Tigers spoil Homecoming day for Boll Weevils
Oct. 3—MONTICELLO, Ark. — The East Central University football team jumped out to a 28-7 lead and then held on late in a 35-28 win over Arkansas-Monticello Saturday at Willis "Convoy" Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium.
Both teams are now 2-3 on the year. It was Homecoming Day for the Boll Weevils.
Despite ECU going three and out in their opening possession, the Tigers quickly turned things around in their next drive, embarking on a 10-play, 69-yard march down the field. Miles Davis played a pivotal role in this drive, breaking through with a 13-yard rush that set the Tigers up at the UAM 1-yard line. Jaren Hendricks finished the job with a 1-yard rush into the end zone and Tommy Yousey's successful PAT gave ECU an early 7-0 lead.
The ECU defense showcased its strength in the first quarter, forcing UAM to punt on two out of their three possessions. The Tigers were determined to maintain their momentum from there.
In the second quarter, UAM looked like they might knot the score, piecing together a nine-play, 43-yard drive. However, Jimmy Pitts came up clutch once again with a timely interception that halted the Boll Weevils' progress.
Yet, UAM found a way to strike back in the same quarter.
The Boll Weevils blocked an ECU punt, which led to their first touchdown — a 1-yard run by Arlie Lee — to level the score at 7-7.
The Tigers, however, responded swiftly.
After starting quarterback Zy Gravitt took a hard tackle that forced him to leave the field, Jaiave Magalei stepped in and made an immediate impact. With his very first throw of the game, Magalei — a senior from Tacoma, Texas — connected with Isaiah Willhoite for a spectacular 77-yard touchdown pass that put the Tigers back in the lead, 14-7.
With just eight seconds left on the clock before the half, Magalei extended the Tiger lead further with a 12-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Moore, bringing the score to 21-7 going into the break.
Out of the locker room, ECU continued to keep the pressure on. They orchestrated a six-play, 74-yard drive highlighted by a remarkable 37-yard reception by Moore for his second touchdown of the game, pushing their lead to 28-7.
Magalie ended his big night, completing 11-of-20 passes for 194 and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
By the beginning of the fourth quarter, UAM managed to work their way back into the game, narrowing the score to 28-21 after short TD runs by Lee and Kristian Gammage, who scored with 13:37 left in the game.
However, Ameer Muhammad came up with a crucial interception, setting the stage for Miles Davis to deliver the final blow with a 17-yard rushing touchdown, extending the Tigers' lead to 35-21.
In the dying moments of the game, UAM squeezed in one last touchdown — a 1-yard run by Jovonnie Gibson with six seconds left in the game — but it was too little, too late.
A total of 10 different ECU players had rushing stats, led by Davis who finished with 51 yards on 10 totes. David Hall added 40 yards on eight carries.
Moore led East Central's receiving group with four catches for 90 yards and two scores. Dior Scott added six grabs for 48 yards.
Ameer Muhammad led a strong Tiger defense with nine solo tackles and an interception while Jimmy Pitts recorded his fifth interception of the season to lead the GAC.
Kicker Tommy Yousey went a perfect 5-for-5 on PATs while Reece Conner had eight punts, averaging 42.4 yards with a long of 54 yards to help the Tigers control field position.
The ECU football team will return to Ada for a Great American Conference matchup against fifth-ranked Ouachita Baptist University at 2 p.m. Saturday at Norris Field.
Note: Ada News sports editor Jeff Cali contributed to this report.
