| MEAC FOOTBALL WEEK ELEVEN REVIEW |
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| Sat, Nov 12, 2011 > 9:08pm |
Norfolk State marches to their first-ever MEAC title with crushing win over Morgan State; 2010 co-champs now tied for second with a week leftBy ALVIN HOLLINS JR. Rockstat7376@aol.com Tallahassee, FL – The Norfolk State Spartans clinched their first-ever Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football title and the league’s NCAA Division I FCS automatic playoff bid Saturday afternoon with a 47-14 rout of Morgan State in Baltimore, Md. Norfolk (9-2, 7-1 in MEAC) finishes the regular season riding a three-game winning streak and will get a beneficial bye Nov. 19 to prepare for postseason play which will kickoff on Saturday, November 26 against an opponent to be determined. Meanwhile, the three defending co-champions from 2010: Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M and South Carolina State are tied for second at 5-2 in league play headed into the final weekend, with hopes of a shot at an at-large playoff spot. The Weekend In Review The Spartans crushed Morgan State (5-5, 4-3) 47-14 Saturday behind the passing of MEAC Offensive Player of the Year candidate Chris Walley, who passed for 187 yards and a pair of TDs to finish the regular season with 2,309 yards passing. Other winners on Saturday were Florida A&M (7-3, 5-2), which breezed past North Carolina Central (2-8, 1-6), 31-10 in Durham, N.C.; Hampton University (6-4, 4-3), which pounded last place Delaware State (2-8, 0-7), 42-6 at Hampton, Va.; South Carolina State (6-4, 5-2), which held off a late charge to nudge past visiting North Carolina A&T (4-6, 3-4), 30-22 in Orangeburg; and Bethune-Cookman (7-3, 5-2) which waylaid visiting Savannah State (1-9, 1-6), 59-3. Howard University (5-5, 4-3) enjoyed a bye this weekend, and will return to action against last place Delaware State in Dover next Saturday. Next Week’s Games There will be five games on the final week of the regular season, none bigger than the Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida Classic between Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman in Orlando (2:30/ESPN Classic)… South Carolina State closes out at Savannah State (2:00); North Carolina Central takes on North Carolina A&T in the renewal of the fabled Aggie-Eagle Classic in Greensboro (1:30); Howard is at Delaware State and Hampton is at Morgan, both starting at 1:00 p.m. MEAC champion Norfolk State will enjoy a bye, resting and recharging for the FCS playoffs, which begin November 26. HANDICAPPING THE MEAC FOOTBALL RACE With one week left, and Norfolk State in the clubhouse with the trophy, the race is now for second place and a possible NCAA at-large playoff bid. NORFOLK STATE (6-1): Won the title by eliminating Morgan State to finish 7-1. BETHUNE-COOKMAN (5-2): Must beat FAMU to finish 6-2, then would need SCSU to lose one more game to neutralize their head-to-head advantage over the ‘Cats, to improve their long shot chances at an NCAA at-large bid. @MEAC LOSSES: To S.C. State, North Carolina A&T FLORIDA A&M (5-2): Must beat B-CU to finish 6-2, could claim a share of second place and at 8-3, might have an long shot chance at an at-large playoff bid, thanks to a win over South Carolina State. @MEAC LOSSES: To Hampton, Howard SOUTH CAROLINA STATE (5-2): Must win their final game (Savannah) to earn a share of second place with either B-CU or FAMU. @MEAC LOSSES: To FAMU, Norfolk MORGAN STATE (4-3): Eliminated with Saturday’s loss. This Week’s Scores (Nov. 12) *Norfolk State 47, Morgan State 14 *Hampton 42, Delaware State 6 *South Carolina State 30, North Carolina A&T 22 *Florida A&M 31, North Carolina Central 10 *Bethune-Cookman 59, Savannah State 3 BYE: Howard *Conference Games Next Week’s Games (Nov. 19) *Howard at Delaware State, 1:00 *Hampton at Morgan State, 1:00 *North Carolina Central at North Carolina A&T, 1:30 *South Carolina State at Savannah State, 2:00 *Bethune-Cookman vs. Florida A&M (Orlando), 2:30 BYE: Norfolk State *Conference Games |