Driving 83 yards for a touchdown in the final three minutes Thursday night, the 15th-ranked Cardinals pulled off a stunner at Tiger Stadium in Malakoff.
Two plays after Steven Stackhouse made a beautiful, leaping catch on a pass from Darion Peace to overcome third-and-19, Hymond Drinkard scored on a four-yard touchdown run with 10 seconds left in the game to lift the Cardinals to a 31-24 upset of fourth-ranked Snow College. Drinkard, taking a handoff from Peace, slipped around the left end and cutback behind a block from tight end Andrew Allison to give the Cardinals the winning points.
The win avenged a 36-14 loss to Snow in the Cardinals' season opener in Utah a year ago and will no doubt send them on a climb in the next NJCAA rankings.
The Cardinals have a week off to enjoy the win that is sureto catch the attention of the nation. Their next outing is Friday, Sept. 8 at 2 p.m. on the road against Air Force Prep.
The Cardinals spotted Snow a 14-0 lead inside the game's opening 12 minutes. In fact, the Badgers put points on the scoreboard on the opening possession of the game. Attacking underneath the Cardinal secondary, Snow marched for a trip into the end zone on a 21-yard pass from Donovan Smith to Jared Wilson.
Smith had the Badgers in the end zone again at the 3:09 mark on a 24-yard toss to Ethan Wood.
Once the Cardinal defense settled in and found its footing, Peace and the offense got on track. The Cardinals finally answered the Badgers, witch Peace finding Dylan Robinson deep in the back of the end zone in the middle of the field from 30 yards out. Ty Powers, who had a perfect night kicking the ball (4-of-4on PATs and a 38-yard field goal), booted the point after to cut the Snow lead in half.
Powers' field goal with 3:00 remaining in the half made it 14-0 at the break.
The Cardinals took their first lead following an athletic interception along the sideline by Jaitlin Hampton on Snow's first possession of the second half. The Cardinals went on top 17-14 with 9:49 to go in the third quarter on a four-yard Quincy Thompson run.
Hampton's interception was one of three for the Cardinal defense. Isaih Crosby had the other two.
Snow went back in the lead with 4:48 left in the third quarter when Kamen Best, who replaced Smith at quarterback after and injury midway in the second quarter, passed 28 yards to D.J. Carter.
Undaunted, the Cardinals responded with a drive capped by on a one-yard Peace run with 13:44 to go in the game, putting the Cardinals in ownership of the scoreboard at 24-21.
With its back to the wall, the Cardinal defense did its job midway through the final quarter, holding the Badgers to a 26-yard Bradford Willis field goal. That knotted the score at24-24 with 7:17 left.
After the Cardinals forced a punt with 3:15 to play, the stage was set for Peace to lead the Cardinals to the win on the high school field in which he starred as his former coaches looked on standing beyond the end zone.
