FORT VALLEY, Ga. -- Not being included in the NCAA Division II playoffs was obviously disappointing for Fort Valley State. But getting three more weeks of practice and getting to play in one of three Division II bowl games and having the chance to end the season on a winning note is a pretty good consolation prize.
It took a little while for the Wildcats to realize it after getting over a loss to end the regular season that kept them out of the playoffs. “You saw some pep in their step,” FVSU head coach Donald Pittman said of recent practices. “Everybody’s about back.”
FVSU takes on St. Augustine’s at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the Pioneer Bowl at Columbus’ A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium, home to the Fountain City Classic between FVSU and Albany State.
Former Huss standout hoping to help St. Aug's to school record
GASTONIA – Stedman Gardner says his St. Augustine’s College football coaches haven’t talked about the Falcons’ opportunity at history in Saturday’s 1 p.m. Pioneer Bowl at McClung Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ga. “They’re just trying to keep us focused on what’s ahead,” said Gardner, a 2008 Hunter Huss High graduate. “But it would feel great to get in the record book.”
St. Augustine’s (8-2) missed its first opportunity at history when it dropped its regular-season finale to crosstown rival Shaw 10-6 in its Nov. 6 regular-season finale. Then, the Falcons could’ve taken a school-record 9th victory while also advancing to the CIAA championship game for the first time. St. Augustine’s, which restarted its football program in 2002 after a 35-year absence, had previously won eight games in 1950, 1965 and 2005. The 1950 team has a school-best 8-1 record.
The Pioneer Bowl appearance against Fort Valley State (8-2) gives the Falcons a second chance to win their 9th game of the season. The contest is in its 12th season and pits a CIAA team against a SIAC team.
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