Fayetteville State scored 24 unanswered points over the final 24 minutes and 35 seconds to defeat Elizabeth City State 31-7 in the 27th Annual Down East Viking Football Classic in front of 4,876 fans at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex on Saturday.
The Vikings dropped to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the CIAA, while the Broncos improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the CIAA.
FSU took a 7-0 lead on a 19-yard touchdown run by Julian Milligan with 7:18 left in the second quarter. The score capped a 60-yard drive in five plays. John Hernandez-Vargas added the extra point.
ECSU scored its lone touchdown on a 35-yard interception return from linebacker Demorian Smith with 14:05 remaining in the third quarter. Darius Satterfield’s extra point tied it at 7-all.
The Broncos responded with a seven-play drive that ended with a 43-yard field goal from Hernandez-Vargas to make it 10-7 with 9:35 left in the third quarter.
ECSU’s next drive ended when FSU’s Kolby Merritt intercepted a Damarcus Creecy pass and returned it 33 yards to set up a three-yard TD run from Bryce Council. The PAT from Hernandez-Vargas was good, extending the Broncos’ advantage to 17-7 with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter.
Things went from bad to worse for the Vikings on their next possession.
It started well, as ECSU drove from its own 26 to the FSU 31 behind Creecy (13-yard run), Rashard Biggs (seven-yard run and four-yard run) and completions from Creecy to Elijah Starkey (10 yards) and Biggs (four yards). But on first down from the Broncos’ 31, Creecy was picked off by Thenilas Moss to end the drive.
FSU then drove 71 yards in nine plays with a 23-yard TD pass from Joe Owens Jr. to Emanuel Ortega-Garcia with 12:52 remaining in the game. Hernandez-Vargas’s PAT made it 24-7.
The Vikings were forced to punt after going thrhee-and-out with the big play being a sack of Creecy for a 10-yard loss. A punt gave the Broncos the ball at their own 48.
A four-play, 52-yard drive for FSU ended with a 30-yard TD pass from Owens Jr. to David Baros with 9:02 remaining. The extra point from Hernandez-Vargas completed the scoring.
FSU outgained ECSU 150-107 on the ground and 229-47 through the air for a final advantage of 379-154. The Broncos were 3-for-3 in red zone chances to 0-for-1 for the Vikings.
Creecy was 12 of 19 for just 32 yards for ECSU. He added 36 yards rushing on nine carries while Adams-Duckson managed 35 yards on nine attempts and Biggs chipped in 26 yards on eight carries.
Terrence Holland caught three passes for 30 yards to lead the Viking receivers.
Tracey White paced the ECSU defense with seven tackles while Bruce Djoussou added six, Na’Sir Douglas and TreShaun Harris had five each and Smith garnered four. Isaiah Nixon had the other interception.
Local News
Comments / 0