The inaugural Florida Beach Bowl is in the books, with the Fort Valley State Wildcats coming away with a 23-10 victory over the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls.
Fort Valley State was in control of this game from the start, culminating in a methodical opening drive with a one-yard touchdown run by running back Brandon Marshall.
After enduring a lull period of three-and-outs and stalled drives, the Wildcats again put six points on the board, this time on a screen pass to Marshall, making the score 16-0 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Johnson C. Smith had a chance for its first touchdown but had a pass broken up in the end zone, limiting them to a field goal.
Fort Valley State is your first-ever Florida Beach Bowl winner pic.twitter.com/ZHx0PGgi1f
— Maliik Obee (@NFLMaliik) December 14, 2023
On FVSU’s first play from scrimmage following the Golden Bulls field goal, they scored on an 84-yard touchdown reception to Jaren Lawson, scoring 23-3.
Johnson C. Smith followed that up with its first touchdown of the game on a six-yard run by Jacob Newman.
With a chance to put the game away after forcing an interception, Fort Valley State gave Johnson C. Smith new life, giving up a fumble on a QB scramble.
After an extended drive, the Golden Bulls could not come away with points, failing to convert on a fourth down run inside the red zone.
Wildcats quarterback Kelvin Durham was named the game’s MVP after finishing with 167 passing yards on 10 of 14 passing and two passing touchdowns.
He was aided by a 65-yard rushing performance from Brandon Marshall and DeJuan Bell, who recorded 51 receiving yards on three receptions.
Tim Alderman led the Wildcats’ defense with four total tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss.
It was a rough performance for the Johnson C. Smith offense, who only managed 186 all-purpose yards.
Lamone Hill Jr. did his best to anchor the Golden Bulls’ defense, producing four total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
