D-2 playoffs at center of CIAA title game
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
There's some history in the offing and a bit of drama.
Fayetteville State will be seeking its third CIAA title in a row, a feat last accomplished by Hampton, then in the CIAA, from 1992-94.
Shaw has not whiffed a CIAA football title since 1947. In fact, the Bears just returned to the gridiron in 2002 after a 24-year absence, and to CIAA competition a year later.
That's the history.
The drama comes in the form of a revised NCAA Div. II playoff format that has six teams rather than four from each of the four regions making the playoff field.
FSU (8-2) enters Saturday's game ranked fifth in the Southeast Region while Shaw (8-2) is eighth. Only a Shaw win would likely get them into the playoff field while an FSU loss could knock them out of the top six.
Meanwhile, with its regular season over, 8-2 North Carolina Central, who finished behind FSU in the CIAA West, sits at sixth in the Southeast and on pins and needles as its fate is determined by the title game outcome as well as that of several other games in the region.
The 24-team Div. II playoff field will be announced on Sunday (Nov. 7).
Head coach Kenny Phillips' Broncos obliterated Livingstone Saturday, 62-19, to earn their third straight W. Div. crown and trip to the title game. Their only playoff berth came in 2002 after defeating Bowie State 17-14 in the championship game. They lost in the first round playoffs that year to Carson-Newman, 40-27.
Last year, a loss to Livingstone in their regular season finale killed the Broncos chances for a repeat trip to the playoffs. They went on to defeat Virginia Union 23-19 in the championship game and later represented the conference in the Pioneer Bowl, losing to SIAC champion Albany State, 52-30.
The Broncos are currently on a six-game winning streak that began when they came back from a 14-0 deficit to defeat Shaw 24-14 in Raleigh, N.C., on Sept. 25.
In just five seasons, Phillips has raised FSU from conference doormat to kingpin. The Broncos' 2002 conference crown was the first football title in school history while the 2002 playoff berth was the CIAA's first since 1993.
Phillips says he's not concerned about the team's playoff chances this year. Winning, he says, will take care of that.
"We're just focused on Saturday," said Phillips. "What happens after that just happens."
He points to the earlier game against Shaw, which came a week after the
Broncos dropped a 19-3 decision to Virginia
State, as a turning point for his team.
"We went up to Virginia State and had a terrible offensive game," said Phillips. "The Shaw game was a game we couldn't lose if we wanted to be in the position we're in now."
Redshirt freshman Jonathan Autry, third on the depth chart when the season began, got his first start at quarterback vs. Shaw and has not relinquished the position since, though he did sit out the Livingstone game with a bruised shoulder.
"He's our quarterback now," said Phillps. But the Broncos have other weapons.
LB Charles Roberts (11.5 tpg.) and DB Walt Williams (7 ints.) lead a unit that is third in the nation in total defense (229.3 ypg.) RB Nick Fleming (75.6 ypg., 5 TDs), WR/KR Darryl Bright (17.3 punt return avg.) RB/FL Elliot London are threats on the offensive side.
Shaw kept alive its five-game winning streak and drive for the playoffs that began after the FSU loss with a big 34-28 season-ending win Saturday over Kentucky State of the SIAC. The Bears are hoping for a different outcome in their rematch with FSU.
"We're a much better team than we were then," said second-year Shaw head coach Deondri Clark. "We were only nine for 35 throwing the ball last time. We're catching the ball a lot better now. We're not as trigger-happy. We're a more seasoned offense."
But it's on defense where the Bears have made the most noise, currently leading all of Div. II giving up just 216.8 yards per game. LB Christopher Peavy leads the charge averaging 10.5 tackles per game while registering five sacks. The Bears are first in the conference against the run (63.7 ypg.) and third nationally.
QB Jermonty Kimbrough (1,212 yds., 8 TDs, 12 ints.) triggers the offense which also features RB Dion McIver (96.1 ypg., 8 TDs).
Clark, a Florida State product and Winter Haven, Fl., native, has engineered a remarkable turnaround in just two seasons at the helm at Shaw. In 2001, Clark was defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator. He took over last year as head coach and led the Bears to a 7-3 mark. He's worked his Florida connections and has 19 players from the state on his team.
"I told our players, you're 60 minutes away from telling people about how you climbed the ladder," said Clark. "You don't want to look back on this day and say you didn't complete the task."
© 2004 Azeez Communications, Inc.