CHARLOTTE, NC – After 10 weeks of play, the 2023 CIAA Football regular season ended on Saturday afternoon and here’s a recap of what transpired.
 
Shaw 21 (3-7 / 3-5 CIAA / 2-3 South) at Saint Augustine’s 14 (0-10 / 0-8 CIAA / 0-5 South)
Saint Augustine’s gave it the old college try on Saturday afternoon but came up on the short end, falling to Shaw 21-14 in the Raleigh Classic at the George Williams Athletic Complex. The loss ends the SAU Falcons season at 0-10 while the SU Bears closeout the season at 3-7. Shaw’s Sideny Gibbs scored the eventual game winning touchdown at the 8:41 mark of the fourth quarter and led all ground gainers with 68 rushing yards on 17 carries. Navian Hillard was Shaw’s leading offensive producer with 151 passing yards, completing 13-of-16 passes and two touchdowns. The Saint Augustine’s Falcons were led by quarterback Donovan Brewington with a game-high 190 passing yards, completing 20-of-29 passes and one touchdown. The Shaw Bears defense was led by Akeythio Carson with a game-high 14 tackles while Lee Sales was the leading tackler for the Saint Augustine’s Falcons with 11 tackles.

FULL GAME RECAP: Shaw Captures 21-14 Raleigh Classic Victory Over Saint Augustine’s    BOX SCORE
 

#22 Virginia State 20 (8-2 / 6-2 CIAA / 3-2 North) at #19 Virginia Union 30 (9-1 / 7-1 CIAA / 5-0 North)
In the CIAA marquee game on the final day of regular season, the panthers of Virginia Union captured the CIAA Northern Division crown after beating I-95 rival Virginia State 30-12 before an overflow crowd at Hovey Field in addition to a nationally televised audience. With the win, VUU makes its first trip back to the conference title game since 2007. Virginia State quarterback Jordan Davis had a career day, throwing for 380 passing yards, completing 24-of-42 passes in the setback. VSU’s Roy Jackson III was the games’ leading receiver with 127 reception yards. Virginia Union’s Panthers were led by running back Jada Byers with a game-high 155 rushing yards on 27 carries. VUU’s Christian Reid eclipsed 100 yards of offense, completing 8-of-14 passes for 151 yards and four touchdowns. Virginia State held advantages in first downs (23-17) and total offensive yards (465-337).

FULL GAME RECAP: Virginia Union Captures CIAA North Crown    BOX SCORE
 

Bowie State 46 (6-4 / 5-3 CIAA / 3-2 North) at Lincoln (PA) 39 (4-6 / 3-5 CIAA / 2-3 North)
Bowie State kept its winning streak against Lincoln (Pa.) intact after the Bulldogs squeezed out a 46-39 road victory in the season finale for both teams. BSU Bulldogs redshirt freshman quarterback Jordan Morse led all offensive players with 277 passing yards and three touchdowns. Morse also led the Bulldogs on the ground with 66 rushing yards. Keshane Hinkley was Bowie State’s top receiver with 95 reception yards on eight catches and a pair of touchdowns. The LUPA Lions dynamic duo of Isaiah Freeman and Malachi Langley paced the home team again on offense. Freeman was responsible for 387 of the 454 total yards of offense, accumulating 254 passing yards and 133 rushing yards. Langley caught eight passes in the contest for a game-high 172 yards and two touchdowns.

FULL GAME RECAP: Lincoln (PA) Falls To Bowie State in High Scoring Affair In Season Finale      BOX SCORE
 

Livingstone 17 (4-6 / 4-4 CIAA / 3-2 South) at Johnson C. Smith 38 (7-3 / 6-2 CIAA / 3-2 South)
In a game between two teams that began the Black College Football experience back in 1892, the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls defeated the Livingstone Blue Bears 38-17 in the Commemorative Classic. The Golden Bulls’ Jamere Cherry threw for a game-high 254 passing yards and Reggie Bryant added 151 reception yards to lead Johnson C. Smith to the victory. JCSU had three players to tally double-digit tackles as Dirk Cureton and Jack Smith recorded 12 tackles each and Benari Black contributed 11 tackles. Livingstone was led offensively by quarterback Marcus Drish with 169 passing yards. Drish finished the game as LC’s second leading rusher with 22 yards. William Guyton was the leading ground gainer for the Blue Bears with 44 net yards. Jaden Echols and Osman Aguiilera paced Livingstone’s defense with eight and seven tackles respectively.

FULL GAME RECAP: Johnson C. Smith Wins Commemorative Classic Over WSSU Rams              BOX SCORE
 

Bluefield State 20 (1-9 / 0-8 CIAA / 0-5 North) at Elizabeth City State 38 (3-7 / 2-6 CIAA / 2-3 North) 
The Elizabeth City State Vikings hosted Bluefield State on Senior Day and topped the Big Blue 38-20 to close out the 2023 season on a high note. ECSU Vikings led from start to finish and were led by running back Rashard Biggs with 152 rushing yards on 18 carries. Elizabeth City State quarterback threw just 12 passes (completing six) and ended the afternoon with 104 passing yards and two touchdowns but was sacked three times. Bluefield State’s Isiah Teal completed 21-of-40 passes for 251 yards, one touchdown but was sacked four times. Teal’s primary target was Perry Wilder III with 105 reception yards. Defensively, each team had a double-figure tackler as Bluefield State’s Justin Campbell accounted for a game-high 11 and Elizabeth City State’s Jaylen Dollar recorded a team-high 10 tackles.

FULL GAME RECAP: Elizabeth City State Tops Bluefield State Big Blue on Senior Day             BOX SCORE
 
Winston-Salem State 40 (4-6 / 4-4 CIAA / 2-3 South) at Fayetteville State 40 (8-2 / 8-0 CIAA / 5-0 South)
Fayetteville State needed extra time Saturday afternoon at home inside Luther "Nick" Jeralds Stadium, but prevailed and beat Winston-Salem State 40-34 in overtime. With the FSU win, the Broncos will make their sixth straight trip to the CIAA Championship game. Joe Owens Jr. led the FSU Broncos on offense with 190 passing yards, completing 18-of-27 passes and two touchdowns. Julian Milligan led Fayetteville State’s ground attack with 86 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns while Treveran Goode had four receptions for 72 yards. Winston-Salem State was led by freshman quarterback Daylin Lee with 180 passing yards and three touchdowns but was sacked three times. Kaleb Washington was the Rams’ leading receiver with 55 reception yards and Noah Marshall carried the ball 11 times for a team-high 52 yards.

FULL GAME RECAP: Fayetteville State Broncos outlast Winston-Salem 40-34 in OT                BOX SCORE