Craig throws for TD, runs for another as Dawgs roll

Published 8:00 am Thursday, June 10, 2010

Despite a rash of penalties, the Central Alabama Devil Dawgs ran their inaugural Premier South Football League season record to 2-0 with a 22-6 victory over the Bay County (Fla.) Tigers Saturday night.

Quarterback Justin Craig accounted for two touchdowns, one on a 50-yard pass to Chris Coach on the first play from scrimmage of the second half, and the other on a one-yard dive about nine minutes later.

The scores were the highlight of what was otherwise a rough night for Craig, whose offensive line has yet to find its way two weeks into the season. Craig was sacked four times, and lost 19 yards rushing for the night.

“Our guys were great on run blocking, but our pass blocking needs some work,” Dawgs coach Jesse Reed said.

Penalties were again an issue, with four dead-ball personal fouls costing Central considerable yardage. Three fouls in a row turned a Dawgs drive that reached the Tigers 9-yard line into just a 38-yard field goal by Justin Madison.

Their only saving grace was the fact that the Tigers were flagged even worse — 15 fouls for 153 yards, 14 yards more than Bay County’s total offense for the game.

Running back Aaron Johns broke open for a 45-yard touchdown run down the left sideline in the second quarter.

Bay County (1-1) scored its lone touchdown on a 16-yard throw from Desmond Brown to D.J. Davenport.

Craig was 6-for-9 in passing for 120 yards with no interceptions.

Johns had nine rushes for 106 yards to lead Central.

The Dawgs host Memphis on Saturday night at Corner School.

Memphis Panthers 25,

Alabama Warriors 19 (2 OT)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Warriors coach Lee Ellison was hopping mad.

“Every time we’d get down in the red zone, we’d get a bogus foul,” Ellison said.

Ellison was so mad that he complained on Monday to PSFL officials, who then suspended the Memphis-based officiating crew for two games. It was a similar situation to his team’s trip to Memphis last season, which ended in the league’s first-ever tie.

Since then, the PSFL has switched to a college-style overtime, and the Panthers needed two of them before they ended the game on an 8-yard pass by Anthony Watson.

D.J. Burroughs scored on 26-yard and 10-yard runs, part of his 186 yards for the game.

Kawaski Jackson connected with Terence Bruce on a 45-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.

Long snaps were an issue again for Alabama, with regular snapper (and starting quarterback) Dale Hays absent. The extra point on the first score was fumbled, as were two punts.

The Warriors, who suffered consecutive losses for the first time ever, committed five turnovers. Kawaski was 6-for-14 with two interceptions.

Alabama travels to Prattville to play the South Alabama Seminoles on Saturday.