Mighty fall: Winners face bigger tasks
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
Three-time SIAC champ Tuskegee and perennial powerhouse Florida A&M both took it on the chin this past weekend.
Alabama State, the team that has faced
the most off-season controversy enduring an eight-month investigation into recruiting practices
and eligibility that led to the recent firing of
head coach L. C. Cole, put all that behind them
to knock off the FAMU Rattlers 38-22 at a sold out (54,451) inaugural Detroit Classic at Ford Field.
This is the same FAMU planning a move out of the MEAC and NCAA Div. I-AA to Div. IA football next year. Maybe that's brought more turmoil to Tallahassee than to Montgomery. Besides that, the outcome bears out that Cole brings in quality players, even if there's some question about how they get there.
The biggest shocker however was the 43-11 win for Miles over mighty Tuskegee Sunday in Birmingham. Head coach Wade Streeter got the big win for the Golden Bears behind the outstanding play of quarterback Nick Smith (221 yards passing, 3 TDs, 1 TD rushing).
It wasn't so much that Miles won, as they've played Tuskegee tough over the past four years, but it was the way they dominated the Golden Tigers who had won 33 of their last 35 games, four of the last five SIAC championships including going 32-3 in the conference since 1998.
But neither of the two victors can really celebrate as they'll have to face maybe even tougher opponents this weekend.
Miles (1-0, 1-0 SIAC) hosts SIAC co-favorite Albany State (0-1, 0-0 SIAC), the only team to defeat Tuskegee last year. Albany State fell to (NCAA Div. II) 2nd-ranked Valdosta State, 21-3 Saturday. The winner of this game will be the early favorite to win the conference title.
Alabama State (1-0, 0-0 SWAC E) and new coach Charlie Coe now get a shot at knocking off the other Florida MEAC school, BCSP No. 1, Bethune-Cookman (1-0, 0-0 MEAC) and star quarterback Allen Suber Saturday in Mobile at the Gulf Coast Classic. B-CC ripped Savannah State 62-12 in its opening game.
A big game that does not have implications in the SWAC race, except in the minds of the players and coaches, is BCSP #2 Grambling State (0-1, 0-0 SWAC W) at BCSP #3 Alcorn State (1-0, 0-0 SWAC E) Saturday on MBC TV (8 pm, EST). Alcorn State handled Arkansas-Pine Bluff lase week, 37-10.
Though the result does not count in the SWAC standings, it could be a preview of the Dec. 13 SWAC Championship Game when division winners meet in Birmingham.
In last year's game between the two, Johnny Thomas' Alcorn State squad led throughout until Grambling QB Bruce Eugene came off the bench to engineer a second-half comeback. Eugene threw three fourth quarter touchdown passes, the final one from 35 yards out with 12 seconds remaining to pull out a 41-35 win.
That game began Eugene's march to the conference's offensive player of the year award (4,385 yards, 43 TDs) and triggered the Tigers' run to their third straight SWAC title.
© 2003 Azeez Communications, Inc.