2022 CIAA Football Standings
2022 CIAA Football Composite Schedule
2022 CIAA Football Statistics
CHARLOTTE, NC - With each passing week, the CIAA Standings continues to shake up and a few teams get a chance to either make the image clearer or muddy the waters and Week 6 is no different. There are pivotal games taking place in the Northern and Southern Division of the conference, plus one team will get its first win of the season in conference play. Let's take a look:
Elizabeth City State (1-4; 1-2 CIAA) at #17 Virginia Union (5-0; 3-0 CIAA), 12 P.M.
Nationally ranked Virginia Union looks to remain unbeaten as Elizabeth City State rolls into town. Additionally, the Panthers' Jada Byers looks to add to his Division II leading totals (891 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns) against the Vikings, who has allowed a conference-high 18 rushing touchdowns through five games. The Panthers' offense, which leads the nation with nearly 53 points per game, has shown that they are more than a one-man army. Jahkari Grant threw for 247 yards and 4 touchdowns last week against St. Augustine's. Through five games, Byers has 13 total scores, Grant has 10, and goal line specialist Curtis Allen has seven rushing touchdowns in four games. That all means that the Vikings' defense will have their hands full, specifically Juanya' Majette and Tracey White Jr. Majette leads the conference with 34 solo tackles and White Jr. has a team-leading five tackles for a loss. ECSU's Tesean Jones has proven to be a capable quarterback, passing for multiple touchdowns against Winston-Salem State and Johnson C. Smith. In limited action, he went 7-of-8 passing for 128 yards against the Rams and 7-of-12 for 133 yards against the Golden Bulls. Tasked with limiting Jones and the ECSU offense is the frontseven Virginia Union duo of Isaac Anderson and Damontay Rhem, who has 12.5 tackles for a loss between the both of them.
Chowan (2-3; 2-1 CIAA) at Lincoln (PA) (2-2; 1-1 CIAA), 1:00 P.M.
This game has major implications in the Northern Division of the CIAA Standings as both teams already have one loss in league action so the loser of this matchup figures to be out of the conversation for the conference crown. Chowan is coming off a very rough road loss to Fayetteville State last week in which the Hawks committed five turnovers but lost by three, 13-10. Meanwhile, Lincoln did not play last week but has momentum following a walkoff field goal for the victory over Johnson C. Smith two weeks ago. This game will probably come down to which freshman signalcaller performs the best. Entering his fourth career start, the Hawks' Caleb Pierce has 651 yards passing and four touchdowns while completing 67 percent of his passes. Meanwhile for Lincoln, Isaiah Freeman is the team's top passer and rusher. He has thrown for 677 yards and six touchdowns and has rushed for 162 yards and a score. Freeman is coming off his best game of his career, passing for 298 yards and three touchdowns while completing 16-of-27 passes. Both quarterbacks have already led game-winning drives, oddly enough both moments came in games versus Johnson C. Smith. Chowan and Lincoln both boast top defenses, the Hawks are ranked fourth in scoring defense and the Lions are fifth. Specifically in the secondary, Lincoln is headlined by leading tackler Kai Gray (36 tackles, six pass breakups, one forced fumble) and Eric Best (16 tackles, two interceptions, three pass breakups) and Chowan has Simeon Burns (25 tackles, a forced fumble and recovery) and Kmare Carey (18 tackles, three pass breakups) each with three interceptions.
Winston-Salem State (0-5; 0-3 CIAA) at Livingstone (1-4; 0-3 CIAA)
One of these programs will earn its first win in CIAA action this Saturday. The Rams have a chance to get its first win overall while Livingstone has one win against fellow CIAA school Elizabeth City State but that victory occured outside of league play. Both schools has started three different players at quarterback and that explains some of this season's woes. For Winston-Salem State, the offense has to revolve around Asa Barnes, who has shown that he can shoulder the burden. Barnes has rushed for at least 56 yards in the four contests he's played but his best game has came in the season opener against Central State when he had 107 yards rushing on 19 carries. Barnes will need to get the better of Livingstone's Mekhi Dunlap and Malik Head, who combine for nine tackles for a loss. Whoever is behind center for the Blue Bears will have capable receivers to throw to in Mathew Henry (22 catches for 279 yards and two touchdowns) and Lasirton Bryant (19 catches for 185 yards and a touchdown). Henry and Bryant will have to contend against Rams' defensive backs Justin Fleming and Jaylen Ferbee-Gullatte. Fleming leads the team with 14 solo tackles and three interceptions and Ferbee-Gullatte has 14 tackles, three pass breakups, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
Shaw (2-3; 2-1 CIAA) at Johnson C. Smith (1-3; 1-2 CIAA), 1 P.M.
Hope is not lost for the Golden Bulls. After entering last week 0-2 in conference play, the Golden Bulls defeated Elizabeth City State and with a win Saturday, could force a three-way tie for first place in the Southern Division. Shaw suffered its first conference loss to Virginia State in heartbreaking fashion and the Bears will surely look to redeem themselves. Shaw will need to shore up its passing defense after allowing 257 yards to the Trojans because the Golden Bulls can rack up yards through the air in a hurry, evidenced by their 35 points per game and 305 yards passing per game, both second in the CIAA. Jaden Clark and Jay Boyd each have two interceptions for the Bears and defensive back Akeythio Carson leads the team with 37 tackles, plus five stops for a loss and three pass deflections. That collective will need to slow down the conference's top receiver Brevin Caldwell. Caldwell, the freshman for JCSU has 29 receptions for 429 yards and five touchdowns, leading the league despite playing just four games. JCSU has other threats on offense though. Receiver Jaron Hull has 16 catches for 234 yards for the Golden Bulls and runnings back Tyreik Leach and Tim Newman Jr. are excellent in the run game and the passing attack. Leach has 143 yards rushing and six touchdowns, plus 116 yards receiving while Newman Jr. has 137 rushing yards, 114 receiving yards, and three total scores. However, thanks to Ah'shaan Belcher and Jon Barnes, Shaw can compete in a fireworks display. Belcher is second in the CIAA with 330 yards receiving and he averages over 20 yards a catch. Barnes leads the Bears with three touchdowns and he has provided 218 receiving yards. JCSU safety Sharrod Simmon (26 tackles and an interception) might really be the last line of defense.
Saint Augustine's (0-5; 0-3 CIAA) at Fayetteville State (3-2; 2-1 CIAA), 2 P.M.
Fayetteville State's defense is its calling card this season and it should continue to be against Saint Augustine's, the conference's worst scoring offense. However, it is week six and the Broncos' offense is running out of time to right their ship. After scoring a season-high 28 points against a nationally-ranked Virginia Union, FSU only scored 13 points in the win against Chowan despite five takeaways. Another inefficient showing would work in favor of the Falcons, still seeking their first victory of the season. St. Augustine's had its best showing of the year two weeks ago against CIAA juggernaut Bowie State but was blanked on the scoreboard last week versus undefeated Virginia Union. The Falcons have to play similar to how they did against the Bulldogs, when they logged four sacks, five takeaways, and three offensive plays of at least 30 yards. Lee Sales had three tackles for a loss and two sacks in that game and Ty'queron Hines had two interceptions. One shining light for FSU's offense last week was Syheam McQueen. The running back had 75 yards rushing, a single-game season-high for a Bronco so far. The FSU defense continues to be a brick wall with 61 tackles for a loss through five games. The Broncos have the conference's leader in tackles for loss (Devin Cowan; 9.5), sacks (Cameron Merrell; 5.5) and pass breakups (Tyren Belcher; 8).
Bowie State (3-2; 2-1 CIAA) at Virginia State (4-1; 3-0 CIAA), 4 P.M.
Another week and another "Instant Legacy Game" alert for Virginia State. The Trojans' reward for hosting and knocking Shaw off the list of conference unbeatens last week... hosting the three-time defending league champions Bowie State. For the Bulldogs, this game is probably a must-win as a loss would have them two games behind Virginia State in the Northern Division with the Trojans owning the tiebreaker. Numbers-wise this a toss-up as the Bulldogs has the top-ranked offense and defense in the league and Virginia State is right behind them with the second-best offense and third-best defense. Bowie State's Dion Golatt Jr. leads the CIAA with nearly 1400 yards passing and 10 touchdowns and Keshane Hinckley (24 catches for 302 yards) and Kwincy Hall (27 receptions for 266 yards) are top-five receivers in the conference by the numbers. On the other sideline, Virginia State's Darius Hagans is averaging 116 yards rushing per game, second in the league. Trojan signalcaller Jordan Davis is coming off his best game of the season with 257 yards passing and four total touchdowns against Shaw and his receiver Tylique Ray (15 receptions for 312 yards and two scores) leads the CIAA with 20.8 yards per catch. Which defensive unit can make more stops? Virginia State has defensive playmakers, such as Willie Drew and his four interceptions or Kymon Pope and his team-leading 34 tackles and 5.5 stops for a loss. Bowie State's defense is headlined by Keith Williams (21 tackles, three interceptions, three pass breakups) and Joshua Pryor (team-high 26 tackles and five stops for a loss).
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