DETROIT — Kentucky State used explosive second-half plays to pull away from rival
Central State, earning a 34-24 victory in the Detroit Football Classic on Saturday at Ford Field.
Quarterbacks
Denim Johnson and
Torrence Bardell combined for 302 passing yards and three touchdowns, helping the Thorobreds (1-0, 1-0 SIAC) overcome a 16-10 halftime deficit.
Bardell delivered two game-changing strikes, a 77-yard touchdown to
Darius Cyprian late in the third quarter (00:24) and an 85-yard connection with
Chad Elzy Jr. early in the fourth (12:18), as Kentucky State surged ahead 27-16. Johnson added a 1-yard scoring run minutes later (9:17) to put the game out of reach.
Cyprian finished with six catches for 122 yards, while Elzy piled up 136 all-purpose yards. Johnson completed 11 of 18 passes for 107 yards, and Bardell went 6 of 8 for 195 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively,
Lawrence McConnell led Kentucky State with nine tackles, and
Elijah Henderson added an interception. The Thorobreds held Central State to just 118 passing yards and forced two turnovers.
UP NEXT
The Thorobreds will return to Frankfort and host league foe Albany State on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 2 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.