East beats out West 26 – 21 in HBCU Bowl

Published on December 21, 2009 by AlumniUnit · No Comments

hbcubowl Florida A&M’s Leroy Vann got the first HBCU Bowl all-star game off to a fast start Saturday.

Vann returned a punt 81 yards for a first-quarter touchdown to highlight the East’s 26-21 win over the West.

“This was a great opportunity for us to show what we can do and I hope a great experience for the fans, too,” Vann said. “We showed that black colleges have talent, too.”

Vann returned five punts for touchdowns this season and holds the NCAA record for career return TDs. He returned eight punts and three kickoffs for touchdowns in his career.

“That’s just who he is,” East coach Joe Taylor of Florida A&M said. “He’s been making returns like that for the last couple years.”

East quarterback Dennis Brown of Norfolk State threw for 117 yards and a touchdown.

Lamarcus Coker of Hampton caught a 33-yard TD pass late in the second quarter to give the East a 19-14 lead. Early in the fourth quarter, Devan James of Morgan State scored on a 4-yard run to give the East a 26-14 lead.

Coker finished with a game-high 82 yards receiving on three catches.

West quarterback Tim Buckley of Alcorn State was 5 of 17 passing for 82 yards and two touchdowns.

Buckley threw a 24-yard TD pass to Achille Hendje of Morehouse. He also threw a 29-yard scoring pass to Alabama A&M’s Thomas Harris early in the fourth quarter.

The game drew attention from pro teams. All 32 NFL teams, along with several from Canadian Football League and Arena League teams, sent scouts to a Tuesday combine, for practices and Saturday’s game.

“I think this game is the start of something good,” West receiver Antonio Dejarnett said. “This put a lot of guys on the map and gets them some exposure.”

The East players represented schools in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The West team was made up of players from the Southwestern Athletic and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic conferences.

Tags: African Americans, black, black college, championship, ciaa, college, Colleges, education, football, HBCU, hbcus, siac, swac

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East beats out West 26 – 21 in HBCU Bowl

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