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ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Travil Jamison's 1-yard run late in the third quarter put South Carolina State ahead to stay, and Norfolk State came up empty twice in Bulldogs' territory in the fourth quarter as SCSU held on for a 24-23 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win on Saturday afternoon at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.
The win keeps the Bulldogs (5-2, 3-0 MEAC) tied with Hampton atop the conference standings, while the Spartans (2-4, 1-2) suffered their third straight defeat, all on the road.
NSU rallied from a 17-13 halftime deficit by scoring the first 10 points of the second half. A 51-yard completion from Dennis Brown (Miami, Fla.) to Dario Walker (Ettrick, Va.) highlighted NSU's first possession of the third quarter. Brown capped the four-play, 62-yard drive with a 1-yard sneak, and the point-after by Justin Castellat (Virginia Beach, Va.) gave NSU a 20-17 advantage.
After the kickoff, SCSU drove down the field to the Spartans' 6, but on third-and-goal, Bulldog quarterback Malcolm Long was intercepted in the end zone by Jamie Short (Virginia Beach, Va.). The Spartans then drove 76 yards, all on the ground, to set up a 21-yard field goal by Castellat for a 23-17 lead with 3:10 left in the quarter.
But the explosive SCSU offense responded, driving 64 yards on seven plays for the go-ahead touchdown. Will Ford put the Bulldogs in position for the score with a 43-yard run. Three plays later, Jamison scored from 1 yard out, and Blake Erickson's extra point gave SCSU the lead once again with 33 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
NSU would drive into Bulldog territory on its next two possessions. But Castellat missed a 45-yard field goal with 9:31 left in the game. After a three-and-out by SCSU, the Spartans drove to the Bulldogs' 37. But Phillip Adams intercepted Brown on 3rd-and-8 with 4:31 left.
With the Spartans out of timeouts, SCSU looked like it would run the clock out. The Bulldogs picked up two first downs, but Hasan Craig (Rocky Mountain, Va.) forced Ford to fumble with 56 seconds left, and NSU lineman Josh Turner (Chesterfield, Va.) recovered at the Spartans' 42. But Brown was sacked on two of the first three plays of the next possession, and a penalty backed the Spartans up to their 17. Brown's desperation pass was picked off at the SCSU 32 by Terrance Smith as time expired.
SCSU out-gained NSU 398-305, but the Spartans forced four turnovers and used a balanced ball-control offense to hold the ball for 39:17. Brown was 15-of-26 for 168 yards, and DeAngelo Branche (Norfolk, Va.) ran 26 times for 94 yards and a TD against one of the MEAC's best defenses.
Terrell Whitehead (Virginia Beach, Va.) led the NSU defense with seven tackles, one for loss, and a pair of forced fumbles in the first half. The second of those, which was recovered by Josh Anderson (Chesapeake, Va.) at the Bulldogs' 8, set up Branche's 2-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Castellat also connected on field goals of 44 and 29 yards in the opening half.
Ford ran 18 times for 179 yards and a score for SCSU. Long passed for 189 yards and one touchdown, which went to wideout Oliver Young (seven catches, 101 yards).
The Spartans are back in action next Saturday at 1 p.m. when they face Hampton in the Battle of the Bay at Armstrong Stadium.
