BOWIE, Md. – For the second week in a row, turnovers were critical for the Benedict College Tigers football team, as Bowie State University took advantage of four Benedict miscues and claimed a 31-14 victory in a non-conference NCAA Division II football game Saturday at Bulldogs Stadium.
Benedict, now 0-2 on the season, fumbled the ball five times against the Bulldogs, losing two. The Tigers attempted just 15 passes in the game, but had two of them picked off, including one in the end zone. Nine of the passes were attempted in the fourth quarter when the Tigers were attempting to make up a big scoring deficit.
The Tigers will look to claim their first win of the season next Saturday when they return home to Charlie W. Johnson Stadium to face Shaw University in the South Carolina HBCU Classic at 5 p.m.
Starting quarterback Johnny Carson drove the Tigers to the 18-yard line on the opening drive of the game, only to fumble the ball away to the Bulldogs.
After Bowie took a 7-0 lead on a 33-yard pass from Clifton Budd to Kevin James with 1:27 left in the first quarter, Carson drove the Tigers again, only to have his first pass attempt intercepted in the end zone by Bowie State's Quentin Walker.
The Bulldogs, now 2-0 on the season, pulled ahead 10-0 with 5:39 left in the first half on a 24-yard field goal by Michael Gagne.
Bowie State increased the lead to 17-0 with 2:10 left in the third quarter when Andre Johnson threw a 12-yard pass to James Proctor, capping off an 81-yard drive.
On the very next play, Benedict's Harlon Samuels threw a pass to Mujihad Assad streaking down the right sideline. Assad beat his defender and outraced the Bowie State defense for a 66-yard touchdown pass, the first score of the season for the Tigers.
Any momentum the Tigers had after that big play quickly evaporated, as the Bulldogs regrouped and drove 68 yards on eight plays, with Johnson throwing his second touchdown pass of the game, this time finding Kendra Jefferson from 9-yards out to give Bowie a 24-7 lead.
Benedict's Sarnie Greg Johnson intercepted Bowie's Andre Johnson with 8:42 left in the fourth quarter and the Tigers capitalized on the Bulldogs' turnover. Samuels drove the Tigers 34 yards on six plays, capping off the drive by lofting a fade pass in the left corner of the end zone to Emmanuel Houston for a 9-yard touchdown.
Bowie State took possession after recovering the on-sides kickoff attempt by the Tigers. Although Bowie State did not score on that drive, the Bulldogs held on to the ball for two minutes, eating up precious time on the clock.
With time running out for the Tigers, Samuels scrambled for a 19-yard pickup, only to lose the ball at midfield, where Bowie State's Kenneth Turner scooped up the loose ball and returned it 56 yards for the final touchdown of the game.
Samuels led the Tigers with 99 yards passing on 4-of-14 attempts and 53 yards rushing. Assad had two catches for 68 yards, while Houston had two catches for 31 yards.
The Tigers gained 246 yards of total offense, compared to 473 yards of offense for Bowie State. Ramono Flowers led the Bulldogs with 144 yards rushing. Andrew Johnson completed 12-of-20 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns.
Anthony Davis led the Benedict defense with nine total tackles, while Sarnie Greg Johnson and Brandon Beech each had eight tackles.
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