2011 - GAME 11

Lincoln 41, St. James 21  
LIN          7     21       7       6         41 
 
STJ          7       7       0       7         21
SCORING SUMMARY:

LIN  (1)  7:23   T. Truss 35 run                            (McClean kick)     0 -   7
STJ  (1)  4:28   Duncan 22 run                            (Meadows kick)     7 -   7
LIN  (2)  7:54   Cochran 10 run                           (McClean kick)     7 - 14
STJ  (2)  5:17   W. Adams 7 pass from Duncan    (Meadows kick)   14 - 14
LIN  (2)  5:02   T. Truss 65 run                             (McClean kick)   14 - 21
LIN  (2)  1:50   Caldwell 87 pass from T. Truss     (McClean kick)   14 - 28
LIN  (3)  9:09   T. Truss 96 run                             (McClean kick)   14 - 35
LIN  (4)  6:37   Green 3 run                                   (kick blocked)   14 - 41
STJ  (4)  4:21   Duncan 8 run                                 (Newton kick)   21 - 41

November 4, 2011.   Carlisle Field.  7:00 PM  Game Conditions:  Clear, breezy   Game Temperature:  58  Wind  NNW  5 - 10

St. James committed four turnovers and gave up three very long touchdowns while being unable to muster enough offense to offset the combination as the Lincoln Golden Bears made their first appearance in Carlisle Field a successful one by ending the Trojans' successful season abruptly with a 41 - 21 victory.

Things started off slowly for both teams on their initial drives.  Lincoln managed one first down on the legs of quarterback Sherrod Cochran after desiring the ball immediately after the coin toss.  However, St. James forced a punt, but could not earn a first down of their own.  After a fine punt, one of several, by Wilson Adams, the Bears took over on their own 29 and drove 71 yards for the first score of the game.  Rod Green and Cochran picked up 36 yards on four consecutive running plays, and then T.J. Truss, a figure numerous Trojans will be seeing in nightmares for an extended period of time, broke loose down the far sidelines for a 35 yard touchdown run.  Mason McClean nailed the extra point and the Bears were up 7 - 0 midway through the first quarter.

The Trojans nearly matched the Bears with a 70 yard drive of their own.  C.J. Duncan picked up 10 yards on a pair of plays, and Frank Moody gained 23 yards on his longest carry of the evening.  Two more Duncan runs moved the ball down to the Lincoln 19, and after a loss, Duncan called his own number for a 22 yard touchdown.  A blatant face mask penalty which drew the flag of every referee on the field was declined on the play, and Austin Meadows kicked an extra point tying the game at 7.

The Trojans appeared to have momentum as a great tackle by Tait Holder stopped the kickoff return attempt of Deylon Pearson inside the Bear 10.  After a penalty, Lincoln could not generate any offense and a pressured punt hit at the Bear 25 and bounced favorably for the Trojans before being stopped at the 21 and St. James it appeared was just a few plays away from another score.  Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.  On first down a Duncan pass was intercepted by Lincoln quarterback doubling as defensive back Cochran, and he returned the interception almost all the way to midfield.  A block in the back penalty offset a sizable gain, and on the first play of the second quarter Cochran, also one of the team punters, pinned St. James deep at their own three yard line.

On third down from the four, Duncan found a wide open Graham Norwood on the near sideline and his catch and run netted 44 yards, giving the Trojans some breathing room.  After an immediate Lincoln timeout, however, disaster struck as the Trojans tried to execute a trick play.  A deep handoff to Walker Woodson attracted pressure, but he threw the ball downfield toward a covered receiver anyway.  The ball took several wild deflections before Truss grabbed the interception and returned it all the way to the Trojan 24 where a last chance tackle brought him down.  Three plays gained only four yards, but disaster struck again on fourth down and six.  St. James was called twice consecutively for encroachment, and the second infraction simply handed Lincoln a key first down.  On the next play, quarterback Cochran called a keeper and bolted in from ten yards out.  McClean's extra point gave Lincoln their seven point lead back midway through the second quarter.

A low line drive kick was fielded by Zach Taylor with no return.  After two short runs, Duncan found Cal Cherry out of the backfield and lofted him a perfect pass on his way to a 47 yard catch and run similar to Norwood's on the previous drive.  Three plays later, Duncan bulleted a pass to an open Wilson Adams in the endzone for a seven yard touchdown.  Meadows' extra point once again tied the score at 14 with still five minutes remaining in the half.

For the first time all season, St. James kicked off and the ball went out of bounds.  On this night, Lincoln jumped on most any Trojan mistake immediately.  Truss took the handoff from the 35 yard line on a toss sweep where three potential receivers on the right side became blockers on the left side during a triple reset before the snap, and he was virtually untouched as he raced 65 yards for a quick touchdown.  McClean would give Lincoln the lead for good with his kick, and it was 21 - 14 Bears.

The Trojans picked up one first down on their next drive thanks to a face mask penalty, but had to punt and pin the Bears again at their own 12.  After Truss gained one yard on first down, Lincoln called on the trick play with Truss taking the tosss and then lofting it down the center of the field as far as he could.  Zavion Caldwell had escaped the deepest St. James defenders and he maneuvered under the pass for the catch and eventual touchdown, the fourth longest passing touchdown ever surrendered by St. James.  The extra point and the big play seemed to give Lincoln all the momentum into halftime as they had doubled tthe Trojan point output.  Despite a Bear kick which went out of bounds, St. James did not have enough time to threaten before the half expired, and Lincoln maintained their two touchdown cushion.

St. James started the second half with good field position after a short kickoff and drove as far as the Bear 38 before a sack pushed them back.  Another fine punt by Adams was downed at the Bear 4 and a quick stop seemed necessary.  The exact opposite occurred as Truss took a simple handoff, broke through early traffic and pulled away once into the secondary for the longest touchdown ever scored against St. James, a 96 yarder, which was a large chunk of his 218 rushing yards.  McClean's fifth consecutive extra point gave Lincoln a 35 - 14 lead and it began to appear this just wasn't going to be the Trojans' evening.

After a three and out, Lincoln was driving again, almost exclusively on the legs of Green this time, but on fourth down from the Trojan 15, senior Wes Funderburk came up with a fine tackle on a quarterback sack to give the home sidelines something to cheer.  St. James took over and Duncan moved the team by run and by pass to the Bear 13 yard line on the last play of the third quarter.  However, on the next play, as Duncan was scrambling, the ball was knocked loose and Lincoln was the beneficiary of the third turnover of the evening.  From their own 16, the Bears moved methodically eating away yards and clock.  Cochran and Green were the major culprits, and on the eleventh play of the drive, Green, who had 132 rushing yards of his own, was rewarded with the final three and the touchdown.  The extra point was blocked, but the Bears were firmly in control with a 41 - 14 lead.

Duncan once again moved the Trojans with passes and runs.  The receptions by Jake Jabour and Graham Norwood moved the ball to the Trojan 44, and then consecutive keepers of 23, 16, 9, and 8 yards by Duncan led to the final touchdown of the season.  Kickoff specialist Riley Newton added the final point of the season, and the score was 41 - 21 with over four minutes remaining.  St. James tried an onside kick which bounced numerous times, but only traveled eight yards before going out of bounds.  Lincoln ran off half of the clock despite the Trojans using all of their timeouts, and on the final drive of the season, Duncan started the drive by carrying for 21 yards to wrap up his game total at 148 rushing yards.  After three incompletions, a desperate pass was intercepted at the ten yard line, and Cochran only needed to down the ball three times to cement the Golden Bears' Golden Road to the second round of the playoffs at home against 11 - 0 Bibb County.  The Trojans stayed on the field long after the final whistle had blown thinking of what could have been and what will be as they prepare for the 2012 season.

SIDELINE STATISTICS  - GAME ELEVEN

ST. JAMES      RUSHING    37 attempts  205 yards  2 TDs  (5.54 yards per carry)

                          5   Duncan          23 / 148  (2 TDs)       20   Moody          7 / 39
                          4   Woodson          5 /  12                     36   Cherry           2 /  6

                        PASSING    9 completions  23 attempts  3 INTs  169 yards  1 TD  (5 sacks of, - 29 yards)

                          5   Duncan        9 - 22 - 2   169 yards  1 TD   (5 sacks, - 29 yards)
                          4   Woodson      0 -   1 - 1

                        RECEIVING

                        11   Norwood         2 / 61                 36   Cherry          1 / 47      30   Jabour         3 / 32
                          2   Adams             2 / 21  (1 TD)      4   Woodson       1 /  8

                        TOTAL YARDS:   374

                        KICKS:  XP  3 / 3                FG   0 / 0
                        2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                        KICKOFFS:   4  (57,57,OB,OB8)                              PUNTS:   4  (48,40,45,44)
                        KO RETURNS:  6  (13,0,15,3,4,5)                            PUNT RETURNS:  0
                         FIRST DOWNS:   16  (10 rushing, 5 passing, 1 penalty)
                        FUMBLES:  2, lost 1
                        POINTS OFF TURNOVERS:  0
                         TURNOVER MARGIN:  - 4
                        PENALTIES:   4 / 25 yards
                        TIME OF POSSESSION:  23:17

LINCOLN        RUSHING   41 attempts  376 yards  5 TDs  (9.17 yards per carry - 1  Truss  10 / 218  2 - Green  14 / 132)
                        PASSING    5 completions  6 attempts  0 INTs  123 yards  1 TD  (1 sack of, - 12 yards)
                        TOTAL YARDS:   499

                         KICKS:  XP  5 / 6                FG  0 / 0
                        2 POINT CONVERSIONS:  0 / 0
                        KICKOFFS:  7  (43,26,44,OB,28,41,42)                    PUNTS:  4  (36,19,44,17)
                        KO RETURNS:   2  (18,7)                                        PUNT RETURNS:  1  (0fc)
                        INTERCEPTION RETURNS:  3  (41,38,0)
                        FIRST DOWNS:   15  (11 rushing, 3 passing, 1 penalty)
                        FUMBLES:  1, lost 0
                        POINTS OFF TURNOVERS:  14
                        PENALTIES:  7 / 52 yards
                        TIME OF POSSESSION:  24:43

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