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NORFOLK, Va. – Howard's Julien David blocked the potential game-tying extra point in overtime, helping the Bison escape with a 37-36 win over Norfolk State on Saturday afternoon at Dick Price Stadium.
The 22nd-ranked Spartans (2-1, 0-1 MEAC) spotted Howard (2-1, 1-0) a 23-0 lead in the second half only to mount a furious rally on force overtime on a 38-yard Everett Goldberg field goal which knotted the score at 30 all with five seconds left in regulation. Howard received the ball to start the overtime and needed just three plays to score, with quarterback Greg McGhee plunging in from 2 yards out. Parker Munoz's extra point gave the Bison a 37-30 lead.
NSU then had its chance in overtime, and scored in six plays. A pass interference penalty on Howard kept the drive alive, and freshman Brendon Riddick scored on a 4-yard run to cut the Howard deficit to 37-36. But on the extra point, the Bison had several players time the kick perfectly, with David getting an outstretched hand on the ball to send the Spartans to defeat.
Howard controlled the first two and a half quarters behind a strong running attack and a defense which kept the Spartans out of sync. The Bison scored on the game's first drive when Randy Liggins capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a 31-yard TD pass to Brandon Flanagan.
The Bison got excellent field position on their next drive and marched 50 yards in eight plays for another score. Liggins kept the drive alive with a 16-yard completion to Matthew Colvin on 4th-and-6. Aquanius Freeman ended the drive with a 13-yard TD run, giving Howard a 13-0 edge with 7:51 left in the first quarter.
The Bison scored again on the second play of the second quarter. Justin Duncan finished off an eight-play, 58-yard march with a 2-yard TD run to make it 20-0.
NSU didn't get its initial first down until the midway point of the second quarter. The Spartans only scoring chance in the half was thwarted when Goldberg had his 48-yard field goal blocked by Ibrahima Kebe with 40 seconds left before halftime.
The Bison outgained NSU 214-84 in total offense and 15-4 in first downs in the opening half.
Howard extended its lead to 23-0 on Munoz's 40-yard field goal with 7:32 left in the third quarter.
The Spartans finally got on the board less than three minutes later as quarterback Nico Flores finished off a 62-yard drive with a 12-yard TD pass to Riddick. Flores' first career TD pass and Riddick's first career TD reception started a string of four straight drives in which the Spartans found the end zone.
Howard quickly reclaimed the momentum on the ensuing kickoff as Rodney Tyson caught Goldberg's kick three yards deep in the end zone and weaved his way up field for a 100-yard touchdown return. The extra point made it 30-7 in Howard's favor with 4:34 left in the third.
But Flores had the hot hand, and the Spartans kept coming. Flores threw scoring strikes of 12 yards to Xavier Boyce in the third quarter and of 19 to Derrick Demps and 16 to Joseph Hawkins in the fourth to get NSU within 30-27.
The Spartan defense again held the Bison and forced a punt. Flores then moved NSU 61 yards in 13 plays, which included a 4th-and-10 completion to Demps to keep the drive alive. With the clock winding down, the Spartans settled for a field goal try, and Goldberg drilled it to tie the game at 30-all.
But the Bison came up with the biggest play at the end. In all, the Bison blocked three Spartan kicks Saturday, one each on a punt, field goal and extra point. NSU has had six kicks blocked through the season's first three games, including three extra points.
The loss overshadowed a remarkable effort from Flores. The junior passed for 327 of his career-high 387 yards in the second half. He completed 30-of-48 passes on the night, tossing four touchdowns and no interceptions. The last NSU quarterback to pass for more yards in a game was Dontrell Leonard, who threw for 439 at Morgan State on Nov. 22, 2003.
Flores also paced the Spartans with 36 rushing yards to give him 423 yards of total offense.
Five Spartans had at least five receptions, led by Boyce with seven for 70 yards. Demps had five grabs for a career-high 123 yards. Riddick caught six balls for 56 yards, Reggie Garrett caught six passes for 47 yards, and Hawkins had five grabs for 78 yards.
Terrence Lefall led Howard with 31 rushes for 122 yards. McGhee had 63 yards rushing and passed for 46.
The Spartans play their final non-conference game next week at Ohio University. Kickoff is 2 p.m. in Athens, Ohio.
