CIAA Football Week 8 Preview
Game of the Week
Game of the Week
Chowan Hawks (4-3, 3-1) at Elizabeth City State Vikings (4-3, 3-1)
This week’s Game of the Week features a showdown for first place in the Northern Division between instate rivals separated by about 60 miles of North Carolina highway. The game has all the makings of a classic. Both teams come in with identical 4-3, 3-1 records and are tied for the division lead. Elizabeth City State, the defending Northern Division champion, is coming off a big 63-19 win over Lincoln, in which All-American tailback Daronte McNeill rushed for a school-record six touchdowns. After being held to just 96 total rushing yards last week in a 28-17 loss to Virginia State, the Vikings gouged Lincoln for 305 yards on the ground, including 139 yards on 27 carries from McNeill. ECSU finished with 507 yards of total offense compared to 400yds for Lincoln. Chowan, the young upstarts, shut down a potent Virginia Union rushing attack en route to a 28-21 win over the Panthers. Virginia Union rushed for 321 yards the previous week, but was held to a paltry 49 yards by the Hawks. The game will be one of contrasting styles. The Vikings will look to keep Chowan’s quick strike offense on the sideline by grinding it out on the ground, with McNeill (737 rushing yards, 10 TDs) as the workhorse. But don’t be fooled into thinking the Vikings are a one dimensional team. The emergence of quarterback Namon Jones as a viable passing threat has kept opposing defenses from keying on McNeill. Jones has thrown for 1,432 yards and five touchdowns this season. The Hawks, who scored 70 points in their season opener, will look to do their damage mainly through air with quarterback Cameron Stover and a stable of quality receivers led by Ryan Nolan. Stover has passed for 1,807 and 15 touchdowns this season, while Nolan has 30 receptions for 497 yards and four touchdowns. Antjuan Randall lines up opposite Nolan and has caught 26 balls for 384 and two scores. The Hawks’ offense suffered a tremendous blow when All-CIAA receiver Robert Holland went down in the season opener, but his teammates have stepped in ably to fill the void. Seven different Chowan receivers have at least 10 receptions this season. The Hawks also have a solid running game built around backs Eliot Smalls (470 yards, two TDs) and Tim Hanson (302 yards, five TDs). Defensive lineman TJ Batchelor leads the CU defense with 53 tackles and 9.5 sacks. This battle for football supremacy in northeastern North Carolina kicks off at 1:30pm at Roebuck Stadium (Homecoming). Live Stats: http://hbculivestats.com/ecsu/football/xlive.htm
Bowie State Bulldogs (4-3, 1-3) at Virginia Union Panthers (3-4, 1-3)
Virginia Union dropped to 28-21 decision to division leading Chowan on Saturday. Kenneth Graham passed for 274 yards and a touchdown and Mantez Holmes and Matias Parker combined for 12 catches for 216 yards for the Panthers, but the story of the game was the job Chowan’s defense did against the Panthers. VUU came into the game averaging 212 rushing yards a game, but was absolutely stymied by the Hawks, finishing with a season-low 49 yards. One week after rushing for a school-record 266 yards versus Lincoln, tailback Jerrell Washington finished with eight carries for 10 yards. Washington did provide a spark for the Panthers on special teams with his 86-yard kickoff in the second quarter. Virginia Union also got touchdowns from Parker on a 60-yard pass from Abe Coleman and Trevon Winston on a four-yard pass from Graham. Defensively, the Panthers sacked Chowan quarterback Cameron Stover six times, but he still threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns. Bowie State let an important Northern Division game get away when the Virginia State Trojans came from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to force overtime and left Bowie with a 26-20 win. Bowie State generated 121 rushing yards and a touchdown from tailback Keith Brown and quarterback Jared Johnston threw for 176 yards and two scores but it wasn’t enough as the Trojans outgained them 422-349 in total offense. The Bulldogs started the season 3-0, but are 1-3 in their last four games. Kickoff is 1:00pm at Union’s Hovey Field. Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/bowie/football/scoreboard.aspx
Fayetteville State Broncos (1-6, 0-4) at Saint Augustine’s Falcons (4-3, 2-2)
Saint Augustine’s slid back into third place in the Southern Division with their 56-37 loss to nationally ranked, #2 Winston-Salem State. The Falcons trailed 21-19 early in the second quarter, but were outscored 21-0 the rest of the half and trailed 42-19 at the break. Despite the final score, there were several bright spots for Saint Augustine’s. The Falcons’ defense recorded seven sacks, two interceptions and returned a fumble for a touchdown against the second ranked team in Division II. SAU also held the Rams, who came into the game averaging nearly 200 yards rushing, to 100 yards on the ground. Offensively, the Falcons were held to 254 yards by the Rams’ league-leading defense. Quarterback Teddy Bacote threw for 174 yards and two scores. He also rushed for a touchdown. Receiver Tyron Laughinghouse caught a touchdown and scored on an 82-yard kick return for SAU. Fayetteville State is on a four-game losing streak following their 35-18 loss to Johnson C. Smith on Saturday. During that skid, the Broncos have averaged 15.5 points per game are allowing 31.7 points. FSU continues to struggle throwing the football, which allows opponents to load the box and key on stopping the run. The Broncos are 12th in the CIAA in passing, averaging 174 yards a game. They have thrown for just three touchdowns through their first seven games. In comparison, Saint Augustine’s averages 220 passing yards and has 15 passing touchdowns this season. Colon Bailey is FSU’s leading rusher with 429 yards (61.3 yards per game) and five touchdowns. Andreas Hudson is their top passer with 712 yards (101.7 yards per game) and two touchdowns. The Falcons and the Broncos square off at 2:00 PM at the George Williams Athletic Complex on Saint Augustine’s campus. Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/staug/football%20- and Listen Live: www.wfss.com; Live Stats: http://www.fsubroncos.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mfootbl.html?event=1088148&school=fast&sport=mfootbl&camefrom=&startschool=&
Lincoln Lions (1-6, 1-3) at Virginia State Trojans (3-4, 2-2)
Virginia State stayed within one game of the Northern division leaders with their 26-20 overtime win over Bowie State. Quarterback Jarred Battle passed for 201 yards and a touchdown to lead the Trojans to their second straight win. Battle’s 25-yard touchdown to Jacob Kellam tied the game and forced overtime as the Trojans came from 10 points down in the fourth quarter. In overtime, Lamont Britt popped a huge 21-yard run on first down, and then scored on a four-yard run to secure the win for VSU. The Trojans finished with 422 yards of offense, including 221 yards rushing. VSU appears to have solved some of the offensive woes that plagued them early in the season. After averaging 14.0 points through their first five games, the Trojans have averaged 27.0 points in their last two. After splitting time with LaMonta Green in the first four games, Battle has settled in as VSU’s number one signal caller and has thrown for 569 yards in his last three games. Things appeared to be looking up for Lincoln following their 55-53 win over Johnson C. Smith three weeks ago. Since then, the Lions have been outscored 124-32 in their last two games, including a 63-19 loss to Elizabeth City State on Saturday. The Lions have one of better passing attacks in the CIAA. Doug Cook leads the league in passing, averaging 295.0 yards a game and receivers Matthew Coston (57 receptions) and Phillip Jean-Juste (46 receptions) are one and two in the CIAA in receptions. Lincoln’s undoing continues to be a defense that is allowing a league-high 53.7 points a game. The Lions have been solid against the pass and are third in the CIAA in pass defense, giving up 193.6 yards per game through the air. Lincoln’s run defense has been another story. LU is ranked 12th in the league against the run, allowing 279 yards a game. Against Elizabeth City State, the Lions gave up a whopping 305 rushing yards and Vikings’ tailback Daronte McNeill rushed for school-record 6 touchdowns. Lincoln trailed 21-13 early in the third quarter before McNeil scored four touchdowns as the Vikings outscored the Lions 42-6 over the game’s final 24 minutes. It’s Homecoming at VSU. Kickoff is set for 1:30pm at Rogers Stadium. Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/lincoln/football/scoreboard.aspx
and http://www.mainstreamnetwork.com/listen/player.asp?station=wvst-fm&
Livingstone Blue Bears (2-5, 2-2) at #2 Winston-Salem State Rams (7-0, 4-0)
Winston-Salem State is flying in rarefied air. The undefeated Rams moved up to number two in this week’s AFCA Division II Coaches Poll, the highest ranking ever for a CIAA school. Winston-Salem State solidified their hold on first place in the Southern Division with their 56-37 win over Saint Augustine’s University. Receiver Jahuann Butler caught eight passes for a career-high 218 yards and two touchdowns as WSSU won their seventh straight game. Although the Rams appear to be clicking on all cylinders and rolling toward their second consecutive Southern Division title, one area of concern has to be the play of their offensive line. Against Saint Augustine’s, the Rams surrendered a season-high seven sacks and quarterback Kameron Smith was pressured into throwing two interceptions and lost a fumble on a sack. The smaller, quicker Falcon defenders were also able to contain the Rams’ running game, holding them to just 100 yards rushing, 95 yards under their average coming into the game. Livingstone is coming off a 48-20 loss to Shaw. The Blue Bears trailed 21-12 at halftime, but were outscored 27-8 in the second half for their second-straight loss. Livingstone was outgained 601-292 in total yardage by Shaw. The Rams, who have outscored their last four opponents 189-53, could be a tough matchup for a Livingstone defense that is allowing 44 points and 497 yards per game. Homecoming for the Rams kicks off at 1:30pm at Bowman-Gray Stadium.
Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls (2-5, 2-2) at Shaw Bears (4-3, 3-1)
After a 1-3 start, the Shaw Bears have won three-straight and have climbed into second place in the Southern Division. The Bears beat Livingstone 48-20 on Saturday to improve to 3-1 in the conference. Shaw has outscored their last three opponents, 109-54. Two of the biggest factors behind the Bears’ resurgence have been the play of senior quarterback James Stallons and freshman tailback Marquise Grizzle. Stallons has been on an absolute tear of late, throwing for 870 yards and seven touchdowns during Shaw’s three-game winning streak. Young Mr. Grizzle is a star in the making. His 229 rushing yards against Livingstone propelled him into the lead for the CIAA rushing title. Grizzle has 747 rushing yards in six games and is averaging 124.5 yards per game. He also has seven rushing touchdowns. Defensively, the Bears are improving. They are giving up 28.7 points per game for the season, but only 18 in their last three. Johnson C. Smith is coming off a 35-18 win over Fayetteville State. The Golden Bulls jumped out to a 21-0 lead behind tailback Dedric Anderson’s two first-half touchdowns. Anderson finished with 107 rushing yards and a touchdown. Anderson also caught four passes for 32 yards and a TD. Quarterback Keahn Wallace threw for 226 yards and two scores for JCSU. Senior linebacker Darryl Rankin forced a fumble, returned it 95-yard for a touchdown, and intercepted a pass in the end zone to kill a FSU scoring drive, earning CIAA Linebacker of the Week honors for his effort. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00pm at Durham County Stadium. Live Stats: http://livestats.prestosports.com/shaw/ and www.wgiv.net
