Bowie State 38, West Va State 0

September 2, 3006

 (BOWIE, MARYLAND )- For the fourth straight opener against West Virginia State University, the Bowie State University Bulldogs made it five in a row, crushing the Yellow Jackets 38-0. This season the Bulldogs are looking to capture more than just regular season games. Third year Head Coach Mike Lynn stated that his team’s strategy for the season is to win both the CIAA Championship and National Championship.

The home team scored first, blocking a punt by West Virginia State’s Chris Nigro, which was recovered in the WVSU end zone for a safety and a 2-0 first quarter lead.  Bowie State senior quarterback Lamar Manigo completed a 46 yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Larry Dixon (2 receptions for 60 yards) and senior John Riley converted the extra point for a 9-0 second quarter advantage. Manigo burned the West Virginia State secondary again with forty seconds left on the clock, this time connecting on a 27 yard pitch and catch to Sean Napper (3 catches for 60 yards) , stretching the Bulldogs lead to 15-0 by halftime.  

The Manigo/Napper combo found pay dirt again with 9:54 left in period three, this time from 13 yards out, extending the Bulldogs lead to 22-0.  BSU junior Sherman White applied a crushing blow to WVSU quarterback Kevin O’Brien that resulted in an interception senior defensive end Durrell York.  York promptly rumbled 42 yards in the opposite direction for a 42 yard TD.  Riley’s extra point was good, making the score 29-0 Bowie State after three quarters. 

Senior running back Nathaniel Queen scored his first points of the season at the 9:25 mark of the final period, rushing for an 18 yard touchdown.  Queen ended the game with a team high 112 rushing yards and credits everything to his offensive line. “[I] give it all to my offensive line … establishing the run can set up the pass and everything else,” said Queen.

The Yellow Jackets basically gave Bowie State its final points of the rainy afternoon.  Faced with a fourth and 17 from their own 3-yard line, punter Thomas Turner simply stepped out the back of end zone, conceding victory to Bowie State.   “I’m very proud of our new players especially but this is just the first step in our championship quest,” said Lynn.

As a team, Bowie State held West Virginia State to just 109 yards in total offense (47 rushing and 62 passing) with Miguel Dean and Saad Alston leading the BSU defense with seven and six tackles respectively.  BSU’s offense rolled up 318 yards in total offense (180 rushing and 138 passing). 

Bowie State will hit the road next Saturday (9/16) for a non-conference clash (for the Bulldogs) with the resurgent Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith in Charlotte, North Carolina.  JCSU surprised Glenville State on the road, capturing a 23-20 victory and improved to 2-0 on the year.