Fayetteville, NC – The Fayetteville State University football team earned a 43-28 CIAA Southern Divisional win over Livingstone College on Saturday, October 29th during their Homecoming celebrations at Luther “Nick” Jeralds Stadium. FSU improves to 4-5 overall, 4-2 in the CIAA, and 4-0 in the division; meanwhile the Blue Bears fall to 2-7 overall, 1-5 in the conference, and 1-3 in the South.
Fayetteville State scored first and often in the first half of the game. Sophomore place kicker David Lamb (Pineville, NC) nailed a 23 yard field goal in the first quarter for an early 3-0 deficit for the Blue Bears. The Broncos outscored Livingstone 19-0 in the second quarter. Junior quarterback Devin Knudsen (Fresno, CA) threw two touchdown passes and Lamb made two field goals to extend the lead. [lasso align=”right” cart=”y” identifier=”B01E82RTYA” locale=”US” tag=”hbcusports-20″ ref=”amzn-fsu-broncos-college-flag” type=”single” id=”72064″ link_id=”5108″]
Knudsen first linked up with senior wide receiver Marquez Beeks (Rockford, IL) for a 59 yard TD reception with 10:08 on the clock in the second. Lamb made a 28 yard field goal to complete the Broncos next offensive possession. Senior fullback DeAnthony Brooks (Greensboro, NC) caught an 18 yard touchdown pass with 2:41 remaining before halftime. Lamb drilled a 24 yard field goal with less than a minute left in the quarter.
Livingstone faced a 22-0 deficit entering the 3rd quarter. The Blue Bears fought back with a 22-7 third quarter effort. However, Fayetteville State tacked on two touchdowns in the fourth to hold onto the Homecoming win.
Redshirt freshman Stevie Green (Washington, NC) broke loose in the third for a 59 yard TD run. Green finished the game with 161 yards rushing off 26 carries and one touchdown. He has now rushed for 1,072 yards and six TDs. Green is the first 1,000 yard rusher at Fayetteville State since the 2012 season. Brooks concluded the contest with three catches for 108 yards and three touchdowns, including an 85 TD reception at the start of the fourth quarter. He ties the school record of the three TD catches in a game with Tavon Gatlin.
Knudsen had 290 yards and four touchdown throws, completing 50% (15-30) of his passes and one interception.
Senior defensive back Travis Scales (Southern Pines, NC) and sophomore linebacker Marquise Williams (Laurinburg, NC) each had 11 tackles. Scales had nine solo, four tackles for a loss of 21 yards, including a sack for a loss of 12 yards. Redshirt freshman Darius Darden (Greensboro, NC) had four solo tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in his Homecoming debut.
Despite an 0-5 start, the Broncos have won their last four in a row and remain unbeaten in the Southern Division. Fayetteville State will clash with Winston-Salem State University on Saturday, November 5th in a televised regular season finale. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Luther “Nick” Jeralds Stadium. Check your local listings for broadcast channels.
Courtesy: FSU Athletics