|
|
 |
|
|
Nov. 23, 2002
Football: Mays Breaks Record, Seniors Leave With Victory Over
Samford
Youngstown -- It was a day for the ages at the Ice
Castle for the Youngstown State
football team as 18 seniors
concluded their collegiate careers
victoriously over the Samford
Bulldogs 37-29 behind a
record-breaking day for P.J. Mays on
a cold, windy day at Stambaugh
Stadium.
Mays scored two touchdowns to lead the Penguin offensive
attack and became the career leader
in Gateway Conference history in
total touchdowns.
After a 42-yard Jake Stewart field goal, Mays tied the
Gateway record with a 13-yard run
over the right side to increase the
Penguin lead to 10-0 at the 4:31
mark in the first quarter.
Stewart increased the margin to 13-0
with a 26-yarder with 1:15 left in
the opening period.
Samford (4-7) opened the scoring up early in the second
quarter when Josh Kellet hit Efram
Hill from 48-yards out to put the
Bulldogs up on the scoreboard.
The Penguins (7-4) answered right back with Mays' scoring his
historical touchdown. After
driving to their own 49-yardline,
redshirt freshman quarterback Aaron
Marshall hit the senior tailback out
of the backfield on a screen pass
that covered 51 yards for the score.
The touchdown was the 45th touchdown
of Mays' career and his 34th in just
two seasons.
The Bulldogs' defense stepped up late in the second quarter
to keep the game close. After
Fred Gilliam fumbled on the YSU
11-yardline, Robert Evans forced a
Marshall fumble and Samford
recovered deep in Penguin territory.
Just two plays later, Kellett hit Hill for the second time of
the game from 12 yards out to pull
the Bulldogs within six at the
break.
After stalling on its initial drive, the Penguins got a boost
from junior cornerback Sherod Holmes
as he intercepted a Kellet pass on
the Samford 28-yardline. Six
plays later, Stewart extended the
YSU lead to 23-14 his third field
goal of the day, this time from 36
yards out.
With 5:42 remaining in the third quarter, Marshall connected
on a 59-yard strike to senior
wideout Jerald Burley on a fly
pattern to increase the Penguin lead
to 30-14.
Samford responded immediately when Hill returned a Kosta
Karapetsas kickoff 76 yards to the
YSU 17-yardline. Three plays
later, Ramon Wilson found Aryvia
Holmes in the endzone for the
touchdown and then again for the
two-point conversion to pull the
Bulldogs within eight at the end of
three.
The Penguins opened their final quarter of the season with a
10 play, 76-yard drive that ended
with a six-yard Josiah Doby
touchdown over the right side to
increase the margin to 37-23.
Again, Samford would not be denied of making the game close
and would answer with a drive of
their own. On the 12th play of
their ensuing drive, Kellett called
his own number and scored from three
yards out to cut the deficit to
eight after the extra point.
With 4:12 remaining in the game, the Penguins made a final
stand as they have done time and
time again. The Bulldogs faced a
third and four from the Penguins
10-yardline when Russell Stuvaints
tackled Kellett in the backfield for
a five yard loss. On fourth and
nine, Kellett looked to Hill one
more time to pull the Bulldogs
within two, but threw the ball out
of the end zone to preserve the
victory for the Penguins.
Mays finished the day with 137 yards on the ground and 56
through the air to lead the
offensive attack that featured a
total of 456 yards. Marshall
threw for a career-high 180 yards on
completions including two touchdown
passes. Burley hauled in five
catches for 94 yards.
Holmes anchored the defense, coming up with four turnovers on
the game, including two
interceptions and two fumble
recoveries. Stuvaints led with
10.5 tackles and one forced fumble.
The Penguins wrapped up their 2002 campaign with a three-game
winning streak and a final record of
7-4. |
|
|
|
|
|
