CIAA Football Preview - Week 11
CIAA Football Preview- Week 11
It’s Week 11 in CIAA action and another exciting regular season wraps up. On tap this weekend is a huge nonconference tilt between South Division Champ Winston-Salem State and UNC-Pembroke. Also, Raleigh rivals Shaw and Saint Augustine’s meet in their annual slugfest for city bragging rights, while Johnson C. Smith and Livingstone, participants in the first game ever between two HBCUs, renew their 119-year old rivalry in Charlotte. In the Northern Division, Elizabeth City State, the division champs, look to run their winning streak to eight games- heading into Durham on a positive note, as they host Lincoln in their regular season finale. The road to Durham ends this week for all but two CIAA schools.
Game of the Week
#7 Winston-Salem State Rams (9-0, 7-0) at UNC-Pembroke Braves (7-2)
The 7th ranked Rams travel to Pembroke, North Carolina to take on the Braves of UNC-Pembroke in an important non-conference matchup. Winston-Salem State struggled with Southern Division rival Shaw last week before eking out a 21-14 win over the feisty Bears. The Rams, the most productive offense in the CIAA at 438 yards a game, were held in check by Shaw for much of the game and finished with a season-low 124 yards of total offense. Although the Rams made just enough plays to turn back Shaw, they cannot turn in such a lackluster offensive performance against a dangerous UNC-Pembroke squad. The 7-2 Braves are almost a mirror image of the Rams with their balanced and highly productive offense. UNC-Pembroke averages an eye-popping 511 yards of offense and is scoring almost 40 points a game. They are paced by sensational sophomore quarterback Luke Charles who has thrown for 2,648 yards and 22 touchdowns. The Braves love to throw the ball; five different UNCP receivers have at least 14 catches and 300 receiving yards this season. UNC-Pembroke is just as adept at running the football. The Braves average 213 rushing yards a game, led by 1,300-yard rusher Travis Daniels, who is third in Division II at 149 yards a game. The sure handed Daniels has carried the ball 244 times with only two fumbles, while scoring 14 touchdowns. Backfield mates Elliot Powell and Damonte Terry have combined for 636 yards and eight touchdowns. The Rams have been dominant throughout much of the season, but if they have one Achilles’ heel, it’s their pass defense. Although they lead the CIAA in total defense, the Rams are an uncharacteristic ninth in the league against the pass. Against a potent passing attack like the Braves’, the Rams will need stronger play from their secondary if they want to run their record to 10-0. Kickoff is 2:00 pm at UNC-Pembroke’s Grace P. Johnson Stadium.
Chowan Hawks (2-7, 1-5) at Bowie State Bulldogs (4-5, 3-3)
After a promising 3-0 start, Bowie State has gone a disappointing 1-5 since. The Bulldogs are coming off a 38-17 loss to Shepherd University played in a driving snowstorm reminiscent of an old NFL film from “frozen Lambeau Field”. The frigid, slippery conditions, coupled with Shepherd’s defense conspired to limit two Bulldog quarterbacks to 25 combined passing yards and five interceptions. Forced to go exclusively to the ground game, the Bulldogs sledded their way to a respectable 216 rushing yards in the less than ideal conditions. Bowie State closes out their 2011 campaign at home against Northern Division foe Chowan. The Hawks dropped a 26-9 decision to Elizabeth City State last Saturday. ECSU defenders sacked Chowan quarterback Cameron Stover eight times, picked him off three times and held him to 195 passing yards and no touchdowns. Stover, who leads the CIAA at 242 yards a game, is a dangerous passer with a stable of good receivers at his disposal, but completions are a difficult proposition under the pressure of repeated sacks. The Hawks have been mostly ineffective running the ball all season, so any success this week will hinge on the offensive line’s ability to keep Stover’s jersey clean against the Bulldogs who are second in the league in pass defense. The season finale for both team kicks off at 1:00 pm at Bulldog Stadium.
Fayetteville State Broncos (4-5, 4-2) at Virginia Union Panthers (4-5, 2-4)
Even though both teams have identical 4-5 records, this is a matchup of two teams going in opposite directions as the 2011 season winds down. Trending upward is Fayetteville State. After a 0-4 start, the Broncos have righted the ship and are 4-1 in their last five games, including last week’s 44-23 win over an improved Johnson C. Smith team. The Panthers got off to a solid 4-2 start but have been in a freefall ever since, having lost their last three, including a 39-14 loss at Virginia State. Both teams could still finish with a .500 record with a win. Kickoff is at 1:00 pm at Hovey Field.
Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls (4-5, 3-3) at Livingstone Blue Bears (1-8, 0-6)
The oldest rivals in the CIAA square off when the Golden Bulls and the Blue Bears meet in the annual Commemorative Classic. This game commemorates the first football game in HBCU history, when Johnson C. Smith, then known as Biddle Institute, met Livingstone College on the gridiron on December 27, 1892. Kickoff is 2:00 pm at Charlotte Memorial Stadium.
Lincoln Lions (2-7, 2-4) at Elizabeth City State Vikings (7-2, 5-1)
The Vikings get their final tune-up for the CIAA Championship game with a visit from the Lincoln Lions. Since an 0-2 start, the Vikings have reeled off seven straight wins, including Saturday’s 26-9 win over Chowan. The engine that makes the Vikings go continues to be tailback Daronte McNeill, who leads the CIAA in rushing with 1,249 yards and is 12 yards shy of becoming ECSU’s career rushing leader. McNeill also has scored a league-high 19 touchdowns to help propel the Vikings to the Northern Division title. While McNeill gets most of the attention from opposing defenses, his backfield mate Kevin Swain has quietly run for over 500 yards (6th best in the CIAA) and five touchdowns, giving the Vikings the best 1-2 backfield punch in the CIAA. The Vikings are also stout defensively, allowing only 261 yards a game. Lincoln turned in their worst offensive performance of the season in an 18-2 loss to Virginia University-Lynchburg on Saturday. The Lions finished with a paltry 102 passing yards and eight yards rushing against the first year squad from Lynchburg. Their defense was also battered by VUL running back Mac Shinhoster who carried the ball 29 times for 187 yards and two touchdowns. The one bright spot for Lincoln was the play of linebacker Daron Jones who led the Lions with 16 tackles and a sack. The Vikings and the Lions wrap up the regular season at 1:00 pm at Roebuck Stadium on the campus of ECSU.
Saint Augustine’s Falcons (4-5, 3-3) at Shaw Bears (2-7, 2-4)
The Falcons and the Bears square off in a season-ending match-up between cross-town rivals. Last season “the battle of Raleigh” decided the Southern Division title. This year, the only things on the line are pride and city bragging rights. Shaw started the season with lofty expectations. Ranked 25th in the preseason Division II poll and tabbed by conference coaches as the favorite to repeat as CIAA champs, the Bears stumbled out of the blocks to a 0-4 start and never recovered. Shaw played their best game of the season in a 21-14 loss at Winston-Salem State last Saturday. The Bears rolled up 320 yards of offense, while holding the 7th ranked Rams to a season-low 124 yards, but were done in by costly turnovers and penalties. The Falcons hope to finish the season on a high note. After a 1-5 start, SAC has strung together three wins in a row. Quarterback Teddy Bacote and his receiving corps have been on a tear the last few weeks. In his last five games, Bacote has thrown for 1,496 yards and 14 touchdowns and his receivers have taken turns breaking school receiving records. Jamian Smith broke the school record for receptions in a game when he caught 17 balls against West Georgia three weeks ago. Last Saturday, teammate Brian Richards set a school record for receiving yards in a game when he caught 16 passes for 222 yards in the Falcons’ 45-14 win over Livingstone. Records aside, since both teams resurrected their football programs earlier this decade, this has been one of the fiercest rivalries in the CIAA. Saturday should be more of the same. Kickoff is 1:00 pm at Durham County Stadium.
Virginia State Trojans (5-4, 4-3) at Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs (3-5)
The Trojans close out their 2011 schedule with a Thursday night visit to Boiling Springs, North Carolina to take on Division I Gardner-Webb. Last Saturday, Virginia State jumped out to a 22-0 lead and never looked back as they dominated heated rival Virginia Union 39-14. Tailback Antwain Lyde rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Trojan offense. The defense came up with three key interceptions, including one that defensive back Howard Spencer returned for a 57-yard touchdown. After dropping five straight, the Runnin’ Bulldogs, from the FCS Big South Conference, have won their last two, including last week’s 14-7 win over Charleston Southern. The Trojans and the Runnin’ Bulldogs square off Thursday at 6:00pm in the first ever night game at G-WU’s Spangler Stadium.
