STJ
0 0
0 0
0
October 5, 1990 Carlisle Field. Game Conditions: Clear, light
wind Game Temperature: 74
For the second time
in two weeks, the Trojans gave up a touchdown in the first
fifteen seconds of the game. On this night, the Alabama
Christian defense, especially the pass defense, shone as Saint
James went all out in the air but could not find the end zone
as the Eagles won an inter-city matchup 21 - 0.
Saint James, who lost
the toss and kicked off first, tried to surprise the Eagles
with an opening game onside kick. However, the ball was
downed at the Eagle 45. On the first play, Lee Pouncey
took the handoff, slid through the line, and broke into open
ground on his way to a 55 yard touchdown run. Jason
Graham's extra point gave the Eagles an immediate 7 - 0 lead
in a game where scoring would be at a premium despite the
quick start.
The Trojans,
knowledgeable of the tough Eagle run defense, decided to fill
the air with passes, with 34 attempts. Despite a more
than 20 yard loss on a sack after a bad snap from the shotgun,
Saint James converted a fourth and 5 with a 13 yard pass from
Wade Hartley to Gabe Harris. A 17 yard completion to
Jeff George moved the ball down to the Alabama Christian 15,
but another sack on a high snap and three incompletions turned
the ball back over to the Eagles. They began moving down
the field again and got as close as the Trojan 33 before a
clipping penalty and a sack forced a punt.
On the next drive,
just before the end of the opening quarter, an interception
was wiped out by a pass interference penalty. However,
two penalties to start the second quarter led to an Eagle
interception, and a short return was aided by a face mask
penalty, giving the Eagles a first down on the Trojan
45. After one first down, Alabama Christian was stopped
on fourth down at the Trojan 28 on a sack.
Robert Enslen, who
was the only ball carrier in the game for Saint James for the
first 46 minutes, and then only for 12 carries, picked up a
first down with his longest carry of the night, a 20 yarder,
to the Eagle 40. Two more first downs advanced the ball
to the Eagle 15, but after a sack and an incomplete pass, a
third down pass was intercepted in the endzone to stop another
drive.
Neither team
threatened in the final three minutes of the half, and the
first scrimmage play score held up as the only one in the
first two quarters.
A holding penalty on
the first Trojan offensive play of the second half eventually
led to a punt. From the 41, the Eagles traveled 59 yards
in 9 plays, exclusively on the ground. A key defensive
offsides penalty on third down and three at the Trojan 14 led
to a huge first down, and two plays later Pouncey scored his
second touchdown of the night, a 4 yarder. Graham's
extra point doubled the lead to 14 midway through the third
quarter.
Saint James completed
several passes on their next drive, including a 20 yarder to
Lucas Harris, and a fourth down 12 yarder to Billy Byrd.
However, on the next play, after a catch, the ball was jarred
loose and recovered by the Eagles on their own 28. A
holding penalty on the final play of the quarter and an
ensuing unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the between
quarters break pushed the Eagles back to their own 29.
However, they held the ball for a large part of the fourth
quarter and ate up valuable clock. The teams traded
punts, and Torrando Station finalized the score with a fourth
quarter touchdown of 13 yards clinching the city victory for
Alabama Christian.
SIDELINE STATISTICS - GAME FIVE are not yet available
RETURN TO THE SAINT JAMES 1990 FOOTBALL HOMEPAGE