Fort Valley, Georgia-Edward Waters hits the road for the first time in 2023, in search of their first victory of the season. The Tigers will matchup against the Wildcats of Fort Valley State University in an SIAC matchup on Saturday evening at Wildcat Stadium.
GAME INFORMATION:
Edward Waters (0-2, 0-1 SIAC) at Fort Valley State (1-1, 1-1 SIAC)
Saturday, September 16th
Wildcat Stadium | Fort Valley, Georgia
Kickoff: 6:00pm
Weather: 77° Mostly Cloudy, 3% Chance of Rain, Wind: ESE 6mph
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Video Stream: N/A
Audio Stream: EWU Sports Network (
https://www.youtube.com/live/9MBVpQP6h-Y?si=sXS9kcYx5utCHzx4)
Play-By-Play:
Joshua C. Jackson, Sports Information Director/"Voice of the Tigers"
GAME NOTES:
https://ewutigerpride.com/documents/2023/9/15/EWU_Football_Game_Notes_vs._FVSU__23.pdf
COACHING MATCHUP:
Edward Waters:
Toriano Morgan, 3rd Season (9-15)
Fort Valley State: Shawn Gibbs, 2nd Season (9-3)
SERIES HISTORY:
For the first time in 15 seasons, Edward Waters and Fort Valley State renew gridiron acquaintances, this time in an SIAC tilt. FVSU leads the overall series 4-2 in a series that began in 1947. In the last meeting between the two teams, FVSU defeated Edward Waters 32-13 in 2009 in the Stan Lomax Classic in Brunswick, GA.
7th All-Time Meeting (FVSU 4, EWU 0)
2009 | FVSU 32, EWU 13
2007 | FVSU 35, EWU 14
1962 | EWU 8, FVSU 6
1961 | EWU 8, FVSU 7
1948 | FVSU 18, EWU 0
1947 | FVSU 21, EWU 0
PREVIEWING EDWARD WATERS:
LAST TIME OUT: Edward Waters ran into a buzzsaw on Saturday afternoon, falling 34-0 to the defending SIAC and HBCU Division II National Champion Benedict Tigers in the SIAC opener at Glover Community Field & Stadium. EWU (0-2, 0-1 SIAC) could not get anything going offensively in the contest as they only mustered 69 yards of total offense against a nationally ranked Benedict (2-0, 1-0 SIAC) squad.
Benedict raced out to a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, then added another field goal in the second to take a 13-0 lead into the locker room. Benedict added 21 more points in the second half to put the contest away and earn their second consecutive shutout of the early season.
Jyron Russell finished 8-of-17 passing for 55 yards, had two interceptions, and was sacked four times in the contest.
Greg Mango had 15 rushing yards on 10 carries, and
Johnny Jones led EWU with three receptions for 17 yards.
Kenard King, Widmyer Garçon, and Jonathan Nesbit all led Edward Waters defensively with five tackles apiece.
Jia'Quinn Stinson had his best contest of his young EWU career, recording four tackles, including two for loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery.
PREVIEWING FORT VALLEY STATE:
ABOUT THE WILDCATS: FVSU enters Saturday's matchup with a 1-1 record and are 1-1 in SIAC play with an opening day loss to Tuskegee in the Red Tails Classic and a win in their last action 40-17, last week in Atlanta against Clark Atlanta. In the win over CAU, the Wildcat offense had a balanced attack with 158 rushing and 198 passing for 356 total yards. RB Brandon Marshall had 12 carries for 90 yds and fellow RB and Jacksonville Native Kentrelle Williams had 10 carries for 77 yds. The duo combined for 167 yards on 22 carries with three scores.
QB Kelvin Durham completed 18 of 26 for 198 yards and two scores. Za'tarious Anderson pulled in four passes for 72 yards. Fralon Warren grabbed four balls for 51 yards with a 20-yard touchdown, while Bell finished with four catches on 22 yards.
The BlueDeath Defense was led by freshman Kamari Blankumsee, who registered six tackles, a tackle for loss and an interception. Malik Harp added six stops with three for loss. Landon Austin and Jaydn Walker both had six tackles. Daymon Polite and Darnell Stephens snatched interceptions as well.
FVSU RANKED 7th in BOXTOROW POLL: The Wildcats moved to #7 in the latest BOXTOROW HBCU DII Poll after starting the year ranked #5.
WILDCATS LOOKING FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WIN IN HOME OPENERS: FVSU seeks its third Wildcat Stadium home opening win in a row this Saturday. The Wildcats prevailed in its home field first game last year (9/10/22) in a 9-7 final over Kentucky State and posted a 32-14 win over Central State (10/9/21), the first game on the current field turf surface. FVSU last fell in the Stadium openers in a 38-17 decision against Miles College back on 9/7/19.
GIBBS IN CHARGE: After becoming the first FVSU head coach to reach eight wins in his inaugural year, FVSU Head Coach Shawn Gibbs looks to reach double-digits in coaching victories. With 8-2 last fall, his Wildcats can win for the 10th time under his direction. In the first 12 contests, Gibbs record as FVSU head coach stands at 9-3.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
Wildcats vs. Tigers – SIAC Ranks
FVSU Category EWU
3rd (35.5 ppg) Scoring Offense 13th (10.5 ppg)
7th (27.0 ppg) Scoring Defense 9th (36.0 ppg)
4nd (378.0 yds/gm) Total Offense 11th (236.5 yds/gm)
4th (136.0 yds/gm) Rush Offense 9th (73.5 yds/gm)
5th (242.0 yds/gm) Pass Offense 9th (163.0 yds/gm)
5th (274.5 yds/gm) Total Defense 11th (428.5 yds/gm)
2nd (54.0 yds/gm) Rush Defense 9th (195.0 yds/gm)
10th (220.5 yds/gm) Pass Defense 12th (233.5 yds/gm)
SIAC Individual Rankings:
Rushing
3rd Kentrelle Williams (FVSU) 73.0 ypg
4th Brandon Marshall (FVSU) 71.0 ypg
7th Gregory Mango (EWU) 44.0 ypg
Passing
4th Kelvin Durham (FVSU) 145.0
6th Jyron Russell (EWU) 105.8
Receiving
3rd Za'Tarious Anderson (FVSU) 91.5
10th Corintheus Edmonds (FVSU) 62.5
Total Offense
4th Kelvin Durham (FVSU) 238.0
All-Purpose
3rd Dejuan Bell (FVSU) 126.0
Kick Returns
1st Dejuan Bell (FVSU) 40.5
Punt Returns
1st Dejuan Bell (FVSU) 9.8
Tackles
8th Widmyer Garçon (EWU) 8.0
Tackles for Loss
1st Adeon Farmer (FVSU) 5.5 / 2.75 per game
Sacks
2nd Adeon Farmer (FVSU) 1.50 per game
NEXT WEEK:
Edward Waters returns home to Jacksonville to host Morehouse College in an SIAC matchup next Saturday, September 23rd in a nationally televised broadcast on ESPN+. Kickoff from Glover Community Field & Stadium is set for 2:00pm.
Follow the Tigers
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