Special Edition of the Pre-Season Diary: The Road to the Championships (Final Entry)

What as season!  The Bears not only won the CIAA Championship, but also defeated Tuskegee 30-28 in the Pioneer Bowl in Mobile, AL.  Tuskegee came in as the favorite and were over confident and the Bears, who have handled their business all season, showed what Shaw football is all about. 

Did you see the game?  What a game it was.  It was one of the best games I had ever witnessed.  It was a great football game.  Shaw went up 21-7.  Then Tuskegee came back with 21 unanswered points to take the 28-21 lead.  But the Bears kept playing, kept fighting and scored the last nine points of the game to pull out the victory.  And who says the SIAC is better than the CIAA in football?  While Tuskegee may have more football tradition than Shaw, Shaw showed that good football can be played in the CIAA.  This is the second time this season alone that Shaw has represented for the CIAA, defeating Kentucky State and defeating Tuskegee.

I want to talk about a play and a young man that I believe went unnoticed in this game.  What turned out to be the game-winning field goal that Chester Charles made mid-way through the fourth quarter, was made possible because of the holder, Gerrard Everett.  Everett was able to take a low snap off the ground, set it in position, for Charles to nail the 30-yard field goal.  You all remember Everett don't you?  In the inaugural season in 2002, Everett wore number 4 and he and Jermonty Kimbrough split time at quarterback.  He did not play in 2003 because of his grades.  But he worked hard, told Coach Clark that he wanted to play and would do whatever he needed him to do.  Even though he worked with the wide receiver group all season, holder is where the team needed him and his play helped to give the Bears the victory.

And how about Charles?  Did you know that this was the third field goal he has kicked this year which turned out to be the game-winning points.  Remember Virginia Union (10-9), Fayetteville State in the CIAA Championship game (10-7) and now in the Pioneer Bowl.  Talk about a guy responding well under pressure.  Two of those three kicks have come in the fourth quarter and he has made four of six field goals on the season, with those three being game winners.  This is nothing new for Charles.  Remember in 2002 against when he kicked the game-winning field goal with no time on the clock to beat St. Augustine's?  While practicing in Mobile, he was hitting field goals from beyond 40 yards.

There were a lot of plays in the game.  This was probably the most complete game of the season played by Shaw from an offensive and defensive perspective.  The Bear defense, ranked number one in the country, held Tuskegee's high-flying offense, which averages nearly 400 yards of total offense per game and is led by quarterback Kevin Huff to 291 yards.  He only completed 10-of-23 passes for 117 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions and had 164 yards of total offense in the game.  His touchdown to interception ratio throughout the season was 2-1 (14 touchdowns, seven int's.) and he averaged almost 300 yards of total offense per game by himself.   That Bear offense was equally outstanding, racking up 378 yards of offense.  They had Tuskegee off guard for most of the game.  Offensive coordinator Fred Farrier always pulls out something new each game against and opponent and this game it was the quarterback draw.  Shaw quarterbacks gained 85 yards on 13 carries.  It opened up the entire running game and the pass game for that matter.  By the fourth quarter, the Bears could run whenever they wanted.  Between Darion Mack and Kimbrough, Shaw completed five passes, but all the passes played a pivotal part in the game, with two of them going for touchdowns and another leading to a touchdown.  And McIver had a great game.  Twenty-one carries for 123 yards.  He was named the game's MVP and had a number of big gains.

So what now?  Well what this Shaw football team has done, deserves Black College National Championship consideration.  Let's look at it.  Shaw defeated Tuskegee, who going into the Pioneer Bowl, was ranked third in the Sheridan Black College Poll and had received six first place votes.  Tuskegee knocked off Alabama State on Thanksgiving and although the Hornets are currently sixth in the poll, they will play Southern for the SWAC Championship.  Tuskegee also had number two ranked Albany State on the ropes earlier in the season and had it not been for a 52-yard hail mary pass by the Rams with no time on the clock, Tuskegee would be sitting a top the poll.  And by the way Albany State was two first place votes shy of being ranked in first place in the poll.  Going into the playoffs, in my opinion,  I thought they had a national championship team and probably would be playing for the national championship had they not blown a 24-0 halftime lead to Valdosta State and lost in the quarterfinals of the Division II playoffs.  Which Shaw should have been in by they way and the Bears may be playing for a national championship, who knows.

Well again it has been a most memorable season and just think signing day is two months away, then spring practice will being in three or four months.  What a season this has been and it won't end until around the end of April.