Box Score
SALISBURY, NC – Livingstone held the CIAA Southern Division leader St. Augustine's scoreless in the first half Saturday, but turnovers proved costly in the second half as the Falcons rallied to defeat the Blue Bears 33-0 in the final home game of the 2010 season for the Blue Bears.
St. Augustine's came in as the top rushing team in the CIAA and Walter Sanders came in as the second-leading rusher in the nation and the Blue Bear defense, shut down the rushing attack of the Falcons in the first half. Sanders had 27 yards on the ground and the Falcons had only 38 for the first half.
The Livingstone defense forced the Falcons into four punts and one turnover on downs in the first half and kept the Falcons out of the end zone towards the end of the first half as St. Augustine's was driving for a late score.
Despite the positive play of the Blue Bear defense in the first half, the Livingstone offense was unable to get anything going. In the first half, the Blue Bears managed only 52 yards of total offense, with 42 coming on the ground and 10 coming via the pass.
Livingstone looked to capitalize on its momentum from the first half as it received the opening kick of the second stanza. On the first play from scrimmage of the second half, quarterback Levon Stanley fumbled and the ball was recovered by St. Augustine's on the 37 yard line. On the third play St. Augustine's quarterback Teddy Bacote connected with Tyrone Laughinghouse for a 33-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 Falcon lead.
The next possession for Livingstone ended after only two plays as Stanley was intercepted on the 35 yard line and the pick was returned for a touchdown and a 14-0 St. Augustine's edge. After the next Blue Bear possession ended after three plays and a punt, St. Augustine's added a 32-yard field goal for a 17-0 lead.
To start the fourth quarter the Blue Bears had another turnover. Kevin Shelf caught a pass at the 38 yard line, but the hit jarred the ball loose and the Falcons recovered. Despite the turnover, the Blue Bears got the ball back two plays later when Devonta Harmon forced a fumble after a pass completion and Martez Earles recovered the fumble.
The offense again was unable to capitalize on the defensive play as three straight pass attempts fell incomplete and the Blue Bears were forced to punt. St. Augustine's went up 20-0 on a 40-yard field goal after a nine-play, 26-yard drive. The next drive for Livingstone ended after two plays when Curtis Edens fumbled and the ball was recovered by the Falcons. Walter Sanders rushed on two plays straight and got into the endzone on the second for a 26-0 Falcon lead. St. Augustine's added one more touchdown with just over five minutes to go to reach the final score of 33-0.
Levon Stanley completed five passes for 10 yards and one interception and Curtis Edens completed two passes for seven yards. Jamel Moore was the leading rusher for the Blue Bears with 48 yards while Stanley rushed for 24 yards. Kevin Shelf was the leading receiver, catching two passes for 15 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Blue Bears held the nation's second-leading rusher to only 93 yards on the ground and one touchdown. Bryan Aycoth led the Blue Bears with 11 tackles on Saturday while Martez Earles recorded eight tackles including 3.5 for loss and one fumble recovery.
Livingstone will close out the 2010 season next Saturday at 1 p.m. against Johnson C. Smith in the second annual Commemorative Classic. The game will be played at Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
