WEEK 5 – LET THE CONFERENCE GAMES BEGIN!

Triskaidekaphobia: Fear the 13! - 2010 CIAA Football
The Championship Game – November 13-Durham, NC

September 21, 2010
 
WEEK 5 – LET THE CONFERENCE GAMES BEGIN!
Hampton, VA – The conference season begins in earnest with all league teams (except Johnson C. Smith) in action. With the expansion of the football membership to 13, more meaningful games are being played on a weekly basis. This weekend is no exception with two blockbuster contests headlining Week 5.
 
GAME OF THE WEEK: WINSTON-SALEM STATE AT FAYETTEVILLE STATE: There are so many storylines behind this contest: 1) The renewal of the old Western Division rivals squaring off for the first time since 2005; 2) WSSU Head Coach Connell Maynor, former FSU Offensive Coordinator, returns to face his former boss, Kenny Phillips; or 3) The undefeated Rams face off against the Defending Champs. WSSU has gotten off to a hot start (4-0, 2-0) and looks to get a leg up on its Southern Division rival. WSSU dominated FSU for much of the two schools’ football history until the arrival of Kenny Phillips in 2000. Before WSSU’s departure from the CIAA to transition to Division I, the Broncos had won four of their last five contests. However, the Broncos have started 2010 at 1-2 against a tough opening schedule which included Elizabeth City State and UNC-Pembroke. WSSU will also provide a stern test for FSU. The Rams enter the contest after handling Chowan, 48-7. They also own the top-ranked scoring offense and defense in the conference. Leading the way offensively is QB Cameron Smith who has passed for eight TDs and no interceptions. RB Nic Cooper averages 6.1 yards per carry. Defensively, DL Juan Corders leads the CIAA with four sacks. The FSU Offense is led by RB Richard Medlin. QB Robert Benjamin provides support from the air. Whoever wins this contest will have an immediate leg up in the Southern Division. (6:00 p.m. at Fayetteville).
 
Players to watch: (WSSU: QB Cameron Smith: RB Nic Cooper; DL Juan Corders).
(FSU: RB Richard Medlin; QB Robert Benjamin; LB Kavarius Walker).
 
SHAW AT ELIZABETH CITY STATE: ECSU’s Offensive Troika of QB Powell, WR Manley, and RB McNeill have been all but unstoppable in the early season. Central Arkansas of the Football Championship Subdivision could not contain the aforementioned trio even in victory. Against Fayetteville State, the Vikings rolled up 449 yards of total offense and lit up the scoreboard for 38 points. In fact, ECSU is the total offense leader in the CIAA. WR Dexter Manley continues to prove he is one of the nation’s top deep threats having caught two TDs against the Broncos. RB Daronte McNeil has run like a “man” among boys at times, averaging five yards per carry. Creven Powell has thrown five TDs to his dynamic receiving duo of Manley and WR Billy Wiggins. The Bears have won the last two matchups against ECSU including the 2008 CIAA Championship Game. Shaw enters the contest having lost a disappointing contest at Catawba. Offensively, QB Kevin Atkins has played well and will give the Vikings plenty to look at during film study. All-CIAA RB Raymond Williams is an outstanding cutback runner who can hit a home run from anywhere on the field. This is the conference opener for Shaw, and the last tune up for ECSU before they begin their CIAA schedule in earnest against St. Paul’s.  (1:00 p.m. at Elizabeth City, NC).
 
Players to watch: (Shaw: QB Kevin Atkins; RB Raymond Williams; WR Julius Gregory).
(ECSU: QB Creven Powell; DL Malcolm Jenkins; RB DaRonte McNeill).
 
VIRGINIA UNION AT BOWIE STATE: These two teams tied for the Eastern Division Title last season. The Panthers knocked off BSU in a thriller last year that helped push the tie and the “coin toss” tiebreaker. This is an important early season matchup for both teams. The divisional rivals know that a loss is critical based upon the events of last season. Both VUU and BSU won their conference openers last weekend. VUU and BSU finally got their offenses untracked with 55 point scoring outbursts against Lincoln and Livingstone respectively. Both will need to keep up the scoring surge to win this weekend. (1:00 p.m. at Bowie, MD).
 
Players to watch: (Virginia Union: QB Aris McGlone-English; WR Joseph Jean-Pierre; RB Michael Hassell).
(Bowie State: QB Clifton Budd; RB Tariq Jones; DB Terrence Peete).
 
VIRGINIA STATE AT CHOWAN: Both VSU and Chowan suffered difficult losses last weekend. They will need to bounce back quickly as they open up their divisional schedule. QB Jared Battle will look to reassert himself against the Braves. RB Antwain Lyde will look to open up the running attack. RB Elliot Smalls leads the way for the Chowan running game. (6:00 p.m. at Murfreesboro, NC).
 
Players to watch: (Virginia State: QB Jared Battle; WR Corey Young; RB Antwain Lyde).
(Chowan: RB Elliot Smalls; K Joey Garguilo; DL Marc McCadden).
 
ST. AUGUSTINE’S AT LINCOLN: St. Aug opened its conference season last weekend with an impressive win over St. Paul’s. QB Joaquin Green and RB Walter Sanders answered the bell offensively for St. Aug. They will look to go 2-0 in the CIAA with a road win over the Lions. Lincoln had its most impressive offensive showing of the season by scoring 31 points. However, LU still ended up with a loss. It will need to tighten up defensively in order to stop the Falcons. (1:00 p.m. at Lincoln University, PA).
 
Players to watch: (St. Aug: RB Walter Sanders; QB Joaquin Green; LB Stephen Stanback).
(Lincoln: QB Laquan Williams; WR Matthew Colston; DB Jairon Bailey).
 
LIVINGSTONE AT ST. PAUL’S: Both the Blue Bears and Tigers look to earn their first victory of the season. (1:00 p.m. at Lawrenceville, VA).
 
Players to watch: (Livingstone: LB Bryan Aycoth; QB Curtis Edens; LB Shawntez Jones).
(St. Paul’s: QB Steffen Miller-Cohen; WR Jason Davis; DB Dominic Tolson).