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December 21, 1997
LUT WILLIAMSATLANTA - If the game on the field in the inaugural Pioneer Bowl is anyindication, the game has a bright future.
Amidst a lot of concern from coaches, administrators and the pressabout the planning and organization of the game, Kentucky State andLivingstone put on quite a show in this first CIAA vs. SIAC postseason bowlmatchup before 7,136 in Morris Brown's Herndon Stadium Saturday.
The game went down to the wire as Kentucky State stopped CIAAchampion Livingstone twice inside the three in the last :30 to preserve ahard-fought 30-26 victory, the first loss on the field for the Blue Bears(8-3) this year. The win was an upset for the now 7-5 Thorobreds who hadcome in as decided underdogs after finishing in a tie for second in theSIAC.
Livingstone, who had beaten teams by a 41-12 average this year, hadlost their two games by forfeit. That didn't awe KSU head coach GeorgeSmall or his Thorobreds.
"They hadn't played Kentucky State, yet," said a jubilant anddrenched Small, who was doused with Gatorade by his players as the gameended. "We went in with a simple game plan to stop (Livingstone runnigback) Wilmont (Perry). He had a good day but he didn't have the kind ofdays he's had in the past. We knew we had a top-rated defense and ouroffense is pretty explosive. We know we can score. So, it was just a matterof not making mistakes - which we did."
While Small's troops limited themselves to just two turnovers (twoints.) and just 44 yards in penalties, Livingstone turned the ball overfour times leading to two KSU touchdowns and had 12 penalties totalling 144yards, many of them at key points of the game prolonging Thorobred drivesor thwarting drives of their own.
"Taking nothing away from Kentucky State, but we didn't losebecause they beat us," said Livingstone coach Rudy Abrams. "We lost becausewe beat ourselves. The mistakes we made on special teams were just awful. Itold them I'm not disappointed that we lost, if you play long enough you'regoing to lose some games. I'm disappointed in the way we lost. The thingI'm most disappointed in is that we lost our discipline."
That despite the Blue Bears putting up nearly 500 yards of totaloffense, 321 on the ground led by their powerful running back tandem ofPerry (21 carries, 161 yards, 3 TDs) and Chris Williams (18 carries, 142yards, 1 TD). Perry was chosen as Livingstone's MVP in the game.
"They're excellent running backs," said Small. "After talking tosome people, I had some questions about the caliber of competition they hadbeen playing against. But they definitely made a believer out of me,especially once I saw him (Perry) drag three or four of our players downthe field.
"Since we've been here all we've heard is Livingstone this andLivingstone that. We just basically kept out mouth shut. We knew coming inwith a 6-5 record was going to deceive a lot of people."
"Looking back now, I think we may have been overconfident," saidAbrams. "When you're dealing with youngsters, no matter what you tell them,when they get in their minds that they can't get beat they believe it."
The key to the game however was Kentucky State's ability to respondto every thing Livingstone did and to capitalize on their mistakes.
Livingstone broke out on top 7-0 on their second possession whenWilliams scored on a 58-yard gallop. KSU tied the score when Bears' puntreturner Matthew Allen gift-wrapped a score, fumbling a Tim Duncan punt atthe LC seven. On the second play from there, RB Maurice Hunter took it in. LC came back to score in the second period mounting a ten-play90-yard drive capped by Perry's three-yard run. KSU needed only one play, a74-yard bomb to Tommy Wilson to tie the score at 14-14. That's the way thehalf ended.
LC took the lead 20-14 after a 10-play 82-yard drive, all on theground, on their second possession of the second half. Perry went over fromeight yards away with 4:55 left in the period. After being penalized forexcessive celebration, place kicker Charles Cooley missed the 26-yard PAT.
KSU responded with a 12-play drive of their own. KSU QB MikeVolarich, who was picked as his team's MVP in the game, hit TE Dan Trogeron a one-yard pass for the score. Duncan's PAT gave KSU their first lead,21-20.
"We thought we'd be able to throw the ball," said Volarich, whocompleted 16 of 38 passes for 268 yards and two TDs. "We just wanted tocome in and put up some points against them."
Two possessions later the Blue Bears fumbled again, this one byWilliams was scooped up by KSU safety Marcus Dover. The Thorobreds needednine plays to reach paydirt. They were helped by a personal foul penalty onLivingstone linebacker Bacardi Ayers after the Bears had appeared to stopthem on third down at the LC 49-yard-line. Six plays later RB Jay Parkswent over from the six to increase the lead to 27-20. Duncan missed thePAT.
On the ensuing possession, Livingstone self-destructed again.
On second-and-seven from their own 18, LC quarterback PernellWilder threw incomplete downfield to tight end Darrell Murray. When Murraywas taunted by the defender, Murray slapped him, earning ahalf-the-distance to the goal penalty that killed the drive. Duncan cameback to redeem himself, nailing a 38-yard field goal after a seven-play KSUdrive.
Down 30-20, the Blue Bears mounted a comeback over the last 4:18.They needed 11 plays to cover 80 yards, the final two on Perry's thirdrushing TD of the day at the 1:24 mark. Cooley again missed the PAT. LC gotthe ball right back at their own 47 on an up-the-middle onsides kick with1:12 remaining. They got one first down before Wilder hit WR Shawn Fosterover the middle for 37 yards down to the KSU 3.
WIth :34 left and no timeouts, Williams rushed for two yards to theone. Instead of spiking the ball to kill the clock, Wilder tried a sneakthat was stuffed for no gain. A questionable injury to Williams stopped theclock with only :01 second showing. As LC rushed Williams' replacement onthe field, KSU lineman Travis Leavarity leaped over the line to drop Wilderfor a two-yard loss as the horn sounded.
"We had a play (an option) called twice that we tried to get run,"said Abrams of the final plays. "For some reason, he (Wilder) just didn'trun it. We had an option that could have gone to him (Perry). We felt if wehad run the play that we tried to run we would have scored."
"I thought he said to sneak it but he was saying to down it,"Wilder said of Abrams' call. "With the crowd, I couldn't hear what he wassaying. We made some mistakes today that we should not have made. We didthat in the regular season but that was a better team in there. Some of uswere over-confident. We were so confident that we made some mistakes thatwe usually don't make. Personal fouls, fighting - we never fought a team.Other teams always talk junk but we never stepped up (sic) to their level."
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