FINAL STATS
(RICHMOND, VA) Virginia Union won the 31st Annual Gold Bowl Classic, defeating the Bulldogs of Bowie State 27-14. The win keeps Virginia Union in the running for the CIAA Eastern Division title and improves the Panthers to 7-1 overall, 4-1 in the CIAA and 2-1 in the East. However, the Bowie State loss pretty much eliminates the Bulldogs from winning the divisional crown, as BSU falls to 3-5 overall, 3-2 in the CIAA and 1-2 in the East.
The host Panthers scored the games first points courtesy of a 25-yard pass from Lamar Little to Steven Miller. Gil Hernandez added the extra point to make the score 7-0. Virginia Union added six more points at the 2:49 mark of the first quarter, when Little tossed a 10-yard TD pass to Phillip Taylor.
Bowie State finally lit up the Hovey Field scoreboard with 12:39 left in the second quarter on a 25-yard interception return by freshman Terence Peete (Memphis, TN – Northwest HS). #Ronald Walls, Jr.# (Capital Heights, MD) converted the extra point, cutting the gap to 13-7. BSU's Bulldogs trimmed the deficit to 14-13 by the 5:06 mark on a one yard run by junior Isaac Redman (Paulsboro, NJ – Paulsboro HS) and the extra point by Walls. However, Virginia Union's Andre Winston hauled in an 80-yard pass from Little with just over two minutes before halftime to take a 20-13 lead at the break.
Little threw his fourth touchdown of the game and second to Taylor (four receptions for 48 yards) with 4:47 remaining in third quarter, capping off a seven play – 85 yard drive. Taylor finished the game completing 12 of 22 passes for 216 yards and was intercepted twice.
Bowie State's top offensive player was Redman who rushed for a team-high 121 yards on 26 carries. On the defensive side of the ball, freshman Kyle Jackson (Baltimore, MD – Edmondson HS) paced BSU with 11 tackles and was named the games defensive MVP. Bowie State junior Jason Scott threw for 131 yards, connecting on 10 of 25 passes and senior Calvin Ford led BSU's receivers with 22 yards. Turnovers seemed to hurt the Bulldogs as well, coughing up the ball four times, losing three.
VUU's Stevie Johnson accumulated 11 tackles on the afternoon and forced one fumble to lead the Panthers and Brandon Smith added another 10 tackles for Virginia Union. Elihu Smith was Virginia Union's top ground gainer with 78 yards on 13 carries.
Bowie State will return home for its regular season finale and homecoming game against Shaw University next Saturday at 2 p.m. Virginia Union will travel just south of their Lombardy Street campus next Saturday to face Virginia State at 1:05 p.m.
