Box Score SAVANNAH, Ga. - North Carolina Central University scored 28 points in the third quarter and held on to beat Savannah State University, 45-33, in both teams' Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener Saturday night at T.A. Wright Stadium.
 
Following a bye week, SSU (0-3, 0-1) wasted no time attacking NCCU (2-2, 1-0). An orange-clad crowd of 3,415, dressed that way for an “Orange Out,” saw the Tigers score on their first offensive play of the game. Quarterback Antonio Bostick threw an 82-yard touchdown pass to Simon Heyward, and Preston McCarthy kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 14:55 left in the first quarter.
 
“We were running that play all week to get me the ball,” said Heyward, who made seven catches for a single-game school-record 220 yards and a touchdown. Heyward broke the SSU record previously held by Clyde Tullis, who had 162 yards receiving against Central State of Ohio on Oct. 29, 2005.
 
“I didn't know I was going to score on the first play but I knew I was going to get a good chunk of yardage,” said Heyward, a graduate of Savannah's Beach High School. “When I saw the (middle linebacker) blitz, and there wasn't anybody in the middle, I caught it, looked up and didn't see anybody in the secondary so I just outran them.”
 
Bostick's 15-yard touchdown run and McCarthy's extra-point kick with 7:47 left before halftime gave SSU a 14-3 lead. The 12-play drive covered 80 yards and took 5:55 to complete.
 
NCCU cut the score to 14-10 with 55 seconds left before halftime when Andre Clarke ran for a 12-yard touchdown and Oleg Parent kicked the extra point.
 
SSU led, 14-10, at halftime but NCCU pulled away in the third quarter. The Eagles, who lost to the Tigers last season and in 2010, gained 545 total yards on 82 plays, their most since producing 589 total yards against Edward Waters on Aug. 27, 2005.
 
NCCU quarterback Jordan Reid threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Poole and Parent kicked the extra point to cap a seven-play, 62-yard drive that gave the Eagles their first lead of the game, 17-14, with 12:58 left in the third quarter.
 
SSU responded two plays later when Bostick completed a pass to Heyward for a 73-yard gain to NCCU's 2-yard line. On the next play, Bostick ran for a 2-yard touchdown. McCarthy's kick for the extra point was blocked and the Tigers settled for a 20-17 lead with 12:28 left in the third quarter.
 
But NCCU scored three consecutive touchdowns to end the third quarter and scored the first touchdown of the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
 
“You've got to give credit to (NCCU) Coach (Henry) Frazier and his staff for putting together a plan at halftime to go take care of business,” SSU head coach Steve Davenport said.
 
With 9:28 left in the third quarter, NCCU's Clarke ran for a 10-yard touchdown to cap an eight-play, 67-yard drive. Parent kicked the extra point and the Eagles regained the lead, 24-20.
 
NCCU made the score 31-20 with 7:10 left in the third quarter when Arthur Goforth returned a punt for a 57-yard touchdown. Parent kicked the extra point.
 
“They kind of wore us down,” Davenport said. “Obviously, special teams, we've got to put a little bit more attention on special teams. We got killed tonight in that category.”
 
The Eagles made it 38-20 with 4:40 left in the third quarter when Reid connected with Decona Roberts for a 26-yard touchdown and Parent kicked the extra point.
 
In the fourth quarter, Reid's 20-yard touchdown pass to Poole, and Parent's extra-point kick, gave NCCU a 45-20 lead with 14:05 to play in the game. The eight-play drive covered 50 yards and chewed 3:48 off the game clock.
 
SSU cut the score to 45-27 when Bostick threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Kris Drummond and McCarthy kicked the extra point with 12:18 to play.
 
SSU's Sheldon Barnes ran for a 2-yard touchdown to cut the score to 45-33 with 2:58 remaining. A two-point conversion pass failed. Barnes finished with 30 yards on 13 carries.
 
NCCU's Reid finished 22-of-34 passing for 241 yards and three touchdowns. He did not throw an interception. Poole made seven catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Clark ran 12 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
 
SSU's Bostick was 15-of-35 passing for 332 yards and two touchdowns. Bostick ran 12 times for 74 yards and two touchdowns. He threw two interceptions.
 
“This is one game,” Bostick said. “We've got to keep moving. Tomorrow, we have the opportunity to get better, starting with weightlifting and running and everything. Our guys just have to regroup and get ready for Howard next week.”
 
SSU will play Howard at 1 p.m. Saturday in Washington, D.C.
 
“It's a good rivalry, two teams that entered the MEAC together and are relatively close,” Davenport said of NCCU. “We had success against them last year and they came down and won the game this year. I hope it builds into a budding rivalry.”
 
Before kickoff, SSU's players and coaches entered the field by running out from underneath a new inflatable orange SSU helmet. The Tigers wore new white helmets, new orange jerseys with white shoulders, and new orange pants for the first time. The helmets feature the SSU letters and the Tiger logo on both sides, and an orange stripe between two blue stripes that run from the front across the top to the back.