The Shaw football team is one game away from being CIAA Eastern Division champions and representing the east in the CIAA championship game.
The Shaw defense held Elizabeth City State to 38 yards of total en route to a 21-0 shutout victory over the Vikings at Roebuck Stadium. The win set ups next Saturday’s showdown between the Bears and Virginia State for the Eastern Division title and the right to represent the east in the championship game on November 6.
The Bears also dominated on the offensive side of the football gaining 428 yards of total offense and time of possession as they held the ball for 40:31.
Shaw (6-2, 4-2) scored first
as Terrance Ford broke a 41-yard touchdown run which gave Shaw a
7-0 lead. Even though the Bears dominated in total yards and
time of possession, they could not get in the end zone and the
halftime lead was 7-0.
With Shaw leading only 7-0,
Elizabeth City State (3-5, 2-4) had a prime opportunity to
score. After Travis Thurmond returned a Jermonty Kimbrough
interception to the Shaw 19, Viking quarterback Donald Norman’s
pass was intercepted by Bear free safety Torrance Nunnally on
the next play. Shaw would not score until five possessions
later as Reginald Price’s 17-yard run setup Kimbrough’s
touchdown quarterback sneak from one-yard out which gave the
Bears the 14-0 lead. Red-shirt freshman Bryan Cumberlander then
intercepted a pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown late
in the fourth to seal the Bears victory.
The Bears defense was so
dominating that the Vikings punted on its first six possessions
and on the seventh possession the half ended. The Vikings had
10 possessions in the second half where they punted on six,
threw interceptions on two, fumbled once and lost the ball on
downs once. Shaw held the Bears to –43 yards rushing and the
Vikings gained a total of four first downs.
Dion McIver had his third
one hundred yard rushing performance of the season, finishing
with 26 carries for 119 yards. Mark Bransom had six receptions
for 121 yards.
Shaw will face Virginia State in Petersburg, VA next Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
