Goldsbro shuts out Princeton

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on October 15, 2011 11:25 PM

• Print
• Email

Princeton had no intention of being a gracious guest during Goldsboro's homecoming celebration Friday evening.

Oh, but the Bulldogs were.

The Cougars converted three turnovers into touchdowns in a 36-0 victory at Cougar Stadium and remained perfect in three Carolina 1-A Conference football outings this season.

"We took what they gave us," said Goldsboro head coach Eric Reid. "The (offensive) line did a great job and I'm very pleased with what the defense did. Two shutouts back-to-back is a testament to them and the work they've put in (practice) this week.

"Hopefully that's momentum we can build off of because we need it."

Quarterback Julius Murphy orchestrated a textbook 13-play, 84-yard drive on Goldsboro's opening possession that consumed nearly seven minutes. Devante Harris served as the workhorse and on his 10th touch, he broke free for a 17-yard run.

Harris led all rushers with 179 yards on 22 totes.

Princeton marched into the red zone on its first possession and committed its first costly mistake. Quarterback Brad Williamson stayed in the pocket, received a crushing blow from junior linebacker Asunji Maddox and fumbled.

The ball rolled on the dew-slickened turf before Maddox picked it up and rambled 66 yards for a touchdown. Davion Newkirk's two-point conversion pushed the Cougars' advantage to 15-0.

Two possessions later, Newkirk came up with another big play. The senior picked off Williamson, which eventually led to Harris' second touchdown -- a 3-yard plunge midway through the second quarter.

Maddox picked off Williamson in the third quarter. Four plays later, Harris rambled in from 17 yards out to give Goldsboro a commanding 29-0 advantage.

"We had a hard time tonight (with turnovers)," said Princeton head coach Russell Williamson. "They've got a great team, very athletic. We had a hard time with their speed all night long. The problem we were having is they're so quick on the corners and their defensive backs, we had a hard time getting away from them tonight.

"We were fortunate a few times."

The Dogs moved the ball consistently between the 30-yard lines, but never threatened a Cougar defense that recorded three sacks on the night. Goldsboro limited Princeton's high-octane, no-huddle offense to just 155 yards on 56 offensive plays.

Javontae Davis led the Dogs with 62 yards rushing.

"We really got focused (on defense), made some adjustments on their running back and quarterback, had to make sure each man stayed with their assignments," said Reid. "Our defensive ends did a pretty good job cutting off the bubble screen, which was one thing we were scared of. We even had a couple of deflected passes.

"(But) Princeton didn't give up, they kept fighting."