The Rams defeated the Blue Knights in a road contest Saturday afternoon by a 44-21 score that saw Shepherd put the game out of reach at the end of the third quarter. The Rams came into this game in need of a win to get the season back on track and they did just that with a balanced offensive attack in which they put up 216 yards through the air and 206 on the ground.
Shepherd’s record is now at 5-2 with the 23-point victory, as Urbana drops to .500 at 4-4. Freshman running back number 20 Antwan Squire had his best game of the year to date in leading the Rams backfield with 23 carries for 132 yards and three scores.
Urbana was the first to put up points in the game, quickly scoring in the first quarter with just over 13 minutes remaining on the end of a 74-yard touchdown catch and run from quarterback Cee Jay Hale to wideout Jesse Bray. From that point on it was all Rams as they put up 37 points unanswered until midway through the fourth quarter.
Freshman quarterback number 9 Tyson Bagent rebounded from last week’s rough outing with 216 yards in the air, one passing and one rushing touchdown and two interceptions. Fortunately for him, they were not converted into Urbana points.
Bagent scored his first rushing touchdown in the first quarter on a fourth and goal that briefly tied the game at 7-7. Squire scored his first touchdown just before the end of the first quarter and after that it was off to the races for the Rams.
The scoring remained at 14-7 until 10 seconds before halftime when redshirt freshman running back number 1 Ty Hebron caught a pass from Bagent and scored from eight yards out. Sophomore kicker Hayden August-Scriven had his extra point blocked as the Rams took a 20-7 lead into halftime.
The Rams came out of halftime and essentially put the game out of reach with a 33-yard field goal by August-Scriven, a second touchdown run from Squire from four yards out, and a defensive score from senior defensive lineman Tatah Ndeh on a 21-yard fumble recovery all in the span of four minutes.
The Urbana offense woke up in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late as running backs Isaiah Young on a 24-yard run and Jeff Garcia on a 42-yard run both scored to bring the score to 37-21 with just over seven minutes remaining in the game.
Squire effectively iced the game for Shepherd on a 64-yard scamper to the endzone, putting the Rams up 44-21 where the score remained until the end of regulation.
Sophomore linebacker Chrys Lane led the way for the Rams on the defensive side of the ball, registering eight tackles, two and a half tackles for loss, and one and a half sacks. Fellow sophomore linebacker number 56 Zion Johnson added six total tackles, half a sack, and forced the fumble on quarterback Cee Jay Hale that was returned for a score by Ndeh.
The Rams defense made Hale uncomfortable all game long as he threw for 98 total yards on six completed pass attempts. In comparison, Bagent connected on 20 of 30 pass attempts on route to his 216 yards for the game.
Senior wide receiver Ryan Feiss led the Rams receiving corps with nine catches for 60 yards. Junior wide receiver number 14 Greg Leonard added 67 yards on three catches, and junior tight end number 11 DJ Cornish finished with 54 yards on four receptions. The Rams receivers did not find the endzone in this game and the Rams still put up 44 points.
The Rams will look to replicate Saturdays 422 yards of total offense and secure win number six of the season when they welcome West Virginia Wesleyan to Shepherdstown next Saturday, Oct. 27, with kick off at noon.
Vaughn is the sports editor for the Picket. He can be reached at vbrewe01@rams.shepherd.edu
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