Albany State storms past Lane College, 51-0

ALBANY — Hurricane Isaias created uncertainty about whether Albany State would get to play its Homecoming game.

Once the Golden Rams took the field, the outcome was never in doubt.

Albany State scored three touchdowns in the opening quarter, produced two defensive scores and overwhelmed Lane College 51-0 Saturday afternoon at the Albany State Coliseum.

The victory improved the Golden Rams to 3-3 overall and 3-1 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. It was the complete performance coach David Bowser had been seeking, with Albany State dominating on offense, defense and special teams.

The final numbers were every bit as lopsided as the score.

Albany State outgained Lane 388-89, rushing for 245 yards on 40 carries while holding the Dragons to minus-18 yards on 23 attempts. The Golden Rams never punted.

They also spread the work throughout the roster. Ten Albany State players carried the football, three quarterbacks played and nine Golden Rams caught at least one pass.

The Dirty Blue defense announced what kind of afternoon it would be during Lane’s opening possession.

Albany State sacked quarterback Crishon Overton twice in the Dragons’ first three plays and stuffed a running attempt on the other. Lane punted from its end zone, giving the Golden Rams possession at the Dragons’ 36-yard line.

Quarterback Jeffery “JD” Davis immediately took advantage of the short field. He connected with Cardrece Mobley for a first down at the 21, then found Derrick Timmons for an over-the-shoulder touchdown. Timmons fought through a defender to secure the catch, and Jonathan Rodriguez’s extra point made it 7-0.

The defense sent Lane backward again on its next possession.

Overton gained 8 yards on first down, but D’Avery Weeks sacked him on third-and-2 to force another punt. Ryder Flynn broke through the protection, blocked the kick, recovered the football and carried it into the end zone.

The missed extra point hardly mattered. Albany State led 13-0 and was just getting started.

Lane’s next possession ended in another special-teams breakdown. The punter struggled to handle the snap, and two Albany State defenders brought him down before he could get the kick away.

Taking over at the Lane 20, Davis completed a pass to Mobley at the 2-yard line and then scored on a quarterback keeper. Rodriguez’s extra point pushed the lead to 20-0 with 4½ minutes still remaining in the opening quarter.

Lane briefly began moving the football early in the second, driving across midfield and reaching the Albany State 25. The Golden Rams quickly turned that success into another touchdown of their own.

On third-and-long, Derrick Drayton hit Overton as he attempted to pass. The ball fell to the turf, and Evan Wynn scooped it up and raced to the end zone.

Lane argued that the play should have been ruled an incomplete pass, but the call stood. Rodriguez’s kick extended Albany State’s lead to 27-0.

Davis and Mobley struck again later in the quarter, connecting for a 31-yard touchdown that made it 34-0. Rodriguez added a 40-yard field goal with one second remaining, sending the Golden Rams into halftime with a 37-point advantage.

The break did little to slow them.

Albany State took the second-half kickoff and drove down the field. Facing third-and-long, Davis dropped back to pass, spotted an opening and sprinted 40 yards for his second rushing touchdown.

That score completed Davis’ afternoon. Vinson Berry took over and directed a nine-play, 52-yard drive that ended with Sincere Rodriguez’s 5-yard touchdown run. The extra point made it 51-0 and allowed Albany State to continue emptying its bench.

Lane finished with 108 passing yards but found nothing on the ground. The Dragons averaged minus-0.8 yards per rushing attempt and ended the afternoon with only 89 yards of total offense.

Rontavion Scott led Albany State with seven tackles and provided the game’s final defensive highlight. Lane crossed midfield in the closing minutes, but Scott intercepted Overton to preserve the shutout.

Weeks added six tackles, including two tackles for loss that cost Lane 22 yards.

After two weeks of questions surrounding injuries, Albany State’s running game and its place in the conference race, the Golden Rams supplied an emphatic answer.

They ran the ball. They spread it around. They scored through the air, on the ground, on defense and on special teams.

And they never had to punt.

Albany State will carry that momentum to Tuskegee next week for another SIAC matchup.