LUT WILLIAMS BCSP Editor
Alabama A&M and Arkansas-Pine Bluff won games Saturday to win respective Southwestern Athletic Conference East Division and West Division titles but have games of consequence this Saturday (April 24) before they meet in the Saturday, May 1 league championship game.
What’s particularly at stake in this Saturday’s games is which division winner will host the May 1 Cricket Wireless SWAC Football Championship Game presented by Pepsi Zero Sugar.
What it comes down to?
Alabama A&M, behind quarterback Aqeel Glass’s 372 passing yards and three TDs, defeated Alabama State 38-14 to clinch the East title this past Saturday. The Bulldogs (4-0, 3-0 SWAC E) will end their regular season schedule on the road Saturday (3 p.m.) at Mississippi Valley State (1-3, 1-3 E).
Arkansas-Pine Bluff rode the arm of quarterback Skyler Perry, who passed for 201 yards and four TDs, to a 36-31 win over Prairie View A&M for the West division crown. The Golden Lions (4-0, 4-0 W) will host Texas Southern (0- 2, 0-2 W) Saturday (3 p.m.).
The determination as to who will host the title game a week from this Saturday is pretty simple until you get down to the calculus of what happens if both teams win.
If Alabama A&M wins and Arkansas-Pine Bluff loses, the championship will be played at Huntsville, Alabama’s Louis Crews Stadium, home of the Bulldogs.
If UAPB wins and AA&M loses, the title game will be hosted at the Golden Lions’ Simmons Bank Field in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. If both A&M and Pine Bluff win, that’s when the calculating begins.
The elements of the SWAC’s host tiebreaker policy (see box) released on Sunday is based on if both undefeateds, A&M and Pine Bluff, win Saturday. As of Tuesday’s FCS Coaches Poll Top 25, which is part of the SWAC’s tie-breaking procedure, Alabama A&M is 22nd and Arkansas-Pine Bluff is 25th.
The only other game on Saturday’s sched[1]ule was Prairie View A&M at Jackson State. The game that was cancelled Tuesday because of COVID-19 “protocols and contact tracing” involving JSU, a release from the school said.
Alabama A&M (4-0, 3-0 E) at Mississippi Valley State (1-3, 1-3 E)
While Alabama A&M is trying to keep alive its hopes of hosting the SWAC championship game, Mississippi Valley State and third-year head coach Vincent Dancy hope to close out the season with their first win on the field. The lone win on the Delta Devils’ schedule has been a forfeiture over Alcorn State. MVSU has come close, losing to Arkansas-Pine Bluff 24-17at home on April 3, but has also suffered blowout losses to Jackson State (43-7) and Alabama State (42-17).
Graduate senior quarterback Jalani Eason will lead MVSU into battle. Eason has thrown for 356 yards in three games with one touchdown and two interceptions. He has also rushed for 165 yards and two TDs.
Connell Maynor’s high-powered offense A&M tops the SWAC at 479.3 yards per game and is led by senior quarterback Aqeel Glass who has thrown for a league-best 1,084 yards and 13 TDs with just three picks.
A&M also sports the top two receivers in the league in Zabrian Moore (8 rec., 252 yds., 3 TDs) and Abdul-Fattai Ibrahim (18 rec., 277 yards, 3 TDs). Gary Quarles averages 72.7 rushing yards per game with two TDs. The Bulldogs average 35.3 points per game.
Texas Southern (0-2, 0-2 W) at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (4-0, 4-0 W)
Like MVSU, Texas Southern and second-year head coach Clarence McKinney are looking for their first win after losses to Prairie View (20-19) and Southern (51-23). The Tigers will be hitting the field for the first time since the loss to Southern on March 20. Games vs. Grambling State (April 3) and MVSU (April 17) were cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols.
Thaddeus Payton and John Brown have split the snaps at quarterback in the two games and have combined for over 400 yards, three TDs and just one pick. Sophomore Ladarius Owens leads the TSU rushers and is second in the SWAC with 161 yards (80.1 yards per game) and one TD.
Doc Gamble’s UABP quarterback Skyler Perry is just behind Glass in SWAC passing stats with 1,005 yards with 12 TDs and three picks. His primary targets have been Josh Wilkes (19 rec., 293 yds., 5 TDs) and Tyrin Ralph (20 rec., 275 yds, 1 TD). UAPB also has the stingiest run defense in the SWAC giving up just 108.8 yards per game.