BLUEFIELD, W.V. – The Bowie State football team (2-5, 1-3 CIAA) leaned on a dominant rushing attack to outlast Bluefield State University (3-4, 2-2 CIAA), earning a hard-fought 42-37 road victory Saturday afternoon at Mitchell Stadium. The Bulldogs racked up five rushing touchdowns, including four from standout running back
Micah Robinson, to secure their first conference win of the season.
The Bulldogs came out strong on their opening possession, marching down the field behind Robinson, who accounted for 53 rushing yards on the drive before punching it in from eight yards out.
Chris Coleman's extra point gave Bowie State an early 7-0 lead.
Bluefield State answered with a touchdown run from King Faison to even the score at 7-7, but the Bulldogs quickly regained control early in the second quarter. A defensive pass interference call moved the ball into scoring range, and Robinson capitalized with a 17-yard scoring run to make it 14-7.
BSU extended its advantage as quarterback
Kevin Taylor connected with
Ty Lyles on a 32-yard pass, setting up a short three-yard touchdown run from
Maximus Jones. Although the extra point was no good, the Bulldogs carried a 20-7 edge before Bluefield State added a late field goal to close the half, 20-10.
The Bulldogs' defense set the tone after halftime
. Elijah McKenzie and
Damir McCrary combined for key stops before
Alus Mbella recorded a sack to force a punt. A 24-yard punt return by
Joseph Towler set up another Robinson touchdown run, extending the lead to 28-10.
Moments later,
Elijah Dolphin's interception gave BSU prime field position, and Jones broke free for a 34-yard touchdown run to push the advantage to 35-10. Bluefield State rallied with two quick scores, cutting the margin to 35-24, but the Bulldogs responded once again.
Taylor engineered a steady late-third-quarter drive, hitting
Carlos Smith for 13 yards before Robinson capped it off with his fourth touchdown of the day from three yards out. Coleman's extra point gave Bowie State a 42-24 lead heading into the final quarter.
Bluefield State made a late push, scoring twice in the fourth to trim the lead to 42-37. However, the Bulldogs' defense came up clutch, highlighted by
Samuel Graham's interception and onside kick recovery in the closing minutes to seal the win.
Bowie State Top Performers
Micah Robinson – 193 rushing yards on 31 carries, 4 TDs
Maximus Jones – 90 rushing yards on 14 carries, 2 TDs
Elijah Dolphin – 1 interception
Chris Coleman – 4-of-5 on PATs
Up Next
The Bulldogs will remain on the road as they travel south to Richmond, Va. to take on longtime foe Virginia Union on Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Hovey Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State Athletics and its 14 varsity sport teams, please visit bsubulldogs.com.
