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Complete
Box Score
EDINBORO, PA – Trevor Harris (Waldo,
OH/Marion Pleasant) threw four touchdown passes for the third
straight game to lead Edinboro to a 41-23 win over visiting
Cheyney in a PSAC crossover game. The Fighting Scots won their
third straight game to improve to 3-1, while Cheyney is now 0-4.
Edinboro overcame a slow start and a sluggish
overall game after last week’s 42-41 upset of 25th-ranked
Bloomsburg. Harris, a sophomore quarterback, and backup tailback
Ulysee “Spud” Davis (Bryans Road, MD/Bishop McNamara)
woke the Fighting Scots out of the doldrums. Harris completed
16 of 22 passes for 241 yards with 4 TDs, although he threw a rare
pair of interceptions.
In addition, Harris scrambled for several first
downs while adding 15 yards on five rushes. He continued his
assault on the Edinboro record book, moving up two spots into
sixth place in career passing yards (3,483). He is also now
seventh in career completions (277). He has already thrown for 936
yards with 13 TDs and 3 INTs in four games.
Davis, meanwhile, came off the bench to pile up
77 yards on 12 carries in the second half, including a five-yard
run in the fourth quarter that gave Edinboro a 34-17 lead.
Cheyney dominated a scoreless first quarter, as
the Wolves held the ball for 12 minutes and 30 seconds. They took
a 7-0 lead with 12:47 remaining in the second quarter as Derrick
Murry connected with Billy Mitchell on a 35-yard touchdown pass.
The drive was set up by Richard Kirkland’s interception,
snapping a string of 97 straight passes without a pickoff by
Harris. The Wolves went 59 yards on just four plays.
That score woke up the Edinboro offense, as the
Fighting Scots scored on their next three possessions and led
20-10 at halftime. Houston Brown, Edinboro’s leading rusher
on the day with 92 yards on 16 carries, accounted for the first
score on a six-yard run. That capped a six-play, 48-yard drive
after freshman Marcus Rose (Columbus, OH/Northland)
returned Cheyney’s kickoff 38 yards. Brown carried four times
for 42 yards on the drive. The Scots still trailed, however, 7-6
after Justin Gomes’ (Erie, PA/McDowell) extra point
was no good.
Cheyney drove to the Edinboro 20 on its ensuing
possession, but senior noseguard Chris Amico (Webster,
NY/Webster Irondequoit) recorded his first career interception
to halt the drive. The Scots proceeded to drive 68 yards on 11
plays, with Brown again doing much of the work. The sophomore
tailback carried seven times for 47 yards, setting up Harris’
first touchdown pass of the day, a five-yarder to Ryan Rybicki
(Covina, CA/Charter Oak) with 3:32 remaining. Gomes’ PAT
gave Edinboro the lead for good at 13-6.
Cheyney turned the ball over on downs at the
Edinboro 47 on its next possession, and Harris needed just four
plays to cover the 53 yards. He hooked up Rich Cerro
(Franklin, PA/Franklin) on a 36-yard scoring play and a 20-7
lead.
For the second straight year Cheyney scored as
time expired in the first half. This time it was Andrew Effiong
with a 41-yard field goal to close the margin to 20-10.
The two teams traded interceptions to start the
second half, with freshman strong safety Dan Skelton
(Edinboro, PA/General McLane) coming up his first of two
interceptions to halt a Wolves’ drive at the Edinboro 33.
At that point Davis was inserted at tailback.
He carried seven times for 46 yards as Edinboro drove 68 yards in
10 plays. Facing a 3rd-and-2 at the Cheyney 32, Harris found Denayne
Dixon (Cleveland, OH/Shaw) open on a short crossing route and
Davis did the rest. The 6’4”, 251 lb. backup tight end
rambled 32 yards for his first career touchdown. Davis is a
transfer from Gannon who previously played defense.
Cheyney refused to give in as Murry, who proved
a major thorn in Edinboro’s side all day, directed the Wolves
on a 10-play, 73-yard march. Bobby Hogan covered the final yard to
pull Cheyney within 27-17 with 14:27 remaining in the game.
Back came the Fighting Scots with an 11-play,
62-yard drive. Harris twice scrambled for first downs, and his
21-yard completion to Cerro put Edinboro at the Cheyney five.
Davis scored on the next play to give the Scots a 34-17 lead with
9:04 to play.
Cheyney wasn’t about to be outdone, as
Murry completed all four of his attempts on the next drive for 69
yards, the last a three-yarder to Eric Frazier. The Wolves had
clawed back to within 34-23 with 5:29 to play.
Harris put the game out of reach with his
fourth touchdown pass, the only pass of the seven-play, 65-yard
drive. He hooked up with Rybicki for the second time, this one
covering 43 yards, as the junior wide receiver broke a tackle at
the 15 and went for his fourth touchdown of the season.
A Cheyney offense which had struggled without
Murry the previous two games came alive against the Fighting
Scots. The Wolves finished with 442 total yards, including 377
yards through the air by Murry. The senior quarterback completed
26 of 44 passes with a pair of touchdowns, although he was
intercepted four times. The 377 yards is the sixth-highest total
ever by an Edinboro opponent.
Edinboro finished the afternoon with 429 yards,
displaying good balance with 241 yards through the air and 188
yards on the ground. Cerro, who sat out the Bloomsburg game with a
minor injury, caught 4 passes for 69 yards.
Skelton paced an Edinboro defense which did
register six sacks and come up with five turnovers. The freshman
led the Scots with 10 tackles, had a pair of interceptions and a
sack.
Edinboro begins PSAC West action next Saturday,
September 29 at Shippensburg. That contest kicks off at 1:00 p.m. |
