RALEIGH, NC – The Shaw University football program closes its 2016 slate Saturday, with an away contest at cross-town rival Saint Augustine's University at the George Williams Athletic Complex for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
The much-anticipated annual football contest between both institutions has been named as "The Raleigh Classic" and for the first time in the history of the longstanding rivalry, the winner of this Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) game will have be presented with a trophy provided by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, which will be given to the winning team each year.
Fans can follow the games live tweets on Twitter @ShawBears and listen live through WSHA 88.9 FM with Eric Curry providing the play-by-play commentary and Michael Rochelle as the color analyst.
THE SHAW-ST. AUG ALL-TIME SERIES
Saturday's meeting will mark the 46th in program history between Shaw and Saint Augustine's. The squads first met in 1928, under former head coach Jimmy Little with Bears defeated the Falcons, 18-7. Shaw leads the all-time series over SAU with an overall record of 27-17-1. Last season, the Falcons defeated the Bears on its homecoming day by the score of 31-24 on Nov. 7, 2015. Shaw has lost the last two meetings against SAU (2015 and 2014).
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
2015 Record: 1-9
2016 Preseason Poll: 6th Southern Division/12th overall
Head Coach: Tim Chavous (1st season at Saint Augustine's) (2-7/3-12 career)
The Falcons (2-7, 2-4 CIAA and 1-3 Division) are coming off a 34-8 loss at Johnson C. Smith last weekend. SAU's two wins came against Lincoln and Livingstone.
LAST TIME OUT
Eight seniors were recognized before the home finale in front of a packed Durham County Memorial Stadium fans. Shaw fell to the Rams of Winston-Salem State 30-23. The loss dropped the Bears to 1-8 on the season and 1-5 in the CIAA while WSSU improved to 7-2, 6-0 in conference play and a trip to the 2016 CIAA Football Championship game.
LONG AND PERRY BREAK RECORDS
Junior wide receiver Trevante Long (Greenbelt, MD) became the all-time leader in receptions after catching five passes for 48 yards against WSSU. Long now has 96 career receptions. In addition, freshman running back Tevin Perry (Bunn, NC) broke the record for kickoff returns after compiling a total of 651 yards on the season. The record was set at a total of 556 yards set by James Langford until last Saturday. Perry finished the contest with 65 yards total on three carries.
OVERVIEW
Shaw enters Saturday's game with a 1-8 overall record, 1-5 in the CIAA and 1-4 within the Southern Division. The Bears lost its first seven games, including against CIAA opponents Bowie State, Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State and Livingstone before earning its first win against Johnson C. Smith on Oct. 22, 11-8. Shaw will look to end the season on a positive with a win over Saint Augustine's.
For more information on Shaw football and its 11 varsity sports, visit shawbears.com.
