This is an opinion column.
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Like a piece of beautiful poetry, it was Jeremiah Hudson-Davis of Fairfield who put away Clark Atlanta on Saturday and delivered a conference championship for hometown Miles College.
Hudson-Davis is a cornerback for the Miles Golden Bears. He played high school football at nearby Fairfield. Saturday was his day of days. The sophomore had two interceptions in three plays to begin the second half of a runaway 53-25 victory for Miles at Albert J. Sloan-Alumni Stadium.
Miles did it all season with defense and the SIAC championship game felt like a victory lap when it was all over. The Golden Bears finished off Clark Atlanta with six interceptions, giving Miles 23 picks for the season. Going into conference championship week in Division II, only Emory & Henry University in Virginia had more (24).
I found Hudson-Davis after the game with a victory cigar between his teeth. The team passed them around to celebrate its conference championship. Hudson-Davis’ cigar was unlit, a lifetime keepsake to be saved like a trophy.
“It feels good to give back to the city,” Hudson-Davis said. “Birmingham, there has been a lot going on in Birmingham. There has been a lot going on in Alabama. It feels good to be from here and come from this part of it and give back.
And it feels good.”
Yes it does.
Now it’s on to the Division II playoffs. The Golden Bears (9-2) are expected to receive a bid on Sunday for the 28-team tournament. There’s a chance that Miles could host a first-round game, too. The NCAA Division II selection committee will award bids and set the bracket beginning at 6 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Miles has a diamond-studded defense. The defensive front, led by players like Jamichael Rogers and Keith Green, put pressure on Clark Atlanta quarterback David Wright III from the beginning of the game up until the moment when Wright had to be benched as a safety precaution. He had taken too many hits.
Miles’ defense never stops. Sam Shade is already the coach of the year in the SIAC, but he might deserve the national award, too.
And not just for Division II football.
Shade, the former Alabama and NFL star, deflected all the credit after the game. He instead heaped praise on his assistants and players.
“I didn’t have to do much,” Shade said. “It was all them.”
Shade was being modest. He has assembled an all-time staff. And no wonder the team has so many interceptions. Shade is a former Alabama and NFL safety, Auburn All-American Chris Shelling is the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach and Alabama legend Antonio Langham coaches defensive backs, too!
“Coach Shade has done a lot for the program,” said Hudson-Davis, the defensive back from Fairfield. “He built it from 1-9 to a SIAC championship. These coaches put a lot into us and we’re giving it back with this championship.”
Shade took over at Miles in 2022. Miles went 1-9 that first season. Last year, Miles went 7-3 and knocked off FCS opponent Alabama State.
What makes this defense so special?
“Communication, leadership, accountability and holding each other together,” said Hudson-Davis, the defensive back from Fairfield. “We’re playing as a team and playing as one and trusting each other.”
Miles led 29-14 at halftime and then 39-14 after the two interceptions by Hudson-Davis. Cam Williams also had two interceptions for Miles and Josh Ruff and Lashon Young had one apiece. Young, a freshman from Sweet Water High, has eight interceptions on the season. That mark leads the nation in Division II.
Miles sophomore Jeremiah Hudson-Davis celebrates the Golden Bears' SIAC championship on Saturday, Nov.16. Hudson-Davis is from Fairfield and had two interceptions in the game.Joseph Goodman
Young is the defensive player of the year in the SIAC. Sweet Water is a small but mighty football powerhouse down in Marengo County. Young told me after the game that the conference championship is just the beginning.
“The goal is the playoffs,” Young said. “We’re trying to go win the natty.”
This is a banner year for Miles, which is celebrating extraordinary momentum under beloved school president Bobbie Knight.
Knight is one of the Birmingham area’s strongest leaders. She’s a Birmingham native and loves the city. Charles Barkley believed in Knight’s leadership so much that he donated $1 million to Miles.
Knight is a visionary and that’s exactly the type of person Birmingham needs leading higher education in the city. Birmingham-Southern College is gone, and it’s a bitter loss, but Miles is a beacon of hope for the west side of the city.
What could Miles accomplish with Birmingham-Southern’s former campus?
I asked President Knight about the status of Miles’ offer to purchase the property. She couldn’t say much, but remains hopeful that it will happen.
It needs to happen. The city of Birmingham needs Miles to thrive and grow. If the football team is an indication, the Golden Bears’ conference championship could be the beginning of something profoundly important.
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Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”