Galliant comeback falls short at Albany State
Box Score
ALBANY, Ga. -- Down 35-10 after the opening play of the second half, there was not much to make anyone believe that Miles would have any chance to defeat Albany State Saturday night.
But with less than two minutes left, the Golden Bears were on the move against a tired Golden Rams defense facing a fourth-and-2 from the Albany State 38. Quarterback
David Whipple rolled out the pocket and picked up the first down, but as he went to slide out of bounds to stop the clock, Zavondrig Shing knocked the ball loose and recovered it as he was falling out of bounds.
While there seemed to be a question as to whether Shing got the ball before landing out of bounds, there was no question that the officials gave possession to the Golden Rams (2-3), who escaped with a 35-33 win at the ASU Coliseum. Whipple accounted for 325 yards of total offense and three touchdowns but the late turnover - along with a disasterous first half - left Miles (2-2) wondering what could have been.
The Golden Bears came out hot in the first quarter, getting a 30-yard field goal from
Nick Christiansen and a 11-yard touchdown pass from Whipple to
Jonathan Clark to grab a 10-0 lead halfway through the first quarter. But that is where the first half highlights ended for Miles as the game quickly became the Albany State Horror Show. On the ensuing drive, Golden Rams quarterback Caleb Edmonds covered 78 yards on two passes to get Albany State into the end zone. Miles would continue having trouble containing the Rams offense as they scored on three of their next four possessions to take a 28-10 advantage into halftime.
Reginald Ruffin's halftime speech did not immediately inspire his squad. Mack Green, who had a rushing touchown in the first quarter, took the opening kickoff of the second half and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown for a 35-10 Albany State lead. The Golden Bears looked uninspired and the Golden Rams were making them pay.
But finally, late in the third quarter, the Golden Bears came to life. It took 11 plays to cover 47 yards but Miles finally got back in the end zone on a 1-yard sneak by Whipple. A perfectly executed onside kick paid off when
Jamarcus Nance weaved his way to a 25-yard scoring run to cut the deficit to 35-24.
The hits kept coming for Miles. On the ensuing kickoff, Green could not get the return out of the end zone as
Stevie Woods wrapped him up for a safety. In less than three minutes, the Golden Bears had scored 16 points and now trailed 35-26.
Albany State tried to run the clock out but Edmonds was sacked by
Kaelan Bonds, who also recovered the fumble and put Miles in business at the ASU 35 with less than three minutes remaining. Three plays later, Whipple connected with Nance for a 15-yard score and the Golden Bears were within two points. Miles forced a punt and got the ball back with 1:45 left at its own 27. It took three plays to get the ball into Golden Rams territory and before the fourth down play, the Golden Bears were on the long end of Christiansen's range before the ill-fated ending.
Earnest Bell, Jr. had 11 catches for 117 yards - both career highs -
Jourdan Walker had six receptions for 84 yards and Nance had 79 yards total offense and two touchdowns, while
Anthony Hardy and
Jarmari Ford each had a team-high six tackles for Miles, which hosts Central State for homecoming next week. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
