BOWIE, Md. – The Bowie State Bulldogs scored 24-unanswered points to beat the Fairmont State in overtime on Saturday afternoon in Bowie. The Falcons led 17-0 with 11:46 to play before the Bulldogs scored the next 24 points of the game.
“Defensively we played well all game and our offense picked it up late, however, we definitely have to fix some things on special teams”, said a very happy Bowie State head coach Damon Wilson.
Fairmont State (0-3) was led offensively by Bobby Vega who passed for 166 yards on 14-of-27 attempts. He also threw for a touchdown and was intercepted twice on the afternoon. Mark Sampson was on the receiving end of three passes for 87 yards. Daniel Monroe tallied 79 yards on 17 carries for the Falcons. Defensively the Falcons were led by Garrett Davis with nine tackles. Matt Larrubia and Ronnie Lockhart also recorded eight tackles for the Fairmont State defense.
Bowie State (3-0) was led offensively by senior Tyrae Reid with a career-high 329 yards on 23-of-38 passing. Reid also threw three touchdown passes and an interception in the game. Senior Douglas McNeil caught seven passes for 105 yards and a score for the Bulldogs. Junior Corwin Acker carried the ball 26 times for 105 yards, his second straight game with over 100 yards on the ground. Acker also caught six passes for 59 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Defensively the Bulldogs were led by redshirt freshman Curtis Pumphrey with nine tackles. Senior Kenyon Kinard wrapped up the thriller with eight tackles and redshirt freshman Antoine Young along with senior Bekwele Amadi added seven and six tackles respectively.
“The team is excited about being 3-0 heading into conference play next weekend … This team has shown a lot of perseverance so far this season and have a lot of room to grow but the guys are fighting and that’s all we can ask for”, said Wilson.
Fairmont State blocked a pair of Bowie State field goals and the Bulldogs blocked the game winning attempt by the Falcons in the fourth quarter. In addition, both teams turned the football over three times in the game. Bowie State held an advantage in total offense (453-308) and first downs (23-12). The Bulldogs also controlled time of possession, with a 17 minute advantage (46:23–28:37).
The Falcons scored the only points of the opening half when Johnny Dearstine made 22-yard field goal after Fairmont State recovered a Bowie State fumble at the Bulldogs’ 12-yard line. Fairmont State extended the lead after Scott Davidson blocked a Bulldog field goal attempt that was scooped up by Ryland Newman and retuned for the FSU touchdown. The Falcons took a 17-0 advantage after Vega capped off a four-play, 42 yard drive with a touchdown pass to Collin Alford. Referenced by BSU
