MONTGOMERY, Ala. — There were few people in the stadium that gave
Miles much of a chance Saturday against Division I Alabama State. The 37-9 final score was reflective of the divide between the two team as the Hornets (3-0) continued to put points on the board at a swift clip (34 points per game) while Miles (0-3) struggled to slow the high-octane offense in the opening half.
But things started to change in the second half. It was a feeling felt in the stands, on the sidelines, and ultimately, on the scoreboard.
For the second straight year, Miles did not allow a second half touchdown to ASU and were only outgained by six yards (132-126) over the final 30 minutes. In fact, the Golden Bears came out of halftime and immediately set the tone on offense with a big 75-yard drive to open the third quarter.
Quarterback
Brinley Vandiver (18-of-29, 163 yards) - making his first career start for the Golden Bears - was decisive on his throws, going 4-for-5 with throws in some tight windows to complete passes to
Quindavious Swain,
Jacob Andrews,
Glen Williams, and
Roderick Thomas to get the ball to the ASU 11. After a seven-yard run by
Edward Osley, Thomas (16 carries, 55 yards) used two tries to bang the ball across the goalline. The last was a 2-yard burst behind a reconditioned offensive line that gave Miles some life in a 31-9 game.
Although the Hornets made two field goals in the fourth quarter, the defense finally started to play with some fire. It forced a turnover on downs when Christian Kelly stuffed a fourth-down run by ASU quarterback Andrew Body. In the fourth quarter, it was
Carson Pritchett (five tackles, two tackles for loss, one pass breakup) and
Robert Williams getting a big third down stop to force one field goal before
Brandon Parnell got a big pass breakup on another third down attempt to force the second three-pointer by ASU.
The Golden Bears are home next week for their home opener when they host Savannah State in the Prince Hall Americanism Football Classic. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.