By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — The tide of history rolls against the Livingstone Blue Bears as they try to make it three CIAA football wins in a row.

Livingstone plays at defending CIAA champion Fayetteville State on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Broncos have beaten Livingstone six times in a row and in 20 of the last 22 meetings. FSU destroyed the Blue Bears 44-7 in 2022.

Livingstone’s rare breakthroughs against the Broncos in this century came in 2003 and 2015, and both of those victories came in Salisbury. Livingstone hasn’t tasted victory in Fayetteville since 1998, but it’s worth noting that Livingstone hadn’t won at Winston-Salem State since 1998 — before last Saturday.

The Massey Ratings have Livingstone as a 25-point underdog for this Saturday’s game, although it’s hard to imagine that it will be that one-sided. Fayetteville State averages about 15 points a game — the same as the Blue Bears — so it’s not going to be easy for the Broncos to win by 25 unless they get defensive or special teams touchdowns.

Livingstone (2-4, 2-2) has some momentum and some confidence after back-to-back wins against Bowie State and Winston-Salem State, two programs they weren’t expected to have a chance against when the season began.

The Blue Bears  have used a train of quarterbacks, but they are coming along. Davontay Deloatch is one of the top 10 receivers in the CIAA, while freshman JyMikaah Wells (Salisbury) is in the top 20 in the CIAA in rushing yards per game. He scored two TDs at Winston-Salem State.

Kicker Jason Zapata is the CIAA Special Teams Player of the Week after making three field goals, including a decisive one at Winston-Salem State.

Where Fayetteville State (4-2, 4-0) is good is on the defensive side of the ball. They’ve allowed only 10 touchdowns in six games.

The Broncos’ signature win this season was an impressive one — 10-7 at Virginia Union. They won 20-17 against Lincoln, which may have the league’s best QB. They won 7-0 last week at St. Augustine’s, holding the Falcons to 48 rushing yards.

Obviously, the Broncos, also know how to win close games. That’s another strength. They own three one-score wins in the CIAA. Their other league victory was 28-18 against Bluefield State, so it’s not like they’ve blown anyone out. They started the season with competitive losses outside the league to UNC Pembroke and Lenoir-Rhyne.

Fayetteville State will be playing at home for the first time since Sept. 16, so a big crowd is expected at Jeralds Stadium.

When he’s healthy, Ben Caldwell, a 6-foot-4, 305-pounder from North Rowan, starts at right guard for the Broncos.