By Donald Hunt
For The Birmingham Times
There should be a lot of exciting football in the Birmingham area this weekend. The fans will have a chance to see great football from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).
Miles College (4-1 overall, 3-0 league) will host defending conference champions Benedict College (5-0 overall, 3-0 league), which has one of the best Division II teams in the country. The game will be played on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Meanwhile, Tuskegee University (4-1 overall, 3-0 league) will battle Morehouse College (0-5 overall, 0-3 league) at Legion Field in Birmingham. The kickoff for the Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic will take place at 7 p.m.
Ther Miles College Golden Bears have been nothing short of outstanding this season. The team’s only loss was to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a 21-20 decision, three weeks ago. This should be a huge game with two of the best teams in the SIAC.
Miles quarterback Edwin Kleinpeter has put together a terrific season completing 16-of-25 passes for 208 yards and four touchdowns in the team’s 40-7 win over Central State last week.
The signal-caller connected with wide receivers Jaquel Fells and Geordon Pollard as part of a brilliant passing game. The Golden Bears have the ability to move the ball through the air at a very high level.
On defense, linebackers JarDarrius McNealey and cornerback Chris Ware have done a nice job of getting stops. McNealey and Ware are two of the team’s leading tacklers.
In other SIAC action, in the Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic Tuskegee is coming off a tough 58-3 loss to Alabama A&M from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) last week. Aside from that one shortcoming, the Golden Tigers have been playing extremely well.
Defensively, Tuskegee University is led by linebackers Malik Moore and Vincent Hill. Moore has 46 total and 21 solo tackles along with six tackles for loss, two sacks and one interception. Hill has garnered 30 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss this season.
In the SWAC, Alabama A&M (3-2 overall, 1-1 league) will play Jackson State (3-2 overall, 1-1 league) on Saturday at the Gulf Coast Challenge in Mobile, Ala. The kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
The Bulldogs continue to have a strong ground attack with running backs Ryan Morrow and Donovan Eaglin. Morrow leads the team in rushing with 49 carries for 312 yards and four TDs. Eaglin has 55 rushing attempts for 260 yards and two TDs.
In other conference action, Alabama State (1-3 overall, 0-2 league) will entertain Bethune-Cookman (1-3 overall, 0-1 league) on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Hornets will be looking to get back on the winning track in the SWAC.
SIAC Standings
Conference Overall
Benedict College 3-0 5-0
Fort Valley State 4-0 4-1
Tuskegee University 3-0 4-1
Miles College 3-0 4-1
Albany State 3-0 3-2
Allen University 2-1 3-1
Edward Waters 2-2 2-3
Savannah State 1-2 2-3
Lane College 1-3 1-4
Central State 0-3 1-4
Kentucky State 0-4 1-4
Morehouse College 0-3 0-5
Clark Atlanta 0-4 0-5
SIAC Schedule for Oct. 7, 2023
Savannah State at Fort Valley State 6 p.m. Fort Valley, Ga.
Clark Atlanta at Allen university 6 p.m. Blythewood, S.C.
Central State at Albany State 12 p.m. Albany, Ga.
Benedict College at Miles College 2 p.m. Fairfield, Ala.
Lane College at Edward Waters 2 p.m. Jacksonville, FL
Kentucky State at Grand Valley State 7 p.m. Allendale, MI
Morehouse College at Tuskegee University 7 p.m. Birmingham, Ala.
SWAC Standings
SWAC East
Conference Overall
Florida A&M 3-0 4-1
Jackson State 1-1 3-2
Alabama A&M 1-1 3-2
Bethune-Cookman 0-1 1-3
Alabama State 0-2 1-3
Mississippi Valley State 0-1 0-4
SWAC West
Conference Overall
Grambling State 2-0 3-2
Southern 2-0 2-2
Prairie View A&M 2-1 2-3
Alcorn State 1-1 2-3
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 0-2 1-4
Texas Southern 0-2 1-4
SWAC Schedule Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023
Bethune-Cookman at Alabama State 2 p.m. Montgomery, Ala.
Grambling State at Alcorn State 2:30 p.m. Lorman, Miss.
Alabama A&M at Jackson State 3 p.m. Mobile, Ala.
Florida A&M at Southern 6 p.m. Baton Rouge, La.
Mississippi Valley State at Prairie View A&M 6 p.m. Prairie View, TX
Game of the Week: Benedict College at Miles College 2 p.m. Fairfield, Ala.
