Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008
Bulldogs win big at Classic
by Andy MacAlpine | Special to The Gazette
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The Bowie State University football team's 28-2 win over Lincoln (Pa.) University in the fifth annual Prince George's Classic on Saturday afternoon may not have been a game for the ages, but it certainly was a step in the right direction for the Bulldogs.
With three rushing touchdowns and a strong defensive performance, Bowie State collected a second straight Classic win in its first home game of the season. It also was the Bulldogs' second win in three weeks.
"The Prince George's Classic is a great deal," said senior center Rashad Wright, a Clinton resident who attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School. "It gives local kids a chance to showcase their talents and shows people in the community that Division II players are just as capable as they are in Division I."
Bowie State (3-2 overall) spotted Lincoln a 2-0 lead when a bad snap got away from punter Michael Gagne for a safety 2 minutes, 8 seconds into the game. But sophomore running back Rodney Webb woke up the Bulldogs' running game when he broke a 40-yard dash to the end zone with 1 minute, 56 seconds left in the first quarter for a 6-2 Bowie State lead.
"That run changed the momentum," said Webb, who finished with 91 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. "The defense was doing a great job of getting the ball in our hands, and we've got three great running backs and good blocking. That's what we're all about — defense first, rushing second."
Senior tailback Isaac Redman added a one-yard touchdown run and quarterback Jason Scott found Anthony Green for an 18-yard scoring strike in the second quarter, pushing the Bulldogs to a 21-2 halftime advantage.
Troy Gibson wrapped up the scoring when he ran into the end zone from 11 yards out with 7:51 to play.
"We haven't been scoring a lot of points so far this season, so we came back to practice and wanted to do some things differently this week," said Bowie State coach Mike Lynn, whose team has now outscored opponents 104-93. "We made some mistakes [Saturday], and I'm disappointed by those. Hopefully, we've got all the kinks worked out."
Defensively, Bowie State never gave Lincoln a chance to build any momentum. The Lions (1-5), who are in their first football season since disbanding the program in 1960, managed 64 total yards and never advanced past Bowie's 45-yard line.
"Our defense has a lot of pride — they're relentless," Lynn said.
Redman ran for a team-high 95 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries and Scott completed 5 of 16 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown as Bowie State totaled 301 yards of offense.
The Prince George's Classic football game is surrounded by several community events each year, including a golf tournament, a 5K, a battle of the bands and a step show. But this year's event saw a decline in attendance for a third straight year. After attracting more than 10,000 people in 2006 — the first year the game was held at Bulldog Stadium — the game drew just 3,106 fans in 2007 and 2,712 on Saturday.
Bowie State won last year's game, 41-30, over St. Paul's College.
"I love the PG Classic," Webb said. "And it was nice to get a win at home after being on the road the last four weeks."
Bowie State celebrates Homecoming on Saturday with a game against Elizabeth City State at 1 p.m.