Oct. 10, 2015

Augusta, GA

The Lane College Dragons scored the first and the last touchdowns of the game to defeat the Tigers from Benedict College in the Augusta City Classic 23-19.

The Dragons scored with eleven seconds left in a very quick first quarter for the first points of the game. Rodney Willingham scrambled for a 10-yard touchdown as Carlas Moore connected on the extra point for a 7-0 Dragons lead.

The Dragons scored their second touchdown of the first half at the 11:38 mark of the second quarter. Marcus Reynolds connected with Aaron Thomas on a 35-yard pass- diving catch in the end zone for the score. Moore added the PAT for a 14-0 Dragons lead. The Tigers closed the gap on a 32-yard touchdown toss by Patrick Hoard to George Meyers with 4:11 left on the clock. The extra point was good for a Dragons 14-7 lead. With 19 seconds remaining in the first half, the Dragons' Anthony Blackmon shot through to tackle the Tiger in the end zone for a safety and a 16-7 halftime lead for the Dragons.

The third quarter was almost a repeat of the quick first quarter with only the Tigers putting up points in the quarter. A 28-yard field goal with 2:53 left on the clock by Tigers kicker Tory Mimbs closed the gap to 16-10.

The large crowd of over 5,000 got plenty of action in the fourth quarter. The Tigers were able to add a safety at 7:14 left in regulation as they tackled the Dragon inside their end zone for a 16-12 Dragons lead. On the kick-off, the Tigers returned the ball for a 76 yard return setting up the go-ahead touchdown. At the 6:54 mark of the fourth quarter, the Tigers took the lead for the first time all day with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Hoard to Maurice Griffin. The extra point was good making the score 19-16 in favor of the Tigers. On the Dragons next possession, quarterback Marcus Reynolds connected with Darius Mitchell for the longest pass-and-catch of the day for 66 yards. A game saving tackle was made at the 4 yard line. With 1:11 on the clock, the Dragons went to the spread formation, allowing Marcus Reynolds to waltz in untouched to the end zone. The extra point was good by Moore and the Dragons regained the lead 23-19. But the excitement was not over just yet.

The Tigers mounted one last effort that had the ball on the Dragons' 14 yard line with only seconds to play. One last play was all that stood between a heartbreaking defeat and a victory in the Augusta City Classic for the Dragons. The snap came and the clock had run out as Gabriel Mass and Ray Taylor combined for a game winning sack for a 23-19 Dragons victory.

The Dragons were led on offense by Marcus Reynolds gaining 132 yards rushing on 14 carries with a touchdown, and completing 12-of-18 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown. Other notables on offense were Darius Mitchell hauling in 3 passes for 74 yards, and Aaron Thomas 4 catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. Gabriel Mass was selected as the Dragons MVP of the classic as he collected 9 total tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss of yardage, and 2.5 sacks for a loss of 18 yards.

The Dragons (2-4 overall and 0-2 SIAC Western Division) prepare for Homecoming 2015 as they host the Marauders from Central State University (2-4 overall and 0-2 SIAC Western Division). Homecoming activities are planned for all week, with the Homecoming Parade kicking off Saturday at 8:30 a.m.. A battle of the bands will begin at 11:00 a.m. at Lane Field, and kick-off for the game scheduled for 2:00 p.m.. We hope to see everyone at Homecoming 2015.