SHAW RALLIES TO EDGE WSSU SETTING UP SEASON ENDING SHOWDOWN FOR DIVISION TITLE

CIAA Football Week in Review
For the week ending October 30, 2010, (Week 10) 

SHAW RALLIES TO EDGE WSSU SETTING UP SEASON ENDING SHOWDOWN FOR DIVISION TITLE
 
DURHAM, NC-A timely interception by defensive lineman Stanley Porter set up a go-ahead touchdown as the Shaw Bears rallied from ten points down in the fourth quarter to stun the 18th ranked Winston-Salem State Rams 31-27 yesterday at Durham County Stadium. The win by the Bears sets up a regular season ending showdown next Saturday against cross-town Saint Augustine’s with the Southern Division title and a berth in the CIAA Championship game at stake.
 
Winston-Salem State, who needed the win to stay in the title hunt, jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on a 55-yard run off an option keeper by quarterback Kameron Smith with 10:42 left in the first quarter. On Shaw’s next possession, quarterback Kevin Atkins’ mishandled snap led to a fumble recovery by WSSU’s Shawn Kearney at the Shaw 39-yard line.  Five plays later, the Rams led 14-0 on tailback Nicholas Cooper’s 24-yard touchdown run. Shaw responded with an 11-play, 80-yard drive that was finished off by Raymond Williams’ 1-yard touchdown run that cut the lead to 14-7. The drive was aided by a costly defensive pass interference penalty against the Rams that moved the ball down to the WSSU 10-yard line.
 
Landon Thayer’s 33-yard field goal got the scoring going in the second quarter as the Rams extended their lead to 17-7.  A flurry of scoring by both teams highlighted the last three minutes of the quarter. A 10-yard pass from Atkins to Tyrone Bolden would trim the lead to 17-14 with 2:41 left until halftime. On the Rams’ next possession, Cooper broke a couple tackles at the line of scrimmage, bounced outside and rumbled down the right sideline for a 48-yard touchdown to push the lead to 24-14 with 2:14 left in the quarter.  Shaw would end the first half scoring on a 47-yard field goal by Lincoln Shepherd with twelve seconds remaining in the quarter and head to the locker room trailing the Rams 24-17.
 
In stark contrast to the offensive fireworks of the second quarter, the only scoring in the third quarter came on a 26-yard field goal by Thayer as the Rams went into the fourth quarter leading 27-17.
 
Shaw seized momentum in the fourth quarter when Atkins tossed his second touchdown of the day, an 11-yarder to Tyrone Craig, to cut the lead to 27-24 with just over six minutes left in the game. With their title hopes on the line, the Bears’ defense stiffened on the Rams’ next offensive possession. After allowing one first down, Shaw stuffed Cooper for a one-yard loss on the next play.  Marcus Skeen then sacked Smith for a 10-yard loss on second down.  Facing third down and 21, Smith dropped back and attempted a screen pass that was picked off by Porter near the line of scrimmage and returned down to the Rams’ 12-yard line. Three plays later, Atkins ran it in from 5 yards out and Caleb Reid tacked on the extra point to give Shaw their first lead of the day at 31-27 with 1:59 left to play. On the ensuing kickoff Cooper fielded the ball and stepped out of bounds at the WSSU 2-yard line, forcing the Rams to have to drive 98-yards for the go-ahead score.  The drive ended at the Winston-Salem 14-yard line when Smith’s pass attempt on fourth down fell incomplete and with it went the Rams’ CIAA title hopes. The Rams end their season at 8-2, 5-2 CIAA and must hope for an at-large bid to the NCAA playoffs, while Shaw heads into next week’s division title showdown at 7-2, 6-0 CIAA and is the winner of six straight games.

Conference Scoreboard

CIAA Tie-Breaker Procedure:
1.      Head to Head Competition
2.      Divisional Record
3.      Common Conference Opponents
4.      Coin Toss

November’s Upcoming Games: