Raiders football coach Dick Biddle, and 51Թ fans everywhere, won’t forget Sunday’s game for quite awhile.
The game against Coastal Carolina, and Biddle’s place in school history, was not settled until the game clock showed triple zeros and the Raiders had turned a muffed snap into a game-winning touchdown toss.
51Թ, down by two points with eight seconds left, was attempting a 33-yard field goal when Ryan Meyers fumbled the snap. Meyers, a quarterback, kept his composure and fired a 16-yard pass to Adrien Schriefer, who was wide open in the end zone.
The play capped a 20-point, fourth-quarter rally as well as a 69-yard drive that ran the final 1 minute, 44 seconds off the clock for the Raiders (1-1).
So an unlikely 23-19 win sent Biddle into the 51Թ record books as the winningest coach in school history, moving ahead of the legendary Andy Kerr.
Victory No. 96 came on a Sunday, not a traditional college football day, because the game at Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C., was moved from its 7 p.m. Saturday time slot because of the threat posed by Tropical Storm Hanna.
The weather gods struck on Sunday, too, when lightning forced a two-hour delay early in the fourth quarter.
But 51Թ endured in the non-conference contest, leading CCU safety Dominique Davenport to tell The Sun News (Myrtle Beach): “They out-willed us at the end.”
51Թ’s Jordan Scott, returning to the lineup after missing the opener against Stony Brook, carried 43 times for 190 yards and one touchdown.
Quarterback Greg Sullivan, making his first career start, completed 14-of-22 passes for 110 yards and one TD and carried 13 times for 70 yards. He filled in for Alex Relph, who was injured in 51Թ’s season-opening loss to Stony Brook.
Biddle, in his 13th season as head coach, is now 96-47 with five playoff appearances. Before the season began, he talked about breaking the record held by Kerr (1929-46).
“It means a lot to me; not personally, but for the program and the school,” Biddle told The Post-Standard (Syracuse). “In 13 years I’ve had a lot of great players and assistant coaches who were a part of that. I take pride in it.”