It has been two long years since the Clark Atlanta University Panthers have been able to run out onto the turf at CAU Panther Stadium for an official game, but that changes today when CAU hosts Lane at 4 p.m.

Coming off their season opening win at Livingstone last Saturday, CAU (1-0) has been looking forward to this long-awaited home opener since Covid-19 prevented football from being played in 2020.

"Our guys are hungry to play here at home, here at Panther Stadium and be ready for the challenge ahead of us," said head coach Tim Bowens who is now in his third year at CAU.

"Saturday's game is huge because it's our first home game and we want to win our home opener," Bowens said.  "That's important to these young and important for all of us not only to win it  but to not get caught up in the result but the process and how we do it.  We've got 14 seniors and we want them to remember their home opener their last year.  It's been some time since we played in our home stadium and we're looking for that. 

The Panthers haven't won a home opener since 2017 when CAU defeated Mississippi College 32-29 in overtime on a Carlos Saldana field goal.

Clark Atlanta has won six straight against Lane (0-1).  The last time the two played each other was in 2017 when CAU defeated Lane 31-7 in Jackson, Tenn.   
The Dragons, who were 4-6 in 2019, are coming off a 34-16 defeat last Saturday at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff of the FCS Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Lane struggled in running the ball against UAPB – the only mustered 20 yards on the ground Saturday.  But Tarik McKinzie completed 17-of-30 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns, while Michael Huntley added 43 yards on 4-of-9 passing.  

McKinzie is the SIAC's top passer returning from the 2019 season – he finished behind FVSU's Slade Jarman and CAU's Charles Stafford in passing yards per game and touchdown and had the
top passing day last Saturday among SIAC quarterbacks.

Anthony Evelyn and Virgil Young were the primary receivers for Lane last weekend, with Young hauling in five passes for 74 yards, and Evelyn grabbing seven passes for 39 yards and a TD. 

Defensively, three Dragons had double-digit tackles Saturday – Nijul Canada had 12, nine of them solo; Asmar Hasan had 11; and Mackenzie Howard had ten stops.

"I'll say this – this is a good Lane football team," Bowens said.  "A good team that got beat by an FCS program.  And they score points and they move the ball.  They moved the ball right down the field on them.  And they play very physical as well.  That's what I see in this team."

For the Panthers, the CAU had a stellar day Saturday with Charles Crawford, Travis Taylor, and Tyler Wimberly having big days in the win at Livingstone.  The defense held Livingstone to less than 200 yards of total offense and forced five fumbles and an interception.

The offense showed flashes as newcomers Perry Seldon and Jeremiah Gibbs shored up the running game, while quarterback Elijah Odom and Kendall Wimberly were an important combination late in the Livingstone game.

"From an offensive perspective, we have to take what they give us," Bownes said. "We can't go make up anything. We have to make sure we sit in the pocket at times. In the run game, we have to make sure we have patience and hit the hole.  We just have to take what they give us.  Sometimes we think defensively, 'oh they played really good' but a lot of times, we don't do our part.  If we do our part, at least that gives us a chance.  If we are in the right place with our eyes, that gives us a chance. If we are in the right place with our foot work and hat placement, it gives us a chance.  So we can't have ourselves on a schedule. We have to make sure we do our part and do what we're supposed to do and at the end of the day do our job and make sure we have success each and every play."

Bowens said his team is just ready to get out on the turf at CAU Panther Stadium again.

"We're excited about that," he said  "It's important to us to not only do well but to make sure we represent CAU well. "