Abdul-Saboor Rushes UVa-Wise Past North Greenville
August 27, 2005
TIGERVILLE, SC - Freshman Hakeem Abdul-Saboor rushed the University of
Virginia’s College at Wise football team to victory at North Greenville
College Saturday afternoon. Abdul-Saboor ran into the endzone from 22 yards
out midway through the fourth quarter to give the Highland Cavaliers the come
from behind 27-26 season opening gridiron victory.
The win gives the Highland Cavaliers’ nine season opening victories and
spoiled the Crusaders’ opening of the new Yount Stadium. The victory gives
UVa-Wise (1-0) two straight road wins in season openers after defeating West
Liberty State, 41-38, two years ago and the program’s first victory in two
tries over North Greenville in Tigerville.
Trailing 26-20 midway through the fourth quarter, Highland Cavalier
quarterback Randy Hippeard (Stafford, VA/Colonial Forge) hit Kendon Doe for 16
yards on a third-and-16 play and Godfrey Pastana broke through the middle for
21 yards on two different plays of the seven-play drive before Abdul-Saboor
cut to the left, broke three tackles and found the endzone for the go ahead
touchdown with 8:55 remaining for the team’s first and final lead of 27-26.
Abdul-Saboor (Powhatan, VA/Powhatan) carried the ball 20 times for 151 yards
and scored the Highland Cavaliers’ final three touchdowns in the triumph. He
rushed four times for 43 yards and the 38-yard screen pass touchdown reception
to finish the second quarter before toting the pigskin 16 times for 108 yards
and two more scores in the second half.
After falling behind 24-7 with eight minutes left in the second quarter,
Abdul-Saboor went to work in the final 38 minutes. The freshman rattled off a
38-yard scoring screen pass with 3:43 left in the opening half to make it
24-14 at intermission. He added his second scoring run from five yards to
open the third quarter before the game-winner in the middle of the fourth
quarter.
The lone other UVa-Wise (1-0) points came when fullback Blake Owens (Wise,
VA/Haysi) barreled his way into the endzone from 10 yards on a pass from
Hippeard to tie the game, 7-7, with 6:27 left in the opening quarter.
The Cavalier defense came on strong just as Abdul-Saboor in the second half.
After giving up 293 yards including 221 yards on the ground in the first half,
the defense allowed 81 total yards and 41 rushing yards in the second half.
Senior nose tackle Maurice Hughes (Midlothian, VA/Meadowbrook) sacked North
Greenville (0-1) quarterback Eric Moeller to stop a drive with just over seven
minutes left. Linebacker Brandon Moore followed with the biggest sack of the
day for the Cavs with a sack on third-and-10 with just over a minute left in
the game.
Along with Abdul-Saboor’s 189 rushing yards, Pestana added 61 yards on nine
carries. In his first game directing the UVa-Wise offense, Hippeard completed
15 of 31 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Jack
Haddix (Richmond, VA/L.C. Bird) grabbed four balls for 61 yards and Doe had
four catches for 35 yards.
Linebacker Corey Wheeler (Manassas, VA/Stonewall Jackson) led the defense with
seven stops while Brandon Moore (Bristow, VA/Stonewall Jackson) had six
tackles, and a sack. Ben Robertson added six tackles, a tackle for loss and
an interception.
UVa-Wise will now have next week off before hosting Chowan College on
Saturday, September 10th starting at 1:30 p.m.
-Go Cavs-
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