National News

 October 18, 2009

Nothing was left on Robertson Field Saturday afternoon as Northeastern A&M's Golden Norsemen sustained a 55-42 loss to No. 1 ranked Blinn College. More than 1,000 total yards combined were generated by the two offenses, but in the end for the Golden Norse an interception and a lost fumble resulted in 14 points for the Buccaneers.

With the loss the Norsemen are 1-3 in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference and 3-4 overall. NEO concludes the road portion of the season next Saturday with a 3 p.m. conference game at Kilgore, Texas. Winners of seven straight the No. 1 rated Buccaneers are a perfect 4-0 in the conference.

Coach Donnie Bigby's Golden Norse dominated the first quarter by building a 14-0 lead on Blinn. Taking the opening kickoff, the Norsemen covered 67 yards in eight plays before veteran tailback Da'Sor Horton scored on a 2-yard run. A key play in the drive was a 40-yard pass from quarterback Barrett Ahrberg to wide receiver John Goodlett on a 3td-and-seven call.

Playing without placekicker Nick Walters, freshman Trevor Schomber missed the point-after as NEO held a 6-0 lead with 11:37 left in the first quarter. Walters suffered a concussion last week in Corsicana, Texas. After each team traded punts, the Golden Norse mounted a 61-yard, nine-play drive that consumed five minutes. Goodlett ended the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run on an end around despite slipping as he turned the corner. Horton added the two-point conversion run as NEO held a 14-0 lead with 24 seconds left in the first quarter.

Blinn responded with a brief 58-yard, two-play drive that took only 32 seconds, Sophomore wide out Dexter Ransom gathered in a slant pattern from quarterback Sean Rutherford and raced 57 yards for a touchdown. Billy Greer kicked the extra point to cut the deficit to 14-7 at the 14:51 mark of the second quarter.

Following a three-and-out series for NEO, the Buccaneers sent Cameron Newton into the game as a replacement for Rutherford at quarterback. Newton (6-6, 248 of College Park, Md.) sat the first quarter for disciplinary reasons. The former backup to Tim Teabow at the University of Florida last year, completed three of five passes for 45 yards as the Bucs drove 73 yards in nine plays to tie the score.

Newton scored on a 1-yard plunge and the PAT by Greer tied the score at 14-14 with 5:53 until halftime. Pinned deep in their own territory, the Golden Norse covered 91 yards in nine plays before the Ahrberg-to-Goodlett combo clicked for a 23-yard TD pass. Schomber's extra point gave NEO a brief 21-14 lead with 1:14 left. Newton put the Buccaneers on his shoulders and completed five straight passes to consume 70 yards in a little over a minute. A 5-yard touchdown pass to Ransom ended the drive and Greer's point-after created a 21-21 halftime score. A botched pass by up man Garrett Dick on a fake punt by the Golden Norsemen gave Blinn the ball at the NEO 47-yard line early in the third quarter.

Newton concluded the five-play series with a 10-yard TD run with 11:28 left in the third quarter. Greer booted the extra point for a 28-21 Bucs lead. Blinn free safety Justin Sorrell intercepted an errant Ahrberg pass at the Blinn 47-yard line on NEO's next possession. Sophomore running back Mike Hayes gained 29 yards on three carries and
Newton added a 20-yard pass to Ransom before Hayes scored on a 4-yard TD run
with 9:04 showing on the clock in the third quarter. Green's point-after increased Blinn's lead to a 35-21 margin. The Bucs recovered an on-sides kick by Greer at the NEO 41-yard line and moved to the 1-yard line with a 1st-and-goal. Newton fumbled the snap and
NEO's Eddie General recovered the ball at the 26-yard line. Driving 74 yards in seven plays on their next possession, the Norsemen scored as Ahrberg hit Goodlett on a 22-yard corner route. The play was a 4th-and-12 call. Schomber's PAT cut the deficit to 35-28 with 6:11 left in the third quarter.

After Blinn marched 54 yards in six plays, the Bucs received some luck after Hayes fumbled the ball at the goal line and wide out Rutherford recovered the ball for a touchdown. Greer's extra point was blocked as the Bucs built a 41-28 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Former Miami Wardog receiver Grant Longcrier caught passes of 16 and 22 yards as the Norsemen drove 53 yards in six plays to score. Horton bulled over from the 1-yard line and Schomber added the PAT for a 41-35 deficit with 9:33 left in the game. Things could have gotten out of hand for NEO early in the fourth quarter, but Newton had an 86-yard touchdown run erased by a block in the back penalty. However, the penalty didn't slow down Newton as the 'gunslinger' hit wide out Bola Ominsanya for a 36-yard touchdown pass. Newton misfired on the two-point conversion pass for a 47-35 lead with 8:11 on the clock.

After Ahrberg hit Aaron Antle on a short 5-yard pass route, Blinn cornerback Terrence Henry stripped the ball from Antle and raced 47 yards for a touchdown at the 6:42 juncture. Ransom caught the two-point conversion pass from Newton to give Blinn a 55-35 bulge with 6:42 remaining in the game. Ahrberg guided the Golden Norse 72 yards in nine plays before Horton scored on a 1-yard TD run with 3:26 left. Schomber kicked the point-after for a 55-42 deficit.

Horton paced the NEO ground game with 140 yards on 35 carries and three TDs as the Golden Norse gained 134 yards on 48 carries. Ahrberg completed 16 of 32 passes foe 323 yards with two interceptions and two TDs. Goodlett, who suffered an ankle injury late in the game, score three touchdowns while catching six passes for 160 yards. The Buccaneers amassed 569 yards in total offense as Hayes rushed for 153 yards on 17 carries and Newton added 29 yards on 11 carries. Newton completed 17 of 29 passes for 302 yards and two TDs in less than three quarters.