By Roscoe Nance, For TheAfricanAmericanAthlete.com
Morgan State played giant killer for the second straight year and threw the MEAC championship race into a mad scramble with 22-16 a home victory Saturday against North Carolina A&T State.
The two-time defending MEAC and Black College Football champion Aggies entered the contest with a one-game lead over Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State. Bethune-Cookman suffered a road loss to Delaware State while South Carolina State routed Howard, creating a three-way tie for the conference lead.
Morgan State, which also defeated North Carolina A&T 16-13 last season, never trailed against the Aggies, No.14 in the STATS FCS Top 25.
Quarterback DeAndre Harris threw for 218 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bears. Harris completed 14 of 20 passes. Manasseh Bailey had seven catches for 118 yards and a touchdown.
Harris scored the clinching touchdown on a one-yard run with 3:327 remaining in the game. Harris’ touchdown capped a 13-play, 91-yard drive that made the score 22-13. Noel Ruiz kicked a 46-yard field goal with 1:20 left for North Carolina A&T’s final points.
The Aggies recovered an onside kick following Ruiz’s kick, but quarterback Kylil Carter threw three incomplete passes and was sacked for a seven-yard loss to end the game.
Key Results
South Carolina State 62, Howard 21 – Freshman quarterback Corey Fields set a school record with seven touchdown passes as the Bulldogs won and home and tied North Carolina A&T and Bethune-Cookman for first place in the MEAC. Chris Burgess set the previous record with three touchdown passes against Bethune-Cookman in 2005. De’Montrez Burroughs also set a school record with five touchdown receptions. Burroughs caught seven passes for 140 yards and redshirt freshman Shaquan Davis had five receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Delaware State 16, Bethune-Cookman 13 – The Hornets built an early lead and held on for a home win that ended their seven-game losing streak. It was the first win for Delaware State (2-8, 1-6 MEAC) against Bethune-Cookman since 2008. The Hornets led 16-0 at the half. Running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudson led Delaware State’s offense with a career-high 133 rushing yards. Bertrand-Hudson tied a school record with 36 carries. The Hornets’ defense had a stellar performance, limiting the Wildcats to 257 total yards. Delaware State stopped Bethune-Cookman on fourth down four times, including twice in the fourth quarter.
Albany State 42, Fort Valley State 6 – The Golden Rams crushed their arch-rivals in the Fountain City Classic in Columbus, Ga., and captured the SIAC East Division title. Albany State (7-3, 5-1 SIAC) will play West Division champion Miles, the defending conference champ, for the title. The Golden Rams held fort Valley (6-4, 4-2 SIAC) to 11 rushing yards.
Miles 20, Tuskegee 6 – The Golden Bears cruised to a road victory to wrap up their second consecutive SIAC West Division title while spoiling the Golden Tigers’ homecoming. Miles (8-2, 5-1 SIAC) will host Albany State in the conference championship. It will be the fifth time the teams have played each other in the title game since it was first played in 2011. Tuskegee (5-5, 4-2 SIAC) had a statistical advantage against Miles, outgaining the Golden Bears 349-249. But the Golden Tigers were able to convert the yardage into points.
Grambling State 19, Alcorn State 16 – Miquel Mendez kicked a 45-yard field goal to give the G-Men a home win and tighten the SWAC division races. Grambling and Southern each have to conference losses in the West Division as they look ahead to their Thanksgiving weekend showdown in the Bayou Classic. The loss was the first in conference play for Alcorn. Alabama A&M, Alabama State, and Jackson State, each with two conference losses, are chasing the Braves. Alcorn defeated Alabama State earlier in the season. The Braves face Alabama A&M Saturday and close the season against Jackson State Nov. 23.
Top Performances
Aqeel Glass, QB, Alabama A&M – Completed 25 of 40 passes for 410 yards and four TDs in a 48-43 win against Jackson State.
Charles Stafford, QB, Clark Atlanta – Completed 27 of 50 passes for 325 yards and five TDs in a 40-39 loss to Morehouse.
Davius Richard, QB, North Carolina Central – Completed 30 of 46 passes for 384 yards and three TDs in a 38-21 loss to Norfolk State.
Corderal Cook, QB, Virginia State – Accounted for 315 yards total offense and one TD in a 27-24 win against Virginia Union.
Deshaun Wethington, RB, Choawan – Rushed for 307 yards and three TDs in a 44-20 win against Lincoln (Pa.).
Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim, WR, Alabama A&M – Caught nine passes for 203 yards and two TDs in a 48-43 win against Jackson State,
Jalon Jones, QB, Jackson State – Accounted for 350 yards total offense – 220 passing and 130 rushing – and four TDs in a 48-43 loss to Alabama A&M.
Tremell Gooden, WR, Morehouse – Caught seven passes for 167 yards and two TDs in a 40-39 win against Clark Atlanta,
Dah’mear Triplett, WR, Lincoln (Pa.) – Caught six passes for 156 yards and one TD in a 44-20 loss to Chowan.
Ezra Gray, RB, Alabama State – Rushed for 154 yards on 24 carries in a 27-21 win against Texas Southern.
D’Angelo Durham, RB, Savannah State — Rushed for 148 yards and two TDs on 27 carries in a 49-19 win against Edward Waters.
E. J. Hicks, WR, North Carolina Central – Caught seven passes for 140 yards in a 38-21 loss to Norfolk State.
Brandon Lawler, RB, Kentucky State – Rushed for 139 yards and one TD on 10 carries in a 34-28 win against Central State.
Keshawn Harper, RB, Jackson State – Rushed for 135 yards and one TD on 18 carries in a 48-43 loss to Alabama
A&M.
Bentley Jordan, RB, Alabama A&M – Rushed for 132 yards and one TD on 25 carries in a 48-43 win against Jackson State,
Sidney Gibbs, RB, Shaw – Rushed for 131 yards on 28 carries in a 24-21 win against Saint Augustine’s.\.
Stevie Green, RB, Fayetteville State – Rushed for 122 yards and one TD on 25 carries in a 31-17 win against Winston-Salem State.
Jordan Jones, WR, Prairie View A&M –Caught six passes for 119 yards and one TD in a 37-20 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Anthony Berry, WR, Saint Augustine’s – Caught 10 for 117 yards and three TDs in a 24-21 loss to Shaw.
Santo Dunn, RB, Morehouse – Rushed for 116 yards and one TD on 23 carries in a 40-39 win against Clark Atlanta.
Harry Ballard III, WR, Arkansas-Pine Bluff –Caught three passes for 108 yards and one TD in a 37-20 loss to Prairie View A&M.
Justin Smith, WR, Norfolk State – Caught four passes for 106 yards and one TD in a 38-21 win against North Carolina Central.
Tabyus Taylor, RB, Virginia Union – Rushed for 103 yards and one TD on 23 carries in a 27-24 loss to Virginia State.
CIAA
Shaw 24, St. Augustine’s 21
Chowan 44, Lincoln (Pa) 20
Bowie 60, Elizabeth City 21
Johnson C. Smith 34, Livingstone 6
Fayetteville 31, Winston-Salem 17
Virginia State 27, Virginia Union 24
SIAC
Kentucky State 34, Central St. 28
MIles 20, Tuskegee 6
Morehouse 40, Clark 39
Albany State 42, Fort Valley 6
Savannah State 49, Edward Waters 19
Lane 30, Benedict 23
SWAC
Southern 58, Va.-Lynchburg 7
Grambling 19, Alcorn State 16
Prairie View 37, Pine-Bluff 20
Alabama A&M 48, Jackson State 43
Alabama State 27, Texas Southern 21
MEAC
Morgan State 22, North Carolina A&T 16
South Carolina State 62, Howard 21
Norfolk State 38, North Carolina Central 21
Delaware State 16, Bethune Cookman 13
