NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Life U, 39; Alabama State, 6
MARIETTA, Ga. – The Life University women's flag football team delivered a dominant all-around performance Friday evening, cruising past Alabama State, 39-6, behind a high-powered passing attack and a takeaway-heavy defensive effort.
Life U wasted no time setting the tone early in the first quarter. After forcing a turnover on the opening possession, Cheyenne Brooks led a quick scoring drive, connecting on a 28-yard touchdown pass to give the Running Eagles a 6-0 lead. Minutes later, Brooks found Elora Niederpruem for a 15-yard touchdown, doubling the advantage to 12-0.
The momentum carried into the second quarter, where Brooks added her third touchdown pass of the game to push the lead to 18-0. A successful conversion made it 19-0 as Life U continued to capitalize on short fields created by its defense.
Later in the second, the Running Eagles struck again in quick fashion. Brooks connected with Altierra Gooch on a 21-yard touchdown pass, and with the conversion, extended the lead to 26-0 heading into halftime.
Coming out of the break, Life U showed no signs of slowing down. Brooks delivered a 30-yard touchdown strike midway through the third quarter to push the advantage past 30. The Running Eagles added one more score late in the quarter, capping the drive with a short touchdown and a successful conversion to make it 39-0.
Defensively, Life U turned in one of its strongest performances of the season. The unit recorded four interceptions and two sacks, consistently disrupting Alabama State's rhythm. Xavia Man led the way with two interceptions, while the defense limited Alabama State to just one score.
Alabama State broke through in the fourth quarter with a 31-yard touchdown pass, but the outcome had long been decided as Life U secured the 39-6 victory.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
--Cheyenne Brooks: 13/25 completions, 237 yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT
--Altierra Gooch: 4 receptions, 100 yards, 2 TDs
--Elora Niederpruem: 3 receptions, 59 yards, 3 TDs
--Xavia Man: 2 INTs, 23 return yards
--Kennedy Ryan: 2 sacks, 18 yards
