, Marauders take Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic with 41-21 win over Winston-Salem State

CANTON, Ohio - The Central State Marauders defeated the Winston-Salem State Rams, 41-21, in the 2022 Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, on Sunday.


SUMMARY

Sunday's game, which was shown live on the NFL Network, opened with a 81-yard kickoff return by CSU's Twon Hines. Hines later finished the drive with a seven yard touchdown reception to give the Marauders the early lead. Anthony Mack put CSU up by 14 with a 25-yard interception return for a score at the 6:26 mark of the first quarter.

WSSU broke through an a turnover as the Rams' Justin Fleming intercepted a pass and ran to the endzone with 2:37 to play in the opening quarter. The WSSU offense knotted the score up an a 90 yard scoring drive capped off with a 23 yard throow from Richard Latimore to Amos Mobley with 4:38 left in the half. 

The Marauders scored late in the half with a methodical 10 play, 60 yard drive ending with a three-yard run to the outside pylon by Kaz Dina.

CSU went back up by two scores as a Jalil Lenore fumble recovery set up the Marauder offense at the WSSU 7-yard line. After being pushed back due to a holding call, CSU quarterback Brandon Kyles completed back to back passes including a 13-yard strike to Kenyadus Hollins for the score at the 5:10 mark. WSSU responded on its next drive as Latimore connected with a streaking Mobley again for a 43-yard touchdown.

On CSU's next drive, a defensive holding call and roughing on the passer allowed by CSU to move down the field and eventually find the endzone as Aaron Kennebrew leaped over a pile of players from two-yards out.

With a 34-21 lead going into the final quarter, the Marauders took full control when a Latimore fumble was recovered by linebacker Corwyn Hurt at the WSSU 21-yard line. CSU scored on the next play as Kyles found Micah Lowe through the air to give the Marauders a 20-point lead. The Marauder defense stepped up in the final stages of the game with three sacks in the fourth quarter to stifle any chance of a WSSU comeback.

At the conclusion of the game, Central State head football coach Kevin Porter was presented with the BCHOF Championship Trophy while linebacker Jalil Lenore earned BCHOF Player of the Game honors.

 

TOP PERFORMERS

Twon Hines (CSU) - 7 receptions, 104 yards, 1 touchdown, 81-yard kickoff return
Jalil Lenore (CSU) - 12 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
Brandon Kyles (CSU) - 26 completions on 41 attempts, 277 yards, three touchdowns
Anthony Mack (CSU) - 3 tackles, 1 interception, 1 touchdown, two pass break ups

Asa Barnes (WSSU) - 107 rushing yards
RJ Mobley (WSSU) - 4 receptions, 73 yards, 2 touchdowns
Justin Fleming (WSSU) - 2 interceptions, 1 touchdown



INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

CSU recorded 40 points for the first time since Nov. 3 of 2018.


CSU recorded four total turnovers on Sunday (one interception and three fumble recoveries). The team celebrated each turnover with a sideline celebration circled around what is being called "The Turnover Glove."


CSU and Black College Football Hall of Famer Erik Williams presented the trophy to his alma mater during post-game.


Kevin Porter, who was hired to coach CSU on December 24th, 2021, earned his first victory as a Marauder.


Central State Director of Athletics Tara A. Owens celebrated her last day on the job with a victory. Owens leaves CSU for a new opportunity as the Director of Athletics at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.


Sunday's Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic is an annual event that features two teams from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In addition to the game, the event features tailgating, music and other entertainment spread out across Labor Day weekend.


Sunday was the third iteration of the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic. In 2019, Alabama A&M defeated Morehouse 35-30. In 2021, Grambling beat Tennessee State 16-10. The 2020 version of the game scheduled between Central State and Howard was not played due to COVID-19.


 

QUOTES FROM COACH KEVIN PORTER

"I am happy for our program and our fans. Tonight is one game but it is a big game for us to win on a great stage. It has been a while since Central State has won a HBCU Classic so hopefully this is a turning point for us as a University and as a football program moving forward."


"I am proud for all of our players, especially our returners who have stuck through some of the struggles to get to this point. Tonight is a big step for us as a team."


"I thought that Brandon (Kyles) showed mental toughness through some of the early turnovers. He stayed within the offense and came back to perform well in the second half. As a player who is new to our program, I am looking forward to the growth of Brandon as well as all of our new guys as we move forward this season."


"The turnover glove was originated by our director of football operations and coach Michael Ervin. I wish we could have pulled it out 15 times today and it is something that is really exciting for our kids."


"We have room for improvement and we look forward to getting back to work on Monday."