CIAA Football Week 8 Preview: DIVISION FRONT-RUNNERS LOOK TO BUILD ON LEADS

"Celebrating 10 years: The Return of the Original
Conference Championship Game"
The CIAA Championship Game - November 7 - Durham, NC

WEEK 8 - DIVISION FRONT-RUNNERS LOOK TO BUILD ON LEADS

Hampton, VA - In 2000, the CIAA brought back its Championship Game after a ten-year hiatus. The CIAA played the first conference football championship game in 1970, and discontinued it in 1990. The conference is celebrating a decade of success of the CIAA Football Championship on Saturday, November 7 in Durham, 1:00 p.m.

This week, we will look back at the 2006 Championship Game when North Carolina Central repeated as CIAA Champions in the most anticipated of all championship game matchups. (Take a look at the 2006 flashback-recap after the preview capsules).

Last week, upsets in the East shook up the divisional standings and Bowie State now sits atop the division. Fayetteville State knocked off Shaw to take control of the West. The Broncos are now in firm position to return to the Championship Game for the first time since 2004.

GAME OF THE WEEK: VIRGINIA UNION AT VIRGINIA STATE (TV: CBS College Sports Network - Thursday, 8 pm: Virginia State took a punishing blow to their divisional hopes with Saturday's 18-0 defeat to St. Paul's. After knocking off Fayetteville State and Elizabeth City State on back to back weeks, VSU was riding high. The Trojans have not made the Championship Game since its resurrection in 2000. The belief on campus was that this may be the year...while all hope is not lost...it is certainly not as bright as before Saturday. With Bowie State's upset of Elizabeth City State, the Bulldogs sit two games clear of any other Eastern contender. Virginia Union actually controls its own destiny. If the Panthers win out, they will be in the Championship Game. The Panthers knocked off Lincoln to take a 3-1 divisional record into Thursday's nationally televised contest. The Trojans must win out and hope someone knocks off Bowie State before their season-ending contest. (8:00 p.m. on October 15 at Ettrick, VA).

Players to watch: (Virginia Union: QB Cheston Hickman; RB Alexander Stevens; LB Hurley Hemphill).

(Virginia State: QB Leonard Johnson; DL Brandon Fortune; DB Kevin Allen).

FAYETTEVILLE STATE AT JOHNSON C. SMITH: The Broncos took firm control of the Western Division with last week's win over rival Shaw. However, FSU's work is hardly finished. First, the Broncos must not get tripped up at the Golden Bulls' homecoming. JCSU, while suffering a tough loss at St. Aug last weekend, are still not out of the divisional race. An upset of the Broncos will allow JCSU to control its own destiny with Shaw still looming on the schedule. RB Calvin Harris has played well and has been the most consistent offensive threat for the Broncos. JCSU's Jeremy Franklin is one of the most potent receivers in Division II. He will look to get open against FSU's aggressive secondary led by FSU's Jeff Gowdy. QB Ryan Carter will need to stand strong against FSU's tough pass defense. (1:00 p.m. at Charlotte).

Players to watch: (FSU: DB Jeff Gowdy; RB Calvin Harris; LB Marcos Esquivel).

(JCSU: QB Ryan Carter; WR Jeremy Franklin; RB Dedric Anderson).

ST. PAUL'S AT BOWIE STATE: One of the great comebacks of 2009 has shuffled the deck of the Eastern Division. Trailing 33-19 in the fourth quarter at ECSU, the Bulldogs perhaps played their way into the Championship Game. BSU won the contest 37-33. DB Terrence Peete was the hero of the game with a fumble return for a touchdown and the game clinching interception to close out ECSU's comeback bid. They will look to firm up their lead in the East by winning homecoming. The second shocker of the weekend was provided by St. Paul's. The Tigers went on the road and shutout VSU 18-0. The Tigers hope to continue their two-game win streak by spoiling BSU's homecoming. In order to do so, they must shut down RB Rodney Webb and the Bulldogs' opportunistic defense. (1:00 p.m. at Bowie, MD).

Players to watch: (Bowie State: RB Rodney Webb; WR Clifton Budd; DB Terrence Peete).

LIVINGSTONE AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE: The Falcons are still alive in the Western Division and look to continue winning against the Blue Bears. QB Joaquin Green has passed for 12 TDs and has been the consistent force for the Falcons. (2:00 p.m. at Raleigh). 

Players to watch: (St. Aug: QB Joaquin Green; RB Walter Sanders; DL Marcus Crump).

SHAW AT CHOWAN: The two-time defending champs are used to having their backs against the wall. They know that they must keep fighting in order to defend their crown on November 7 in Durham. The Bears dominated FSU in every way on Saturday, with the exception of the all-important scoreboard losing, 29-28. Chowan will surely have its hands full against the powerful Bears. The RB combination of Aaron Ellison and Rodney Williams are tough to stop. QB CJ Westler poses similar issues for Shaw's Defense. This should be a high scoring affair. (6:00 p.m. at Murfreesboro, NC).

LINCOLN AT ELIZABETH CITY STATE: With two divisional losses back to back, the Vikings put their championship hopes in significant jeopardy. While their offense got back on track with the return of WR Dexter Manley, the defense could not keep BSU at bay. If ECSU hopes to make a return to Durham on November 7, they must win out and look for help. (1:00 p.m. at Elizabeth City, NC).

Remembering the Championship Game 

A Look Back at the Last 10 Years of the CIAA Football Championship

The 2006 Championship Game: November 11, 2006

Durham, NC - North Carolina Central junior placekicker Brandon Gilbert kicked a career-long 51-yard field goal as time expired to give the Eagles a 17-14 win over Elizabeth City State in the 2006 CIAA Championship Game with over 12,000 in attendance.

The game featured two AFCA Top Twenty ranked teams for the first time, and featured a game where both teams were invited to the Division II Playoffs. North Carolina Central also became the first CIAA team to earn a number one seed in the NCAA Playoffs.

NCCU (10-0) and ECSU (9-1) battled to a near standstill for four quarters. The two titans traded blows with RB Greg Pruitt rushing for 117 yards to keep NCCU's repeat hopes alive. Both defenses held their own against the two offenses ranked first and second in the CIAA.

This was the second of two consecutive titles won by the Eagles (11-1). The Vikings (9-2) played in the first of two championship games (2008).