Raleigh, NC – The Shaw University football team will look to return to the win column Saturday as the Bears travel to Salisbury, NC to face the Livingstone College Blue Bears in a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division matchup Saturday, October 16. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. inside Alumni Memorial Stadium.
The game can be seen live on the Blue Bears Sports Network/CIAA Sports Network.
Shaw (3-3 overall, 2-1 CIAA, 0-1 Southern Division) returns to the field after a heartbreaking 15-12 loss to Fayetteville State University last Saturday in their division opener. Shaw saw a second-half lead slip away in rainy conditions before fallen behind a late field goal from FSU with less than one minute remaining. Sidney Gibbs remained a bright spot for the Shaw offense finishing with 95 yards rushing bringing his CIAA leading total to 520 yards on the season. Andre Brandon, Jr found the endzone once again pushing his total to six on the season that leads the team in that area and is second in the CIAA rankings.
The Bears struggled to get the passing game going in the wet weather conditions finishing with just 21 yards. On the season, Christian Peters is the leading passer for Shaw having completed 74 passes on 122 attempts for 794 yards and seven touchdowns. Ah'Shaan Belcher leads in receptions and total yards with 20 catches and 280 yards along with two touchdowns.
The Shaw defense continues to shine allowing just 14 points per outing which ranks second in the CIAA. The Bears are tied for second in interceptions with six on the season. Devon Hunt leads not only Shaw but also the CIAA in total tackles with 49 and with just over 8 per game. Da'shawn Wallace follows with 28 total tackles and one interception. Kevin Sherman leads in interceptions with two and has tallied 23 tackles along with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Livingstone (1-5 overall, 1-2 CIAA, 1-0 Southern Division) heads into the game picking up their first win of the season last Saturday in a 21-7 homecoming win over St. Augustine's. The Blue Bears jumped out to an early 21-0 lead in the first quarter and held on after a late Falcons touchdown. On the season Livingstone averages 13.7 points per game while allowing 28.7. Running back Tecorey Tutson ranks in the top 10 in the CIAA in total yards at 221. On defense, Jaden Echols's 48 tackles are second best in the conference just behind Devon Hunt.
