Broncos Seize Control of the CIAA South In The Rain, With Victory Over Shaw
RALEIGH, NC – It was a rainy, windy Saturday afternoon, where both the Fayetteville State Broncos and Shaw Bears had a classic defensive battle reminiscent of football from yesteryear.
However, Redshirt Junior Kicker Elton Andrew (Salemburg, NC) from Fayetteville State (3-0 CIAA, 4-1 overall) stole the show as he drilled a game-winning 43-yard field goal with 47 seconds to go, as the Broncos seized control of the CIAA South, by defeating fellow CIAA division foe, Shaw Bears (2-1 CIAA, 3-3 overall) in a vital conference matchup, by the score of 15-12.
Broncos Head Coach Richard Hayes was enthusiastic about the victory. He commented, “We’re very excited about the victory. Whenever we face Shaw University, we know it’ll be a tough game. We had a little adversity starting the game where the weather conditions weren’t the best. We fought hard and earned the victory.” He added, “The defense was outstanding and we didn’t break. The offense finally got clicking.” On the weather, he agreed, “It was definitely football weather. They (Shaw) played in the same weather, so it’s definitely no excuse.”
Elton Andrew, the kicker who saved the day for the Broncos, was very enthusiastic. On the victory, he explained, “It was a hard game with plenty of adversity. The rain messed us up a lot, but we ended up with the W!” He added, “We were definitely prepared to play. We’ve definitely overcome adversity and we’re really happy with the win”
Broncos Senior Runningback Johnnie Glaspie (Wallace, NC) described the victory as, “It wasn’t pretty, but we got the win.” On their first-place position, he explained, “We’re in the driver’s seat, we can’t get in our own way now!”
Graduate Defensive Lineman from Fayetteville State named Keyshawn James (Cayce, SC) also believed, “It was perseverance. They (Shaw) fought us though throughout the whole game, thanks to the weather conditions. We stuck it through and played hard.”
The Broncos amassed only 283 yards of offense to Shaw’s 136 yards. Fayetteville State outgained Shaw 184-115 in rushing yards. Both were abysmal in third-down conversions, where the Broncos were 1-for-12, while Shaw was 2-for-14.
Next week, the Fayetteville State Broncos will host Johnson C. Smith (0-3 CIAA, 0-5 overall), in a CIAA South Division battle, for their homecoming at Luther Nick Geralds Stadium, on their campus, at 2 PM. On the other hand, Shaw looks to move on from this loss, by traveling to Salisbury, NC, to face Livingstone College (0-2 CIAA, 0-5 overall) in another CIAA South Division matchup.
Shaw will return home for homecoming on Saturday, October 23rd, at 1 PM, against Johnson C. Smith. This time, the game will be on the campus of Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School. They will return to the George Williams Athletic Complex on October 30th, facing Winston-Salem State.