ELIZABETH CITY, NC-Daronte McNeill rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns and caught a pass for a score as the Elizabeth City State Vikings (6-2, 4-1 CIAA) clinched the CIAA Northern Division title with a 23-12 win over the visiting Bowie State Bulldogs (4-4, 3-3 CIAA) yesterday at Roebuck Stadium.
The Vikings, who have won six straight, jumped out to a 10-3 halftime lead on a 24-yard field goal by Kevin Miller and a 33-yard catch-and-run for a score by McNeill. The third quarter turned into a defensive battle with the only scoring coming on a 27-yard field goal by Bowie State’s Michael Gagne to trim the lead to 10-6. In the decisive fourth quarter, McNeill would get his second score of the day when he capped a 13-play, 81-yard drive with his first rushing touchdown of the day-an eight yarder, to push the Vikings’ lead to 16-6 with 12:20 left in the game.
The game turned on Bowie State’s next possession when ECSU defensive back Josh Brooks picked off a pass attempt by quarterback Tyrae Reid at the Vikings’ 4-yard line and returned it 86-yards down to the BSU 10-yard line. Two plays later McNeill galloped in from three yards out to give Elizabeth City State a 23-6 lead with just over ten minutes left in the game. On their next possession Bowie State connected on a 23-yard pass from Reid to Douglas McNeill to trim the lead 23-12 with 8:52 to go, but ECSU’s defense harassed Reid into four straight incompletions on their final possession to pull out the win.
With the win by the Vikings, the field for the November 12th CIAA Championship game is set. Elizabeth City State will face off against Southern Division winner Winston-Salem State. The two teams squared off in a regular season game in early September. The Vikings gave the nationally ranked and undefeated Rams one of their toughest games of the season before falling 22-17 at Roebuck Stadium. ECSU closes out the regular season with a road game at Chowan on October 29th and their regular season finale at home versus Lincoln (PA) on November 5th.
Conference Scoreboard
CHOWAN 34 SHAW 32
ELIZABETH CITY STATE 23 BOWIE STATE 12
FAYETTEVILLE STATE 17 LIVINGSTONE 7
SAINT AUGUSTINE’S 34 JOHNSON C. SMITH 15
VIRGINIA STATE 21 LINCOLN 15
WINSTON-SALEM STATE 59 EDWARD WATERS 7
Contact: CIAA Public Relations
(757) 864-0196 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (757) 864-0196 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or swhite@theciaa.com
Posted By: How May I Help You NC
Monday, October 24th 2011 at 9:26AM
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