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Albany State bats down Eagles' chances
By MIKE POTTER, The Herald-Sun
August 26, 2007 12:21 am
ALBANY, Ga. -- N.C. Central's offense had trouble moving the ball for most of the game in Mose Rison's head-coaching debut Saturday night at Albany State, but quarterback Stadford Brown got the Eagles moving in the last five minutes and almost pulled off a miracle at Albany Municipal Stadium.
NCCU just ran out of time.
Brown drove his team 44 yards to the ASU 20 in the game's final 30 seconds. But after breaking at least three tackles, he threw the ball unsuccessfully into a crowd at the final horn, and the Golden Bears finally got to take a deep breath with a 16-10 victory.
"We just didn't do anything offensively in the first half," said Rison, who also serves as offensive coordinator. "In the second half, we moved the ball pretty good.
"And except for one play, our defense was outstanding and kept us in the ballgame."
The result of the game avenged last season's 20-0 season-opening win by the Eagles, who went on to win the Black National Championship.
It also broke the Eagles' streak of 10 straight victories on the road.
But the loss certainly didn't come at the hands of an upstart opponent, as the Golden Rams are seeking their fifth straight SIAC championship.
"What an exciting game," Albany State coach Mike White said. "And it came down to the very last play. Our guys fought hard and so did theirs. In the end, we got a very big win, and we needed it."
Brown completed 15 of 29 passes for 139 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions and added 35 yards rushing on seven carries. Wayne Blackwell had six catches for 94 yards for NCCU, while Jeff Tolliver was the leading rusher with 45 yards on 19 carries.
ASU rushed for 240 yards to 101 for the Eagles, as Brian Porter led the Rams' ground attack with 14 carries for 116 yards and a score. Kisan Flakes completed nine of 17 passes for 73 yards and a score for the winners.
The teams played to a scoreless first period, with the Eagles registering minus-7 yards total offense. Brandon Gilbert's 49-yard field-goal attempt hit the crossbar on the Eagles' first possession after Xavier Joe recovered Flakes' fumble on the first play of the game. ASU freshman Tory Torstenson hit the right upright from 31 yards out with 4:13 left in the period.
NCCU didn't pick up a first down until its fourth possession of the game early in the second quarter.
The Golden Rams had the ball for 19:57 in the first half but didn't get the ball into the end zone until a huge NCCU mistake. With 2:03 left in the half, ASU end Jason Marshall stepped in front of a Brown pass at the Eagles' 21 and returned the ball 6 yards.
Four plays later Flakes found Nick Kyles in a jump-ball situation in the right rear corner of the end zone from 9 yards out. Torstenson's kick wobbled over the crossbar, and it was 7-0 with 41.2 seconds left in the half.
The Eagles responded by moving to the hosts' 40 in two plays, but Terry McGhee intercepted Brown's pass in the end zone to end the threat.
"They won the first half," Brown said. "We came back in the second, but the win was elusive. What we did was too little and too late. We just needed to make one more play.
"We're still learning to play as a team."
NCCU finally put up some offense on its first series of the second half. The Eagles moved 48 yards in 13 plays to set up Gilbert's 31-yard field goal at the 8:40 mark of the third to trim the deficit to 7-3.
The hosts got a short field late in the third quarter when NCCU freshman Taylor Gray's punt went only 16 yards to the Eagles' 38. Eight plays later Torstenson hit a 28-yard field goal to make it 10-3 with 14:06 left in the game.
And an odd sequence midway through the fourth period seemed to have put the game away for the Rams.
The Eagles appeared to get a big break with 6:15 left, when Derrick Ray forced the Rams LiRonnie Davis to fumble at the ASU 40 and Courtney Coard recovered. But on the next play Brian Richardson intercepted a long Brown pass and returned it to the ASU 40. Porter broke off a 60-yard scoring run on the very next play, putting the Rams up 16-10 with 5:43 to go before Torstenson missed the kick.
The Eagles went 50 yards in five plays on the next possession, with Brown connecting with Blackwell from 26 yards out and Gilbert adding the conversion with 2:01 left.
The NCCU defense held in three plays, setting up the near-miracle finish.
"I saw three white jerseys down there when I let go of the ball," Brown said of the final play. "I didn't see the blue one until it was too late."
NOTES -- ASU leads the all-time series 3-1. ... Attendance was announced at 6,339. ... NCCU's next two games are at home, against Fayetteville State a week from today in the Labor Day Classic and then St. Augustine's on Sept. 8. ... ASU visits Valdosta State on Saturday night.
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