FAYETTEVILLE, NC — Bowie State University (4-5, 4-3 CIAA) lost to Fayetteville State University (6-3, 5-2 CIAA) 21-17 on Saturday afternoon at Luther 'Nick' Jeralds Stadium. The Bulldogs added a fourth-quarter touchdown after a drive featuring a 66-yard pass from Joshuah Keith, but the late push was not enough.
After the Bulldogs' opening possession ended in a punt, the defense forced FSU off the field and Devonta Johnson blocked the punt, recovered it and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown at 11:46. Chris Gbakinro added the extra point to put BSU ahead 7-0. FSU moved into the red zone on its next drive, helped by Malik Fuller's 32-yard run on fourth-and-1, but Deshawn Willoughby sacked Jamir Dismukes and Devonta Johnson recovered the fumble at the BSU 32 at 7:13. The Bulldogs then drove inside the FSU 20 behind a fourth-down conversion by Maximus Jones and two first-down runs by Daniel Coles Jr., but the first quarter ended on a sack and recovered fumble with BSU leading 7-0.
Gbakinro opened the second quarter scoring with a 39-yard field goal at 14:54, giving BSU a 10-0 lead, and John Thompson's 33-yard punt return soon put the Bulldogs back at the FSU 20 before the drive ended with a missed field goal. The Broncos moved into BSU territory on their next possession, but Tyrell Deal intercepted Dismukes at the BSU 12 to stop the threat. FSU broke through later when Isaiah Silver ran 44 yards for a touchdown at 4:59 and John Hernandez-Vargas added the extra point to make it 10-7. The Bulldogs answered with a long drive from their own 7 to the FSU 25, but the push ended on a sack and fumble recovered by Sedrick Clarke at the FSU 32 with 13 seconds left, leaving BSU ahead 10-7 at halftime.
The Broncos opened the third quarter with a 75-yard scoring drive, with Dismukes completing a 31-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Fleming at 13:47 before Hernandez-Vargas' extra point made it 14-10. The Bulldogs picked up one first down on their first possession, including a 5-yard run by Thompson on third-and-3, but the drive stalled near midfield and Chris Coleman punted. FSU followed with a 13-play, 77-yard drive that included a fourth-down conversion and ended with Fleming's 9-yard touchdown run at 2:14, pushing the score to 21-10 after the kick. The Bulldogs went three-and-out on its final possession of the quarter, and the Broncos drove from their own 47 to the BSU 4 before the third quarter ended with FSU ahead 21-10.
Bowie State turned away FSU from the BSU 4 to open the fourth quarter, with Dajuan Jones, James Traynham, Joshua Harper and Michael Thompson, III helping stack up three straight negative plays before Zayden Flemmings blocked a 42-yard field-goal attempt at 13:11. The Bulldogs immediately moved 75 yards, highlighted by Keith's 66-yard completion to Carlos Smith, and Jaylin Solomon finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run at 10:18 before Gbakinro's extra point made it 21-17. The Broncos drove from their 34 to the BSU 28, but BSU held on three straight snaps there, including Traynham and Thompson stopping Fuller for no gain on fourth-and-2 at 4:47. The Bulldogs pushed back into FSU territory on their final possession before Amari Best intercepted a fourth-down pass at 1:45, and FSU ran out the remaining time to finish the 21-17 final.
Johnson returned a punt for a touchdown, added a blocked punt and recorded two tackles. Jones rushed for a team-high 73 yards on 13 carries. Smith finished with a team-high 66 receiving yards on one catch. Deal posted five tackles and recorded an interception, his second of the season.
The Bulldogs host Lincoln University (PA) on Saturday, for their final home game and Senior Day, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium.
For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State Athletics and its 14 varsity sport teams, please visit bsubulldogs.com.
