PINE BLUFF -- Jackson State seemed in control, and perhaps ready to blow out Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
As it turned, UAPB senior quarterback Ben Anderson pushed Jackson State to the limit and led the Golden Lions to overtime, which after crushing losses for UAPB in two of its three previous games seemed to serve as consolation despite Jackson State's 33-30 victory Saturday night at Golden Lions Stadium.
UAPB had the ball first in overtime but was held to a 21-yard field goal by senior Tyler Strickland.
Sophomore quarterback La Montiez Ivy scored the game-winning touchdown on a 15-yard run to complete Jackson State's first overtime possession.
"I told our players that a lot of the alumni and fans were going to tell them we played a good game," said UAPB Coach Monte Coleman, whose team had lost 65-0 at Texas State in the season opener and 42-7 at Alabama State on Sept. 18. "I reminded them that it was a loss, but that there were a lot of good things that came out of it. We played hard. Once we got into our rhythm offensively and defensively, I thought we really played hard."
Anderson saw the positives as well.
"Everyone's finally growing up," he said. "The young guys are starting to understand. I'm proud of where we are. Of course, there are a couple of areas where we need some work, but for the most part I'm proud of us."
Anderson completed 18 of 32 passes for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns in regulation and rushed 24 times for 134 yards and 1 touchdown.
"When you got a quarterback like Ben Anderson you're never out of it, and Pine Bluff was never out of it," Jackson State Coach Harold Jackson said. "We knew that. I hate playing that sort of quarterback, because they just wear your defense out."
Jackson State (3-2, 1-1 SWAC) took a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter after freshman Brandon Maiden blocked senior Tyler Strickland's 51-yard field-goal attempt and sophomore Kwame Bowens scooped up the loose ball and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown.
UAPB (1-3, 0-2) answered on its next possession with a 41-yard field goal by Strickland that pulled the Golden Lions to within 21-10 with 5:41 left in the second quarter.
UAPB stopped the Tigers' next possession and took over at its 48 with 2:38 left before halftime.
With 37 seconds left and UAPB at Jackson State's 28, Anderson threw into double coverage to sophomore Willie Young in the end zone. Young reached over sophomore defensive backs Preston Hughes and Justin Jemison to make the catch as UAPB trimmed Jackson State's lead to 21-17 going into halftime.
"It was just like practice," Young said. "[Anderson] puts me in that position all the time in practice."
Jackson State junior Ryan Diesing's 32-yard field gave the Tigers a 24-17 lead with 10:31 left in the third quarter, but UAPB responded on its next possession with a 16-play drive capped by Anderson's 4-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Marvante King to tie the score with 50 seconds left in the third quarter.
Short field goals by Diesing and Strickland left the score tied at 27-27 with 7:17 remaining.
Stickland missed to the right from 47 yards with 3:09 left in the game. His kick appeared to sail very near the top of the upright. Strickland said he thought it was good, but he was unwilling to criticize the official judgment.
"It looked like it snuck in, but with those kicks that go over the upright it's hard to call," he said. "It's not like it went right down the middle like it should've."
UAPB managed no more than three plays and a punt on its first possession the game, even though junior Andre Mitchell's 61-yard kickoff return gave it possession the Jackson State 35. Anderson was sacked by McCree on third down to eliminate a a field-goal opportunity.
Jackson State took six plays to score on its first possession. Running back Rakeem Sims hurdled sophomore safety Jared Turner near the 10 to break free for a 12-yard touchdown to cap the drive with 10:31 left in the first quarter.
Anderson took control from the start of UAPB's second possession. He ran for two third-down conversions and passed for two more, including a 30-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Wesley Hawthorne to tie the score.
Jackson State took two plays to retake the lead. On the second down, sophomore receiver Dan Williams was 15 yards clear of Mitchell and freshman safety Kawan Gaudin and took sophomore quarterback La Montiez Ivy's pass 61 yards for a 14-7 lead with 1:00 left in the first quarter.
Sports on 09/28/2014