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BALTIMORE, Md. – Running back DeAngelo Branche (Norfolk, Va.) rushed for a season-high 145 yards and scored a touchdown rushing and receiving as Norfolk State defeated Morgan State 31-23 on Saturday evening at Hughes Stadium.
The win gives the Spartans (5-4, 4-3 MEAC) their first two-game winning streak of the season, while the Bears (5-4, 3-3) have lost three straight.
Quarterback Dennis Brown (Miami, Fla.) completed 14-of-21 passes for 215 yards and two scores, and safety Josh Anderson (Chesapeake, Va.) scored the first defensive touchdown of his career on a 62-yard interception return in the first quarter to help NSU win for the third straight time over the Bears, and third straight time in Baltimore.
There were four lead changes in the first half as both teams moved the ball at will. Morgan State’s Domanick West capped a nine-play, 67-yard game-opening drive with a 3-yard touchdown run with 10:37 left in the first quarter. The Bears converted a 3rd-and-16 in NSU territory to set up the scoring run.
The Bears were driving in NSU territory on their next drive. But Anderson intercepted a third-down pass from Carlton Jackson and returned it 62 yards for the game-tying touchdown. It was Anderson’s first career interception and the first defensive score of the year for the Spartans.
Kemar Scarlett put the Bears on top with a 34-yard field goal with 12:44 left in the first half. The kick capped a 14-play, 33-yard drive.
NSU re-gained the lead on a 33-yard TD pass from Brown to Chris Bell (Norfolk, Va.) on 4th-and-16 with 7:10 left in the second quarter. The pass came following a sack of Brown which appeared to stall the drive. It was Bell’s 10th TD grab of the season.
Then it was the Bears’ turn. They took a 17-14 edge on West’s second TD of the day, a 1-yarder with 4:25 left in the half.
But Branche finished off a five-play, 80-yard drive with his seventh rushing touchdown of the year, a 2-yarder with 2:13 remaining in the half. Brown had completions of 58 yards to P.J. Hayden (Fredericksburg, Va.) and 21 yards to Bell on the scoring march.
Scarlett capped the first-half scoring with a 38-yard field goal on the last play of the half. MSU had 243 yards of offense in the first half and held the ball for 21 minutes, 40 seconds out of a possible 30 minutes.
But the Spartans kept their offensive momentum going to start the third quarter. They took the kickoff and promptly marched 85 yards in seven plays, taking 3:46 off the clock. Branche scored his second TD of the day on a 16-yard screen pass from Brown, and the point after gave NSU a 28-20 lead. It was Branche’s first career receiving touchdown.
Scarlett brought the Bears within 28-23 on a 52-yard field goal with 8:14 left in the third quarter. But Justin Castellat (Virginia Beach, Va.) extended NSU’s lead back to eight, 31-23, early in the fourth quarter.
After the MSU drive that culminated in Scarlett’s field goal, the NSU defense forced the Bears to punt on their final three possessions of the game. Meanwhile, the NSU offense was able to run out the clock behind Branche. The Spartans took over at their own 1-yard line with 4:07 remaining and ran out the rest of the clock. Branche carried seven times on the drive before Brown took a knee on the last play of the game.
NSU ended the game with a 379-300 edge in total offense after limiting the Bears to 57 second-half yards. Corwin Hammond (Louisville, Ky.) paced the Spartans with a career-high 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and three QB pressures.
Hayden had his first career 100-yard game, with five receptions for 109 yards. Bell had six for 83 yards.
The Spartans look to extend their win streak to three at Delaware State next Saturday. Kickoff is 1 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.