Lake County Sentinel
Special team disasters help Urbana drub Storm 37-10
BY JEFF WALKER
STAFF
(PAINESVILLE, OH) – 2017 is the beginning of a new era for Lake Erie College football (0-2) in a couple areas. Head coach Luke Hazzard is in his first season leading the Storm football program. Also on Saturday the team was playing their first ever Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) game against the Urbana University Blue Knights (0-2). Unfortunately, the era has looked a lot like the old through the first three weeks as the Blue Knights decimated the Storm 37-10 at Jack Britt Stadium.
The Blue Knights got on the scoreboard first with a on yard touchdown pass from Tajuan Green to Trevon Saunders. Blue Knights kicker Josh Cole converted the extra point to give the Blue Knights a 7-0 lead with 9:16 left in the opening quarter.
Lake Erie answered on their next drive with a 29-yard field goal by placekicker and Mentor graduate Michael Muzic to pull the Storm to within four points at 7-3 with 4:47 remaining in the first quarter.
The Blue Knights expanded their lead to 14-3 with 13:46 left in the first half when Green connected through the air from 48 yards to Rodell Rahmaan for the touchdown.
With 8:21 left in the first half disaster struck for Lake Erie as Muzic had his punt blocked at the Storms own 15-yard line and Blue Knights defensive lineman Chris Richardson carried the ball into the end zone for a touchdown. The blocked punt and TD gave Urbana a 21-3 lead.
Things did not get any better in the second half for the Storm as they were forced to punt after the first drive of the second half and Desmond Turner returned the punt for the Blue Knights 65 yard to the Lake Erie five-yard line. One play later Ja'Vahri Portis took the ball five yards for a touchdown giving Urbana a 28-3 lead with 12:45 left in the 3rd quarter.
On the following drive Lake Erie couldn’t do anything offensively again and was forced to punt. This time Saunders returned the punt 87 yards for a Blue Knights touchdown and the route was on as Urbana had a commanding 32-point lead 35-3 with 10:19 left in the third.
To start the fourth quarter the Storm defense came up big as they stopped the Blue Knights at the one-yard line on fourth down. But even that turned into disaster as Lake Erie running back Antwan Harris was safety one yard deep in the end zone increasing Urbana’s lead to 37-3 with 14:10 remaining in the game.
Lake Erie added a TD late in the fourth quarter with 6:37 left when Javarian Smith ran in from seven yards out to pull the Strom to within 27 at 37-10.
The win was the Blue Knights first of the season as they are now 1-2. The Storm falls to 0-3 and have been outscored 125-20 in the season’s first three contests.
The Storm will be back in action next Saturday next Saturday at Ohio Dominican at 7:00 p.m..
POSTED 09/16/2017 17:47
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