Aug. 28, 2005

Stats

ELIZABETH CITY, NC- The Elizabeth City State University Vikings downed Livingstone College 51-6 in their season opener Saturday night at Roebuck Stadium.

Sophomore quarterback Rayburn Morris passed for two touchdowns and scrambled for 93 more yards on the ground to spark ECSU. It is the Vikings first opening day win since 1995 and their highest point total since they defeated Knoxville College 43-31 back in 1998.

Led by Morris, the Viking offense clicked on all cylinders, scoring seven touchdowns. Defensively they held the Blue Bears to only one score, a 32-yard touchdown pass to Chris Jeter from Jason Mitchell at the 14:17 mark in the 2nd quarter. The score, which at that point was 16-6 in favor of the Vikings, was the only time the Blue Bears would see the end zone. The Viking defense amassed 8 sacks for a total loss of 42 yards and recovered 2 of 3 Livingstone fumbles to keep the game out of reach. Emanuel Plummer had a game high 10 tackles (7 solo, 3 assisted) while Travis Thurmond and Wilson Johnson each had 2 sacks apiece.

Offensively the ECSU was shared the wealth, as 5 different Vikings scored touchdowns. In the fourth quarter alone, Jerome Smith, Laronte Bryant, and Aaron Kirkland each rushed for 1-yard touchdowns. Morris connected on 17 and 59 yard scoring strikes to Marvin Jackson and Chris Carter, respectively. The Vikings got on the board first courtesy of a fumble recovered in the end zone by Maceo Thomas with 9:24 remaining in the 1st quarter. The Vikings capitalized on their scoring opportunities converting 5 of 6 red zone chances.

The Vikings will travel to Daytona Beach, FL to face Bethune-Cookman College this coming Saturday, September 3, 2005. Game time is slated for 4:00pm. For more information on ECSU athletics, log onto www.ecsuvikings.com.