FSU Voice

Issue date: 11/18/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Dennis McNair CIAA Champs

As excitement and anticipation filled the hearts of more than 7,000 people in attendance at the 2009 CIAA Championship game in the Durham County Stadium on Saturday, November 7, 2009, the Fayetteville State Broncos (8-3) found success in the second half scoring 21 unanswered points in their defeat against the Bowie State Bulldogs (6-5) 10. Unbelievable would be the best way to put this nail biting game in the books as the FSU Broncos win their 3rd CIAA Conference Title in seven years. The last time these two teams met was on September 19, 2009 in Bowie, Maryland with the Broncos winning 30 to 20.

With the Bowie Bulldogs' freshman running back Ramono Flowers (Largo, MD, Largo HS) scoring a touchdown within 3 minutes after the start of the 1st quarter, the Broncos knew this game would be the toughest one they have played all season. Still, the Broncos were determined to give it their all and to prove why they belonged there. However, only having possession of the ball for a little more than a total of three minutes the entire 1st quarter crippled the Broncos. Surprisingly, the Broncos defense could not seem to slow down the Bowie Bulldogs from achieving more than an impressive 150 offensive yards in the 1st quarter.

After the 1st quarter, the Bowie State Bulldogs repeated their offensive plan by scoring a field goal within two minutes of the 2nd quarter. Coming within scoring range twice in the first half, the Broncos could not seem to get their offense going and as a result the Broncos defensive team paid the price doing all it could to stop the Bulldogs from scoring at will. Had it not been for the heart of the Broncos defense, that had stopped the Bulldogs from scoring at every possession, things could have been a lot worst for the Broncos in the first half. Plagued with penalties, incomplete passes, interceptions and missed field goals, the first half was a nightmare for the Broncos, ending in 0-10 for the Bulldogs.

As despair and disappointments shadowed the chances for the Broncos to win, hope sparked in the beginning of the second half of the game in the 3rd quarter, with an interception by senior linebacker Joseph Brown (New Bern, NC, Catawba). It was this play that gave the Broncos the opportunity to redeem themselves and they did with a 13-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Benjamin Williams (Charlotte, NC, Olympic HS) to freshman Jamare Pugh (Henderson, NC, Southern Vance HS) making the score 6-10. Missing two big field goals in the first half, the CIAA's Special Teams Player of the Year, kicker Austin Turner, (San Diego, CA, Mesa CC) focused to capitalize on the extra point for the Broncos making the score 7-10.

Continued...

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