Livingstone Blue Bears seize victory over BSU in last seconds

SALISBURY, North Carolina -- Livingstone College secures first conference win and continues 4-0 winning streak. The Blue Bears faced Bowie State Saturday (Sept 27) at Alumni Memorial Stadium where the Blue Bears snatched the 36-33 victory with just seconds left on the clock.

Kicker Leonardo Manzo was the edge that the Blue Bears needed to send them over into victory. Manzo nailed a 25-yard field goal with just seconds left in the fourth quarter with a tied game of 33 a piece.

Junior Arthur Bowden was also a crucial player for the Blue Bears leading in 2 touchdowns, for the team overall. Bowden opened up the contest with a 9-yard pass from Drew Powell setting the tone of the game 7-0.

The Bowie State Bulldogs answered back with a touchdown making the score 7-7.

Receiver Jalen Hendricks had a 49 yard punt return early in the game giving the Blue Bears a little edge over the Bulldogs.

The contest remained tight with back–to-back touchdowns from each side for majority of the game.

In the second quarter the Bulldogs were leading with 21-13, but Brandon Bennett closed the score deficit with a 41 yard pass from quarterback Drew Powell, sending the score to 21-19 at halftime.

With the continued vitality from the team, Arthur Bowden once again shows up early in the third quarter, knocking down a 10-yard pass from key player Drew Powell, making the score 21-26.

The boys continued to fight hard, although the Bulldogs would not be outdone yet, by countering with 2 back-to-back field goals by kicker Aviles Diaz.

At this point ,the adrenaline was boiling as the Bulldogs made one more 8-yard run making the score 33-26. The Blue Bears were not defeated with 8:13 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, Hendricks caught a clutch 6-yard pass fromDrew Powell, with the added in kick, making the score a nail bitting tied score of 33-33.

The Livingstone Blue Bears were running out of time, they were down but not out for the count. With just 3 seconds left, no time outs, and adrenaline pumping, kicker Leonardo Manzo went for the kick, and it was good! The Livingstone Blue Bears snatch the win of the game, scoring overall 36-33, to make them undefeated,with a 4-0 overall record. ,

Quarterback Drew Powell finished the game with 4 passing touchdowns, all to help send the Blue Bears into another winning victory.

Head Coach Daryl Williams, who directed the Blue Bears to the defeat said, "Everyone did a great job today playing the full 60 minutes. From the coaches, to the trainer to the players I am glad to see that we all stuck in there and played the hardest until the end". Although the offensive line may have gave up some big plays, they were a great in helping kickerLeonardo Manzo nail the kick to win the game"

Livingstone College takes on their next away game against Elizabeth City. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM.

COURTESY LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE BLUE BEARS SPORTS INFORMATION