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Major Takeaways
- South Carolina State beat Howard 35 to 28 on Thursday night at Greene Stadium in Washington.
- Freshman running back Ricorian Brown ran for 143 yards and scored both of his touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
- Brown scored the winning touchdown on a 9 yard run with just 17 seconds left in the game.
- The Bulldogs improved to 8 and 2 overall and 3 and 0 in the MEAC with a 13th straight conference win.
- Howard fell to 4 and 6 overall and 1 and 2 in the MEAC after erasing a 14 point deficit to tie the game twice.
- South Carolina State now hosts North Carolina Central on November 14 in a game that could decide the MEAC title.
Thursday night belonged to Black college football, and South Carolina State refused to let it slip away.
The Bulldogs beat Howard 35 to 28 at Greene Stadium in Washington in a nationally televised MEAC showdown.
Freshman running back Ricorian Brown scored the winning touchdown with 17 seconds left on the clock.
The win kept South Carolina State perfect in conference play at 3 and 0.
It also stretched the MEAC winning streak of the Bulldogs to 13 straight games.
For a program that lifted the Celebration Bowl trophy last December, the standard in Orangeburg is clear.
Championship football is the expectation, and Thursday night tested every bit of it.
A Fast Start Built a Two Score Cushion
South Carolina State opened the scoring on a 49 yard field goal by Jett Jackson in the first quarter.
Howard answered fast with a 38 yard touchdown run by Se’Quan Osborne to take a 7 to 3 lead.
The second quarter belonged entirely to the visiting Bulldogs.
Jackson added a 34 yard field goal to trim the margin to a single point.
Defensive back Jabin Ford then intercepted a pass and gave the offense the ball at the Howard 30 yard line.
Four plays later, quarterback Keely Watson found tight end Jahzae Kimbrough for a 14 yard touchdown.
Ronnie Robinson added a 3 yard touchdown run in the final seconds of the half.
Robinson also converted the two point try that followed his score.
South Carolina State carried a 21 to 7 lead into the locker room.
The Bulldogs looked in full control of a ranked team on the road.
South Carolina State entered the night ranked number 24 in the national FCS poll.
Howard Erased the Lead After Halftime
Howard came out of the break with belief and a quarterback ready to deal.
Isaiah Freeman directed a 90 yard scoring drive to open the third quarter.
He finished it with an 11 yard touchdown pass to Antonio Hunter.
Late in the third quarter Freeman found Hunter again, this time from 26 yards out.
The extra point tied the game at 21 and the home crowd was roaring.
Freeman finished the night with 233 passing yards and three touchdown passes.
He also ran for 62 yards and kept the Bulldogs defense honest all night.
Howard scored 21 points in the second half against one of the best defenses in the MEAC.
The Bison showed the fight that has defined their season under a proud home crowd.
Brown Took Over the Fourth Quarter
When the game tightened, South Carolina State handed the ball to a freshman.
Ricorian Brown answered with the finest night of his young career.
He carried the ball 15 times for a season best 143 yards.
That works out to 9.5 yards every time he touched a handoff.
Early in the fourth quarter, Brown broke loose for a 64 yard run from deep in his own territory.
A penalty on the tackle moved the ball to the Howard 9 yard line.
Brown finished that 90 yard drive himself with a 9 yard touchdown run.
The score put South Carolina State back on top 28 to 21 with 10 minutes and 21 seconds left.
He also caught two passes for 22 yards and finished with 165 all purpose yards.
For Black college football fans, a new name announced himself under the lights on national television.
South Carolina State Answers When It Matters Most
Howard refused to fold and delivered one last punch.
The Bison took over at their own 14 yard line with 2 minutes and 52 seconds remaining.
Freeman drove his team 86 yards in just 81 seconds.
He connected with CJ Neely on a 51 yard touchdown pass with 1 minute and 31 seconds left.
The game was tied again at 28 and overtime felt close.
South Carolina State took over at its own 26 yard line with 82 seconds to play.
Watson stayed calm and went straight to work through the air.
He hit Malaqhi Jones for 13 yards, then Jones again for 7 more.
A 13 yard completion to Troy Hillman pushed the ball into Howard territory.
Jones added catches of 10 and 22 yards to reach the Howard 9 yard line.
Jones finished the night with nine catches for 107 yards.
With 17 seconds left, Brown took the handoff and scored his second 9 yard touchdown of the quarter.
Jackson added the extra point and the Bulldogs led 35 to 28.
Howard got one final possession but could not answer again.
Watson completed 21 of 29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.
The Numbers Behind the Win
South Carolina State piled up 479 yards of total offense on the night.
The Bulldogs ran for 226 yards and threw for 253 yards.
Howard finished with 382 total yards in the loss.
The Bulldogs scored on all six of their trips inside the red zone.
Those trips produced four touchdowns and two field goals.
South Carolina State did not commit a single turnover.
The offensive line did not allow a sack all night.
On defense, Jadin Jones led the Bulldogs with eight tackles.
Ka’Von Chisolm added seven tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss.
The Bulldogs defense recorded six tackles for loss and broke up five passes.
Punter MaxCeon Cobb averaged 42.5 yards on eight punts and pinned five of them inside the Howard 20 yard line.
Field position like that wins close conference games in November.
A Title Showdown Is Now Set for November 14
The MEAC does not stage a conference championship game.
Its champion is decided by the conference record and earns a berth in the Celebration Bowl on December 12.
That makes every league game in November a playoff game in its own right.
South Carolina State won the Celebration Bowl last season with a 40 to 38 victory over Prairie View A&M in four overtimes.
The Bulldogs finished that championship season at 10 and 3 under head coach Chennis Berry.
Berry is now in his third season leading the program.
The next test is the biggest one left on the schedule.
South Carolina State returns home to Orangeburg on November 14 to face North Carolina Central.
North Carolina Central entered this weekend unbeaten in MEAC play as well.
The winner of that game will stand in firm control of the road back to Atlanta.
Howard, meanwhile, walks away with respect earned the hard way.
The Bison pushed the defending champions to the final seconds and proved their own program is rising.
Games like Thursday night are why HBCU football keeps growing its national audience.
Two historic Black institutions traded blows on national television and delivered a classic.
Our Magic City Classic thriller coverage showed the same drama in the SWAC last week.
Keep up with every big night in the Football section and across our Sports coverage all season long.
