LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor
It’s still early, but the changing of the guard at the top of the CIAA and SIAC appears to be well underway.
The CIAA
This past weekend in the CIAA, both 2023 defending champion Virginia Union (to Johnson C. Smith, 21-16) and 2024 coaches pick Virginia State (to Winston-Salem State, 15-14) bit the dust.
JCSU got all three of its touchdowns from bruising running back Quavaris Crouch in his showdown with VUU star RB Jada Byers. Crouch scored on two on short runs and on a 20-yard reception. Byers was held to 47 yards on 19 carries but scored both VUU TDs.
WSSU got a last-second field goal by Gilberto Lorenzana to knock off VSU.
Those results leave J. C. Smith (4-0), Winston-Salem State and Shaw (both 3-1) atop the conference with 1-0 records with 2-1 Fayetteville State and 1-2 Bowie State also at 1-0 headed into a weekend of key match ups.
The most interesting matchups have the teams jostling for spots at the top of the standings going against each other. VUU is hosting Shaw (1 p.m.), Winston-Salem State hosts Bowie State (1 p.m.) and Virginia State hosts Fayetteville State (2 p.m.). These results will likely ferret out a pecking order as we head into October. Current top dog JCSU is at 1-2 Bluefield State’s homecoming (6 p.m.).
The SIAC
Who thought that four weeks in Clark Atlanta (3-0-1, 2-0 SIAC) would be sitting atop the SIAC regular season race? No one.
Just to remind everyone, CAU was picked by league coaches and sports information directors in the preseason to finish 10th in the 13-team SIAC. The Panthers have beaten Fort Valley State (45-42 to open the season) and Allen (26-22 a week later). FVSU was picked second by the so-called experts.
The upstart Panthers with Allen transplants in head coach Teddy Keaton and quarterback David Wright III are the talk of the league. That is especially so after they ventured into SWAC country Saturday and came away with a last-second 38-37 win over Bethune-Cookman on a 55-yard field goal. Wright was again his prolific self throwing for 374 yards and four TDs in the win. The Panthers hit the road to face dangerous Lane (1-2, 1-1 SIAC) Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+) in Memphis, Tennessee.
Elsewhere in the SIAC, league favorite Albany State (1-2, 1-0) is hosting (2 p.m.) winless Kentucky State (0-4, 0-2), third- choice Miles (1-2, 1-0) is at Allen (1-3, 1-1) (1 p.m. on TheGrio) and FVSU (1-2, 1-1) is at Savannah State (1-2, 1-1) (2 p.m., ESPN+).
The MEAC
The MEAC continues its march toward conference play in late October (10/26) with one exception.
League favorite North Carolina Central (2-2) will face Norfolk State (2-3) Saturday (3 p.m.) in the 40th edition of the Circle City Classic at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis. In other games, Howard (2-2) has its annual Ivy League trip, this time facing 0-1 Princeton (3 p.m., ESPN+). South Carolina State (1- 2) is hosting old MEAC rival N. C. A&T in Orangeburg (6 p.m., ESPN+), Morgan State is at Stony Brook (3:30 p.m., FloFootball and Delaware State is at Campbell (2 p.m. FloFootball).
The SWAC
We get the first real taste of SWAC play this week as Alabama State is at Bethune- Cookman (2 p.m., HBCUGo), Alabama A&M is at Florida A&M (5 p.m., ESPN+), Alcorn State is at Mississippi Valley State (6 p.m.), Jackson State is at Texas Southern (6 p.m., ESPN+) and Grambling State and Prairie View A&M tangle at the State Fair Classic at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas (6 p.m, ESPN+).
