By Donald Hunt
For The Birmingham Times
It’s a big weekend for football at Miles College. The Golden Bears will entertain Tuskegee University on Saturday. The kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and Miles will have a chance to grab its third consecutive Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) West Division championship.
The Golden Bears (3-2 SIAC, 5-4 overall) have a lot of momentum heading into this contest winning their last three.
Offensively, Miles College has put together a well-balanced attack, which has served them well. Quarterback Claude Newell III has played quite well under center. He has completed 63-of-111 passes for 986 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception. His top receivers are Marcus Lodge ((15 catches for 265 yards and 2 TDs), Montavious Tinch (11 receptions for 210 yards and 1 TD), Jaih Andrews (11 catches for 197 yards and 4 TDs) and Christopher Brown (10 receptions for 243 yards and 2 TDs).
The strength of the Golden Bears’ offense has been the running game. Running backs Donte Edwards and Kingston Davis have been terrific running inside and using their speed to get to the outside. Edwards has gained 862 yards on 159 carries while scoring six TDs. Davis has picked up 715 yards on 125 attempts and scored six TDs.
On defense, linebackers Andrew Gaylor, N’Ktavious Floyd and Mitchell Smiley have been stellar. Gaylor is the team leader with 51 total tackles while Floyd and Smiley have contributed 499 and 45 tackles respectively.
Tuskegee University (2-3 SIAC, 3-6 overall) is led by running back Ivonte Patterson who has rushed for 729 yards on 157 carries and scored nine TDs.
Miles College needs to slow down Tuskegee University’s running game in a huge SIAC matchup.
In the Southwestern Athletic Conference SWAC), Alabama A&M (2-3 SWAC, 4-3 overall) coming off a victory in the Magic City Classic will host Mississippi Valley State (1-4 SWAC, 2-6 overall) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Alabama A&M quarterback Aqeel Glass continues to play at a high level. He has thrown for 2,324 yards with 21 TDs and seven interceptions. The Delta Devils could have their hands full with Glass and the Bulldogs’ high-scoring offense.
In other action in the SWAC, Alabama State (2-3 SWAC, 3-4 overall), with an interim head coach, will visit Prairie View A&M (5-0 SWAC, 6-1 overall) on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Panthers have been playing some outstanding football in the SWAC. Prairie View A&M leads the SWAC West Division.
Look for ASU to use running back Ezra Gray to get the offense moving. Gray has rushed for more than 2,000 yards in his career. In ASU’s 42-28 loss to Alabama A&M in the Magic City Classic, he had 12 carries for 90 yards and one TD. The Hornets could use a big game from Gray against the Panthers.
SWAC Standings
SWAC East
Conference Overall
Jackson State 5-0 7-1
Florida A&M 4-1 6-2
Alabama A&M 2-3 4-3
Alabama State 2-3 3-4
Mississippi Valley State 1-4 2-6
Bethune-Cookman 0-5 0-8
SWAC West
Conference Overall
Prairie View A&M 5-0 6-1
Alcorn State 4-1 5-3
Southern 3-2 4-4
Grambling State 2-3 3-5
Texas Southern 2-3 2-5
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 0-5 1-7
SWAC Schedule (Nov. 6, 2021)
Alcorn State at Bethune-Cookman 11 a.m. Daytona Beach, FL
Mississippi Valley State at Alabama A&M 1 p.m. Huntsville, AL
Texas Southern at Jackson State 1 p.m. Jackson, Miss.
Grambling State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff 2 p.m. Pine Bluff, AR
Alabama State at Prairie View A&M 2 p.m. Prairie View, Texas
Florida A&M at Southern 6 p.m. Baton Rouge, La.
SIAC Standings
SIAC East
Conference Overall
Albany State 5-0 8-1
Savannah State 5-1 7-2
Fort Valley State 3-2 5-4
Morehouse 3-2 3-6
Benedict 1-4 4-5
Clark Atlanta 0-5 2-7
SIAC West
Conference Overall
Miles College 3-2 5-4
Kentucky State 3-2 5-4
Lane 3-2 6-3
Tuskegee University 2-3 3-6
Central State 0-5 1-8
Allen University 0-0 4-4
Edward Waters 0-0 3-6
SIAC Schedule
Central State at Kentucky State 1 p.m. Frankfort, KY
Morehouse at Clark Atlanta 2 p.m. Atlanta, Ga.
Tuskegee University at Miles College 2 p.m. Fairfield, AL
Fort Valley State at Alabany State 2 p.m. Columbus, Ga.
Lane at Benedict 3 p.m. Columbia, S.C.
Edward Waters at Savannah State 5 p.m. Savannah, Ga.
Match of the Week
Tuskegee University at Miles College 2 p.m. Fairfield, AL
