India Pulphus made history Saturday afternoon with her extra point kick late in Shaw University’s intra-divisional match-up with CIAA North co-leader Virginia State.
By then, the Trojans had already settled into a 38-19 win, moving to 5-0 on the season while the Bears fell to 1-4.
Pulphus’ kick after quarterback Silas Cruse’s one-yard touchdown run with 52 seconds left in the contest was the first point scored by a woman in the Bears’ football history.
VSU led from start to finish, taking a 14-0 lead after one quarter thanks to a one-yard touchdown run from Jackson State transfer Kemo Clarke (his first of two on the day) and a 26-yard touchdown pass on fourth and eight from quarterback Jordan Davis to wide receiver Lucas Nunez.
Shaw got on the board thanks to a 7-yard touchdown run by Sidney Gibbs, but Virginia State responded with another Clarke touchdown run and a 57-yard punt return strike by Roy Jackson III to open up a 28-6 halftime advantage.
HERstory!!! India Pulphus becomes the first female in Shaw, CIAA history to kick an extra point. #ShawUFootball | #HBCUFootball pic.twitter.com/iFImEafnJP
— Shaw Athletics (@ShawBears) September 30, 2023
The Trojans effectively put the game away when Davis and Nunez linked up again, this time from 75 yards away, to give VSU a 35-6 advantage going into the fourth quarter. Kicker Matthew Ward was a perfect 5-for-5 on extra point attempts and added a 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Shaw had collected fourth-quarter touchdowns – a 12-yard pass from Patrick Blake to Manny Belcher and Cruse pushing in from a yard out, which led to Pulphus’ history-making extra point.
Virginia State outgained Shaw 428 to 305, with Davis leading the way, completing 15 of 24 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns. Nunez caught three passes for 112 yards, and Jackson added two receptions for 99 yards.
Sidney Gibbs led Shaw’s rushing attack with 10 carries on 84 yards before leaving the game with an undisclosed injury. Belcher caught five passes for 99 yards and a touchdown for the Bears.
