October 1997 The News Argus - Page 10
SPORTS
Games In Review
BY RASHEED OLUWA
Sporti Editor
Aggies Overwhelm Rams
In front of a crowd of 18,000 at
Bowman Gray Stadium, the N. C. A & T
Aggies aggressive defense beat the
WSSU Rams 27 -7, in the Rams’ first
game of the season.
Not only did the Aggies score three
first-half touchdowns; they sacked Ram
quarterback Aaron Patrick seven times.
To add insult to injury, the Rams were
able to get past midfield (into the Aggies’
territory) only twice during the entire
game. The first lime was in the first
quarter when the Rams took the ball to
the Aggie’s 45 yard line only to give the
ball up on downs after Damon McKee’s
run attempt was stopped on a fourth and
one play. The second time was during a
late fourth quarter drive that was capped
off with Eric Hendley’s three yard touch
down run. WSSU’s Shawn Thomas
kicked the extra point.
Rams Tame Tigers
The WSSU Rams came back in
dramatic fashion by defeating the visiting
Savannah State Tigers in overtime, 27-
24.
Savannah State scored the first points
of the game off a touchdown to take a 7-0
lead early in the first quarter. They added
on to the lead by kicking a field goal to
make the score 10-0 at the end of the first
quarter.
They didn’t put any points on the
board until the end of the first half, when
kicker Sean Thomas kicked a 22 yard
field goal with time running out to make
the score.
In the third quarter the Rams came
back and scored touchdown, but missed
the extra point, to make the score 10-9.
The Savannah State Tigers then came
down and scored a touchdown, but
missed the extra point to make it 16-9.
The Tigers then finished their scoring
spree, when Reginald Jackson intercepted
a pass, and returned it for a 30 yard
touchdown run. The Tigers capped the
play off by scoring on a two- point
conversion attempt to make the score 24-
9.
Late in the fourth quarter the Rams
came back to score a touchdown to make
the score 24- 16. Savannah State then
fumbled the ball, allowing the Rams’
DeOndre Singleton to make the recovery.
The Rams then came down to score on a
23- yard Aaron Patrick pass to Anthony
Hines to make the scwe 24-22. Patrick
then ran in for a two point conversion to
tie the game 24-24, sending the game into
overtime.
The Tigers had the first possession of
the overtime period, but they fumbled on
the second down and quickly handed
possession over to the Rams.
The Rams then got the ball on the 25
yard line. After moving the ball up to the
4 yard line the Rams then sent out Sean
Thomas to kick the field goal on the
fourth down. Thomas then proceeded to
kick the game winning field goal to give
the Rams a 27-24 overtime victory.
Rams Conquer Panthers
The WSSU Rams in their second
overtime game of the season, garnered
their second win in row by defeating the
Panthers of Virginia Union 13-6 at
Richmond, Virginia.
The Rams who improved their record
to 2-1 overall, didn’t score their first
points of the game until Shawn Thomas’
27 yard field goal nearly halfway into the
third quarter to give the Rams a 3-0 lead.
The Rams managed to hold on to
their lead until late in the fourth quarter
when Panther’s runningback Andre
Braxton, who rushed for 128 yards on 28
carries, ran in for a touchdown at the 2:40
mark. The Panthers however, followed
that up by making what would turn out to
be a crucial mistake. Panthers’ kicker
William Fleming, who had missed his
three previous fields goal attempts,
missed the extra point attempt to leave the
score 6-3
With 2:29 left in the game. Rams’
quarterback Aaron Patrick drove their
own 37 yard line, all the way down into
the Panthers’ red zone. After Patrick was
forced to throw the ball away on a second
down play the Rams sent out kicker Sean
Thomas, with seconds left in regulation,
to kick a 20 yard field goal. Thomas hit
the field goal attempt to tie the game at 6-
6.
The Rams got first possession of the
overtime period and started from at the
Panther 25.
Aaron Patrick scrambled for 5 yards
on the first play of the period, but the run
was quickly negated when the Rams were
called for offside. On the ensuing second
down play, Aaron Patrick hit receiver
Orlandus Gilmore on the 19 yard line.
On the third down, Patrick hit
receiver Anthony Hines in the endzone to
score what would ultimately turn out to
be the game winning touchdown. Sean
Thomas hit the extra point to make the
score 13-6.
The Panthers had a chance to win the
game, but the receiver dropped a fourth
down pass from quarterback Salvatore
Cardella in the endzone to end the game.
With the win, the Rams record
moved to 2-1 overall, 1-0 in CIAA play,
while Virginia Union dropped to 1-3
overall, 0-2 in conference play.
Broncos Lasso Rams
The Rams, playing in their third
straight close game, lost to the Broncos of
Fayetteville State 18-16.
The Rams struck quickly to go up 7-
0 in the first quarter, off of a Tyrone
Murphy touchdown run. The Broncos
then came back to score when their
quarterback Patrick Stewart ran for a
touchdown. The Broncos proceeded to
miss the extra point to make the score 6-
7, Rams.
The Rams started the second quarter
just as quickly as they started the first.
After the Rams intercepted a pass from
Chris Stewart, they marched down the
field and scored again, after Damon
McKee ran in for a touchdown on a
fourth and one play. Kicker Sean Thomas
kicked the extra point to make the score
14-6.
The Broncos then went on a short
scoring spree of their own. At
approximately the halfway mark of the
second quarter. Broncos’ quarterback
Stewart ran in for another touchdown.
The Broncos’ failed on their attempted
two- point conversion, which left the
score at 14-12, Rams.
Later in the second quarter, the Rams
fouled up the snap on a third down play
and enabled the Broncos to regain
possession of the ball on the Rams’ one
yard line. The Broncos went on to score
on Chris Stewart’s third touchdown run
of the day, but failed on their second
attempted two-point conversion of the
game to go into halftime with an 18-14 to
lead over the Rams.
The second half, with the exception
of safety forced by the Rams’ defense,
was relatively scoreless as Fayetteville
State held on for an 18-16 win.
The Rams’ record dropped to 2-2
overall while the Broncos improved to 2-
3. Both teams went 1-1 in conference
play.
Bears Smother Rams
Playing in front of a crowd of 10,703
in Statesville, the Rams lost big to the
division leading “Fighting Blue Bears” of
Livingstone College, 41-7.
Livingstone started off quick, scoring
a touchdown in the first quarter to take a
7-0 lead.
The Rams came back to score, after
recovering a fumble from Livingstone
runningback Wilmont Perry. The Ram
quarterback hit receiver Anthony Hines
for a 4 yard pass in the endzone. Kicker
Sean Thomas hit the extra point tying
the score at 7-7.
Livingstone came back to score off
of a rushing touchdown from,
runningback Chris Williams. The Blue
Bears hit the extra point and never looked
back as they reeled off four more
touchdowns and ran away with the game.
Of all of Livingstone’s touchdown’s, the
most spectacular was a fleaflicker by
Chris Williams that made the score 28-7
early in the third quarter.
The Rams defense, which normally
gives up 346 total yards a game, gave up
a whopping 468 yards to the Livingstone
offense.
The loss dropped the Rams to 2-3, 1-
2 CIAA while Livingstone remained
undefeated at 6-0 overall, 3-0 in
conference play.
Eagles Nip Rams
The WSSU Rams lost a pivotal game
on October 11 to the Eagles of North
Carolina Central, 30-29. The loss was the
Rams fourth in row.
WSSU got off to a quick start,
scoring on their opening drive when Tory
Woodbury (starting in place of an injured
Aaron Patrick) threw a 31 yard
touchdown pass to sophomore
runningback Damon McKee. Shawn
Thomas kicked the extra point attempt to
make the score 7-0, in the first half.
The Eagles then came down and tied
the score up at 7-7 off of a two yard run
from runningback Shawn Gibbs. The
Eagles came down and scored again after
recovering a Rams’ fumble. The Eagles’
Warren Brown hit wide receiver Antel
Brown for a 20 yard touch down pass for
the lead. Kicker Anuj Masih missed the
extra point and took the score to 13-7
going into the second quarter.
The second quartei belonged solely
to the Rams. Just like tiiey did in their
first quarter opening drive, the Rams
scored on their first possession off of Eric
Hendley’s 24 yard TD run. After Thomas
hit the extra point the game was tied up at
14-13.
The Rams scoring run continued
when Tory Woodbury hit receiver
Anthony Hines with a 32 yard touchdown
pass to make the score 21-13, Rams.
The Eagles came down the field and
scored on Masih’s 39 yard field goal to
make the score 21-16; but the Rams
ended the second quarter drive on a 1
yard run by Eric Hendley with 18 seconds
left The Rams converted on a 2- point
See Games, Page 13