Underdog C.B. Aycock shocks Goldsboro

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on September 13, 2008 11:32 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- Craig Murdock nearly called his own number.

Then he found a better option.

Somehow Charles B. Aycock teammate Deven Sanders had slipped behind four Goldsboro defenders on a third-down pass play. Instead of seeking the first-down marker, Murdock teased the Cougar defense.

"I saw the (open) hole, stepped up in it and the defense thought I was going to run," said a smiling Murdock. "The defender came up and I threw it to Deven. He was wide open."

And Sanders did the rest.

The 5-foot-7 junior caught the ball in stride and trotted untouched into the end zone to complete the exhilarating, game-deciding play. Kaleb Robinson added the PAT as the Golden Falcons prevailed 16-13 before a late-arriving, standing-room-only crowd at Hardy Talton Stadium.

A four-touchdown underdog, C.B. Aycock (1-2 overall) claimed its sixth win against Goldsboro since 2001. It was the smallest margin of victory by either team in the series since the Cougars posted a 6-0 shutout over the Golden Falcons in 2003.

"Practice really helped us," said Murdock. "We came out here knowing what we needed to do."

Aycock coach Randy Pinkowski couldn't have scripted the game plan any better. An extra week of practice due to Tropical Storm Hanna allowed the players to get more repetitions and the chance to repair the team's lone Achilles' heel -- avoid the big play.

The inspired Golden Falcons blitzed on occasion, stacked the outside and forced the Cougars to run between the tackles. Aycock held Goldsboro to minus-13 yards of total offense in the third quarter and did not surrender a third-down conversion in the second half.

"The defense got us some stops," said Pinkowski. "We forced them to do some things that they're not comfortable doing. When you start doing that to an opponent, you're going to get some turnovers."

Two miscues proved crucial.

Golden Falcons free safety Marcus Cobb picked off Goldsboro quarterback Tyrelle Jackson in the final minute before halftime. Murdock cashed in three plays later with an 8-yard touchdown run. The missed PAT gave the Cougars a 7-6 lead.

Outside linebacker Josh Dixon recovered a Goldsboro fumble early in the third quarter. Seven plays later, Robinson booted a 26-yard field goal put Aycock in front 9-7.

Both possessions started in the Cougars' red zone.

"We really shot ourselves in the foot tonight," said Cougars head coach Eric Reid. "We just didn't execute. We were out of synch all night ... missed a lot of blocks. They had a wonderful defensive scheme and it worked."

Battered and bruised from the Hillside game, the Cougars (2-1-1) got back on the board in the fourth quarter. A.J. Parker, who led all rushers with 113 yards, broke loose for a 65-yard touchdown run.

Pinkowski, arms crossed above his head, let out a big sigh.

But his players never panicked.

Sanders returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield and Murdock directed the game-winning drive that included two penalties. His third-and-10 scoring pass to Sanders gave the Golden Falcons their 12th regular-season, non-conference win since 2004.

Murdock completed 7 of 9 passes for 88 yards.

"I knew we needed a big play," said Sanders. "I was just wide open ... surprised. He threw it and we executed it right."

C.B. Aycock limited Goldsboro to a season-low 186 yards of total offense on just 41 plays. The Golden Falcons dominated the time of possession, holding the ball 30 minutes compared to 18 for the Cougars.

Goldsboro 7 0 0 6 -- 13

C.B. Aycock 0 6 3 7 -- 16

First quarter

GHS -- Parker 15 run (Ferguson kick), 3:30

Second quarter

CBA -- Murdock 8 run (kick failed), 0:03.2

Third quarter

CBA -- Robinson 26 FG, 7:57

Fourth quarter

GHS -- Parker 65 run (run failed), 9:07

CBA -- Sanders 51 pass from Murdock (Robinson kick), 6:18

GHS Aycock

First downs 8 10

Rushes-yds 31-151 42-163

Passing yds 35 89

Total yards 186 252

C-A-I 4-10-1 8-10-0

Fumbles-lost 3-2 2-0

Punts-avg. 3-42.0 5-40.2

Penalties-yds 5-40 14-119

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Goldsboro -- A.J. Parker 13-113, 2 TDs; Freddie Jones 8-45; Lamar Hicks 7-14; Tyrelle Jackson 2-(-4); Emmuel Lewis 1-(-17). C.B. Aycock -- Craig Murdock 19-71, TD; Shepard Whitfield 8-46; Tyheim Pitt 7-22; Deven Sanders 3-16; Dominique Young 2-7; Zack Poole 3-1.

PASSING -- Goldsboro -- Tyrelle Jackson 4-10-1 35. C.B. Aycock -- Craig Murdock 7-9-0 88, TD; David Gurganus 1-1-0 1.

RECEIVING -- Goldsboro -- Enrique Moses 2-28; Tyquan Sprangle 1-5; Freddie Jones 1-2. C.B. Aycock -- Deven Sanders 1-51, TD; Tyheim Pitt 4-24; David Gurganus 1-13; Craig Murdock 1-1; Matt Woodard 1-0.