Box Score FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Fayetteville State University celebrated Senior Day and Broncos Athletic Club Appreciation Day by rallying for a 21-17 CIAA victory over Bowie St. on Saturday afternoon at Luther 'Nick' Jeralds Stadium. The win improved Fayetteville St. to 7-3 overall and 6-2 in CIAA play.
The Broncos honored their senior student-athletes and recognized the dedicated members of the Broncos Athletic Club for their continued support of Fayetteville State Athletics. The home crowd witnessed the Broncos rally from an early 10-point deficit to secure the victory.
The Bulldogs struck first with a blocked punt returned for a touchdown in the opening quarter and added a field goal early in the second period to take a 10-0 lead. Fayetteville State responded late in the half when Isaiah Silver broke free for a 44-yard touchdown run, trimming the deficit to 10-7 before halftime.
The Broncos took control in the third quarter. On the opening drive of the second half, quarterback Jamir Dismukes connected with Marcus Fleming for a 31-yard touchdown pass to give Fayetteville State its first lead of the game at 14-10. Later in the quarter, Fleming capped a 13-play, 77-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown run, extending the Broncos' advantage to 21-10.
Fleming finished with two touchdowns, hauling in three receptions for 42 yards and adding a rushing score. Dismukes completed 14 of 19 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown while also contributing 41 rushing yards. Silver led the ground attack with 83 yards and a touchdown on just five carries as the Broncos totaled 199 rushing yards and 359 yards of offense.
Defensively, Fayetteville State turned in another dominant effort. Jason Melton II led all players with 19 tackles, while Ryan Debow recorded eight tackles, two sacks, and two tackles for loss. Kadynce Watson added seven tackles and a sack, and Sedrick Clarke registered a sack, forced fumble, and fumble recovery. The Broncos defense finished with four sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception by Amari Best in the final two minutes to seal the victory.
Bowie State mounted a fourth-quarter comeback and closed within four points after a touchdown drive midway through the period, but the Fayetteville State defense made key stops and forced a late turnover to preserve the win.
Fayetteville State closes the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 7, with a road contest against Winston-Salem State. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Fans can follow the action at FSUBroncos.com and on social media @FSUBroncos.
