BOWIE, MD – The Bowie State football team will open their 2024 season against No. 9 Lenior-Rhyne University on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Helen & Leonard Moretz Stadium in Hickory, NC. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and the game will air live on Flo Sports.
When: Saturday, Sept. 7 at 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Where: Helen & Leonard Moretz Stadium - Hickory, NC.
Watch: FloSports.tv
Live Stats: Click Here
Tickets: Purchase Here
Follow on Twitter: @BSU_Sports_Info
Follow on Instagram: @BowieStateBulldogs
The Series
Saturday's game will be the second meeting between the two teams. BSU is 1-0 against the Bears after winning 31-10 in the NCAA DII playoffs, which occurred on Nov. 20, 2021, at Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs never trailed in the game after jumping out to a 7-0 lead after the first quarter. BSU outscored LR 10-3 in the second quarter and 7-0 in the fourth quarter en route to the victory.
CIAA Preseason Poll
The Bowie State Bulldogs were picked to finish fifth in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Preseason Poll, as voted by the CIAA Football Coaches Association and the Sports Information Directors Association during the 2024 CIAA Football Media Day festivities Thursday.
The 2024 team features 23 returning players from the 2023 All-CIAA team, including 18 first-teamers that featured BSU's own Hasaan Mosley. Mosley, a native of Washington, DC., elevated his game at defensive back position during the 2023 season, earning eight breakups, four interceptions, and one forced fumble for a Second Team All-Conference nod a season ago.
Building Upon Success
Head coach Kyle Jackson is entering his second full season at BSU. In his first year, Jackson led the Bulldogs to a 6-4 record with eight players receiving CIAA All-American honors highlighted by Williams who received first-team honors. Justin Zavala was also named to the second-team as a placekicker and a punter. Additionally, Jackson had two Bulldogs participate in the Black College Football HBCU Legacy Bowl in New Orleans. Jackson is looking to lead the Bulldogs to their ninth consecutive winning season.
The Defense
Shawan Lewis (Baltimore, MD) led the CIAA in total sacks (7.5) in 2023, the redshirt senior is looking to improve upon his standout performance last season as a key pillar of the defense. BSU's ball-hawking defense also had the second-most interceptions in the CIAA with 14 in 2023.
Offense Looking to Improve
The Bulldogs offense found success late in the 2023 campaign with dual-threat quarterback Jordan Morse (Clarksburg, MD) under center. After starting the final three games of the season, Morse went on to be named to the All-CIAA Rookie Team. In addition, Quinn Brown was hired as the new offensive line coach in April of this year. Brown formerly coached at Virginia Union where he revamped the o-line helping VUU's high-powered to a 10-2 record in his first year. Last season, the Bulldogs ranked fifth in the CIAA for total offense, averaging 292.2 yards per game (2,922 total yards of offense). Through the air, BSU ranked fourth in the league with 1,910 passing yards.
Scouting Lenior-Rhyne
The No. 9 Lenior-Rhyne Bears are coming off a 13-2 overall record and an 8-1 mark in the South Athletic Conference (SAC) in 2023. The Bears made it to the NCAA DII Semifinals when they fell to eventual champions Harding. LR tied the program record for wins in a season despite the loss. The Bears had six players receive All-Piedmont honors while as a team, LR was predicted to finish first in the SAC Preseason Poll. Lenior-Rhyne introduced its 24th head coach Doug Socha earlier this year on Jan. 29. This will be Socha's fourth head coaching job after leading Keiser University to a NAIA National Championship in 2023.
Up Next
Bowie State will head home to Bowie, Md., for their home opener against the Davenport Panthers on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 12 p.m. from Bulldog Stadium. The
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