CIAA preview

The skinny

What's new: The conference shrunk to 12 teams in May when Saint Paul's announced it was cutting its athletics^[1] program. Teams scrambled to fill the hole left in their schedules. Virginia Union^[2] and St. Augustine's played each other last week to fill the void.

Who's new: Kevin Grisby^[3], formerly the head coach^[4] at Saint Paul's, is now the defensive coordinator^[5] at Virginia Union^[6]. There are no new head coaches. Some of the league's biggest names from a year ago are now in the NFL^[7]. Virginia Union^[8] OT David Mims^[9] signed with the Chiefs, and Fayetteville State RB Richard Medlin^[10] joined the Patriots. St. Augustine's RB Walter Sanders^[11], the conference's 2010 offensive player^[12] of the year, signed with the Ravens, but he was cut.

Top five players: Elizabeth City^[13] State QB Creven Powell, Chowan WR Robert Holland, Virginia State P Billy Rudd^[14], Fayetteville State DB Andre Lyles^[15], Shaw DB Darnell Evans^[16].

Preseason offensive player^[17] of the year: Elizabeth City^[18] State QB Creven Powell

Preseason defensive player^[19] of the year: Fayetteville State defensive back^[20] Andre Lyles

Player^[21] to watch: Virginia State QB Jarred Battle. He became the starter last year as a sophomore. He completed 125 of 233 passes (54 percent) for 1,583 yards, 10 TDs and 12 interceptions. Those aren't great numbers, but he still carried his team to the conference title game. Can he repeat that success in 2011?

Team to watch: Elizabeth City^[22] State. The Vikings had a very talented team a year ago, but finished a disappointing 6-4. The offense was strong, but the defense struggled, giving up 313 yards per game. This year, ECSU's offense is back, but it loses a lot from last year's defense. If the defense can put the pieces back together, ECSU might be back in the title game.

Surprise: Is it even a surprise anymore? VSU went 8-3 after the preseason poll predicted it would finish eighth. This year, the Trojans were ranked sixth in the poll.



But with many pieces back from last year, the Trojans could "surprise" everyone again.

Bottom line: The top four teams in the preseason ranking all come from the Southern Division^[23]. Shaw, the preseason favorite, has won three of the past four CIAA titles. It has a strong group of defensive players returning from last year. If the Bears find a way to retool on offense, there's no reason they can't win another one.

Eric Kolenich

References

1. ^{^} Topic - Athletics (www2.timesdispatch.com)
2. ^{^} Topic - Virginia Union (www2.timesdispatch.com)
3. ^{^} Topic - Kevin Grisby (www2.timesdispatch.com)
4. ^{^} Topic - Head Coach (www2.timesdispatch.com)
5. ^{^} Topic - Defensive Coordinator (www2.timesdispatch.com)
6. ^{^} Topic - Virginia Union (www2.timesdispatch.com)
7. ^{^} Topic - National Football League (www2.timesdispatch.com)
8. ^{^} Topic - Virginia Union (www2.timesdispatch.com)
9. ^{^} Topic - David Mims (www2.timesdispatch.com)
10. ^{^} Topic - Richard Medlin (www2.timesdispatch.com)
11. ^{^} Topic - Walter Sanders (www2.timesdispatch.com)
12. ^{^} Topic - Offensive Player (www2.timesdispatch.com)
13. ^{^} Topic - Elizabeth City (www2.timesdispatch.com)
14. ^{^} Topic - Billy Rudd (www2.timesdispatch.com)
15. ^{^} Topic - Andre Lyles (www2.timesdispatch.com)
16. ^{^} Topic - Darnell Evans (www2.timesdispatch.com)
17. ^{^} Topic - Preseason Offensive Player (www2.timesdispatch.com)
18. ^{^} Topic - Elizabeth City (www2.timesdispatch.com)
19. ^{^} Topic - Preseason Defensive Player (www2.timesdispatch.com)
20. ^{^} Topic - Defensive Back (www2.timesdispatch.com)
21. ^{^} Topic - Player (www2.timesdispatch.com)
22. ^{^} Topic - Elizabeth City (www2.timesdispatch.com)
23. ^{^} Topic - Southern Division (www2.timesdispatch.com)