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| 2015 EDWARD WATERS COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM (CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE) Courtesy: Edward Waters College Athletics THE SUN CONFERENCE |
JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- A favorable early schedule has Edward Waters Tigers chugging along with a 2-0 record before the real season gets underway. Last week the Tigers had a blowout of a game with the University of Faith, winning 76-7. Your guess is as good as mines as far as which War Eagles campus that this group calls home, with Internet websites popping up all over the country for this school.
The Tigers had their second blowout of an Internet based-college with the University of God's Chosen being taken down 57-8 on Saturday. Chalk it up that the EWC athletic director knows how to give head coach Alvin Wyatt an opportunity to re-build the Tigers defense. This will be Coach Wyatt's first full season coaching the Tigers. This is also the second year that EWC will be playing a full Sun Conference schedule.
The Tigers had a bumpy ride last season, finishing with a 5-6 record, but 2-2 under Wyatt. Edward Waters has been tabbed to finish fifth in the conference after tallying 11 points with Point grabbing nine points to round out the six team preseason poll. First team All-Sun Conference honoree and dual threat quarterback Tyler Mahla will once again lead Edward Waters for the 2015 campaign. Last season, Mahla led the Tigers on the ground with 541 rushing yards and through the air with 1,616 passing yards.
In the 2015 Sun Conference Football Preseason Poll, the coaches have selected Webber International to repeat as conference champions. The preseason poll, which was voted on by the league's six head coaches, was released by the conference office last week.
So much for working out the kinks with the upstart faith-based internet schools.
The rest of the Tigers schedule has legitimate programs from established conferences at the NCAA Division I FCS, Division II and NAIA Division I levels. The Tigers will have to play the Sept. 12 home opener with FCS newcomer Kennesaw State before an official sellout crowd at Fifth Third Bank Stadium and a Atlanta area television audience of WUPA-TV/CW 69. The KSU stadium was opened in May 2010 and seats approximately 8,300. The current record attendance is 2,683 vs. Georgia State (Soccer, August 23, 2012).
KSU will provide a big time atmosphere with a noise level not usually experienced by NAIA programs, like EWC. This home opener for KSU has been planned for over a year and Edward Waters will have to bring their "A" game, if they expect to leave with the "W."
The schedule get tougher for the Tigers, moving forward with seven road games, included an ESPN3 televised game with Jacksonville University in the first Jacksonville Football Classic game. Jacksonville is no pushover, finishing 9-2 last season in the Pioneer Football League (PFL), the nation’s only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference.
The Dolphin redshirt senior quarterback Kade Bell returns to direct the Preseason All PFL offensive unit after throwing for 3,181 yards and 31 touchdowns last season, leading the league with a 152.3 pass efficiency rating (ninth among FCS quarterbacks). Coach Kerwin Bell has five first team All- PFL players returning in 2015 at the junior/senior level.
“This is one of the toughest schedules ever played in our football program’s history. We know it won’t be easy, but with consistent dedication from our athletes and unwavering support from the community we can succeed,” said Wyatt. Four of the five conference games for the Tigers will be played on the road. Ouch!
Next up for the Tigers are the Maroon Tigers of Morehouse College that steamrolled EWC 31-6 on the home field last season. It just might be payback time for the Tigers and their new high powered offense. But, don't count "da house" out, yet. Depth is always a major factor in these NAIA vs. NCAA Division II match-ups.
The Tigers play as an associate member of The Sun Conference for football and the NAIA's Gulf Coast Athletic Conference for all other EWC sports.
2015 EWC Tigers Football Schedule
August 22 University of Faith Home W 76-7
August 29 University of God's Chosen Home W 57-8
September 5 Morehouse College Away 7:00 p.m.
September 12 **Kennesaw State University Away 4:00 p.m. TV: WUPA-TV/CW 69 Atlanta
September 19 OPEN
September 26 Point University Away 12:00 p.m.
October 3 *Southeastern University Home 1:00 p.m.
October 10 Webber International University Away 5:00 p.m.
October 17 %Jacksonville University Away 1:00 p.m. TV: ESPN3
Jacksonville Football Classic
October 24 Concordia College - Selma, Home 3:00 p.m. Homecoming 2015
October 30 Ave Maria University Away 12:00 p.m.
November 7 Warner University Away 12:00 p.m. TV: GTV Sports
NOTES:
ALL HOME GAMES PLAYED AT STANTON COLLEGE PREPARATORY HIGH SCHOOL, 1149 W. 13th Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32209.
CONFERENCE GAMES IN BOLD
** Game will be televised in Atlanta market on WUPA-TV/CW 69.
% The Jacksonville Football Classic will be played at D.B. Milne Field on JU's campus. This game will be televised on ESPN3.
GTV Sports is partner of The Sun Conference and game broadcasts are aired live over the broadband internet channel Internetwork 1 (www.i1tv.net), and re-broadcast multiple times throughout the week.
EWC FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF (Partial)
Alvin Wyatt, Sr.
Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator
Gregory Ross, Sr.
Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Football Coach
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