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MURFREESBORO – Offense…defense…special teams: making all three of those intangibles work over the course of 60 minutes typically spells success in the game of football.

That gridiron recipe did indeed work for Chowan University on a sun-splashed afternoon here Saturday at James G. Garrison Stadium.

Jakobe Lane hauled in a 39-yard touchdown pass from Maurice Smith with 1:38 remaining and Chowan’s defense came up with game-saving stop at their own 5 yardline as time expired as the Hawks collected a 31-27 victory over Shorter University, erasing what was a 10-point deficit (27-17) in the fourth quarter.

“This is a defining win for the culture we’re trying to build here,” said Chowan head coach Paul Johnson after watching his team improve to 2-3 overall following an 0-2 start. “This was a total team win as our offense, defense, and special teams all made big plays today.”

Other than the late game heroics, a defensive series by Chowan prior to what proved to be the game-winning touchdown served as a spark for the home team.

Trailing 27-24, Chowan got the ball back at its own 35 following a punt with 7:34 left in the contest and mounted a drive that reached Shorter’s 14 yardline. However, Matthew Conord’s 32-yard field goal was blocked by Nakobi Spurrier. But Chowan caught a break when Shorter attempted to advance the ball and the Hawks tackled that runner at his own 5 yardline.

Chowan’s defense forced a three-and-out and Shorter was forced to punt out of its endzone. The punt was short, giving Chowan the ball at Shorter’s 39 yardline. Smith and Lane connected for what proved to be the winning score on the game’s next snap.

“That was a key stop by our defense in that situation as we were able to pin them deep in their own end and got the ball back on the plus side of the 50 with plenty of time left,” Johnson said.

Still, the Hawks had to hold on down the stretch as Shorter, following the ensuing kickoff, used six passes to drive to Chowan’s eight yardline. There, on a 2^nd down play, a pass was completed over the middle to the five yardline where Chowan defender Demarcus Carroll made the tackle as the game clock ticked to under 10 seconds. Shorter, out of timeouts at that point, failed to get off another snap and the Chowan sideline erupted in celebration.

Shorter scored first, driving 72 yards in 14 plays with their first possession of game. Charles Alia ran in from 2 yards out and despite misfiring on a two-point conversion pass, the visitors led 6-0 with 5:50 left in the first quarter.

Highlighted by Jalen Razor’s 17-yard run, Chowan used an 11-play, 70-yard drive capped by Smith’s 19-yard TD pass to Lane followed by Conord’s PAT kick that gave Chowan a 7-6 lead at the 10:01 mark of the second quarter.

Chowan’s defense set-up the next score when, on the first snap following the ensuing kickoff, Jonah Kurker’s hit on a Shorter running back forced a fumble that was recovered at the visitor’s 30 yardline by Marcus Serrano. Three plays later, Smith darted to the endzone from 16 yards out. Conord added the PAT for a 14-6 lead with 8:24 left in the second quarter.

Shorter cut into that lead later in the second period where they used a 68-yard scoring drive capped by Alia’s 1-yard TD run. However, Darrick Badley blocked the PAT kick, to make it a 14-12 game.

With just 29 seconds left until halftime, Chowan kept their foot on the gas. Smith completed two quick passes totaling 40 yards (13 yards to Lane and 27 yards to Malique Frazier) followed by a 30-yard run by Razor. That set up a successful 22-yard field goal by Conord as the first half clock expired, staking Chowan to a 17-12 halftime lead.

Shorter surged ahead in the third quarter, scoring twice thanks to Alia’s 2-yard run and a 36-yard touchdown pass from Joshua Brown to Cadrece Mobley that stretched their lead to 27-17.

Smith got Chowan to within 27-24 with just under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter where he sprinted 17 yards to paydirt followed by Conord’s PAT.

“That was a great ballgame…..shout out to Shorter as they came out hot in the third quarter,” said Johnson. “We’ve got to play better in the third quarter. We’ve got to find a way to maintain the momentum after halftime, but I still like the way we’re trending right now, especially coming back from a bad loss last week at Delta State.

“I’m proud of our players for rebounding from last week and proud of our staff for a great week of practice this week in preparation for Shorter. We hope to continue to ride this momentum with a real good West Florida team coming to Murfreesboro on Oct. 19,” Johnson concluded.

Chowan won the statistical battle: 401-to-354 in total yards; 218-to-208 in passing yards; 183-to-146 in rushing yards; and 32:58 to 27:02 in time of possession.

Smith completed 17 of 21 passes, totaling 218 yards and throwing two touchdowns without any interceptions. He was also the team’s leading rusher with 15 carries for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Razor added 49 rushing yards on just five carries.

Kennypride Toh led the team with 11 total tackles (3 solo, 8 assists) followed by Charles Alberty with 10 total tackles (5 solo, 5 assists). Danny Foster was busy in the defensive secondary with 5 total tackles (4 solo, 1 assist), including 3 tackles for loss totaling 18 yards and 1 sack for a loss of 10 yards.