2022 CIAA Football Standings
2022 CIAA Football Composite Schedule
2022 Statistics
CHARLOTTE - Week 5 represents the midway mark of the regular season and the standings are becoming clearer which each passing week. With the severe weather potential of Hurricane Ian looming large over the Southeast, several games have been impacted, including a pair of kickoff gametimes moved to Thursday, September 29. Let's take a look at the Thursday's games and Saturday's October 1st games:
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29:
Chowan (2-2; 2-0 CIAA) at Fayetteville State (2-2; 1-1 CIAA), 7 P.M.
Chowan is one of three schools in the Northern Division with a perfect conference record but if they wish to advance to 3-0, they will need to defeat the preseason Southern Division favorite Broncos. FSU is coming off a tough defeat to Virginia Union, a game in which the Broncos were leading 14-0 early and were outscored by 10 points in the fourth quarter. The silver lining for FSU was that its offense finally had a good showing, generating a season-high 28 points and K'Hari Lane's 222 passing yards and three touchdowns were a season-high for the senior. Chowan has also found its offense too. After scoring only three points in the season opener, the Hawks has scored at least 21 points since, good enough for two consecutive wins. Caleb Pierce is a big reason for that as he has started the past two games and he's completing over 70 percent of his passes for 424 yards and three touchdowns. Nijere Peoples is also perking up at the right time for the Hawks as he has 234 yards from scrimmage in the last two contests. However, defense are both teams calling card as they both have top five scoring defenses in the confence. FSU is #2 in yards allowed. The Bronco trio of Cameron Merrill, Kentrell Caldwell, and Devin Cowan are gameplan-wreckers, combining for 14 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. For the Hawks, Montre Moore leads the CIAA with 49 tackles and him and teammate Jamae Blank leads with 7.5 stops for a loss. Offense might still be at a premium in this matchup.
Elizabeth City State (1-3; 1-1 CIAA) at Johnson C. Smith (0-3; 0-2 CIAA), 7 P.M.
Maurice Flowers and the Golden Bulls are winless thus far and yet... they are quite literally three plays away from a 3-0 record. They lost games on a two-point conversion, a field goal as time expired, and a touchdown with nine seconds left. For the Vikings, they defeated Winston-Salem State but has struggled in their other three games. Tesean Jones might be the answer to ECSU's quarterback woes. Jones went seven-of-eight for 128 yards and two touchdowns in less than two quarters of action in his first appearance this season and then completed 25 passes last week. He has unlocked wide receiver Zion Riddick, who has 11 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown in the past two games, after just two catches in the first two. On defense, Juanya' Majette is the leader of the ECSU unit with 43 total tackles, second in the conference. JCSU's top-ranked passing offense (ECSU has the third-ranked passing defense) averages 327 yards per game, led by quarterback Tyrell Jackson and his 899 yards and five touchdowns with a 61 percent completion rate. JCSU's Brevin Caldwell (20 catches for 318 yards and four touchdowns) and Jaron Hull (15 catches and 209 yards) are the top receiving combo in the league. Caldwell is the only player in the CIAA averaging triple-digits in receiving yards per game. Linebacker Benari Black leads the Golden Bulls with 24 tackles, including 20 in the past two weeks.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1:
Shaw (2-2; 2-0 CIAA) at Virginia State (3-1; 2-0 CIAA), 1 P.M.
"Instant Legacy Game" potential right here as both teams are jockeying for a trip to Salem for the 2022 Football Championship. This game has big implications in the Northern Division as Virginia State is one of three teams undefeated in conference play, and that doesn't include the three-time defending CIAA champions sitting at fourth. VSU's Darius Hagans averages 121 rushing yards per game and Upton Bailey averages over 56. Whether it's Trojan Jordan Davis or Jabari Blake, VSU can move the ball through the air. The Trojans are the only team in the CIAA with a top three passing and rushing offense and their offense has only been more balanced and better when isolated for conference-only games. VSU might need to rely more on its run game as Shaw's strength is its secondary and passing defense. Defensive Back Akeythio Carson leads all Bears with 30 total tackles and five stops for a loss while Jaden Clark and Jay Boyd each have two interceptions. On offense, Shaw's Ah'shaan Belcher leads the conference with 330 yards receiving on 16 receptions, plus two scores. The Bears also have a solid rushing attack that is led by the trio of Sidney Gibbs (60 yards per game), Jatoine Fields (38.3), and Andre Brandon, Jr. (33.8). The Trojan defense are playmakers too, they have eight interceptions, five forced fumbles and four recoveries as a team. Willie Drew has two picks and a fumble recovery, to go along with 15 tackles. Zion Johnson, VSU's leading tackler with 25, has 2.5 tackles for a loss, two recoveries, and a forced fumble.
Saint Augustine's (0-4; 0-2 CIAA) at Virginia Union (4-0; 2-0 CIAA), 1 P.M.
The top scoring offense in the nation (Virginia Union; 48.8 points per game) against the worst scoring defense in the CIAA (St. Augustine's; 55.3) projects to be a not-so-fun day for the Falcons. However, St. Augustine showed signs of life against three-time defending conference champions Bowie State last week and there is a chance that the Falcons improve on that performance. Their first order of business is slowing the nation's leading rusher in Division II, the Panthers' Jada Byers. No team has yet to do it for four quarters and Byers has rushed for at least 160 yards in the each of the past three weeks. Last week against Fayetteville State, Byers had 41 yards at halftime and still finished with 161. However, St. Aug did force five turnovers, including three fumbles against the Bulldogs last week. Ty'queron Hines had two interceptions and Antonio King had a forced fumble in that game. Lee Sales leads the Falcons with 28 tackles on the season. For Virginia Union, Jahkari Grant continues to shine with 517 yards passing, 140 yards rushing, and six total touchdowns through four weeks. The Panthers' Isaac Anderson and his 6.5 tackles for a loss is part of a defensive unit that can drive offenses back as the team has combined for 39 tackles for a loss.
Livingstone (1-3; 0-2 CIAA) at Bowie State (2-2; 1-1 CIAA), 2 P.M.
Bowie State is coming off a game where it scored a season-high 36 points and gained 503 yards of total offense, which was also a season-high. The Blue Bears, in the past two weeks, have been trending in the opposite direction. After their non-conference win over Elizabeth City State, 19-0, Livingstone has been outscored 79-13 in the past two games. The Blue Bears' Lasirton Bryant has to be a focus in the gameplan. The sophomore has turned in good performances against Catawba (six catches, 93 yards, two touchdowns) and Virginia Union (nine receptions, 71 yards). Livingstone will need a good performance against the Bulldogs, who will match Bryant up with Keith Williams. Williams' is the team's second leading tackler (20) and has two interceptions and two pass deflections for the year. On offense, Bowie State hopes that their rushing attack that finally came alive last week is here to stay. Rushing for a team season-high of 252, Corey Johnson had 111 yards and Samuel Doku had 59. If the Bulldogs now have a run game to go along with the conference's second-ranked passing offense, Bowie State can still find themselves back in Salem, VA. LC's Jaden Echols (27 tackles and 2.5 for a loss) will be tasked with stopping Bowie State on Saturday.
Lincoln (PA) (2-2; 1-1 CIAA) at Winston-Salem State (0-4; 0-2 CIAA), CANCELLED
Wednesday, September 28, Winston-Salem State made the decision to cancel the Homecoming game against Lincoln and all Winston-Salem State-sanctioned Homecoming activities after noon on Friday due to the severe weather potential of Hurricane Ian.
All CIAA games are available for purchase on the CIAA Sports Network.