SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE: Big plays move Grambling past UAPB

— Monte Coleman expresses almost weekly his fondness for wide receiver Raymond Webber.

On Saturday, his chosen adjective was “special.”

Arkansas-Pine Bluff ’s breakout star nearly brought the team back from a fourtouchdown deficit in an eventual 35-25 loss to Grambling State in front of an announced crowd of 29,373 at War Memorial Stadium.

The senior caught 9 passes for 243 yards with 1 touchdown, and his 71 receptions for the season set a new UAPB record. But it wasn’t enough to cancel out a second-quarter flurry that saw Grambling State score three times in just over four minutes and erase UAPB’s 10-point lead.

“[Webber] has been very special for us this year,” Coleman said. “He’s definitely a guy that you want to go to.”

Sitting in his locker following the loss, Webber exchanged a handshake with Coleman and managed a quiet, “tough loss, coach.”

Tough, mostly, because what beat the Golden Lions (4-4, 3-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference) were three big plays in the span of 4 minutes, 14 seconds.

With UAPB leading 10-0 in the second quarter, Grambling State’s Anthony Carrothers scrambled before finding an open Mario Louis in the middle of the field. Louis found the left sideline and sprinted 73 yards for the score and, after a Kiare Thompson punt return to the 16-yard line, Frank Warren scooted 15 yards around the left end to give the Tigers (7-1, 7-0) a 14-10 lead.

Josh Boudreaux’s next pass then bounced off Webber’s hands and into those of Bruna Foster and, four plays later, Warren’s second touchdown of the game made it 21-10.

Grambling State added another score before halftime when Boudreaux’s pass to Chris Bolton was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Or , at least, most on the field thought it was a pass.

Most relaxed as soon as the ball hit the turf, but Grambling State’s Trey Williams scooped the ball up and sprinted 71 yards for the brack-breaking score.

“That pretty much deflated us,” Boudreaux said. “We run that play every week. The guy tipped the ball, everybody saw that. ... Unfortunately,they called it a fumble.”

Coleman called the play that gave Grambling State a 28-10 halftime lead “questionable,” and said the three scoring plays were what changed the game.

“That second quarter was a quarter of three big plays,” he said. “That’s what it was. Those three plays gave them momentum and also put points on the board.”

Webber’s big day was accompanied by Boudreaux’s, who completed 24 of 41 passes for a career-high 438 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

Most of those yards went to Webber, who had another standout day in a season that’s already seen several.

Webber’s 80-yard touchdown catch on a fly pattern late in the third quarter got UAPB within 35-17 and he had four catches on a drive that ended with Boudreaux’s 2-yard pass to T.J. Shelton.

Adrian Moore’s two-point conversion run made it 35-25 and, later, Webber jumped over a Grambling State defender to snare a Boudreaux pass and put UAPB on the 1 yard line with less than two minutes left.

But on the next play the ball popped from Moore’s grasp and Antonio Leonard returned it 43 yards to allow the Tigers to kneel out the final minute of the clock.

“You’ve got to make plays,” Webber said. “You’re down, I don’t know how many points, you just say you’ve got to go.”

The Golden Lions might have made a few more had they managed a running game to accompany their passing threat. On 26 rushes UAPB was credited for minus-1 yard.

“We had to throw the football more than we reallywould have liked to,” Coleman said. “But it was working for us, and that’s what we did.” TEXAS SOUTHERN 38, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 7

HOUSTON - Texas Southern held Mississippi Valley State to 109 yards of total offense en route to a victory.

Arvell Nelson threw two touchdowns and ran for another for the Tigers (5-3, 5-1), who have won four in a row.

Mississippi Valley State (0-8, 0-7) came up with an interception on Texas Southern’s opening possession, then scored on its first play from scrimmage when Oliver Hughes threw to Paul Cox for a 37-yard touchdown pass. But that was it for the Delta Devils, who had only 38 yards rushing in the game. Hughes completed 6 of 22 passes for 71 yards and was sacked 4 times.

Nelson finished with 218 yards passing, completing 14 of 19 passes, and also rushed for 65. Marcus Wright added 131 yards rushing, including a 3-yard touchdown run with 36 seconds left in the first half that put Texas Southern on top 24-7.

ALCORN STATE 27, SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY 20

LORMAN, Miss. - Terrance Lewis rushed for 126 yards and one touchdown in Alcorn State’s victory over Southern University of Baton Rouge.

The Braves (4-4, 3-3) took a 7-0 lead on Gabriel Nash’s 17-yard run before the Jaguars’ William Griswold kicked a 49-yard field goal to make it 7-3 a little over two minutes later.

Alcorn State then scored 20 consecutive points starting with Arturo Tamayo’s 32-yard field goal.

Southern (2-6, 1-5) put up 451 yards of offense, but had two turnovers that lead to Alcorn State points.

The first came on an interception by Dray Joseph, which led to a 15-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Bridge to Jaquez Calwell. The second was a fumble, which led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Terrance Lewis for a 27-3 Braves’ lead early in the third quarter.

Joseph had 394 yards and a touchdown on 26 for 48 passing for Southern.

ALABAMA STATE 31, ALABAMA A&M 10

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Donovan Masline had two interceptions, including a 40-yard return for a touchdown, in Alabama State’s victory over Alabama A&M.

Masline finished with 103 of the Hornets’ 115 interception return yards.

Sports, Pages 34 on 10/31/2010

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