UAPB CLINCHES
Ben Anderson threw four touchdown passes and Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s defense returned two interceptions for scores Saturday as the Golden Lions defeated Texas Southern 49-3 at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston to ensure their most successful season under Coach Monte Coleman.
The Golden Lions’ victory, coupled with Prairie View A&M’s loss to Alabama State earlier in the day, clinched UAPB’s first SWAC Western Division title since 2006 and earned it a spot in the conference’s championship game Dec. 8 in Birmingham, Ala.
UAPB (7-2, 6-1) has two games remaining before the title game, making it possible to reach 10 victories for the first time since it joined the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in 1998.
Saturday’s victory marked the most victories UAPB has recorded in a season since Coleman took over in 2008. UAPB led 21-3 at halftime and pulled away with three touchdowns in the third quarter.
Anderson’s 8-yard pass to Thomas Winters made it 283. Linebacker Bill Ross a Justice Jones pass and returned it 39 yards to make it 35-3, and safety Ryan Shaw returned an interception 47 yards to make it 42-3.
Backup Will Dunn added a 13-yard touchdown pass to Ladarius Eckwood in the fourth quarter.
Anderson completed 12 of 21 passes for 265 yards and 4 touchdowns. He threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to Eckwood in the first quarter before adding a 66-yard scoring pass to Willie Young and a 4-yard pass to Dezmond Beverly just before half to make it 21-3.
The Golden Lions converted 8 of 14 third downs and gained 476 yards of offense while holding the Tigers to 135 total yards and limiting them to 2 of 13 on third down.
Eckwood caught 4 passes for 107 yards, and Justin Billings rushed for 69 yards on 9 carries.
UAPB, which lost to Alabama A&M 22-14 in its only other SWAC Championship Game appearance in 2006, now has five weeks to wait before meeting the SWAC’s Eastern Division champion, with a game at Grambling State next week and the home finale against Prairie View A&M on Nov. 17.
The Eastern Division champion will be Alabama A&M (7-2, 6-2) or Alabama State (6-3, 6-2). ALABAMA ST. 35, PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 21
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — Daniel Duhart threw two touchdown passes and Alabama State came back to beat Prairie View A&M.
With the Hornets trailing 14-0 after the first quarter, Duhart found T.C. McWilliams for a 13-yard touchdown pass and Justin Robinson for a 12-yard scoring pass. The second touchdown came with 1:36 left in the half, and Alabama State (6-3, 6-2 SWAC) used two interceptions to get two field goals before halftime.
The Panthers (3-6, 3-4) took the lead again at 21-20 on Courtney Brown’s second touchdown of the game, on a 7-yard pass from Jerry Lovelocke. But Malcolm Cyrus and Rodney Cross each ran for a score for the Hornets in the fourth quarter.
Prairie View A&M saw a three-game winning streak end in its final home game of the season. The Panthers have two road games remaining. ALABAMA A&M 24, SOUTHERN 23 OT
HUNTSVILLE, Ala.— Chance Wilson’s extra point following Daunte Mason’s 1yard touchdown run in overtime propelled Alabama A&M over Southern University of Baton Rouge.
Wilson’s kick clinched the victory for the Bulldogs (7-2, 6-2 SWAC) after Southern’s Matthew Hill missed an extra point following Dray Joseph’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Rashaun Allen.
Alabama A&M trailed 17-10 in the fourth following Brian McCain’s 1-yard touchdown run for Southern (3-6, 2-5) with 8:02 to play. The Bulldogs sent the game into overtime when Mason found Montaurius Smith for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left. JACKSON STATE 53, GRAMBLING STATE 17
GRAMBLING, La. — Clayton Moore was 12 of 18 passing for 257 yards and 2 scores and the Jackson State defense held Grambling State to 5 yards rushing.
Moore helped Jackson State (5-4, 5-2 SWAC) jump out to a 32-3 halftime lead with scoring passes of 21 and 19 yards to Michael Perkins and Rico Richardson, respectively. Richardson finished with 115 yards on five catches.
Jackson State’s Ryan Griffin returned an interception 58 yards for a score in the second quarter.
Grambling State’s 27 rushing attempts yielded just 0.19 yards per carry.
Grambling State (1-8, 0-7) had topped Jackson State in each of the teams’ past five meetings. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 33, ALCORN STATE 9
ITTA BENA, Miss. — Trey Bateaste ran for three touchdowns, all in the first half, and Mississippi Valley State coasted past Alcorn State.
The Delta Devils (3-6, 3-4) routed their SWAC East Division foe with ease. Bateaste’s three touchdowns gave Mississippi Valley State a 20-3 lead at halftime. When quarterback Garrick Jones scrambled for 16 yards to score late in the third quarter, it was up to 27-3.
For Alcorn State (3-6, 3-4), the Braves’ only touchdown came on a 55-yard pass from John Gibbs to Anthony Williams III in the fourth quarter.