Graduate student Matthew Goggans tossed four touchdowns as the Bowie State University Bulldogs closed out their season with a bang, beating Elizabeth City State, 35-30, on Nov. 8 at Bulldogs Stadium in Bowie, Md. It marked the third straight win for Bowie State and the fifth win of the last six games.
The Bulldogs scored the first points of the game on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Goggans in the first quarter. But Elizabeth City State bounced back to score 10 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 10-7 lead into halftime.
Bowie State, however, reclaimed the lead after the break with a touchdown run by graduate student Kendall Jefferson, followed by another touchdown pass from Goggans, giving the Bulldogs a 20-10 lead midway through the third quarter. Elizabeth City State cut the lead to 20-17 just seconds before the end of the quarter. But the Bulldogs pushed their lead up to 27-17 with a third touchdown pass by Goggans, just minutes into the fourth quarter. Goggans later connected on his fourth touchdown pass of the day to extend Bowie State’s lead to 35-17 midway through the fourth quarter.
Elizabeth City State scored two straight touchdowns in attempt of a comeback, but ran out of time as the Bulldogs held on to a 35-30 victory.
Goggans completed 32-of-56 pass attempts for 368 passing yards and four touchdowns. Junior receiver Gary Cropper led the Bulldogs with eight catches for 119 yards.
Quarterback Tyrell Houghton led Elizabeth City State with four touchdowns of his own, along with 485 passing yards, but also tossed a critical interception.
Bowie State ends its season with a 5-5 overall record, 5-2 against the Central Interscholastic Athletic Association (CIAA) opponents.