November 8th, 2024 5:00pm
Quick hitters, in order of interest:
Virginia Union at Virginia State: The stakes couldnt be higher for Virginia State, as they can advance to the championship game with a win. Their prize if they win? A rematch of either Virginia Union or Johnson C. Smith. The Panthers continue their quest to repeat, and VSU is the next rival to stand in their way. Teams have tried to stop the running game, but QB Mark Wright and WR RJ Vick have punished teams for attempting to do just that. On Defense, Will Davis, and Shamar Graham have been tackling machines, and will be needed to take down the Trojans. VSU has their own playmakers on both sides of the ball, particularly QB Romelo Williams and long-range threat WR Kevin Gayles. But, Union should be able to outlast their rival, as they are the deeper and more complete team.
#25 Johnson C. Smith at Livingstone: JCSU literally laid an egg against Fayetteville State, and now have to contend with a defense that is just as productive in executing the same game plan: stop the run, and force the QB (Darius Ocean in this case) to pass. Livingstone is capable of jumping out to lead as they did last week against Shaw, but they are prone to offensive lapses, and that’s how they ended up getting handed directions on how to get back to Salisbury last week. Can JCSU bounce back with a berth in the title game hanging in the balance? I think so.
Fayetteville State at Winston-Salem State: WSSU listed as 7th in the Regional Ranking is a surprise for a lot of folks, including myself. But I don’t trust WSSU to cash in on good fortune, so this week is a prove it game for them to get to seven wins for the first time since 2016. On the flip side, I haven’t really predicted FSU’s wins very well this year. But, the Broncos are known to put up scores in bunches. The matchup to watch is the Broncos defense against the Rams running game, and the Rams’ secondary against the Broncos’ passing game. It should be an entertaining game. While the Rams are better on offense, the tendency to settle for field goals puts them at risk of losing this game.
Elizabeth City State at Bluefield State: Even matchups like this one are fun to watch. The “Battle for the Basement” comes down to the last game of the season for both squads. Neither team has a conference win. B-State is second to last nationwide in scoring offense at 8.6 points per game, and ECSU three spots ahead of them at 11.3 points per game. Both average around 220 yards a game in total offense, and ECSU is amongst the worst in the country in redzone offense (scoring 52 percent of the time). The best part of these teams might be kicking – ECSU’s Darius Satterfield is fourth in the conference in punting average (39 yards a kick), and B-State’s Danny Dales has made eight field goals to pair with his 37 yards a punt. To me, I think the difference will be ECSU’s run game. B-State’s passing game has shown flashes of good activity, but they are too susceptible to throw interceptions.
Lincoln at Bowie State: Lincoln has been proven to be a shell of itself from last year, and they will not have the horsepower to keep up against a Bowie State team averaging 464 yards of offense over the last three games.
Season Concluded: Shaw finished strong in their homecoming and last game of the season with a win over Livingstone. The Bears finished 6-4, their best mark since 2021.