Bowie State 19, Virginia Union 8

A loss to the Panthers (3-2 overall, 2-1 CIAA) would have given the Bulldogs two losses in the conference, all but eliminating them from contention for the Eastern Division title and a berth in the CIAA championship game.

The Bulldogs defense gave up a 65-yard touchdown on a swing pass to the Panthers' exceptional running back Larry Edwards late in the first quarter, but the Panthers would score no more as the Bulldogs went on to the 19-8 win.

"This was a must win game for us," said Bulldogs' All-American defensive end Damian Walker. "We had to look at ourselves in the mirror this week and we made the effort to be ready for this game." "This was a big win for us and it got us back in the hunt for the CIAA championship," said Bulldogs' fiery linebacker Atcheson Conway.

Walker finished with three sacks, including forcing and recovering a fumble that led to the Bulldogs' first touchdown in the third quarter.

The scenario for the Bulldogs (4-2 overall, 3-1 CIAA) is simple. If they win their remaining three conference games, they will advance to the CIAA championship game in Winston-Salem, NC, on November 16. It is a long road, however. After a homecoming game with Elizabeth City State University later in the month, the Bulldogs will face a tough Fayetteville State University squad and then will host a resurgent Virginia State University team in the last week of the regular season.

While the Bulldogs defense dominated the line of scrimmage and the game following Edwards' touchdown, the offense came alive with a spark from quarterback Maurice Hill in the second half. Hill sat out the first half for disciplinary reasons, with freshman Jabali Smith getting the start, but came on to complete five of his seven passes for 87 yards and three touchdowns.

"I knew I wasn't going to be playing in the first quarter or in the first half, so I came in fired up," said Hill. "I wanted to spark something and what we got were fireworks."

The fireworks were started when Walker hit Panthers' quarterback Cordell Roane at his own 10, recovering the fumble that he caused. The Bulldogs' second drive of the half would last just one play as Hill found running back Caleb Cranke slipping out of the backfield for a 10-yard pass, cutting the deficit to 8-6 with 9:21 left in the third quarter.

With the Bulldogs ahead 13-8 after a 37-yard touchdown pass from Hill to Darnell Jeffries, Cranke would seal the deal with an eight-yard touchdown catch with 1:21 left in the game. The Bulldogs had missed a 30-yard field attempt on the previous play, but got the ball back as the Panthers were flagged for running into the kicker. With the ball on the eight-yard line, the Bulldogs had no other option but to go for it on fourth-and-four after kicker Mehmet Hazar had to be helped off the field.

"With the ball inside the 10, we might have gone for it anyway and turned our defense loose if we didn't make it. We would have talked about kicking it again, but we didn't have a choice," said head coach Henry Frazier.

"It's a good feeling to get into the end zone," said Cranke, who along with running back Julius Jordan helped tire out the Panthers' defense. "They were concentrating on stopping the run and they were sleeping on those passes," he concluded.

At the end of the third quarter and into the fourth, the Bulldogs got into field goal position after running 10 straight times behind the offensive line that was opening holes for its backs. The 30-yard field goal was no good, but it set the tone for the fourth quarter.

Jordan led the Bulldogs balanced rushing attack with 51 yards on nine carries and Cranke ended with 44 yards on 17 attempts.

The Panthers got little going in the second half, tiring their defense by going three-and-out routinely. Edwards, who entered the game averaging just over 90 yards-per-game, was shut down by the Bulldogs defense as he managed just 44 yards on 20 carries. After the first touchdown, Roane had to run for his life and was not effective, finishing 6-of-24 for 124 yards and three interceptions.

Conway's interception and 51-yard return late in the fourth quarter set up the Bulldogs' final touchdown. Roane led Edwards just a little on a swing pass, and when Edwards grabbed the ball he was smacked by Bulldogs' defensive back Quenton Alexander, popping the ball into the air and up for grabs.

"That was a nasty hit and when the ball popped in the air it was like everything just froze in front of me," Conway said.

Adding interceptions were Antone' Sewell and William Kirkland, while the Bulldogs recovered three fumbles. Charles Alston had another impressive outing from his defensive end position, recording nine tackles, five of which were for a loss, and had a sack. Linebacker Chris Glass had seven tackles and forced a fumble, Coway had five tackles including a sack and Walker ended with five tackles.

"Today was a team effort," said head coach Henry Frazier. "The defense was outstanding except for the one play in the first quarter and in the second half the offense came out and got things done."

The Bulldogs will take a break from CIAA action next Saturday, but will face a stern test as they travel to Virginia to face the D1AA Hampton University Pirates.

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