LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor
With Clark Atlanta suffering its first loss of the season – a surprising 35-28 home defeat to Savannah State – there’s a new leader in the SIAC.
Or rather, there are new leaders. They are preseason favorite Albany State and preseason third choice Miles. Both are 3-0 in conference play and 3-2 overall as they head to a showdown Saturday at Miles in Fairfield, Alabama (6 p.m., on ESPN+).
Head coach Quinn Gray’s Albany State Golden Rams are coming off a 57-17 shellacking of Allen that saw junior QB Isaiah Knowles throw for six touchdowns. In league passing stats, Knowles (1,333 yards, 222.2 ypg., 73.2%, 16 TDs, 4 ints.) is just ahead of Miles redshirt junior QB Kamren Ivory (804 yds., 110.9 ypg., 50.8%, , 6 TDs, 4 ints.). Both are behind conference leader Kelvin Durham (1,176 yds, 235.2 ypg., 63.8%, 11 TDs, 4 ints.) of Fort Valley State.
Miles sophomore running back Jonero Scott leads SIAC rushers. Scott averages 4.4 yards per carry and 88.0 yards per game. ASU counters with Grambling State grad transfer Dajon Richard who averages 5.7 ypc. and 60.2 ypg.
Albany State comes in with the league’s stingiest defense, giving up just 272.3 yards per game. Head coach Sam Shade’s Golden Bears’ score 21.8 points per game and surrender 18.4 ppg.
Elsewhere in the SIAC, Clark Atlanta (4- 1-1-, 3-1 SIAC) looks to bounce back at Central State’s homecoming (1 p.m., on TheGrio). Allen is at 3-1 FVSU’s homecoming (2 p.m., on ESPN+). Benedict (2-1) is at 1-3 Kentucky State (1 p.m.) and Tuskegee (1-1) is at Lane (1- 3)
In the CIAA, Johnson C. Smith moved to 6-0 overall, atop the league at 3-0, with a 21-17 home win over Virginia State Saturday. That gives head coach Maurice Flowers’ Golden
Bulls wins over both VSU and Virginia Union this season. JCSU is off this week.
VUU (2-0) is now in second place as it hosts Elizabeth City State (0-2) Saturday in Richmond (1 p.m.). Winston-Salem State (2- 1), who suffered its first conference loss to VUU last week, is hosting 2-1 Shaw (1 p.m., CIAA Network). Fayetteville State and Livingstone are both at 2-1 as they face off at 2 p.m. in Salisbury, N.C. at the Blue Bears’ homecoming. Bowie State (0-2) looks for its first conference win at 1-1 Virginia State’s homecoming (2 p.m.).
At 2-0, Jackson State in the East and Alcorn State in the West are early SWAC division leaders.
In West match ups Saturday, Alcorn is at 0-1 Grambling State (2 p.m., on ESPN+), Southern (1-0) is at 1-1 Texas Southern (6 p.m.) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-1) and Prairie View A&M (1-2) kick things off Friday (8:15 p.m.) in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
In the East, JSU and Florida A&M (1- 0) have bye weeks. FAMU (3-2 overall) is ranked 19th in the latest AFCA FCS Top 25. Bethune-Cookman (0-1) is at Alabama A&M’s homecoming (2 p.m., on HBCUGo) and Alabama State (0-1) hosts (0-1) Mississippi Valley State (2 p.m.).
North Carolina Central (4-2, 1-0 MEAC), coming off a 45-14 win at Campbell, is ranked 25th in the STATS Perform FCS national poll and 24th in the AFCA FCS poll. The Eagles are hosting winless Virginia Lynchburg (0-5) in Durham (2 p.m., ESPN+).
In other MEAC non-conference action, Delaware State is at Robert Morris (12 noon), Howard hosts Sacred Heart (1 p.m., ESPN+), Morgan State hosts Merrimack (3 p.m.), and Norfolk State hosts Towson (2 p.m., ESPN+).
Tennessee State, 4-2 after its close 24-20 win over Lindenwood Saturday, has its homecoming (5 p.m.) in Nashville vs. 1-5 Eastern Illinois. CAA members Hampton and N. C. A&T have bye weeks before meeting next week at A&T’ GHOE (Greatest Homecoming on Earth).
