Today (Saturday, November 3, 2018) is the end. In just mere minutes, I will be covering my third (and final) Central State University (CSU) Football Game of the 2018 College Football Season. It takes so long for football season to arrive. When it does begin, it quickly flies by. As far as CSU is concerned, today is Senior Day. This is the day when CSU’s Football Program recognizes those who will play in McPherson Memorial Stadium for the final time. As a CSU Graduate (Class of 2003); Sports Journalist; and outright Sports Fan, I always treasure this day. However, the day just brings some sadness to my heart. At the conclusion of the ensuing game, I will exit McPherson Stadium. Next Saturday, I will not return. For the foreseeable future, I will not spend another Saturday afternoon in this stadium. At the earliest, I will not step one foot within the friendly confines of this stadium until August 2019. In a personal sense, that is a very longtime to be away from McPherson Stadium. While college basketball preseason has commenced, I will have plenty of opportunities to visit the CSU Campus. Of course, it will not be the same. Nothing (and I truly mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING) gets better than being able to be present at a Central State University Home Football Game! While I am here today to perform the duties of a Sports Journalist & Writer, just remember what I said at the beginning of this story. “I AM A SPORTS FAN.” Being able to cover football games is the most enjoyable aspect of writing (for me). That fact will never cease to exist.
At the end of this game, CSU’s 2018 Football Season will come to an end. For the Marauders, there will be no entrance into the National Collegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA) Division 2 Playoff Tournament. The Marauders’ 2018 Season has been very up-and-down. Every time CSU has won a game, do you know what happens next? The team has lost the following game. The team has been unable to win consecutive games. Can the Marauders put a streak together of consecutive victories? This is the Marauders’ final opportunity to do so. Standing in the way will be fellow Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) West Division counterpart Lane College (LC). Coming into today’s game, the Dragons possess an Overall Season Record of 3-5. LC wants to end its season on a positive note too. Lane started on Offense first. On 1st Down and 10 from Lane’s 39-Yard Line, Justin Hill took the handoff. Immediately, he slipped and fell (14:49). The end result was a loss of 2-Yards. Before the next play could get started, the Dragons’ Offense was penalized for a False Start Violation. The penalty backed the ball up 5-Yards. Eventually, it was 3rd Down and 14. The ball was on the 35-Yard Line. At 13:32, Quarterback Marcus Reynolds was sacked by Central State’s Christian Lassiter. On 4th Down and 23 from the 26-Yard Line, Vicente Luis Juan-Pena was forced to punt.
After the punt, Central State’s Offensive Drive started on the team’s own 45-Yard Line. Soon, the football field’s wet and muddy conditions got in the way. On 2nd Down and 10, Quarterback Trent Mays took the snap-from-center. As he was dropping back, he slipped and fell (12:36). The play resulted in a loss of 9-Yards. The Marauders went three plays and out. On 4th Down and 19 from the 36-Yard Line, Isaiah Smith punted the ball away (11:49). Lane College took over on its 19-Yard Line. On 1st Down, Reynolds kept the ball. His run picked up 15-Yards (11:34). The next play had Hill rushing 6-Yards (to the 40-Yard Line). At the 10:32 mark, the ball was still on the 40-Yard Line. On 3rd Down and 4, Reynolds completed a 10-Yard Pass to Ahmad Isaac. Isaac was tackled at Midfield (50-Yard Line). From Midfield, the drive would go on to gain 2-Yards. The Dragons’ Offense went three plays and out. On 4th Down and 8 from Central State’s 48-Yard Line, Juan-Pena had to punt (9:18).
Juan-Pena’s punt was a good one. The ball was downed on Central State’s 9-Yard Line. Instantly, Running Back Blake McEwen gave the Marauders some breathing room. On 1st Down and 10, McEwen rushed the ball to the 19-Yard Line (9:01). On 2nd Down and 7 from the 22-Yard Line, Mays completed an 18-Yard Pass to Robert Corbin, Jr. Unfortunately; flags were thrown on the play. McEwen was penalized for a Personal Foul (Illegal Block). The First Down which Corbin, Jr. obtained was taken away (8:03). Ten seconds later (7:53), CSU got 5-Yards back. As the next play got started, flags were thrown. Lane College’s Defense was penalized for being Offside. On 2nd Down and 13 from the 16-Yard Line, Mays threw a pass to Kevin Greenhow. Greenhow was wide-open. However, he was unable to hold on to the ball. On 4th Down and 13, from the 16-Yard Line, Smith had to punt (7:41).
Once Lane College’s Offense received the ball again, it got on a roll. At 7:27, it was 1st Down and 10 on Central State’s 49-Yard Line. Reynolds completed an 8-Yard Pass to Omari Hampton. By running for 2-Yards, Hill went on to pick up a First Down. On 2nd Down and 10 from CSU’s 39-Yard Line, Hill obtained another First Down. This time, Hill’s run moved the ball 10-Yards (to the Marauders’ 29-Yard Line – 6:19). From the 29-Yard Line, the drive started to stall. At the 5:32 mark, a Personal Foul (Illegal Block Violation) resulted in a loss of yardage. With 4:23 remaining in the 1st Quarter, LC faced 3rd Down and 12. The ball was on CSU’s 31-Yard Line. After the snap-from-center, Reynolds completed a 23-Yard Pass to Hampton. Hampton was brought down on the Marauders’ 8-Yard Line. “All good things must come to an end.” With the ball now on the 5-Yard Line, the Dragons were getting closer to the end zone. On 2nd and Goal, Hill took the handoff. CSU’s Javion Williams ended up forcing Hill to fumble the ball. The Marauders’ Christopher Lewis picked up the loose ball on the 6-Yard Line. When Lewis stopped running, it was 94-Yards later. At that point, Lewis was standing in the end zone (3:04). Trevor Teel’s Extra Point Kick was good. Central State took a 7-0 lead.
Lane College proceeded to go three plays and out. On 4th Down and 6 from the Dragons’ own 37-Yard Line, Juan-Pena punted the ball (1:39). As the 1st Quarter was coming to a close, Central State’s Offense avoided a fatal mistake. With 41.6-Seconds remaining in the quarter, the ball rested on CSU’s 38-Yard Line. Mays handed the ball to Terraris Saffold. The handoff was botched, and the ball hit the ground. Saffold picked up the ball. For a loss of 5-Yards, Saffold was tackled back on the 33-Yard Line. At the 3.3-Seconds remark, Mays completed a pass to Anthony Bange. That 14-Yard Pass Completion moved the ball from the 33-Yard Line to the 47-Yard Line. At the end of the 1st Quarter, Central State leads Lane College 7-0. Once the 2nd Quarter commenced, the Marauders’ momentum continued. On 2nd and 10, the ball was still on the Marauders’ 47-Yard Line. With 14:46 on the scoreboard, Saffold rushed the ball 16-Yards (to LC’s 37-Yard Line). After a False Start Penalty against CSU, the ball was moved back to LC’s 42-Yard Line. Then, Saffold went on to make another positive play. On 1st Down and 15, he ran for 12-Yards (14:05). The next play ended with Saffold picking up a First Down. He moved the ball to the 25-Yard Line.
Terraris Scaffold’s “HOT STREAK” continued on. On 1st and 10, Saffold moved the ball to the 7-Yard Line (18-Yards – 12:50). Then, another False Start Violation got in the way again. That 5-Yard Penalty placed the ball back on the 12-Yard Line. On 2nd and Goal, Saffold took the ball from the 12-Yard Line to the 4-Yard Line (12:04). After a high snap on 3rd and Goal, Saffold was handed the ball again. Unfortunately, he was tackled on the 8-Yard Line. On 4th and Goal from the 8-Yard Line, Teel successfully completed a Field Goal Attempt. CSU now leads LC 10-0. Lane College’s next Offensive Drive started on the team’s 26-Yard Line. After Reynolds completed two passes to Wilson (1-Reception for 8-Yards) and Hampton (1-Reception for 4-Yards), the ball was positioned on the 38-Yard Line. On 3rd Down and 10, the ball was still on the Dragons’ 38-Yard Line. At 9:15, Reynolds was intercepted by the Marauders’ K’Jamus Sanders. When Sanders made the Interception, he was standing on CSU’s 48-Yard Line. When Sanders stopped running, he was in the end zone (52-Yards). Teel’s Extra Point Kick was good. CSU took a commanding 17-0 lead.
With the ball on Lane College’s 41-Yard Line, the Dragons’ Offense faced 3rd Down and 2. At 7:55, Reynolds took the ball to the 46-Yard Line. Reynolds soon made another huge play. On 2nd Down and 10, the ball was still on the 46-Yard Line. After the snap-from-center, Reynolds kept the ball again. This time, he sped his way 36-Yards down the field. Reynolds went out-of-bounds at Central State’s 18-Yard Line (7:13). At the conclusion of the play, flags were thrown. It was quite clear to know why the flags were thrown. LC was not being penalized. Instead, the penalty was on CSU’s Defense. Once Reynolds was clearly out-of-bounds, CSU’s Devon Cunningham threw Reynolds to the ground. The penalty moved the ball to the Marauders’ 13-Yard Line. From the 13-Yard Line, the Dragons’ Offense was unable to get into the end zone. After a run on 1st Down and 2nd Down (each run gained 3-Yards), the ball was on the 7-Yard Line. With 5:26 seconds remaining in the First Half, it was now 3rd Down and 4. Reynolds threw a pass into the end zone. To his dismay, the pass was incomplete. On 4th Down, Juan-Pena successfully converted a Field Goal Attempt. By the score of 17-3, Lane was now on the scoreboard.
Central State’s next Offensive Drive started with Mays completing a 19-Yard Pass to Darius Meadors (5:11). The play moved the ball from CSU’s 34-Yard Line to Lane College’s 47-Yard Line. From that very point, the ball would go on to move only 2-Yards. Of course, the drive did contain some controversy. With the ball on Lane’s 45-Yard Line, it was 3rd Down and 8. Mays threw a pass to Kevin Greenhow. The pass was incomplete. However, this is where the controversy came in. As the ball was coming near Greenhow, Greenhow was being held by one of the Dragons’ Defensive Players. No Penalty Flags were thrown. The next play ended with Smith punting the ball away (3:19). In order to put some more points on the scoreboard, LC had 3:08 remaining to do so. The Dragons got started on its own 31-Yard Line. On 1st Down, the snap was fumbled. Although Lane was able to maintain possession of the ball, 5-Yards were lost. That did not deter the Dragons’ Offense from doing what it wanted to do. On 2nd and 15, Hill ran 15-Yards (to the 41-yard Line – 2:25).
With the ball on the 44-Yard Line, Lane College faced 3rd Down and 7. At 1:42, Reynolds kept the ball. He was brought down on Central State’s 46-Yard Line. The next play had Reynolds completing a 14-Yard Pass to O’Joshua Bunton. Trouble soon made its way into the drive. On 1st Down and 10 from CSU’s 32-Yard Line, Reynolds was sacked by the Marauders’ Kailen Abrams. For LC, Abrams’ Sack resulted in a loss of 13-Yards. The ball rested on CSU’s 45-Yard Line. After an Incomplete Pass on 2nd Down, it was now 3rd Down and 23. At the 41.3-Seconds mark, Reynolds completed a 12-Yard Pass to Ahmad Isaac. On 4th Down and 11, the ball was now on the 33-Yard Line. Instead of a Field Goal Attempt or Punt, the Dragons decided to run a play. Reynolds went on to complete a 15-Yard Pass to Isaac (36.4-Seconds). Isaac got the ball to the Marauders’ 18-Yard Line. On 1st and 10, Reynolds threw a pass into the end zone. The pass was incomplete. After a second Incomplete Pass, it was now 3rd Down and 10. With the clock reading 18.0-Seconds, Reynolds completed the 18-Yard Touchdown Pass to Quantavius Wilson. Wilson was standing in the end zone, and he was wide-open. Juan-Pena’s Extra Point Kick was good. LC now trails CSU 17-10.
By the score of 17-10, the First Half would go on to end. After the Halftime Break, Central State’s Offense started on its 31-Yard Line. Saffold moved the ball to the 34-Yard Line. On 2nd Down and 7, Saffold received the handoff again. This time, he took the ball (up the middle) 66-Yards to the end zone (14:24). Teel’s Extra Point Kick was good. CSU’s lead now stands at 24-10. By going three plays and out, Lane College responded to the Marauders’ quick score. At 12:49, it was now 4th Down and 1 from the Dragons’ 47-Yard Line. Instead of attempting to pick up 1-Yard (or possibly more), LC decided to punt (12:49). From its own 28-Yard Line, CSU’s Offense got started. Immediately, a big play was made. On 1st and 10, Mays threw a deep pass downfield. Greenhow was the lucky recipient of the deep pass. The 45-Yard Pass Completion placed the ball on LC’s 27-Yard Line (12:35). From there, Saffold went on to rush the ball to the 24-Yard line. On 2nd Down and 7, Mays took the snap-from-center. He ended up stumbling. Mays was able to regain his balance. Once he did that, Mays completed the 24-Yard Touchdown Pass to Robert Corbin, Jr. (11:23). Teel’s Extra Point Kick was good. CSU’s lead now stood at 31-10.
After receiving the ball again, Lane College’s Offense went three plays and out. The drive started on the Dragons’ 38-Yard Line. On 2nd Down and 10, Reynolds was sacked by Central State’s Kwantay Stanley. Stanley’s sack moved the ball back 11-Yards. On 3rd Down and 21, Reynolds was sacked again. This time, CSU’s Xavier Johnson brought him down. That sack resulted in a loss of 8-Yards. On 4th Down and 29 from the 19-Yard Line, Juan-Pena was forced to punt. The ball ended up being downed on the Marauders’ 31-Yard Line. Once Saffold ran the ball on 1st and 10, flags were on the field. The Marauders’ Coulter Powell, III was charged with an Illegal Block Violation. That penalty placed the ball on the 15-Yard Line. When 1st Down and 26 was played, Saffold picked up 20-Yards. He got the ball to the 35-Yard Line (8:57). CSU soon pulled a play out of its bag of tricks. At the 8:07 mark, it was 3rd Down and 2 from the 39-Yard Line. By the way of a Reverse Play, Blake McEwen was handed the ball. He proceeded to run the ball 56-Yards. Before he reached the end zone, McEwen was tackled on LC’s 5-Yard Line.
Darius Meadors soon sealed the deal. On 1st and Goal, Meadors took the ball into the end zone (7:35). Teel successfully converted another Extra Point Kick. Central State now possesses a strong 38-10 lead. Lane College’s next Offensive Drive started on the team’s 10-Yard Line. Justin D. Hill rushed the ball four, consecutive times. His runs went for a total of 25-Yards. Hill got the ball to the 35-Yard Line. On 3rd Down and 8, Reynolds completed a 35-Yard Pass to Hampton. As Hampton was catching the ball, the closest defender had fallen to the ground. The play ended on CSU’s 30-Yard Line (4:51). When the next play got going, Reynolds threw a pass into the end zone. That was not a wise decision. The Marauders’ K’Jamus Sanders intercepted another pass (4:14). Central State’s ensuing Offensive Drive was a good example of fine precision. The drive started on the Marauders’ 20-Yard Line. Mays completed 3-Passes (for a total of 36-Yards) to Grayson Green. Saffold ran the ball twice for 9-Yards. Meadors had 2-Rushes too. His runs totaled 8-Yards. As the 4th Quarter came to a close, the ball was now on LC’s 27-Yard Line.
When the 4th Quarter started, Central State had a tough decision to make. Either the Marauders would attempt a Field Goal, or the team would go for the First Down. CSU decided to go for the First Down. At 14:55, Saffold took the handoff. When he was tackled, he had reached the 22-Yard Line. The First Down was obtained. The very next play, the drive disintegrated. After the snap-from-center, Mays fumbled the ball. Lane College’s Dexter Collins forced the fumble. Collins’ teammate Cameron Brown recovered the ball. The ball was downed on LC’s 33-Yard Line (14:11). Immediately, Reynolds completed a 6-Yard Pass to Bunton. Then, Isaac was the recipient of a 7-Yard Pass. Next, Reynolds went on to complete 3-Passes (8-Yards; 6-Yards; & 5-Yards) to Hampton. This entire flurry of activity moved the ball to Central State’s 35-Yard Line. The Dragons’ Offense cooled down.
At the 10:37 mark, the ball was on Central State’s 40-Yard Line. On 3rd Down and 10, Reynolds threw an Incomplete Pass to Bunton. However, Lane College received an instant gift. CSU’s Maurice Young was penalized for Pass Interference. That penalty placed the ball on the 25-Yard Line. On 2nd Down and 8 from the 23-Yard Line, Reynolds completed a Touchdown Pass to Wilson (9:52). A 2-Point Conversion pass was no good. LC trails CSU 38-16. The Marauders’ Offense proceeded to go three plays and out. With the ball on the Marauders’ 41-Yard Line, the team faced 4th Down and 4. Smith punted the ball (8:16). The Dragons’ Offense started on its 20-Yard Line. On 3rd Down and 5, the ball was on the 25-Yard Line. At the 7:21 mark, Reynolds completed a 19-Yard Pass to Bunton. Then, the drive came to a halt. On 1st Down and 10 from the 44-Yard Line, the snap-from-center was high. The ball fell loose to the ground. CSU’s Kailen Abrams recovered the loose ball. The ball was downed on LC’s 41-Yard Line (6:57).
Central State’s 1st and 10 Play ended with Mays throwing an Incomplete Pass. Then, the Marauders decided to grind the ball with Saffold. The Marauders’ Offensive Play Selection consisted of Saffold performing five, consecutive runs (12-Yards; 10-Yards; 14-Yards; 1-Yard; & 0-Yards). When Saffold’s streak ended, the ball ended up on Lane College’s 4-Yard Line. With 4:18 remaining in the game, it was 3rd and Goal. McEwen picked up the 4-Yard Touchdown. Teel’s Extra Point Kick was good. CSU leads LC 45-16. After a 38-Yard Kickoff Return by Anthony Evelyn, the Dragons’ Offense started on the Marauders’ 43-Yard Line. On 1st and 10, Reynolds completed a 16-Yard Pass to Bunton. The very next play ended with Reynolds completing a 27-Yard Touchdown Pass to Bunton (3:34). A 2-Point Conversion Pass Attempt was no good. Lane College trails Central State 45-22. When CSU got the ball back, its offense ended up turning the ball over on downs. In order to put some final points on the scoreboard, LC was presented with a final opportunity. However, CSU’s Defense would not allow it to happen. Toward the very end of the game, the ball was on CSU’s 27-Yard Line. On 3rd Down and 11, Reynolds threw a pass. CSU’s Christopher Lewis was standing on the 4-Yard Line. Lewis intercepted the pass. He returned the ball 69-Yards to LC’s 27-Yard Line. By the Final Score of 45-22, Central State University’s very up-and-down season ended on a positive note. At last, the Marauders was finally able to put a streak together of consecutive victories.
