The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • Page D8

Page 8d Sunday, Nov. 17, 2002 The Sun College Football Frostburg romps, 37-7, ends Salisbury's undefeated run Bowie St faDs, 17-14, inCIAA title game Sea Gulls fall to 9-1; hopes for NCAA berth take a hit By Kent Baker SUN STAFF Bulldogs fail to recover any of nine fumbles by Fayetteville State By Khary K. McGhee SPECIAL TO THE SUN Salisbury State's dreams of a third undefeated season vanished under a downpour of mis-cues yesterday. In the rain at Towson's Minnegan Stadium, nearly everything went wrong for the Sea Gulls, who watched their hopes for an NCAA Division III football playoff berth diminish greatly during a 37-7 pasting from rival Frostburg State in the Regents Cup game. "Hopefully, we still get a chance to redeem ourselves," Salisbury coach Sherm Wood said of the potential for postseason play.

"It's one thing to Wood said. "You can play a Little League team and not win turning the ball over as much as we did. We were out of it from the beginning and there are no excuses about the weather." The cold rain was more to the liking of the Bobcats, who played an extremely tough schedule and lost once in triple overtime, once in overtime and never by more than six points. "We're used to the cold and play some games in the mud," said Stevenson, whose team clinched the four-team Atlantic Central Football Conference championship. "But this is bittersweet he and Wood were roommates on an unbeaten Salisbury team in 1983 Frostburg defensive end Kevin Culbert, a sophomore, accounted for 19 tackles, seven of them solo and eight for losses.

"He's been doing that all year and I've got him for two more," Stevenson said. Said Wood: "If I had to lose a game, I'd rather it be to him Stevenson. They had a quality game plan and if you give a good team that many chances, some-thing bad is going to happen." Salisbury 0 0 7 0 -7 Frostburg State 11 9 7 7 37 First quarter FS Pearson 9 run (Quisgard kick), 7:42 FS Olson 17 pass from Burrough (Quisgard kick), 6:32 Second quarter FS Pearson 20 run (Quisgard kick), 13:57 FS safety Third quarter FS Wilson 19 blocked punt return (Quisgard kick), 7:34 Boyce 21 run (Knight kick), 0:48 Fourth quarter FS Clash 31 INT return (Quisgard kick), 6:28 A 2,500. MONICA LOPOSSAY RIESSER SUN STAFF Tim Pearson, a Lake Clifton graduate, finds room to run against Salisbury State, rushing for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Next for Morgan Morgan's win assures 1st .500 mark since 79 lose, but the margin of this one bothers me.

There had to be some other folks lose today in order for use to get in." Frostburg, which finished the season 6-4, capitalized on a slew of errors by Salisbury (9-1) that included five lost fumbles, two interceptions, three errant snaps on punt attempts and a blocked punt. The development of the game was so unusual that the Sea Gulls third in the nation with 351.9 yards a game rushing wound up throwing 24 times and the Bobcats who were averaging almost 300 yards in the air tried just 14 passes, completing half for 74 yards. "That was really weird," said Bobcats coach Rubin Stevenson. "But getting ahead so quickly helped us take them out of what they do best. In our losses, we were making the mistakes and that killed us.

Today, we played pretty much a complete game." While the Sea Gulls bobbled and bumbled, Frostburg gratefully accepted the charity. A snap over the head of punter Rick Nis-ter led to a 9-yard touchdown run by the Bobcats' Tim Pearson (Lake Clifton), who rushed for 162 yards and two scores. Salisbury fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, and after three plays Frostburg pushed the lead to 14-0 on a 17-yard pass from Grant Burrough (C. Milton Wright) to Roy Olson. The pattern persisted with the Sea Gulls losing the next kickoff (Frostburg missed a field-goal attempt), fumbling on three of their next four series and snapping the ball over the head of the punter again, resulting in a Bobcats safety.

By halftime, Frostburg was coasting 23-0, and a blocked punt by Andy Wilson that he returned for a touchdown built the lead to 30 midway through the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Bobcats' defense was doing its job, breaking down Salisbury's option attack and stripping the ball frequently, preventing all legitimate scoring threats until late in the third quarter. "We deserved what we got," Matchup: Hampton (7-4, 5-2) vs. Morgan State (6-5, 4-3) Site: Hughes Stadium When: Saturday, 1 p.m. Radio: WEAA (88.9 FM) Yesterday: Hampton beat North Carolina 17-7.

Stallings runs for 3 TDs, sets season rushing mark as S.C. State faUs, 23-12 By Tom O'Hare SPECIAL TO THE SUN FS First downs 17 15 Rushes-yards 54-78 47-154 Passing 127 74 Comp-Att-Int 9-24-2 7-14-0 Return yards 69 81 Punts-avg. Fumbles-lost 5-5 3-3 Penalties-yards 5-34 6-49 Time of possession 34:45 25:15 "We thought if we could get up, it would force them to do some things that would be hard to do with the field conditions." The Bears stretched their lead to 17-0 early in the third quarter on Stallings' 15-yard touchdown run. The Bulldogs (5-6, 3-4) retaliated on their next possession with a 59-yard scoring run by Reese McCampbell, but Stallings put the game away later in the quarter with a 5-yard run up the middle for a touch-down and a 23-6 Bears lead. Morgan State 0 10 13 0-23 South Carolina State 0 0 6 6 12 Second quarter MS FG 34 Vorosholin, 1:24 MS Stallings 5 run (Vorosholin kick), 14:56 Third quarter MS Stallings 15 run (Vorosholin kick), 10:17 SCS McCampbell 59 run (kick failed), 9:57 MS Stallings 5 run (run failed), 3:07 Fourth quarter SCS Burgess 16 pass from McCampbell (pass failed), 4:23 A 6,135 Rushing Salisbury, Boyce 21-111, D.Johnson 22-52, Ellis 4-19, Pashkevich 2-7, Belt 1 -(minus 14), J.Johnson 2-(minus 17), team 2-( minus 80).

Frostburg State, Pearson 19-162, Kearney 12-34, Godsey 3-5, Higgins 4-(minus 1), Burrough 8-( minus 12), team Hminus 34). Passing Salisbury, D.Johnson 9-20-1-127, J.Johnson 0-4-1-0. Frostburg State, Burrough 7-14-0-74. Receiving Salisbury, Hinz 3-52, Belt 2-20, Wills 1-29, Ellis 1-11, Williams 1-9, Boyce 1-6. Frostburg State, Olson 3-47, Snyder 2-17, Deeb 1-6, Pearson 1-4.

through the mud for 177 yards on 45 carries, increasing his season total to 1,050 rushing yards and eclipsing the school record of 1,046 set last year by Ali Culpepper. Stallings, who scored the Bears' three touchdowns, also set the school mark for carries in a game. "We had no idea that he broke either record," Hill said of Stallings' big day. "He deserves it. He's a young man that I moved from wide receiver, and he never complained.

In our one-back set, he gets a lot of reps, and with the conditions today, it was virtually impossible to throw the football." Stallings said the wet weather and muddy field worked to the Bears' advantage. "The conditions we have had at practice this week were worse than this," said Stallings, a senior from Randallstown. "When it started to rain, it was nothing new for us. Our practice field is a lot muddier than this field. "It feels great to get the record, but I'm more concerned with helping this team be part of history," he added.

"Coach Hill told the seniors coming into the season that we have a chance to be the pioneers that turn this program around." Stallings busted off right tackle for a 5-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, giving the Bears a 10-0 lead. "It was very important to get out to an early lead," Hill said. ORANGEBURG, S.C. On a dreary, rainy day deep in the Carolinas, the sun shined down brighter than it has for more than two decades upon the Morgan State football team. The Bears knocked off South Carolina State, 23-12, yesterday to improve to 6-5, assuring them of their first non-losing season since 1979.

After the game, a giddy group of Bears celebrated by diving headfirst into a large, muddy puddle outside their locker room. The Bears (4-3 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) will close out the season at Hampton on Saturday. "With one game left, it's exciting to know that we will at least finish .500," said first-year Bears coach Donald Hill-Eley, who inherited a 2-9 team. "We came into this season working on our players as people first, making sure that they are accountable and responsible, and that they have some character and discipline. We haven't done a bunch of different stuff with X's and O's; we've just been working on the person." Running back T.J.

Stallings led the Bears to victory, sloshing WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Bowie State linebacker Atche-son Conway just shook his head, unable to believe what had just happened. It wasn't the 17-14 loss to Fayetteville State yesterday in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship game that had the sophomore linebacker so stunned. It was that Bowie State watched the Broncos fumble nine times, but the Bulldogs didn't recover any of them. "That made a huge difference," Conway said.

"We weren't able to take advantage of any turnovers. That's part of our game as a defensive unit." Instead, it was Fayetteville State who took advantage of the Bulldogs' mistakes, scoring both of its touchdowns after turnovers by Bowie State (6-5). "Their defense was able to make the big plays to set their team up to go ahead," Bowie State coach Henry Frazier said. After Fayetteville State (10-1) took an early lead on a 22 -yard field goal by Justin Langdon, the Broncos added to their lead by taking advantage of a Bowie State turnover. Bowie State quarterback Ja-bali Smith was intercepted by Fayetteville State linebacker Brian Holliday, who returned it to the Bulldogs' 22.

Three plays later, the Broncos scored on a 25-yard pass from Te'Mon Wallace to Elliott London. Fayetteville State was up 10-0, and there was still 8:44 to play in the first quarter. But Bowie State was able to wrest momentum back in the second quarter by establishing its running game. Using an assortment of running backs, the Bulldogs had success on the ground in the first half. The Bowie State running game led to the Bulldogs' first score.

Taking advantage of a short field after a short Fayetteville State punt, Bowie State drove 42 yards on eight plays, all runs, ending with a 1-yard touchdown by Julius Jordan to make it a 10-6 game. "We knew we would be able to run against them just off the last game we played against them," Jordan said. "We came at them wanting to run it straight at them." But Fayetteville State did a much better job shutting down Bowie State's running attack in the third quarter. The Bulldogs ran for 109 yards in the first half, but in the third quarter they were limited to 11 yards on the ground. They also failed to get a first down in the third quarter.

Fayetteville State extended its lead by capitalizing on another Bowie State mistake. The Bulldogs' Kevin Nesbitt fumbled a punt on Bowie State's 11. Holliday recovered, and Fayetteville State wasted no time, scoring on a 6-yard reception by Carnell Thornton from Wallace to take a 17-6 lead. But Bowie State still had opportunities to win. On a drive aided by a roughing-the-passer call on third-and-8, the Bulldogs cut Fayetteville State's lead to 17-14 when Jordan scored on a 3-yard run and Smith ran in the two-point conversion.

Bowie State 0 6 0 8 11 Fayetteville State 10 0 7 0 17 First quarter FS FG22 Landgon, 10:24 FS London 25 pass from Wallace (Langdon kick), 8:44 Second quarter BS Jordan 1 run (kick blocked), 10:24 Third quarter FS Thornton 6 pass from Wallace (Langdon kick), 6:07 Fourth quarter BS Jordan 3 run (Smith run), 6:44 A na MS SCS First downs 18 10 Rushes-yards 15-281 7-145 Passing 29 49 Comp-Att-Int 1-3-0 5-11-0 Return Yards 44 82 Punts-Avg. Fumbles-Lost 2-0 3-2 Penalties-Yards 2-11 5-35 Time of Possession 36:28 19:09 Hopkins tops McDaniel, gets 8 wins for first time 27-7 win gives Blue Jays share of Centennial crown Rushing Morgan State, Stallings 45-177, Washington 14-67, Littlejohn 6-37, Deshazo 3-0. South Carolina State, McCampbell 10-55, Maxwell 5-53, Watson 6-23, Smith 6-19, Scott 3-8, Goolsby 1-(-1), Brandenburg 1-(-2), Burgess 1-(-10). Passing Morgan State, Washington 0-2-0-0, Littlejohn 1-1-29-0. South Carolina State, McCampbell 5-11-49-0.

Receiving Morgan State, Shiancoe 1-29. South Carolina State, Burgess 3-28, Watson 1-21, Ham 1-0. By Mike Frainie SPECIAL TO THE SUN Fordham flattens Towson, 42-14 Next for Towson Depleted offensive line, rain hinder Tigers' bid for share of Patriot title McDaniel on the next series, but the attempted punt sailed over the McDaniel punter's head, and Barrasso fell on it at the McDaniel 28. Hopkins capped an eight-play, 28-yard drive when Merrell bulled his way in from 2 yards out to increase the margin to 21-7. The Blue Jays got their last touchdown on another McDaniel mistake.

Punt returned Dave Fedorchak dropped a fair catch at the McDaniel 36, and Hopkins' Jim Sanders recovered at the 9. Two plays later, quarterback Zach Dilonno, replacing an injured Merrell, scored from 9 yards out. "Maybe we thought we were a little better than we are," said McDaniel coach Tim Keating. "We self-destructed today, and the best team won. I'm totally disappointed that we didn't play better in a game like this." Said Merrell: "I'm disappointed that we won't make the playoffs, but if this is our last game this year, then it's great to go out with a win like this." McDaniel 7 0 0 0 -7 Johns Hopkins 7 11 6 0-27 First quarter McD Pope 6 run (Getchell kick), 11:35 JH Merrell 1 run (Smolyn kick), 2:27 Second quarter JH Lehman 13 pass from Merrell (Smolyn kick), 7:06 JH Merrell 2 run (Smolyn kick), 2:09 Third quarter JH Dilonno 9 run (kick failed), 13:40 A 1,200.

By Matt Papuchis SUN STAFF Matchup: Georgetown (4-6, 1-5) vs. Towson (6-4, 3-3) Site: Towson University Stadium When: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. Radio: WTMD (89.7 FM) Yesterday: Georgetown lost to Colgate, 44-22. Johns Hopkins got what it wanted yesterday most of it, anyway. The Blue Jays capitalized on seven McDaniel turnovers, scored twice off the miscues, and beat the No.

15 Green Terror, 27-7, at Homewood Field. The win gave Hopkins (8-2, 5-1) its first eight-win season, plus a share of the Centennial Conference championship with Muhlenberg and McDaniel (8-2, 5-1). It is the first time in school history that the Blue Jays have claimed even a share of that title. Muhlenberg, which beat Moravian, 8-0, yesterday, will probably get the conference's NCAA Division III playoff bid when they are announced today. Both Hopkins and McDaniel remain alive for an ECAC bid.

Those will be announced tomorrow. "We played very well, and they couldn't get over the turnovers," Hopkins coach Jim Margraff said. "If we play next week, it may be a letdown after the emotional high we're on." McDaniel took a 7-0 lead just 3:25 into the game, when running back French Pope scored from 6 yards out. Late in the quarter, Hopkins responded. Mike Barrasso blocked a McDaniel punt at the Green Terror 28, and the Blue Jays Matt Campbell returned the ball to the 22.

Five plays later, Hopkins quarterback George Merrell scored from 1 yard out to tie the score 7-7 late in the first quarter. Two possessions later, Hopkins got its second turnover when Pope fumbled a punt and the Blue Jays' Jake Kail fell on the ball at the McDaniel 29. Six plays later, Merrell found Jason Lehman open in the back of the end zone from 13 yards out to make the lead 14-7 with 7:06 left in the first half. The Hopkins' defense held touchdowns, had 116 yards in the first half alone. Eakin meanwhile amassed 313 yards in the game and threw three touchdowns.

The Tigers were down 28-0 heading into halftime as the Rams scored on three of their first four possessions. Towson was forced to punt six times before the half was over. To add to Towson's woes, junior quarterback Jay Amer, who was sacked four times, left the game at the end of the second quarter with a mildly knee ligament. He did not return. Towson managed to move the ball effectively for the first time in the third quarter as Matt Romeo led a third-quarter drive that lasted nearly seven minutes.

The junior tailback capped off the 71-yard drive with a 2 -yard touchdown run. But the Rams retaliated less than a minute later on their ensuing possession, scoring on a 70-yard pass play from Eakin to tight end Travis Johnson (five receptions for 120 yards). Towson controlled the clock for 14 minutes of the third quarter, but managed only the touchdown. Combs said with Amer out, the Tigers had no other choice but to run. "We were very limited because we had blown some protection early in the game," Combs said.

"We felt we had to keep them off the field." Trailing 35-14 early in the final quarter, the Tigers tried to rally. But an interception from backup quarterback Brian Fleury, who had thrown a touchdown pass to tight end Jon Grubb on the previous series, killed Towson's hopes. Fordham now sits atop the conference, and a victory over winless Bucknell on Saturday would give the Rams sole posses-sion of the Patriot League title. Towson 0 0 7 7 11 Fordham 11 11 7 7-12 First quarter FU Porco 14 pass from Eakin (Fordyce kick), 12:55. FU Eakin 5 run (Fordyce kick), 6:53.

Second quarter FU Whyte 7 pass from Eakin (Fordyce kick), 13:02. FU Watson 19 run (Fordyce kick), 2:08. Third quarter TU Romeo 2 run (Whitacre kick), 8:18. For Johnson 70 pass from Eakin (Fordyce kick), 7:19. Fourth quarter TU Grubb 6 pass from Fleury (Whitacre kick), 14:16.

FU Watson 25 run (Fordyce kick), 4:02. A 2,464. NEW YORK Towson's performance at Fordham yesterday was as sloppy and as ugly as the weather, as the Rams' touchdowns poured in as consistently as the rains did en route to a 42-14 win over the Tigers before 2,464 at Coffey Field. The game, which was played in a constant windy rain, had heavy Patriot League title implications. With a win, Towson could have positioned itself to possibly tie for the conference championship.

Instead, the Tigers (6-4, 3-3) came out flat and were shut down in the first half by a ferocious Rams defense that limited the Tigers to 57 yards of total offense and zero points. "We were a little handicapped coming into the game, having three offensive lineman out," Towson coach Gordy Combs said. "And they took advantage of it, which is good coaching. We just couldn't get that spark in the first half." Meanwhile, powered by Patriot League rushing leader Ker-win Watson and the seventh-rated passer in the nation in Kevin Eakin, the Rams dominated the Towson defense in the opening half with an effective offensive balance that racked up 319 yards before the break. Watson, who finished the game with 167 yards and two McD JH First downs 14 13 Rushes-yards 33-80 50-145 Passing 174 112 Comp-Att-Int 14-31-2 10-22-0 Return yards 111 53 Punts-avg.

Fumbles-lost 8-5 1-0 Penalties-yards 9-72 5-44 Time of possession 24:48 35:12 BS FS First downs 13 14 Rushes-yards 45-152 41-89 Passing 79 215 Comp-Att-Int 5-13-1 13-20-0 Return Yards 104 53 Punts-Avg. 7-33 Fumbles-Lost 1-1 9-0 Penalties-Yards 12-58 8-60 Time of Possession 29:12 30:48 TU FU First downs 19 21 Rushes-yards 47-189 33-201 Passing 148 313 Comp-Att-Int 13-32-1 17-29-0 Return Yards 12 5 Punts-Avg. 6-37 5-35 Fumbles-Lost 4-1 1-0 Penalties-Yards 6-35 10-76 Time of Possession 32:52 27:08 Rushing McDaniel, Pope 11-66, Canine 6-15, Johnson 8-13, Maybank 3-9, Hartman 1-2, Crowell 2-2, team 2-(minus 27). Johns Hopkins, Lyons 14-57, Merrell 12-29, Dilonno 6-16, Wolcott 3-15, Cook 5-14, Johnson 5-14, Miller 2-1, Lightfoot 1-0, Readal 2-(minus 1). Passing McDaniel, Luster 7-18-2-101, Canine 6-10-0-43, Crowell 1-3-0-30.

Johns Hopkins, Merrell 5-11-0-57, Dilonno 4-9-0-26, Fernand 1-2-0-29. Receiving McDaniel, Ellis 3-60, Jegede 2-29, Venuto 2-12, Unger 2-11, Myers 1-30, Johnson 1-11, Browne 1-9, Hutsell 1-8, Hartman 1-4. Johns Hopkins, Wolcott 3-37, Moriarty 2-28, Lyons 1-17, Lehman 1-13, Stache 1-7, Miller 1-6, Readal 1-4. Rushing Bowie State, Jordan 19-102, Cranke 9-23, Smith 1-17, Bryant 8-15, Collins 6-8, Bulldog 1-0, Hill 1-13. Fayetteville State, Bridgers 23-61, London 1-30, Thornton 2-14, Wallace 14-6, Taylor 1-10.

Passing Bowie State, Hill 4-7-49-0, Smith 1-6-30-1. Fayetteville State, Wallace 12-18-208-0, Taylor 1-2-7-0. Receiving Bowie State, Jeffries 2-13, Bryant, 1-30, Johnson 1-25, Henson 1-11. Fayetteville State, London 7-103, Thornton 3-86, Bright 3-26. Rushing Towson, Romeo 29-143, Miles 10-40.

Fordham, Watson 26-167, Gaskin 2-26. Passing Towson, Fleury 7-17-1-108, Amer 6-15-0-40. Fordham, Eakin 17-29-0-313. Receiving Towson, White 6-92, Grubb 2-21, Byroads 2-5. Fordham, Johnson 5-120, Porco 5-78, Dudley 4-87..