MEAC Football Breakdown
By Uba Okereke
Norfolk State Claims Top Spot in MEAC with Win Over NC A&T
Norfolk State rallied in the second half to beat North Carolina A&T 14-10 last Saturday.
Chris Walley gave the Spartans a 7-0 first quarter lead with a four yard touchdown pass to Joe Hawkins.
The Aggies (4-4, 3-2 MEAC) responded with 10 consecutive points including a Ricky Lewis one-yard touchdown run. NC A&T led 10-7 at halftime.
Norfolk State (7-2, 5-1 MEAC) erased the halftime deficit with a Randy Maynes three-yard touchdown run with 7:12 to go in the third quarter.
The Spartans kept A&T scoreless in the final period of play to preserve the four point win.
Norfolk State has won seven of the last nine meetings against North Carolina A&T and are now in sole possession of first place in the MEAC standings with Morgan State in second place at 4-1.
The Aggies outgained the Spartans in total yards 288-265 but were held to 120 yards in the second half.
Lewis Kindle passed for 155 yards but was sacked seven times. The Aggies have lost two straight games.
SC State Romps Howard in D.C
South Carolina State routed Howard 31-0 on a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs took an early 3-0 lead on their opening possession. Following a fumble recovery deep in Howard territory, Asheton Thomas scored from two yards out to give SC State a 10-0 lead. Quarterback Richard Cue took over from there.
He connected with Thomas Williams for a 21 yard touchdown pass, increasing the first quarter lead to 17-0.
The Bulldogs (5-4, 4-2 MEAC) carried the same score into the fourth quarter after neither team scored in the second and third quarters.
Cue resumed his dominance in the final period of play with two rushing touchdowns including one for 71 yards.
Howard (4-5, 3-3 MEAC) had no answers offensively or defensively all game against Cue and the Bulldogs.
The Bison were held to only 189 yards of offense with 109 coming from running back Terrence Leffall. They also had more penalty yards (71) than passing yards (45) and committed two turnovers.
Bethune-Cookman Rolls Over NC Central
Bethune-Cookman dominated lowly NC Central 34-6 last Saturday afternoon.
The Wildcats put on an offensive assault against the Eagles in the first half. Anthony Jordan scored on two touchdown runs to give them a 14-0 lead. Jackie Wilson added a touchdown run to extend the lead to 20-0 going into halftime.
Bethune-Cookman continued the onslaught in the second half. Wilson connected with Patrick Harris on an 11-yard touchdown pass, and then Rodney Scott scored on a 26-yard touchdown run eight minutes later. The Wildcats had a commanding 34-0 lead after three quarters.
Andre Clarke scored the only points for NC Central on a one-yard touchdown run. The PAT was blocked.
Bethune-Cookman racked up 525 yards of offense including 333 yards on the ground.
Michael Johnson passed for 181 yards and one interception for the Eagles. NC Central is one of two teams (Delaware State) yet to win a MEAC game this season.
Okereke is a contributing writer for Regal Black Men’s Magazine, a publication dedicated to the African American community.
