It’s no joke — Bulldogs’ aim is to become national power
Unbeaten season, spot in another CIAA title game are big steps
BOWIE — In quarterbacking Bowie State to a 10-0 start and the cusp of a second straight conference title, Ja’rome Johnson has put up numbers that could easily give any college junior a big head, figuratively. But keeping him grounded is that offensive coordinator Tyrae Reid continually reminds Johnson he already has one, literally.
“He calls me Jimmy Neutron,” Johnson laughed, referring to the cartoon bigbrained boy genius that starred on Nickelodeon in the early 2000s.
That levity in the quarterback room has a lot to do with where the Bulldogs find themselves. They enter Saturday’s Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship game against Fayetteville State as one of 11 undefeated Division II football teams remaining. They lead the CIAA in scoring offense and scoring defense, as well as touchdowns and passing efficiency.
And Reid, a Baltimore Poly product in his first year as Bowie State’s offensive coordinator, has made sure the Bulldogs have fun while piecing together that offensive display. The Bowie State quarterbacks meet for about 50 minutes every morning, going over the game plan for the upcoming opponent. They also dish out joke after joke to keep the mood light.
“When you’re around guys, it’s always good to be able to have fun,” Reid said. “If it’s always uptight and dry, you know those guys will be miserable, so we try to make it fun. We laugh and joke with each other, but it’s strictly business when we get out on the field.”
Although he’s held the title of coordinator for only this season, Reid is more than familiar with coach Damon Wilson’s program and system. Wilson’s first season at the helm was 2009, the same year Reid stepped on campus as a freshman quarterback for the Bulldogs.
He arrived in Bowie unsure what his future held. Wilson persuaded him to honor his commitment by offering the opportunity to play quarterback. Other schools’ coaches suggested positional changes to receiver or defensive back.
“I’m going to be honest,” Reid said. “He’s the reason why I’m here.”
Reid began his freshman season as a reserve, but he was the Bulldogs’ starter by the third game of the year. Thanks to a three-way tiebreaker determined by a coin flip, the Bulldogs reached the CIAA title game with a 6-4 record but lost to Fayetteville State.
Reid was a member of the conference’s all-rookie team. Although Bowie State didn’t return to the championship game, Reid started games for Wilson each of the next three seasons.
“He said if I came here, I would have a chance,” Reid, 28, said. “I came in, even though the depth chart was full and I was at the bottom. I had an opportunity, and I made the best of the opportunity.”
And thus came another. Reid spent the season after his senior year coaching quarterbacks as a student assistant under Wilson. Five members of the Bulldogs’ 11-man coaching staff are Bowie State alumni, including Wilson and Reid.
“It was always my vision after his career to get him on my staff,” Wilson said. “His work ethic was good as a player. I knew as a coach he would bring that same type of high football IQ, same type of work ethic.
“Recruiting, he has an eye for talent. Developing talent, he’s a good teacher. All of those things are qualities I’m looking for in my coaches.”
Reid is focused on Bowie State, where he has coached the CIAA Offensive Player of the Year three of the past four seasons with Johnson and quarterback predecessor Amir Hall. Reid and linebackers coach Kyle Jackson, another Baltimore native and Bowie State alum, have talked often about where they want to see their alma mater go.
“Right now, we’re a really good CIAA team,” Reid said. “We want to be a national powerhouse, a premier DII program. We want to keep guys at home. We want them to come here and help us win national championships.”
The next step toward that goal comes Saturday, when the Bulldogs face Fayetteville State at 3 p.m. in Salem, Virginia, their fourth CIAA title game appearance in the past five years.
Bowie State beat the Broncos 30-10 to win its first CIAA championship in 2018, then won a playoff game before its season ended in the next round to eventual national championship Valdosta State.
They’ve bounced back with this undefeated run, the first perfect regular season in program history. Johnson, in his first year at Bowie State after transferring from the University of Virginia at Wise, led the CIAA c in passing efficiency, ranked third in passing touchdowns and fourth in rushing touchdowns among all players.