Game of the Week

Virginia Union Panthers (4-4, 2-3) at Elizabeth City State Vikings (5-3, 4-1)

The CIAA Game of the Week matches perennial league powers Elizabeth City State and Virginia Union in a pivotal Northern Division tilt with direct title implications.  For Elizabeth City State, the math is simple.  Win their final two games and the Vikings earn the Northern Division title and their second straight trip to the CIAA Championship game.  Go 1-1 or 0-2 and things could get a little murkier.  ECSU took sole possession of first place in the division with their 47-21 win over Chowan.  The Vikings continue to shed their image as a run-oriented team.  Quarterback Namon Jones passed for a career-high 309 yards and threw three touchdowns against Chowan.  All three of Jones’ touchdown passes went to junior wide receiver Gary Langston who finished with five receptions for a career-high 241 yards.  The Vikings got their usual steady performance from star tailback Daronte McNeill.  McNeill, ECSU’s career rushing leader, carried the ball 19 times for 86 yards and a touchdown as the Vikings finished with 432 yards of total offense.  Elizabeth City State’s defense also came to play on Saturday.  The Vikings generated two touchdowns from their defensive unit as Nigel Rios and D.D. Williams both returned fumbles for touchdowns.  ECSU also recorded four sacks, nine quarterback hurries, and an interception and got a career-high 13 tackles from linebacker Michael Williams.  The Vikings will encounter a formidable roadblock on their road to the division title in the form of the Virginia Union Panthers.  With a 2-3 conference record, the Panthers haven’t been mathematically eliminated from the title race, but must win out and then get a lot of help to claim the division title.  VUU took care of Bowie State 37-13 on Saturday.  The Panthers jumped out to a 30-13 halftime lead and then held the Bulldogs scoreless the rest of the way.  Turnovers helped break the game open.  VUU secured this critical divisional win with a 36-yard interception return TD from linebacker Patrick Grant and a 36-yard fumble return for a score from linebacker Dominique Anderson.  On offense, the Panthers also logged rushing touchdowns from Kenneth Graham, Richard Rodwell, and Terrence Malone.  Stephen Velasquez added a field goal to round out the scoring.  This critical Northern division game kicks off at 1:00pm at ECSU’s Roebuck Stadium. Live Stats: http://hbculivestats.com/ecsu/football/xlive.htm

Bowie State Bulldogs (4-4, 1-4) at Lincoln Lions (1-7, 1-4)   

The Bulldogs have dropped two in a row after their 37-13 loss to Virginia Union.  Jared Johnson and Corwin Acker both rushed for second quarter touchdowns for all of Bowie State’s scoring.  The Bulldogs struggled passing the ball against the Panthers.  Quarterback Jared Johnson was 9-19 for 98 yards and an interception as the Bulldogs were held to 276 yards of total offense.  Lincoln has lost their last three games following Saturday’s 23-3 loss to Virginia State.  Doug Cook, the CIAA’s leading passer at 290 yards a game, had another solid outing.  He threw for 259 yards, but the Lions were held to a single field goal.  Linebacker Dawan Marzett and safety Brion Robinson combined for 20 tackles to lead the Lions’ defense.  Lincoln kicks off their Homecoming at 1:30pm. Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/bowie/football/scoreboard.aspx and http://www.sidearmstats.com/lincoln/football/scoreboard.aspx 

Chowan Hawks (4-4, 3-2) at Virginia State Trojans (4-4, 3-2)

While the Southern Division race appears to be all but over, the race for the Northern title may go down to the final week.  Elizabeth City State is in the driver’s seat but a slip up could open the door for someone else.  Virginia State has quietly climbed into a tie for second place in the division and is in prime position to capitalize- should ECSU falter.  The Trojans hold the first tiebreaker over the Vikings based on their 28-17 win over ECSU on October 6.  Virginia State beat Lincoln 23-3 on Saturday and now must take down Chowan to keep their divisional title hopes alive.  Linebackers Alundus Beggs and Bryce Willoughby combined for 21 tackles and DB Perry Sutton recovered a fumble for a touchdown to lead the Trojans’ defense against the Lions.  Beggs also logged three of VSU’s 6.5 sacks as the Trojans held Lincoln to 263 yards passing, 47 yards rushing and a single field goal.  Offensively, Virginia State produced rushing touchdowns from Tyler Wilson and Kenay Hawks and a field goal from Devonte Hunt to round out their scoring.  Chowan had a chance to move into the lead in the Northern Division on Saturday but left Elizabeth City with a 47-21 loss.  Tailback Daronte McNeill is typically the biggest hammer in ECSU’s toolbox, but against the Hawks, it was quarterback Namon Jones and receiver Gary Langston that inflicted the most damage on the Chowan defense.  The Hawks held the All-American McNeill to a respectable 86 yards rushing, but could not stop Jones and Langston from going wild.  Jones passed for a career-high 309 yards and threw three touchdowns to Langston, who finished with five receptions for a career-best 241 yards.  The Hawks were also done in by turnovers, as ECSU scored two touchdowns on fumble recoveries.  CU quarterback Cameron Stover had a long day.  Stover, the fourth leading passer in the CIAA, came into the contest averaging 258 yards per game, but was held to 165 yards by the Vikings.  He was also sacked four times, lost a fumble and threw an interception.  Ryan Nolan led the Chowan offense with 74 receiving yards and two touchdowns.  Tailback Elliot Smalls caught a touchdown and added 23 carries for 109 yards.  Kickoff in this battle for second place in the Northern Division is set for 1:30pm at VSU’s Rogers Stadium. Live Stats:  http://www.mainstreamnetwork.com/listen/player.asp?station=wvst-fm&

Livingstone Blue Bears (2-6, 2-3) at Fayetteville State Broncos (1-7, 0-5)           

Both teams are coming off losses this week.  Fayetteville State limps into the game on a five-game losing streak.  The Broncos gave Saint Augustine’s all they could handle before falling 34-28 in triple overtime.  Colon Bailey rushed for a career-high 220 yards and two touchdowns and Andreas Hudson threw for 201 yards and one touchdown and rushed for a score as FSU outgained the Falcons 465 to 332, but still came up short on the scoreboard.  The Broncos will look to try to pick up their first conference win against Livingstone.  The Blue Bears, having lost three straight, are coming off a lopsided 58-0 loss to second-ranked Winston-Salem State.  Since a 23-21 win over Virginia Union on September 29, Livingstone has been outscored, 138-47 in their last three games.  Against Winston-Salem State, Livingstone was outgained, 577-182.  The Blue Bears came into the game averaging 402 yards of total offense a game, but were no match for the Rams’ conference-leading defense.  The Blue Bears’ defensive woes continue.  Despite the presence of talented linebackers Tyheim Pitt, who is ranked sixth in NCAA Division II in solo tackles, and Kenneth White, second in the conference in tackles per game, the Blue Bears are giving up 45.5 points and 507 yards per game.  Homecoming at Fayetteville State kicks off at 2:00pm at Luther “Nick” Jeralds Stadium. Listen Live: www.wfss.com; Live Stats: http://www.fsubroncos.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mfootbl.html?event=1088148&school=fast&sport=mfootbl&camefrom=&startschool=&

Saint Augustine’s Falcons (5-3, 3-2) at Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls (3-5, 3-2)

The Falcons bounced back from their loss against Winston-Salem State with a thrilling 34-28 triple overtime win over Fayetteville State on Saturday.  The game was tied 14-14 at the end of regulation, but the Falcons outscored the Broncos 20-14 in the overtime periods.  Running back Deonte Toliver scored on a seven-yard run in the third overtime to give Saint Augustine's the Homecoming victory.  Tyron Laughinghouse led the Falcons with nine catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, while Toliver added 70 yards rushing on 16 carries.  Defensively, the Falcons were led by linebackers Antonio Stewart and Chaz Robinson, who combined for 26 tackles. Robinson is the CIAA’s leading tackler at 10.4 per game.  SAU also recorded five sacks and have racked up 12 sacks in their last two games; led by defensive end Javarous Faulk, who leads NCAA Division II with 11.5 sacks.  Johnson C. Smith picked up a huge win over Southern Division power Shaw on Saturday.  The Golden Bulls limited the Bears to a single offensive touchdown late in the fourth quarter of their 35-20 win.  Shaw scored their other points on an interception return and a kickoff return.  JCSU defenders stymied Shaw tailback Marquise Grizzle all day.  Grizzle came into the game averaging a CIAA-best 124.5 yards per game, but was held to just 26 yards on 14 carries by the Golden Bulls.  Shaw finished with just 260 yards of total offense.  Johnson C. Smith also benefitted from a balanced game from their offense.  Tailback Dedric Anderson rushed for a career-high 185 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Keahn Wallace passed for 147 and three scores to help the Golden Bulls pile up 333 yards of offense.  Anderson is ranked 13^th in Division II, averaging 170.5 all-purpose yards per game.  It’s Homecoming at JCSU.  Game time is 1:00pm at Smith’s Irwin Belk Complex.  Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/staug/football and Listen Live: www.wgiv.net

#2 Winston-Salem State Rams (8-0, 5-0) at Shaw Bears (4-4, 3-2)

Undefeated Winston-Salem State heads to Durham County Stadium needing one win to clinch its second consecutive Southern Division title on Saturday versus Shaw.  Not many teams could go into a game with three of their top four running backs sidelined with injuries and still come away with a convincing win.  But, that’s exactly what the second-ranked Rams did on Saturday in their 58-0 win over Livingstone.  Maurice Lewis (569 yards/11 TDs), Patrick Mputu (108 yards / 3 TDs), and Bryce Sherman (126 yards/1 TD) all sat out the game with various injuries.  Enter fourth-string tailback Brandon McDonald.  McDonald stepped in admirably for his injured backfield mates and rushed for 128 yards on 14 carries.  But, who needs a running game when your quarterback was as hot as Kameron Smith was.  Smith completed 16 of 24 passes for 276 yards and a school record seven touchdowns as the Rams outgained Livingstone in total offense by a staggering 577-182 margin.  Smith has now thrown for 28 touchdowns.  Shaw saw a three-game winning streak come to a screeching halt in their 35-20 loss to Johnson C. Smith.  The Bears were held to a single offensive touchdown, a one-yard run from Antonio Dunn with one second left in the game, and were held to 260 yards of total offense by an inspired JCSU defense.  Shaw’s leading rusher Marquise Grizzle came into the game averaging 124.5 yards per game, but was held to 26 yards on 14 carries by the Golden Bulls.  Darnell Evans was a one-man gang for Shaw.  The junior defensive back returned an interception 35 yards for the first touchdown of the game, and then returned a kickoff 90 yards for Shaw's second score.  With the loss to Johnson C. Smith, the Bears picked up their second conference loss and are left to play the role of spoiler in the Rams’ title drive.  These two Southern Division stalwarts will square off at 1:00pm at Durham County Stadium. Live Stats: http://livestats.prestosports.com/shaw/