SHAW STAMPS TICKET TO DURHAM WITH WIN OVER
SAINT AUGUSTINE’S Shera L. White
RALEIGH, NC-To use an overused sports cliché, the game between the Shaw Bears and the Saint Augustine’s Falcons was billed as a “brawl for it all”. On the line was city bragging rights, the Southern Division title, and a berth in the CIAA Championship game. Clichés aside, the game lived up to its billing as the Bears slugged out a 10-6 win over their cross-town rivals to clinch the division title and earn a spot in next’s Saturday’s conference title game against Virginia State. Tailback Raymond Williams (137 yards rushing) scored the game-winning touchdown from 35-yards out with 3:20 left in the game as the Bears rallied to edge the Falcons and earn their third divisional title in four years.
Both teams came into the contest armed with high-octane offenses, each averaging better than 30 points per game. But it was the defense that dominated. Shaw, who came into game averaging 398 yards of total offense per contest, was limited to just 175 yards on the day, while the Falcons, who averaged 332 yards, could only muster 219. With suffocating defensive pressure being applied by both teams, points were hard to come by. Shaw got the lone score of the first half on a 26-yard field goal by Caleb Reid late in the second quarter as the Bears led 3-0 at the half. Saint Augustine’s was fortunate to only trail by a field goal after turning the ball over three times in the first half.
Saint Augustine’s went three and out on their first two drives of the second half. Their third drive started at the Bears’ 41-yard line when the Falcons’ Joseph Reed recovered a fumble by Shaw’s Antonio Dunn. Saint Augustine’s was able to put together its first sustained drive of the quarter, moving the ball down to the Bears’ 26-yard line. But the Falcons came away with no points when the drive bogged down and they were forced to attempt a 43-yard field goal that was blocked and Shaw took their 3-0 lead into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Saint Augustine’s got their first and only score of the game on quarterback Joaquin Green’s 1-yard run. The PAT was no good and the Falcons led 6-3 with 12:28 left in the game. The Falcons got the ball right back when Chris Tucker picked off Shaw’s Kevin Atkins’ pass attempt on the next series. Saint Augustine’s used eight plays to move the ball down to the Bears’ 27-yard line. Facing fourth down and
three and with problems in the kicking game, the Falcons gambled and put the ball in the hands of CIAA leading rusher Walter Sanders to pick up the first down. Sanders, who finished with 107 yards rushing, was dropped for a loss and fumbled the ball which was recovered by Shaw’s Rico Brown at the Bears’ 36-yard line with 4:29 remaining in the game. On the ensuing possession, Williams had runs of 9 and 20-yards on successive plays to get Shaw down to the Falcon 35-yard line. On the next play, Williams broke loose for what would prove to be the game-winning score, a 35-yard run. Reid added the PAT and Shaw led 10-6 with 3:20 left in the game. The Falcons got the ball back two more times with a chance to pull out the win. The first drive ended when Green was intercepted by Shaw’s Chris Martin after the Falcons had gotten the ball down to the Bears’ 35-yard line. Their last drive ended when Green’s final shot at the end zone from the 50-yard line fell incomplete as time expired.
The win improves Shaw’s record to 8-2 overall and 7-0 in the CIAA and gives them a shot at their fourth conference title since the championship game was resumed in 2000. The Falcons finish the regular season at 8-2, 6-1. Next Saturday, the Bears will travel to Durham County Stadium to take on Northern Division champion Virginia State (8-2, 6-1) in the CIAA Championship game.
Conference Scoreboard
BOWIE STATE 59 CHOWAN 19
ELIZABETH CITY STATE 36 LINCOLN 6
FAYETTEVILLE STATE 44 VIRGINIA UNION 28
JOHNSON C. SMITH 26 LIVINGSTONE 13
SHAW 10 SAINT AUGUSTINE’S 6
VIRGINIA STATE 34 SAINT PAUL’S 14
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association 2010 Football Standings Through games of November 5, 2010
CIAA North Div/Conf Overall ---- W L PCT W L PCT * Virginia State 6 1 0.857 8 2 Bowie State 6 1 0.857 6 4
Elizabeth City State 5 2 0.714 6 4
Chowan 3 4 0.429 3 7
Virginia Union 3 4 0.429 3 7 Saint Paul’s 2 5 0.286 2 8 Lincoln (PA) 0 7 0.000 1 9
CIAA South
---- W L PCT W L * Shaw 7 0 1.000 8 2
Saint Augustine's 6 1 0.857 8 2
Winston-Salem State 5 2 0.714 8 2
Fayetteville State 4 3 0.571 5 5
Johnson C. Smith 1 6 0.143 2 8
Livingstone 0 7 0.000 0 11
*CIAA Northern and Southern Division Champions
November’s Upcoming Game:
13 Virginia State University vs Shaw University Durham, NC 1:00pm
40th Anniversary CIAA Football Championship Game
Durham County Stadium