WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- Led by a dominant defensive performance that held the Winston-Salem State offense to 70 rushing yards, Fayetteville State took down the Rams 14-6 on the road Saturday afternoon in the Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC.
The Broncos improved to 8-2 on the year and 7-1 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association play, while the Rams fell to 3-6 and 3-4. Fayetteville State will face Chowan University (7-3, 7-1 CIAA) in the CIAA Championship game on Saturday, November 12 in Salem, Virginia at 1 pm.
Derrick Alston, Jr. led all Bronco rushers with 79 yards in the contest, picking up 6.6 yards per carry. Mekhi Fenner also added 48 yards on the ground, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
Barry Elliott pulled in two catches for 34 yards.
Gerald Simpson led the Fayetteville State defensive effort, recording eight tackles with 1.5 tackles for a loss of two yards. Kenneth Merritt added six tackles and one interception and Brian Grier had three tackles and one sack in the win.
The Broncos won the turnover battle in Saturday's game, forcing two turnovers while coughing the ball up one time. The Fayetteville State offense did a good job keeping drives alive, converting on 41.2 percent of third-down attempts.
Defensively, Fayetteville State did an impressive job limiting the Winston-Salem State offensive attack, holding the Rams to 157 total yards. The Broncos kept Winston-Salem under 100 yards on both the ground and through the air, allowing just 87 passing and 70 rushing yards. The Broncos defense disrupted the Winston-Salem passing game on the way to pulling down two interceptions and breaking up three Rams passes.
How It Happened
FSU found itself down early 6-0, but fired back to grab a 7-6 lead with 12:48 left in the second quarter.The Broncos then followed with another score to expand the lead to 14-6. Neither team scored again in the game.
Game Notes
» Fayetteville State outgained Winston-Salem 232-157, including a 143-70 advantage on the ground.
» Fayetteville State won the turnover battle 2-1 after picking off two passes.
» Fayetteville State tallied 14 points in the second quarter, accounting for 100% of their total score.
» Fayetteville State converted 7 of 17 third downs while Winston-Salem was successful on 2 of 11.
» Gerald Simpson led the Broncos with eight tackles.
» Fayetteville State forced one red zone turnover in the contest.
» Fayetteville State won the time of possession battle 34:46 to 25:14.
» The Broncos ended the game on a high note, scoring 14 unanswered points to close out the contest.
» Nichol Jackson led the Rams passing attack, completing five of his 13 attempts for 87 yards with two interceptions.
» R.J. Mobley was Winston-Salem State's leading receiver with 80 yards.
