Salem, VA – For the third straight time in the past three CIAA Football Championships, Fayetteville State University (8-3 overall) turned the ball over on its first series of each game. For the second time in a row, Bowie State claims the CIAA Crown with a 23-7 victory over the Broncos in Salem, Virginia and a perfect 11-0 season as the Bulldogs continue into post-season play.
 
Despite three Bronco turnovers, it was not a walk in the park for Bowie State.
 
The Bulldogs captured an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter and had to battle off a resilient Fayetteville State for the remainder of the game.
 
Bowie State returned a 33-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown on the Broncos opening drive with 14:14 left in the first quarter. On the Bulldogs first offensive drive, BSU drove 78 yards in 11 plays to score off a 16-yard rush into the endzone for the 14-0 lead at the 8:47 mark of the first period.
 
The Broncos defense held a team that averaged 219.9 yards passing and a total offense of 433.5 yards a game down to 90 yards passing and 330 yards for the game. The Bulldogs did take advantage of its run game with 240 yards rushing; a little over its 213.6 average.
 
Nigel Peele (Greensboro, NC) led the team with ten total tackles with four solo and six assisted stops. Elvin De La Rosa (Winston-Salem, NC) followed with eight.
 
Fayetteville State finished with 318 yards of total offense with 196 yards passing and 122 rushing. The Broncos had 21 first downs to BSU's 15.
 
Quarterback Richard Latimer (Charlotte, NC) received the Runner-Up Most Valuable Player award after a performance of 196 yards passing from 21 of 39 completed throws.
 
Fayetteville State scored its first points of the game in the third quarter when Donshel Jetton plowed into the endzone from four yards out to cap a seven-play 41-yard drive in a little over three minutes. With the deficit cut in half, trailing by seven, the momentum of the Broncos gave challenge to the Bulldogs. Bowie State committed three turnovers with two lost fumbles and a thrown interception.
 
Gene Carson nailed a 29-yard field goal for Bowie State to increase the lead to 17-7 with 6:17 left in the game. Ja'rome Johnson put the icing on the cake for the Bulldogs with a 29-yard rushing touchdown with 1:50 left in the game. Johnson finished with a game-high 127 yards rushing with a longest scamper of 43 yards. He threw nine of 21 passes for 90 yards.
 
Bowie State will advance into the NCAA Playoffs.