NC Central 35, Bowie State 13

September 30, 2006

(BOWIE, MARYLAND) The defending CIAA Champion Eagles of North Carolina Central reigned supreme in the 3rd Annual Prince George’s Classic, beating the Bowie State Bulldogs 35-13. NCCU quarterback Stadford Brown threw for 291 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Eagles to victory.

North Carolina Central (5-0, 3-0 in the CIAA) scored first at the 2:36 mark of the first quarter, when Brown hooked up with Charles Futrell for a 13-yard touchdown. Brandon Gilbert added the extra point, giving NCCU a 7-0 lead. Kenneth Broadway converted a 51-yard Brown pass into six North Carolina Central points at the start of quarter two, increasing the visitors lead to 14-0. Brown tossed his third touchdown pass of the first half with 3:21 left before intermission. This time Brown connected with Julius McClellan from 13 yards out, pushing the Eagles lead to 21-0. Bowie State’s Deon Trotter completed an 18-yard pass to Anthony Green with 16 seconds remaining in the first half for the Bulldogs first points of the afternoon. John Riley converted the extra point, cutting the deficit to 21-7 at the half.

Greg Pruitt (10 carries for 77 yards) found the Bulldogs end zone with 2:25 left in the third quarter, scoring on a 7-yard rushing touchdown, pushing the Eagles lead to 28-7. Bowie State’s Nathaniel Queen scored the Bulldogs’ final points with 11:10 left in the contest, pounding in for a two yard touchdown. The NCCU duo of Brown ad Broadway teamed up for the Eagles final touchdown of the game, capping off a 10 play – 76 yard scoring drive with a 21 yard pass and catch with 5:20 left to play.

NCCU’s Futrell and Broadway led both teams in reception yards, accounting for 110 and 107 yards respectively. The Eagles’ Jeff Tolliver led both teams in rushing with 73 yards on eight carries. Trotter, playing in place of injured Bowie State quarterback Lamar Manigo, completed 10 of 27 passes for 108 yards. Larry Dixon was the recipient of three of those passes for 45 yards. BSU’s Terrence Stafford led both teams on defense, racking up 11 total tackles.

In terms of team play, North Carolina Central rolled up 409 yards in total offense and held Bowie State to a season low 153 yards in total offense. The Eagles averaged 6.1 yards per play compared to just 2.8 yards per play for the Bulldogs.

Bowie State (2-3, 0-2 in the CIAA) begins divisional play next Saturday at Shaw University. The Bowie State / Shaw game will get underway at 1:00 p.m. at Garner High School’s Trojan Stadium in Raleigh