SHEPHERSDTOWN, W.Va. -- Shepherd University held off Bowie State for a 14-0 win in the home opener for the Rams in football action Ram Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Both teams combined for only 280 yards of total offense as the game was played a constant downpour .

 

Shepherd took 7-0 lead with 10:29 left in the first quarter when senior quarterback Tyler Lazear (Bethesda, MD/Walt Whitman) found senior tight end Ryan Lavin (Centreville, VA/Westfield) in the back of the end zone for an eight-yard scoring pass to cap a seven-play, 53-yard drive. Freshman kicker Eric Dobratz (Woodbridge, VA/Potomac) added the extra point.

 

Both defenses dominated play with the Bulldogs limiting Shepherd to only 69 rushing yards, while the Rams held Bowie State to 64 yards on the ground.

 

Shepherd finally sealed the win with 6:37 left in the fourth quarter when and redshirt-freshman running A.J. Brown (Dunkirk, MD/Northern) dashed into the end zone from 10 yards out after the Rams took possession at the Bowie State 10 yard-line after an errant snap on a would-be punt by the Bulldogs. Junior free safety Layton Hersh (Taneytown, MD/Francis Scott Key) tackled Bowie State punter Michael Gagne after the bad snap.

 

Lazear completed 10-of-21 passes for 88 yards and a score for the Rams, while Jason Scott connected on 12-of-33 passes for 59 yards for Bowie State.

 

Sophomore running back Jimmy Sutch (Hagerstown, MD/St. James) led the Ram rushing attack with 77 yards on 23 carries. Brown added 37 yards on eight carries.

 

Isaac Redman rushed for 71 yards on 14 carries to pace the Bulldogs.

 

Sterling Grant-Jones recorded a game-high 11 tackles with six solos and a pair of tackles-for-loss to pace the Bulldog defense. Matthew Rogers added seven stops with fours solos.

 

Senior linebacker Jacquez Taylor (Gaithersburg, MD/Quince Orchard) led the Rams with eight tackles, including four solos and three tackles-for-loss. Senior linebacker Louis Corum (Manassas, VA/Westfield) added seven stops.

 

The Shepherd secondary got key interceptions from sophomore cornerback Deante Steele (Woodbridge, VA/Potomac) and senior cornerback Taros Harris (Chesapeake Beach, MD/Calvert).

 

Shepherd, ranked 13th in the latest AFCA Division II Poll,  improves to 2-0, while Bowie State drops to 1-1. The Rams return to action next Saturday when they host Glenville State for Military Appreciation Day. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.