ETTRICK, Va. – It was an all-around display from the Bowie State football team as the Bulldogs rode an impressive 24-0 first-quarter lead that steered control of the game straightway for the 41-14 road win, spoiling the Virginia State Trojans Homecoming Saturday night from Rogers Stadium.
The victory marked the fourth straight against Virginia State, now the longest active streak in program history for BSU. Bowie State improves to 4-2 overall, 3-1 in the CIAA, and 1-0 in the Northern Division while Virginia State dips to 4-2 overall, 3-1 in the league, and 0-1 in the North.
The Bulldogs had a total of 413 yards of total offense including 242 through the air. Bowie State’s defense held the Trojans to just 156-yards on the ground – a team that averaged 208.7 yards per game (second in the CIAA).
Graduate senior Dion “DJ” Golatt, Jr. (Largo, MD) threw 17 passes for 242 yards and three TDs while redshirt junior Keshane Hinckley (Laurel, MD) caught five passes for 75-yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, the Bulldogs used a plethora of running backs with redshirt sophomore Corey Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD) leading the way with 47-yards on 11 carries. Backup quarterback and redshirt junior Larry Williams (Baltimore, MD) finished with two rushing TDs on ten carries.
Led by redshirt junior Raymond Boone’s (Landover, MD) nine tackles and two breakups, the Bulldogs’ defense held the Trojans to 276 yards of total offense. Redshirt junior Shaun Tolbert (Baltimore, MD) finished with eight tackles and a forced fumble while both redshirt sophomores Mekhi Williams (Springdale, MD) and Sadiq Salawu (Upper Marlboro, MD) both tacked on six tackles apiece in the winning effort.
Bowie State’s offense got going quickly on the first drive of the game when Golatt, Jr. found redshirt junior Kwincy Hall (Washington, D.C.) for 45-yards, going 41 yards on two plays. Sophomore Justin Zavala (Bowie, MD) nailed a 23-yard field goal at the 2:48 mark, followed by one yarder scamper for Williams (3:23) and a 27-yard reception TD for Hinckley to cap off the scoring momentum all in the opening quarter as BSU took a 24-0 lead.
A 12-yard rush for VSU’s Jordan Davis put the Trojans on the scoreboard with 8:33 left in the second frame but Williams scored his second TD of the day – this time on a four-yard scoot into the endzone to give Bowie State a 31-7 lead at the half.
Out of the break, the Bulldogs outscored the Trojans 10-0 in the third after a 31-yard field goal from Zavala and a 31-yard reception for Hinckley, extending its lead 41-7 at the end of the quarter.
With a big lead heading into the fourth quarter, VSU did score one final time at the 10:29 mark but Bowie State controlled the clock for the remainder of the game on offense and the defense kept the Trojans off the scoreboard for the rest of the evening.
Bowie State will host nationally ranked Virginia Union on Saturday, Oct. 15 for Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Fans unable to make the game can catch all the action live on the Bulldog Sports Network. Game time is set for 12 noon at Bulldog Stadium.
Courtesy: Bowie State Athletics
