PIONEER BOWL VIII
Tuskegee survives Bowie State, 28-26
SIAC runner-up Tuskegee completed an 11-1 season Saturday preventing a last-minute two-point conversion by CIAA runner-up Bowie State to pull out a 28-26 at the Pioneer Bowl Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Tuskegee drew first blood in the see-saw contest as the Golden Lions' SIAC Player of the Year, QB Kevin Huff hit all-conference wide receiver Kenneth Henderson on a 28-yard scoring toss early in the second quarter. After a turnover, TU scored again on a three-yard run by RB Richard Fitzhugh to go up 14-0. Bowie State got on the board 17 seconds before halftime on QB Lamar Manigo's 19-yard toss to WR Glenn Thomas. Michael Walls' PAT was wide left leaving the Bulldogs trailing 14-6 at the half.
After rushing for just 21 first half yards, Tuskegee started the second half trying to establish its ground game. Instead, it was Bowie State that did work on the ground. First, fullback Olayenka Adeboyeku rumbled 34 yards for a score and tailback Isaac Redman ran in a two-point conversion to tie the score at 14 with 9:41 left in the third period. Redman then capped a 10-play, 74-yard drive with a three-yard burst early in the fourth period that gave BSU its first and only lead, 20-14, after Walls again missed the point-after kick.
Tuskegee went back to its passing attack and Huff and Henderson responded. They hooked up on a 48-yard scoring play and Roosevelt Echeverry's PAT put the Tigers back on top 21-20.
Tuskegee struck again with 3:51 to play as Fitzhugh ran in from 15 yards to give them a 28-20 lead and set up the final heroics.
With 19 seconds left, Thomas, BSU's all-conference receiver, outleapt a Tuskegee defender to haul in a six-yard fade pass from Manigo to bring the Bulldogs to within 28-26. After a delay-of-game penalty pushed them back to the 8, Manigo checked from a fade route to Adeboyeku who was stopped by TU's Jarod Simpson four yards short of the goal line.
Redman rushed for 207 yards in 37 carries to win the game's offensive MVP award. Henderson hauled in 11 passes for 194 yards and two TDs to win the game MVP award. TU linebacker Torres Mozley was the game's defensive MVP with 15 tackles.
This was Tuskegee's fourth win in six Pioneer Bowls. The SIAC leads the series, six games to two.
© 2005 Azeez Communications, Inc.