BLACr 4 4 11(4 FOOTBALL ===== Freedom B By ROBERT ELLER Staff Writer K* The SWAC failed to smack the - UCAT tnM .L. r: 1 iYiL.r\v, iasi jaiUiUd) III II1C 11TM dllllliai Freedom Bowl All-Star Classic at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium. The Eddie Robinson-coached Southwestern Athletic Conference AllStars did beat the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. But the closest they came to a smack was the slap in the face the MEAC felt when SWAC quarterback Harold Smith passed six yards to Rufus Stevens for an unnecessary score with but 15 seconds left on the clock. That final TD made the final score a deceptive 36-22 in the SWAC's favor. "I was shocked that Coach Robinson went for the touchdown with only seconds left in the game. That really surprised me. I figured they would just run out the dock," said MEAC Coach r? ;i 1 r-v - Dill L>avis. The legendary Robinson, whose 313 wins are by far the most of any active football coach, defended the pass for the last score, noting, "This was an allstar game and fans want to see as much action and excitement as possible." Action and excitement are just what the cr?owd of 16,097 got on the sunny, 50-degree day from the time South Carolina State linebacker Lonnie Roberts picked off a Hollis Brent pass on the game's second play until the Grambling and Florida A&M bands had concluded their post-game shows as the darkness began to settle in. Surprisingly, the MEA'C, playing with two quarterbacks who were not starters for their respective teams dur ing the regular season, and with another eight players not in their regular positions, drew first blood. But not as soon as expected. Despite starting at the SWAC 27 after Roberts' interception, the MEAC could not score. In three plays - it managed to lose five yards and a 49-yard field goal attempt by BethuneCookman's Dennis Daniels fell short. The game appeared to be a defensive f r 1 IOCtTp f nr mnrp tKin civ miniifar ? ! XQg'V I VI IIIVI V IIIUII JIA IIIIIIUIW3. Neither team could manage a first " We worked the kids hard and the way we played but the way th - of my top experiences in coachii k down until the SWAC squad was penalized for having 12 men on the field during the MEAC's second punt ~c *u _ -r.-?~ UI U1C dl ICI I1UU11. Given a first down at midfield by the infraction, the MEAC offense came to life. Florida A&M's Greg Fashaw, the game's top runner with 116 yards in 19 carries, ran for seven yards on first down and darted 22 yards on the next play. Five plays later, S.C. State's Lamont Green lofted a 10-yard pass to FAMU's Ray Alexander for the score Page 14-January. t SWCIf f t \ II (owl Debuts 1 ^||||||||||^||||^^|^^ Greetings FAMU's Greg Fashaw (24) finds the h Dennis (37) and Southern's Kevin Ste he strutted his stuff impressively in t at the 3:53 .nark of the first quarter. Davis decided to go for the two-point conversion and Greg Sandiland of Bethune-Cookman promptly skirted left end for an 8-0 lead. That, however, was the high point for the MEAC until the third quarter. The SW'AC took the ensuing kickoff and methodically drove 78 yards in eignt plays tor a score, the key play a 49-yard pass from Brent, Robinson's starting signal-caller at Grambling, to running back Tony Good of Southern. it paid off. I'm proud not only of e ME A C played as well. This is one ig-" ? Eddie Robinson On the next play, Brent passed six yards to Sylvester Stamps of Jackson for thp ?rorp It th#? firct of three scoring passes Stamps would grab coming out of the backfield as he earn6th-Q??*?sfve Player of the Game honors with six catches for 82 yards, tops in the contest. Robinson decided to go for the tie immediately and Brent went again to Stamps, whose conversion catch knot' ted the score at eight with 16 seconds of : the second quarter gone. F%* With Resour mmaammmmmmm WWWk >' HPviiii wj^^ggpp^-^j mj Ijw5- ^ s^^HyF M|^BHH|^Hpp|| ?< % I f v / ' o andle on a SWAC punt just in time to vens (45). Though Fashaw missed mo Atlanta (photo by James Parker). The SWAC grabbed the lead on its next possession, this time driving 65 yards in 10 plays. Smith, who won the game?s Most Valuable Player award, completing 15 of 26 passes for 170 yards and three scores, took over the quarterbacking duties and completed two third-down passes to keep the drive alive. The second completion, which caught the MEAC defense by surprise, set up the score. On third and one from the MEAC 33. Smith nassed 24 yards to Grambling's Rufus Stevens for a first down at the eight. Two plays later, Southern's Tony Good scored from nine yards out. Grambling's Mike Harrington added the conversion for a 15-8 SWAC lead with 10:02 left in the half. The SWAC defense continued to make things miserable for the MEAC and the Southwesterners built their 1 -J . _ ^ o -> e i _ i c ? icau iu ^-o jj ictunus uciurc inu^rmssion. After a six-yard punt by Daniels, Smith went deep on the fourth play of the drive, his 46-yard scoring pass going to Stamps. Harrington added the conversion. The super halftime show featured the showmanship of the Grambling and Florida A&M bands. But it was the inspiring rendition of "We Shall Over > iding Bang x-~ "