October 28th, 2025 5:44am
SIAC Weekly-Week Nine
Weekly Rewind
A look back at last weeks scores by the numbers. (SIAC teams denoted in bold)
Edward Waters 55 Clark-Atlanta 41
Edward Waters—633 total yds 29 first downs/Passing 368 yds 4 td 2 int/Rushing 265 yds 3 td
Clark-Atlanta—391 total yds 19 first downs/Passing 292 yds 1 int/Rushing 99 yds 3 td
Miles 28 Central State 24
Miles—358 total yds 19 first downs/Passing 279 yds 3 td 3 int/Rushing 79 yds 1 td
Central State—193 total yds 13 first downs/Passing 114 yds 1 td 3 int/Rushing 79 yds
Albany State 31 Benedict 3
Albany State—493 total yds 27 first downs/Passing 294 yds 3 td 1 int/Rushing 199 yds 1 td
Benedict—217 total yds 13 first downs/Passing 154 yds 2 int/Rushing 63 yds
Savannah State 24 Morehouse 16
Savannah State—171 total yds 10 first downs/Passing 137 yds 2 td/Rushing 34 yds
Morehouse—103 total yds 11 first downs/Passing 123 yds 1 td 4 int/Rushing -20 yds
Allen 28 Tuskegee 13
Allen—394 total yds 20 first downs/Passing 210 yds 1 td/Rushing 184 yds 3 td
Tuskegee—277 total yds 16 first downs/Passing 204 yds 1 td/Rushing 63 yds
Fort Valley State 23 Lane 19
Fort Valley State—337 total yds 25 first downs/Passing 217 yds 2 td 1 int/Rushing 120 yds
Lane—353 total yds 19 first downs/Passing 180 yds 1 td/Rushing 173 yds 2 td
Week 9 Matchups
Allen (3-5, 3-3) at Morehouse (3-5, 3-3)
The Yellow Jackets went on the road last week and got a huge win over Tuskegee. Quarterback Jamir Dismukes was very efficient for Allen as he completed 14 of 17 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. He also touched paydirt with his feet, carrying the ball eight times for 71 yards. Fabian Duncan was the workhorse against the Golden Tigers, rushing for 114 yards on 31 carries. Allen’s defense was phenomenal in garnering a team total of nine sacks and 11 tackles-for-loss.
Morehouse tasted defeat last week for the first time in a while. The Maroon Tigers lost to Savannah State 24-16, ending a three-game winning streak. It was a tough day for Miles Scott, the talented quarterback from Morehouse. He was 13 of 34 for 123 yards, a touchdown and four picks. He also had an ugly -54 yards rushing. Those negative yards came from 10 sacks by SSU. That’s not going to cut the mustard offensively. Defensively, the Maroon Tigers were able to account for nine negative plays, but they couldn’t overcome an offensive showing that gained 123 total yards.
Both of these teams have the exact same record, both in conference and overall. Something must budge Saturday.
PREDICTION
Allen 31 Morehouse 23
Savannah State (4-4, 3-3) at Albany State (7-1, 6-0)
The Tigers from Savannah State inserted a new quarterback against Morehouse and it paid dividends. Rashawn Truell was able to do something Walker and Burks struggled with recently; he didn’t turn the ball over. While his numbers were somewhat pedestrian, 13 of 21 for 129 yards and one touchdown, the key number was zero, for zero turnovers. Xavier Esquillen put up defensive numbers you only see in video games. He had six solo tackles, with five tackles-for-loss, five sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup! Wow! SSU was outstanding defensively against a good Morehouse offense.
Albany State got their quarterback Isaiah Knowles back from injury against Benedict and it showed. He threw for 294 yards and also tossed three touchdowns. The previous three games without him, ASU quarterbacks managed to throw for 299 yards combined, one touchdown and two interceptions. Also, Benedict is the second ranked defense in the SIAC whereas two of Albany State’s last three opponents (Lane and Clark-Atlanta) are last and second to last in scoring defense. This is not to pick on the Golden Rams backup quarterbacks, it is however, to showcase just how important Isaiah Knowles is to ASU’s offensive success. The running back duo of Aljhanod Thomas and Tiant Wyche combined for 139 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. The Golden Rams boast the top-ranked defense in the SIAC and they shut down Benedicts big-play offense. They held Darius Ocean to only nine completions on 31 attempts and also picked him off twice. Both interceptions came from Tyrell Gainey.
Will Albany State continue their march through the SIAC unbeaten or will the tough-minded Tigers create some late season turbulence?
PREDICTION
Albany State 27 Savannah State 10
Virginia-Lynchburg (Incomplete) at Benedict (7-1, 6-1)
Of the nine game dates that have passed, only five of them offer scores for Virginia-Lynchburg and only two of them have box scores beside them. I don’t know if they were cancelled or if their website is not being updated. One of their scores is a loss to Shorter College 57-20. V-L plays in the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association).
Benedict took their first loss of the season, getting beat 31-3 by Albany State. The Tigers should bounce back easily against Virginia-Lynchburg. They’ll look to get Darius Ocean back on track after a 9 for 31 showing with two interceptions against the Golden Rams. Benedict does have the second ranked scoring defense in the SIAC, giving up just 17.6 points per game. I expect them to hold this week’s opponent to much less than that.
I know very little about Virginia-Lynchburg. What I know about them combined with what I know about Benedict, I don’t expect this one to stay close very long.
PREDICTION
Benedict 55 Virginia-Lynchburg 0
Central State (2-7, 2-5) at Edward Waters (5-3, 4-2)
The Marauders had another close loss last week, falling 28-24 to Miles. The week prior, CSU got behind early and trailed by 28 and made a valiant comeback to only lose by eight. Against Miles this past Saturday, The Marauders took a 21-0 lead into half but ended up falling short 28-24. Starting quarterback Qeanu Campbell-Caldwell was limited in this game and only had five pass attempts. Chris Cotton played the majority of the snaps behind center and completed 9 of 13 passes for 93 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Defensively, CSU held Miles running attack in check, but allowed 279 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Dominique Davis II led the way as usual for the Marauders defense, registering a team high 12 tackles (more than double any other CSU defender) and also picked off a pass.
Edward Waters offense was outstanding in all aspects last week as they gained a whopping 633 yards of offense. The balanced attack saw quarterback Noah Bodden throw for 368 yards and four touchdowns. Davari Morris and Makai Lovett both eclipsed 100 yards receiving and both hauled in two touchdowns a piece. Brady Tillman and Jhontarrius Thomas combined for 263 yards rushing and three touchdowns for the Tigers. EWU’s defense gave up more points than usual, yielding 41 points to the Clark-Atlanta Panthers.
Edward Waters heads back home and will try to put another one in the win column. Central State is hoping to be on the right side of a close game. Especially with this being their swan song for 2025. Who will prevail?
PREDICTION
Edward Waters 34 Central State 14
Lane (0-8, 0-6) at Tuskegee (2-6, 1-5)
The Dragons played their best game of the year last week when they lost a tight one to Fort Valley State 23-19. Lane put up 353 yards against a FVSU defense that only allows 275.5 yards per game. Lane quarterback Nick Billoups accounted for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Lane is 12th out of 13 teams in scoring defense, giving up over 33 points per contest. The Dragons showed improvement last week, holding the Wildcats to 23 points.
The Golden Tigers nearly pulled off the upset of the year against Albany State the week prior, falling 7-3. But against Allen, at home, Tuskegee struggled mightily, losing 28-13. Raequan Beal, the talented Golden Tigers quarterback hasn’t been seen since mid-September and it’s shown offensively. Tuskegee did get more offensive production from two new quarterbacks they tried out as Ennio Yapoor and Michael Franklin combined to go 18 for 25 for 204 yards and a touchdown. But they were also sacked nine times. Defensively, the Golden Tigers allowed nearly 400 yards against Allen.
Lane is looking to get off the shneid and with Kentucky State looming next week, this may be their last best chance. Tuskegee started the season 2-0, but have dropped six in a row and the folks in Tuskegee are not used to seeing this much losing from their beloved Golden Tigers. Who can stop the bleeding this week in Alabama?
PREDICTION
Tuskegee 21 Lane 13
Clark-Atlanta (2-6, 1-5) at Kentucky State (6-2, 5-1)
The Panthers absolutely lit the scoreboard up against Edward Waters University last week. The offense put up nearly 400 yards and 41 points. Xzavier Jackson has really found a nice rhythm at quarterback since taking over for Zy McDonald. He threw for nearly 300 yards last week. The running game crossed the pylon three times and combined for 99 yards. Armone Harris tallied nine receptions for 147 yards in the passing game. Defensively is where C-A really struggled, giving up 633 yards to EWU. A bright spot on defense saw the Panthers pick off two passes.
Kentucky State is coming off of a bye week. The Thorobreds have reeled off five straight victories after a 1-2 start to the season. They’ll look to keep their SIAC championship hopes alive by getting a victory over conference foe Clark-Atlanta this week.
While KSU has won five straight, the Panthers have done just the opposite and have lost five in a row. Will these trends continue or can C-A buck their trend and pull off the upset against the Thorobreds?
PREDICTION
Kentucky State 49 Clark-Atlanta 27
Miles (3-6, 3-3) at Fort Valley State (3-5, 3-3)
After a tumultuous 0-6 start to the season, Miles has won three straight games to get to .500 in conference play. A variety of factors have contributed to their recent success, but it definitely starts with quarterback Brinley Vandiver. He has thrown for 694 yards and five touchdowns over the three-game winning streak. He has thrown four interceptions as well. The Golden Bears have also shown a lot of resiliency as they have comeback from double-digit halftime deficits the last two weeks.
Fort Valley State was on the wrong side of a lot of close games to start their 1-5 2025 campaign. While the Wildcats are still playing close games, they have been on the winning side the last two weeks. After rotating through a few different quarterbacks, it looks like FVSU has settled in with Don Hudson. Against Lane last week, Hudson completed 21 of 31 passes for 185 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also gained 30 yards with his legs. Defensively, the Wildcats are second in total defense and third in scoring defense in the SIAC. They yielded 78 more yards than usual and 1 more point than what their season average has been against Lane. But Fort Valley State’s defense is unquestionably their calling card.
Both Miles and FVSU have both put a few wins together and they also come into this contest with a .500 record in conference play. Will it be the Golden Bears balanced offensive attack or the Wildcats stingy defense that dictate terms in this one?
PREDICTION
Fort Valley State 23 Miles 17
SEASONS PREDICTIONS
Last Week 2-4
Overall 47-19