Box Score

MURFREESBORO, NC – The Chowan University defense held CIAA rushing leader and reigning HSRN National Player of the Week Daronte McNeill to just 93 yards rushing, but could not overcome five turnovers as the Hawks fell to Elizabeth City State University 26-9 on Saturday.
 
Chowan falls to 2-7 on the season and 1-5 in CIAA play.  Elizabeth City State, who will represent the CIAA North in the conference championship game, has now won seven straight games and owns a 7-2 record (5-1 in CIAA).
 
McNeill rushed the ball 32 times for just a 2.9 per carry average, but found the end zone twice.  He came into the game averaging 144.5 yards rushing per contest.
 
The Chowan offense could not support their stingy defense, however, giving away three interceptions and two fumbles.  Hawks quarterback Cameron Stover was also sacked eight times.
 
The Vikings did not wait long to showcase McNeill, and get on the board.  Their opening drive started at their own 49 yard line, and McNeill carried the ball on four of the Vikings' seven plays, gaining 27 yards.  3:04 into the game, ECSU took a 6-0 lead, following a Kevin Swain 24 yard touchdown run.
 
Elizabeth City State went on another effective drive midway through the opening period, but missed a 40 yard field goal attempt.  On Chowan's first play of their ensuing drive, however, Orlando Barrow forced an Antjuan Randall fumble and ECSU regained possession on the CU 13 yard line.
 
McNeill only needed two rushes to find the end zone from there, giving the Vikings a 13-0 lead with 3:34 on the first quarter clock. At that point, he had totaled 70 rushing yards.
 
He would gain only 23 more the remainder of the game.
 
The Hawks responded late in the first quarter and early in the second with a 12 play, 50 yard drive that encompassed three minutes and 47 seconds.  Stover threw for 39 of those yards, and Ryan Murphy nailed his sixth field goal of the season to cut the Chowan deficit to 13-3.
 
Neither offense could get much going in the second quarter as six of the seven remaining drives resulted in a punt.  The other drive was right before the half expired, when ECSU ran out the clock.
 
Elizabeth City outgained the Hawks in the first half, 202 to 66, but only held a ten point advantage. 
 
The Vikings began the second half much like the first – with a long touchdown drive.  ECSU signal caller Dominic Strand completed three of four passes on the drive for 42 yards, setting up a McNeill two yard touchdown run to bring the score to 20-3.  Strand would finish the day going 11 of 21 through the air for 150 yards.
 
Both defenses again buckled down for the remainder of the third quarter.  McNeill managed only 13 rushing yards in the quarter, despite scoring his second touchdown.  After the Vikings scored, they did not gain another first down until the midway point of the fourth quarter.
 
The Hawks' offense did not fare much better, though.  Stover threw his first pick of the game as Chowan was driving into Viking territory midway through the third quarter.  Late in the period, the Hawks had a fourth down from the ECSU 18 yard line, but could not convert.
 
The Vikings' first drive of the fourth quarter was halted when Anthony Session forced a fumble and recovered the ball at the ECSU 40 yard line.  Session had a stellar game on defense, recording 12.5 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss to go along with his forced fumble.
 
The momentum shift was short-lived, though, when ECSU's Brandon Smith scooped up a Stover fumble and returned it 56 yards for a score.  With 9:52 remaining in the game, the Vikings opened up a 26-3 lead.
 
Stover would throw his third interception of the game at the 3:19 mark, but the Hawks defense forced a punt to give the ball right back to Stover's offense.  Stover then capped the ensuing drive with a five yard scamper to find the end zone with 28 seconds remaining.  The extra point attempt was no good, leading to the 26-9 final score.
 
Stover finished the day completing 14 of 41 passes for 195 yards.  JR Williams led the Hawks ground game with 32 yards on 16 carries.  Jason Ampy totaled 10.5 tackles and Patrick Charles notched seven.
 
Hawks wide receiver Robert Holland surpassed the 200 reception mark for his career, hauling in six catches for 96 yards.  Holland entered today's action leading the CIAA with 84.9 receiving yards per game.
 
Despite a less-than-normal day from McNeill, the Vikings outgained Chowan on the ground 137 to 11.  The Hawks threw for 195 yards, though, to just 150 for Elizabeth City State.
 
Chowan will wrap up the 2011 season next Saturday when they travel to Bowie State University to face the Bulldogs.  Kickoff is set for 1:00pm.