Southern dismantles Jackson State, 41-7

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana | In front of 20,575 fans, Southern University Jaguars jumped out to a 21-0 first-half lead, cruising to a 41-7 dismantling of the Jackson State University Tigers, Saturday night at the A.W. Mumford Stadium on the campus of Southern University.

Special teams continue to be the workhorse for the Jaguars setting up the first scoring drive when Demario Houston took Jackson State second punt back 37 yards to the Jackson State 29 yard lines. Southern Ladarius Skelton scored on the fourth play of the drive on a 15-yard scamper up the sideline to take an early 7-0 lead.

Southern's dog day defense held Jackson State to their second three-plays and out on the next drive. SU's defense recorded six three and outs.

The Jaguar's offense recorded their second touchdown, on a ten-play 75-yard drive capped by a 27-yard Skelton toss to receiver Trey Smith, his fifth receiving touchdown this season.

That was all the offense Southern needed. Specials teams and defense took over.

In the second quarter, cornerback Demerio Houston scored his first career defensive touchdown on a scoop and score, picking up a fumble caused by Calvin Lunkins at the Jackson State 42-yard line and taking it to the house after some nifty blocking from the defensive unit to extend the lead, 21-0 going into halftime.

Southern has outscored their opponents 56-0 in the last three games. Only given up 22 points, since the second-half versus Alabama A&M a span of 14 quarters.

Jackson State recorded their first score on a Warren Newman 42-yard punt return to cut the lead, 21-7.

The Jaguar's special team answered right back with a Shontega Thomas 92-yard kickoff returns up the visitor sideline to extend the lead, 28-7.

Southern's freshman Martell Fontenot added two consecutive field goals of 31-yards and 42-yards to add to the lead, 34-7.

Southern's Jordan Lewis capped the scoring with the most improbable play of his young career, sacking JSU quarterback, caused the fumble and then recovering the fumble at the Jackson State 36-yard line and taking it to the house to cap the scoring, 41-7.

Jackson State were shut out of the first half, crossing midfield only once on seven drives, setting the stage for the blowout loss.

Southern currently sits in first place of the Western Division title race. The Jaguars control their own destiny, win and they are in the 2018 Toyota Southwestern Athletic Football Championship game.

The Jags will have a bye week before facing the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. UAPB fell to Grambling State University to overtime, 45-38. Southern will be back in action November 10, for high school day, and senior day, kick-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.



Courtesy Herman Shelton, Assistant Director, Sports Information
SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY JAGUARS SPORTS INFORMATION

Fontaine sparkles as Nuggets reach milestone victory

NEW ORLEANS — Monet Fontaine produced a match- and career-high 13 digs on her senior day, and Xavier University of Louisiana reached a milestone victory as it defeated Talladega 25-9, 25-11, 25-9 Saturday.
     
It was the 200th victory for the Gold Nuggets (21-6, 11-0 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference), who are in their 11th season of intercollegiate volleyball. XULA is 200-136 (.595) all-time — 170-63 (.730) in the last eight seasons.
     
Fontaine, who missed the previous nine matches because of injury, had seven kills and two blocks and hit .333 in 15 attacks.
     
"I was happy that we played well for Monet's senior day," XULA coach Pat Kendrick said. "We were fairly steady throughout the match."
     
The Gold Nuggets led 18-4 in the first set and produced runs of 8-0 in the second set and 9-0 and 11-0 in the third.

BOX SCORE
     
Vivica Price-Spraggins had 10 kills, two aces, three blocks and hit .429 in 21 attacks for XULA. Kayla Black had seven kills, six in the first set, and 10 digs. Angele McClain had four blocks, Elena Duru had three blocks, and Beatrice Formilan had eight digs and two aces. Eva Le Guillou had 20 assists and four aces in two sets, and Taylor Ducros served three aces.
     
Reanna Burroughs had four kills for the Lady Tornadoes (15-13, 6-6), and Jennifer Brown served two aces.
     
XULA outhit Talladega .286 to minus-.097 and had advantages of 33-10 in kills, 12-4 in aces, 42-29 in digs and 7-0 in blocks.
     
The Gold Nuggets remained in a first-place tie in the GCAC with Tougaloo, a 25-18, 25-15, 25-13 winner at home against Edward Waters.
     
XULA will play Edward Waters at 6 p.m. Monday at the Convocation Center in the Gold Nuggets' Dig Pink match for breast cancer awareness. XULA Campus Recreation and the College of Pharmacy will sponsor a breast cancer walk at 5:30 p.m. Monday from the University Center to the Convocation Center, and a table for donations to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation will be available during the match. Fans and walk participants are encouraged to wear pink.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications
Department of Athletics & Recreation
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
XULAgold.com
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

FAMU Rattlers Maul Bears, 38-3; Clinch Winning Season

Rattlers win! 38-3 over MSU to go to 6-2 overall, 5-0 in the MEAC. This is FAMU's first winning season since 2011. The Rattlers can clinch a share of the MEAC title with a win next week against the Howard Bison in Washington, D.C. #fangsup #fallin #willenium pic.twitter.com/7dZY46swDK

— FAMU Athletics (@FAMUAthletics) October 28, 2018

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The FAMU Football team continued its’ quest “To Win Now,” Saturday, as they came off a bye week and routed the visiting Morgan State (Md.) University Bears, 38-3, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic contest at Bragg Memorial Stadium Saturday evening.

Saturday’s win helped the Rattlers achieve a number of milestone with three games left in the 2018 campaign, standards which included:

@ Extending their winning streak to five games – the longest in since 1999 (11 straight).

@ Clinching their first winning season overall (6-2) since the 2011 squad finished 7-4.

@ Improved to 5-0 in MEAC play, with only one title contender left on the schedule (Howard University next week in Washington, D.C.).

@ The victory reduced the Rattlers’ magic number – the number of conference wins needed to clinch their first undisputed title since 2001 – to one (1).

For those fans who may have wondered if the bye week would have promoted rust on their beloved Rattlers, the first half proved those fears groundless, playing out much like the North Carolina Central game, when FAMU built a huge early lead and never looked back.

FAMU’s defense, which has come up big all season, scored the team’s first points for the second straight game, as defensive tackle DeMontre Moore pounced on a Morgan State fumble in the end zone for a touchdown and 7-0 lead with 11:13 left in the opening quarter.

Junior QB Ryan Stanley then directed a six-play, 85-yard scoring march on the Rattlers’ second possession of the game, capping the drive with a 22-yard scoring toss to Chad Hunter with 4:53 left in the period, extending the Rattlers’ edge to 14-0.

FAMU made it 17-0 just into the second period, when kicker Yahia Aly booted a 47-yard field goal with 14:41 left in the half.

Stanley then pushed the Rattlers farther ahead before halftime, tossing scoring strikes of 15 yards to Marcus Williams (3:11 left), and 21 yards to Xavier Smith (1:17 left) to give his club a 31-0 halftime lead.

Junior RB Deshawn Smith, who rushed for a team-high 116 yards on 14 carries, scored the Rattlers’ final touchdown with 5:10 left in the third period, on a six-yard run, which saw left run left, then reverse field, beating the Morgan defense to the end zone.

The Bears (2-6, 1-3 MEAC) scored their only points on a 29-yard field goal by Alex Raya with 13:06 left in the game.



INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Junior Deshawn Smith led the FAMU ground game with 116 yards on 14 carries, while the shifty Bishop Bonnett had 61 yards on six carries, including a 36-yard run…. QB Ryan Stanley was 14 of 22 passing for 163 yards and three scores, moving him into 5th place on the FAMU career passing charts with 5,260 yards, nudging past Ben Dougherty (2003, 2004), who threw for 5,198 yards…. Freshman Xavier Smith was the top receiver with four grabs for 56 yards and a TD…. Linebacker Elijah Richardson led the Rattlers defensive effort with 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss with two QB hurries and one pass breakup, while defensive end Antoino Miller finished the day with seven tackles, one sack and three tackles for loss.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Rattlers will face yet another test in their quest for the 2018 MEAC title next Saturday, as they travel to the nation’s capital – Washington, D.C., for another MEAC Showcase Showdown against the Howard University Bison at William Greene Stadium. Kickoff will be 1:00 p.m.


FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY RATTLERS SPORTS INFORMATION

Savannah State Tigers Beat Norfolk State 32-3 at Homecoming

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- Savannah State's Rashad Saxton ran for 118 yards and a touchdown, D'Vonn Gibbons threw for 79 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 99 yards, and the Tigers' defense limited Norfolk State to 206 yards of total offense en route to a 32-3 victory Saturday at T.A. Wright Stadium.

An SSU Homecoming crowd of 7,812, including radio host Tom Joyner of the nationally syndicated "The Tom Joyner Morning Show," watched as SSU (2-5, 1-3 MEAC) earned its first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory this season.

SSU never trailed en route to beating Norfolk State (3-4, 1-3) for a third consecutive season. SSU won, 27-9, last season in Norfolk, Va., and the Tigers beat the Spartans, 31-14, in 2016 in Savannah.

BOX SCORE

"This was a really solid win for us," SSU third-year head coach Erik Raeburn said. "We dominated the line of scrimmage. Run defense, I think coming into the game they were the No. 1 rushing defense in the conference and then, defensively, we didn't let them get their run game going. They threw the ball and we were able to get the interceptions. I thought we played solid on special teams as well."

Earlier in the week, Norfolk State wide receiver Marcus Taylor, a senior who is third on the Spartans' all-time receptions list, was quoted in the Virginian-Pilot newspaper saying of SSU: "They have a nice defensive line but I think their linebackers are probably what we're gonna take advantage of."

Said SSU's Raeburn: "They made some comments about our linebacking corps and, obviously, Mulik (Simmons) wanted to prove to them that he was worthy of their attention."

Simmons, a senior linebacker from Savannah's Bible Baptist, finished with six tackles and twice intercepted Norfolk State quarterback Juwan Carter. Simmons' first interception ended the Spartans' opening possession. It also stopped the momentum Norfolk State had built after nose guard Deshaywn Middleton recovered Gibbons' fumble during SSU's opening possession.

"We wanted to get the win," Simmons said. "If the linebackers did something great that was just a plus."

During SSU's second possession, Saxton ran for a 1-yard touchdown and Giovanni Lugo kicked the first of his three extra points to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 8:24 remaining in the first quarter. Saxton's touchdown capped a 10-play, 52-yard drive that chewed 4:23 off the game clock.

Saxton, a senior from Jacksonville, Fla., finished with a game-high 118 yards rushing on 17 carries. Gibbons, a sophomore from Stone Mountain, Ga., finished with 97 yards on 23 carries. He was 6-of-12 passing for 79 yards and two touchdowns, including a 4-yard touchdown pass to D'Andre Snead and a 22-yard touchdown strike to Jaylen McCloud. McCloud, a sophomore from Jacksonville, Fla., ran for 63 yards on 11 carries, including a 2-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

"We knew we could win," Saxton said. "We brought it to them from the first quarter. The outcome is magnificent. It's amazing."

SSU's third possession ended when Gibbons fumbled for the second time in the game. The ball was recovered by Norfolk State's Tavien Blackwell at the Tigers' 42-yard line.

"The two fumbles to start the game, I don't know, he was wearing long sleeves and he took those off," Raeburn said of Gibbons' early struggles. "I don't know if that was the problem. Other than those two fumbles, I thought he played really well. He ran the ball great and was real efficient passing; hit some big pass-plays for us when we needed them. I thought he played really well after those two fumbles."

Norfolk State cut it to 7-3 early in the second quarter on Josh Nardone's 31-yard field goal.

SSU responded with a touchdown on its ensuing possession. McCloud ran for a 20-yard gain to Norfolk State's 45-yard line. The Spartans were penalized 15 yards for a hit out of bounds, setting up first-and-10 for the Tigers at Norfolk State's 30 yard line. Gibbons ran for 8 yards and McCloud followed with a 6-yard run to keep the chains moving. Gibbons' 10-yard run to Norfolk State's 3-yard line led to his 4-yard touchdown pass to Snead in the back of the end zone that made it 14-3 with 10:20 left before halftime. The Tigers' eight-play scoring drive covered 65 yards and took 4:23 to complete.

"We couldn't lose this Homecoming," Gibbons said. "We came off a bye week to play in this game. I was just making sure everybody was focused so we could come out with a win. Saxton played his heart out today."

Said Raeburn of Saxton: "He runs the ball hard. He's not a big guy but he has great vision. When he gets loose he's got another gear. When we do give him some space, he's got the ability to hit the home run."

SSU made it 17-3 with 4 seconds left before halftime thanks to Lugo's 44-yard field goal. Lugo's kick came after Norfolk State called two consecutive timeouts in an attempt to fluster him. It was another impressive scoring drive for SSU, which used 14 plays to cover 53 yards and chew 5:52 off the game clock.

With 5:50 left in the third quarter, SSU's Lugo attempted a 39-yard field goal but missed wide left.

Norfolk State's Carter threw his second interception (both picked off by SSU's Simmons) with 1:38 remaining in the third quarter. Two plays later, SSU's Gibbons connected with McCloud for a 22-yard touchdown that made it 24-3.

In the fourth quarter, SSU's Donald Rutledge recovered a fumble by Norfolk State's Carter with 9:36 to play in the game, giving the Tigers the ball at the Spartans' 32-yard line. Six plays later, SSU's McCloud ran for a 1-yard touchdown, his second score of the game, to make it 30-3, with 6:38 to play. A botched extra-point attempt resulted in an improbable two-point conversion when holder Chandler Williams scrambled and threw a wobbly pass toward a mass of bodies in the end zone. SSU's Cam Brown came down with the ball, giving the Tigers a 32-3 lead.

SSU finished with 293 yards on 54 carries compared to Norfolk State's 97 yards on 28 carries. Norfolk State's Dale Craig made a game-high 12 tackles and Nigel Chavis had nine tackles, including two sacks, for the Spartans. SSU's Walter Yates made a team-high 10 tackles. John Wilson added seven tackles for the Tigers.
"We feel like we play our best when we run the ball and play good defense," Raeburn said. "We felt like we played great rush defense. I haven't looked at the stats. I don't know how many they had. It wasn't many. And we ran the ball really well."

SSU will play Delaware State (1-7, 1-4) at 2 p.m. Saturday in Dover, Del. The Hornets beat North Carolina Central, 28-13, on Saturday.

SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY TIGERS ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

SAU Football Falls To Johnson C. Smith

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – Saint Augustine's University fell to Johnson C. Smith University 31-3 in a CIAA football game at the Irwin Belk Complex on Saturday.

Sean Smith (Sr./Valdosta, GA) scored the only points for the Falcons on a 39-yard field goal in the third quarter. His kick cut the Falcons' deficit to 10-3 but the Golden Bulls scored 21 consecutive points over two quarters for the final score.

Jeremiah Miller (Jr./Miami, FL) rushed for 68 yards and Lenwood Joyner (Sr./Miami, FL) caught five passes for 25 yards for the Falcons. DeAndre Conley (Fr./Miami, FL) had four receptions for 28 yards and Desmond Smith (Jr./Richmond, VA) caught three passes for 39 yards.

Defensive lineman Dominick Bryant (Fr./Snow Hill, NC) and linebacker Joseph Harris Jr. (Fr./Jacksonville, FL) each had eight tackles for the Falcons (2-3 CIAA Southern, 2-6 Overall). Defensive back DaVaughn Taylor (Sr./Washington, DC) and linebacker De'Marius Staton (Fr./Raleigh, NC) collected seven tackles apiece.

Antonio Wallace completed 22 of 33 passes for 332 yards and two touchdowns for the Golden Bulls, who led 3-0 at halftime on their Homecoming Day. Defensive end Sa'Von Williams led the Golden Bulls (2-3 CIAA Southern, 2-6 Overall) with 10 tackles.

BOX SCORE

The Falcons conclude the regular season against archrival Shaw University in the Raleigh Classic on Saturday, Nov. 3. Kickoff is 1 p.m. at the George Williams Athletic Complex on campus in Raleigh, N.C.

SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY FALCON SPORTS INFORMATION

#12 Langston Lions Knock Off Texas College Steers 71-48

TYLER, Texas  -- Senior quarterback Jaylen Lowe threw for 440 yards and six touchdowns and ran for another as the No. 12 Langston Lions knocked off Texas College 71-48 Saturday night.

Offensively, the Lions (7-1, 7-0 SAC) eclipsed the 700 yards of total offense for the first time this season with 728 and won their 20th straight conference game dating back to the 2016 season. Isaiah Shaputis hauled in 10 receptions for a season-high 176 yards and three touchdowns and Daylon Person snapped two receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

This is Lowe's third game this season with at least six touchdowns, he previously hit the six-touchdown mark against Lyon College on Oct. 20 in a 48-21 victory and Texas Wesleyan on Oct. 6 in a 55-31 win.

BOX SCORE

Cameron Booty led the Lions ground attack with seven carries for 74 yards, Lowe was right behind him with 69 yards and one touchdown on seven carries.

Defensively, Charles Harvin III led all tacklers with 17 total tackles include 11 solo and two sacks on the night. Terrance Grimsley finished with eight total tackles, four solo and 2.5 sacks.

Langston surged to a 57-24 halftime advantage after Lowe completed 13-of-19 passes for 350 yards and four touchdowns. The Steers opened the second half with back-to-back touchdowns when Vontyne Williams hit Chris Henry on a 73-yard touchdown and Malik Guillory returned an interception 56 yards for a touchdown to make it 57-38 in Langston's favor.

The final two scores of the game came in the fourth courtesy of the air attack when Lowe hit Shaputis for a 24-yard and five-yard touchdown.

The 71 points is the highest point total posted for Langston in the Quinton Morgan era.

Langston (7-1, 7-0) is on a bye week and returns to action on Nov. 10 versus Panhandle State in the annual Battle for the Bell.

LANGSTON UNIVERSITY LIONS ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Marauders come back from fourteen down to beat Tuskegee

WILBERFORCE, Ohio – Playing host to the defending SIAC Champion Tuskegee University, the Central State Marauders erased a 14-point deficit in the third quarter and went on to beat the Golden Tigers, 40-36, on Saturday.

THE BASICS

Score: Tuskegee – 36; Central State - 40
Records: Tuskegee (5-4; 3-2) ; Central State (4-5; 2-3)
Location: McPherson Memorial Stadium – Wilberforce, Ohio
Weather: 45 degrees, light rain

HOW IT HAPPENED

1st Quarter

CSU scored on the opening drive of the game. The score was set up by a 69-yard pass play from Trent Mays to Kevin Greenhow. Running back Terraris Saffold finished the drive with a 1-yard run to give CSU the early lead. (CSU 7-0)

TU tied the game at the 13:11 mark with a 6-play, 59-yard touchdown drive. Full back Justic Owens ran for a 12-yard score to put the Golden Tigers on the board. (7-7).

The Marauders completed quick passes to Greenhow and Saffold to march down to the TU 1-yard line. After three unsuccessful attempts, running back Jerry Lanier broke in for the score on fourth down. (CSU 14-7)

TU immediately answered on its next possession as quarterback Ahmad Derasmus found a streaking Peyton Ramzy for a 55-yard gain. Owens capped off the drive with a touchdown from nine yards out to tie the game. (14-14)

2nd Quarter

TU took its first lead of the game with a 9 play, 67-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 10-yard pass from Deramus to tight end Alex Mitchell at the 4:15 mark of the second quarter. (TU 21-14)

With limited time, CSU drove the ball down to TU's 9-yard line but time ran out as Saffold was tackled in bounds to end the half. (TU 21-14)

3rd Quarter

On their first possession of the second half, the Golden Tigers extended the lead to 14 as Deramus connected with Steven Hodges for a 40-yard touchdown pass. (TU 28-14)

On the next drive, CSU went to its ground game. CSU ran the ball nine times for 69 yards capped off by a Mays touchdown from the 1-yard line. CSU failed to convert on the extra point attempt and trailed by 8 with 9:08 remaining in the third quarter. (TU 28-20)

The Marauders pulled within two points thanks to a 10-play, 80 yard scoring drive. Mays completed three passes on the drive to Greenhow for a combined 50 yards. Greenhow finished the drive with a catch from five yards out with 3:08 to play in the third quarter. (TU 28-26)

Mays found Greenhow again for a 32-yard touchdown to put CSU ahead by five with 1:07 left in the third quarter. CSU outgained TU in yards, 173 to 76, in the third quarter to take a five-point lead into the final 15 minutes of play. (CSU 33-28)

4th Quarter

Deramus led TU back by completing three of four passes on the Golden Tigers' next drive. Deramus finished a 92-yard scoring drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Javarrius Cheatham with 8:59 remaining. (TU 36-33)

After the TU score, the CSU offense struck three-plays later as Mays connected with Saffold, who outstretched two TU defenders for the ball and ran another 35 yards after the catch for the eventual game-winning score. (CSU 40-36)

The Marauders defense sealed the victory as they did not allow a TU first down over the sequence of the next two drives. Defensive lineman Shemar Moss came up with a crucial tackle in the backfield to force a TU turnover on downs with 1:49 to play. (CSU 40-36)

With one last chance, Deramus' pass down field was knocked down by K'Jamus Sanders and a host of Marauders as time expired.

BOX SCORE

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

For CSU, Saturday's game was the first win over Tuskegee since 1948. The two schools have played nine times with TU holding a 6-3 advantage in the all-time series.

The Marauders are undefeated at McPherson Stadium this season (3-0).

Trent Mays completed 19 of 39 pass attempts for a career-high 376 yards and three scores.

CSU receiver Kevin Greenhow finished with seven receptions for 207 yards and two touchdowns. Greenhow is the first Marauder to record back-to-back games of 200 or more receiving yards since the 1995 season.

Terraris Saffold set a new career-mark with 127 receiving yards. Saffold has scored a combined 10 times this season which leads the team.

CSU was a perfect three of three on fourth down conversions. TU failed on both of its fourth down attempts.

Kailen Abrams led CSU defenders with nine tackles.

The Marauders have scored 40 or more points in the last three games. The last time CSU scored 40 or more points in three straight games was during the 1995 NAIA Championship season.

QUOTES FROM SATURDAY'S GAME
"Everybody came into this week with a new level of focus after last week's loss to Robert Morris. We worked so hard to be successful and I am extremely proud of the guys in our locker room. Our confidence on offense is through the roof right now. Our defense made big plays when they had to. Tuskegee is always considered the top team in our conference. Our guys did a great job of keeping their composure and competing from beginning to end. We will enjoy this win tonight and refocus towards next week's big SIAC matchup against Lane."
-Head Coach Cedric Pearl

"I knew today would be a really challenging game. My goal is to play as physical as possible. On the big fourth down play, we had an idea what was coming based on the formation. I shot the gap, grabbed the runner and held on for the stop. I wasn't going to let him get away. We did a good job of applying pressure to the quarterback in the backfield and our defensive backs made good plays on the ball to help seal the victory."
-Defensive Lineman Shemar Moss

"We have great chemistry on offense. I am always trying to make plays to help us win. Over the last few weeks, my number has been called and it has been a blessing to be able to deliver for our team. We are hungry and want to end this year on a great note."
-Receiver Kevin Greenhow

UP NEXT
The Marauders will host Lane College next Saturday at 1 pm in McPherson Stadium. The seniors will be recognized 30 minutes prior to kickoff.

STAY CONNECTED
Be sure to visit maraudersports.com and follow the Central State University Athletic social media pages for all news, scores, and updates.
Facebook – facebook.com/CSUMarauders
Twitter - @GO_MARAUDERS
Instagram - @GO_MARAUDERS
Snapchat – GO_MARAUDERS

SUPPORT MARAUDER ATHLETICS
To support Central State University Athletics, visit - https://maraudersports.com/news/2017/5/1/support-marauder-athletics.aspx

CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Grambling Tigers rally for thrilling overtime win

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Geremy Hickbottom threw a 25-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime and the Grambling State University defense held off Arkansas-Pine Bluff on fourth down to rally for a 45-38 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) victory on Saturday afternoon at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.

The Tigers (4-4 overall, 3-2 SWAC) trailed 38-35 with 4:05 remaining, but Hickbottom led the Tigers down the field with an 11-play, 72-yard drive as Marc Orozco, who became the GSU and SWAC all-time career leader in points scored in the second quarter, booted a 20-yard field goal with 46 seconds left in regulation, tying the game at 38.

The Golden Lions (1-7, 0-4) had a chance to drive for the potential winning score in the final 40 seconds, but could not get past their own 40 as time expired.

Grambling State got the ball to begin overtime and Hickbottom wasted no time as he connected with Darrell Clark for a 25-yard touchdown, on the very first play of the extra period, to give Grambling State a 45-38 lead.

BOX SCORE

Arkansas-Pine Bluff got the ball for its overtime possession and were aided by a passing interference call on fourth down, which kept the drive alive. The Tiger defense was able to stop UAPB on three straight downs and forced a fourth-and-four from the GSU 7. After a timeout, Skyler Perry's 7-yard pass to Kolby McNeal was initially ruled a catch on the field by officials, but the play was overturned after the replay review showed that the ball had hit the turf before McNeal secured the football, which allowed Grambling State to pick up the 45-38 victory.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 30-yard field goal by Jamie Gillan to cap an 8-play, 46-yard drive, giving the Golden Lions a 3-0 lead with 2:25 remaining.

A 5-yard touchdown pass from Hickbottom to Dorrell James gave the Tigers a 7-3 advantage with 9:50 left in the first half. However, the Golden Lions took a 9-7 lead into the half after Dejuan Miller caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Perry with just 18 seconds left in the second.

All it took was just two plays at the beginning of the third quarter to set the tone for a wild finish as LaDarrian Ellis-Jones busted straight up the middle for 74 yards to give Grambling State a 14-9 lead with 14:13 left in the period. But just as fast as GSU scored, Arkansas-Pine Bluff answered as Taeyler Porter rushed 75 yards to the endzone to give the Golden Lions a 16-14 lead with 13:57 remaining.

Grambling State capped a 9-play, 71-yard drive on its next offensive possession as Lyndemian Brooks rushed 44 yards to the endzone to put GSU back on top at 21-16 with 9:46 left. However, Porter scored on a 21-yard run to put Arkansas-Pine Bluff back in front, 23-21, with 2:46 remaining in the period.

After a turnover, Hickbottom went up top to Guice for a 35-yard touchdown to give GSU a 28-23 advantage with 28 seconds left in the third.

Back came Arkansas-Pine Bluff as Porter rushed three yards for the score as the Golden Lions converted the 2-point conversion to grab a 31-28 lead.

Grambling State answered, but this time it came from the defense as Linwood Banks got the strip sack and went 20 yards to the endzone to put the Tigers back on top, 35-31. However, the Golden Lions put together a 10-play, 80-yard drive with Miller catching a 5-yard pass from Perry, with 4:05 left, which set the stage for the come-from-behind victory.

Turning Point
In a game that had plenty of turning points, it all came down to the final four minutes of regulation with the Tigers trailing by three points, 38-35.

The Tigers began the drive at their own 25 with exactly 4:05 left on the clock. Hickbottom completed a 9—yard pass to Lyndemian Brooks on first down, but was sacked for a three-yard loss on the very next play, which set up 3rd and 4 from its own 31.

Hickbottom needed four and got 13 on a carry, then scrambled again for five more yards. Just 51 yards away from paydirt, Hickbottom found Brooks again, this time for 13 yards to set up first down from the UAPB 38.

After a timeout by the Golden Lions, Hickbottom completed a 19-yard pass to Quintin Guice to give the Tigers a first down at the UAPB 19.

With the clock dwindling down, Brooks rushed for 11 yards to give Grambling State a first down at the UAPB 9. The Tigers got as close as the Golden Lions' 3 and Orozco booted the game-tying 20-yard field goal with 46 seconds remaining in regulation.

Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State did not register a first down in the opening quarter, but did finish with 16 on the night
> The Tigers amassed 450 total yards, including 233 on the ground
> Grambling State was 6-of-15 on third downs and held the ball for 25:43
> Geremy Hickbottom was 18 of 26 passing for 217 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception
> LaDarrian Ellis-Jones rushed four times for 78 yards, and had a season-long 74-yard touchdown run in the third quarter
> Devante Davis caught three passes for 56 yards
> Quintin Guice added 54 yards on three catches and one score
> Danquarian Fields registered 18 total tackles, including eight solo stops
> Percy Cargo, Jr. tallied 10 tackles, with six solo stops
> Arkansas-Pine Bluff recorded 27 first downs and 458 total yards
> The Golden Lions went 9 for 21 on third downs and held the ball for 34:04
> Skyler Perry was 23 of 43 passing for 202 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception
> Taeyler Porter finished with 226 yards on 38 carries and three scores
> Dejuan Miller caught 10 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns
> Jalen Steward finished with a team-high nine tackles, with four solo stops and three sacks
> Je'Kevin Carter added seven tackles

News & Notes
> Marc Orozco became GSU and SWAC all-time leader in points after a second-quarter extra point
> The Tigers improved to 1-0 in overtime games under head coach Broderick Fobbs
> Grambling State wore all-black jerseys and improved to 7-2 during Broderick Fobbs era.
> The Tigers won their 12th straight home game
> GSU ran its all-time series record to 30-11-2 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
> Broderick Fobbs improved his record in the month of October to 16-1
> Broderick Fobbs remains perfect against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (5-0)
> With Alcorn State defeating Prairie View A&M on Saturday, the Tigers still remain in the hunt for the SWAC West Division title

Up Next
Grambling State closes out its 2018 home campaign next Saturday (Nov. 3) against Mississippi Valley State at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium. Kickoff for Homecoming and Senior Day is set for 2 p.m.

Follow Grambling State Athletics
For complete coverage of Grambling State athletics, please follow the Tigers on social media at @GSU_Tigers (Twitter), /gramblingstateathletics (Facebook), @gramblingathletics01 (Instagram) or visit the official home of Grambling State Athletics at gsutigers.com.

GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Hampton Pirates Put Away VUL Dragons, 51-28

FINAL SCORE: Hampton 51, Virginia University of Lynchburg 28
RECORDS: Hampton 4-3, Virginia University of Lynchburg 3-6
LOCATION: Hampton, Va.

IN BRIEF: Two second-half Delmon Williams touchdown passes helped propel Hampton past a pesky Virginia University of Lynchburg for a 51-28 win on Homecoming 2018 at Armstrong Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Hampton struck on its first possession as the Pirates marched 70 yards in five plays with a nine-yard pass from Williams to Marcel Paulgiving Hampton the early 7-0 lead with 13:22 left in the first.
• The Pirates defense helpled put up the next touchdown as Lonzo Thompson blocked a Dragons punt which Jalen Poston scooped and scored on a 10-yard scamper.  The extra point attempt failed as Hampton pushed the lead to 13-0 with 11:55 left.
• After forcing a turnover on downs, Hampton scored again going 67 yards in seven plays with Williams running in on a nine-yard scamper to push the lead to 20-0 with 4:42 left in the opening quarter.
• The Dragons scored their first touchdown after forcing a turnover on downs on their own 17.  To'mas Newman finished the scoring drive with a 75-yard run with 35 seconds left in the quarter to bring VUL to 20-7.
• In the second quarter, the Dragons defense picked off a Williams pass andset themselves up on the Hampton 15.  Chameron Stevenson finished it with a nine-yard run to trim the deficit to 20-14 with 12:07 left in the half.
• Hampton answered with a 65-yard scoring drive capped by a Williams one-yard plunge to take a 27-14 lead at the 9:54 mark. 
• The Dragons answered on the ensuing kickoff as Johnny Rembert ran it back 98 yards to get back within a touchdown at 27-21.
• Hampton returned the favor with a 29-yard field goal by Evan Lomax to take a 30-21 lead with 5:21 left in the half.
• VUL wouldn't go away as Newman scored his second touchdown going 56 yards to make the score 30-28 with 3:31 left in favor of Hampton.
• Hampton scored the lone touchdown of the third quarter on a 23 yard scoring pass from Williams to Byron Barney with 11:08 left as the Pirates took a 37-28 lead.
• In the fourth, Hampton's defense helped set up the first score as Kapri Doucet forced a fumble recovered by Devni Marcano at the VUL 46.  Six plays later Will Robinson finished the scoring drive with a three-yard run to give the hosts a 44-28 lead with 11:51 left.
• The Pirates finished their scoring on the day with an eight-play, 65-yard drive capped off by a Williams 28-yard pass to Marcel Paul for a 51-28 lead with 4:19 left.

BEHIND THE NUMBERS

• Hampton outgained VUL 613-372 in total offense.
• The Pirates ran for 242 yards marking the third straight game that Hampton has ran for at least 240 yards.
• Robinson ran for a season-best 165 yards on 21 carries, while Williams scored twice running for 47 yards on 19 carries.
• Barney caught a team-high seven passes for 108 yards and one touchdown, while Paul caught two scoring passes out of his three receptions for 59 yards.  Antonio Graham was second in receptions with six for 88 yards.
• Williams was 24-of-30 for a career-high 371 yards and three touchdowns.  This was his third 300+ yard passing game this year and fourth of his career.

UP NEXT
Hampton visits Throggs Neck, N.Y. to face SUNY Maritime on November 3 at 1 pm.

For more information on Hampton University football, please contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5757 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

VUU Taylor Rushes for 4 TDs at Elizabeth City State

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina -- Virginia Union University's Tabyus Taylor rushed for 231 yards and four touchdowns as VUU downed Elizabeth City State University 53-0 on Saturday, October 27, in Elizabeth City, N.C.

The game marked the second time this season that Taylor has rushed for over 200 yards and four touchdowns in a single game.  He recorded 235 yards rushing against Lincoln (Pa.) University on October 6 and had four rushing TDs against Chowan University on October 13.

Three of Taylor's four touchdowns came in the first quarter of the game.

Taylor has now rushed for 19 touchdowns this season, second only to the school-record of 28 rushing touchdowns set by Andre Braxton in 2000.

Taylor now also has rushed for 1,238 yards, the fourth-highest in VUU history, behind William Stanback's 1,299 yards in 2016.

BOX SCORE

In all, VUU rushed for 306 total yards against the Vikings.

Virginia Union's Darius Taylor completed eight of 17 passes for 156 yards, including a 53-yard scoring strike to Jewison Dawkins.

VUU's defense recorded two safeties on two blocked punts while Jacoby Blackmon led the Panthers with nine tackles.

The win raised Virginia Union's record to 6-2 overall and 5-1 in the CIAA.  Elizabeth City State fell to 1-6 overall and 0-6 in CIAA play.

Virginia Union wraps up the 2018 regular season when it meets Virginia State University at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 3, in Hovey Field in Richmond, Virginia.

VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY PANTHERS SPORTS INFORMATION

Alcorn Spoil Another Homecoming with 27-13 Win over PVAMU

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- For the third time this year, the Alcorn State University football program went on the road for Homecoming and walked away with a victory as the Braves ousted Prairie View A&M 27-13 Saturday at Panther Stadium.

The Braves (7-2, 5-1 SWAC) defense did not allow a touchdown. The lone PVAMU (3-5, 2-2 SWAC) touchdown came on a kickoff return. Alcorn sacked Jalen Morton five times, and junior Brelion Hollis wrapped-up a career-high 12 tackles.

The Braves also got their hands on two interceptions from senior Leishaun Ealey and sophomore Qwynnterrio Cole.

Alcorn held a 512-235 advantage in total yards, including a 249-61 disparity in rushing. Junior Deshawn Waller led the ground game with 120 yards and a touchdown. Junior Noah Johnson rushed for 81 yards to go along with his 263 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Johnson's touchdown passes were caught by senior Dayall Harris and junior Chris Blair. Harris finished with 81 receiving yards, while Blair hauled in 63.

Morton ended with 174 passing yards for PVAMU on 16-for-33 passing and two interceptions. Dawonya Tucker, who entered the game as the league's leading rusher, was limited to 60 yards on 15 attempts.

The Braves fumbled the opening kickoff of the game and the Panthers recovered at the 11-yard line. A good defensive stand by Alcorn, including run-stopping tackles by Cole and junior Solomon Muhammad, resulted in a 22-yard field goal attempt that was no-good.

After the Braves went three-and-out offensively, the PVAMU marched down the field on its second drive and got on the board with a 22-yard field goal by Zach Elder to take a 3-0 lead at the 8:04 mark. The big plays on the series were catches of 29-yards and 20-yards, respectively, by Tristen Wallace. The Panthers had 1st-and-goal at the Alcorn 5 when the Braves made a red zone stop.

Alcorn got-going offensively on its second drive. A 29-yard screen pass to Blair to the left moved the ball into Panthers territory. Johnson then found Blair again as he hauled in a 30-yard touchdown pass between to defenders and hung on as he was tackled into the end zone. It gave the Braves a 7-3 lead with 5:35 remaining.

On the ensuing kickoff, Bernard Goodwater ran back an 81-yard touchdown to put the Panthers back on top 10-7 with 5:22 to go. It was a short kick, and Goodwater found a large hole to the left as he was off to the races.

BOX SCORE

ATTENDANCE, 14,250

The Braves offense was on the move again late in the first. After a 10-yard first down run by senior P.J. Simmons, Johnson took off for a 44-yard rush as he faked the hand-off and kept it himself to the left and was tackled at the PVAMU 19. However, Alcorn was backed up by a holding penalty and settled for a 39-yard field goal which was good by junior Corey McCullough to even it 10-10 with 1:16 left.

PVAMU started at its own 4 early in the second quarter when it put together a long drive and got all the way to the Alcorn 17. Though, on a first down play, Morton was intercepted in the right corner of the end zone by Cole as he leaped up and kept a foot in bounds for the turnover.

After the interception, Johnson threw a slant to Harris over the middle that went for 22 yards. Third down runs of 11 yards by Johnson and 19 yards by Waller moved the ball to the PVAMU 24. The Braves took the lead 13-10 after a 20-yard field goal McCullough at the 3:50 mark.

Alcorn added on before the end of the half. On 2nd-and-20, Johnson was nearly sacked in the backfield but stayed up and found Harris wide-open for a 44-yard touchdown catch. It extended the lead to 20-10 heading into the intermission.

Midway through the third quarter, the Braves got good field position near midfield after an interception by Ealey. A quick pitch to junior Nigel Wood went for 16 yards, and a 16-yard reception by senior Raidarious Anderson made it first down at the PVAMU 16. Alcorn settled for a 29-yard field goal attempt, but it was missed wide-left with 6:06 remaining.

In the fourth quarter, the Panthers chipped into the deficit 20-13 with 5:46 left after a long, 14-play drive. PVAMU had 1st-and-goal at the Alcorn 8 when the Braves made a red zone stop. The Panthers scored on a 31-yard field goal by Elder. The drive took 7:04 off the clock.

The Braves were faced with a 3rd-and-8 on the following series when they kept the drive and clock moving with an 11-yard screen pass to Waller. Alcorn stayed on the ground and ran it for another first down with Waller with 3:30 to go at the PVAMU 47. Johnson followed with a QB-keeper for a first down to the PVAMU 27 with 2:45 left.

The clock ended up not making a difference though as Waller took a hand-off and ran it for 26 yards and a touchdown to give Alcorn a 27-13 edge and put the game away with 1:34 remaining.

The Braves will take a break from conference play next weekend when they travel to New Mexico State for a 3 p.m. (CT) start.

NOTES
- Alcorn won its fourth consecutive road game. It previously spoiled Homecoming games at Southern and Alabama A&M.

- The Braves are now 42-15 all-time against the Panthers.

- The Alcorn defense entered the game leading the nation in both sacks per game (4.5) and tackles for a loss per game (9.5). The team will improve upon its tallies with 5.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles for a loss.

- The Braves offense entered the contest leading the SWAC in total offense (451.9 ypg) and notched 512 yards.

- Hollis broke his previous career-high of eight tackles set at Jackson State last year. He also had a sack and two tackles for a loss in the match.

- Junior Terry Whittington is the reigning FCS National Defensive Player of the Week in addition to HBCU Player of the Week and SWAC Defensive Player of the Week. He finished with three tackles.

- Cole's interception was his third of the year which ties him for a team-high this season with junior Javen Morrison.

- The Braves improved to 12-0 when leading at halftime over the last two seasons.

- The Panthers featured both the league's top rusher and passer. Morton, who normally throws for 239.7 yards per game, was limited to 174 passing yards. Tucker averages 116.0 rushing yards per outing and was held to 60.

- The Braves sit at No. 3 in this week's HBCU Poll and are receiving a vote in the national FCS Poll. PVAMU was No. 6 in the HBCU Poll.

- Alcorn's captains were Simmons and seniors Sterling Shippy and Matthew Stewart. PVAMU won the coin toss and deferred to the second half.

- With Alabama State's loss to Alabama A&M, the Braves can clinch the SWAC East Division with a win over Jackson State in the season finale. Alcorn can also clinch prior to the game with losses by JSU and ASU in the upcoming weeks.

Quoting Alcorn head coach Fred McNair
Opening Statement
"We came out and played hard today. The team played with a lot of speed and really fought. We played with a sense of urgency. Though at the same time, we still have a lot to work on. I still don't think we're there yet. We have to be better in a lot of areas and I just feel that we haven't played to our full potential. We have some good spurts in every game but we need more consistency overall. We'll get back at it Monday morning."

On not giving up a defensive touchdown
"It's no secret that our defense has been solid all year. We did a great job of stopping the run today which put a lot of pressure on the quarterback. We just have to continue to get better as a team. I'm proud of the way we're competing."

On trying to limit the penalty yards
"It's a point of emphasis every week and the coaches talk about it before every game in the pre-game speech. We need to eliminate the penalties and the big plays, and we'll keep pressing it until it's done."

On posting over 500 yards of total offense
"We wanted to mix-up what we were doing offensively today. We knew coming into the game that PVAMU had a big defensive line and is tough to run against. We needed to come up with some schemes to counter what PVAMU was doing, and Coach [Ryan] Stanchek did a great job of coming up with a game plan."

Quoting running back Deshawn Waller
On his performance
"This was a great team win today. I have to give credit to both the offensive line and the wide receivers for the way they blocked. We even had a touchdown called back, but it was the blocking that opened up all the holes today."

On his touchdown that put the game away 27-13
"That play was just about execution. We work on perfecting the little things every day in practice and it paid off on that play. It was a read to the right and our right tackle, right guard and wide receivers did a great job of getting down field and making blocks. The rest of our guys did what they had to do and it opened it up for me."

On his emerging role on the team
"I had to learn a lot coming in this year including new plays. I wasn't here last year so I had to come in over the summer and get right to it."

Quoting linebacker Brelion Hollis
On his career-high in tackles
"I couldn't have done it without my teammates and the rest of the defense putting me in a position to be successful. I'm just glad to be a part of something special. I have to give credit to the coaches for pushing us every day in practice, and I couldn't have done it without them and the rest of the team."

On not allowing a defensive touchdown in the game
"It was about the coaches giving us the right calls, and us being in the right positions at the right time. We were able to handle our business and do what we needed to do. All week the coaches stressed about the little things and paying attention to detail. We were able to stay focused and execute today and get a win."

ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

ASU Smothers' Game-Winning Kick Return TD Helps Wildcats Seal Upset of Maroon Tigers

ATLANTA, Georgia – In a real tale of two halves, the Wildcats spun the best tale in sudden fashion for the upset. The defending Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference East champion, Fort Valley State, may not be headed back to the title tilt, but Lorenzo Smothers' 96-yard kick return touchdown with 3:16 left in the game helped his team pull the 27-22 upset, and keep Morehouse College from qualifying for this year's contest.

After having everything go their way in the first 30 minutes, the Wildcats (2-7/2-3 SIAC East) took a 21-2 halftime lead, but they saw the tables turn. The seventh-rated Region 2 Maroon Tigers (7-2/3-2 SIAC East) edged ahead 22-21 for all of 16 seconds as Smothers bobbled the kick off, before he regained his composure and cut through the defenders down the right sideline 96 yards for the game-winning touchdown, 27-22. Following a Niykiem Floyd sack on third-and-19, the FVSU defense forced one final Morehouse incompletion to seal the win with seven seconds left at the visitors 32-yard line.

With the win, FVSU takes it winning streak over Morehouse to four games. The Wildcats' 27 points is also a season-high.

BOX SCORE

ATTENDANCE: 27,519

Smothers finished the day with 250 all-purpose yards, including 139 yards on three kick-off returns. The sophomore pulled in four passes for 65 yards with a 16-yard second-quarter touchdown, rushed seven times for 37 yards and added a nine-yard punt return.

Quarterback Demontay Jones had a tough day with only 101 yards passing on 7 of 18 attempts with two touchdowns, but three interceptions. FVSU was outgained 171 to 322 in total offense and saw Morehouse hold the ball for 17:22 longer.

Aaron Dore, who had 1.5 tackles for loss, and Andrew Robinson paced the Wildcat defense with nine stops apiece. Zach Anderson added 7 tackles, one for loss, and David Brown had six tackles.

Leading-tackler Camron Young accounted for only four tackles, but he did block a Maroon Tigers punt and recover it in the first half. Voris Bryant (6 tackles, forced fumble) and Floyd (5 tackles) each had a sack.

For Morehouse, the running back duo of Santo Dunn and Frank Bailey, Jr., combined for 185 yards on 38 rushes and two scores.

On the second possession of the day, the FVSU offense drove 63 yards for the game's first points. On 4th-and-2 at the home 31-yardline, Jones found Smothers for a 14-yard completion to keep the drive going. On the next set of downs, Jones scrambled eight yards for the touchdown and 7-0 lead at 8:48 in the first stanza.

Following a Young blocked Morehouse punt and recovery late in the first quarter, Jones connected with Smothers from 16 yards on the game's next play to extend the difference to 14-0 only 52 seconds in the second quarter.

The Maroon Tigers put a safety on the scoreboard when the Wildcat punter did not field the snap cleanly and saw it recovered in the end zone, 14-2, at 8:33 in the first half.

With 1:58 left in the second frame, FVSU took over on the home 49-yardline and took advantage. On the fourth play, Jones fired to Jeffery Mack from 27 yards and took a 21-2 lead to half.

Morehouse took the ball to the ground on three long, time-eating drives. With its second possession, a Michael Sims 16-yard touchdown pass, 21-8, was the first tally on an 89-yard drive.

After a four-play visitor possession and punt, Bailey ran in from three yards to cap a 59-yard, 15-play drive for a 21-15 game with 13:49 left.

FVSU aided the Morehouse comeback as Jones three his third interception on the next Wildcat time with the ball. The Maroon Tigers ran off another 8:06 resulting in a Dunn 4-yard touchdown plunge for a 22-21 lead at 3:32 to go.

The Wildcats moves on for the season finale at the Fountain City Classic next Saturday, Nov. 3. FVSU battles rival Albany State in a 2 p.m. kick-off in Columbus, Ga.

FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Bowie State Bulldogs Move One Step Closer to Northern Title with 35-14 win at Lincoln (Pa.)

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pennsylvania – Fortunately for Bowie State football, it's not how you start but how you finish as the Bulldogs shrugged off a terrible start and came back to defeat Lincoln (Pa.) 35-14 on a rainy Saturday afternoon. The win improves Bowie State's record to 7-2 overall, 4-1 in the CIAA North and one game closer to claiming the division title.

Dominique Rogers intercepted Bowie State's Amir Hall and returns it for a 50-yard touchdown to give Lincoln (Pa.) 7-0 lead with 7:23 remaining in first quarter.

Lincoln (Pa.) (1-8, 1-4 CIAA) pushed its lead to 14-0 at the 4:27 mark of the second quarter, when the Lions blocked a Bulldogs punt and scored.

Montez Clay hauled in a 68-yard touchdown pass from Amir Hall to pull Bowie State within a touchdown on the Bulldogs' very next possession to narrow the deficit to 14-7 with 4:08 left in the second quarter. Bulldogs get a quick two as Derrick Tate and Taylor Johnson score on a safety to trim deficit to 14-9 with 3:06 left before halftime.

Bowie State takes lead with 44 seconds left in second quarter on a Hall to Geordan Clark for a X-yard touchdown to put the Bulldogs in front 15-14.

Bowie State's Maurice Williams scores a 13-yard touchdown run at 3:53 mark of 3rd quarter but the extra point was missed, pushing the Bulldogs lead to 21-14.

The Bowie State duo of Hall and Clark teamed up again, this time for 9-yard touchdown to double up the Lincoln (Pa.) Lions by a score of 28-14 with 2:36 to go in 3rd quarter.

Hall throws his fourth touchdown of the afternoon, this time a 33-yard pass to Lansana Sesay to extend the Bowie State lead to 35-14 with 11:32 left in the contest.

Hall threw for a game-high 306 passing yards completing 24-of-42. His four touchdown passes move him to within two of tying the CIAA All-Time TD passing yard on Winston-Salem State's Kameron Smith. Williams and Brandon Abrams led Bowie State's ground gainers with 59 and 42 yards respectively. Clay and Gilbert Lunsford led all receivers with 82 and 73 reception yards respectively. The Bulldogs trio of John Johnson, Jaylen Harris and Da'Ron Holmes paced the Bowie State defense with five tackles each.

BOX SCORE

Lincoln (Pa.) quarterback Vincent Espinoza led the Lions on offense with 122 passing yards and 59 rushing yards. Carlos Croslyn was LUPA's top receiver with 39 yards while Devon Cathcart was the games' leading tackler with 10.

The Bulldogs will conclude the regular season next Saturday (November 3), hosting Elizabeth City State University for Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day. Bowie State will recognize its seniors in a special pregame ceremony beginning at 12:30 p.m. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Shaw Bears Tops Winston-Salem State for Homecoming, 26-21

DURHAM, North Carolina – The Shaw University football team roared out to a 14-0 lead in the first half, and then used a strong passing game and opportunistic defense to top Winston-Salem State University on Homecoming and Senior Day at Durham County Memorial Saturday afternoon in nationally televised game.

The Bears recognized 14 senior student-athletes before kickoff that included Dorrel McClain (Raleigh, NC), Michael Sherman, Jr., Coleman Blackston (Baltimore, MD), Raymond Green, Jr. (Durham, NC), Keon Marsh (Queens, NY), Quron Hall (Jacksonville, FL), Joshua Edwards (McCleansville, NC), Alban Harp, Jr. (Winter Garden, FL), Zedrious Wright-Starks (Atlanta, GA), Keith Alston (Eggharbor City, NJ), Dante Lowe-Rogers (Concord, NC), Justus Sapp (Franklinton, NC), Dana Macklin (Ridgeway, SC) and Terrence Jones (Newport News, VA).

Offensively, Shaw (4-4, 3-2 CIAA) turned in 243 yards of total offense, including 203 through the air while the Bears defense held the Rams (4-4, 3-2 CIAA) scoreless in the first half and limiting its powerful run game to 192 yards on the ground while scoring seven points off of WSSU's turnovers. In the Southern Division standings, Shaw and Winston-Salem State are 3-1, tied for second place behind Fayetteville State.

Junior receiver Marquis Gorham (Greenville, NC) was a workhorse in the Bears option attack, gaining a career-high 129 yards on nine receptions and two touchdowns while Marsh registered 203 yards on 19-of-29 passes and three touchdowns.

Shaw struck first with 57 seconds remaining in the first quarter when Marsh connected with sophomore receiver Daniel Bender (Jacksonville, FL) for a six yard TD. Freshman Colton Koontz (Lexington, NC) extra point gave Shaw a 7-0 lead heading into the second quarter.

Neither teams scored on the offensive side of the ball in the second stanza but on a third and six for the Rams, Dominique Graves pass was intercepted by sophomore defensive back Kevin Sherman (Powder Springs, GA) for an 82 yard pick six and a 14-0 lead for the Bears at intermission.

In the second half, the Rams managed to outscore the Bears 14-6 in the third quarter. WSSU's first score of the game came on a 12 play drive worth 73 yards capped off by a five yard rushing touchdown from Jahi Linebarger at the 10:16 mark. WSSU then scored again, this time on a one yard scamper from Antwoin Pittman that would knot the game at 14-even with 2:57 left to play in the quarter. However, Shaw put together a four-play 45 yard drive topped off by a Marsh and Gorham connection for a four yard reception TD that would give the Bears a 20-14 control going into the fourth quarter.

BOX SCORE

With 5:30 remaining in the contest, a relentless Rams squad stole the lead after an 18 yard TD reception from Darren Dowdell. On the ensuing possession, the Bears never panicked; in fact, Shaw showed poised and stuck to the game plan as Marsh and Gorham combined for 52 yards on four plays that led to a 25 yard reception touchdown for Gorham and a 26-21 scoring margin in favor of SU.

WSSU's next drive started at the 4:04 mark as the Rams tallied two first downs but the Bears defense came up big when freshman defensive lineman Corinthian Hudson, Jr. (Pompano, FL) sacked Emiere Scaife for a nine yard loss, giving Shaw the ball back and ultimately the victory which snapped a two-game losing skid for Shaw against the Rams.

In addition, the win also marked the first win on homecoming since 2014 and extends the Bears win-streak to three consecutive games for the first since 2013.

Junior linebacker Devon Hunt (Hamlet, NC) led the Bears defense with 15 tackles and two tackle for loss while Sherman made 10 stops.

Shaw returns to the field on Saturday, Nov. 3 at Saint Augustine's for the Raleigh Classic. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the George Williams Athletic Complex.

For the most up-to-date information on Shaw football and its 13 varsity sport teams, visit www.shawbears.com.

SHAW UNIVERSITY BEARS ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Witt Leads Chowan Past Virginia State Trojans On Road

PETERSBURG, Virginia – The Chowan Football team gutted out a 45-38 victory on the road to Virginia State to halt the Trojans' CIAA Northern Division title hopes on Saturday afternoon.

THE BASICS

FINAL | Chowan 45, Virginia State 38

RECORDS | Chowan 4-4 (3-2, 3-1), Virginia State 4-4 (4-2, 2-2)

LOCATION | Petersburg, Va. (Rogers Stadium)

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

For the first time in program history the Chowan Hawks nearly had two players rush for 100 yards in the same game. Bryce Witt posted a career-high 136 yards on the ground, while Tyrell Freeman came up just short with 99 yards rushing with a touchdown. Freeman needs 124 yards rushing to become the second Hawk to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season.

Bryce Witt accounted for five touchdowns in the contest completing 19-25 passes for 214 yards and four touchdowns to go with his 136 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Jackson Brooks sealed the victory with a 28-yd field goal in the fourth quarter.

Torry Baker led the receivers with five catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. Imeek Watkins caught four passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns.

Chowan's defense forced three interceptions and two sacks in the victory. Virginia State's offense came from their signal caller, who accounted for 380 of the 397 total yards.

Jacquae Peart led the defense with nine tackles. Treielle PearsoBn had four tackles for loss and a sack. George Parker, Connor O'Brien, and Bryan Bryant picked up the VSU quarterback.

Brian Hopper Jr. blocked a punt on special teams.

BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Quarter:

On the opening drive of the game, Bryce Witt connected with Adrian McNeil for 24 yards and Torry Baker for 26 yards to put the Hawks in scoring range. Witt found Baker for a 12-yd gain before Tyrell Freeman punched it in from 1-yd out for the 7-0 lead.

The Chowan defense forced a punt but the Hawks gave the ball back to Virginia State the next play on a fumble.

With good field position, the Trojans would knot the game at 7-all just 2:06 later.

Chowan would be forced to punt on the next possession, but would get the ball back near midfield as George Parker picked off the pass for his fourth of the season.

Second Quarter:

Brian Hopper Jr. blocked the punt and gave the Hawks great field position at the VSU 19. Bryce Witt found Imeek Watkins two plays later to put the Hawks up 14-7 with 14:44 remaining in the half.

Chowan would go up 21-7 as Bryan Bryant picked off a pass on the next possession near midfield. Tyrell Freeman carried the load before Bryce Witt found Torry Baker on the 2-yd strike for the score.

Virginia State's next drive was aided on a penalty before finding the endzone to cut the deficit to 21-14.

Tyrell Freeman posted a 31 yard run on the next drive following an unsportsmanlike penalty on the Trojans. Bryce Witt connected with Paul Gooden to push the score to 28-14 with 3:09 remaining.

VSU tallied a 25-yd field goal to close out the scoring in the half, 28-17.

Third Quarter:

Virginia State marched down the field on nine plays for 76 yards as the Trojans found the endzone. The two-point conversion would fail to keep the score at 28-23.

The score would not hold long as Bryce Witt rushed for 45 yards to find the endzone, three minutes later to put the Hawks up 35-23.

The Trojans would not be turned away scoring quickly to pull the score to within five, 35-30, with 4:40 remaining in the quarter. VSU recovered the onside kick and struck quickly on two plays to take their first lead at 38-35.

The Chowan drive stalled on fourth down at the VSU 30 on the next drive. Connor O'Brien picked off the pass to give the Hawks the ball back at midfield.

Fourth Quarter:

On the next Hawk drive, Bryce Witt found Imeek Watkins in space and raced past the defense for a 31-yd touchdown to regain the lead at 42-38 with 13:40 remaining.

VSU's drive would stall on fourth down as Rafiq Abdul-Wahid registered a sack to hand the ball back to the Hawks at the CU 41.

The Hawks would produce a 12 play 54-yard drive that took 7:20 off the clock and resulted in points. The Trojans thought they would get the ball back with 7:20 left but a 13-yd scamper by Bryce Witt on fourth down allowed the drive to continue. The Hawks would drive the ball into the redzone before Jackson Brooks converted from 28-yards out to put the Hawks up 45-38.

Virginia State looked to mount a comeback drive, but the Hawks defense would pick up a big sack by Treielle Pearson on fourth-and-one from the CU 7 to allow Chowan the victory formation.

UP NEXT

Chowan returns home for their final home game of the season as the Hawks host Lincoln (Pa.) on Saturday, November 3. The game is Hall of Fame and Senior Day for the Hawks. Kick-off is slated for 1pm.

CHOWAN UNIVERSITY HAWKS ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS