All eyes on D2 regional final, SWAC title game

LUT WILLIAMS, BCSP Editor

Damon Wilson

Four black college teams are still alive as we hit the last month – December – of the 2021 football season.

South Carolina State (6-5) won the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference championship and waits to see who its Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent will be in the Dec. 18 Celebration Bowl in Atlanta.

The SWAC champion and SC State op- ponent will be decided Saturday (3 p.m., CST) when East Division champion Jackson State (10-1) hosts West Division champion Prairie View A&M (7-4) at Mississippi Veterans Me- morial Stadium in Jackson, Ms.

The other team still alive is CIAA cham- pion Bowie State (12-1) who got its second NCAA Div. II Super Region II playoff win, 13-10 Saturday over South Atlantic Conference champion Newberry.

After two playoff wins at home, the Bull- dogs hit the road to play at the region’s top seed Valdosta State (10-1) Saturday at 1 p.m. A win would give BSU the region championship and one of four spots in the D2 national semifinals.

Bowie State vs. Valdosta State

This will be Bowie State’s first time in the regional finals but not the first time the Bulldogs have met Valdosta State.

In 2018, after getting a first round 41-35 win over West Alabama – the first playoff win in BSU history – the Bulldogs played at VSU in the second round. Trailing only 21-16 at the half, BSU was shut out 45-0 in the second half in a 66-16 loss. That was the deepest run the Bulldogs had made in the postseason until this year. Valdosta State went on to win the Div. II championship in 2018.

BSU and Valdosta have one common op- ponent this season, CIAA member Virginia Union. Valdosta State put up 559 yards of of- fense in dismantling the Panthers 51-7 on Sept. 11. Bowie State met VUU on Oct. 23 and came away with a 27-7 victory.

Valdosta opened the season with two other HBCU opponents. The Blazers beat Savannah State of the SIAC 53-7 to open the season on Sept. 4 and defeated eventual SIAC champion Albany State 21-3 two weeks later.

The Blazers’ only loss of the season was to West Florida, 61-42 in its final regular season game on Nov. 13. West Florida, who won the Div. II national championship in the spring, lost to Newberry in the first round of the playoffs in overtime. VSU, the top seed in the region after receiving a first round bye, defeated West Georgia Saturday 66-35 in a second round game.

VSU was ranked fifth in the final AFCA Div. II national Coaches Poll while Bowie State was tenth.

The Blazers average 44.3 points per game and are led on offense by dual-threat quarter- back Ivory Durham, a 5-10, 180-pound junior. He has thrown for 2,699 yards and 23 TDs with just 7 interceptions. Durham has also rushed for 753 yards and 12 scores.

Juniors Seth McGill (1,102 yards, 13 TDs) and Jamar Thompkins (843 yds., 9 TDs) lead the VSU ground attack. The team averages 269.8 rushing yards per game, fifth best in Div. II.

Senior wideout Gallimore Lio’undre has hauled in 51 catches for 914 yards and 13 TDs. Brian Saunds leads the VSU receivers with 60 receptions for 990 yards and four scores.

Bowie State counters with one of the stingi- est defenses in the nation. The Bulldogs, who have held both playoff opponents to 10 points each, give up just 139.2 passing yards per game 12.6 points per game, both fifth in the nation. Their eight defensive touchdowns are tops in all of Div. II.

BSU quarterback Ja’rome Johnson, 1,000-yard running back Calil Wilkins and the Bulldogs’ offense are capable of putting up big numbers. The Bulldogs average 33.5 points per game and

Jackson State vs. Prairie View A&M

Jackson State head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders told anyone who would listen back in the spring ‘you’d better get me now,’ saying he had some ‘dogs’ coming this fall that would make his team hard to beat. He told the truth.

His 10-1 Tigers rolled through the SWAC, though they were challenged, and came away with a 7-0 mark that gave them the East Division title and championship game berth.

His son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, was brilliant in his freshman season. He threw for nearly 3,000 yards (2,971) and 28 TDs with just five interceptions. His 68.7 completion percentage and 160.7 efficiency rating were tops in the conference. Keith Corbin (63 rec., 887 yds., 6 TDs) and Malachi Wideman (30 rec., 482 yds., 11 TDs) were his top targets.

The JSU defense was just as impressive. Led by linebackers Aubrey Miller (91 tackles) and Keonte Hampton (68 stops) and menacing defensive end James Houston (59 tackles, 14.5 sacks) and 6-3, 290-pound tackle Antwan Ow- ens, they surrender just 13.8 points per game.

Prairie View A&M won seven of its first eight games before losing its last three. First- year quarterback Jawon Pass (2,555 passing yds., 16 TDs, 9 ints.) transferred in from Lou- isville and breathed new life into the Panthers’ offense.

Running backs Jaden Stewart (654 yds., 7 TDs) and Lyndemian Brooks (464 yds., 5 TDs) both average over five yards per carry. Antonio Mullins (47 rec., 570 yds., 3 TDs) leads a trio of good receivers that includes Howard Jailon and Trejon Spiller.

Junior safety Drake Cheatum was fifth in the SWAC in tackles (82 stops) and first in interceptions (5). Senior linebacker Tre’Shaud Smith was just behind Cheatum with 78 tackles. Prairie View scores 26.8 points per game to JSU’s 29.2 and gives up 26.2 ppg. to JSU’s 13.8.