HBCU Football: CIAA and SIAC Week 1 takeaways
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) tend to garner a lot of the headlines during football season, but there's an equally storied and exciting HBCU football ecosystem at the NCAA Division II level of football.
This Labor Day weekend saw the SIAC and CIAA start their respective quests for league and post-season glory in earnest. Let's take a closer look at the results from this weekend's games from the respective conferences. There were quite a few eye-opening results from both conferences in what looks like the kick-off of an exciting year at the Division II level for HBCU Football.
Is there a new power growing on the horizon in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference?
The answer to that question may very well reside in the venerable Atlanta University Center (AUC), home of the new-look Clark Atlanta Panthers under first-year head coach Teddy Keaton.
Allen University Transfer QB David Wright threw for a whopping 423 yards and 7 touchdowns in the Panthers' hard-fought victory over Fort Valley State University, winning 45-42. The Panther offense with Wright pulling the strings looks like a force to be reckoned with.
Here are the results for some of the SIAC and CIAA slate of football games from August 29, 2024, through September 4, 2024:
August 29, 2024
Central State (OH) 10, Morehead State 17: The Marauders come up just short in the upset quest against their FCS counterpart in Morehead State.
August 31, 2024
Virginia Union 69, Kentucky State 7: A dominant performance by Virginia Union's rushing attack, led by NCAA All-American Candidate RB Jada Byers, was too much for the out-manned Thoroughbreds. The Panthers rushed for 376 yards from scrimmage, with Byers going for 211 yards and 3 touchdowns on 14 carries.
Edward Waters 28, Morehouse 11: Edward Waters secured a solid victory over Morehouse in this matchup. The Tigers held Morehouse to 122 total yards of offense, as well as generating a school record 9 turnovers in the win.
Valdosta State 42, Albany State 10: Valdosta State has been a scourge for HBCU football programs on the DII level for a while. The same held true for Saturday, adding Albany State to their notch of CIAA and SIAC victims.
West Alabama 16, Miles 15: A close contest saw West Alabama edge out Miles by a single point. Miles QB Kameren Ivory passed for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns, completing 17 out of 34 pass attempts.
September 1, 2024
Virginia State 23, Benedict 7: Benedict falls to CIAA counterpart Virginia State. QB Romelo Hall and RB Jimmy Williams II were a 1-2 punch that the Tigers couldn't overcome, with Hall passing for 197 yards and 1 touchdown, and Williams rushing 23 times for 150 yards and two scores.
Johnson C. Smith 21, Tuskegee 13: Tuskegee started their season with a loss against Johnson C. Smith in the Red Tails Classic. The Golden Bulls rode an impressive defensive performance to victory, along with timely contributions from QB Darius Ocean ( 13-25 completions, 162 yards, 2 TDs) and RB Quavaris Crouch (21 rushes, 161 yards, 1 TD).
Both the CIAA and SIAC enter into the 2nd full week of the football season with some answers and some definite questions. There are some intriguing games for Virginia State and Virginia Union against in-state FCS and HBCU foes in the form of Norfolk State (MEAC) and Hampton (CAA).
The SIAC has a number of its own squads in similar games, with Miles traveling to Montgomery to play Alabama State (SWAC), and Tuskegee, Lane College, Kentucky State, and Savannah State having their own games with SWAC foes in Grambling, Jackson State, Alabama A&M, and Southern University. Be sure to follow our continuing coverage of the NCAA Division II HBCU football scene here on FanSided's Saturday Blitz platform!
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