CIAA Championship Game Week

November 15th, 2024 5:00pm

Conference Championship Saturday is upon us. That brings out a really busy week, especially with nearly school's regular season ending. First, lets discuss the news:

Elizabeth City State will have a new head coach next year, as Marcus Hilliard stepped down from the head coaching role. An ECSU Alum, Hilliard couldn’t get through the proverbial three win ceiling that ECSU has been stuck under for several years. It’s the second time in two years that a school in the conference has made a baffling change in leadership (looks at Bluefield State). ECSU had been slowly improving under his tenure, and had their opportunity to get beyond three wins, losing to three teams by six points or less (Shaw, Livingstone, and Lincoln). It begs the question: Does ECSU have the resources to win in football, and also become the basketball and volleyball school of choice? Whew.
The transfer portal is taking away right now; notably, last year’s CIAA Offensive Player of the Year Isaiah Freeman (Lincoln PA) is now in the portal. Looks like a lot of Lincoln's football team is leaving with him. There’s quite a few CIAA schools looking for a proven signal caller, should he need a home…..

Playoffs

In terms of playoffs, its possible that the conference get three teams into the playoffs:

I would think that Johnson C. Smith is a lock to get into the playoff field because of the head to head wins against all three other playoff contenders.
Virginia Union would have a chance if they can defeat Virginia State, along with West Florida and Carson-Newman or Miles losing.
Winston-Salem State could get in with a Virginia Union win, combined with West Florida, Miles, and Carson-Newman losing.
It seems like Virginia State is too far down the list of consideration, having lost to Winston-Salem State and Johnson C. Smith, but it is possible if the committee allows Virginia State to leapfrog Virginia Union should they win, coupled with lots of losses in the Super Region 2 top 10.
Also, keep in mind that Lenoir-Rhyne's (currently #5) strength of schedule will weaken this week playing against sub .500 Anderson on Saturday.

The 8^th Annual All-Snub Team

Tradition in this corner always includes addressing the all-conference team and notable players who were left off. A lot of the superlatives make sense, particularly VUU RB Jada Byers (second in the country in rushing yards), JCSU LB Benari Black (14.5 tackles for loss to go with 113 tackles overall), and JCSU HC Maurice Flowers taking home Player and Coach of the Year honors. Lets talk about who was left off:

Shaw WR Ah’Shaan Belcher: A headscratcher, as Belcher was third in the conference in receptions and receiving yards, and tops in receiving touchdowns.
Virginia State RB Jimmyll Williams – Netted 867 yards of total offense for the Trojans
Virginia State WR Malik Hunter – Kevin Gayles is the home run hitter for the Trojans, but Hunter leads the team in receiving yards, courtesy of his Monster 197 receiving yard game against Virginia Union last week.
Fayetteville State DL Shi Gaskin – Gaskin was a disruptive force on defense for the Broncos, registering 11 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks (third in the conference), and four forced fumbles (tops in the conference).
Winston-Salem State K Gilberto Lorenzana – Lorenzana was nearly automatic inside of 40 yards, including a game winner against Virginia State.

Championship Game : Virginia Union vs Virginia State

These rivals square up for the second time in two weeks, and this matchup gives up us what would happen if two teams from the same division would face off in the championship game. Its also the preseason #1 vs #2.

Why Virginia State will win this game: The Trojans showed how offensively potent they can be, rolling up the yardage, particularly on long third down conversions. Romelo Williams is a true dual threat quarterback, and the Trojans’ passing game has multiple weapons to choose from. Moreover, the Trojans’ defensive unit has punished teams all year through the air (second most interceptions in the conference) and tops in the league in sacks. That unit forced four turnovers against Virginia Union.

Why Virginia State will lose this game: The Trojans cant afford to spot the Panthers 200 yards, which is how much they were penalized. They don’t bottle up Jada Byers, who can carve them up for 150 yards.

Why Virginia Union will win this game: The Panthers lead the conference in third down conversions, reflecting the ability to maintain drives. Their defensive unit is no slouch in interceptions, right behind Virginia State with 11. The Panthers force the Trojans offense off the field, and play keep away.

Why Virginia Union will lose this game: The Panthers’ offense becomes one dimensional, forcing pressure on QB Mark Wright to make the right reads. That one-dimensional nature causes problems, particularly in the redzone, forcing the Panthers into multiple field goals. Doing so isn’t going to cut it.

Prediction: My thought is that Virginia Union pulls out the stops to rebound from last week. Expect some adjustments from last week’s game plan, particularly multiple formations, and find different ways to get the ball into Jada Byers’ hands. What will be interesting is how Virginia State responds to their missteps to hone their approach on offense, while continuing to attempt Virginia Union to be one-dimensional. Advantage: VUU to repeat as conference champions