Post by 50yardfan on Jun 26, 2011 11:52:58 GMT -5
Two straight regular-season losses to bitter rival Columbus is now a thing of the past as Albany goes into the Lions’ house Saturday night and comes away with a 75-61 victory — complete with a trip to the franchise’s first SIFL Championship game one year after falling just short.
www.albanyherald.com/sports/headlines/AVENGED_124553379.html
COLUMBUS — Just when it seemed as if the Columbus Civic Center couldn’t get any louder, it fell silent.
The only thing you could hear was the collapse of the Columbus Lions — a silence that was only interrupted by the sound of the team’s fans leaving the Civic Center before the final horn had sounded in Saturday’s SIFL Eastern Conference Championship game.
Panthers fans can thank Albany’s Lionel Bibbins for that.
The defensive lineman fell on a muffed snap for a touchdown in the final minute of Saturday night’s game, helping the Panthers run away to a 75-61 victory — and right into the SIFL title game.
Bibbins’ fumble recovery was one of three turnovers that Albany’s defense forced in the final minutes, and he said his eyes got big as his imposing 6-foot-4, 265-pound frame when he saw the ball bouncing around in the end zone.
“It’s a track meet,” Bibbins said about what was going through his head as he saw Columbus quarterback Chris McCoy lose control of the ball. “(The ball) is a piece of meat, and I am a Panther and I am going to get it. It’s a Lion vs. a Panther — and we all need to eat.”
Bibbins won the race to the ball, and the Panthers will be feasting in next Saturday’s SIFL Championship game, which will be played in either Houston or Albany.
The site is dependent on the outcome of Monday’s Western Conference title game between Houston and Louisiana.
Panthers coach Lucious Davis, who was still drenched following the game after getting a cooler of water dumper on him, said that he was as happy as could be.
“I’m just glad we pulled it out. We played hard all season, and now we just have one more game to go,” he said. “That was my first time getting dumped with water, and it was really cold.”
The Panthers defense, which caught fire in the fourth quarter, could have also used some of that chilly water to cool off.
With the game tied at 54-54, defensive back and Albany State grad Demetrie McCray picked off a pass at midfield that led to Panthers quarterback Cecil Lester throwing the go-ahead touchdown to Antwon Cutts with 2:08 left on the clock.
Bibbins followed up the interception with his fumble recovery in the end zone, handing the Panthers a two-score lead.
On the Lions’ next offensive possession, Albany’s Corey Rue recovered another fumble and ran it back for a touchdown, putting the nail in the coffin and giving the Panthers a nearly insurmountable 75-54 edge.
“Two down one to go,” said Lester, who finished with six touchdown passes. “Nothing was easy for us this year, and I definitely knew this game wouldn’t be easy. (Columbus) showed why they were the champs last year, and now it’s our turn to go out and win.”
Albany’s Darrell Carlton forced the game’s first turnover when he picked off a McCoy pass in the end zone on the opening drive of the game.
The Panthers then struck first when placekicker Geoff Boyer nailed one of his two field goals in the contest. His first was a 28-yard boot with 7:47 left in the first quarter that gave Albany a 3-0 lead — its only advantage until late in the fourth quarter.
The only other score in the first quarter was a one-yard rushing touchdown from Columbus’ Anthony Merritt that gave the Lions a 7-6 lead at the end of a first quarter that was ruled by defense and long offensive drives.
After the teams traded touchdowns in the opening minutes of the second quarter, the theme of in-your-face defense and extended drives continued for the rest of the second quarter.
The Lions put their patience and execution on display with their final offensive drive of the first half. Merritt caught a two-yard touchdown pass from McCoy, capping a seven-minute drive and giving the Lions a 30-20 lead heading into halftime.
“Columbus has a very efficient offense. They don’t make mistakes at all, and I was just happy that we pulled it out,” said Davis, who also lauded his receiving corps of Cutts, John Harris and Antwone Savage, all of whom finished with two scores each.
The scoring picked up in the second half, but Albany’s defense was still able to make big plays. While the Lester-led Panthers offense didn’t give the ball away once, Albany’s defense forced the Lions into four turnovers — something the Panthers didn’t do in their previous two meetings, both Lions wins.
“We knew that whoever was going to win the turnover battle was going to win the game. Fortunately for us, it happened to be on our side,” Davis said.
The Panthers (12-2) avenged two regular-season losses to the Lions, including one that gave Columbus the Southern Division title, while the defending SIFL Champion Lions (12-2) lost for only the second time this year — both times to the Panthers.
“There were just a lot of emotions (as the victory set in),” Davis said. “You think about some of the guys on our team and how hard they have prepared and the struggles that we have been through, up and down. When you look at all of that, there’s just a lot of emotions that you go through.”
Looking Ahead
WHO: Albany Panthers vs. Houston Stallions-Louisiana Swashbucklers winner.
WHAT: SIFL Championship game.
WHERE: Albany (if Swashbucklers win) or Houston (if Stallions win).
WHEN: Saturday.
www.albanyherald.com/sports/headlines/AVENGED_124553379.html
COLUMBUS — Just when it seemed as if the Columbus Civic Center couldn’t get any louder, it fell silent.
The only thing you could hear was the collapse of the Columbus Lions — a silence that was only interrupted by the sound of the team’s fans leaving the Civic Center before the final horn had sounded in Saturday’s SIFL Eastern Conference Championship game.
Panthers fans can thank Albany’s Lionel Bibbins for that.
The defensive lineman fell on a muffed snap for a touchdown in the final minute of Saturday night’s game, helping the Panthers run away to a 75-61 victory — and right into the SIFL title game.
Bibbins’ fumble recovery was one of three turnovers that Albany’s defense forced in the final minutes, and he said his eyes got big as his imposing 6-foot-4, 265-pound frame when he saw the ball bouncing around in the end zone.
“It’s a track meet,” Bibbins said about what was going through his head as he saw Columbus quarterback Chris McCoy lose control of the ball. “(The ball) is a piece of meat, and I am a Panther and I am going to get it. It’s a Lion vs. a Panther — and we all need to eat.”
Bibbins won the race to the ball, and the Panthers will be feasting in next Saturday’s SIFL Championship game, which will be played in either Houston or Albany.
The site is dependent on the outcome of Monday’s Western Conference title game between Houston and Louisiana.
Panthers coach Lucious Davis, who was still drenched following the game after getting a cooler of water dumper on him, said that he was as happy as could be.
“I’m just glad we pulled it out. We played hard all season, and now we just have one more game to go,” he said. “That was my first time getting dumped with water, and it was really cold.”
The Panthers defense, which caught fire in the fourth quarter, could have also used some of that chilly water to cool off.
With the game tied at 54-54, defensive back and Albany State grad Demetrie McCray picked off a pass at midfield that led to Panthers quarterback Cecil Lester throwing the go-ahead touchdown to Antwon Cutts with 2:08 left on the clock.
Bibbins followed up the interception with his fumble recovery in the end zone, handing the Panthers a two-score lead.
On the Lions’ next offensive possession, Albany’s Corey Rue recovered another fumble and ran it back for a touchdown, putting the nail in the coffin and giving the Panthers a nearly insurmountable 75-54 edge.
“Two down one to go,” said Lester, who finished with six touchdown passes. “Nothing was easy for us this year, and I definitely knew this game wouldn’t be easy. (Columbus) showed why they were the champs last year, and now it’s our turn to go out and win.”
Albany’s Darrell Carlton forced the game’s first turnover when he picked off a McCoy pass in the end zone on the opening drive of the game.
The Panthers then struck first when placekicker Geoff Boyer nailed one of his two field goals in the contest. His first was a 28-yard boot with 7:47 left in the first quarter that gave Albany a 3-0 lead — its only advantage until late in the fourth quarter.
The only other score in the first quarter was a one-yard rushing touchdown from Columbus’ Anthony Merritt that gave the Lions a 7-6 lead at the end of a first quarter that was ruled by defense and long offensive drives.
After the teams traded touchdowns in the opening minutes of the second quarter, the theme of in-your-face defense and extended drives continued for the rest of the second quarter.
The Lions put their patience and execution on display with their final offensive drive of the first half. Merritt caught a two-yard touchdown pass from McCoy, capping a seven-minute drive and giving the Lions a 30-20 lead heading into halftime.
“Columbus has a very efficient offense. They don’t make mistakes at all, and I was just happy that we pulled it out,” said Davis, who also lauded his receiving corps of Cutts, John Harris and Antwone Savage, all of whom finished with two scores each.
The scoring picked up in the second half, but Albany’s defense was still able to make big plays. While the Lester-led Panthers offense didn’t give the ball away once, Albany’s defense forced the Lions into four turnovers — something the Panthers didn’t do in their previous two meetings, both Lions wins.
“We knew that whoever was going to win the turnover battle was going to win the game. Fortunately for us, it happened to be on our side,” Davis said.
The Panthers (12-2) avenged two regular-season losses to the Lions, including one that gave Columbus the Southern Division title, while the defending SIFL Champion Lions (12-2) lost for only the second time this year — both times to the Panthers.
“There were just a lot of emotions (as the victory set in),” Davis said. “You think about some of the guys on our team and how hard they have prepared and the struggles that we have been through, up and down. When you look at all of that, there’s just a lot of emotions that you go through.”
Looking Ahead
WHO: Albany Panthers vs. Houston Stallions-Louisiana Swashbucklers winner.
WHAT: SIFL Championship game.
WHERE: Albany (if Swashbucklers win) or Houston (if Stallions win).
WHEN: Saturday.