At halftime the score was 21-0. It looked like an MSU rout. Then with 11:10 in the third, ASU Rams scored. 21-7. Then with 2:43 in the third, ASU scored. 21-14. The with 8:45 in the fourth, ASU scored. 21-21. Finally, with 16 seconds left in the game, MSU scored. 28-21, continuing the team’s six-game winning streak.
“Coming out 21-0, we haven’t been in that situation yet this season. We did a good job of starting fast,” Adam Austin, offensive coordinator, said, noting the first three touchdowns by Deandre Black, junior wide receiver, and Vincent Johnson, junior running back.
However, Austin said there was a setback at the beginning of the third quarter.
“We came out in the second half, and shot ourselves in the foot. We went backwards with penalties, and it just seemed like our guys were just going through the motions,” Austin said.
Sir’Vell Ford, sophomore safety, agreed.
“The energy level was down at first, so we had to find that spark as a team,” Ford said.
With the score tied at 21-21 with less than nine minutes left in the game, Austin said that is when the team, ranked No. 4 in the AFCA Division II coaches poll, started to fight for the win again.
“It seems like our guys want to wait to start playing until things get interesting,” Austin said.
With 8,211 people in attendance, in the last minute of the game, Quade Coward, senior quarterback, threw a touchdown pass to Jerry Yarbrough, junior wide receiver, to win the game.
“It felt awesome. We knew we had been in this situation plenty of times before, so we just made sure whenever we got back on offensive we took advantage of the opportunity,” Yarbrough said. “Obviously, the game wasn’t perfect, but all that matters is that we came out with the win. It was a great game, and a great team win.”
Austin said he was happy for the win, but also had to commend Angelo State on its performance.
“It was like a thousand-pound weight was lifted off of our shoulders because we should have never been in that situation, but you have to give credit to Angelo State. They did a great job in the second half making some adjustments, their defense stepped up, but also we helped them out by just not executing,” Austin said. “But, it’s good to see us pull it out again.”
Additionally, the team encouraged fans to wear black which matched the team’s new uniforms to “blackout Memorial Stadium.”
“We wanted to do something special at home. Unification of the crowd and the team is important. When the great gets hyped, we get hyped,” Ford said.
Austin agreed.
“It was to get some excitement going. It’s a college atmosphere; it gets everyone involved and feeling like they’re a part of [the game],” Austin said.
Players said they hope to continue to receive support from the fans, and continue on their win streak.
“This just brings us one step closer to the post-season. I’m just really excited that we’re 6-0, undefeated,” Yarbrough said.
John Purcell • Oct 16, 2016 at 7:07 PM
Sweet