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NORFOLK, Va. — The South Carolina State defense forced four Norfolk State fumbles and returned two for touchdowns as the 17th-ranked Bulldogs won their 13th straight MEAC game, 37-10, over Norfolk State on Saturday afternoon at Dick Price Stadium.
Phillip Adams and Rafael Bush scored touchdowns off fumble recoveries in the first half, and SCSU (4-1, 2-0 MEAC) quarterback Malcolm Long passed for one score and ran for another.
The Spartans (2-3, 1-2) scored their lone touchdown of the game on a 52-yard TD pass from DeAngelo Branche (Miami, Fla.) to P.J. Hayden (Fredericksburg, Va.) in the third quarter.
NSU held SCSU three-and-out on the first drive of the game. But on the Spartans' first play of their initial possession, Hayden was stripped by Bulldog linebacker Julius Wilkerson after a 3-yard reception. The ball bounced around and off several players before Adams scooped it up and ran 31 yards for the game's first points.
SCSU forced a Spartan punt on the next possession, and the Bulldogs then marched 71 yards in 10 plays for another touchdown. Long scored on a 1-yard sneak, and Blake Erickson's point-after made it 14-0 with 6:12 remaining in the first quarter.
The Spartans lost another fumble, this one by Brown, on their next drive. SCSU linebacker David Erby recovered at the Bulldog 49. Erickson connected on a 39-yard field goal to cap the next drive, giving his team a 17-0 lead.
Things went from bad to worse for NSU on the ensuing possession, as Brown was hit by Donovan Richards to force another fumble. Bush picked this one up and returned it 37 yards for the score and a 24-0 Bulldog lead with 12:56 left in the first half.
NSU's first points of the game came when a punt snap went over Erickson's head and into the end zone for a safety with 5:33 left in the half. But SCSU drove 73 yards in 10 plays right before the half, getting a 30-yard field goal by Erickson with 1:03 left before halftime for a 27-2 lead.
The Bulldogs padded their lead to 34-2 on Long's 2-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Smith on their first drive of the second half. The scoring strike capped a seven-play, 70-yard march.
NSU got some life on Brown's 52-yard TD bomb to Hayden on the next series. Brown then hit Jeremy Wicker (Quantico, Va.) for the two-point pass to bring NSU within 34-10. Things kept looking up for NSU when safety Davon Smart (Hackensack, N.J.) intercepted Derrick Wiley on the Bulldogs' next drive. But Brown lost NSU's fourth and final fumble of the day on the first play of the ensuing possession. Jason Ayers hit Brown as he tried to throw, and the Bulldogs' Matt Key recovered at the NSU 40.
SCSU held the ball for 12 plays on the next series, with Erickson capping the scoring with a 32-yard field goal with 13:17 remaining in the game.
Long finished 16-of-23 for 206 yards passing for the Bulldogs, who held a 335-205 edge in total offense. Will Ford led SCSU's ground game with 75 yards on 14 carries.
Brown completed 16-of-27 passes for 138 yards with one TD and no interceptions. But he was sacked four times, and the Spartans could only manage 67 yards on the ground. Wicker had a season-high six catches for the Spartans.
Defensively, linebacker Corwin Hammond (Louisville, Ky.) had a career-high nine tackles for NSU. Linebacker Anthony Taylor (Virginia Beach, Va.) had eight and half a tackle for loss and one pass deflection. Safety Terrell Whitehead (Virginia Beach, Va.) added seven stops, half for a loss.
NSU returns to action next Saturday against Hampton in the State Farm Battle of the Bay. Kickoff is 1 p.m. at Dick Price Stadium.
