The Bowie State Bulldogs ended their regular season with yet another massive blowout victory, this time crushing the Elizabeth City State Vikings (E.C. State), 77-21, on Nov. 4 in Elizabeth City, N.C.
Robert Chesson (Photo by Lawrence Johnson, BSU Sports Information)
The win stamped Bowie State’s overall record to 9-1 (6-1 against the Central Interscholastic Athletic Association) for the 2017 regular season and assured them a spot in the NCAA Division-II playoff tournament.
Bowie State’s win over E.C. State (4-6 overall, 2-5 CIAA) was highlighted by a record- breaking performance from senior running back Robert Chesson. Chesson ran for 304 yards on 20 carries and scored eight touchdowns Nov. 4, setting new CIAA records for the most yards ran and the most points scored by an individual in a single game.
Junior quarterback Amir Hall had a solid performance complementary to Chesson. Hall completed 17-of-25 pass attempts for 299 yards and a touchdown. All total, Bowie State racked up 744 yards on offense.
Bowie State won’t play in the CIAA Championship Nov. 11 as it shares the same CIAA North division as undefeated Virginia State (9-0 overall, 6-0 CIAA), who gave the Bulldogs their only loss of the season. Thus, Virginia State will take on the winner of the CIAA South division, Fayetteville State (6-4 overall, 5-2 CIAA) in the conference championship on Nov. 11 in Salem, Va.
The Bulldogs, however, will still play in the NCAA Division-II playoffs because they finished the season ranked amongst the top five teams in the NCAA Super Region 2 standings. According to BSU Sports Information, the top eight teams of each region automatically earn a bid in the postseason tournament scheduled to start later in November.
