MONTICELLO – Senior quarterback Scott Buisson made an unexpected return to the gridiron to lead the University of Arkansas at Monticello football team to a 31-24 victory over West Georgia on Saturday.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak and gave the Boll Weevils (3-4, 2-3 Gulf South Conference) their first home win of the season.
Buisson (Metairie, La.) made first start since injuring his throwing hand in a 30-25 loss to Arkansas Tech on September 25 at home. In the win over West Georgia (3-4, 2-3 GSC), he was 17-of-28 through the air with 242 passing yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Buisson had 13 carries for a net of 23 yards.
The Boll Weevils started the game’s scoring on the first possession with a 40-yard touchdown strike from Buisson to senior Jywin Ceasar to cap a five-play, 57-yard drive that used only 1:54.
The Wolves answered later in the quarter on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Taylor to James Kennebrew to bring the game to its first and only tie at 7-all.
UAM took over for the rest of the half, scoring 17 unanswered points.
UAM freshman kicker Taylor Pontius nailed his eighth field goal of the season for the game’s next score with a 30-yard kick at the 12:32 mark of the second quarter.
Senior running back Johnny Polite added a two-yard touchdown run at the 7:12 mark of the second quarter to give UAM a 17-7 lead.
West Georgia punter Davis Brackett pinned a 49-yard punt down at the UAM five-yard line on the ensuing possession, which was followed by an illegal snap penalty against the Boll Weevils to move the ball to the two-yard line.
The long field did not seem to bother junior running back Nakita Myles, as the Northview, Fla. native took the first handoff 98 yards for a touchdown to tie the longest rush in UAM history set by Jerry Bingham in the 1978 season.
Myles’ long touchdown run finalized the scoring in the first half to send the Boll Weevils into the locker room with a 24-7 lead.
After both squads exchanged two punts each to start the second half, Brackett nailed a 36-yard field goal with 5:52 left in the third quarter to bring the Wolves within two scores.
Buisson and Ceasar hooked up again for a 19-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the third quarter to give UAM a 31-10 lead.
The Wolves answered with 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter on a 13-yard touchdown run by Patrick Taylor at the 12:23 mark and an 80-yard blocked field goal return for a touchdown by Manny Rodriguez with 5:54 remaining in the contest.
On the next possession, junior Derek Jambon’s punt was blocked out of bounds to give West Georgia the ball at the UAM 13-yard line with 3:38 left in regulation.
However, senior free safety Augustus Ashley recorded his second interception of the contest on the ensuing possession, this time picking off UWG’s Joe Weatherford in the end zone. Ashley returned his interception 36 yards to give the UAM offense the ball with 3:12 left in the game.
After UAM was forced into a fourth-and-two situation from the UWG 41-yard line, Buisson’s quick-kick bounced 38 yards and was downed at the UWG three-yard line. The UAM defense followed with another stop, allowing UAM to use the victory formation for the first time at home this season.
Myles finished the game with 10 carries for 116 yards and one touchdown, while Polite handled the majority of the workload with 18 carries for 60 yards and one touchdown.
Ceasar was Buisson’s leading receiver. The Marrero, La. native finished the contest with five catches for an even 100 yards and two touchdowns. Junior DJ Stephens added four catches for 74 yards.
Defensively, junior Joe Accelus led the way with seven total tackles, including one sack for a loss of four yards and 3.5 tackles for a loss of a combined 14 yards. Juniors Justin Downs and Royel Johnson also had seven tackles in the win.
The UAM defense had a season-high seven sacks. Accelus, Johnson, senior Vincent Jackson, senior Ronald Pierre, senior Cantrelle Monk, sophomore Emanuel Fields and sophomore Jamie Ward all collected a sack on West Georgia quarterbacks Joe Weatherford and Patrick Taylor. Weatherford took the biggest hits, going down five times.
The final home game of the season marked the final home game for the largest senior class (24) at UAM under sixth-year head coach Gwaine Mathews. The win also came on UAM’s 78th annual Homecoming to give UAM a 39-38-1 all-time record in front of its returning alumni.
