He’s been successful at his last two stops as a coordinator and head coach. His two CIAA championships and vaunted offense at Shaw University positioned him as a candidate for one of black college football’s most hallowed gigs.
And now that he’s seemingly out of the running, could Darrell Asberry be in line for a bigger payday from Shaw University?
Shaw Bears standout corner back Quintez Smith continues to rack up records and accolades at a brisk pace. This week, the D-II all-American is being recognized for a standout performance in the East Coast bowl, a senior showcase for players out of all NCAA divisions and conferences located in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Shaw has a recent history of players transitioning to the NFL. Former Shaw nose tackle Louis Ellis was signed as a free agent prior to the season, and I’m certain NFL scouts have taken notice of Smith’s record setting senior season.
During the 2009 season, Smith tied a Division II record, returning four interceptions for touchdowns, and tied for first in D-II with nine interceptions. He accumulated 302 return yards. He finished the season with 49 tackles and also scored two touchdowns on fumble returns.
Three defensive backs out of HBCUs were taken last season, and there’s no reason to believe that Smith won’t head up this year’s class of black college standouts. It will be interesting to see if Smith secures an invite to next year’s NFL Draft Combine, but the stats and consistency with which Smith has performed warrant at least a look.
Everything appeared to be holding to form for the Shaw Bears. They forced fumbles and jumped out to an early lead against Bowie State in the Prince George’s Football Classic.
But something strange happened in the second half of the contest. All tied up at 17, the Bulldogs started believing that they indeed had the number one defense in the CIAA, and indeed had a home field advantage playing in it’s back yard. BSU clamped down on the Shaw rushing attack to force a scoreless second half, and the Bears, with very poor special teams play, eventually collapsed in two overtimes in a 31-24 loss – their first on the year.
The Shaw Bears traveled into Daytona Beach to take on a Bethune-Cookman Wildcats program that was young and upset-minded to shock the MEAC conference. A rainstorm and a turnover-plagued four quarters later, the Bears left the beach with a 20-6 win over the Wildcats; a victory that could be the biggest in Shaw’s contemporary football history.
If you didn’t believe in the Shaw Bears in their route of the Elizabeth City State Vikings last week, perhaps a win over a Division I opponent will make you a follower.
There’s no question that Shaw’s defense was a subplot to the rain and lightning, which stole the show and the start of the game for 29 minutes prior. The slop and sludge of Municipal Stadium may even draw more credit for the six Wildcat fumbles on the day instead of the fast and furious Bears defense, which has proven acutely opportunistic for the second straight week.
But those things fall below the obvious question of this game; is this the biggest win in Bears history? For a Shaw program that took more than 20 years off from football to jump up a Division and win on the road against one of the alleged elite teams in the MEAC, it may be bigger than a mythical black college national championship, and even a CIAA championship.
A few weeks back, I asked why people were hesitant to pick the Shaw Bears for a third-consecutive CIAA football championship. Saturday against the Elizabeth City State Vikings, the Bears made me look real good with a 54-30 mauling in the champs’ season opener.
Obviously, the story of the game is the three interceptions returned for touchdowns by Bears senior defensive back Quintez Smith, but the stories buried under Smith’s highlights are what will truly position Shaw for a third run at the CIAA title.
Funny how logic usually gets upended by fate. Coaches and SID’s picked Elizabeth City State and Shaw to finish behind Fayetteville State University in this season’s CIAA preseason predictions.
And as fate would have it, ECSU and Shaw will open up this season this Saturday in a rematch of last year’s conference championship game, and in what may be the biggest game of the year in the CIAA.
Shaw was dominant on both sides of the ball in 2008, and their drumming of the Vikings in the title game was nothing pretty to watch. The Vikings have a lot of promise on defense returning, but still have questions at offensive line and receiver, which won’t bode well against a Bears defense that paced the CIAA in sacks last year with 47.
“It’s more personnel than position,” Tillar explained. “There are a couple people vying for the receiver position, seeing who is going to be the No. 2 and No. 3 receiver. We want to look at who is going to be that starting five on the offensive line. We’ve been playing musical chairs with about eight guys.”
Yikes. On the other hand, you get the feeling that the Vikings style of defense won’t let them down, and could keep them close enough to opponents for their evolving offense to have a chance to win it. ECSU led the conference in interceptions and INT returns for touchdowns, with 20 and four, respectively.
It should be a good showdown, and Lord knows the two schools need it. This game could take a lot of minds off of the Bears’ drama of playing at a high school, and the Vikings’ drama of possibly changing the name of the institution.
D2Football.com just released its picks for the 2009 season, and similar to the clueless coaches in the CIAA, the Bears were picked to finish second to Fayetteville State.
Last time I checked, Shaw has won two championships back-to-back. Fayetteville State may have the better head-to-head record over the last few years, but there’s only one team that held the Broncos to fewer than 20 points in a game last season.
Yep. Those Bears.
Maybe it’s the whole “playing games at a high school” thing, because I genuinely don’t get how experts are downgrading Shaw. The majority of their players are back, and they’ve added former Grambling quarterback Brandon Landers to the mix.
Maybe these journalism outlets are too lazy to look into the facts and figures of the teams they are ranking. Surely they would’ve recognized that the Bears’ biggest loss was defensive tackle Louis Ellis, and not much else.
No disrespect to the Broncos, of course. I believe that FSU will again be in contention for the championship deep into the season. But what more can the Bears do, aside from building a football stadium on campus, to convince people that they are for real?
Several black college football teams are going into the 2009 preseason with questions at quarterback. Let’s take a look at a few of the high profile quarterback duels taking place throughout black college football, and project the likely winners of each.
Delaware State University - The battle to replace Vashon Winton is on in Dover. Coming into 2009, the logical choice for the starting QB gig would be Anthony Glaud, who threw for more than 500 yards in 2008 along with two touchdowns and three interceptions in sport duty for the Hornets.
But challenging Glaud will be Nick Elko, a redshirt freshman who came to DSU after a record-setting senior season as one of the top passing prospects in the state of Maryland.
Alabama State University – The Hornets have not had a reliable quarterback since Tarvaris Jackson, and its not a good sign when the frontrunner to start in 2009 is a player who missed all of 2008 with academic problems. The race has come down to junior Chris Mitchell, senior Anthony Speight, who appeared in eight games last season and finished with five touchdowns and five interceptions, and sophomore Devin Dominguez, who threw only five passes last year.
Shaw University - In normal circumstances, there would be no question about who the starter would be for the Shaw Bears. Travis Robinson threw for more than 1500 yards, 20 touchdowns and only nine interceptions in the Bears’ second-consecutive CIAA football championship-winning season. But then entered Brandon Landers, Grambling’s third all-time leading passer, who left GSU after becoming academically ineligible just prior to the 2008 season.
Of all of the black college quarterback battles, this one may be the most intriguing.
I’m sure there are plenty of other battles that I have yet to read or receive email about, so feel free to send it all on to jarrett-at-hbcusportsblog-dot-com.
In keeping with their statement earlier this week, Shaw University officially announced its plans to move Bears football home games to Raleigh. Games will be played at nearby Millbrook High School, and ticket prices for adult admission will see a $10 decrease, all in an effort to build stronger community support around the program.
As I said before, this is clearly the best route for the Bears program to take. You don’t rent out a stadium away from home, just to say you play in a big stadium. Shaw has a great program and some capable leadership that, if allowed the opportunity to work without pressure from short-sighted folks in and around the program, can turn short-term inconvenience into long-term success.
In an exclusive to the HBCU Sports Blog, Shaw University has released a statement on the rumors of budget cuts to the Bears’ athletic program in the face of institution-wide financial hardship.
The following statement was issued by Shaw athletic director Marcus Clarke.
These are financially challenging times for us all, and Shaw University Athletics is no different. There have been some budget cuts, and whenever there are cuts you will get some rumblings. Dr. Dorothy Yancy, our new Interim President, wasted no time in meeting with the entire athletic staff the first week she was on board. She provided an overview of the bigger picture, the university as a whole, and that provided us with a better understanding of what has to be done to help address some of Shaw University’s financial needs.
In the short-term, we will have to recruit more quality and less quantity. We will have to closely watch where we spend our money and reduce the excess, both in operations and in scholarships. Our “less” is still more than some HBCU programs, so we expect to be successful…while spending a little less to get there. The recent decision to move our football games back to Raleigh was not a result of budgetary constraints, but an effort to further engage the community in which we are a part. Durham County Stadium has been good to us, and we enjoyed the venue, but Dr. Yancy wants to reach out and touch those in the community we are a part of, and we must touch our Raleigh community if we are to thrive. Engagement = Future Dollars.
In the long-term, we must seek other revenue streams and increase sponsorship. We can control our spending, but we cannot get ahead by merely cutting back. With the support of our alumni and the community, Shaw University Athletics will continue to be a force, both nationally and in the CIAA.
My opinion? Shaw is certainly in the right hands with Dr. Yancy calling the shots on the financial tip. If she says that Bears athletics are hemorrhaging resources, I’m sure that she has a plan in place to cut the fat and build muscle through strengthened community ties and corporate partnerships. It may hurt short-term goals, but will make the difference in establishing long-term habits of excellence for the program.
You have to acknowledge the task that Dr. Yancy and Clarke have in front of them; to maintain an athletic tradition while operating with limited fiscal freedom. I commend the administration for honestly addressing the concerns and making their plans transparent. In this statement, Shaw has offered a brief look at how to climb out of the hole.
Now, it’s on the Shaw University community and alumni base to take the first step onto the ladder.
