Defense leads Braves in 52-7 rout

By Matt Smith
Sports Editor
Oct 29, 2009

Photo courtesy of UNCP Sports Information

UNCP running back Keith Gore carries the ball on his way to a touchdown.  Gore finished the contest with a game high 85 rushing yards for the Black and Gold.

Behind a staunch defensive effort, the Black and Gold football team dominated Frostburg State 52-7 on the road in Frostburg, Md., on Halloween night.

The No. 11 Braves held the Bobcats to just 86 yards of total offense, while controlling the Bobcat’s offensive attack and allowing Frostburg State just seven first downs in the game.

“The defense just did a fantastic job for us today,” UNCP head coach Pete Shinnick said. “They have played very solid for the past five weeks now. To hold them to nine yards rushing and 11 yards passing in the second half – that’s just a great effort on our part. We learned a good lesson today in that you have to play with a lot of excitement and a lot of emotion no matter who the opponent is. We had a lot more life to us in the second half and that was a lot more fun for our guys.”

The Braves looked to excite early and they did, scoring on the game’s first drive after Frostburg State punter Nick Payne had his first punt blocked by the Black and Gold special team’s unit.

Payne felt the pain of the block, as UNCP freshman defensive back D.J. Ellerbe scooped the ball up and returned it for the Braves’ first of many touchdowns on the night.

The blocked punt return would be the Braves’ lone score of the first quarter, but the Black and Gold defense held Frostburg State to two more points to keep the Bobcats out of the end zone.

Second quarter scores
After a low scoring first half, the Black and Gold offense found their groove in the second period of play, scoring two touchdowns before the end of the half.

The first came after a 5-play, 45-yard drive, as UNCP quarterback Cory Smith found redshirt-junior wide receiver St. Anthony Lloyd for an 11-yard strike to put the Braves ahead 14-0.

But the home team answered two drives later, as Smith was sacked on the Braves’ next possession and fumbled. The Bobcats’ Mike Iheakanwa recovered the ball on the Braves’ 28-yard line, leaving Frostburg State with great field position to set up the score.

The Bobcats scored two plays later on an 18-yard rush by running back Anthony King to cut the UNCP lead to just seven at 14-7.

The offensive mishap may have been the Black and Gold’s only mistake of the day, as the Braves drove down the field three series later for their third touchdown on the half.

The combination of running backs Travis Daniels, Rashon Kennedy and Thomas Dove rushed for 37 yards on the scoring drive, with Kennedy punching the ball in at the 2-yard line to give the Braves a 21-7 lead.

The Black and Gold would cap off the second half scoring with a 24-yard field goal by sophomore place kicker Taylor Baskett to give the team a 17-point advantage heading into halftime.

Style points
With the Braves solidly up in the second half, Shinnick relieved Smith of his quarterbacking duties, as the head coach put in redshirt-junior Garrett Sutphon to start the third quarter.

On the quarter’s opening drive, Daniels and Kennedy again slashed through the Bobcat’s defense for 28 more yards to set the Black and Gold up at the Frostburg State 23-yard line.

Sutphon completed the 69-yard drive with a 23-yard strike to senior wide receiver L.J. Johnson for his first touchdown of the day. With Baskett’s kick, the Braves took a 31-7 lead with 12 minutes left in the third period

On the Bobcat’s next drive, the Black and Gold defense sacked Frostburg State quarterback Josh Volpe on a key 3rd-and-10 play, forcing Frostburg State to punt from their 18-yard line. Payne’s 36-yard punt was returned nine yard by UNCP’s Jamal Williams, giving the Braves the ball at the 45-ayrd line in Frostburg State territory.

The Black and Gold wasted no time scoring their second touchdown of the quarter three minutes later, as a roughing the passer penalty on the Bobcats moved the Braves to the Frostburg State 13-yard line. Four plays later, senior running back Daniel Williams punched in a 1-yard run to put the score at 38-7 in favor of the Black and Gold.

Fourth quarter scores
With the game firmly in hand, the Braves ran the ball for much of the fourth quarter, racking up two more touchdowns in the process.

A 26-yard run by Keith Gore at the 13:15 mark of the final quarter and another touchdown by Kennedy just four minutes later sealed the game for the Braves, setting the final score at 52-7 for the visitors.

On the day, Gore led the Braves with 85 yards rushing on nine carries, as Kennedy, Daniels and Dove added 76 yards, 66 yards and 29 yards, respectively. For the game, UNCP outrushed Frostburg State by over 200 yards, as the Black and Gold finished with 265 yards on the ground to the Bobcat’s 40.

Smith finished the game 8-for-15 with 56 yards and a touchdown, with Sutphon going 5-for-7 for 57 yards and a touchdown in relief.

Johnson finished the game as the team’s leading receiver with three catches for 38 yards.

Defensively, freshman James Alexander and sophomore Ben Kurti led the Braves with five tackles apiece, with Alexander heading the way with two sacks.

The defense held Frostburg State to just 2.1 yards-per-play and forced an interception.

The defense held Frostburg State to just 2.1 yards-per-play and forced an interception.