Howard QB Greg McGhee agaist NCA&T (Courtesy Photo/Howard Sports)

By ALVIN HOLLINS JR.
Rockstat7376@aol.com

OCTOBER 13 – The second weekend of October kept the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football title chase a real head-scratcher as up-and-rising programs continued their surge, leaving everyone guessing as to who may be nailing the championship pennant to their wall come November.

Saturday afternoon, former conference co-leader Howard University (3-1, 4-2) was bushwhacked by North Carolina A&T (1-2, 3-3), 38-10 in Greensboro; North Carolina Central (3-0, 4-2) rallied past Morgan State (2-1, 3-3), 24-20 in Baltimore; Delaware State (2-1, 3-3) stung slumping South Carolina State (1-3, 2-5), 31-10 at Dover; Hampton (1-2, 1-4) won its’ first victory of season, 28-14 over cross bay rival Norfolk State (0-4, 2-5) at Hampton, Va.

FAMU (3-1, 3-4) crushed winless Savannah State (0-4, 0-6), 44-3 in Saturday’s late game, while league co-leader Bethune-Cookman (3-0, 4-2) had Saturday off (bye).

Shuffling The Deck in the MEAC:
Bethune-Cookman and North Carolina Central (3-0) are tied for the league lead after Saturday afternoon’s action; Howard and Florida A&M (3-1) are tied for third, with Delaware State and Morgan State (2-1) tied for fifth place.

Slip-sliding Away:
Heading the pack of teams out of the money in this year’s conference chase are ineligible Hampton and North Carolina A&T (1-2), followed by South Carolina State (1-3), Norfolk State and Savannah State (0-4).

Shifting Sands in the MEAC??:
@ Saturday’s results left Bethune-Cookman (2002, 2010) and surging Delaware State (2007) as the lone title contenders with recent playoff history still in the hunt for the 2012 championship, perhaps illustrating that the league’s old guard may be on the verge of relinquishing their places to newcomers and upstarts.

@ Bethune-Cookman’s playoff partner from 2010, South Carolina State, coached by veteran Buddy Pough, fell further off the pace at 1-3, after a 31-10 loss at Delaware State Saturday.

The Bulldogs, winners of a league-best 13 championships, are set to miss the playoffs for the second straight year, after making three consecutive trips between 2008 and 2010.

@ Last year’s champion, Norfolk State (0-4), coached by longtime mentor Pete Adrian, has lost four straight games, all conference bouts including Saturday’s 28-14 setback at the hands of previously winless Hampton.

@ Carrying the tattered banner of the “old guard” is Florida A&M (3-1), led by the dean of the MEAC coaches, Joe Taylor (17 MEAC seasons combined at Hampton (12 of 16) and FAMU (5)).

The Rattlers are still in the hunt for the 2012 title, but other than sharing the 2010 title with B-CU and SCSU under Taylor, the Rattlers overall have not won an outright crown since capturing back-to-back pennants in 2000 and 2001.

@ Meanwhile Hampton (2006) and North Carolina A&T (2003) were declared ineligible for postseason play due to NCAA sanctions over academic performance.

Next Weekend’s Schedule:
Next week’s schedule begins Thursday, October 18, as Hampton travels to North Carolina Central for a nationally-televised bout live on ESPNU at 7:30 p.m., to kick off a round of elimination games.

Saturday’s lineup completes the third full weekend of conference games, and all eyes will be on Tallahassee, where Florida A&M will host South Carolina State (ESPNU taped delay/10:30 p.m. ET), as well as Washington, D.C., where Morgan State will visit Howard University in a game critical to both squads’ title hopes; North Carolina A&T visits Delaware State; Norfolk State is at Bethune-Cookman; while Savannah State (0-4, 0-6) hosts Edward Waters College, in a non-conference affair.

MEAC FOOTBALL STANDINGS
Thru Saturday, October 13, 2012

School …………………….. Conference / Overall
Bethune-Cookman ………………… 3-0 1.000 / 4-2 .667
North Carolina Central …………. 3-0 1.000 / 4-2 .667
Howard University ………………… 3-1 .750 / 4-2 .667
Florida A&M ……………..…………… 3-1 .750 / 3-4 .428
Delaware State …………….…..…. 2-1 .667 / 3-3 .500
Morgan State …….……….………… 2-1 .667 / 3-3 .500
^North Carolina A&T ……..……… 1-2 .333 / 3-3 .500
^Hampton …………………………….. 1-2 .333 / 1-4 .200
South Carolina State ……………… 1-3 .250 / 2-5 .285
Norfolk State …………….…………… 0-4 .000 / 2-5 .285
Savannah State ………..…………… 0-4 .000 / 0-6 .000
^-Ineligible for 2012 title

Games of October 13
*Hampton 28, Norfolk State 14
*North Carolina Central 24, Morgan State 20
*North Carolina A&T 38, Howard 10
*Delaware State 31, South Carolina State 10
*Florida A&M 44, Savannah State 3
BYE: Bethune-Cookman (3-0, 4-2)
(*)-Conference Games

Next Week’s Schedule
Game of October 18
*Hampton at North Carolina Central, 7:30 (ESPNU)
(*)-Conference Games

Games of October 20
*Morgan State at Howard, 1:00
*North Carolina A&T at Delaware State, 1:30
*Edward Waters at Savannah State, 2:00
*Norfolk State at Bethune-Cookman, 4:00
*South Carolina State at Florida A&M, 6:00 (ESPNU-10:30 Delay)
(*)-Conference Games

This week could see more shuffling of the deck in the standings as five of the six contenders vie to hold serve, or trade places in the conference race

Alvin Hollins Jr.

By ALVIN HOLLINS JR.
Rockstat7376@aol.com

OCTOBER 10 – The first weekend of October left the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football title chase in a real tizzy, as up-and-rising programs left the established old guard strewn in their wake along the racetrack, virtually assuring the likelihood of a new face nailing the championship pennant to their wall come November.

Standings Reset; History in the Making??
Howard and Bethune-Cookman (3-0) are tied for the league lead, setting up an interesting possibility of a potential co-championship since the two co-leaders do not play in 2012.

Morgan State and North Carolina Central (2-0) are tied for third, in front of remaining contenders Florida A&M (2-1), and Delaware State (1-1).

Of the six remaining contenders, only Bethune-Cookman (2010, 2002), FAMU (2010, 2001, 2000) and Delaware State (2007) have donned championship rings in the new millennium.

Howard (1993), Morgan State (1979) and North Carolina Central (1973) have gone almost 20 years or more since their last MEAC championship, so 2012 could be a groundbreaking season for one of them.

Slip-sliding Away
South Carolina State (1-2) heads the pack of five teams out of the running, including ineligible Hampton and North Carolina A&T (0-2), followed by Norfolk State and Savannah State (0-3).

Shifting Sands in the MEAC??
Last Saturday’s results left Bethune-Cookman as the lone conference school with recent playoff history still in the hunt for the 2012 championship, and demonstrated that the old guard of the league may be relinquishing their places to newcomers and upstarts.

Their playoff partners from 2010, South Carolina State, coached by veteran Buddy Pough, have fallen out of contention at 1-2 and is set to miss the playoffs for the second straight year after making three consecutive trips between 2008 and 2010.

Last year’s champion, Norfolk State (0-3), coached by longtime coaching mentor Pete Adrian, had its’ title defense go awry with an overtime loss to Howard, then back-to-back setbacks to South Carolina State and Delaware State.

Florida A&M (2-1), led by the dean of the MEAC coaches, Joe Taylor (17 seasons at Hampton and FAMU), is actually still in the hunt for the title.  FAMU shared the 2010 title with B-CU and SCSU but the Rattlers have not won an outright crown since 2001.

Meanwhile Hampton (2006) and North Carolina A&T (2003) were declared ineligible for postseason play due to NCAA sanctions over academic performance.

Week Two MEAC Football Oktoberfest
Saturday will be the second full weekend of conference games and the current standings are bound to allemande left and allemande right like a square dance, as five of the six contenders are in action, with league co-leader Bethune-Cookman (3-0, 4-2) sitting out this number.

THIS WEEK’S GAME PREVIEWS
*Norfolk State (0-3, 2-4) at Hampton (0-2, 0-4), 1:00
@ This Chesapeake Bay rivalry won’t be diminished by the also-ran status of the contestants, who at least have bragging rights to battle over…. The slumping defending champs from Norfolk will march across the Bay with the league’s #2 overall defense, to try and counter winless Hampton’s top-ranked offense… Watch for a potential aerial display too as the two clubs rank in the top half of the league in passing (NSU #2; HIU #4).

*North Carolina Central (2-0, 3-2) at Morgan State (2-0, 3-2), 1:00
@ The upstarts from Durham check into this week’s showdown between the co-holders of third place in the MEAC, with the league’s top scoring offense (34.0), while ranking #3 in total defense and #6 in total offense… The Bears rank near the bottom (#10) in total defense, but sport top five rankings in scoring (#4) and total offense (#5)… As an added bonus, the winner could actually slide into a first place tie with idle Bethune-Cookman (3-0), should Howard slip on banana peels in Greensboro.

*Howard (3-0, 4-1) at North Carolina A&T (0-2, 2-3), 1:30
@ The North Carolina A&T Aggies will deploy their league-leading defense to try and halt the resurgent Howard Bison, who bring the #2 rushing attack and #3 scoring offense to Greensboro, as well as #5 ranked defense in the conference…. A&T ranks #2 in scoring offense and #7 in total offense, giving this edition of this long-running intraconference rivalry the look of a 15-round heavyweight fight.

*South Carolina State (1-2, 2-4) at Delaware State (1-1, 2-3), 1:30
@ Speaking of ships that pass in the night, this battle pits the all-time leader in MEAC titles, South Carolina State (13) against the host DelState Hornets, who are in position for a possible title run in the second year under Kermit Blount, a former SCSU assistant… Both clubs rank in the bottom half of the league statistically, even on defense, long an SCSU staple… The game could turn on the air game as DSU ranks third in passing offense, while the ‘Dogs are third in pass defense.

*Savannah State (0-3, 0-5) at Florida A&M (2-1, 2-4), 6:00
@ Florida A&M should come into the weekend with a sense of urgency in a must-win situation… With its’ title hopes hanging in the balance after last week’s 17-10 loss at Howard, the Rattlers welcome the Tigers of Savannah State, ranked dead last in every category, who come in yielding 57 points per game… FAMU sports the league’s top passing attack and the #4 offensive attack, yet having struggled to score, averaging just 19.8 points per game… Little chance of a FAMU letdown here it would seem.
(*)-Conference Games

MEAC FOOTBALL STANDINGS
Thru Saturday, October 6, 2012

School ……………………….. Conference / Overall
Howard University ………………… 3-0 1.000 / 4-1 .800
Bethune-Cookman ………………… 3-0 1.000 / 4-2 .667
Morgan State ………………………… 2-0 1.000 / 3-2 .600
North Carolina Central …….….. 2-0 1.000 / 3-2 .600
Florida A&M …………….……….…… 2-1 .667 / 2-4 .333
Delaware State ………………….…. 1-1 .500 / 2-3 .400
South Carolina State …….……… 1-2 .333 / 2-4 .333
North Carolina A&T ……….……… 0-2 .000 / 2-3 .400
Hampton ……………….…………….. 0-2 .000 / 0-4 .000
Norfolk State ……….……..………… 0-3 .000 / 2-4 .333
Savannah State ………..…………… 0-3 .000 / 0-5 .000

Games of October 13
*Norfolk State (0-3, 2-4) at Hampton (0-2, 0-4), 1:00
*North Carolina Central (2-0, 3-2) at Morgan State (2-0, 3-2), 1:00
*Howard (3-0, 4-1) at North Carolina A&T (0-2, 2-3), 1:30
*South Carolina State (1-2, 2-4) at Delaware State (1-1, 2-3), 1:30
*Savannah State (0-3, 0-5) at Florida A&M (2-1, 2-4), 6:00
BYE: Bethune-Cookman (3-0, 4-2)
(*)-Conference Games

Saturday’s Games (October 6)
*Howard 17, Florida A&M 10
*North Carolina Central 40, South Carolina State 10
*Delaware State 20, Norfolk State 17
*Morgan State 45, Savannah State 6
*Bethune-Cookman 28, North Carolina A&T 12
(*)-Conference Games

Game of October 18
*Hampton at North Carolina Central, 7:30 (ESPNU)
(*)-Conference Games

Games of October 20
*Morgan State at Howard, 1:00
*Howard at North Carolina A&T at Delaware State, 1:30
*Edward Waters at Savannah State, 2:00
*Norfolk State at Bethune-Cookman, 4:00
*South Carolina State at Florida A&M, 6:00 (ESPNU-10:30 Delay)
(*)-Conference Games

Team Stat Comparison

*Florida A&M (2-3, 2-0) at Howard (3-1, 2-0)
The game of the week between two of the three first place teams, this D.C. Showdown truly has playoff implications, as well as a potential paradigm shift for the league. FAMU represents the old guard whose grip on the MEAC is on the verge of being wrested away by a new breed of insurgents led by Howard…. The Bison own the #2 rushing attack and rank #4 in total defense, and come in averaging 30.8 points per game, while the road-weary Rattlers check into their fifth road game in six weeks #1 in passing offense and #2 in total offense, but ranking near the bottom in total defense at #9, while scoring at a 21.8 per game clip.

*Morgan State (2-2, 1-0) at Savannah State (0-4, 0-2) The Bears’ Escape From Greensboro last Thursday night kept them in the hunt for the league title, and they will be heavy favorites to remain in the upper division against the slumping Tigers. Savannah State comes into the game dead last in offense and defense, while Morgan ranks 10th in total defense, while ranking 8th in total offense. Look for a possible shootout to ensue between these two based on their defensive numbers to date.

*South Carolina State (2-3, 1-1) vs. North Carolina Central (2-2, 1-0)
Another old school-new school face off features perennial contender South Carolina State in a fight to remain in title contention against upstart North Carolina Central in the Circle City Classic…SCSU is coming off a shutout of defending champ Norfolk State in an early elimination game last week, while NCCU outslugged fellow MEAC sophomore Savannah State, 45-33 two weeks ago… The Eagles top the league in rushing defense, second in scoring, and third in passing and total defense, while the Bulldogs rank sixth in total defense, third in pass defense, and 10th in total offense.

*Delaware State (1-3, 0-1) at Norfolk State (2-3, 0-2)
This battle of squads in search of their first conference win features defending champ Norfolk State, whose title defense has already gone up in smoke, hosting an improved Delaware State squad which still has designs on remaining in title contention after a two-point near miss against Florida A&M two weeks ago, is shaping up as a bitter battle …. Both squads rank in the lower half of the league in scoring offense (NSU 8th; DSU 9th), while standing near the top in scoring defense (DSU 2nd; NSU 3rd)… Norfolk State is also second overall in total defense.

BYE:Hampton University (0-4, 0-2).

MEAC FOOTBALL STANDINGS
Thru Saturday, September 29, 2012

School …………………………….. Conference ……….. Overall
Howard University ………………… 2-0 1.000 ……… 3-1 .750
Bethune-Cookman ………………… 2-0 1.000 ……… 3-2 .600
Florida A&M ……………………… 2-0 1.000 ……… 2-3 .400
Morgan State ……………………… 1-0 1.000 ……… 2-2 .500
North Carolina Central ……………. 1-0 1.000 ……… 2-2 .500
South Carolina State ……………… 1-1 .500 ……… 2-3 .400
North Carolina A&T ……………… 0-1 .000 ……… 2-2 .500
Delaware State ……………………. 0-1 .000 ……… 1-3 .250
Norfolk State ……………………… 0-2 .000 ……… 2-3 .400
Hampton ………………………….. 0-2 .000 ……… 0-4 .000
Savannah State …………………… 0-2 .000 ……… 0-4 .000

Saturday’s Games (October 6)
*Florida A&M (2-3, 2-0)`at Howard (3-1, 2-0)
*Delaware State (1-3, 0-1) at Norfolk State (2-3, 0-2)
*Morgan State (2-2, 1-0) at Savannah State (0-4, 0-2)
*North Carolina A&T (2-2, 0-1) at Bethune-Cookman (3-2, 2-0)
*South Carolina State (2-3, 1-1) vs. North Carolina Central (2-2, 1-0)(Circle City Classic)
BYE: Hampton University (0-4, 0-2)
(*)-Conference Games