Bye week coming at opportune time for Fort Valley State

A bye week affords teams the chance to rest amid the grind of long regular season, and the Fort Valley State Wildcats has enjoyed theirs this week after suffering their secondmost lopsided loss of the season in a 34-7 defeat against Florida Tech.

But that wasn't the only loss suffered on the field. Head coach Donald Pittman pointed to key injuries to quarterback Malcolm Eady, linebacker Leon McQuarker, who missed the game with a hip pointer, and safety Kentorius Jackson, who also was inactive with a knee injury.

Then there was quarterback Otis Brown, who was replaced by Eady, who suffered a leg injury early in the game. Deion Perry relieved Eady and played "pretty well," according to Pittman, completing 15-of-30 attempts for 141 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Because of the injuries, Pittman called this week "the perfect time" for a bye. The Wildcats host Morehouse on Oct. 31.

"The bye week is much needed," he said. "We're going to lift weights, run, and we're going to do all the corrections on mistakes we made and try to get healthy and be ready for Morehouse."

And after the 27-point loss in which the Wildcats didn't score until late in the fourth quarter, some areas need discussing. Pittman said both running the ball and stopping the opposing rushing attack will be the focus.

And for good reason. Florida Tech ran for 271 yards and averaged 6.0 yards per carry while the Wildcats managed only 12 rushing yards and averaged less than 1 yard per game. The Panthers outgained the Wildcats 477-154.

"They just manhandled us on both sides of the ball," Pittman said. "It's a big concern. The goal is to stop the run on defense and to improve our run game on offense."

One way to improve the rush defense will be doing "a better job on defense getting people in a good position to make plays," according to Pittman. The injuries to McQuarker and Jackson are not considered season-ending, and Pittman expects them to return after the bye.

Offensively, the quarterback situation will be monitored as Pittman expects both Brown and Eady to be healthy enough to play against Morehouse, although, neither has been given the starting nod.

"We're going to compete the next two weeks," Pittman said.

Whoever earns the starting job will face the task of helping Fort Valley State reach its goal: winning an SIAC championship. All four of the team's victories have come in conference play as it sits atop the SIAC East standings with a perfect record.

With two conference games against Morehouse and Albany State remaining to close out the regular season, the Wildcats have control of their own destiny.

"We still have an opportunity to win a conference championship, and that's what we're gunning for," Pittman said.

This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Bye week coming at opportune time for Fort Valley State ."