CIAA Football Weekly Preview

Preserving Our Past, Defending Our Future CIAA Football Weekly Preview Week Five

September 21, 2011

Hampton, VAIts Week Five and were approaching the midway point in the race to Durham. Things will start to heat up and sort themselves out as the divisional races get into full swing. Can Winston-Salem State be stopped? Whats going on with Shaw? Is Bowie State the class of the Northern Division? Is Johnson C. Smith for real? Many of these questions will be answered this week.

Elizabeth City Vikings (2-2) at Shaw Bears (0-3)

The Bears started the season ranked 25^th in the AFCA Division II poll and expectations were high. If youd looked at Shaws schedule before the season began, you would have thought that the Bears would have been at worst 2-1 going into their conference opener this week. But games are played on the field and not on paper and the defending CIAA Champions are winless after their first three games. The one positive that can be found in Shaws 0-3 start- is the fact that all three losses were out of conference competitions. Still, this is as close to a must-win game as it gets for the Bears. With the fast start that Winston-Salem State has gotten off to, Shaw can ill afford to lose their first conference game if they want to stay in the hunt for the Southern Division title. The Bears have been solid defensively, allowing 256 yards a game; good enough for fourth in the league. Shaws Achilles heel has been its moribund offense. The Bears are averaging 67.7 rushing yards a game and a paltry 1.8 yards per rushing attempt. With no running game, its easy for opponents to figure out what youre going to do.

After tough losses to Delta State and Winston-Salem State, the Vikings have outscored their last two opponents 91-28 and appear to be rounding into midseason form. Viking tailback Daronte McNeill has picked up his production, averaging 110 yards over the last two games. The defense has also ramped it up, allowing just 156.5 yards per game in the last two contests. Like the Bears, the Vikings cant afford to give up any more ground to division leading Bowie State in the race for the Northern Division crown. This should be a good one. Kickoff is 2:00 pm at Durham County Stadium.

Catch it Live: http://www.ecsuvikings.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mfootbl.html?event=989644&school=eliz&sport=mfootbl&camefrom=&startschool=&^[1]

Lincoln Lions (1-2) at Saint Augustine's Falcons (1-2)

The Lions are riding high after they snapped a 13-game conference losing sneak with a 19-10 win over Virginia Union on Saturday. Laquan Williams passed for 207 yards and a touchdown and Daron Jones had a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown to help the Lions pull the upset. The Falcons, coming off a bye week, have been up and down this season. After dropping their season opener to Virginia Union 12-0, they rebounded with a big 30-5 win over Catawba and then fell 50-14 to New Haven in Week 3. The Lions got the attention of everybody in the league and sent notice that they cant be taken lightly when they took down Virginia Union. The Falcons have had two weeks to game plan, but its still difficult to get a read on how good the Falcons are- given their inconsistent play in their first three games. Some of those questions should be answered Saturday. Game time is 7:30pm at Durham County Stadium.

Catch it Live: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/lincoln-university-lions-athletics^[2]

Bowie State Bulldogs (3-0) at Virginia Union Panthers (2-2)

Undefeated Bowie State has flown under the radar so far this season. The Bulldogs, one of the most balanced teams in the conference, have dispatched their first three opponents in workmanlike fashion. BSU is fourth in the conference in scoring at 33.3 points a game. Its defense is allowing a league-low 11.7 points a game. This game lost a little of its luster when the Panthers dropped a surprising 19-10 decision to Lincoln last week. But VUU can tighten up the race for the division lead with a win. If the Panthers hope to deal the Bulldogs their first loss of the season, theyre going to need more production from their offense. Against Lincoln, the Panthers didnt get their first touchdown of the game until late in the fourth quarter. If they fall behind early against the Bulldogs, it could be tough sledding for the Panthers. Game time is 1:00 pm at Hovey Field.

Catch it Live: www.herbfm.com^[3] or www.live365.com^[4]

Keyword: HerbFM.com/BSU

Chowan Hawks (1-2) at Virginia State Trojans (1-2)

This is a somethings got to give game. Chowan features a high-scoring offense and a porous defense. Virginia State has been solid defensively, but pedestrian on offense. Both teams could get back into the thick of the Northern Division race with a win this week. The Trojans continue to struggle on offense; only mustering a single touchdown in a 14-7 loss at Johnson C. Smith last week. Through three games this season, Virginia State is averaging a scant 9.0 points a game. The Hawks fell behind early and never threatened in a 55-24 loss to Winston-Salem State. A bright spot in the game for the Hawks was the play of All-CIAA receiver Robert Holland, who snagged six balls for 108 yards and two touchdowns. With the dynamic receiving duo of Holland and Kevin Hodrick, the Hawks have two of the most productive receivers in the league and are a defensive coordinators nightmare to strategize against. If the Hawks can get more production from their running game and play better defense, they could be a tough out going forward. Kickoff is set for 6:00 pm at Rogers Stadium, VSU.

Catch it Live: Chowan http://www.futuremediaworld.com/chowan.htm^[5];

Virginia State http://www.mainstreamnetwork.com/listen/player.asp?station=wvst-fm&^[6]

Fayetteville State Broncos (0-3) at #25 Winston-Salem State Rams (3-0)

In the not so distant past, this would have been a pivotal game in the race for the Southern Division title.



It still may turn out to be just that, but early results dont seem to indicate it. After a close, season opening win over Elizabeth City State, the 25^th ranked Rams have steamrolled their last two conference opponents by a combined score of 122-40. Quarterback Kameron Smith has been the catalyst behind the Rams fast start, passing for 822 yards and a league-high 12 touchdowns with only two interceptions. Defensively, WSSU is second in the league in points allowed at 19.0 points per game. If the Rams have one weakness, its their propensity for penalties. The Rams have been flagged 30 times for 384 yards this season. In a close game, penalties could be a huge factor. Coach Kenny Phillips Broncos, a team perennially known for its rugged defense, has been anything but this season, allowing almost 44 points a game. FSU has also struggled to put points on the board, scoring 18.3 points a game. Right now, the Rams are in the drivers seat, but a Phillips-coached team is always a dangerous one. WSSU cant afford to get caught looking ahead or reading their press clippings. Game time is 6:00 pm at Bowman-Gray Stadium.

Catch it Live: http://www.fsubroncos.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mfootbl.html?event=989644&school=fast&sport=mfootbl&camefrom=&startschool=&^[7]

Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls (2-1) at Davidson Wildcats (1-1)

The Golden Bulls, fresh off a statement-making win over Virginia State, step out of conference and up in division to take on Division I Davidson College. The Wildcats, who play in the FCS Pioneer Football League, are 1-1 with a loss to Georgetown and a win over Lenoir-Rhyne. JCSU freshman quarterback Keahn Wallace, a star in the making, continued his impressive start last week, rolling up 268 yards of total offense and one touchdown. In three games, Wallace has racked up 1,063 yards of total offense and has accounted for 11 touchdowns. After lighting up the scoreboard offensively in their first two games, the Golden Bulls showed they could play lights out defense against Virginia State. They limited the Trojans to a single score and came up with a huge defensive play when they forced a fumble in the shadow of their own goal line and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown, to break a 7-7 knot late in the fourth quarter. Theyll need that type of defensive intensity against the Wildcats who average 378 yards a game and have a young gun of their own at QB in Jonathan Carkhuff. Carkhuff, a 60 sophomore, has passed for 688 yards and five touchdowns in two games. Game time is 7:00 pm at Richardson Stadium.

Catch it Live: http://www.wgnc.net/^[8] (Johnson C. Smith)

Virginia University of Lynchburg Dragons (0-3) at Livingstone Blue Bears (0-3)

The Blue Bears have lost 28 straight, dating back to the 2008 season and have been outscored 133-28 in their three games this season. This may be their best chance to get off the schneid when they host first year program Virginia University of Lynchburg. The Dragons, who are playing their first season of football since 1954, are led by coaching legend Willard Bailey. Bailey, whose career has spanned nearly four decades, has won over 200 games and seven CIAA titles in coaching stops at Virginia Union, Norfolk State, and Saint Pauls. Kickoff is 6:00 pm at Alumni Memorial Stadium in Salisbury.

Catch it Live: http://www.sidearmstats.com/livingstone/football/index.htm^[9]

References

1. ^{^} http://www.ecsuvikings.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mfootbl.html?event=989644&school=eliz&sport=mfootbl&camefrom=&startschool=& (www.ecsuvikings.com)
2. ^{^} http://www.ustream.tv/channel/lincoln-university-lions-athletics (www.ustream.tv)
3. ^{^} www.herbfm.com (www.herbfm.com)
4. ^{^} www.live365.com (www.live365.com)
5. ^{^} http://www.futuremediaworld.com/chowan.htm (www.futuremediaworld.com)
6. ^{^} http://www.mainstreamnetwork.com/listen/player.asp?station=wvst-fm& (www.mainstreamnetwork.com)
7. ^{^} http://www.fsubroncos.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mfootbl.html?event=989644&school=fast&sport=mfootbl&camefrom=&startschool=& (www.fsubroncos.com)
8. ^{^} http://www.wgnc.net/ (www.wgnc.net)
9. ^{^} http://www.sidearmstats.com/livingstone/football/index.htm (www.sidearmstats.com)