FINAL STATS

PHOTO GALLERY (Courtesy of Lawrence Johnson)

(ELIZABETH CITY, N.C.)  In a game to determine the CIAA Northern Division crown, Elizabeth City State University got the job done, beating Bowie State University 23-12.  The loss eliminates the Bulldogs from a chance at playing in the conference championship game and evens their record at 4-4 overall and 3-3 in the CIAA.

The Bulldogs took an early 3-0 lead at the 7:50 mark of the first quarter following a 38-yard field goal by senior Michael Gagne.

In terms of team statistics, Bowie State accounted for 374 yards of total offense (204 rushing and 170 passing) and Elizabeth City State accumulated 314 yards of total offense (219 rushing and 95 passing).  Bowie State, the most penalized team in the CIAA, shot themselves in the foot again, being flagged 12 times for 82 yards.  Elizabeth City State was not immune from the penalty bug, as the Vikings were penalized 10 times for 84 yards.

Elizabeth City State's Kevin Miller (Womelsdorf, PA) booted a 24-yard field goal with 5:32 left in the second quarter to tie the game at 3-3.  The ECSU Vikings capitalized on a Bulldogs turnover and DaRonte McNeill (Elizabeth City, N.C.) hauled in a sideline pass from Creven Powell (Elizabeth City, N.C.), scoring a 33-yard touchdown at the 3:22 mark.  Miller converted the extra point to take a 10-3 advantage.  The touchdown was setup after Justin Beatty intercepted a pass by Bowie State junior Tyrae Reid, Jr.  Reid returned the interception 33 yards for an apparent Vikings score.  However, a holding penalty along with an unsportsmanlike penalty negated the score at that time.

Gagne cut the Bowie State lead to 10-6 with 10:19 remaining in the third quarter following a 27-yard field goal, capping off a 10 play, 67-yard drive.

McNeill increased the ECSU Vikings lead to 16-6 after pounding in from 8-yards out with 12:20 remaining in the game.

BSU's Reid was picked off for the second time, this time by Josh Brooks at the Vikings four-yard line and returned it to the Bowie State 10-yard line.  Two-plays later, McNeill found the end zone again, and Miller's extra point, pushed ECSU Vikings lead to 23-6 with 10:10 left to play.

Reid connected with junior Douglas McNeil, III for a 23-yard touchdown with 8:52 left on the clock, trimming the deficit to 23-12.

Elizabeth City State (6-2, 4-1 CIAA) was led on offense by McNeill's 159 rushing yards and Powell's 95 passing yards.  Dewitt Dixon paced the Vikings defense with 10 total tackles.

Senior Tariq Jones led the Bowie State offense with 87 rushing yards on 15 carries and fellow senior James Proctor recorded a team-high 100 all-purpose yards.  Defensively, junior Bekewele Amadi and sophomore Eric Walters led the Bulldogs with 18 and 9 tackles respectively.

“The guys played hard … we turned the ball over and didn't capitalize on our red zone opportunities”, said BSU third-year head coach Damon Wilson.  “Defensively, I think we played well enough to win a game but didn't execute when we needed to and lost to a good Elizabeth City State football team.”

Bowie State will finally wrap up its six-week road swing next Saturday (October 29), traveling to Shepherd University for a noon non-conference contest against the Rams.