WEEK 2 - CIAA KICKOFF WEEKEND, PART 2!

The Road to Charlotte and the CIAA Football Championship
"Returning to Charlotte after 25 Years"
The Championship Game - November 10

WEEK 2 - CIAA KICKOFF WEEKEND, PART 2!

August 28, 2007 

Last weekend, four conference teams kicked off their seasons with the CIAA going 2-2. However, eight teams will be in action this weekend with only Shaw (24-7 win over Miles) and Johnson C. Smith (24-0 win over Edward Waters) taking off for the holiday weekend. Important interconference matchups loom this weekend highlighted by the clash of Southeast Region Titans, Elizabeth City State and Catawba. Virginia State will meet Norfolk State in the only CIAA-MEAC football meeting this season. However, the CIAA squares off against the South Atlantic in four contests this weekend alone.

GAME OF THE WEEK: CATAWBA AT ELIZABETH CITY STATE (NCAA D-II/CSTV Broadband Telecast): Last season was a dream come true for the Vikings. After being a conference cellar dweller for season after season, ECSU won the Eastern Division, and was selected to the NCAA Playoffs. The 9-3 Vikings were one of the toasts of Division II, finishing ranked in the final American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top Twenty-Five. However, that was 2006 and memories run short when losses begin to pile up. Ranked in most preseason polls, including twelfth by Street & Smith's, ECSU hosts a formidable Catawba team on Saturday. Two of Division II's best quarterbacks are Catawba's Brad Roach (2250 yds, 14 touchdowns) and Elizabeth City State's Curtis Rich (1854 yds, 21 touchdowns) will be featured in this showdown. The defensive is where the Vikings earned their reputations in 2006. ECSU's Defense pitched four shutouts last season and return All-CIAA performers including DL Greg Moore. The Indians return 17 starters from last season's 6-4 team. While the 6-6 Roach is the offensive catalyst, RB Jamelle Cuthberson and WR Brent Johnson return to provide the Indians' a three-headed offensive threat. Brandon Fields will lead the rushing attack once again for the Vikings running behind an experienced offensive line. This game has early playoff implications. (6:00 p.m. at Elizabeth City, NC).

Players to watch: (Catawba: QB Brad Roach; DL Ron Ellington; RB Jamelle Cuthberson). (Elizabeth City State: QB Curtis Rich; DL Greg Moore; RB Brandon Fields).

VIRGINIA UNION AT LENOIR-RHYNE (Thursday): Lost in the midst of the hoopla surrounding ECSU's breakthrough season was Virginia Union's 2006 campaign. Finishing with a 7-3 record and ranked #12 in the final Southeast Region Poll, the Panthers are a favorite to make its first appearance in the Championship Game since 2003. VUU's spectacular QB Lamar Little is one of the nation's top all-purpose players. In 2006, Little amassed 2388 all-purpose yards and a whopping 34 touchdowns. Little will be joined by RB Elihu Smith in the Panther backfield. Defensively, the Panthers will look to improve having won more than their share of shootouts in 2006. The Fred Goldsmith era (former Duke Head Coach) begins at Lenoir-Rhyne. He will depend on QB Justin Sanders, the 2006 South Atlantic Offensive Freshman of the Year. LRC looks to improve on its 3-7 mark in 2006 with 13 starters returning. (7:00 p.m. at Hickory, NC).

Players to watch: (Lenoir-Rhyne: QB Justin Sanders; WR Pete Goodman; DB Chima Okoro).
(VUU: QB Lamar Little; RB Elihu Smith; LB Stephen Johnson).

MARS HILL AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S: St. Augustine's and Mars Hill have split the last two seasons with both contests remaining in doubt until the final moments. Of course, any discussion of Falcon Football begins and ends with DL Alex Hall. The 2006 1st Team AP All-American recorded 13 sacks and 111 tackles. He will lead an experienced defensive unit. St. Aug also returns QB Brandon Franklin on the offensive side of the ball. MHC will look to bounce back from a 4-7 campaign. The Lions return an impressive 17 starters from last season and look to move up in the South Atlantic Conference. (1:30 p.m. at Raleigh, NC).

Players to watch: (Mars Hill: LB Nathaniel Smith; QB Ricky Spradling; OL Issac Harris).
(St. Augustine's: DL Alex Hall; QB Brandon Franklin; RB Markese Long).

ST. PAUL'S AT WINGATE: The CIAA-SAC Quadrupleheader continues with St. Paul's traveling to Wingate. The Bulldogs pulled out an exciting 34-26 victory at Fayetteville State last weekend. QB JD Moore had an impressive debut against the Broncos leading two impressive second half scores to take command of the game. RB Nelson Woods was also impressive in last weekend's victory over FSU. St. Paul's will have their hands full opening against the powerful Bulldogs. QB Demetrius Brown leads the Tigers' offensive attack. (1:30 p.m. at Wingate, NC).

Players to watch: (Wingate: DL Kenwin Cummings; WR Gary Tatum; TE Brad Horne).
(St. Paul's: QB Demetrius Brown; DB Jerome Mann; KR Montell Jones).

VIRGINIA STATE AT NORFOLK STATE: Virginia State will have to bounce back quickly from last weekend's defeat at Carson-Newman. Intrastate rival Norfolk State finally got the upper hand on the Trojans after a four-game losing streak. Lamar Blizzard and Michael Terry shared quarterback duties at Carson-Newman last weekend. Both quarterbacks put up passing touchdowns. However, the defense must be stout against the Spartans. This is the Labor Day Classic. (6:00 p.m. at Norfolk, VA).

Players to watch: (Virginia State: RB Travis Valentine; QB Michael Terry; DB Anthony Hailstock).

FAYETTEVILLE STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL (Sunday): The Broncos showed much improvement from their 3-7 2006 campaign. Particularly, on the offensive side of the ball the Broncos showed more bite. Both Calvin Harris and Frosh Ben Williams showed the ability to move the offense. The Broncos also have two outstanding wideouts in Bobby Wilder and Daryl Barnett. RB Richard Medlin is a spark out of the backfield. Defensively, FSU suffered lapses in key moments which led to Wingate's come-from-behind victory. DB Donte Wise and LB Geron Harper will need to show more leadership for a young defensive team. North Carolina Central will be led by its outstanding QB Stafford Brown. (4:00 p.m. at Durham).

Players to watch: (Fayetteville State: RB Richard Medlin; QB Ben Williams; DB Donte Wise).

LIVINGSTONE AT BENEDICT: This is the season opener for the Blue Bears. They will travel down I-77 and meet SIAC rival Benedict. The Livingstone program is rebuilding and looks to begin the 2007 campaign with a win. (3:30 p.m. at Columbia, SC).

Players to watch: (Livingstone: DB Lionel Vincent; QB Steven Williams).