Defending champion Livingstone is starting out in a hole in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association for the second straight year, but coach Greg Richardson hasn’t forgotten the 1998 season.

Richardson, Livingstone’s first-year head coach, was the defensive coordinator at Virginia Union last season, when a late-season loss by Union’s Panthers allowed coach Rudy Abrams’ Livingstone Blue Bears to win the CIAA title and a trip to the Pioneer Bowl in Atlanta.

Livingstone opened its CIAA schedule last year with a 19-7 loss at Virginia Union, but wound up 5-2 and tied for first place with Winston-Salem State in the final standings. Livingstone got the title because it beat the Rams in their regular-season meeting.

So, after falling to Union again by 24-6 at Alumni Stadium in Livingstone’s first night game ever on Saturday, Richardson was not discouraged.

“We told the kids in the huddle that this was only one loss. I mentioned to them that, of course, the same thing happened to Livingstone last year. When they came to Union, we beat them. They kind of thought they were out of it. We (Union) went and lost two more games the next games. At the end, Union had the chance to win the championship, and we lost to Fayetteville, and Livingstone got the championship. So, anything can happen in the CIAA,” said Richardson.

Union wound up 4-3 and in a four-way tie for fourth place a year ago, while Livingstone celebrated.

“We just told them to keep their heads up, that we’ve still got a long schedule to go, and we’ll just have to get ready,” said Richardson.

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BOWIE NEXT: Livingstone, in a tie for sixth place at 0-1 after its first league game, will start trying to move up in the standings at Bowie State in Bowie, Md., at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Bowie, a 23-19 winner over Johnson C. Smith in its CIAA opener on Saturday, is 1-0 in the league and 2-1 overall. Its other victory was over Cheney 20-6, while Millersville rolled past Bowie 41-0.

Quarterback Jimmy Whitehead’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Michael Bryant late in the fourth quarter wrapped up the Bulldogs’ victory over J.C. Smith. Ray Hawkins was the leading rusher with 21 carries for 100 yards.

Sonny Pritchett earned the CIAA defensive lineman of the week award with his 13 tackles, seven unassisted. Gerald Washington was the specialty player of the week after blocking an extra-point attempt and blocking a punt that set up a touchdown.

Livingstone defeated Bowie 14-0 a year ago.

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TOPS AGAINST THE PASS: Livingstone leads the CIAA in pass defense, allowing only 90.3 yards per game. Opponents have completed only 23 of 57 passes against the Blue Bears.

Sophomore free safety Michael Posey, soph cornerback Glen Fisher, soph strong safety Danotric Nash, senior free safety Tornell Jones and soph linebacker Dwayne Williams have each intercepted a pass.

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STILL THE LEADER: Sophomore running back Carlton Jones was limited to 23 yards in 10 carries by the tough Virginia Union defense, but he’s still the CIAA leader with 223 yards in 45 carries for an average of 74.3 yards per game.

Wide receiver Shannon Gainey, who also returns punts and plays some at running back, is No. 2 in pass receptions per game (4.67) and third in receiving yards per game (69.7). The sophomore has caught 14 passes for 209 yards.

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DEFENSIVE HONOR:Senior tackle Ronnie Washburn was honored by USA Football as one of its NCAA Division II players of the week for his performance against Virginia Union.

Washburn, the CIAA defensive player of the year in 1998, made nine tackles, five unassisted, and four of his tackles were for 12 yards in losses. The 275-pounder had two sacks, as did sophomore linebacker Derrick Reynolds.

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