Wilkes helping lead Lions into fall
The last time Josh Wilkes caught a touchdown pass, it was in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game.
Alabama A&M University had scored three touchdowns to turn a 26-18 halftime deficit into a 40-26 lead with 7:16 left. In a game where Tyrin Ralph’s 81-yard kickoff return and Kolby Watts’ 33-yard fumble return for touchdowns all but set the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff on course toward a championship, Wilkes kept things interesting with an 11-yard touchdown catch with 2:30 remaining to narrow the deficit to the final 40-33 margin.
“We finished pretty good but we didn’t finish on top,” said Wilkes, a fifth-year senior receiver from Rock Hill, S.C. “We feel like we left a lot on the field by not winning the championship, so we want to get back there and we’re working hard to do that.”
Wednesday will mark four months since the Golden Lions’ SWAC championship loss, but Saturday will be the start of a new season. UAPB will host Lane College of Tennessee at 6 p.m. Saturday at Simmons Bank Field.
The Lions, who went 4-1 in a covid-19 delayed season, returned to campus in late July for the first time since the end of the spring semester, coming off much-needed rest to prepare for a grueling preseason camp in a quick turnaround to the traditional 11-game fall schedule.
“Conditioning has been great,” second-year UAPB Coach Doc Gamble said. “They had to play their way in shape. This is the hottest part of summer. It wasn’t as hot in the spring as it’s been this summer. Guys got
to be hydrated. We always talk about rest and hydration, rest and hydration, and then hydration and rest. The way we practice, it allows us to get through a game.”
Wilkes was the Lions’ leading receiver during the spring with 341 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 25 receptions. His season high was 131 yards (and a touchdown on six catches) against Grambling State University.
He’s among a big stable of proven wideouts returning for the Lions, including all-purpose threat Tyrin Ralph and DeJuan Miller, who also had a touchdown pass in the championship game.
“Only thing we have to improve is keep executing every down,” Wilkes said. “Play like we’re in practice. Don’t let the clock make a difference. Don’t let another team make a difference.”
GAME PREP, SO TO SPEAK
Monday is a common day for teams to delve into game preparation, but UAPB’s preps against Lane, an NCAA Division II program, have gone “the best they could,” Gamble quipped.
That’s because the Dragons didn’t play the 2020 season due to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s cancellation of fall sports and changed head coaches since the end of the 2019 campaign. Vyron Brown was promoted to head coach after spending the 2019 season as offensive coordinator. Brown served in the latter role at Texas Southern and Grambling State universities prior to joining Lane.
Adding to the challenge of studying the Dragons, Gamble pointed out, they also hired a new defensive coordinator.
“We’re taking care of ourselves right now,” Gamble said. “We’ve got to play them the best we can. They didn’t play football in 2020. There are still some unknowns about them, so we’ve got to make sure we’re sound in everything we’re doing and make adjustments as the game goes.”
RANK TALK
The Week 1 BOXTOROW HBCU Football Coaches Poll and Media Polls have already experienced shakeups following Saturday’s MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta.
UAPB did not move up or down from its No. 4 spot in the media poll, in which select members of the press vote for their top 10 teams across all divisions. The top five — Alabama A&M, North Carolina A&T University, Florida A&M University, UAPB and Southern University — remained the same. South Carolina State University moved up one spot to No. 6, followed by Jackson State University (previously No. 8), Bowie State University (previously No. 9), Challenge winner North Carolina Central University (previously not ranked) and Prairie View A&M University.
NCCU defeated previous No. 6 Alcorn State University 23-14 in the ESPN-televised Challenge.
The HBCU Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll, limited to Division I teams, from 1-10 is: Alcorn State, North Carolina A&T, Florida A&M, South Carolina State, UAPB (previously No. 6), Southern (previously No. 7), NCCU (previously not ranked), Jackson State, Alcorn State (previously tied for fourth) and Prairie View (previously ninth).
BOXTOROW is an acronym for “From the Press Box to Press Row,” the national sports and entertainment radio show that airs at 10 a.m. Saturdays on UAPB radio station Hot 89.7 (KUAP-FM).