CHARLOTTE, N.C. – No. 24th ranked Saint Augustine's College, led by 208 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries by Walter Sanders (Sr./Baltimore, Md.) opened a 21-0 first-quarter lead en route to a 34-24 CIAA football victory over Johnson C. Smith Saturday at Irvin Belk Complex.
With the win, the Falcons (7-1 overall, 5-0 CIAA) stayed atop the Southern Division standings with two regular-season games left. The Falcons need two more victories to capture their first division crown and reach the CIAA Championship game for the first time.
Sanders, the CIAA rushing leader and the nation's third-leading rusher, became the school's first 1,000-yard runner in a season during the modern era. In surpassing the milestone, Sanders gained over 100 yards for the seventh straight game.
“I want to give thanks to God and my O-linemen,” said Sanders, who gained 200 or more yards for the second game this season. “Thanks to my coaches for believing in me. This is a result of summer workouts. You can't outdo hard work. If you have a good work ethic, everything will fall into place.”
Teddy Bacote (Redshirt Fr./Hampton, Va.), starting the second straight game in place of injured Joaquin Green (Redshirt Soph./Pittsboro, N.C.), completed 11-of-17 passes for 177 yards and one touchdown. Five passes went to Tyron Laughinghouse (Soph./Greenville, N.C.) for 108 yards and one touchdown.
On defense, linebacker Steven Stanback (Sr./Temple Hills, Md.) had another outstanding day. Stanback had a game-high 10 tackles with one interception.
“Stanback is the field general,” Falcon Head Coach Michael Costa said. “He is like a coach on the field. He's been around long enough. He knows what I think and what I want on defense.”
Sanders gained 122 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries in the first half to lift the Falcons to a 28-3 lead at halftime. Needing 31 yards to reach 1,000 yards entering the game, Sanders surpassed the mark on the opening drive which he capped with a 13-yard run on fourth down for a 7-0 Falcons lead.
On the Falcons' second series, Sanders rambled 45 yards for his second touchdown to stretch the lead to 14-0. He finished the quarter with 117 yards and two touchdowns.
A long kickoff return by Jeremy Franklin gave the Golden Bulls (1-7, 0-5 CIAA) life on their Homecoming Day. But Stanback intercepted his fourth pass of the season near the Falcons' end zone, then lateraled to linebacker Mark Hall (Sr./Suitland, Md.), who ran near midfield. The turnover set up the Falcons' third touchdown – a Bacote pass to Laughinghouse for a 39-yard score. Laughinghouse split two defenders to make a diving catch in the end zone which wowed the crowd.
Sanders added his third touchdown early in the second quarter on a five-yard run. His score put the Falcons up comfortably 28-0. The Golden Bulls finally got on the scoreboard right before halftime on a 33-yard field goal by Tyler Rabb.
The Falcons responded with a long return by Laughinghouse, the CIAA kickoff leader, in Golden Bulls' territory. Their attempt to add more points failed, however, when the holder bobbled a low snap on the field goal try. The score stayed 28-3 in favor of the Falcons at the half.
The Falcons already had 276 of their 417 offensive yards by halftime. Bacote was 6-for-9 for 114 yards and one touchdown in the first half.
The Golden Bulls scored their first touchdown on the opening series of the third quarter. Ryan Carter found a wide-open Avius Capers for a six-yard touchdown pass to pull the Golden Bulls within 28-10. They made the game interesting after Carter tossed his second touchdown pass, this time to Franklin from seven yards to make the score 28-17. Carter finished the game completing 13-of-22 passes for 112 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
The Falcons pushed the lead to 34-17 on Bacote's one-yard quarterback sneak. The Golden Bulls wouldn't go away, though. Archie Barrow III, who gained 80 yards on 11 carries, capped a short drive with a one-yard touchdown run for a 34-24 score.
But the Golden Bulls could not pull any closer as the Falcons won their sixth consecutive game.
“It was very fortunate that we got a good lead,” Costa said. “We seemed to come out relaxed in the third quarter. We've got to work on that. If we get over that, we will be fine.”
