LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor
A lot of football championships were settled Saturday.
Miles (9-2, 9-0) prevailed in a dominating fashion, 53-25 at home over Clark Atlanta, in the SIAC Championship Game. Virginia Union (8-3, 7-1) got by rival Virginia State 17- 13 in the CIAA title game in Salem, Va. (See CHAMPIONSHIP GAME RECAPS)
Miles and VUU were both selected for the NCAA Div. II national playoffs when the 28- team field was announced Sunday. They both will play in Super Region II first-round games this Saturday.
South Carolina State (8-2) moved to 4-0 in the MEAC and clinched that league’s title and berth in the season-ending Celebration Bowl in Atlanta with a 54-7 blowout win at Morgan State.
Jackson State (9-2, 7-0 E) clinched the SWAC East crown with its 16-10 win at Alabama State while Southern (7-4, 6-1 W) took the West after its 31-9 win at home over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
JSU will host Southern in the SWAC Championship Game on Dec. 7. The winner of that game will meet South Carolina State in the season-ending game in Atlanta.
Miles to host Carson-Newman
Miles (9-2, 9-0 SIAC) won its ninth straight game this season against SIAC competition and fifth title, first since 2017 and first for third-year head coach Sam Shade.
Getting the fourth-seed in the seven-member Super Region II, Shade’s troops will host South Atlantic Conference (SAC) runner-up, fifth-seed Carson-Newman (9-2) on their home field at Sloan-Alumni Stadium in Fairfield, Alabama at 11 a.m. (ET) Saturday.
Carson-Newman posted four single-digit wins before falling to Wingate Saturday 28-13 in the SAC Championship game. C-NU had beaten Wingate 31-28 in overtime in the regular season in one of those single-digit wins.
The Falcons average 33.6 points per game and feature 6-2, 200-pound junior 1,000-yard
rusher Jayden Sullins who has two over 200- yard games among his 1,090 rushing yards with 10 touchdowns. Two others have rushed for over 380 yards. C-NU’s 273.6 rushing yards per game is third in Div. II.
They have started three quarterbacks this season. None has passed for over 350 yards on the season. Freshman Justin Johnson started in the SAC title game and finshed 2 of 3 passing for 16 yards.
Miles, 22nd in the d2football.com Top 25, boasts one of the top defenses in the nation, leading all of Division II in turnovers forced (33) and turnover margin (plus-21). Its only Div. II loss this season was 16-15 to West Alabama to open the season. West Alabama (9- 1) is the third seed in Super Region II.
C-NU will test the Miles rush defense that surrenders just 128.7 yards per game. Redshirt junior LaMichael Rogers and Roc Dowdell anchor the defensive line. Freshman
defensive back LaShon Young leads the nation in interceptions (7) and was voted the SIAC defensive player of the year.
Virginia Union at Wingate
Virginia Union is seeded seventh in the Region and will be on the road at second-seed Wingate (9-1) Saturday (1 p.m.) in Wingate, N.C. Wingate is 14th in the d2football.com Top 25. Wingate met VUU in the 2022 Div. II playoffs and came away with a relatively easty 34-7 win.
The Bulldogs surrender just 10 points per game, fifth-best in Div. II, and average 30.0 points on offense. Five rushers on the team topped 200 yards with 6-foot, 197-pound senior O’Brien Barnett leading the way with 528 yards and five TDs. QB Brooks Bentley has thrown for 1,586 yards and 12 touchdowns with five interceptions.
Expect VUU head coach Dr. Alvin Parker to utilize all his weapons to get some points up against the Bulldogs. Getting record- setting RB Jada Byers (1,540 yards, 23 TDs) going and unleashing the passing attack led by QB Mark Wright (1,965 yds., 18 TDs, 5 ints.) and featuring Reginald Vick Jr. (39 rec., 947
yards, 9 TDs) and Ricky Key Jr. (30 rec., 416 yds., 3 TDs) will be key.
Still alive
Eddie George’s Tigers of Tennessee State (7-3) are still alive as the Big South-OVC race comes down to the wire. TSU, currently tied for second at 4-2 with UT-Martin and Tennessee Tech, hosts conference leader SE Missouri (9- 2, 6-1) Saturday (3:30 p.m.). TSU would win the league title and automatic berth in the FCS playoffs with a win over SEMO, a U-T Martin loss to Lindenwood and a Tennessee Tech loss to Eastern Illinois.
MEAC champ South Carolina State and SWAC division champs Jackson State and Southern will finish out regular season schedules over the next two weeks.
SC State hosts Norfolk State Saturday (1:30 p.m.) in its finale. Jackson State finishes up at rival Alcorn State Saturday (2 p.m.). Southern is off this week before facing Grambling State in New Orleans on Nov. 30 in the Bayou Classic. A week later SU is at JSU for the SWAC title.
