Falcons Look Forward to Soaring New Heights after Disastrous 2019
RALEIGH, NC — It has been almost exactly two years since the Falcons of Saint Augustine’s University has taken the field. With COVID-19 wiping out the entire 2020 campaign, Saint Augustine’s looks to improve their 2-8 record (2-6 CIAA Southern Division).
Plus, they open the season with a new coach in town — the new Athletic Director David Bowser. Bowser hopes to bring his exemplary resume from CIAA rival — Fayetteville State University — to make Saint Augustine a winning program. Coach Bowser helped Fayetteville State win the CIAA Championship in 2002, 2003, and 2009 and win their third straight CIAA Southern Division crown in 2019 — appearing in their third consecutive CIAA Championship Game. He served as the assistant head coach, as well as the defensive backs and running backs coach.
The Falcons look to enhance both their offense and defense. They have only scored 14.2 points per game while allowing a whopping 34.3 points per game. The lack of scoring caused them to score only 13 touchdowns. But, with the new Coach Bowser in town, he should change that drastically.
With the defense — lookout for Junior Defensive Back Booker Peake (Goose Creek, SC) and Defensive Lineman Brandon Jackson (Junior — Washington, NC — 3.5 sacks) to make significant contributions. Also, look out for the hometown hero Defensive Lineman named Tim Montague (Junior — Raleigh, NC — 4 sacks in 2019) to enhance the defense, which allowed a whopping 3,625 yards of offense from the opponent during the 2019 season.
Junior Quarterback D’Ontre Gilliard (Holly Hill, SC) has some tough shoes to fill. He will be replacing the recently departed Jalen Jones (Glenburnie, MD), who amassed 700 yards with 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, with a 47.5% passing percentage. Gilliard in 2019 recorded 238 passing yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He recorded a 45.95% passing percentage, which he hopes to upgrade in 2021.
The Falcons open their season against Tusculum University — located in Tusculum, Tennessee, on Saturday, September 4, 2021, at the George Williams Complex on Saint Augustine’s University campus. Also, other games to look for are against CIAA Northern Division Champion — Fayetteville State University on October 23, then the annual Raleigh Classic against cross-town rival — the Shaw Bears on November 6. Finally, for Saint Aug alum and fans — their homecoming will be on Saturday, September 25, against the Chowan Hawks.
On Saturday, October 30, they will travel to Charlotte, NC, to face the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls in a nationally-televised game on AspireTV at 1 PM. I think Saint Aug will improve from their dismal 2-8 season. They should upgrade to the middle tier of the CIAA Southern Division. However, they will have some tough challenges — hosting CIAA Division rivals Fayetteville State and Shaw, as well as traveling to Winston-Salem State and Virginia State, who are also powerhouses in the CIAA.