The CIAA Championship Game 1970-2005:
"Celebrating the Birth of an Original"
The Championship Game - November 5 - Durham

A CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY BEFORE "THE CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY!"

Hampton, VA - For the first time since the resurrection of the Championship Game in 2000, both divisional races will come down to the final weekend. In fact, four of this weekend's six conference games will have a bearing on who plays in the Championship Game. Six teams are still alive for the two berths in next weekend's title tilt. Also, for obvious reasons, two games will be spotlighted as "The CIAA Game of the Week."

GAME OF THE WEEK: ST. AUGUSTINE'S AT WINSTON-SALEM STATE: It was a foregone conclusion to many that St. Aug would run the table and go undefeated in the CIAA. No team since the ‘02 Fayetteville State team has gone undefeated in the league. However, FSU had something to say about their feat staying intact. St. Aug was only giving up a measly eight points per contest but the Broncos exploded for 45 points including 28 fourth quarter points. St. Aug must regain its swagger quickly to keep their postseason hopes alive. WSSU's championship hopes took a blow last weekend with St. Aug losing. However, with a win and a Johnson C. Smith upset over North Carolina Central, the Rams will claim the Western Division. If WSSU wants to pull off the upset, they will need to bring more than their vaunted running attack. They must find some passing offense to keep St. Aug honest. (2:00 p.m. at Winston-Salem).

(Players to watch: St. Aug: QB Darrell Nesbitt; WR Eddie Montgomery; LB Tyrone Pettaway).
(WSSU: RB Jed Bines; RB Sterling Hicks; WR Brad Henning).

GAME OF THE WEEK, PART II: BOWIE STATE AT VIRGINIA STATE: Virginia State not only upset Shaw in Raleigh, but they avenged their ‘04 home loss to the Bears that kept them from winning the East. The 43-10 victory would have put an exclamation on their season, but a matchup with Bowie State looms this weekend. VSU has rebounded from a 1-3 start to roll off six wins in a row. Their tough early season slate of Shepherd (ranked third in the Northeast), Catawba and St. Aug has benefitted the Trojans down the stretch. Here comes powerful Bowie State, however, with all guns loaded. RB Issac Redman is one of the nation's best tailbacks. WR Glenn Thomas is one of the nation's best wideouts. BSU also now sports the league's best defensive unit, yielding less than 200 yards per contest. The Bulldogs will be tested by a suddenly potent VSU Offense which has scored 89 points in its last two outings. (1:30 p.m. at Petersburg).

(Players to watch: Bowie State: QB Lamar Manigo; RB Issac Redman; WR Glenn Thomas).
(Virginia State: QB Michael Terry; DB Pierre Lee; WR P.J. Berry).

NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL AT JOHNSON C. SMITH: NCCU's hopes of winning the Western Division outright got a much needed boost last weekend. FSU's upset of St. Aug left the Eagles tied for 1st place in the division. However, they still need to handle their business against JCSU and look for help from WSSU. The NCCU Offense seemed to get untracked against Livingstone with their best offensive output since their opening date win over Edward Waters. RB Greg Pruitt played more like his ‘04 form, piling up 220 yards against the Blue Bears. JCSU will need to play more than a stellar game in order to upset the Eagles. However, their first win of the season could come at no better time than Homecoming. (1:00 p.m. at Charlotte).

(Players to watch: NCCU: QB Adrian Warren; RB Greg Pruitt; WR Torey Ross).
(JCSU: QB Carl Richardson; WR Marquis Belton; DB De'Audre Dix).

SHAW AT ST. PAUL'S: The Bears blew their chances at winning the East outright against VSU. The Bears must win and get help from Bowie State and hope for a three-way tie. After winning four in a row, the Bears were stopped in their tracks by the Trojans. However, Shaw has not time to lick their wounds if they want to keep their postseason chances alive. QB Jermonty Kimbrough must rebound from his performance against VSU. St. Paul's has played well in their first season in the league and will look to close this campaign with an upset win. (1:00 p.m. at Roanoke, VA).

(Players to watch: Shaw: RB Dion McIver; QB Jermonty Kimbrough; DB Devin Chatman).
(St. Paul's: RB Larry Graham; QB Walter Virgil; DB Greg Toler).

FAYETTEVILLE STATE AT LIVINGSTONE: FSU's upset of St. Aug had to be somewhat bittersweet. First and foremost, they upset the region's top team scoring 45 points. However, if they played at that level in their three conference losses, they may well be undefeated. Nevertheless, they must be encouraged by the play of QB Jonathan Autry who has become one of the league's best passers. Autry threw for 300 yards against the Falcon defense and looks to pad his stats against Livingstone on Saturday. (1:30 p.m. at Salisbury).

(Players to watch: FSU: QB Jonathan Autry; RB-WR Elliot London; WR Veon McHam).
(Livingstone: QB Jason Mitchell; WR Chris Jeter; DB Ryan Goings).

ELIZABETH CITY STATE AT VIRGINIA UNION: Both VUU and ECSU have had disappointing seasons and look to close out 2005 with a win. ECSU's season got a much needed boost with their 8-6 win over St. Paul's (1:30 p.m. at Richmond).

(Players to watch: ECSU: WR Chris Carter; QB Daniel Herlihy; DL Greg Moore).
(VUU: RB Elihu Smith; QB John Grier; WR Herb Jones).

CIAA DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SCENARIOS

EASTERN DIVISION

Virginia State (5-1) conference:
Will clinch the East with a win over Bowie State.
or
Will finish in a three-way tie with Bowie State and Shaw with a loss and a Shaw win.
(Tiebreaker: Draw).

Bowie State (4-2):
Will clinch the East with a win over Virginia State and a Shaw loss.
or
Will finish in a three-way tie with a win and a Shaw win. (Tiebreaker: Draw).

Shaw (4-2):
Will finish in a three way tie with Bowie State and Virginia State with a win and Virginia State loss/Bowie State win.

WESTERN DIVISION

St. Augustine's, (5-1) conference: Will clinch the Western Division with a win over WSSU.

North Carolina Central, (5-1): Will clinch the division with a win over Johnson C. Smith and a St. Augustine's loss.

Winston-Salem State, (5-1): Will clinch the division with a victory over St. Augustine's and a NCCU loss to Johnson C. Smith.