ATHENS, W.Va. – Even in a 37-34 offensive shootout, it was a late defensive stand that lifted the Concord University foot- ball team to a win Saturday af- ternoon at Callaghan Stadium over Bowie State.
Concord dominated the first half behind two passing touch- downs from sophomore quar- terback Brian Novak. Novak connected with freshman wide
receiver T.J. Smith on the first CU score and also threw his first of three touchdowns to Ryan Stewart.
Special teams played an inte- gral role in Concord’s first half success as defensive end Will Greathouse blocked a 41-yard field attempt by the Bulldogs.
After the block, redshirt freshman cornerback Jeremiah Johnson scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 65 yards as time expired in the second quarter, giving CU a 24-0 lead
at halftime.
To start the third quarter, the
Mountain Lions marched down the field as Novak hooked up with Stewart for his second receiving touchdown, putting Bowie State in what seemed as an insurmountable 31-point hole to climb out of.
Once the Bulldogs got within four points, 31-27, with 14:06 left in the game, Novak and the offense calmly marched down the field in three minutes where Novak found Stewart in
the back corner of the endzone to extend the margin back to 10 points, 37-27.
However, the Bulldogs still had life after a sneak into the endzone by Bennett, cutting the lead to 37-34 for CU with 4:53 remaining. After a Moun- tain Lion turnover, Bowie State found themselves inside of Concord territory, where the Maroon and Gray defense rose to the occasion.
Facing a fourth-and-two from the Concord 14-yard
line, the Bulldogs attempted to convert the fourth-down, which they had been 5-for-5 on fourth down prior to the play. CU’s snuffed out a pass attempt from Bennett to wide receiver Jordan Garrison to preserve the three-point victory.
The Mountain Lions will stay home for next week’s contest with West Liberty. Kickoff is at 12:00 p.m. at Callaghan Stadium.