WILBERFORCE, Ohio – The Marauders of Central State University will play in their final football game of 2016 this Saturday when the team welcomes the Bearcats of Southwest Baptist University to McPherson Stadium. For seventeen senior student-athletes, Saturday will be the final competition of their collegiate football career.
LAST WEEK
The Marauders struggled to find momentum against a Tuskegee team ranked No. 14 in the AFCA Div. II National Coaches Poll. CSU fell behind 21-7 at halftime and eventually lost 42-14.
The Marauders fell to 1-8 on the season. CSU sits in fifth place in the SIAC West with a 1-6 conference mark and a 1-3 divisional record. Quarterback Lavon Meeks led all players on the afternoon with 107 yards on the ground and 119 yards through the air. De’Michael Jackson carried the ball 20 times for 54 yards and a touchdown. Darrien Nelson led the CSU receivers with 4 catches for 47 yards. Defensive back Nehemiah Coward led the team with 11 tackles and a fumble recovery. Clim Robbins and Devon Cunningham each had 1 interception.
Southwest Baptist beat Missouri S&T by a score of 45-22 to improve their overall mark to 8-1 on the season with a 4-1 mark in the Great Lake Valley Conference.
TJ Edwards had an outstanding game at quarterback, throwing for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also rushing for a game high 143 yards and 2 touchdowns on 11 carries. Kendrick Payne hauled in 8 receptions for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Cassian Foreman had a game high 97 receiving yards. On the ground, Bubba Jenkins picked up 82 yards in the victory. Defensively D’Angelo Tucker picked up a team high 10 tackles, including 2.0 sacks and 3.0 tackles for a loss to go along with a forced fumble.
CENTRAL STATE OUTLOOK
With 2016 coming to an end after Saturday’s game, the Marauders are focused on ending the year on a high note. Senior running back De’Michael Jackson is among the top in the SIAC in rushing with 897 yards. Jackson has eclipsed the century mark in five games this season and is attempting to become the first CSU back to reach 1000+ rushing yards since the 2007 season. Quarterback Lavon Meeks has shown his ability to make plays with his legs in the last three weeks, rushing for a 5 touchdowns and 275 yards. Against a Tuskegee defense ranked at the top of the SIAC in defense, Meeks ran for game-high 107 yards and a score.
The Marauder defensive unit ranks No. 3 in the SIAC in yards allowed (271.2). Linebacker Deonate Gary maintains his consistent play. The senior currently ranks fourth in the conference with 89 tackles. He also leads the team with 4 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. Nehemiah Coward has thrived as a special teams player. The senior has blocked 5 punts season and returned a missed field goal 109 yards for a score in CSU’s 27-10 win over Lane College. Defensive back Clim Robbins has battled a lingering ankle injury and managed to put together another fantastic season, leading the team with 3 interceptions despite limited balls being thrown his way.
SOUTHWEST BAPTIST OUTLOOK
Southwest Baptist comes into the game at Central State ranked No. 22 in the latest AFCA Div. II National Coaches Poll and No. 24 in the D2Football.com Poll. The Bearcats are also ranked No. 3 in the latest NCAA Super Region 4 Rankings.
Offensively, the Bearcats are led by Bubba Jenkins who is averaging 136.4 rushing yards/game, while TJ Edwards is averaging 273.8 yards/game through the air and 63.2 yards/game on the ground.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bearcats are led by Shaun Hutchinson who averages 8.9 tackles/game to go along with 12.0 tackles for a loss, while Via Manuma has a team leading 11.5 sacks and 19.0 tackles for a loss.
THE SERIES
Saturday marks the third time Central State and Southwest Baptist have played each other. Southwest Baptist is 2-0 in the all-time series with wins in 2011 and 2012.
SENIOR RECOGNITION
Senior recognition for the Marauder football players will take place on the field a half hour prior to the 1 pm kickoff. Senior members of the band and auxiliary teams will be recognized in a ceremony during halftime.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Fans can follow the game on the following outlets:
Radio – Gem City Sports Network (http://www.gemcitysports.com/radio-1/)
Video – CSU Sports Streaming Channel (http://maraudersports.com/watch/?Live=42)
Live Stats – Marauder Live Stats site (http://www.sidearmstats.com/centralstate/football/).
TICKETS
For tickets to Saturday’s game, go to – http://centralstate.universitytickets.com/user_pages/event.asp?id=327&cid=25
On campus parking requires a fee of $10.00.
