Football

MEAC Football Recap, Nov. 19

Howard 35, Morgan State 6
North Carolina Central 22, Tennessee Tech 20
Norfolk State 42, South Carolina State 38
Campbell 34, Delaware State 7 

Howard 35, Morgan State 6
 
BALTIMORE, Md. – Quinton Williams performed a rare hat trick, passing for two touchdowns, running for another and catching a pass on another as University as Howard dominated Morgan State 35-7 in the regular season finale at Hughes Stadium. 
 
By virtue of the win, the Bison (5-6, 4-1 in the MEAC) earned a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title with North Carolina Central. Although the two teams each finished 4-1 in league play, North Carolina Central will represent the league in the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 18 in Atlanta, Ga.
 
Howard led, 14-0 at the half and limited the Bears to less than 100 yards on total offense.
 
Williams, who connected on 17 of his 24 passes for 241 yards, then converted on his second scoring pass of the game, this time tight end Brennan Brown from 15 yards to up the score to 21-0 early in the third quarter.
 
Morgan State got a game-high 111 yards on 25 carries from Alfonzo Graham to end as the conference’s leading rusher on the season with 1,150 yards.  
 
Box Score | Recap
North Carolina Central 22, Tennessee Tech 20
 
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - North Carolina Central University junior Adrian Olivo kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired to secure a 22-20 come-from-behind road victory for the No. 25 Eagles over Tennessee Tech University on Saturday inside Tucker Stadium.
 
Olivo’s heroic kick, his third field goal of the day, capped a 12-play, 53-yard game-winning drive after Tennessee Tech took the lead on a touchdown with just 2:43 left in the contest.
 
NCCU improves its overall record to 9-2, becoming just the sixth team in school history to win nine games in a season, a feat last accomplished in 2016.
 
Junior running back Latrell Collier recorded a game-high 130 yards and a touchdown on the ground to top NCCU’s 216-yard rushing performance. Saturday marks the fourth time this season Collier has reached the century mark in rushing yards. 
 
NCCU quarterback Davius Richard added 54 rushing yards, including a 35-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, while also completing 16-of-29 passes for 143 yards. 
 
Defensively, NCCU forced four TTU turnovers with an interception by Christian Smith (his second of the season), a fumble forced by Manny Smith and a recovery by Khalil Baker, and two turnovers on downs.
 
Lineman Jaden Taylor led the NCCU defense with nine tackles, including a stop for a loss, followed by Baker with eight takedowns and Manny Smith with seven stops.
 
The MEAC co-champions, under the direction of head coach and NCCU alumnus Trei Oliver, now prepare to take on the winner of the SWAC championship game in the Cricket Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17 in Atlanta.
 
Norfolk State 42, South Carolina State 38
 
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Quarterback Otto Kuhns accounted for all six Norfolk State touchdowns on Saturday, leading the Spartans (2-9, 2-3 MEAC) to a thrilling 42-38 victory at South Carolina State (3-8, 1-4) in the final game of the season. Kuhns kept it himself on an option read late in the fourth quarter, rushing 15 yards for what would be the game-winning touchdown.
 
Kuhns, who threw for 242 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 35 yards and one score, cemented himself in the Norfolk State history books with his performance. His five passing touchdowns tied NSU’s Division I single-game record, while he joined Juwan Carter as the only Spartans in the past 20 years to record six total touchdowns in a game.
 
Da’Quan Felton also put together a career showing for the Spartans. The wideout caught nine passes for 163 yards, scoring three touchdowns. All of his trips to the end zone came in the first half, tying NSU’s single-game record and becoming just the seventh player in program history to catch three touchdown passes in a game.
 
Norfolk State’s 42 points were the most it has recorded the entire season, but it was the defense that made the most important play of the game. With South Carolina State on the Spartans’ two-yard line and under ten seconds remaining, the NSU defensive line forced the Bulldogs’ quarterback out of the pocket, before Jayden Smith broke up the ensuing pass as time expired.
 
Box Score | Recap

Campbell 34, Delaware State 7
 
DOVER, Del. – The Delaware State football team closed out the regular season with a 34-7 loss to Campbell on Saturday at Alumni Stadium. The Hornets end the season with a 5-6 overall record and a 2-3 mark in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play.
 
The Hornets’ lone score came in the fourth quarter on a five-yard run by Thomas Bertrand-Hudon. He finished the game with 28 rushes for 139 yards and one score.
 
Defensively, Brooks Parker led the way with five tackles (two solo), including two tackles for a loss of eight yards and a sack.
 
Box Score | Recap