ROANOKE, Va. – For the fourth consecutive year, the Bowie State football team has been picked as the preseason favorite to win the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) crown by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors, the conference announced Wednesday in conjunction with its annual Media Day.
The Bulldogs earned 134 total points – including six of the 12 possible first place votes – to finish ahead of Fayetteville State in the preseason poll. In addition to being tabbed to repeat as league champs, four Bowie State players received CIAA preseason honors.
Redshirt-senior and defensive lineman Joshua Pryor proved to be a dynamic play maker for one of the league’s best defenses by playing in all 14 games en route to All-CIAA second team honors and AFCA second team All-American in 2021. The Baltimore, Md., native racked up 72 total tackles – including three double-digit tackle performances – while notching 20.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, a pair of fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and a block kicked.
Graduate seniors and offensive linemen Quinton Bobo (White Plains, MD) and Mark Murphy (Seat Pleasant, MD) both competed in 14 games apiece last season as anchors of the Bulldogs offense which ranked first in the CIAA for total points (385), total touchdowns (60) and extra field goal points (54). BSU’s offense compiled 4,923 yards of total offense including 2,489 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns for a conference second best.
Last season redshirt junior wide reciever Darious Bowman made an impact on special teams with his presence for the Bulldogs on his way to All-CIAA second team honors last season. The Fort Washington, Md., native appeared in 14 games while registering 19 total punt returns for a total of 293 yards, which ranked second in the CIAA.
Fayetteville State and Virginia Union round out the top-3 votes, predicting to finish second and third, respectively.
Under the leadership of interim head coach Kyle Jackson, Bowie State will open the 2022 season on Saturday, Sept. 3 when playing host to New Haven. Kickoff from Bulldog Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
2022 CIAA Preseason Football Predicted Order of Finish
1. Bowie State
2. Fayetteville State
3. Virginia Union
4. Shaw
5. Chowan
6. Virginia State
7. Winston-Salem State
8. Elizabeth City State
9. Johnson C. Smith
10. Lincoln (PA)
t-11. Livingstone
t-11. St. Augustine’s
North Division
1. Bowie State
2. Virginia Union
3. Chowan
4. Virginia State
5. Elizabeth City State
6. Lincoln (PA)
South Division
1. Fayetteville State
2. Shaw
3. Winston-Salem State
4. Johnson C. Smith
t-5. Livingstone
t-5. Saint Augustine’s
For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State University Athletics and its 13 varsity sports teams, please visit www.bsubulldogs.com. This article was written by Bowie State Athletics.
