Marauders Allows Close Game To Slip Away

Since the rebirth of Central State University’s (CSU) Football Program in 2005, the Marauders’ Offense has struggled mightily to find an adequate Starting Quarterback. Up until the 2017 Season, CSU has gone through quarterback after quarterback. Now, do not misunderstand what I am trying to say. In a somewhat decent manner, the position has contained individuals who have had some positive moments. In the long run, the team has been unable to find “THE GUY.” When I say “THE GUY,” I mean the following. The Marauders has not been represented by a “TRUE LEADER.” The Marauders has not possessed a Starting Quarterback who is capable of taking his team to the next level. Well, CSU’s Supporters need not worry any further! In my honest opinion, Central State University’s Football Team has finally found “THE GUY.” The right man (for the Starting Quarterback Position) has been found! Hocking Community College Transfer TRENT MAYS has arrived. Mr. Mays has been given the keys to the Marauders’ Offense. In order to make the Marauders’ Offense an efficiently running machine, the entire process begins with Mays. For the team to become more adequate, Offensive Players have to feed off of what their leader is doing. By no means is Trent Mays “PERFECT.” He has made mistakes. He has issues to work on. In CSU’s First Game of the 2017 Season (a Home Loss to Elizabeth City State), Mays proved to me that he possesses the qualities which can make his Offensive Unit better.

 

            What is the reason for why I am so high on the Overall Performance of Trent Mays? Let me make one point. In CSU’s First Game of the 2017 Season, Mays made his receivers much better! Unlike in prior years, CSU’s receivers were efficient with making receptions. Although Mays threw some bad passes and intended receivers dropped some balls, Mays did manage to make some good decisions too. Those decisions were not made with just Mays’ arm.  Mays is a mobile quarterback. In order to make plays, he is good at utilizing his legs to their fullest potential. Coming into today (Saturday, September 16, 2017), CSU possesses an Overall Season Record of 0-2. At the end of the ensuing game, will that change? Can CSU obtain its first victory? If the Morehouse College (MC) Tigers has a say in the matter, that will not happen. Central State will be the first team on Offense. After receiving the kickoff, CSU’s Offense got rolling. The Offensive Drive started on the Marauders’ own 15-Yard Line. Before a play took place, a Flag was thrown. Morehouse’s Defense was penalized for being Offside (14:54). That penalty moved the ball to the 20-Yard Line.

 

            After a 1-Yard Run and a pass completion which resulted in a loss of 2-Yards, Central State faced 3^rd Down and 6 from the 19-Yard Line. At 13:58, Trent Mays completed a pass to Martell Clark. On the 35-Yard Line, the 16-Yard Completion gave CSU a First Down. On 2^nd Down and 10, Mays completed a 6-Yard Pass to Lavon Meeks. Once again, the Marauders would be facing a 3^rd Down Situation. On 3^rd Down and 4, CSU came through again. At the snap, Mays completed a 20-Yard Pass to Darian Nelson (12:12). On 2^nd Down and 4 from Morehouse’s 33-Yard Line, Nelson rushed to the Tigers’ 28-Yard Line (10:45). The Marauders just keeps on obtaining First Downs. With 8:51 on the scoreboard, CSU had to contend with another 3^rd Down Play. On 3^rd Down and 11 from the 27-Yard Line, Mays completed a 12-Yard Pass to Meeks.  At the 7:46 mark, CSU’s Offense committed a False Start. That penalty meant a loss of 5-Yards. CSU would not recover. Matters got worse. On 3^rd Down and 15 from the 20-Yard Line, Mays was sacked (7:33). The play cost Central State 15-Yards. On 4^th Down and 30, the team was forced to Punt (6:51).

 

            Morehouse started on its own 20-Yard Line. On 2^nd Down and 10, Kivon Taylor completed a 6-Yard Pass to Amyr Smith (6:39). On 3^rd Down and 4, Frank Bailey, Jr. picked up 5-Yards (6:13). From the 31-Yard Line, the drive began to experience hiccups. Instead of advancing the ball, the team ended up only gaining 1-Yard. On 4^th Down and 9, MC had to Punt (4:54). Central State went on to go three plays and out. With 3:04 remaining in the 1^st Quarter, CSU had to Punt. At the 3:00 mark, a Penalty Flag was thrown. The Tigers’ Special Teams Unit was penalized for Roughing The Kicker. The penalty gave the Marauders a lucky break. Central State was awarded a First Down on its own 48-Yard Line. After Nelson had runs of 5-Yards and 4-Yards, CSU faced 3^rd Down and 1 on the Tigers’ 43-Yard Line. Once again, Nelson was handed the ball. He picked up the First Down.

 

            As the 2^nd Quarter got underway, Central State had 3^rd Down and 4 on Morehouse’s 31-Yard Line. Mays connected with Clark. Clark was brought down on the Tigers’ 18-Yard Line (14:52). From there, Nelson moved the ball to the 16-Yard Line. After Mays threw an Incomplete Pass on 2^nd Down, CSU faced 3^rd Down and 8 on the 16-Yard Line. At 13:45, Mays completed a Touchdown Pass to Meeks. Trevor Teel’s Extra Point Kick was No Good. The snap from center had been muffed. Regardless, Central State leads Morehouse 6-0. MC’s next Offensive Drive got started on the team’s own 35-Yard Line. On 2^nd Down and 7 from the 38-Yard Line, Taylor completed a 10-Yard Pass to Ryan Edwards (13:12).  With the ball now positioned on the Tigers’ 48-Yard Line, Taylor took the snap. He stepped back, and he threw a pass. To his dismay, Central State’s Defense intercepted the ball (12:45). However, Morehouse got a lucky break. Both teams were penalized for violations. Therefore, the Offsetting Penalties negated CSU’s Interception.

 

            On 2^nd Down and 10, the ball remained on the Tigers’ 48-Yard Line. Santo Dunn picked up 8-Yards (12:31). The ball was now in the Marauders’ territory (on the 44-Yard Line). On 3^rd and 2, Taylor completed a pass to Dunn. The 2-Yard Completion placed the ball on CSU’s 42-Yard Line (12:03). At the 10:32 mark, Morehouse had a 3^rd Down and 1 on Central State’s 33-Yard Line. Bailey, Jr. ran the ball 8-Yards. On 2^nd Down and 12 from CSU’s 27-Yard Line, Taylor completed a pass to Smith (9:40). That 20-Yard Completion placed the ball on the 7-Yard Line. On 1^st and Goal, Bailey, Jr. took the ball into the end zone (9:20). Fernando Sdelamora’s Extra Point Kick was Good. Morehouse leads Central State 7-6.  After Central State’s Arkalius Howard returned the kickoff for 34-Yards, the team had the ball on its own 45-Yard Line. The Marauders was unable to move the ball. On 3^rd Down and 10, Mays completed a 42-Yard Pass to Tyrone Jones (8:49). Central State now had a 1^st Down and 10 on Morehouse’s 13-Yard Line.

 

            On 1^st Down, Nelson ran the ball to the 1-Yard Line (8:23). At the end of the run, a First Down had been obtained. On 1^st and Goal, Mays kept the ball. He made his way into the end zone (7:40). Central State decided to attempt a 2-Point Conversion. After the snap, Mays threw a pass. The pass ended up being incomplete. Regardless, CSU is still leading Morehouse 12-7. For MC, Ricci Nuckles returned the kickoff 30-Yards. He got the ball to the Tigers’ own 40-Yard Line. On 1^st Down, Bailey, Jr. picked up 5-Yards. With the ball positioned on the 45-Yard Line, it was now 2^nd Down and 5. At 6:47, Taylor completed a pass to Smith. Smith proceeded to go 55-Yards. When he stopped running, Smith was in the end zone. The Extra Point Kick was Good. By the score of 14-12, Morehouse regained the lead.

 

            With 5:05 remaining in the 2^nd Quarter, Central State’s Offense was on its own 24-Yard Line. On 3^rd Down and 12, Mays completed a 21-Yard Pass to Meeks. Meeks was tackled on the Marauders’ 45-Yard Line. Before the next play got underway, a Flag was thrown. Morehouse had 12-Men On The Field. That 5-Yard Penalty gave CSU a 1^st Down and 5 at Midfield (50-Yard Line). When the 1^st Down Play got going, Nelson took the handoff. Unfortunately, the defense was immediately on him. He lost 1-Yard. On 2^nd Down and 6, the ball was back on CSU’s 49-Yard Line. At the snap, Mays was sacked (3:32). As he was being hit really hard, Mays fumbled the ball. Luckily, CSU’s Terraris Saffold recovered the loose ball. The entire play cost the Marauders a loss of 14-Yards. On 3^rd Down and 20, Mays completed a 24-Yard Pass to Nelson (2:34). With the ball now on MC’s 41-Yard Line, Nelson gave his team new life.

 

            Nelson’s big play ended up being wasted. The Marauders went on to go three plays and out. On 4^th Down and 9 from the Tigers’ 40-Yard Line, CSU had to Punt (1:23). With 1:13 remaining in the First Half, Morehouse’s Offense had to start on its own 12-Yard Line. On 2^nd Down and 10, Taylor was sacked by Central State’s Darrel Latham (1:00). Back on the 3-Yard Line, Latham dropped Taylor. After Taylor threw an Incomplete Pass on 3^rd Down, Morehouse was down to a 4^th Down and 19 Play. At the 9.6-Seconds mark, the Tigers had to Punt. Central State’s Curtis Jones blocked the Punt. In the end zone, C. Jones recovered the ball for a Touchdown. Trevor Teel’s Extra Point Kick was Good. At the end of the First Half, Central State leads Morehouse 19-14. As the 3^rd Quarter got underway, Morehouse’s Offense started on its own 39-Yard Line. At 14:47, Taylor was intercepted by Central State’s Henry Alexander, III. Alexander, III took the ball all the way to the end zone (14:31). Teel’s Extra Point Kick was Good. CSU leads MC 26-14.

 

            At 13:50, Morehouse had a 1^st Down and 10 on its own 39-Yard Line. Taylor threw another Interception. Central State’s Alexander, III made a second Interception. As he was running, Alexander stumbled. He recovered. Eventually, the Tigers brought him down. CSU had a 1^st Down and 10 on MC’s 25-Yard Line. Arkalius Howard started to run. As he was being tackled, Howard fumbled the ball (13:45). The Tigers’ Defense recovered the fumble. On 1^st Down and 10 from the Tigers’ own 24-Yard Line, Bailey, Jr. rushed the ball to the 47-Yard Line (23-Yards) – (13:28). Morehouse’s Offense cooled down. On 3^rd Down and 4, the offense was on the Marauders’ 47-Yard Line. Taylor completed a 13-Yard Pass to Smith (12:05). On 1^st and 10, Taylor kept the ball. He rushed down the field. Taylor’s 23-Yard Run ended on Central State’s 11-Yard Line (11:48).

 

            With 11:43 on the clock, Morehouse had 1^st Down and 10 on Central State’s 11-Yard Line. Ronald Bradley pushed the ball to the 7-Yard Line. On 2^nd Down and 6, Taylor completed the 7-Yard Touchdown Pass to Ryan Edwards. After the completion of the Extra Point Kick, MC trails CSU 26-21. CSU’s next Offensive Drive started on its own 17-Yard Line. At 10:50, Mays ran with the ball. He was stopped on the 35-Yard Line (18-Yard Run). On 2^nd Down and 10, Mays completed a pass. The receiver fumbled the ball. Then, the ball popped directly into the arms of the Tigers’ Keith Anderson (9:33). Anderson was tackled on Central State’s 42-Yard Line. On 2^nd Down and 10, Taylor completed a 12-Yard Pass to Edwards (9:22). That play put the ball on the 30-Yard Line. On 1^st and 10, Taylor completed a pass to Smith. The 10-Yard Completion moved the ball to the 20-Yard Line (9:09). On 2^nd Down and 6, the ball rested on the 16-Yard Line. Taylor completed an 8-Yard Pass to Smith (8:30).

 

            On 1^st and Goal from the 8-Yard Line, Taylor rushed with the ball. During the process, he fumbled. Morehouse was lucky to have recovered the loose ball. Instead of the play losing yards, the Tigers actually gained yards. Taylor’s fumble was recovered on the Marauders’ 2-Yard Line. On 2^nd and Goal, Bailey, Jr. ran into the end zone (7:31). The Extra Point Kick was Good. By the score of 28-26, Morehouse now leads Central State. With the ball on its own 25-Yard Line, CSU started an Offensive Drive. On 1^st Down and 10, Mays was sacked by MC’s Antonio Johnson (7:25). The Sack cost CSU a loss of 18-Yards. The ball was now back on the 7-Yard Line. Central State now had to navigate through 2^nd Down and 28. Before another play could start, the offense was accessed a Delay Of Game Penalty (6:41). Now, the Marauders had to experience 2^nd Down and 31 from the 4-Yard Line. After the snap from center, Mays completed a pass to Meeks. Due to the fact that Meeks only gained 10-Yards, the ball rested on the 14-Yard Line. On 3^rd Down and 21, Terraris Saffold was handed the ball. He proceeded to speed his way down the field. The end result was an 86-Yard Touchdown Run (5:30). Teel successfully completed the Extra Point Kick. Central State leads Morehouse 33-28.

 

            After a 40-Yard Kickoff Return by Ricci Nuckles, Morehouse’s Offensive Drive started on the team’s own 45-Yard Line. With 4:30 remaining in the 3^rd Quarter, the ball was on the 44-Yard Line. On 2^nd Down and 11, Taylor completed a pass to Nuckles. The 10-Yard Completion moved the ball into Central State’s territory (46-Yard Line). The next play had Bailey, Jr. gaining 1-Yard (3^rd Down and 1 – 4:05). On 2^nd Down and 10 from the 45-Yard Line, Taylor completed a 33-Yard Pass to Smith (3:01). The play gave MC 1^st Down and 10 on CSU’s 12-Yard Line. On 1^st and 10, Taylor completed an 11-Yard Pass to Nuckles (2:53). Before he could reach the end zone, Nuckles was tackled on the 1-Yard Line. A run by Bradley was unable to obtain a Touchdown. On 2^nd and Goal, Taylor got the Touchdown (1:41). The Extra Point Kick was Good. Morehouse leads Central State 35-33. Before the 3^rd Quarter ended, Central State’s Offense started its possession on the team’s own 20-Yard Line. As the quarter was coming to a close, Central State was penalized for a False Start Violation. When the 4^th Quarter started, the Marauders would now face 3^rd Down and 10 from its own 20-Yard Line.

 

            At 14:52, Mays completed a 10-Yard Pass to C. Jones. Once Mays completed a 6-Yard Pass to Meeks, Central State had 2^nd Down and 4 on the 36-Yard Line. Darius Meadors rushed for 2-Yards. On 3^rd Down and 2, the ball sat on the 38-Yard Line. At the snap, Saffold rushed the ball 43-Yards to Morehouse’s 19-Yard Line (12:42). On 1^st and 10, Saffold moved the ball to the 13-Yard Line. At 10:51, CSU committed a False Start Violation. That penalty assisted with the derailing of the drive. On 4^th Down and 10, the ball was on the 19-Yard Line again. The Marauders decided to have Teel attempt a Field Goal. That was not a good choice. Teel missed the Field Goal Attempt (10:30). The Tigers’ Offense took over on its own 20-Yard Line. The team ended up going on a long drive. The Offensive Drive reached the Marauders’ 9-Yard Line. At 6:11, CSU’s K’Jamus Sanders was standing at the goal line. He intercepted a pass which Taylor had thrown. Eventually, Sanders was brought down on the Tigers’ 24-Yard Line.

 

            Central State went on to go three plays and out. The team was left with 4^th Down and 9 on Morehouse’s 23-Yard Line. CSU’s Special Teams Unit got into Field Goal Formation. The ball was snapped to Meeks. He proceeded to rush the football. Unfortunately, his Fake Field Goal Rush obtained only 3-Yards (4:53). MC took over possession on its own 20-Yard Line. After Bradley rushed the ball twice, the ball was sitting on the 29-Yard Line. On 3^rd Down and 1, Bailey, Jr. rushed the football. Immediately, the defense took him down. Bailey, Jr.’s run ended with a loss of 6-Yards (3:38). On 4^th Down and 7 from the 23-Yard Line, the Tigers punted the ball (2:55). With 2:44 remaining in the game, Central State started an Offensive Drive on its own 32-Yard Line. On 2^nd Down and 7 from the 35-Yard Line, Mays completed a 7-Yard Pass to Meeks (2:08). From the 42-Yard Line, the Marauders had 1^st Down and 10. For a loss of 12-Yards, Mays was sacked. On 3^rd Down and 22 from the 30-Yard Line, Mays was sacked again. This time, there was a loss of 7-Yards. With 45-Seconds remaining in the game, CSU had no choice. The team had to run a play. Punting was not an option. On 4^th Down and 29 from the 23-Yard Line, Mays completed a pass to Meeks. Meeks was tackled short of the First Down. By the Final Score of 35-33, Central State University lost a game which it should have won.