Oct. 17, 2009

Final Stats

CHARLOTTE - Fayetteville State Head Coach Kenny Phillips celebrated his 50th birthday on Friday.

During the Broncos' 30-12 win over Johnson C. Smith on Saturday, Phillips' running backs gave him 336 presents.

Richard Medlin and senior Calvin Harris combined for 336 yards rushing in FSU's win -- the Broncos' ninth over JCSU since 2000.

"We thought all along that we could run the football on these guys," Phillips said. "I thought we could establish the run and get this thing in control in the first half."

FSU didn't quite follow Phillips' blueprint.

Two first-half turnovers, a punt return for a touchdown and a safety left FSU trailing 12-7 at halftime.

"We played well on the defensive side of the football in the first half," said Phillips. "Our special teams and offense in the first half didn't have the intensity they needed to have. I challenged the entire team at halftime because I told them they were throwing away a golden opportunity."

FSU (5-3, 4-1 CIAA) responded in the second half, scoring 23 consecutive points en route to its fifth straight road win.

"We weren't playing that well in the first half," Harris said. "Coach Phillips told us how bad we were playing and what was going to happen if we didn't step it up. We didn't want that to happen, so we came together."

This season the Broncos are allowing only 12.3 points per game on the road. FSU's last road loss was a 19-12 setback to Shaw on Oct. 12, 2008.

Harris rushed 26 times for a career-high 187 yards and a touchdown. Over the last three games -- all Broncos wins -- Harris is averaging 139 yards per game.

"Offensively, we really have to rely on running the ball with our passing game not taking off," Harris said. "The coaches have really emphasized the running game in practice."

It might not be taking off, but FSU's passing game was as healthy as it's been in a while against the Golden Bulls (3-5, 2-3 CIAA).

Tyler Hosler, making just his third career start for the Broncos, had his best game. The junior quarterback finished 16-of-23 for 188 yards and a touchdown.

"I've always said he throws the ball well," Phillips said. "We just had some drops in the previous weeks that we didn't have today."

Medlin has been slowed by a shoulder injury for the last few games. Phillips and Harris said having the 2008 CIAA Speciality Player of the Year at full strength is a big boost to the Broncos' offense, which has struggled recently.

"It's great to have him back," said Phillips. "He gives us another weapon to hand the football off to. To have that guy back in the backfield - there is always an opportunity to make a play."

Added Harris: "Richard being back helps the whole team. I got off to a slow start and when he came in it picked everyone up."

Medlin scored two touchdowns and rushed for 149 yards -- both season-highs.

"My shoulder held up pretty good today and the offensive line blocked really well," Medlin said. "This win and our performance feels great."

The Broncos' defense bounced back from last week's performance against Shaw. FSU allowed only 107 yards of total offense and limited JCSU to 2.2 yards per play.

FSU hosts St. Augustine's for homecoming at Luther "Nick" Jeralds Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

A win over the Falcons will assure the Broncos at least a share of the Western Division title.