West Alabama Tops Miles, 41-7 in NCAA Football Playoffs
The GSC notched its 96
th all-time NCAA Playoff victory on Saturday after
No. 4 seed West Alabama topped No. 5 seed Miles at home, 41-7. UWA advanced to the Second Round and meets league rival No. 1 seed Valdosta State next Saturday.
UWA hit pay dirt on its first offensive possession when
wide receiver Malik Lofton reeled-in a 40-yard touchdown pass at 9:04.
Quarterback Gary Johnston stretched the lead to 21-0 via a pair of TD runs. Johnston ran for a 31-yarder just 44 seconds into the second quarter and followed with a three-yard jaunt at 5:04. The Tigers tried to close the half with three more points, but MC block
Ryne Smith’s 44-yard field goal attempt as time expired. The block snapped Smith’s NCAA record of consecutive made field goals at 24.
West Alabama picked up where it left of in the start of the third stanza when Johnston ran for a one-yard touchdown sneak at 8:39, but the hosts settled for a 27-0 lead after the point-after kick failed. UWA held its 27-point lead heading into the final frame, but Miles cut its deficit to 20 with a touchdown at 9:04. UWA dominated the rest of the contest, closing out the game with 14 unanswered points.
Running back George Rowe tallied the final two scores for the Tigers, rushing a 16 yarder and a nine-yarder.
Johnston ran for a game-high 154 yards on 22 carries, while
Kyle Caldwell passed for a game-best 133 yards on seven completions. Johnston also notched three rushing scores, while Rowe added two. West Alabama stretched is all-time series lead versus Miles to 8-1 thanks to its second straight win over the Golden Bears. UWA snapped its two-game skid in NCAA Playoff action and advances to the Second Round for the first time since 2009.