Amherst and GW-Danville squared off first at 3:00pm. This matchup was interrupted by thunder and lightning on more than one occasion. Amherst was ahead 7-0 and in possession of the ball with 33 seconds remaining in the contest, when weather again interrupted. These last seconds of the contest were scrapped; presumably both coaches agreed to this.

At 4:35pm, with skies clearing, the Cougars took their first march of the season down the steps and onto the field to face Amherst. Great things are predicted for the Lancers this year. Amherst comes off of a AAA Division 5 Runner-Up season, bowing to seemingly invincible Hampton in the Finals. Amherst dropped back down to AA Division 4 after last year, a fact that no doubt makes many Salem fans slightly concerned. The Lancers beat the Cougars 19-7 early in the season last year, so this matchup had definite interest for Cougar fans.

The Lancers got the ball first at their own 35 to begin play. Three running plays netted one yard total, and Amherst lined up to punt. Adam Roop broke through and blocked the punt, and the Cougars took over at the Lancer 20. PC also had trouble running the ball, and with 4th and 11 from the Lancer 21, Paul Taylor kicked a field goal to give the Cougars the lead.

The Lancers again started at their own 35, and on the first play, No. 14 cut around left end, and got all the way down to the PC 16. Two plays later, on 2nd and 10, the Lancers fumbled, and Cougar Travis Hale recovered at the PC 20. The Cougars could not move the ball, and punted on 4th down, the punt rolling dead at the Lancer 30. On the next play, the Lancers fumbled the ball, and the Cougars recovered at the Lancer 29. Two plays later, QB Travis Roop threw a 28-yard TD pass to Josh Bowling, who showcased his good hands by making a nice backwards-in-the-air catch in the front left corner of the endzone, barely beyond a Lancer defender. The PAT was good, and PC led 10-0. The Lancers then started a drive at their own 35, and reached the Cougar 38 in 5 plays. With time left for just one more play before the half, the Cougars intercepted a Lancer pass, and still led 10-0 at the break.

PC took possession at its own 35 to begin the second half. With the help of some good running and a roughing-the-passer penalty on the Lancers, PC reached the Amherst 35. A holding call on 1st-and-10, however, set the Cougars back for a 1st-and-20. QB Roop ran for 11, but two plays later, on 3rd-and-8, an incomplete pass brought up 4th down and the punting team. Paul Taylor punted the ball into the endzone, and the Lancers took over at their own 20 with 8:52 left in the contest.

It took the Lancers only one play to score, as No. 14 swept around left end, gave a nice cutback move at the Cougar 45, and coasted into the endzone. After the PAT, it was suddenly a 10-7 game, with plenty of time remaining for the Lancers. The Cougars could not get a first down after taking possession. On 4^th and 4 from the PC 41, Paul Taylor sent another booming punt into the endzone. The Lancers took over at their own 20, with 6:56 to go.

The Lancers ran three plays, and faced 4th-and-2 at their own 28. Because of the clock situation, Amherst decided to go for the first down, but only netted a yard on the play. The Cougars took over at the 29, and drove down to the 8 with about 2:00 to go. It looked like the Cougars would either score the clincher, or run out the clock. But, on 2nd-and-goal from the 5, the Cougars fumbled the ball away, giving Amherst new life with 1:42 left. Four plays later, a 32-yard pass brought the Lancers to the Cougar 47 with 0:28 on the clock. Two running plays got Amherst to the PC 34 with 0:10 to go. David Hale intercepted a pass for the Cougars on the final play, preserving the 10-7 victory.

At 5:35pm, the Cougars faced GW-Danville. The Eagles had a sub-par season last year, but almost always have a talented squad. GW took possession first, starting at its own 35. The Eagles quickly gained 21 yards on 2 plays, moving the ball to the Cougar 44. The drive stalled, however, and the Eagles punted on 4th-and-5 from the Cougar 39. The Cougars fair-caught the punt at the 21. After the change of possession, two Cougar plays gained seven yards. On 3rd-and-3 from the PC 28, the GW jumped offside, giving the Cougars a first down. Two plays later, the Eagles were again called for this same penalty, helping to sustain the Cougar drive. Four plays later, PC faced 3rd-and-1 from the GW 46. The Cougar runner gained yardage to the 38, but a tackle caused the ball to pop out of his hands. The ball landed in the waiting arms of an Eagle defender, who ran the ball all the way from the GW 39 to the PC 25. However, a penalty on the play moved the ball back to the GW 39.

A 23-yard pass play on first down got the Eagles to the Cougar 38 with about 4:00 left in the half. Two running plays netted 16 yards, and GW had reached the PC 22. One play later, the Cougars got a break when on 2nd-and-5, a Eagle running back got trapped behind the line of scrimmage, and compounded the loss by heading backwards in a doomed attempt to escape. The play lost 12 yards. GW gained one yard on the next play, then punted on 4th down. The punt went into the PC endzone for a touchback. The Cougars took over at their own 20, and ran two plays before time expired in the first half with the score 0-0.

The Cougars took the ball at their own 35 to begin the second half, and with 9 consecutive running plays, featuring QB Roop and FB Meadows, marched down to the Eagle 16. A 6-yard gain by Meadows on first down made it 2nd-and-4, but two more runs by Meadows were stopped cold. On 4th-and-4 from the 10, Coach Hicks spurned the short FG attempt, and decided to go for the first down. QB Roop gained only 2 yards on the play, and the ball went back to the Eagles. The Eagles got one first down, but soon afterwards faced a 4th-and-3 from their own 24. GW punted to the PC 49. The Cougars took over with 1:25 left in the game. Two incomplete passes and a short run made it 4th-and-8. The Cougars punted the ball back to the Eagles, Taylor booting yet another impressive punt into the endzone. GW took over at it’s own 20 with 0:54 left in the game. Three plays got the Eagles to their own 32. An incomplete pass was followed by an interception as time expired, and the game ended as it had begun at 0-0.

My impressions: I did not attend the scrimmage against the West Virginia teams, which was held a week before the Classic. However, judging from what I hear from those that *were* there, the Cougars faced two teams with more talent, but emerged victorious due to superior conditioning. I got similar feelings from having watched the TD Classic. Amherst has at least two impressive running backs, and GW has a tall, quick QB. The Cougars, however, seemed the most disciplined of the three teams. Conditioning and coaching count for much. Coach Hicks is beginning his third decade as the coach of the Cougars much as he began the first - stressing conditioning and discipline. QB Roop showed improved maneuverability over last season. On one play against GW, Roop escaped the grasps of several Eagle tacklers and made a gain on a play that could have easily ended up with a huge loss. FB AntioneMeadows showed potential, and Punter Paul Taylor has quite a strong leg. When Taylor improves his ability to keep the punts from going into the endzone, the Cougars will have an even more formidable weapon in the kicking game.

One final Classic note: the Cougars played the Classic while being deficient of Vitamin C (Calfee and Cobbs). I wish them both great health, and a speedy return. At the time of this writing, it is not certain when Calfee will return. I hear that Cobbs should be back for the opener against Christiansburg.