Howard Football Gets Off To Quick Start, But Eagles Too Much

WASHINGTON (November 13, 2021) – Howard University got off to a good start, scoring on a rare takeaway and again on its subsequent possession, but a 10-point swing proved to be the difference as the Bison fell to North Carolina Central University (NCCU), 45-27, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) matchup at William H. Greene Stadium before 4,597 fans.

Howard (2-8, 1-4 in the MEAC) dropped its fourth straight while the streaking Eagles improved to 5-5 on the season (3-1 in the MEAC).

Howard, who has played from behind for most of the season, capitalized off a NCCU turnover on its first possession. It took just three plays to cap off the short drive with junior quarterback Quinton Williams (Upper Marlboro, Md.) taking it in from four yards out, 7-0.

The Eagles answered with five-play, 76-yards that took just 2:21 off the clock as quarterback Davius Richard matched Williams’s four-yard run, 7-7.

Howard countered with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that lasted four minutes and was culminated by an Ian Wheeler (Houston) sweep from eight yards out, 14-7.

NCCU was able to display its ability to score of late, going on an 81-yard drive with Richard scoring a yard out, 14-14.

The Eagles begin to roll from there when they took the lead for good as Jorden Freeman scampered 23 yards. NCCU would later add an Adrian Olivo 24-yard field goal to close out the half, leading 24-14.

“We did some good things early,” said Howard head coach Larry Scott of the team’s early start. “They were not stopping us. But then, they match us offensively and began to put together scoring drives. That swing just before the half set the whole thing in motion. That was probably a critical point in the game.”

While the Bison sputtered on offense, the Eagles embarked on a drive that was capped off by Isaiah Totten’s one-yard dive on its first possession of the third quarter to increase the margin to 31-14.

Howard was able to answer briefly on Wheeler’s second TD run, this time from two yards, 31-20, but the Eagles dismissed any hopes of a comeback with back-to-back TD runs of one and 51 yards six minutes apart, 45-20.

Senior wideout Antoine Murray (Miramar, Fla.) closed out the scoring for Howard on 19-yard TD pass from Williams.

The Bison had problems all day with the Eagles offense, which racked up over 500 yards of totals offense.

“When you have as many players get injured as we did today, especially on the defensive side, it becomes a factor when players have to come in and play,” Scott said. “As a young team, you have to get to the next-man-up mentality. This is just a part of the chapter of what we are building in this program. We just have to take the lumps along the way.”

The Bison close out the season next Saturday (Nov. 20) against Virginia-Lynchburg at Greene Stadium. Kickoff at 1 p.m.

The senior members will be acknowledged in the pre-game, beginning approximately at 12:30 p.m.

“We are going to acknowledge the seniors on this team,” Scott acknowledged. “They have been through a lot (some have played under three different coaching staffs). We want to honor them and then finish on the right note.”

BISON HOOVES: Williams recovered from a concussion that he suffered in last week’s game at South Carolina State (Nov. 6) by completing 21-of-31 for 313 yards and a TD while also adding 28 yards rushing … Jarett Hunter (Mineral, Va.) carried the ball 15 times for 68 yards while also grabbing six passes for 81 yards…After having only two takeaways all season, the Bison were able to match that total with two fumble recoveries.

Written by Ed Hill, Jr., retired Howard University Sports Information Director

About Howard Athletics

The Howard University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors 21 NCAA Division I men and women varsity sports. The programs represent five conferences: the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Northeast Conference (NEC), Sun Belt Conference (SBC), Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Conference.

For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.