Game Notes
SALISBURY, NC – A battle of the bears will ensue on Saturday at Alumni Memorial Stadium as the Blue Bears of Livingstone will host the Bears of Shaw University for Homecoming 2010.
OFFENSE
For the first time all season on Saturday, the Blue Bears completed a full game, running with only one quarterback. Levon Stanley played the full game throwing for 77 yards and one touchdown. Junior linebacker Bryan Aycoth also passed for 11 yards on a fake punt. Stanley is slated to start Saturday against Shaw.
Levon Stanley was also the leading rusher for the Blue Bears with 33 total rushing yards. Sophomore running back Terrill Gourdine had a season-high 19 rushing yards in the loss.
Sophomore Omar McFadden caught the lone touchdown for the Blue Bears on Saturday and had a total of 24 receiving yards. Senior Kevin Shelf led the Blue Bears with 27 yards receiving.
Overall the Blue Bear offense has still struggled to get going this season. The offense has averaged on 24.6 yards rushing and 101.4 yards passing per game through five games this season.
DEFENSE
On the defensive side of the ball, the Blue Bears were led by junior Shawntez Jones who had five tackles and Jeremy Fairley who also recorded five tackles at St. Paul's. Junior Ahmad Garrison also had a bright spot for the Blue Bears as he blocked a field goal attempt by the Tigers Saturday.
The defense as a whole allowed 118 yards rushing and 157 yards passing to St. Paul's Saturday. Freshman Jammal Acree also picked off a Tiger pass in the first quarter for the lone turnover forced by the Blue Bears.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The special teams for the Blue Bears has had multiple bright spots. Freshman Dewayne Smith has been solid on the kick return squad. Smith as averaged 18.9 yards per return through five contests this season. Junior Bryan Aycoth has had a good season punting the ball as he has averaged 32.6 yards per punt with two traveling more than 50 yards. Blue Bear special teams have also blocked two kicks this season. Against Bowie State, Dorian Edwards blocked an extra point and against St. Paul's Ahmad Garrison blocked a field goal attempt.
SHAW
Shaw enters Saturday's game with a 2-2 overall record and a 2-0 conference mark. Shaw fell in its first game of the season to FCS opponent Elon and also fell to Catawba. Shaw has defeated Virginia Union and Elizabeth City State.
Shaw enters Saturday's contest ranked second in the conference in total points, averaging 33.8 points per game. Shaw's total offense is ranked fourth in the CIAA as it averages 355 yards per contest. The defense for Shaw has also given up its share of points and yards averaging 35.5 points and 389 yards given up on average per game.
Senior tailback Raymond Williams leads the Bears in rushing this season, averaging 82 yards per game rushing with one touchdown. Senior Kevin Atkins has been the primary quarterback for Shaw through four games this season. Atkins has thrown for an average of 215 yards per game and has nine touchdowns. Senior Julius Gregory has been the primary receiving target this season. Gregory has averaged 55 yards receiving per game and has caught four touchdowns. On the defensive side the Bears have been led by senior Fred Sparkman who has recorded 44 tackles this season. Freshman Darnell Evans leads Shaw with three interceptions which he has taken back for 96 total yards.
THE SERIES
Livingstone and Shaw first met in 1901 with the Blue Bears coming out victorious. Livingstone holds a slim lead in the overall series, with a 13-12-5 overall record. The two teams have met every season since 2003. Livingstone last defeated Shaw in 1978 by the score of 11-0.
THE LAST MEETING
Last season Livingstone and Shaw met in Raleigh with Shaw defeating the Blue Bears 54-3. Shaw jumped out to a 20-0 lead halfway through the first quarter. The Blue Bears were able to keep Shaw from scoring the remainder of the half and trailed only 20-3 at halftime. The second half started rough for the Blue Bears as Shaw scored 14 points in the first six minutes of the second half to increase its lead to 34-3, a deficit Livingstone couldn't overcome.
GAME UPDATES
Fans can follow live statistics via the web at www.sidearmstats.com/livingstone/football and live updates at www.twitter.com/lcbluebears.
WEATHER FORECAST
Livingstone and Shaw will have an excellent day for football on Saturday. Temperatures are forecasted to be in the low 70s at kickoff.
GAME RECAPS
A full game recap with statistics will be available online at www.bluebearathletics.com following the contest.
