FINAL STATS

(ELIZABETH CITY, N.C.)  Junior Terence Peete, Jr. (Memphis, TN, Northwest) recovered an Elizabeth City State fumble and returned it 33 yards for the game winning touchdown.  Bowie State  scored 20 unanswerd points over the final 10:15 seconds to defeat the Vikings 37-33.  . The wins keeps Bowie State undefeated in the CIAA Eastern Division at 4-0 and 5-2 overall.

The game didn't begin very well for Bowie State as the Bulldogs were hit with a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for a pre-game infraction. That proved costly as Elizabeth City State's Reggie Smith returned the opening kickoff for a 74 yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked but the Vikings were in front 6-0, 12 seconds into the contest. Elizabeth City State added six more to the scoreboard after Smith hauled in a 78 pass from Creven Powell. Daniel Mendez converted this extra point, giving the home team a 13-0 advantage. Tashawn Lee caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Powell and Mendez's extra point increased Elizabeth City State's lead to 20-0 with 17 seconds in the first quarter. Bowie State sophomore James Proctor, Jr. (Capital Heights, MD, Suitland) returned the ensuing kickoff 84 yards for the Bulldogs first points of the game. Sophomore Michael Gagne (Baltimore, MD, Parkville) added the extra point, cutting the ECSU lead to 20-7.

Elizabeth City State (4-3, 2-2 CIAA) put a little trickery into the game midway through the second quarter after Lee flipped a pass to Smith for a big 43 yard pickup. Three plays later, Powell took it in him-self from one-yard out, pushing the Vikings lead to 26-7 at the 7:15 mark.

Elizabeth City State clicked on all cylinders in the first half, producing 314 yards in total offense (259 passing and 55 rushing). On the opposite end of the spectrum, Bowie State was held to 78 yards in total first half offense, with 60 being via the passing game.

Freshmen Emmanuel Yeager threw his second interception of the game after BSU's Bulldogs received the opening kickoff. Fortunately for Bowie State, Elizabeth City State gave the ball right back after a fumble by the Vikings. Bowie State made their third quarterback change of the game with just over 12 minutes left in the third quarter, putting freshman Tyrae Reid, Jr. (Baltimore, MD, Baltimore Polytechnic) under center. Reid quickly paid dividends, rushing up the middle of the Vikings defensive front for a one-yard touchdown run. Gagne's extra point trimmed the Bowie State deficit to 26-14 at the 11:57 mark.

Gagne booted a 31-yard field goal with 8:57 remaining in the third quarter, cutting the Elizabeth City State lead down to 26-17.

Elizabeth City State missed a scoring opportunity at the start of the fourth quarter, but Smith fumbled the ball at the Bowie State two and the Bulldogs recovered in the end zone for the touchback. The dreaded turnover bug bit Bowie State again on the Bulldogs' next possession as Yeager was picked off for the third time, this time by Justin Hamilton. Hamilton returned the interception to the Bowie State 30 yard line.

Penalties continued to mount for Bowie State as the Bulldogs were flagged for pass interference, giving Elizabeth City State a first and goal at the visitor's six yard line. Ranier Rackley scampered around the left side for a three-yard touchdown and Mendez added the extra point, giving the host Vikings a 33-17 cushion with 10:15 left in the game.

Sophomore Seth Minter (Baltimore, MD, Catonsville) hauled in a 45-yard pass from Yeager for a Bowie State touchdown. BSU's two-point conversion failed and made the score 33-23 with 8:09 remaining in the game. Senior Rodney Webb (Baltimore, MD, Milford Mill Academy) busted up the gut of the ECSU defensive line for a five yard touchdown and Gagne's extra point, cut the Vikings lead to 33-30 with 4:31 left to play.

Junior Sterling Grant-Jones (Baltimore, MD, Edmondson) forced Elizabeth City State's Cedric Blackwell to fumble the ball which was recovered by Peete and returned 33 yards for a Bulldogs touchdown. Gagne converted the extra point, giving Bowie State a 37-33 lead.

Elizabeth City State put together a good drive on their next possession but a Peete interception in the Vikings end zone sealed the spectacular divisional win for Bowie State. Peete and Grant-Jones were huge on BSU's defense, tallying a team-high eight tackles.

Yeager led the Bowie State offense with 170 passing yards, completing 12-of-22 passes and Webb led the Bulldogs rushers with 57 yards on 18 carries. Senior Larry Dixon, Jr. (Baltimore, MD, Dunbar, Morgan State Univ.) ended the game with a team-high 50 reception yards and sophomore Clifton Budd (Silver Spring, MD, Sherwood) was a close second with 45 reception yards.

Powell threw for a game-high 314 passing yards, completing 14-of-28 passes. Smith paced Elizabeth City State's receivers with 171 yards on just three receptions.

The Bulldogs will close out the home portion of their 2009 schedule next Saturday (10/17), hosting the Tigers of Saint Paul's College in a 1 p.m. Homecoming game.