Carrollton, Ga. – October 7, 2005 – A team that can control the line of scrimmage can control a football game. The West Georgia Braves did that on both sides of the ball during Saturday’s Homecoming game as the Braves blasted West Alabama 41-0.
John Perkins, 34, and the West Georgia defense held UWA to -7 yards on the ground.
“I was happy with the way we ran the ball offensively, but the defense played like gangbusters today,” said head coach Mike Ledford. “They came out hitting hard and didn’t let up, I’m really proud they got the shutout.”
The numbers speak for themselves. The UWG defense had 10 tackles for loss, including five sacks, a fumble return for a touchdown and forced eight three-and-out situations. The Braves also had four interceptions, including two in the end zone and forced nine punts.
The game started out with lightning striking as UWA quarterback James Reiter fumbled a handoff on the first snap of the game and West Georgia linebacker Brandon Jamison picked it up and ran 15 yards for a 7-0 UWG lead 12 seconds into the contest.
A quick three-and-out forced a punt into the wind, and Tiger punter J.D. Wu’s punt went just 16 yards, giving the Braves solid field position. Adi Brkic nailed a 20-yard field goal for a 10-0 advantage.
After the two teams traded three-and-outs, the Braves were forced to punt. On the play, the middle of the UWG protection broke down and West Alabama, in a block formation, blocked the punt. West Georgia defensive back Breon Ford picked up the ball at the Braves’ 20 and with all but two UWA players going after the punter, no one was in-between Ford and the goal line. The junior sprinted 80 yards for the score and a commanding 17-0 lead.
The Braves added another score before halftime on a 29-yard scamper from Javari Taylor to go into the break with a comfortable 24-0 lead.
The second half was more of the same, with the UWG line dominating on both sides of the ball as the Braves scored three more times in the second half for the final result.
Taylor was the leading rusher on the afternoon, running the ball 11 times for 118 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He was the leader, but the line was the hero, as the Braves rushed for 373 yards on the afternoon.
On the flip side, the UWG defense held West Alabama to just 112 yards on the afternoon and negative seven on the rushing side of things.
West Georgia is now 4-3 on the season and 4-1 in the Gulf South Conference with Southern Arkansas coming to Carrollton next Saturday. The game will be televised live on CSS at 7 p.m.