Coach Darrell Asberry of Shaw is well aware of what his team will have at stake the next two Saturdays.
First, his Bears will take on the 18th-ranked Winston-Salem State Rams at 1 p.m. Saturday at Durham County Stadium. The next weekend, on Nov. 6, they will play No. 23 St. Augustine’s.
“When you get down to this point in the season, they are all big,” said Asberry, who is in his fifth season.
With Shaw (6-2, 5-0 CIAA), WSSU (8-1, 5-1) and St. Aug’s (7-1, 5-0) all chasing the CIAA’s Southern Division title, there’s late-season drama, but Asberry said that’s not a bad thing.
“I think it’s good for the conference that Winston is back in, and they have brought a lot of excitement,” Asberry said of the Rams. “They have a big fan base, and it’s another quality program that is in the conference.”
Asberry’s team is on a hot streak heading into Saturday’s game, having won five straight after consecutive losses to Elon (55-26) and Catawba (32-21) early in the season.
The Bears, 35-14 winners over Chowan last week, are averaging 35.4 points and allowing 24.5 a game, but what Asberry likes most is how the team has come together in such a short period of time.
“Down the stretch here, the guys have been playing as a team and have done well in all phases of the game,” he said. “They are really starting to jell and are believing in each other, and that’s what it takes to be a good football team.”
The Bears are No. 2 in the CIAA in scoring behind the Rams, and senior running back Raymond Williams is No. 4 in rushing (748 yards, 6 touchdowns).
Quarterbacks Quinshon Odom, a 6-3 freshman from Lakeland, Fla., and Kevin Atkins, a senior, have helped guide the offense. Atkins is third in the CIAA in passing (191 ypg) and has 17 touchdown passes and six interceptions.
With the top two scoring teams in the CIAA meeting, Asberry said that fans should get their money’s worth Saturday.
“It’s going to be a very physical and brutal matchup,” he said. “Like I tell my team all the time, we have to play smart football and not turn the ball over.”
The Bears have committed 20 turnovers (10 interceptions, 10 fumbles) and have forced 14.
Shaw also has some WSSU and Winston-Salem ties. Defensive lineman Quentin Jones transferred in from WSSU, defensive-line coach Sherman Simmons is a former WSSU assistant, and senior lineman Jared Washington played at Mount Tabor High School.
jdell@wsjournal.com
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