MURFREESBORO, N.C. – In pre-Hurricane Matthew conditions, Bowie State football held a late Chowan charge and defeated the Hawks 21-14 on Thursday evening in Garrison Stadium. The win sets the Bulldogs overall mark at 4-2, 3-0 in league play and 1-0 in the North.
 
After several possession changes, Bowie State capitalized on a muffed Chowan punt return. Amir Hall (Bowie, Md.) connected with senior Jordan Garrison (Baltimore, Md.) for a 13-yard score at the 6:54 mark of the first quarter. Freshman Gene Carson (Accokeek, Md.) added the PAT for the 7-0 lead. Redshirt freshman Brandon Abrams (Baltimore, Md.) rushed for a 4-yard score with 9.3 seconds left in the first quarter to take a 14-0 advantage.
 
Bowie State pushes lead to 21-0 at the 5:14 mark of the second quarter on a Hall to sophomore Deron Smith (Bowie, Md.) 20 yard pass and catch.
 
Chowan breaks the drought with 1:16 left in the first half, when Randall Dixon connected with Ryan Nolan for a 39-yard score, trimming the Bowie State lead to 21-7.
 
Chowan's Dixon connected with Torry Baker for a 36-yard pass, catch and score with 6:20 remaining in the game to account for the margin.
 
Hall ended the night completing 18-of-37 passes (one interception) for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Nyme Manns (Baltimore, Md.) led all receivers with 86 reception yards on 12 catches while sophomore Robert Chesson (Annapolis, Md.) rushed for a team-high 54 yards on 10 carries. Sophomore Taylor Johnson (Washington, D.C.) led the Bowie State defense with eight tackles and four other Bulldogs tallied a half dozen tackles in the win.
 
Chowan (4-2, 2-1 CIAA, 1-0 North) was led by quarterback Randall Dixon with 195 passing yards (12-of-27) and two touchdowns. Tyree Lee was the Hawks' and game-leading rusher with 158 yards on 30 carries.  The Chowan defense was paced by Demetrius Newberry with eight total tackles.
 
Very rainy conditions kept total offense down for both teams as Chowan accounted for 370 yards compared to a season-low 289 yards for Bowie State.
 
The Bulldogs offense was a perfect 3-for-3 inside the Chowan red zone while the Bowie State defense shutout the Hawks in the BSU red zone on three chances.
 
The Bulldogs will have a few extra days to rest and prepare for its next contest. Bowie State will host the Trojans of Virginia State University for Homecoming next Saturday (10/15) at 2 p.m.