BOWIE, MD- A 45-point final score difference was just a cherry on top for the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon. Bowie State won 65-20 against Lincoln (PA) and reclaimed the Northern Division for the fourth time in five years, and two in a row.
Ja’Rome Johnson led the three quarterback rotation with 160 yards and two touchdowns. Defensive back John Johnson IV celebrated Senior Day as the rushing leader with a 39-yard run, and receiver Montez Clay led the way with five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore defensive back Demetri Morsell finished with two interceptions, both pick-sixes, for 98 total yards.
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First half massacre
Morsell opened the game with his first pick-six on LUPA’s first pass attempt to take a 7-0 lead. Senior running back Adam Gillis rushed for two touchdowns in back-to-back scoring drives with 7:38 left in the first quarter, and receiver Geordan Clark’s 23-yard touchdown capped BSU’s 28-0 run.
LUPA found the end zone with a 29-yard touchdown pass, but a blocked extra point ended the quarter at 28-6. The Bulldogs controlled the entire second quarter. A three-yard Calil Wilkens rushing touchdown and goal-line reception from Victor Olyakina put BSU up 42-6 with 10:06 left before halftime. Quarterback Gaston Cooper entered the game and threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Clay, and Morsell returned another interception to the house to take BSU into halftime up 55-6.
The second half was much calmer. A three-yard end zone rush from Derric Kittrell and 40-yard field goal from kicker Gene Carson raised the lead to 65-6 at the end of the third quarter. LUPA found the end zone twice through the air with 5:55 left in regulation to put up 14 unanswered points and bring the final score to 65-20.
BSU’s season concludes on the road against Elizabeth City State on Saturday at 1:30 PM. The Bulldogs will face the Southern Division winner and fight for their second consecutive Championship November 16 in Salem, VA.
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