SWAC surprises, CIAA struggles
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
It's been a mixed bag for teams from most black college conferences over the first four weeks of the 2007 football season. While there have been some real surprises in the SWAC, the CIAA has struggled mightily.
With a nine-game in-conference schedule, the SWAC does not do a lot of venturing to out-of-conference play. When they have this season, they've done pretty well with Southern getting the league's first win (over Florida A&M of the MEAC) in the third SWAC/MEAC Challenge. Prairie View defeated N. C. A&T in another SWAC/MEAC face-off.
Riding at the top of the SWAC standings are defending champion Alabama A&M (3-0, 1-0 SWAC West) and surprising Alabama State (3-0, 2-0 SWAC E) under new head coach Reggie Barlow in the East, and Southern (3-0, 2-0 SWAC W) in the West, who looks to have rebounded from back-to-back losing seasons.
Alabama A&M, known as the league's toughest defensive unit, has shown new
punch on offense under senior QB Kelcy Luke,
who led the Bulldogs to their first league title
last season. Luke leads the league in passing (279 ypg.) and total offense (301 ypg.) and has
totalled ten TD passes through three games. The Bulldogs are averaging a league-best 45
points per game.
A&M head coach Anthony Jones attributes the offensive explosion to Luke's leadership and an added dimension.
"He elevates the play of everyone around him which is what you expect from a fifth-year senior," said Jones of his veteran playmaker Monday during the conference's teleconference. "He's been a winner since he arrived. He led us to a seven-win season as a red-shirt freshman and to nine-win seasons the past two years.
"We haven't had the speed that we have now. This has increased our big-play capability. In the past we've been a 'ground and pound' team where a 25-yard play was considered big. Now we've got guys who can go 60 yards in one play. We have a lot more weapons than in the past which allows us to do a lot of things. This makes us totally different than last year."
Alabama State and Southern have been getting the job done with defense and solid running attacks.
"We have a really good defense that plays with speed and passion," said Barlow whose defensive unit is giving up just 13.0 points per game. "We've had to depend on (RB) Jay Peck and fortunately he 'gets it'. He has waited for the chance to be the starting running back and now he is taking advantage of it." Peck is averaging a league best 116 rushing yards per game.
Southern's defense has given up just one second half touchdown in three games en route to its 3-0 start. Additionally, the Jags are averaging 199.3 rushing yards per game, second only to Alabama A&M (227.3) in the SWAC, in an area that many thought they would struggle.
This weekend Alabama A&M is at Grambling State (6 p.m.), Saturday in a rematch of the 2005 SWAC Championship Game. The G-Men look quite different under new coach Rod Broadway and feature QB Brandon Landers and a potent receiving tandem in Clyde Edwards and Reginald Jackson (11 rec., 20.9 ypc.). The game will be televised at 10 p.m. on ESPNU. Southern will host Tennessee State (2-1) at 6 p.m. in Baton Rouge while Alabama State hosts winless Alcorn State (0-3, 0-2 SWAC E).
CIAA
Through games of last weekend, no CIAA team other than unbeaten Virginia Union (3-0) has posted a winning record.
Most disconcerting, however, has been the lopsided way CIAA teams are losing. This past weekend, for example, CIAA teams took it on the chin to an average tune of 39-7 that included losses of 69-0 (Tusculum over St. Paul's), 45-6 (Carson-Newman over St. Augustine's) and 46-7 (Catawba over Fayetteville State). The CIAA's record against teams from the South Atlantic Conference, one of the other leagues that competes nationally in the Div. II Southeast Region, is 1-10 and CIAA teams have lost those games by an average score of 41-9.
The results are particularly disheartening given that the conference is coming off its best season in years, landing two teams, North Carolina Central and Elizabeth City State, in the NCAA Div. II playoffs for the first time since 1991.
What happened?
Well first, NCCU, the CIAA champion for the last two seasons, left to move up to NCAA Div. I status. Elizabeth City State, considered the heir apparent to the Eagles, has perhaps struggled more and had the most disappointing outcomes of any league team so far. Additionally, neither NCCU or ECSU has been able to post a win in postseason play, though they have come close.
Elizabeth City State, under coach Waverly Tiller, is off to a surprising 0-3 start following Saturday's 18-10 loss to NCCU in a rematch of last year's CIAA title game at the New York Urban League Classic at the New Jersey Meadowlands. Despite returning the league's top quarterback - Curtis Rich, Jr., - the league's top rusher _ Brandon Fields _ and perhaps the league's most dangerous kick returner/pass catcher _ Billy Wiggins _ the Vikes have managed just three touchdowns in three games, and are averaging just 8.3 points per contest.
The only bright spot among conference teams has been the play of Virginia Union, who has the only win over an SAC opponent (28-13 over Lenoir-Rhyne on Aug. 30) and is scoring 36.7 points per game. VUU quarterback Lamar Little is off to a great start leading the conference in passing (210 ypg.), total offense (266 ypg.) and TD passes (6).
CIAA teams start conference play in earnest this weekend. ECSU faces Shaw (1-2) in Rocky Mount, N.C. VUU is at St. Paul's (1-2).
The SIAC has had some trouble of its own. Two of the league's top teams _ four-time defending champion Albany State (3-1, 2-0 SIAC) and Fort Valley State (3-1, 2-0) _ lost by a combined score of 110-3 (69-0 vs. FVSU, 41-3 vs. ASU) to Gulf South Conference power Valdosta State. This week FVSU travels to unbeaten Tuskegee (2-0, 2-0 SIAC) in a 1 p.m. tussle.
The top game in the MEAC this weekend has three-time defending champion Hampton (2-0, 2-0 MEAC) hosting Morgan State (1-2, 0-0 MEAC) in a game to be carried live on ESPNU Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.
© 2007 Azeez Communications, Inc.