Shaw rallies past VUU for CIAA title
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
Western Division champ Shaw and Eastern Division champ Virginia Union traded punches through four quarters and two extra periods before Shaw scored a touchdown in the second overtime to pull out a thrilling 31-24 win in the CIAA Championship game in Charlotte's American Legion Memorial Stadium Saturday.
The see-saw contest was not over until VUU's all-CIAA quarterback and Conference Player of the Year Lamar Little was stopped on fourth down by Shaw's Defensive Player of the Year, tackle Louis Ellis. Running back Aaron Ellison had scored on a three-yard run on Shaw's possession.
The outcome set off a wild celebration from the Shaw players and their fans who
had watched the Bears (8-3) fight back from a
24-14 fourth-quarter deficit to tie the game and send
it into overtime in the final seconds of regulation.
"These kids are tremendous," said victorious Shaw coach Darrell Asberry. "We're down ten points (entering the fourth quarter) against the number one offense in the conference, but we've got the number one defense in the nation. And your offense comes and picks it up the second half. It speaks volumes."
The victory earned Shaw its first-ever spot in the 24-team NCAA Div. II playoffs announced Sunday. The Bears are seeded sixth in the Southeast Region and will travel to Cleveland, Ms. to face third-seeded Delta State (9-1). Virginia Union (9-2) is likely to represent the CIAA in the Dec. 1 Pioneer Bowl in Columbia, S.C. vs. Tuskegee.
Indeed, Shaw needed a second-half boost from its offense that failed to score in the first half though the Bears led 14-10 at the break. Those 14 points came via two special teams' touchdowns, a blocked punt after VUU's opening possession returned 35 yards by Robbie Henson for a score, and a 74-yard second-quarter Alan Atwater kickoff return. VUU got on the board on a 20-yard field goal by Gil Hernandez with 7:36 left in the first quarter and added a four-yard TD on a pass from Little to wideout Phillip Taylor that had given the Panthers a 10-7 second quarter lead prior to Atwater's return.
Those two opening half touchdowns were the key according to Asberry.
"Special teams, special teams, special teams," said the second-year coach. "Fourteen (14) points from special teams. You can't ask for more than that." But he did get more from his offense.
VUU linebacker Stevie Johnson opened the second half intercepting a pass from Shaw starting QB Travis Robinson that set up Little's second four-yard touchdown throw to Taylor. That came with 13:16 to go in the third period and put the Panthers up 17-14. Little later capped off a 16-play 78-yard drive by scoring on the first play of the fourth quarter on a three-yard keeper around left end to put the Panthers up 24-14.
But that's when the Shaw offense came to life and the VUU offense went stagnant.
Playing with back-up quarterback Omari Avant under center _ who entered the game after Robinson's interception _ and using an option attack to take advantage of his running skills, the Bears used 10 plays to march 64 yards to the VUU one before fumbling, with the Panthers recovering at their own 8-yard line. After a three-and-out by Union, Avant led another drive deep into VUU territory that resulted in Ryne Powell's 18-yard field goal cutting the lead to 24-17 with 5:11 left.
After the ensuing kickoff, Little and the VUU offense again went three-and-out and kicked to the Bears with 3:28 left. Getting possession at the VUU 43, Avant then deftly led his team down the field, mixing three rushes with six passes, completing five including a 14-yarder to Mike Brown for the score with 34 seconds left. Powell's PAT knotted the score at 24.
"I thought (Shaw) held up under some pressure circumstances in the fourth quarter," said VUU head coach Arrington Jones. "We made a lot of mistakes. In championship play, you just can't be out of character. I think we gave up some big plays on special teams. Those things will come back to haunt you.
"But, we kind of let the game slip away in out last two offensive series (in regulation) by being a little bit too conservative with a ten-point lead trying to run some time off the clock. We probably would have come out better had we spread them out and do what we normally did in those situations."
In the first overtime, the teams traded botched field goals. VUU's Hernandez's attempt from 36 yards out was blocked before Powell's attempt from 32 yards away went awry from a mishandled snap.
Shaw got the ball first in the second overtime and needed six plays to cover the 25 yards with Ellison covering the final three. When VUU got the ball, Little was unsuccessful on three straight pass attempts before he was stopped by Ellis after an 8-yard gain on 4th-and-ten. Little was named VUU's MVP finishing with 72 rushing yards on 17 attempts and 112 yards through the air, hitting on 7 of 22 passes. Taylor totalled five receptions for 42 yards and two scores.
Avant ran the option to perfection, rushing for 29 yards on nine carries but passed even better, completing 13 of 15 passes for 79 yards including the game-tying TD. Ellison was named Shaw's MVP of the game after rushing for 108 yards on 20 carries including the game-winning touchdown.
© 2007 Azeez Communications, Inc.