Landers, Smith Star in Shaw Win Over Chowan, 53-20

(Raleigh, NC) – Brandon Landers threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a third on the way to Shaw University’s win over Chowan University 53-20.  Defensive back Quintez Smith returned both a fumble recovery and an interception for touchdowns.

The Bears rolled up 453 yards of total offense, but only had 20:29 in time of possession on the game and had 11 fewer first downs on the evening.

Despite 165 yards of offense in the first half, the Bears appeared to sputter, struggling to mount a sustained offensive drive.  It wasn’t until the second half that they started firing on all cylinders.

“I’m proud of how they responded,” said Head Coach Darrell Asberry.  “Coming off of a tough loss (29-28 against Fayetteville State) last week, and off of a rough first half, they refocused in the second half and finally got all three phases working well.  We’re still struggling to find a rhythm in the first half.”

Shaw opened the scoring on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Travis Robinson to Julius Gregory.  Chowan got two 37-yard field goals from Cory Cline to cut the lead to one, 7-6 midway through the second quarter.

With 4:06 left in the half, Chowan quarterback C. J. Westler fumbled, and Smith scooped it up, returning it for 37 yards and a Shaw touchdown.  But, for the first time all year (34 attempts), Caleb Reid missed the PAT, leaving the score at 13-6 Shaw.

With time running out in the first half, Landers connected with Jayson Royal for 41 yards, which put the Bears deep in Hawk territory.  Three plays later, Landers completed the scoring drive with a one-yard rush into the end zone, allowing Shaw to take a 20-6 lead into the locker room.

The Bears actually had the ball for even less time in the second half (10:40 in the first, 9:49 in the second), but still managed to score 33 points, with major contributions in all three phases of the game.

The Bears opened the third quarter quickly, scoring on a 39-yard rush from Raymond Williams, with only a minute and a half gone off the clock, but struggled the rest of the quarter and were unable to find the end zone. 

Nearly ten minutes later, Chowan answered with a Westler 10-yard pass to Kevin Hodrick, bringing the score to 27-13 for the Bears.  This was only the second time all season that the Bears had allowed a team to score against them in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter the Bears scored, and scored quickly – running up 26 points while only holding the ball for 4:47.

In the opening minutes of the fourth, Tyrone Bolden blocked a Chowan punt, and Jon Huddleston returned it to the Chowan nine-yard line.  Two plays later, Williams scored his second touchdown on the night with a four-yard run.

On the next Chowan drive, Smith intercepted a Westler pass and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown, bringing the Shaw lead to 40-13. 

After Chowan failed on a fourth-down conversion, Shaw took over on their own 15 and Landers drove the Bears down the field on their only sustained drive of the game, going 85 yards in eight plays and chewing up 3:36 minutes on the clock.  His ten-yard pass to De’Andre Okonji ended the drive with a touchdown for a 47-13 score. 

On the Hawks’ next possession, Bolden again blocked the punt, and the Bears took over on the 30. Landers immediately hit Gregory on a 30-yard pass for the Bears’ final score of the evening.

Westler and Hodrick again connected, this time for 36 yards with a minute left in the game, to put the final score at 53-20.

In addition to his two touchdowns, Smith had six solo tackles, four assists and broke up a pass. The interception against Chowan brings Smith’s total to eight on the season.  He has scored six touchdowns on the year. 

“He’s been unbelievable for us,” said Asberry.  “He does things you just can’t coach.  We’re lucky to have him.”

Williams finished the night with 95 yards rushing, 28 yards on kick returns and the two touchdowns.  Gregory had 126 yards in receptions on the night. 

Landers was nine for 11 for 230 yards and two touchdowns passing.  Robinson finished the night with 101 yards on a nine for 16 night.