FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina --Fayetteville State fought hard but ultimately fell short in a heartbreaking 38-35 loss to Shaw for the Homecoming game on Saturday afternoon at Luther "Nick" Jeralds Stadium.
Head Coach Richard Hayes, Jr. commented on the tough loss: "Tough day! You never want to lose a game particularly on Homecoming when you have all the alumni here. We couldn't get a stop when we needed it. I thought our offense played really well. We had too many things going wrong on defense."
The Broncos saw Shaw mount a 13-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a three-yard rushing touchdown with just 35 seconds left in the game, sealing Fayetteville State's fate despite their valiant efforts. Shaw improved to 5-4 on the year and 3-3 in CIAA play, while the Broncos fell to 3-4 overall and 2-3 in conference matchups.
Derrick Alston Jr. led the Broncos' rushing attack with 94 yards, averaging 8.5 yards per carry, and added 27 yards and one touchdown on the ground. Owens' most prolific target was Mali Harris-Strayhorn, who caught two passes for 89 yards. Theniias Moss stood out on defense with a recovered fumble, while Kyle Perry contributed 1.0 TFL and Emanuel Ortega-Garcia also made notable plays.
Fayetteville State's offense excelled in keeping drives alive, converting 58.3 percent of third-down attempts. Their defense held firm against the run, restricting Shaw to 144 rushing yards. The Broncos excelled in the red zone, converting all five of their trips into touchdowns. They started strong, taking a 7-0 lead and extending it to 14-0 before Shaw narrowed the gap. Fayetteville State responded to Shaw's efforts, leading 21-10 and then 28-24 after Shaw briefly took the lead. Despite taking a 35-31 lead late in the fourth quarter, the Broncos couldn't score again as Shaw sealed the game with a last-minute touchdown.
Shaw outgained Fayetteville State 382-320 in this thrilling contest. Despite starting strong with 14 unanswered points and holding the highest-scoring quarter in the fourth with 14 points, the Broncos fell just short. Quarterback Owens was precise, completing 80% of his passes and averaging 12.2 yards per attempt. For Shaw, Christian Peters led the air attack with 238 yards and a touchdown, while Travon Tensley paced the ground game with 115 yards and a touchdown.
