Vikings hold the Trojans scoreless; first time since 1982

April Emory
October 10, 2006 The Elizabeth City State University Vikings earned their third shutout of the season on Saturday afternoon by defeating Virginia State University 27-0 at Roebuck Stadium. With the win, the Vikings maintain control atop the CIAA Eastern Division with a 3-0 record and improve to 5-1 overall. As a team, the Viking offense double the total output of their opponents 421to 219 and held the edge in first downs 19 to 11. ECSU was 3 of 4 in red zone opportunities and had no turnovers on the afternoon to two for the Trojans. While the Viking offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, junior quarterback Curtis Rich, Jr. executed the game plan passing for 190 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried the ball six times for 20 yards including 2 rushing touchdowns, which represented the first two scores for ECSU. The first TD came after the Vikings’ first possession of the day ended with a 1-yard run to cap a 16-play, 94-yard drive with 2:17 to go in the first quarter. Rich struck again at with 4:57 to go before the intermission with an 8-yard touchdown run. One might have thought he was done for the first half until he connected with Kavin Gwaltney with just 18 seconds remaining before the break to push the lead to 20-0 in favor of the Vikings. Rich passed for his final touchdown of the day on a 36-yard reception by Marvin Jackson at the 12:09 mark in the third quarter. Jackson finished the day with 4 receptions for 94 yards. Although he didn’t cross the goal line Saturday, running back Brandon Fields was a workhorse for ECSU carrying the ball 26 times for 104 yards. Defensively the Vikings were paced by Emanuel Plummer who finished the afternoon with a game high 10 tackles, including 2 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a sack. The Vikings will hit the road next Saturday, October 14, to take on the Bulldogs of Bowie State University in a key divisional match-up. Game time is slated for 1 pm at Bulldog Stadium in Bowie, MD. For more information on ECSU Athletics, visit www.ecsuvikings.com.