SALEM, VA. – In the first CIAA Football Championship appearance, the Chowan Football team came up just short as Fayetteville State connected on a 44-yard field goal as time expired to hand the Hawks a 31-28 loss.

THE BASICS

FINAL | Chowan 28, Fayetteville State 31

RECORDS | Chowan 7-4, Fayetteville State 9-2

LOCATION | Salem, Va. (Salem Stadium)

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

Rashad McKee led the offense with 266 yards passing on 23-31.  McKee picked up 36 yards on the ground and one touchdown.  McKee was named Food Lion's CIAA Runner-Up MVP.

Nijere Peoples collected 65 yards rushing and three touchdowns.  Demetrius Moore hauled in six catches for 98 yards, while Malik Tobias added five catches for 98 yards.

Burnico Perofeta led the defense with six tackles.  Kmare Carey picked off a pass, his sixth of the year to break the school record.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Quarter:

After a fourth-down stop by the Chowan defense, the Hawks handed the ball back to Fayetteville State on a failed trick play allowing the Broncos to recover the ball on the CU 15.  FSU promptly scored on the next play to lead 7-0.

Rashad McKee opened up the next drive with a 20-yard completion to Laurence King before scampering for another first-down.  A dropped pass and a sack ended the drive for the Hawks.

Chowan's defense would force a punt on the next possession as a tackle for loss by Gabriel Colborn and a dropped pass stalled the drive for the Broncos.

Demetrius Moore moved the chains on the first play of the drive with a 22-yard reception.  Moore would collect another first down reception to move the ball to the FSU 11.  Nijere Peoples powers in from 11-yards out to even the score at 7-all.

Fayetteville State used a 71-yard kick return to set up their next touchdown drive.  The Broncos found the endzone on the next play to take a 14-7 advantage.

Rashad McKee would connect again with Demetrius Moore on a pair of completions.  Malik Tobias would climb the ladder for a 43-yard completion.  McKee found Tyrek McNeil on an option route to put the Hawks in the redzone.  McKee would find the endzone on the keeper from five yards out to even the score at 14-all before the end of the quarter.

Second Quarter:

Fayetteville State would punt on their next drive as Cameron Rampersaud picked up a tackle for loss to stall the drive.

Rashad McKee opened up the drive from the CU 11 with three first down runs.  Laurence King picked up a first down on a six-yard screen.  EJ Gatling picked up a first down catch to move the ball to the FSU 32.  Gatling picked up another first down on the end-around.  King hauled in a third-down reception before Nijere Peoples powered in on fourth-down to cap off the 14-play 89-yard drive that took 12:40 off the clock to lead 21-14.

Kyle Lotz would recover the onside kick to give the Hawks the ball at the FSU 45.  A delay of game and a false start hindered the Hawks and forced a punt.

Gabriel Colborn would pick up a sack on second down and force an intentional grounding that would end in a punt for the Broncos.

After the punt, Tyrek McNeil moved the ball to midfield with a first-down run.  Malik Tobias picked up a first down on a tunnel screen to move the ball to the FSU 25 with just over a minute remaining in the half.  The drive would end on an over thrown pass that was intercepted at the FSU 9.

Fayetteville State benefitted from a pass interference and a 28-yard reception to move to midfield.  Chowan's defense would force a negative play on the pressure up the middle.  An errant pass and a false start pushed the Broncos behind the chains.  A swarming defense forced a punt at the end of the half.

Third Quarter:

Chowan received the opening kick-off of the half.  Demetrius Moore picked up a first down reception before Rashad McKee picked up a first down on third down along with a personal foul penalty put the Hawks at the FSU 29.  Shavon Harkless hauled in an eight-yard pass to set-up another first down.  A pair of negative plays and a sack ended the drive for the Hawks.  The punt by Patric Talbot would be downed at the FSU 14.

The Hawks' defense forced a punt after a dropped pass on third down ended the drive.  Chowan started their next drive at their own 31-yard line.  The Hawks would pick up a first down before a punt by Patric Talbot.

Fayetteville State would strike on a 54-yard touchdown pass to even the score at 21-all with less than a minute in the quarter.

Fourth Quarter:

Malik Tobias picked up a first down with a reception on third down before the Hawks were forced to punt.  After a long pass play, Simeon Burns denied a pair of passes before Kmare Carey picked off the pass to set the Hawks up at their own 31.

On the opening play of the drive, Malik Tobias hauled in a pass for 23 yards to start the drive.  A personal foul call after the play put the ball into Broncos' territory at the FSU 27.  Tyrek McNeil scampered for a first down.  Rashad McKee powered up the middle to put the ball at the one-yard line.  Nijere Peoples powered his way to put the Hawks up 28-21 with 7:35 remaining.

Fayetteville State used a pair of passes to move the ball into the redzone.  The Broncos capped off the drive on the ground to even the score at 28-all with 4:51 remaining.

Chowan would start their next drive at their own 10.  Rashad McKee found Jordaan Bailey to move the chains.  The Hawks were forced to punt and gave the Broncos the ball at midfield with just over two minutes to play.

Fayetteville Stats moved the ball to the CU 26 before the Broncos connected on a 44-yard field goal for the win.