Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Norfolk State University Athletics

The Official Site of the Norfolk State Spartans
Nav wordmark
Dwight Fluker-Berry
Mark Sutton

Football Matt Michalec, SID

Spartans Rout Howard 49-12 to Snap Losing Streak

Fluker-Berry, Branche Score Twice Each for NSU

Dwight Fluker-Berry scored on an 84-yard kickoff return and a 50-yard punt return.

Box Score

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dwight Fluker-Berry (Miami, Fla.) scored on a kickoff and punt return and DeAngelo Branche (Norfolk, Va.) ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns as Norfolk State snapped a five-game losing streak with a dominant 49-12 win on Saturday afternoon at William H. Greene Stadium.

Inside linebacker Corwin Hammond (Louisville, Ky.) snared the first two interceptions of his career and returned one for a score for the Spartans (3-6, 2-4 MEAC), who won at Howard (1-7, 0-5) for the first time since 1983.

The Spartans scored on offense, defense and special teams en route to a 35-6 halftime lead.

NSU jumped on top 7-0 on its second possession. The Spartans marched 65 yards in 12 plays, with Dennis Brown (Miami, Fla.) scoring on a 3-yard scramble on third-and-goal. It was Brown's fourth rushing touchdown of the season.

The Spartans went ahead 14-0 on Brown's sixth TD throw of the year, a 9-yarder to Jamar Johnson (Norfolk, Va.) with 10:33 left in the half. Johnson snared the fade pass out of the air for his third score of the year.
 
On the third play of Howard's next drive, Hammond stepped in front of a Floyd Haigler pass and ran it back 62 yards for the Spartans' second defensive touchdown of the season and a 21-0 NSU lead.

A career-long 52-yard punt return by Dario Walker (Ettrick, Va.) set up NSU's next touchdown. The three-play, 15-yard scoring drive was capped by a 7-yard touchdown run by Branche, and the extra point by Justin Castellat (Virginia Beach, Va.) put the Spartans up 28-0 with 5:01 left before the half.

Howard drew within 28-6 on Ramon McElrathbey's 24-yard TD run with 1:19 left in the half. But Fluker-Berry returned the ensuing kickoff 84 yards for a score, giving the Spartans a 35-6 lead going into the half.

Fluker-Berry wasn't done, returning a third-quarter punt 50 yards for another TD. The sophomore transfer from West Virginia fielded the punt near his left sideline, reversed field and tried to turn the corner around the right side. He was hemmed in after about a 5-yard gain, but broke the tackle of at least three Bison and cut back to the left side of the field, diving into the end zone for his second score of the day.

Howard answered with a 48-yard TD pass from Haigler to Brandon Sherman on the next possession, bringing the Bison within 42-12. The two-point try failed.

Branche scored his second touchdown of the day on a 5-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter, putting NSU ahead 49-12.

Dennis Marsh (Greensboro, N.C.) and Terrell Whitehead (Virginia Beach, Va.) led the NSU defense with six tackles apiece. Whitehead also snagged his third interception of the year on the goal line to end one second-half Howard drive. It was his second interception in as many weeks.

NSU returns home for the next two games. The Spartans host Morgan State at 1 p.m. next Saturday.

NOTES

  • Fluker-Berry's kickoff return TD was the first for NSU since Anthony Owens' 88-yarder against Florida A&M in 2002
  • This is believed to be the first time in school history one NSU player has had both a kickoff and punt return for TD in the same game.
  • The Spartans did not commit a turnover, their first giveaway-free game since beating North Carolina A&T on Sept. 13.
  • NSU improved to 2-9 all-time at Howard.
  • The Spartans snapped a six-game road losing streak dating to their 24-16 win at Morgan State last Nov. 3.

     

    • Print Friendly Version