Bowie State Football Has Strong Local Flavor

Trevon Bennett is still waiting for his chance, and he may have to wait one more year.

A Riverdale Baptist graduate, Bennett is a rising sophomore quarterback at Bowie State University as the Division II Bulldogs get ready to begin practice later this month.

Bennett was a true freshman last season and played behind starting quarterback Clifton Budd, who returns this season as a senior after throwing for 1,538 yards last year.

"I want to be the No. 1 backup," Bennett told Patch on Tuesday. "The hopes are real high going into the season."

"We had a better turnout this year than last year," he said. "Everyone is on the same page this year. And after attending eight weeks of summer workouts at Bowie State, "everything is going pretty well."

The Bulldogs open the season Sept. 3 at Assumption in Worcester, MA. The first home game for Bowie State is 1 p.m., Sept. 10 against Benedict College.

Last year, Bowie State went 6-4 overall and won its last four games after starting out the season 0-3.

Jason Woodman, the first-year offensive coordinator for Bowie State, said Tuesday that Bennett has a strong work ethic and is in position to be the backup behind Budd, who is from Silver Spring.

Bennett, who is from Fort Washington, is listed at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. He is a sports management major.

"Trevon is improving," Woodman said Tuesday. "As far as picking up the system, he is maturing from a game-management standpoint. He is getting better every day. He is a kid who will work hard and it shows. He is getting bigger. He is getting stronger. He is on track."

Bennett played quarterback, safety and linebacker as a senior at Riverdale Baptist in Upper Marlboro after transferring from Paul VI High in Fairfax, VA. He also ran track at Riverdale Baptist.

He said prior to his senior year of high school he was getting attention from football programs at Division I-AA Richmond, Morgan State and Marist of New York. But his stock fell after his senior year of football and he signed with Bowie State after gaining attention from other Division II programs such as Virginia State and Virginia Union.

Last year he completed 11 of 28 passes for 89 yards with two interceptions in two games, with one start, for Bowie State. The Bulldogs as a team threw for 1,896 yards and ran for 1,289.

Budd completed 122 of 224 passes last year for 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. "He is going into the season as the No. 1 quarterback. That is pretty well known," said Woodman, an assistant under head coach Damon Wilson.

Bennett feels the Bulldogs will use the pass even more this year. "He will spend up the tempo of the offense," Bennett said of Woodman, a coach last year at Division II Concord in West Virginia.

Players report to Bowie State on August 11, Woodman said. Bennett is one of just several players with ties to Upper Marlboro-area schools.

The pre-season roster includes running back Ramono Flowers (Largo High), cornerback and Upper Marlboro resident William Bailey (Bowie High), linebacker and Upper Marlboro resident Dominique Johnson (Riverdale Baptist), defensive lineman and Upper Marlboro resident Adewale Ogunsanya (Largo High), offensive lineman and Upper Marlboro resident Phillip Coles (Forestville Military Academy) and tight end Prince Onuoha (Frederick Douglass High).