CIAA Football Week in Review

CIAA Football Week in Review
For the week ending September 24, 2011, (Week 5)

PANTHERS KNOCK OFF BULLDOGS BEHIND CAREER DAYS FROM HICKMAN AND WASHINGTON

RICHMOND, VA-Virginia Union logged career-highs of 320 passing yards from quarterback Cheston Hickman and four touchdowns from tailback Jerrell Washington as the Panthers tightened up the race for the for the CIAA Northern Division lead with a 32-29 win over previously undefeated Bowie State (3-1, 2-1 CIAA)  Saturday at Hovey Field.
 
Hickman connected on 19 of 35 pass attempts and Washington rushed for three touchdowns and caught another score as the Panthers  (3-2, 1-1 CIAA) rolled up a season-high 522 yards of offense in dealing Bowie State their first loss of the season.
 
Bowie State posted to the scoreboard first in dramatic fashion as Kenneth Turner picked up a Virginia Union fumble at the BSU 1-yard line and returned it 99 yards for a score as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 7-0 lead with just over 6:00 minutes left in the first quarter. The Panthers would get their first points of the game at the 10:38 mark of the second quarter when Kenneth Graham connected with Leroy Harmon on a 34-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was blocked and the Panthers trailed 7-6. On their next series, Bowie State got a 22-yard field goal from Michael Gagne to push the lead to 10-6. VUU then marched 73-yards in nine plays and got an 8-yard run from Washington to take their first lead of the day. The PAT was blocked again and the Panthers led 12-10 at the half.
 
A fumble by Bowie State on their first possession of the third quarter gave Virginia Union the ball near midfield.  The Panthers wasted no time taking advantage of the miscue. Hickman connected with receiver Mattias Parker for a 49-yard completion to take the ball down to the BSU 3-yard line. Two plays later, Washington plunged in from one yard out for a Virginia Union touchdown. The Panthers kicking woes continued as the PAT was unsuccessful and VUU led 18-10. Bowie State would trim the lead on their next possession when they capped a 10-play, 79-yard drive with a 5-yard pass from Clifton Budd to Keith Brown. The attempted two-point conversion failed and the Bulldogs trailed 18-16 with 7:28 left in the third quarter. Late in the third quarter, Washington would get his third touchdown of the day on a 39-yard catch and run from Hickman, as the Panthers extended their lead to 25-16 after three quarters.
 
Washington wasn’t done yet. After the Panther defense held on a fourth down conversion attempt, he capped an 11-play, 65-yard drive with his fourth touchdown of the day, this time on a 4-yard run and the Panthers led 32-16 with just over 7:00 left in the game. The Bulldogs would trim the lead on Keith Brown’s 2-yard run with 3:20 left in the game. The two-point conversion attempt failed and BSU trailed 32-22. The Bulldogs forced the Panthers into a three and out on their next series and got the ball back with 2:48 left in the game. Behind the passing of Budd, the Bulldogs drove 87 yards in 11 plays and a capped it off with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Budd to Kevin James. The PAT was good and the Bulldogs trailed 32-29 with 1:00 minute left in the game. Any hope for a BSU victory hinged on a successful onside kick.  But the Bulldogs unbeaten streak came to an end as the Bulldogs were called for offside on their onside kick attempt and the Panthers ran out the clock.
 

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