MEAC Football Round-Up

By Uba Okereke

Norfolk State Clinches FCS playoff berth

Norfolk State defeated Morgan State 47-14 last Saturday to win its first outright Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title.

Morgan State (5-5, 4-3 MEAC) opened the scoring in the first half with a 53 yard touchdown pass by Seth Higgins to take an early 7-0 lead.

Chris Walley responded for the Spartans courtesy of two touchdown passes of 60 and six yards to take a 14-7 lead with only 16 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Norfolk State (9-2, 7-1 MEAC) led at halftime 20-14.

The Spartans put the game out of reach with 17 consecutive points in the first five minutes of the second half.

Randy Maynes scored on a 53-yard touchdown run on the opening play of the third quarter, a field goal with under 11 minutes remaining, then a one-yard scamper by Walley following a fumble recovery by the Spartans at the Morgan State one-yard line.

The Bears had 11 penalties and committed four turnovers.

The win qualified Norfolk State for the Football Championship Subdivision Tournament and also their fifth straight win over Morgan State.

Higgins passed for 131 yards and a touchdown for the Bears.

Florida A&M Takes Care of NC Central

Florida A&M defeated North Carolina Central 31-10 last Saturday afternoon in Durham, N.C.

The Rattlers took an early 7-0 lead courtesy of a Lavante Page two-yard touchdown run.

FAMU (7-3, 5-2 MEAC) put the game out of reach with 21 straight points in the second quarter. Page scored a second touchdown from one-yard out and Damien Fleming threw two touchdown passes for one and 14 yards, respectively.

Florida A&M led 28-0 at halftime.

A field goal by Oleg Parent and a Michael Johnson three-yard touchdown run were the only points scored for the Eagles (2-8, 1-6 MEAC).

Fleming ended the day with 186 yards passing on 15 of 24 completions and two touchdowns.

Johnson led NC Central with 185 yards passing, one interception and one rushing touchdown.

South Carolina State Edges North Carolina A&T with Cue’s 2 TDs

South Carolina State beat North Carolina A&T last 30-22 Saturday afternoon in Orangeburg, S.C.

Lewis Kindle helped North Carolina A&T (4-6, 3-4 MEAC) jump out to a 14-3 second quarter lead with two touchdown passes. However, a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown by Devonne Quattlebaum sparked a 27-point Bulldog comeback.

During the scoring run, Richard Cue threw two touchdown passes of 37 and 14 yards, and Blake Erickson kicked two field goals.

SC State (6-4, 5-2) led 17-14 at halftime.

Kindle led NC A&T with 215 yards passing, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Cue finished with 161 yards on 13 of 27 passing with two touchdowns and three interceptions for the Bulldogs.

South Carolina State is on pace to finish with a winning record since 2003 and have now won two straight games.

Bethune-Cookman rolls over Savannah State

Bethune-Cookman routed Savannah State 59-3 last Saturday afternoon in Daytona Beach, Fla.

David Blackwell accounted for all three Wildcat touchdowns in the first half with runs of 80, 37 and 59 yards.

Bethune-Cookman led 24-3 at halftime.

The Wildcats (7-3, 5-2 MEAC) scored the final 35 points of the game in the second half.

Isidore Jackson rushed for two touchdowns and Blackwell threw a touchdown pass in the third quarter, while Jamarr Robinson replaced Blackwell in the fourth quarter and also threw a touchdown pass and a seven-yard rushing touchdown with 1:35 remaining.

The Wildcats generated 625 yards of offense including 431 yards on the ground on 46 carries.

Blackwell passed for 147 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 203 yards on six carries with three touchdowns.

Savannah State (1-9, 1-6 MEAC) has lost six games in a row including the last four with a combined total of 173-18.