FINAL GAME STATS

(PETERSBURG, VA) Trickery helped early as Virginia State surprised Bowie State 39-33. The loss drops Bowie State (3-4, 3-1 in the CIAA and 1-1 in the division) into a three-way tie for second place in the division with Virginia State and Virginia Union. With the win, Virginia State improves its record to 3-4 overall, 2-2 in the CIAA and 1-1 in the East. “Coach Faison and his staff had a great plan coming into the game … going up 14-0 in the first 23 seconds of the game can really give a team a boost,” said Bowie State Head Mike Lynn.

Virginia State pulled a trick out of the Trojans hat on the very first play from scrimmage. VSU's Michael Terry lateralled to Davian Richards and connected on a 55-yard bomb to a wide-open Davian Richards for a quick 6-0 lead. Bowie State fumbled the ensuing kickoff and recovered by Virginia State. The Trojans made another quick score to take a 14-0 advantage. Terry tossed a 33-yard TD pass to Brian Berry with 14:37 remaining in the opening quarter.

Bowie State's workhorse Isaac Redman (153 yards on 33 carries) pounded in from five yards for the Bulldogs first score of the afternoon at the 8:06 mark. However, the extra point was missed, leaving Virginia State with a 14-6 lead.

Terry flipped a 20-yard touchdown pass to Richards with 10:12 left in the second quarter and Justin Parker added the extra point to push Virginia State's lead to 20-6. Redman cut the BSU deficit to 20-13 with 5:51 remaining before halftime, scoring from two yards out. Nick Fleming scored a 3-yard touchdown just before halftime, giving Virginia State a 27-13 cushion. The score was a result of a roughing the kicker penalty against Virginia State following a Trojans punt. Turnovers played a big role in the first half as Bowie State fumbled three times, losing all three.

The Terry / Richards combo extended Virginia State's lead to 33-13 with 5:32 left in the third quarter. Back-to-back pass interference calls and a facemask penalty against Bowie State helped the home team advance downfield. Terry threw for a team-high 171 yards, completing 11 of 17 passes. Richards was second on the team in reception yards (52) behind David Jackson's 104 yards.

BSU's Jason Scott snuck in from one-yard out just after the start of the fourth quarter, making the score 33-20. Scott played his best game in a Bulldogs uniform, completing 17 of 41 passes for a game-high 195 yards. Parker added a 35-yard field goal with 10:10 left in the game, padding Virginia State's lead to 36-20. Redman recorded his third TD of the afternoon (10th in the last three games), rushing in for a five yard touchdown trimming the score to 36-26. Virginia State's Parker added a little insurance with 2:14 remaining in the contest, booting a 31 yard field goal, giving the Trojans a 39-26 lead. Anthony Howe (six receptions for 98 yards) recorded his first touchdown of the season, hauling in a five pass from Scott with 15 seconds left to play. Ronald Walls added the extra point but it would not be enough.

As the team loaded the bus heading home, Lynn summed up the outcome by saying, “We expected to win but didn't …. But we're still in the hunt for the division championship.” Bowie State will make a return trip down Interstate 95 next Saturday (10/20) to face Virginia Union at 1:05 in the Gold Bowl. Virginia Union dropped a 23-14 decision to Elizabeth City State earlier in the afternoon. The Virginia State Trojans travel to Johnson C. Smith next weekend for a 6 p.m. contest at JCSU's Irwin Belk Complex.