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

Week 7 - Divisional Contenders Look To Emerge

Divisional play opened with divisional leads at stake. St. Augustine’s handled North Carolina Central and took control of the West. Shaw upset Bowie State to move into a tie for the lead in the East. This weekend the second season (divisional play) continues as teams continue to jockey for first place and a berth in the Championship Game.

GAME OF THE WEEK: FAYETTEVILLE STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL: For the second year in a row, NCCU lost a critical division contest with first place on the line. Last year’s 17-7 loss to FSU just happened to be the Eagles’ last loss as they have mounted an eight-game win streak since. However, St. Aug came to town and dealt with NCCU rather handily. The vaunted NCCU air attack was grounded by the nation’s top defensive unit. However, NCCU still has much to play for. A division championship is still in reach but they will need help from above...in the standings that is. First things first, however. NCCU has lost four in a row to the Broncos and have been a mere stepping stone for FSU’s three consecutive Western Division Titles. The Broncos have suffered two consecutive losses in the conference for the first time since 2001 and must win for any chance at postseason. Last week, FSU’s back was against the wall, and this week they are on life support. QB Adrian Warren must return to his early season form if NCCU hopes to resuscitate their postseason chances. FSU QB Jonathan Autry has also developed into one of the conference’s best signal-callers. (6:00 p.m. at Durham).
Television game - check your local listings.

(Players to watch: FSU: QB Jonathan Autry; WR Veon McHam; RB Amir Holding)
(NCCU: QB Adrian Warren; RB Greg Pruitt; WR Torey Ross).

SHAW AT VIRGINIA UNION: The Bears have come back to life at the right time...divisional play. The Shaw running attack has also reappeared as RB Dion McIver rushed for 199 yards last weekend. QB Jermonty Kimbrough has been a one-man show for most of the season. Virginia Union fell short at St. Paul’s homecoming last weekend but must be encouraged with their offensive output. This is a critical stretch for Shaw as they hope to repeat as conference champs.
(1:30 p.m. at Richmond).

(Players to watch: Shaw: QB Jermonty Kimbrough; RB Dion McIver; DB Devin Chatman).
(VUU: WR Herb Jones; RB Elihu Smith: QB John Grier).

JOHNSON C. SMITH AT ST. AUGUSTINE’S: Last weekend’s victory allowed St. Aug to catapult into the top spot in the Southeast Region. However, a significant amount of work is still in front of the Falcons. A visit from FSU and a trip to Winston-Salem State still loom for St. Aug. However, first things first...the Golden Bulls. While it is true that JCSU is on the nation’s longest losing streak, and St. Aug is one of the nation’s best, bigger upsets have occurred in sports. QB Nesbitt and WR Montgomery are one of college football’s best pass-catch combos. The duo have combined for seven scores in just six games. Defensively, the Falcons are arguably the nation’s best, giving up only 34 points all season. This is homecoming for St. Aug. (4:00 p.m. at Raleigh).

(Players to watch: JCSU: LB George Pope; RB Anthony Daigle; WR Marquis Belton).
(St. Aug: QB Darrell Nesbitt; WR Eddie Montgomery; DB Myron Miller).

BOWIE STATE AT ELIZABETH CITY STATE: BSU came out of box at 4-0 and appeared to be on their way to a sure Eastern Division Championship. However, the Bulldog Freight Train has slowed somewhat after falling in consecutive weeks to NCCU and Shaw. QB Lamar Manigo was hurt early against Shaw and the Bears took advantage of his absence. RB Issac Redman must return to his early season form (199 yards against Morgan State) if Bowie is to fight back in the East. ECSU was handled at Virginia State last weekend after giving St. Aug its most significant challenge of the season. This is a swing game for both teams as the loser will find themselves completely out of postseason contention. (1:30 p.m. at Elizabeth City, NC).

(Players to watch: BSU: RB Issac Redman; WR Glenn Thomas; DL Sterling Green).
(ECSU: DL Maceo Thomas; QB Dan Herlihy; RB Dennis Hamilton).

ST. PAUL’S AT VIRGINIA STATE: SPC has played well in early season tests against Johnson C. Smith and Virginia Union, however, VSU will provide a much more stern test. VSU defense has become a stout unit recently after holding FSU and ECSU to a combined 20 points. Now, the Trojans must keep that momentum alive against SPC at homecoming. (1:30 p.m. at Petersburg).

(Players to watch: SPC: QB Walter Virgil; RB Larry Graham; QB Demetrius Brown).
(VSU: RB Nick Fleming; QB Micheal Terry; DB Sean Wade).

WINSTON-SALEM STATE AT LIVINGSTONE: WSSU has kept their championship hopes alive with their upset of FSU. The Rams’ dual rushing threat of Jed Bines and Martin Hicks put up nearly 300 combined yards against the FSU Defense. The Blue Bears finally got into the win column against JCSU. However, their challenge this weekend is to stop the WSSU running attack. (6:00 p.m. at Salisbury, NC).

(Players to watch: WSSU: QB Monte Purvis; RB Jed Bines; RB Martin Hicks).
(LC: WR Chris Jeter; DB Ryan Goings; RB Jason Mitchell).