Offense draws a blank against West Georgia
Box Score
When Miles fell behind last week against Fort Valley State, there were signs that the Golden Bears would be able to get the offense in gear and turn the game around. Saturday against No.2-ranked West Georgia, there was barely a glimmer of hope for such a comeback.
The Golden Bears had just 140 yards of total offense and did not run a play from scrimmage on the West Georgia side of the field until the fourth quarter in a 29-0 loss to the Wolves Saturday at Sloan-Alumni Stadium. It was the first time Miles (1-1) has been shutout since UWG (2-0) shutout the Golden Bears on its last trip to Fairfield on Sept. 13, 2014 - a span of 22 games.
Quarterback
David Whipple, who did not start after suffering an injury last week, had to come in after starter
Li'Jon Cordier suffered an injury in the second quarter. Neither signal-caller had much success as the Wolves applied tremendous pressure and made it difficult for the Golden Bears to do much on offense.
The defense did the best it could to hold UWG at bay. The Wolves scored just one touchdown in the first half, a 25-yard pitch-and-catch from Will Gardner to DeNiko Carter with 1:13 left in the second quarter, and the Golden Bears trailed 13-0 at halftime. When West Georgia opened the second half, they drove right down the field and topped off a 79-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown run from LeMarcus Franks for a 20-0 advantage.
UWG did move the ball a lot throughout the contest, running up 402 yards of total offense. But a tough Miles defense, along with 15 penalties for 176 yard, gave the Golden Bears ample opportunities to try to get back in the game.
But Miles was never really close to scoring. When Zed Brown stepped in front of a floater from Whipple late in the fourth quarter, he picked it off and returned it 65 yards for a score to put the final nail in the coffin.
Cedric Poole had eight tackles and
Emmanuel Ray had seven tackles and an interception for the Golden Bears, who are back in action on Sept. 24, when they travel to take on Morehouse. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
