FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Shenandoah University clinched a share of its first USA South Conference crown Saturday afternoon with a 35-14 USA South Conference victory over host Methodist College.
This win, combined with Ferrum's victory over Christopher Newport, gives SU a share of the regular season title. The two teams both finish with a 5-1 league mark; CNU holds the tie-breaker by virtue of its win over Shenandoah on October 4.
SU (8-2, 5-1 USA South) clinches its best season ever with the win and matches its longest ever win streak (five) along with the co-championship.
MC (4-5, 3-3) was seeking its first winning season since 2000.
The game started as one with two offenses ranked in the nation would dictate; each team scored on its opening drive. Methodist took the opening drive and got itself a Patrick Larkin 45-yard field goal before Shenandoah answered on its opening offensive chance.
The Hornets drove 64 yards in six plays, all on the ground, to make it 7-3 after Jamil Ramsuer went over right tackle on 2nd goal and from the 2.
SU made it 14-3 one drive later when quarterback Wayne Hogwood (Arlington, Va./Wakefield) found Chris Delfin (Burke, Va./Lake Braddock) all alone on the far hash for a school record 72 yard touchdown pass. Hogwood rolled left, planted and lofted his pass to Delfin, who had no one within 30 yards of him. This score completed a four play, 84 yard drive that took just 1:47.
Perhaps the biggest play of the game came following TD when Demarcus Wilson nearly answered the Shenandoah touchdown with one of his own. Wilson took the ensuing kick and returned it 72 yards to SU 18 before kicker Bryce Harrington (Merritt Island, Fla./Valdosta State) pulled him down from behind. Harrington's tackle saved the visitors four points, as MC was forced to take the Larkin 36-yard field goal when the drive lost one yard.
The second quarter only brought one touchdown – an Anthony Frates (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) eight yard burst with 5:19 remaining in the half.
Methodist got itself into scoring possession on its final drive of the half on the strength of two fourth down conversions but they came up empty when a 48-yard field goal attempt by Larkin came up short with 33 seconds left.
The two teams traded two possessions each to start the second half before the visitors drove 86 yards in 11 plays to make the score 28-6 at the 1:48 mark of the third. Junior Richard Redwood (Severn, Md./Montgomery CC) dove over from the 1 for his second touchdown of the year.
Shenandoah turned the game into a rout on the initial drive of the final stanza when senior Anthony McGhee (Reston, Va./South Lakes) capped both his career and the drive with a one-yard TD run.
Methodist got its only touchdown with just over five minutes left by stopping a fake punt by the Hornets at the 50 yard line, hitting a big pass to give them a first and goal from the one and having Wilson waltz over on 1st down. MC then hit two-point conversion to make it the final margin of victory.
Frates led an SU attack with a career high 140 yards on 21 carries while Ramsuer added 77 on seven attempts. Shenandoah rolled up 422 yards in total offense, including 334 on the ground.
Methodist, who was 12th nationally in rushing offense with 273 yards per outing, was held 127 this afternoon.
Shenandoah opens its 2004 season on September 4 with a USA South Conference contest against first-year program N.C. Wesleyan.
