Lincoln almost got ’em. Virginia Union almost got ’em. St. Augustine’s, Livingstone, Johnson C. Smith and Shaw also almost got ’em.
But the reality is, for those trying to dethrone Fayetteville State as kings of the CIAA Southern Division, no one actually got ’em.
Close may count in horseshoes, but it doesn’t in the race for division titles in college football.
Fayetteville State won for the seventh straight time in conference action Saturday, scoring on 60-yard pass from Joe Owens Jr. to Nigel Fitzgerald with 20 seconds left to beat Shaw 21-14. The result gives the Broncos (7-2, 7-0 CIAA) yet another Southern Division crown and locks up a sixth-consecutive trip to play in the league championship game in two weeks.
Like opponents before them, Shaw (2-7, 2-5 CIAA) gave Fayetteville State everything it could handle. The Bears rallied from an early 14-0 deficit and got an improbable final possession to tie the game, recovering a fumble at its own 41 with 3:26 to play.
The Bears cashed in the possession when Ah’shaan Belcher hauled in a 27-yard pass in the back of the end zone from Navian Hillard with 1:08 remaining. The PAT tied the game 14-14, and overtime seemed likely.
But FSU has made it a habit this season of coming up with clutch plays down the stretch to stave off defeat. There have been two game-winning field goals in the final seconds. And late defensive stands. Six of the Broncos’ seven conference wins have come by a touchdown or less. The lone “blowout” was a 28-18 triumph over Bluefield State.
Fayetteville State got the ball back at its own 21 following Shaw’s tying TD. Owens completed a 26-yard pass to Marquan Williams. But holding backed them up 10 yards on the next play. Owens kept for a three-yard gain, and the Broncos called timeout with 32 seconds on the clock, the ball at their own 40.
Coach Richard Hayes and company dialed up a pass play, and Fitzgerald had one-on-one coverage over the middle. The grad student from Greensboro (Dudley) outleaped the defensive back to make the catch around the 15-yard line. He spun and raced to the end zone untouched.
Ho hum, another CIAA South title in the books.
“I wouldn’t say the play was for me, it was a shot play and thank God Joe found me,” Fitzgerald told FSUBroncos.com after the game. “(I was glad) I could make the play for the team so we’re going to the next game with a victory.”
Fayetteville scored its first two touchdowns early in the game. Julian Miligan found the end zone on a one-yard plunge midway through the first quarter, while Derrick Alston Jr. scored from three yards out with 10:51 to play before half, capping a 94-yard drive.
Credit Shaw for not folding after falling behind a couple scores to one of the top defenses in the league. Jatoine Fields capped a 78-yard series later in the second quarter with a 13-yard TD run. Shaw had another fourth-quarter TD wiped off the board due to a penalty, eventually turning it over on downs.
But the Bears defense stripped the ball out of FSU hands on the ensuing possession to set up their eventually game-tying score.
Fayetteville State ranked 11th in the CIAA in scoring and total offense going into Saturday’s game. The Broncos posted impressive offensive numbers to counter that trend, finishing with 410 total yards, including 280 through the air (all from Owens on 23 completions).
FSU’s season finale will be next Saturday against visiting Winston-Salem State. The CIAA championship game will return to Salem, Virginia, on Nov. 11. The Broncos beat Chowan on a last-second field goal to win last year’s CIAS title – a theme of nail-biting finishes that has continued into this season.
Read more about Fayetteville State’s victory at FSUBroncos.com HERE.
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