CIAA Football Weekly Release- Week Nine‏
For the week ending October 24, 2009, (Week 9)
Shera White
PANTHERS EDGE BULLDOGS TO TAKE CONTROL OF EAST

RICHMOND, VA-Enrique Cox’s 54-yard fumble return for a touchdown and Steven Velasquez’s extra point capped a furious fourth quarter comeback as the Virginia Union Panthers rallied to beat the Bowie State Bulldogs 17-16 yesterday in Richmond.

The Panthers (6-3, 5-1 CIAA) scored ten points in the game’s final six minutes and then blocked a potential game winning field goal to stun the division leading Bulldogs (6-3, 5-1 CIAA) and move into the divisional lead with one regular season game remaining.

Bowie State took a 7-0 first quarter lead when Clifton Budd capped a 5-play drive with a 14-yard rushing touchdown. An 8-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter from VUU’s Aris English to Arnold White tied the game as the teams went to the locker room knotted at 7-7.

The Bulldogs got the only points of the third quarter on Michael Gagne’s 24-yard field goal to take a 10-7 lead. They would then extend their lead in the fourth quarter on Rodney Webb’s 4-yard touchdown run. Gagne’s extra point attempt was no good as the Bulldogs took a 16-7 lead with 8:37 left in the game.

The Panthers would respond on their next possession with a 35-yard field goal by Velasquez to trim the Bulldogs’ lead to 16-10 with 6:00 minutes remaining. On Bowie State’s ensuing possession, quarterback Emmanuel Yeager coughed up the ball at the VUU 44-yard line and it was scooped up by Cox, who rumbled to pay dirt from 52-yards out to tie the game at 16-16. Velasquez nailed the PAT as the Panthers took a 17-16 lead with 2:14 left in the game.

Following a 26-yard kickoff return by James Proctor, Bowie State took possession at their 45-yard line and needed just seven plays to move the ball down to the Panthers’ 6-yard line. Following a timeout by the Panthers, Gagne lined up for a game winning field goal attempt with 24 seconds left in the game. However, the field goal was blocked by VUU defensive lineman Joseph Johnson and the Panthers escaped with the huge divisional win.

With identical 5-1 conference records, Virginia Union holds the first tiebreaker (head to head competition) over the Bulldogs, meaning the Eastern Division race will go down to the final weekend of the regular season. In games that will match the top four teams in the Eastern Division, Virginia Union will host Elizabeth City State at Hovey Field, while Bowie State travels to Virginia State for the Trojans’ Homecoming.

Notes of Interest:

Fayetteville State clinched the Western Division title and a trip to the CIAA Championship game with a 56-6 win over Saint Augustine’s.

Fayetteville State scored three defensive touchdowns – safety Jeff Gowdy recovered a blocked punt in the end zone, Powell’s fumble recovery and cornerback Greg Summerville had a 30-yard interception return – and have seven non-offensive touchdowns this year. After starting the season 0-2, FSU has won six of its last seven games.

The Chowan-Johnson C. Smith game featured the league's top three statistical leaders in receptions per game; CU's Holland and Hodrick and JCSU's Jeremy Franklin. Hodrick tallied 123 yards on 8 catches while Franklin had 122 yards on 8 catches. Franklin caught 3 TD passes.

Shaw’s Quintez Smith, who leads NCAA Division II in interceptions, picked off another pass yesterday, bringing his season total to nine.

CJ Westler, Chowan's signal caller, accounted for 325 yards of total offense and two touchdowns in Chowan’s win over Johnson C. Smith.
 
CIAA Conference Scoreboard

CHOWAN 33                      JOHNSON C. SMITH 22
ELIZABETH CITY ST. 38     SAINT PAUL’S 12
FAYETTEVILLE ST. 56       SAINT AUGUSTINE’S 6
SHAW 54                           LIVINGSTONE 3
VIRGINIA STATE 34           LINCOLN 14
VIRGINIA UNION 17           BOWIE STATE 16
 
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association 2009 Football Standings Through games of October 24
CIAA EAST Div/Conf  Overall      
  W L W L      
Virginia Union 5 1 6 3            
Bowie State 5 1 6 3            
Elizabeth City  4  2 6 3            
Virginia State  3  3 5 4            
Saint Paul’s 2 4 3 5            
                     
CIAA West                    
Fayetteville 5 1 6 3            
Shaw 4 2 7 2            
St Augustine's 3 3 3 6            
Chowan 2 4 3 6            
Livingstone 0 6 0 9            
Upcoming Games:

31 J. C. Smith vs. Shaw University  Raleigh, NC 6:00pm

31 Virginia Union Elizabeth City  Richmond, VA 1:00pm

31 Virginia State Bowie State  Ettrick, VA 1:30pm

31 St. Augustine's v. Chowan Murfreesboro, NC 12:30pm

31 Lincoln University (PA) v. St. Paul's College Lawrenceville, VA 1:00pm

31 Fayetteville State University v. Livingstone College Salisbury, NC 1:30pm