BOWIE, Md. — Bowie State (4-4, 4-2 CIAA) defeated Johnson C. Smith (6-2, 5-1 CIAA) 16-13 on Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs capped a 13-play, 85-yard fourth-quarter drive with a touchdown with 34 seconds left, moving from a 13-9 deficit to the final margin. The win was first homecoming victory for the Bulldogs since 2024 as the BSU victors snapped the Golden Bulls five-game win-streak.
BSU's final scoring drive covered 85 yards over 13 plays and ended with a touchdown in the closing minute after the Golden Bulls had moved in front 13-9.
Joshuah Keith put the Bulldogs ahead with 34 seconds remaining, completing the late possession after BSU had converted its only fourth-down attempt earlier in the game at the JCSU 11.
The defense had already kept the game within reach with repeated red-zone stops. BSU turned the Golden Bulls away on downs at the BSU 15 before halftime and again at the BSU 8 in the third quarter, with the latter sequence also including a goal-line denial. JCSU finished with 383 yards and 25 first downs, but the Bulldogs limited the visitors to three scores on five red-zone trips. BSU ran for 150 yards on 46 carries, went 3-for-3 in the red zone and converted five of 13 third downs. Keith finished with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown, while Aaron Anderson led BSU defensively with 14 tackles.
After JCSU punted from its own 28 on the opening possession, BSU started at the JCSU 48 and built an 11-play, 48-yard drive behind
Maximus Jones' runs and a 16-yard completion from Keith to
Braedon Buchanan. Keith moved the chains with a 7-yard run and Jones converted fourth-and-1 at the JCSU 11 before Keith scored on a 6-yard rush at 7:43;
Peter Lipscombe's extra-point attempt was blocked, leaving the Bulldogs ahead 6-0. JCSU drove from its 5 to its 37 before punting, and BSU used
John Thompson's 17-yard third-down run and Keith's 15-yard completion to
Daniel Coles Jr. to reach the JCSU 21 late in the quarter while carrying a 6-0 lead into the second.
Chris Gbakinro opened the second quarter scoring with a 40-yard field goal at 13:43, giving the Bulldogs a 9-0 lead. JCSU answered with a 15-play, 70-yard drive that reached the BSU 2 before Anderson stopped Fabian Duncan for a loss on third down and Christopher Mejia made a 13-yard field goal to make it 9-3. After BSU punted on its next possession, the Golden Bulls drove back into BSU territory, but the Bulldogs held at the BSU 15 when Damien Mazil's fourth-down pass to Brian Lane fell incomplete at 1:50. BSU's ensuing drive included a 77-yard Coles touchdown run erased by holding, and after
Chris Coleman pinned JCSU at its 10 with a 77-yard punt,
Tyrell Deal blocked a final-play punt to keep the score 9-3 at halftime.
BSU's opening possession reached JCSU territory after a roughing-the-passer penalty and Jones' 5-yard third-down run, but the drive stalled after Keith was sacked and Coleman punted into the end zone. JCSU moved 55 yards on 11 plays, with Duncan runs of 18 and 15 yards helping push the drive inside the BSU 25 before Alexis Rosario-Beltran made a 52-yard field goal at 6:11 to leave the Bulldogs ahead 9-6. After BSU's next series ended with Marque Vereen's interception and 13-yard return to the BSU 19, the Golden Bulls reached the BSU 2 on Mazil's 17-yard completion to Joseph Albritton. From there, Davon Telp Jr. made consecutive tackles for loss and
Deontae Roscoe dropped Mazil for another loss before a fourth-down incompletion at the BSU 8 gave BSU the ball back, and Jones picked up a first down as the quarter ended with the Bulldogs leading 9-6.
After BSU punted early in the fourth quarter, JCSU put together an 11-play, 64-yard drive, converting on fourth-and-1 before Mazil found Lane for a 9-yard touchdown at 9:13 and Rosario-Beltran's kick made it 13-9. BSU's next series was pushed back by penalties before a punt, and the defense held JCSU to five yards on the ensuing possession to get the ball back at the BSU 15 at 5:07. BSU then went 85 yards in 13 plays, with the drive including four JCSU penalties and a 12-yard
Jaylin Solomon run, before Keith hit Thompson for a 7-yard touchdown at 0:34 and Gbakinro's extra point put the Bulldogs in front 16-13. JCSU moved from its 25 to the BSU 33 on two 21-yard completions to Duncan, but Roscoe hurried an incompletion and Rosario-Beltran missed a 50-yard field goal at 0:00 as the Bulldogs closed out a 16-13 win.
Keith completed 4 of 12 passes for 44 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 37 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. Anderson led BSU with 14 tackles.
Ashton Mayeux recorded 10 tackles and forced a fumble. Thompson caught a 7-yard touchdown, rushed for 21 yards on two carries and added a 23-yard punt return.
Duncan rushed 35 times for 138 yards and added three catches for 38 yards. Lane caught eight passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Mazil completed 18 of 29 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown. Rossie Grimes recorded a team-high 10 tackles.
Up next, the Bulldogs travel to Fayetteville, N.C., to face Fayetteville State University on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State Athletics and its 14 varsity sport teams, visit bsubulldogs.com.
