RALEIGH, N.C. (Oct. 23) – The Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) football team keeps getting better each week.
The youthful and talented Falcons took the fight to three-time CIAA Southern Division champion Fayetteville State, even leading twice against the Broncos.
The Broncos eventually won 40-12 at the George Williams Athletic Complex Saturday but not before gaining respect for a game Falcons team with 59 freshmen on the roster.
Two freshmen, in particular, played outstanding games for SAU. Deandre Proctor (Elizabeth City, NC) and Keasean Williams (Clinton, NC) ignited the Falcons to leads of 6-0 and 12-10 in the early going. The leads were significant because it was the first time the Falcons had scored first and the first time they led in a game this season.
Proctor, a gifted wide receiver who moved to quarterback this week, was exceptional in his first game. He threw for 164 yards and rushed for a team-high 64 yards in his first-ever collegiate start at quarterback.
After the Falcons recovered a muff on a punt return, Proctor directed a 7-play, 76-yard drive capped by a 24-yard touchdown pass to Williams, whose 6-foot-3 frame allowed him to snag the ball in the air. The key play in the drive was Proctor’s 46-yard run.
The touchdown catch was the beginning of an outstanding game for Williams, who finished with six catches for a game-high 101 yards, including a 50-yard catch from Proctor.
The Broncos struck back on a two-point interception return on the Falcons’ conversion attempt and a short touchdown run for a 10-6 lead, but the Falcons weren’t through.
Looking more like a cool veteran than a first-year player, Proctor calmly led a 15-play, 84-yard drive resulting in his three-yard run for a score. His touchdown pushed the Falcons ahead 12-10 in the second quarter.
The key plays in the drive were a 33-yard pass from Proctor to Charles Crump (Fr./Monroe NC) and a 22-yard run by Jordan Black (Fr./Monroe, NC).
The tide turned when the Broncos scored two touchdowns in the final 1:24 of the first half. The Broncos (5-0 CIAA, 6-1 overall) opened the third quarter with a scoring drive for a 31-12 lead and never looked back.
The Falcons kept competing, however. Head Coach David Bowser was proud of the way his young team battled a Broncos squad with 21 seniors on the roster.
SAU gained 356 offensive yards, a season high, and forced two turnovers against the high-powered Broncos offense. Linebacker Lee Sales (Fr./Winston-Salem, NC) collected seven tackles and defensive tackle Marcus Davis (Jr./Raleigh, NC) was active at the line of scrimmage as he recorded five tackles including one sack and one quarterback hurry. Samaj Napier (Fr./Charlotte, NC) picked off his first pass of the season.
After the contest, many FSU players hugged Coach Bowser, who was a part of three CIAA championships and seven CIAA title game appearances as an assistant coach, defensive coordinator, and associate head coach at FSU for 20 years.
Bowser was a part of something special, then.
He’s been around success long enough to know his young Falcons’ team will be special, too.
Next Saturday, the nation gets a chance to watch the Falcons (0-5 CIAA, 0-6 overall) when they take on Johnson C. Smith in Charlotte, N.C. Aspire TV will televise the CIAA Southern Division game, which begins at 1 p.m.
— Office of Sports Information
