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Florida Memorial University Athletics

Scoreboard

FMU player
Shot By Sleep | Sleeper Athletes
31
Winner Warner University WU 3-3 , 1-1
12
Florida Memorial FMU 0-7 , 0-3
Winner
Warner University WU
3-3 , 1-1
31
Final
12
Florida Memorial FMU
0-7 , 0-3
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
WU Warner University 0 7 14 10 31
FMU Florida Memorial 0 6 0 6 12

Game Recap: Football | | J.T. Wilcox, Sports Information Director

FMU Stunted By Weather Delay, Falls To Warner University Saturday

MIAMI – As cliché as it typically sounds, Florida Memorial University's football game Saturday was a "tale of two halves".
 
A play on the title of the famed Charles Dickens work A Tale of Two Cities, FMU played a competitive first half that only saw it trailing by a single point by halftime, only to see that momentum ostensibly dissipate during what turned out to be a two-hour weather delay as the Lions looked nothing like they did in the first half in the second half with visiting Warner University turning that one-point deficit into a 31-12 final score Saturday at Nathaniel "Traz" Powell Stadium.
 
The Lions, playing their second home game in as many weeks, did outgain Warner 364 to 322 in total yardage and manufacture more first downs that the Royals did (19 to 16) – the difference was turnovers. Florida Memorial (0-7, 0-3 The Mid-South Conference Sun Division) committed four turnovers (2 interceptions and 2 lost fumbles) compared to just one giveaway for Warner University.
 
It was one of those FMU turnovers – a third-quarter interception – that instantly turned into points as WU returned the pick 28 yards for a score that extended its lead to 21-6 with 5:00 left in the third. The Royals would score 21 unanswered points after the extended halftime – taking a 28-6 lead – before Florida Memorial got on the board thanks to a 9-play, 75-yard drive that freshman quarterback Demarcus McEachern capped with a 1-yard TD plunge.
 
The Lions trailed 28-12 after their second failed extra point try of the day before Warner tacked on a 44-yard field goal with 6:30 left to play – creating the final 31-12 margin.
 
Despite the solid offensive yards totals Saturday, Florida Memorial, which will enjoy a bye this coming week and won't play again until it hosts Union College (Ky.) on October 23rd, did miss the talents of sophomore quarterback Antoine Williams. Williams missed the game with a lower extremity injury sustained in the team's game against No. 6 Keiser University this past week.
 
It was McEachern that got the first start of his college career in Williams' stead. The freshman had a handful of positive moments but also showed his need for more time to mature as a signal-caller at the college level.
 
McEachern finished the game completing 12 of 28 passes for 156 yards with the two interceptions. He did also rush for 76 yards and a score on 16 carries Saturday, tying freshman running back George Young for the team and game-high rushing-yard total.
 
Young also had a TD – a 1-yard leap over the top of a pile with just under two minutes to play in the second quarter – packed inside his rushing total on the day while he also caught 1 pass for 4 yards.
 
Deandre Williams led the team in total receiving yards with 71 on just 2 receptions. Kareem Roberts had a catch for 23 yards and Christian Edgerson hauled in 2 passes for 18 yards.
 
Prior to the game, it appeared that Warner University (3-3, 1-1) was team ripe to be knocked off given that it football program was rocked to its core with the abrupt resignation of its former head coach Kirk Talley. Talley resigned early this week and the school promoted its Linebackers Coach/Director of Football Operations Michael Piasecki to interim head coach.
 
Perhaps it was Piasecki that galvanized his team as it sat in the locker room for just over two hours as thunderstorms slowly passed over the stadium, but the Lions didn't help their own cause by committing 12 penalties for 127 yards.
 
It was also penalties that caused two different FMU players to be ejected from the game during the second half – losing one to a targeting penalty and the other to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
 
Defensively, the Lions were led by defensive back Terry Smith with his 9 total tackles. Linebacker Joshua Mimms finished with 7 total tackles and Philman Roundtree registered 5 total tackles and a tackle-for-lss.
 
Florida Memorial head coach Tim "Ice" Harris Sr. was dissatisfied with his team's performance Saturday against Warner – hoping his team would have used its valiant effort against the No. 6 ranked NAIA football team in the country as a springboard opposed to watching his team take a step back in terms of play making on both sides of the ball.
 
"We knew we'd have a different look and feel offensively without Antoine [Williams] but we felt good about having [Demarcus] McEachern out there as starter. He did some positive things, but we just didn't do that good a good job at much of anything in the second half and it cost us big time.
 
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