UP TO THE CHALLENGE
Delaware State faces Southern in the sixth annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge—a matchup of two teams looking to establish themselves among the elite
By Donald Hunt
Archive
When Delaware State faces Southern in the sixth annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Sept. 5, both teams will be trying to reestablish themselves amid their respective conferences. Delaware State’s Hornets (4-7 overall, 3-5 in the MEAC) are coming off a tough 2009 season, finishing eighth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings.
The Jaguars (6-5 overall, 3-4 SWAC) had an up-and-down season, winding up in fourth place in the Western Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. This will be Southern’s second appearance in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge game. (In 2007, Southern edged Florida A&M 33-27, giving the SWAC its only win in the series.) The MEAC leads the series 4-1. Nevertheless, this will be the first game for both schools in the 2010 season, and a victory in this classic HBCU rivalry would be a tremendous boost.
Delaware State coach
Al Lavan is entering his seventh season with the Hornets. On offense, Lavan should be set at the skilled positions. He returns starting quarterback
Anthony Glaud (127-of-220 passes for 1,294 yards, 5 TDs, 7 interceptions), leading rusher
Jaashawn Jones (151 carries for 632 yards, 5 TDs) and receivers
Darius Jackson (41 receptions, 476 yards) and
Larrone Moore (33 catches, 315 yards). Lavan believes Glaud will be the key to the Hornets’ success.
“Anthony Glaud is our quarterback,” Lavan says matter-of-factly. “He has to have a good year. I guess you can say that about any quarterback, but Anthony has a lot of ability. He has experience, too. Larrone Moore is another guy we’re looking forward to helping us. They’re going to be a big part of our offense. We’re going to have to be able to throw the ball down the field. We’re also going to need a good running game.”
The Hornets were fourth in the MEAC in total offense last season, averaging 278.9 yards a game and tallying 18.7 points a game.
Experience won’t be the Hornets’ biggest asset, unfortunately, especially on defense. They ranked eighth in the conference in total defense, giving up 360.3 yards a game (while allowing 21.6 points per outing).
Lavan will look to
Andre Caroll, Delaware State’s second team All-MEAC selection, for some leadership. Caroll, a 6-foot-2, 280-pound senior from Neptune, N.J., had 42 total tackles with 13 solos and 1.5 sacks in 2009. “We’re going to need some leadership from a guy like Andre Caroll, who was recognized by the league for his play on the defensive line. He can make a lot of plays for us. He’s really good around the football. It’s so important to have good play on the line because that helps the entire defense.”
Lavan knows that the list of players he can count on for consistent play is short. “We have a lot of young players on defense,” he adds. “We have sophomores and some juniors. Basically, we’re going to be young. These kids have a lot of potential. The MEAC/SWAC Challenge will be a good test for them. Southern has a good history of producing great players. They’ll be playing some good football right away.”
In fact, Southern was one of the top-scoring teams in the SWAC last season. The Jaguars ranked second in the conference, averaging 30.5 points a game. They were No. 1 in total offense, tallying 365.9 yards a game. Bryant Lee, last season’s starting QB, was a big reason for that—completing 207 of 345 passes for 2,565 yards, with 24 TDs and 10 interceptions. He had two big-time receivers in Juamorris Stewart (80 receptions, 1,022 yards, 11 TDs) and Warren Matthews (27 catches for 434 yards and 6 TDs).
But with Lee, Stewart and Matthews having completed their eligibility, first-year coach Lyvonia “Stump” Mitchell will have to look for new faces to emerge. Having replaced the legendary Pete Richardson as the team’s new boss, Mitchell, a longtime NFL assistant, has his hands full. Mitchell, who spent the past two years as the running backs coach with the Washington Redskins, is depending on running back Gary Hollimon (51 carries, 346 yards, 6 TDs) to ease that burden.
On defense, however, Mitchell should have a good foundation.
Jason House is one of the best defensive players in the conference. House, a former wide receiver, is a 6-foot senior who led the SWAC with 10 INTs, will join forces with junior DB
Timothy Berry (3 INTs) to make a formidable secondary.
Andre Coleman, a playmaking linebacker for the Jags, had two interceptions and 68 total tackles. Needless to say, he will be the leader of the linebacking corps. Up front, senior defensive lineman Jordan Miller led the team in sacks with five (to go with 54 total tackles).
“These guys are working extremely hard to do everything they can do to get ready for the season,” Mitchell says. “We want to solidify what kind of efforts we’re going to put forth during the season. We want to build our program, and we’re in the process of doing that right now.”
NOT JUST LIP SERVICE
Mitchell isn’t just good for a quote; he’s knows football. He played nine seasons for the St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals (he’s the Cardinals’ all-time leader in combined yardage, with 11,988 yards, and ranks second to OJ Anderson with 4,649 yards rushing on 986 attempts and 32 touchdowns), and he is no stranger to black college football.
In 1995, he was the offensive coordinator at Morgan State. After one season with the Bears, he was elevated to head coach, spending three seasons at the helm. In 1997, Morgan State had a strong running attack, averaging 148.9 yards a game. Mitchell’s time at Morgan State gave him a good feel for MEAC football, and the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, too.“It’s an excellent game,” Mitchell says. “Eventually, it’s going to have a hand in being crowned the Black College National Champion. That’s a great thing in itself. This is a great opportunity for me after spending four years in the MEAC.
“Everyone is trying to showcase what they can do. It’s the first game for us. I’m sure Delaware State is looking forward to this game. We all want to have a good showing for our individual schools as well as our conferences.”
Two years ago, Delaware State captured the MEAC championship behind All-MEAC stars wide receiver Shaheer McBride and defensive back Akeem Green.
Coach Lavan understands the importance of this game—and how a solid showing can set the tone for a whole season: “It puts two conferences and two teams in a competitive situation,” says Lavan, whose program is making its debut in this HBCU contest. “It’s a good thing. It shows that there are good players throughout each conference. You have a fair number of these players from each conference who have gone on to play at the next level.”
For now, though, nobody’s looking beyond Sept. 5.
Donald Hunt is a columnist for The Philadelphia Tribune. His HBCU Notebook on ESPN.com can be found here. Got a story idea for Donald? E-mail him at dhunt37261@aol.com.
