MEAC Football Recap. Sept. 7
Youngstown State 54, Howard 28 YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO -- It was a tale of big plays in the second half as the Howard University Bison fall to Youngstown State University Penguins 54-28, Saturday afternoon at Stambaugh Stadium. The Bison falls to (0-2), Youngstown improves to (2-0). Howard took the opening drive 42 yards in nine plays when a sack and an ensuing holding penalty derailed a promising start. Youngstown jumped out first capping an 82 yard, 8-play drive with a six-yard Joe Alessi rushing touchdown to take the first lead, 6-0.
South Carolina State 34, Lane 0 ORANGEBURG, SC—Redshirt freshman Corey Fields in his first start at quarterback threw for a game-high 10-of-21 for 172-yards to lead South Carolina State to an, 34-0, shutout victory over Lane College Saturday (Sept.7th) at O.C. Dawson Stadium/Willie Jeffries Field. Junior running back Datron James and Labron Morris sharing the duties in the backfield for injured starter Tyshawn Baines had a solid day running the football. James led the way with 10 carries for 79-yards and a touchdown, while Morris finished with 17 rushes for 73-yards and a score. Redshirt freshman phenom Shaquan "Shaq" Davis dazzled the crowd with three catches for 67-yards, along with redshirt quarterback Quincy Hill's 12-yard scamper for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter at the 7:00 minute mark.
Norfolk State 44, Virginia State 21 NORFOLK, Va. – Quarterback Juwan Carterthrew four touchdown passes and Norfolk State forced six Virginia State turnovers as the Spartans cruised to a 44-21 win in their home opener in front of 15,538 fans at Dick Price Stadium Saturday. Carter and backup QB D'Andre Thomas, who also threw for one touchdown, hit five different receivers on scoring passes as NSU evened its record at 1-1 on the year. Carter got the scoring started with a 33-yard dump pass for a touchdown to freshman running back Kevin Johnson at the 9:35 mark of the opening quarter. VSU tied the game early in the second quarter on a 7-yard TD run by backup Cordelral Cook, but NSU scored 37 unanswered points spanning the second through fourth quarters to break the game open. Following VSU's touchdown, Carter capped a 10-play, 76-yard drive with an 11-yard TD pass to freshman Tremayne Talbert.
Duke 45, North Carolina A&T State 13 DURHAM – When you have the type of success the North Carolina A&T program has had over the past decade it is easy to forget the team that defeated them 45-13 on Saturday night at Wallace Wade Stadium is from a Power Five conference called the ACC and their name is Duke. While not the in the elite category of their men’s basketball team, the Blue Devils have won three straight bowl games, had a quarterback drafted in the top-10 of the NFL Draft last spring and they have all the advantages that come with being Duke. Despite being major underdogs on Saturday, however, the Aggies did take the lead twice before the final three minutes of the second half derailed any hopes they had of upsetting the Blue Devils. “Our young men didn’t quit, and they kept playing,” said N.C. A&T coach Sam Washington. “You have to understand, that’s a Power Five football team. But heck, we were in it for a long time, and I thought we still had a shot in the second half. There is a lot to be said about these young men and where we are. There are just things we need to do better and do them consistently.”
Towson 42, NC Central 3 TOWSON, Md. -- Tom Flacco threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score in just three quarters to help Towson rout North Carolina Central 42-3 on Saturday night. It was the home opener for the Tigers (2-0), who had jumped three spots to No. 8 in the FCS poll following their 28-21 come-from-behind victory over The Citadel in the season opener. It's the highest ranking for Towson since the 2014 preseason and 2013 regular season. The younger brother of former Baltimore Ravens and current Denver Broncos quarterback Joe, Flacco was 15 of 22 for 228 yards passing. He ran for a 17-yard touchdown and threw a pair of scores to Shane Leatherbury and another to Darian Street. Yeedee Thaenrat ran for a 6-yard touchdown and Keon Payescored on a 38-yard interception return for the Tigers. Shane Simpson had 89 yards rushing on 12 carries. Adrian Olivo kicked a 33-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for North Carolina Central (0-2).