 2-yard line. On the ensuing play, Wildcats quarterback Akevious Williams ran up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown. Hernandez kicked the extra point, tying the game with 7:19 left to play.
"That fourth quarter, we lost all momentum," Raeburn said. "We had the bad punt snap that gave them the ball on the 2-yard line, and they punched one in for a touchdown. We could have hung our hats and said, 'Here we go again,' which has been the Achilles' heel for (SSU) in the past."
Bethune-Cookman's Hernandez attempted a 52-yard field goal with 1:34 to play but it fell short.
In overtime, Bethune-Cookman got the ball first and began its drive at SSU's 25-yard line. Running back Tupac Isme ran for 5 yards before SSU senior defensive end Marquis Smith forced a fumble, which was recovered by Bethune-Cookman offensive lineman Phillip Norman at SSU's 15-yard line.
Isme then ran for no gain, followed by a run for a 5-yard loss in which he recovered his own fumble. Bethune-Cookman's Williams was intercepted by SSU sophomore cornerback Darrell "Vanquez" Bonner at SSU's 6-yard line.
"The defense, man, they carried the load tonight," Raeburn said.
SSU started its winning drive at Bethune-Cookman's 25-yard line and Arshon Spaulding ran for 2 yards. Freshman Blake Dever, who made his second straight start at quarterback for SSU, completed a pass to junior wide receiver Tino Smith for a 15-yard gain to Bethune-Cookman's 8-yard line.
On first-and-goal, Spaulding ran for a 1-yard loss. SSU called a timeout. The Tigers, who finished the game with 73 yards rushing (64 yards by Spaulding), considered throwing the ball since their running game had struggled, but Raeburn said SSU assistant coach Russell DeMasi talked him out of it.
"We were going to throw a pass that we like to throw from the left hash but we were on the right hash," Raeburn said. "We decided to take the timeout and we debated which one to do. Coach DeMasi convinced me to run that one and thank God he did."
After the timeout, SSU junior running back Nicholas Bentley made two big-time blocks against Bethune-Cookman defenders, springing Frazier on a jet sweep to the right. Downfield, SSU's Harris blocked a Bethune-Cookman cornerback, providing Frazier the space he needed to sprint untouched into the end zone.
SSU's Dever finished 9-of-23 passing for 114 yards without an interception. Bell was 5-of-6 passing for 74 yards, including a touchdown, and threw an interception.
"I didn't want it to be this close but it happened," Dever said. "We just played together and stuck together through it all. We played as a family. We talked all through the summer about playing as a family. This is a very big win for us."
SSU's Smith, who this season moved from linebacker to defensive end, finished with a game-high 12 tackles, including 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss. He also forced two fumbles.
"We set the tone for this season," Smith said. "This is the new Savannah State. We've got a different mindset, different leaders, different coaches who have come in here and brought the right mentality. It doesn't matter who we play, we're going to give it our all."
SSU junior linebacker Mulik Simmons made 11 tackles, including a half-sack, and sophomore defensive end Stefen Banks had 10 tackles, including a half-sack. Linebacker Ellison Burns, a junior from Savannah's Benedictine Military School, had a half-sack. Burns and Simmons combined to sack Bethune-Cookman's Williams for an 8-yard loss on third-and-8 in the fourth quarter, forcing the Wildcats to punt. SSU sacked Williams three times.
The Tigers made 81 tackles, including nine for minus-44 yards. Junior defensive lineman Quaron Hilliard recovered a fumble. Singleton intercepted a pass in overtime.
SSU will travel to Tallahassee, Fla., to play Florida A&M at 6 p.m. Saturday.
BOX SCORE
SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
Lacey leads No. 12 Tuskegee to dominating win over Lane
TUSKEGEE, Alabama — All the pregame chatter revolved around the top-20 matchup of Tuskegee’s rush defense and Lane College’s potent rushing attack, but Golden Tigers quarterback Kevin Lacey quickly changed the subject.
The senior orchestrated a game-opening touchdown drive and muted the talk with three total scores as the Golden Tigers, ranked 12th in the AFCA Division II poll, pulled away from the Dragons 38-7 Saturday afternoon in both teams’ Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener at Cleve L. Abbott Alumni Memorial Stadium.
“We knew we had to start fast,” Lacey said. “Lane, they were 3-0 for a reason. They’ve played three good teams. We knew we had to get at them fast. We went out and scored in the first six plays, and that’s how you get at them.
“For us, we just practice on being perfect, so when it comes to game time, we just make sure we’re perfect in the game. Sometimes it’s just carryover for us. We work hard, harder than we have been in recent years and it’s showing on the game field.”
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Matias Lambrecht’s field goal lifts J.C. Smith past Elizabeth City State on final play
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- J.C. Smith found a way to deal with adversity at the right time.Matias Lambrecht’s 33-yard field goal on the final play lifted the Golden Bulls to a 31-28 home win against Elizabeth City State in the CIAA opener for both teams Saturday. J.C. Smith, which twice blew two-touchdown advantages, marched 73 yards in the final 89 seconds to earn its first win in the series since 2002.
“We’d go forward, then we’d go backward, but that’s the nature of the game,” Golden Bulls (1-3, 1-0) coach Kermit Blount said. “What we did today at the end of the game was something that we work on Thursdays, so it wasn’t a surprise to our young guys.”
Golden Bulls quarterback Harold Herbin, who took over as starter for the injured Jordan Lane (broken leg), sparked the final possession with 45 combined yards, including a 25-yard strike to Demarcus Berry at the Elizabeth City State 34. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved J.C. Smith into position for Lambrecht’s first successful field goal as a collegian.
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