Fort Valley State fully healthy after bye week

With injuries throughout his roster, Fort Valley State head coach Donald Pittman said prior to the team's bye that he would use the time off to allow his team to recover from its injuries.

And it did just that.

Pittman said the Wildcats got healthy and rested during the bye as quarterbacks Otis Brown and Malcolm Eady will be able to play Saturday at home against SIAC foe Morehouse. Linebacker Leon McQuarker and safety Kentorius Jackson, who were inactive for the Wildcats' 34-7 loss to Florida Tech on Oct. 17, also will be active.

"That was a good thing, so we can work on Morehouse," Pittman said of the renewed health.

With Brown and Eady both healthy, a competition has brewed for the starting quarterback position. Pittman said he still has not named a starter and will not do so until game time.

But the bye week was not solely used to heal physical ailments. Schematic problems in the 27-point loss to Florida Tech, including the rushing offense and defense, were points of interest for Fort Valley State, and Pittman said the issues have been fixed.

He expects improvement against the Tigers after allowing 271 yards on the ground to Florida Tech.

"We worked very hard on filling the gaps with the defensive linemen and linebackers," Pittman said. "We should be very good at stopping the run this weekend."

The Wildcats will be motivated. Last year, Fort Valley State entered its game with Morehouse at 6-2 with one loss in SIAC play, looking to compete for an East Division title with Albany State the following week. But that chance was lost when the Tigers, who were 4-4 at the time, upset the Wildcats 24-21.

"They spoiled our season last year," Pittman said. "We have to come out and play tough and not make many mistakes."

Saturday presents a chance for Fort Valley State to make amends. The Wildcats currently sit atop the SIAC East standings with Albany State at 2-0 in division play. Morehouse is 4-4 again this year and a half-game back in the division at 2-1.

A Wildcats win Saturday likely would set up the scenario they were looking for last year: a matchup with Albany State for the East title. But Pittman isn't looking past the team that ended those hopes last year.

"We're happy for the opportunity to be able to compete for the Eastern Division championship," he said. "We'll take it one game at a time, and we need to take care of business against Morehouse."

This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 3:50 PM with the headline "Fort Valley State fully healthy after bye week ."