Written by Ruben Krishna, Staff Reporter
Roanoke College football has had an excellent start to the season, and the last two weeks are no exception. After sneaking out two wins over Virginia University Lynchburg and Greensboro College, Roanoke football has gone on a tear taking down both Gallaudet and Guilford on the road and scoring a combined 104 points. Against Gallaudet on Hotchkiss field in the cool Washington D.C. weather, Roanoke was able to put together a masterful performance.
Quarterback Linwood Johnson was nearly flawless throwing only one incompletion and four touchdown passes. He averaged a whopping 13.75 yards per pass attempt and found multiple of his primary receivers on deep balls. Cole Chizuk and Khamari Gardner each chipped in with receptions of 40+ yards and helped keep up a scoring avalanche throughout the game. The run game was also respectable, grinding out 108 yards on 30 carries and wearing down the Gallaudet defense. Defensively, nothing could get past the Maroons formidable defense as Gallaudet only had 10 first downs and 176 yards. Their figure of 3.4 yards per play was a key reason why 0 points were scored; ‘Noke shut them down in all facets of the game.
The following week against Guilford Roanoke won in blowout fashion once again, but in a different way. Entering the first conference game of the season, the pressure was on the Maroons; yet, they seemed completely unfazed. Quarterback Linwood Johnson threw four scores for the second week in a row and bounced back from an interception. The run game, however, was the true engine, as sophomore Jerrett Shepherd totaled 167 yards and 3 TDs on only 12 carries. The defense came through once again picking off Guilford college QB Tristan Gabriels three times, and the Maroons were able to seal their fourth straight win to open the season. The Roanoke schedule only gets tougher from here on out, yet the Maroons have shown they are up for the challenge. Hampden-Sydney and Shenandoah are next on the docket, so be sure to support Roanoke in the following weeks!
