Box Score MONTICELLO, ARK. – In a game that included a combined six fumbles and three interceptions, the East Central University football team came-from-behind to earn a 38-34 win over Arkansas-Monticello at Willis Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium in Great American Conference action.

Box Score

The Tigers (1-0, 1-0 GAC) trailed until the third quarter and held the lead for a just 2:16 in the game, but were able to secure the win after senior Qumain Black picked off a pass in the end zone with 57 seconds left to play.

"The thing that really won the game was our locker room tonight," said head coach Tim McCarty.  "They never got down and kept encouraging each other no matter what was happening on the field. It may not have been a pretty game, but we got the victory because of critical plays and teamwork."

Senior JoJo Snell had a strong offensive game for ECU, with 244 all-purpose yards.  Snell rushed for 157 yards, earned eight yards on the pass and 79 on kick returns, while scoring two touchdowns. The 157 rushing yards are a career-high for Snell and it is the first time he had over 200 yards in a single game.

"JoJo had a terrific game tonight," McCarty said.  "He is a quite person who just goes out and gets his job done, but you have to watch him because he has terrific speed that shows up on plays like the 60-yard fourth quarter touchdown run."

Junior Jamal Hall also added two touchdowns and 44 rushing yards.  Junior Spencer Bond finished with a 15-26-0 mark after entering the game in the second quarter as the quarterback, scoring one TD and throwing for 191 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers were led by junior Jameel Whitney, with 7.5 (5-5) tackles and senior Daniel Holland, with 3.5 tackles and three sacks for 23 yards.
ECU pushed through to earn an advantage in total yards (498 to 311), including a 212 to 22 difference in rushing yards.

The Boll Weevils (0-1, 0-1 GAC) were the first to get on the scoreboard, with a touchdown with 9:03 left in the first quarter for a 0-7 lead.

ECU cut the deficit to four with an 18-yard field goal from redshirt sophomore David Massuere with 10:23 left in the second quarter.  However, UAM responded immediately with an 89-yard kickoff return TD to make the score 3-14.

The Tigers kept pushing and picked up the intensity in the second quarter and were sparked by the entrance of Bond at quarterback.  Bond came in to start the ECU drive, with 9:56 left in the second quarter.  He went 2-3 passing and then rushed for 23 yards himself to put the ball at the three-yard line.  That set up Hall for a three-yard TD run to make the score 10-14, with 5:49 left in the half, which is how the score ended after 30 minutes of play.

UAM came out and added to their advantage in the third quarter with a 25-yard field goal and a 10-17 lead, with 10:04 left in the third.

Less than a minute later, the Tigers responded and tied the game at 17.  ECU went on a three-play, 71-yard scoring drive that was highlighted by a 63-yard rushing touchdown by Snell.

The Boll Weevils regained the lead with 5:03 left in the third quarter, but were held to a field goal to make the score 17-20.

The Tiger defense held UAM from scoring on their next possession and sophomore Brad Davis set ECU up at the UAM 40 with a 24-yard punt return.  Bond and junior Gerald Pickett connected on the next play for a 29-yard gain, which allowed Snell to earn a second touchdown of the night on the next play.  Snell ran down the sideline for an 11-yard rushing TD and the extra point by Massuere game ECU its first lead of the game 24-20, with 1:14 left in the third.

However it didn't take long for the Boll Weevils to respond, as they ran their second kickoff back for a touchdown less than 20 seconds later for a 24-27 score. 

UAM added to its lead during the fourth quarter with a touchdown (24-34) lead, with 9:29 left to play.

ECU didn't give up and cut the deficit to three (31-34), with 7:55 left to play in the fourth quarter.  Junior Juwan Dotson capped off a six-play, 71-yard drive with a 20-yard passing TD that took just 1:27 to complete.

Both teams then stepped up the defense and held each other scoreless, but the Tigers got the ball back with 2:21 left to play and took just two plays to regain the lead, 38-34.  Davis returned the punt to the UAM 35 and Snell took off on a broken play for a 25-yard rush to put the ball at the 10.  That set up Hall for a 10-yard rushing TD.

Things got more exciting in the final minutes, as UAM took advantage of penalty and quick passing to get a chance to score.  It looked like Colton Morrison had connected with Ivory Washington in the end zone for a touchdown, but Black came up huge for the Tigers with an interception for a touchback with 36 seconds left on the clock.

"Qumain is an All-American player who made an All-American play at a key moment in the game," McCarty commented.

ECU will now head home for the first game of the season at Norris Field, Saturday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. against Southern Arkansas.  The game is Take A Kid to the Game Day sponsored by Mercy.  Kids under 12 get free admission and Mercy will be handing out both adult and kids size t-shirts at the game.  There will also be a Cheer Clinic that day from 9-11 for $25.  The participants in the clinic will perform at half time of the football game.

Notes: ECU extends winning streak over UAM to five games and four straight since becoming members of the GAC.