Big tasks for Grambling, Fayetteville State
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
Three-time defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champ Grambling State (2-1, 1-0 SWAC W) perhaps has the bigger challenge hosting current Div. I-AA No. 1 McNeese State (2-1) in Grambling, La. (6:30 p.m., CST, on the internet at http://McNeese.structurex.net.)
At the same time (7:30 p.m.) on the East
Coast, defending Central Intercollegiate Athletic
Association kingpin Fayetteville State (2-0, 1-0 CIAA W)
tests its mettle at home against Catawba (2-0), a Div. II
power ranked tenth in the latest poll. Catawba has made
the NCAA Div. II playoffs each of the last four years.
The matchup in Grambling is particularly intriguing given the interplay with McNeese State over the last year. The teams met to open the 2002 season and the Cowboys administered a 52-20 drubbing to Grambling in a game that led to the benching of Grambling star quarterback Bruce Eugene. McNeese State went on to finish the regular season as the No. 1 team in all of I-AA before losing in the playoff finals to champion Western Kentucky.
Grambling, meanwhile, with Eugene back at the controls, ran off ten straight wins after that opening game loss before losing to Southern in last year's Bayou Classic. The Tigers defeated Alabama A&M in the SWAC Championship Game and claimed their second straight black college national championship.
Eugene, who would finish the season with 4,385 passing yards and 43 TD passes, may feel he has a debt to pay to the Cowboys.
Grambling began the 2003 season as Sports Illustrated's No. 1 team in I-AA, a position that the Cowboys may feel they had more of a claim to. It all adds up to what should be an exciting, hard-hitting affair with plenty on the line.
The teams come in with identical 2-1 records with both of their losses to Div. IA teams. McNeese faced the more difficult game playing at No. 6 ranked Kansas State on Sept. 6 and losing 55-14. Grambling opened the season on Aug. 23 with a 29-0 loss at San Jose State. McNeese State knocked off perennial I-AA power Georgia Southern last week, 34-15. Georgia Southern went into the game as the second-ranked team in I-AA. Grambling won convincingly last week over Alabama A&M, 45-14. The G-Men are ranked 13th in one I-AA poll.
The Cowboys are led by junior QB Scott Pendarvis and RB Vick King. Pendarvis (33 of 57) has completed 57.9% of his passes this year for 518 yards with five touchdowns and only one interception. King has rushed 51 times for 255 yards (5.0 ypc.) and has scored three TDs. B. J. Sams, who leads the team with 14 receptions for 208 yards and two TDs, is Pedarvis's favorite target.
Eugene is coming off his most productive day this season for the G-Men. He passed for 430 yards (27 of 55) and three TDs Saturday and rushed for two scores. He is 72 of 138 for 973 yards, six TDs and two interceptions this year and also leads Grambling in rushing with 78 yards and four rushing touchdowns in three games.
The lack of a rushing attack certainly has to be a concern for Grambling head coach Doug Williams whose Tigers suffered through their worst passing day last year against Tommie Tate's McNeese State squad going just seven of 36 through the air.
Kenny Phillps's Fayetteville State team will face one of the nation's best passers in Catawba's Luke Samples who has hit on 71.2% (42-59) of his tosses for 524 yards and four TDs in two games. Both wins for the Indians were over black college opponents, dominating Livingstone 49-6 before struggling to get by Edward Waters last week, 17-0.
All-South Atlantic Conference RB Rodney Wallace has gotten off to a slow start getting just 124 yards in his first two games. The Indians defense is led by LB Samario Houston, last season's SAC defensive rookie of the year.
QB Duane Taylor is spearheading the Broncos' offense leading the CIAA in passing (197 ypg.). WR Darryl Bright is the conference's leading pass catcher with 15 receptions for 190 yards and a TD. All-CIAA RB DeAngelo Bridgers, who sat out the Elizabeth City State game with a bruised thigh, is expected back for Saturday's game. Bridgers ran for 98 yards in the Broncos' opener against Virginia Union. DB Walt Williams had three interceptions last week against ECSU.
© 2003 Azeez Communications, Inc.