Despite their uncharacteristic struggles on defense and a surprising loss to Lane College last weekend, the Albany State Golden Rams still can win the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
It won’t be easy. Albany State (4-2, 2-1 SIAC) must beat East division leader Morehouse (5-1, 3-0) on Saturday and then not stumble against Clark Atlanta (1-2, 2-4), Benedict (1-5, 0-3) and Fort Valley State (1-5, 1-3).
Victories in all of those games would assure Albany State of a spot in the inaugural SIAC championship game at Lakewood Stadium on Nov. 12.
“We are looking at it like we can win out and still be conference champions,” Albany State coach Mike White said. “That was our goal from the beginning. The loss last week was disappointing, but we still like our position.”
The Golden Rams have the top scoring offense in the conference and rank No. 14 in Division II. Quarterback Stanley Jennings (Marietta), the reigning SIAC MVP, still is among the top players in the league.
But Albany State’s traditionally strong defense has sagged to rank last in the league in yards allowed and next-to-last in points surrendered. In last season’s Division II rankings Albany State was No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in those categories.
The Golden Rams are last in the league in passing yards allowed and No. 1 in rushing defense. White, who also is defensive coordinator, said a lack of a pass rush and blown assignments are the major issues.
White said inexperience has been a factor, but that “it’s important for us to get better fast because Morehouse has a good offense.” The Maroon Tigers lead the league in yards and are second in points.
Fort Valley fizzles
SIAC coaches predicted Fort Valley State would push Albany State for the East division title. Instead, the Wildcats are already out of the conference race after their 25-24 loss at Kentucky State on Saturday.
It’s not that Fort Valley State has flopped. The Wildcats have suffered several injuries and lost their three conference games by a total of nine points.
The Wildcats are down to their fourth-string quarterback because of injuries. Antonio Henton, a former Ohio State recruit, hasn’t played since the second game. W.J. McAllister has missed the past two games, forcing Cameron Pearson and Jahyrie Harris, both freshman, into the lineup.
Fort Valley still must play Morehouse, Albany State and Stillman (5-1, 4-0).
Test for Georgia Southern
After Chattanooga nearly beat FCS (formerly Division I-AA) No. 1 Georgia Southern behind exceptional quarterback play, the Eagles face an even better quarterback Saturday against Furman.
Furman senior Chris Forcier leads the nation in passing efficiency. He has completed 70 percent of his passes for 1,027 yards with 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
“The thing you hear about him in the preseason is how good he is running the ball, and here he is throwing it better than anybody in the league,” Georgia Southern coach Jeff Monken said. “We are fully aware he is capable of beating us with his feet as well as his arm. This kid is very versatile and obviously presents a lot of challenges.”
The Eagles escaped with a 28-27 victory over Chattanooga on Saturday. They seemed to be in control with an early 21-7 lead when Chattanooga’s star quarterback B.J. Coleman left the game with an injury and freshman Terrell Robinson ran wild.
Robinson had 114 yards rushing and three touchdowns as the Mocs rallied to within a point before their two-point conversion failed, and the Eagles escaped with the victory.
Monken said the Eagles had more than 60 missed assignments and almost 20 missed tackles.
Etc.
Stillman freshman quarterback Dondre Purnell (McEachern) was named SIAC newcomer of the week. Purnell had four touchdown passes and also ran for a score in Stillman’s 44-0 victory over Benedict. Purnell ranks fifth in total offense in the SIAC. ... The Southern Conference named Georgia Southern’s Robert Brown its offensive player of the week after he rushed for 178 yards against Chattanooga. After Chattanooga tied the game in the fourth quarter, Brown ran 48 yards to set up Georgia Southern’s winning touchdown.
Quotable
“For the second time this season we come out from halftime, and the other team runs the kickoff back for a score. We have to figure out what is missing. We take a lot of pride in our kickoff team. And you have to hang on to the football in games like this. Those two plays really changed the momentum out there.” — Shorter coach Phil Jones after a 21-17 loss to Cumberland on Saturday. Cumberland ran back a kickoff for a touchdown and scored following a fumble to turn a 10-7 deficit into a 21-10 lead less than four minutes after halftime.
By the numbers
11.33 Tackles for loss per game for Clark Atlanta, the most in the SIAC
374.8 Rushing yards per game for Georgia Southern, the top mark in FCS
96.2 Passing yards per game for Georgia Southern, ranked 116th of 120 FCS teams
Saturday’s schedule
- Clark Atlanta at Benedict, 2 p.m.
- Georgia Southern at South Carolina State, 1:30 p.m.
- Morehouse at Albany State, 7 p.m.
- West Georgia vs. St. Augustine’s, 2 p.m.
- Valdosta State vs. West Alabama, 3 p.m.
- Fort Valley State at Bethune-Cookman, 4 p.m.
- Savannah State vs. Florida A&M, 7 p.m.
