"It was an emotional rollercoaster for the most part; but our guys hung in there. We talked about it all week that they (Chowan) were going to be a good football team coming in. I told the guys that it was probably going to come down to the wire; and tonight it did," Head Coach Lawrence Kershaw recaps.
"We were tired of losing in the second half; we came to a conclusion that we have to finish the game. Coach always talks about momentum changers. They are going to have their ups and downs; but we have to keep playing ball and doing what we were told to do", adds junior linebacker John Brown, who finished the game with four tackles for a combined loss of 30 yards. Fayetteville State gained 587 total yards on offense. The Broncos gained 146 on the ground with 41 attempts and 441 yards through the air. Fayetteville State decreased its penalties to seven for 62 yards.
Chowan (1-1 CIAA) had five turnovers (two fumbles and three interceptions) and were whistled for seven penalties for 164 yards. The Hawks had 330 yards of total offense; which came from 301 yards of passing and 29 yards of rushing.
Fayetteville State, which has a rich history of producing teachers, dedicated today's game to all of the educators in Cumberland County and around the world during the National Educator Appreciation Day. The Broncos, 2-0 in conference play, also donned pink articles within its uniform to help raise the awareness of breast cancer.
The Broncos stalled on its first drive of the game but found the end zone with its second opportunity. On a four-play 75-yard drive, Jemeryn Jenkins slipped would-be tacklers and advanced the ball 49 yards down the field for his longest rush of the season. With the ball on the 24-yard line and facing the red zone, Andre Montgomery dashed up the middle for the first score of the game with 10:47 on the clock. Antonio Mayo nailed the extra point.
The FSU defense forced Chowan into its second three-and-out drive which provided the offense with its third attempt on its own nine-yard line. A pass interference call moved the line of scrimmage to the Broncos 22-yard line. Jenkins continued with the pass attack to move the chains. The starting QB connected with Juwan Moye for 32 yards and FSU's second 1st down of the drive. He found Tevin Clay for another 1st with a 10-yard reception. On the pursuing play, the two linked up again for 18 yards and finally from 11 yards out for the Broncos second touchdown of the game. As the holder for extra-point kicks, Moyer kept the snap for a two-point conversion and 15-0 lead. The nine-play drive covered 91 yards in a little over five minutes.
Late in the second quarter, Chowan scored with 1:19 left before intermission. Willie Hickman snatched a Jenkins pass at the 41-yard line and returned it for a pick-six. Alex Noboa kicked the extra point which led to the 15-7 halftime score.
The Hawks evened the score at 15-15 near the top of the third quarter. Chowan started its successful drive with 10:56 on the clock and the ball on its 18-yard line. Cameron Stover threw the long ball to Robert Holland who ran 45 yards to the Broncos seven-yard line. Dain McFarland finished the drive with a two-yard pass to Ryan Nolan with 7:06 left in the quarter. The drive lasted 11 plays and covered 82 yards.
Derek Bryant took over FSU's offense after the thrown interception in the second quarter and remained under center after intermission. Bryant led the Broncos first drive of the fourth quarter from its four-yard line down to Chowan's 20. The drive accumulated 172 yards but ended without putting points on the boards. FSU missed a 38-yard field goal with 9:14 left in the game.
Fayetteville State gained an advantage with 38 seconds left in the game.
Bryant threw a 20-yard completed pass to Dwayne Lorrick which advanced the score to 22-15. The 79-yard drive took five plays. Chowan faced 34 seconds left in the game and the ball on its 40-yard line. McFarland threw to Holland for a 21-yard gain and ball placement on the Broncos 39-yard line. McFarland found Nolan for 24 yards which advanced the line of scrimmage to FSU's 15. The Hawks stopped the clock with five seconds left and caught a break on the following play with a pass interference call that placed the ball on the two-yard line with two seconds left.
The Broncos secondary missed an assignment which led to McFarland throwing a touchdown pass to the wide open Holland. The made extra point knotted the score at 22 at the end of regulation.
Chowan faced 34 seconds left in the game and the ball on its 40-yard line. McFarland threw to Holland for a 21-yard gain and ball placement on the Broncos 39-yard line. McFarland found Nolan for 24 yards which advanced the line of scrimmage to FSU's 15. The Hawks stopped the clock with five seconds left and caught a break on the following play with a pass interference call that placed the ball on the two-yard line with two seconds left. The Broncos secondary missed an assignment which led to McFarland throwing a touchdown pass to the wide open Holland. The made extra point knotted the score at 22 at the end of regulation.
Fayetteville State deferred after winning the coin toss which gave Chowan the first possession in overtime. On the Hawks first play, Travis Scales intercepted McFarland pass in the end zone. The Broncos, facing fourth-and-three, missed a 35-yard field goal that sent the game into double-overtime. With the next possession, Bryant completed a nine-yard pass to Antonio Allen to one-up the Hawks 29-22.
The last time Fayetteville State faced extra periods in Luther "Nick" Jeralds Stadium was in 2009 when the Broncos lost the inaugural Two Rivers Classic to UNC Pembroke. The one-score advantage vanished when Chowan's Mcfarland threw a six-yard score to Holland. On the second play of the third overtime period, Simeon Marshall intercepted the ball which ended the Hawks chances.
With hopes of ending the game, Bryant incited pandemonium with a ten-yard pass to Juwan Moye which became the game winner.
Final Stats
COURTESY FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
No comments:
Post a Comment