Shaw, St. Aug’s football teams look to bounce back in CIAA

RODERICK DAVENPORT
6'-1/200 Redshirt Senior RB
Orangeburg, S.C.
SAU Falcons

MARQUISE GRIZZLE
5'-7/165 Junior RB
Camden, N.C.
Shaw Bears
 






















DURHAM, North Carolina — The CIAA held its annual football media day Thursday, announcing its predicted order of finish and preseason All-CIAA selections. Heading into the 2015 season, here are the top story lines for Shaw and St. Augustine’s:

Running toward history

Shaw and St. Aug’s are coming off turbulent 3-7 seasons and were predicted to finish eighth and 11th, respectively, in the 12-team league, but both teams have weapons in the backfield that will give them a chance to compete.

Shaw running back Marquise Grizzle enters his senior season 333 yards from the team’s all-time rushing record. He missed three games last season with an injury but still ran for 750 yards and is closing in on 3,000 yards.

Grizzle was not named to the preseason All-CIAA team, but his coach wouldn’t hand off to anybody else.

“Marquise Grizzle hands down is the best running back in this conference – I’ll go to my grave with that off the last four years he’s been in this conference running the ball,” Shaw coach Robert Massey said. “Maybe the injury took (preseason all-conference honors) away from him.”

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