Showdown Turns Into a Shutdown
By Rudy Rodriguez-Chomat
October 24, 2003

It was dubbed "The Showdown" by me earlier this week and apparently many t-shirt vendors must have read my website because they called it the exact same thing.

It should have been called "The Shutdown" because that is exactly what happened as the second ranked Northwestern Bulls splattered the number one ranked Carol City Chiefs 19-0 before 30,000 at Pro Player Stadium.

A game billed to be so much turned into so little as the Bulls opened up a 6-0 lead on their first possession. A 32-yard touchdown pass from Sedrick Miller to Robert Brown down the right sideline capped the drive and was just the beginning of the Northwestern onslaught.

The Chiefs simply could not mount any attack against the Bulls defense which shut down Carol City from start to finish. The Chiefs had 65 total yards of offense.

Even worse for Carol City was its defense simply could not stop the Northwestern offensive attack that came in minus the number rusher in Dade County, Terry Perry.

But the Bulls did not miss a beat as backup running back Kevin Moyd rushed 27 times for 118 yards, hitting the holes with a head of steam that usually found Carol City defenders grasping air, particularly a Chiefs linebacker core that was playing without star linebacker Willie Williams, who according to coaches still was stiff from an ankle injury, although Williams himself did not understand why.

"I practiced all week," Williams said. "I have no idea why they have not played me. My ankle is perfectly fine."

Who knows how much of a difference Williams would have made, but the Bulls were not to be stopped on this night.

After going into the half with a 6-0 lead, one that could have been 13-0 if not for a motion penalty that negated a Moyd touchdown run, the Bulls struck immediately to open the second half with an 86-yard kickoff return for touchdown by Timothy Brown.

That took the wind out of the Chiefs and made the Northwestern crowd go wild. That was all the defense needed as Dustin Forston, Sedrick Alexander, Romeo Davis, Heaven Desire and company went wild on the Chiefs offense.

Forston recorded three of his four sacks in the second half and Desire dropped Chiefs quarterback Sedrick Bryant in the third forcing a fumble that was recovered by Alexander.

With just over 6 minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Bulls mounted a 58 yard drive in seven plays which consumed three minutes. It was keyed by a 42-yard pass from Miller to Brown, but Brown was even more impressive three plays later. He took an end around on fourth and thirteen from the 21-yard line around the left end, spun off two tacklers, running to the end zone for a 19-0 lead.

Brown also caught 3 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown.

That was the back breaker.

Carol City was unable to mount any offensive attack the rest of the way.

Alexander led the Bulls defense with nine tackles and one fumble recovery. Fortson added four sacks and Sam Spence had six tackles.

"Word on the street was that we couldn't beat Carol City, that they would run over us," Forston said. "We proved today how overrated they are and shut them out for the third straight year."