Box Score
SALISBURY, NC – A strong first half by the Livingstone football team fell apart in the second as the Blue Bears fell to the Catawba Indians 51-0 Saturday evening at Shuford Stadium.
The shutout loss, the first since a 19-0 loss to JCSU on October 7, 2006, dropped the Blue Bears to 0-3 on the season. Catawba improved to 3-0, with all three wins coming against CIAA teams.
Livingstone produced a strong defensive effort in the first half as they held the Indians to only six points. The Blue Bears almost escaped the first quarter without allowing Catawba a score, but the Catawba offense connected for a 36-yard touchdown pass with no time left on the clock. The special teams for the Indians botched the extra-point snap and Catawba led 6-0.
While the Blue Bear defense was holding Catawba, the offense was unable to match the same effort. In the first half the offense could only muster 47 total yards on 30 plays.
Despite the offense not scoring, the mood in the locker room had to be a positive one as the six points Catawba scored was the fewest ever in the first half by the Indians against the Blue Bears in the 10-game series between the schools.
In the third quarter the tides turned and within the first five minutes of the quarter the Indians had opened up a 20-0 lead. By the end of the third quarter the Indians had put five touchdowns and a total of 35 points on the board to lead 41-0 at the end of three quarters.
While the Livingstone defense was able to hold Catawba to only a field goal in the fourth quarter, the stifling Catawba defense didn't allow the Blue Bears to amass anything. The Indian defense also added a blocked punt that they recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.
The Indian defense held the Blue Bears to a total of 92 offensive yards. Senior quarterback Steven Williams threw for 72 yards and ran for 11 more. Defensively, junior defensive back Alkeem Deloatch tallied 11 tackles to lead the Blue Bears.
The Blue Bears will open up conference play next weekend when they travel to Bowie, MD next Saturday to take on the Bowie State Bulldogs. The two teams will kick off at 1 p.m.
