Game Notes
SALISBURY, NC – Livingstone heads into the final three games of its season on Saturday when the Blue Bears travel to Fayetteville, NC to take on the Broncos of Fayetteville State University.
OFFENSE
The Blue Bears did improve on their average offensive output Saturday at Winston-Salem. Livingstone totaled 109 yards of offense with 80 yards coming through the air and 29 yards on the ground. Levon Stanley continues to get the starting nod under center for the Blue Bears as he has completed 44 percent of his passes this year and averaged 44.3 yards of passing through six games played.
Stanley was again the leading rusher for Livingstone against Winston-Salem on Saturday with 20 yards while punter Logan Haynes on a fake punt was second on the team with 16 yards rushing. Terrill Gourdine continues to be the leading rusher for the season for the Blue Bears with an average of 11 yards per game on the ground.
Omar McFadden was the leading receiver against the Rams and has averaged 24.1 yards receiving per game this season. Freshman Anthony Holland has also been a solid target for Blue Bear quarterbacks as Holland has caught 20 passes in 2010 for an average of 28.2 yards receiving per contest.
DEFENSE
On the defensive side of the ball the Blue Bears are the third-ranked pass defense in the conference allowing 157 yards passing per contest. On the flip side, Livingstone also allows an average of 188 yards rushing per game which is where opposing teams have hit the Blue Bears hard this season.
Livingstone was missing its top two defensive players Saturday in Bryan Aycoth and Shawntez Jones. Aycoth missed because of injury and Jones from suspension extending from his ejection in the West Virginia Wesleyan contest. Both players are expected to return to play this week at Fayetteville.
In the absence of Aycoth and Jones, freshman Tyheim Pitt stepped up and led the Blue Bears in tackles with with eight including three tackles for loss and one sack. Junior Devonta Harmon also continued his solid defensive play, totaling eight tackles as well. Sophomore Dorian Edwards recorded five tackles with one sack and three tackles for loss.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Overall this season the Blue Bear return men have been solid, but struggled against the Rams on Saturday. Franklin Evans was the top return man with one return for 18 yards. Jamel Moore is currently ranked third in the CIAA in kick return average, averaging 25.9 yards per return. Evans has returned seven kicks this season for an average of 21.6 yards per return.
FAYETTEVILLE STATE
Fayetteville enters Saturday's contest with a 2-5 overall record and a 1-3 record in the CIAA. Fayetteville fell to Shaw last week 34-27 and has lost four of its last five games. The Broncos defeated Virginia State on October 10.
Fayetteville is in the middle of the CIAA in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Broncos have scored an average of 21.6 points per game while allowing 29.3 points per contest this season. The Broncos have thrown for an average of 183 yards per game and rushed for an average of 103 yards per game in 2010.
Robert Benjamin has been the primary passer for the Broncos through seven games. Benjamin has averaged 166 yards passing with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. His primary target has been Benjamin Washington who has caught 26 passes for an average of 68 yards per game with four touchdowns. On the ground Richard Medlin has led the Broncos with an average of 53.3 yards rushing per game and has entered the endzone four times.
THE SERIES
The Broncos and Blue Bears have met 61 times previously with the Broncos holding a 34-25-2 record over Livingstone. Livingstone last defeated Fayetteville in 2003 by the score of 28-27.
THE LAST MEETING
Last season the two teams met in Salisbury in the final game of the season. The Blue Bears under the leadership of Steven Williams, playing in his final game had the passing game working, but struggled to get the ground game going.
Fayetteville got on the board with 5:30 left in the first quarter to go up 7-0 and less than a minute later ran back a fumble recovery for a touchdown to go up 14-0. The Broncos increased their lead in the second quarter with a touchdown and a field goal to grab a 24-0 lead at halftime. The Blue Bears got back within 24-8 late in the third quarter on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Shelf, but couldn't gain any momentum and with another touchdown in the fourth quarter the Broncos won 31-8.
GAME UPDATES
Fans can follow live live updates at www.twitter.com/lcbluebears. Live stats will be available through Fayetteville State at: http://www.fsubroncos.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mfootbl.html?event=885594&school=fast&sport=mfootbl&camefrom=&startschool=&
WEATHER FORECAST
The Blue Bears and Broncos will have perfect weather for football on Saturday. Temperatures in the Fayetteville area are expected to be in the mid- to upper-70s with clear skies, low wind and no chance of rain.
GAME RECAPS
A full game recap with statistics will be available online at www.bluebearathletics.com following the contest.
