Arrest made in Alabama A&M football player shooting

An arrest was made in the shooting death of an Alabama A&M football player.

According to the Birmingham News, police arrested and charged Terry Towns with murder and attempted murder. He's accused of shooting Alabama A&M football standout Maurice Thomas and injuring two others. The shooting happened last Friday inside a night club in Bessemer. Police say it started as a fight.

Towns, a 34 year old black male booked on July 3, was being held Friday night on bonds totaling $195,000, according to the Jefferson County (AL) Sheriff's Office. The shootings occurred on July 2, 2010.

Family and friends held a candlelight vigil outside Thomas' visitation Friday night. They leaned on each other for support while remembering the life of Thomas. His cousin said Thomas was more like a brother to her. She remembered when she learned about his death.

The funeral for the 23 year old Thomas will be held at Roosevelt City Church of Christ in Bessemer. Saturday morning.

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Alabama A&M faces limited spring with 1 QB

Alabama A&M will be extremely short-handed during spring practices as the defending SWAC East Division champs have just one quarterback participating. Deaunte Mason, who started the last five games of 2009 and led the Bulldogs to the title game, is the only signal-caller available with Jamari Brady sitting because of academics and Kevin Atkins planning to transfer to Winston Salem State. Coach Anthony Jones told The Huntsville Times he hasn't seen Atkins in a month.

"It's going to hamper us a lot," Jones said. "It's going to help (Mason) because he's going to get a lot of reps, but it's going to hurt him because he's not going to get a lot of rest. I'm going to have to control his reps." A&M signed quarterbacks A.J. Clark and Chris Leachman earlier this month, and they will be available in the fall.

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Fullbacks an Alabama A&M key

When Alabama A&M's offense has been good, the Bulldogs' fullbacks have been key. Not only have they been effective run blockers, they have been solid receivers out of the backfield. Early during Anthony Jones' tenure, Jonathan Rowland handled most of the fullback duties. Jacques Pyant and Trevis O'Neal were a terrific tandem on A&M's 2006 Southwestern Athletic Conference championship team, and O'Neal and Generion McWhorter were solid the next season as the Bulldogs finished 8-3 and just missed getting back to the title game.

Last season, A&M lacked a quality fullback. McWhorter left the team with personal problems and Roger Smith and Chris Terry, a pair of converted defensive linemen, couldn't master the position. As a result, the Bulldogs struggled. Fast forward to this season, and Smith said he believes A&M's fullback job is in far more capable hands. Now in his second full season playing the position, Smith said he and Dash Buntjer, a junior college transfer, can be as effective as Pyant and O'Neal.

2009 Alabama A&M Football Schedule

Date Opponent Location Time
9/5/2009 at Tennessee State Nashville, TN, LP Field
9/12/2009 HAMPTON Huntsville, AL, Louis Crews Stadium 6:00 PM
9/19/2009 JACKSONVILLE STATE Huntsville, AL, Louis Crews Stadium 6:00 PM
9/26/2009 HC * ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF Huntsville, AL, Crews Stadium 3:00 PM
10/3/2009 vs. Tuskegee Indianapolis, IN, Lucas Oil Stadium
10/10/2009 * at Grambling Grambling, LA, Eddie Robinson Stadium
10/17/2009 * at Alcorn State Alcorn State, MS, Jack Spinks Stadium
10/31/2009 * vs. Alabama State Birmingham, AL, Magic City Classic, Legion Field 2:30 PM
11/7/2009 * at Prairie View A&M Prairie View, TX, Backshear Stadium
11/14/2009 * JACKSON STATE Huntsville, AL, Crews Stadium 1:00 PM
11/21/2009 * MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE Huntsville, AL, Crews Stadium 1:00 PM
12/12/2009 SWAC Championship Game Birmingham, AL, Legion Field

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Alabama A&M falls to ULM 37-15

A&M falls to 0-3 but is proud of its showing at major-college La.-Monroe

MONROE, La. - Anthony Jones walked out of Malone Stadium Friday night with his head held high. So did his Alabama A&M football team. The Bulldogs gave Sun Belt Conference member Louisiana-Monroe all it could handle for almost three quarters before the Warhawks pulled away down the stretch. When it was over, ULM ran off to celebrate its 37-15 victory, but A&M walked away with a renewed sense of confidence.

"My team went through a lot to play this game," Jones said after his team fell to 0-3 for the first time since 1992. "We traveled through the night to get here and had to make an adjustment due to the weather. I'm exhausted and I can only imagine how my kids feel. "I am proud of the way my kids represented Alabama A&M University. They came and fought hard. At halftime, they (ULM) had reason to be concerned. To their credit, they came out in the second half and took advantage of some of the mistakes we made and put the game away."

PHOTO GALLERY: Alabama A&M v. ULM

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Attendance: 9,717 (32%) at Malone Stadium, Monroe, LA (Capacity: 30,427)

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Towns reaches A&M milestone

Assistant begins 30th season on Bulldogs' staff

Brawnski Towns never envisioned himself as a college football coach. He had other plans for his life. Towns signed to play football at Alabama A&M in 1965 under legendary coach Louis Crews and majored in mechanical drafting and technology design. "I was going to work at Boeing or some other company and make a lot of money," Towns said, laughing. Towns never made it to Boeing. He never made a lot of money, either. He did, however, become a football coach.

"I never wanted to coach," said Towns, A&M's defensive coordinator. "Coach Crews asked me to help him and the rest is history." Towns will make history in his own right Saturday night when A&M hosts Tennessee State in the season opener for both teams. The game will mark Towns' 30th year as an assistant coach with the Bulldogs. Kickoff is 6 at Louis Crews Stadium.

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A&M's Atkins shines in spring game

Alabama A&M football coach Anthony Jones figured his team would have a competitive spring game Thursday night. He was right.

The Bulldogs battled hard on offense and defense in their annual Maroon and White Game at Louis Crews Stadium. The Maroon team, which generally had the first team offense and defense, prevailed 20-3.

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Alabama A&M notebook

Photo: UAPB Head Football Coach Mo Forte

Huntsville Times

Golden Lions have no controversy at QB

Arkansas-Pine Bluff coach Mo Forte said the Golden Lions are not entrenched in a quarterback controversy.

Starter Chris Wallace, the reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, started the first two games before Jonathan Moore moved into the starting lineup. According to UAPB officials, Wallace didn't play against Alabama State and New Mexico State because of exhaustion, but saw action against Southern Illinois and Grambling.

In fact, Wallace threw what could have been a potential game-winning 63-yard touchdown pass to Jason Jones Saturday night against Grambling, but the play was nullified by a penalty.

Wallace replaced Moore, who bruised his throwing hand on a helmet, in the fourth quarter.

Moore was 16-of-32 for 276 yards, one touchdown and one interception before leaving the game. Wallace was 9-of-13 for 93 yards and a touchdown.

"It's never a controversy," Forte said when asked about the quarterbacks. "We don't deal with that up here. We go with the person that will give us the best opportunity to win."

Forte said Moore's status remains uncertain for Thursday's game at Alabama A&M.

"I'm not sure," he said. "It's up in the air right now. It depends on how he progresses over the next couple of days. Hopefully, he's going to be ready to play."

If Moore is unable to go, Forte says Wallace will be ready.

"Chris is as fine a person as you'll ever find and he's always ready to take the reigns," Forte said.

Richardson's career is over at A&M: Inside linebacker Jimmy Richardson has elected not to rejoin the team, A&M coach Anthony Jones confirmed Tuesday.

Richardson, a 6-foot-1, 232-pound senior from Orrville, left the team on Sept. 30 and never returned. He didn't practice the following week and didn't accompany the team to Baton Rouge, La., for an important game against Southern on Oct. 5.

Richardson met with Jones and his staff on Oct. 8 and hasn't been heard from since.

He was slated to start at inside linebacker before losing his job during training camp to Mississippi State transfer Carlton Rice. Richardson left the team for that reason, sources say.

"Jimmy Richardson has decided to pursue other endeavors," Jones said. "We wish him well."

Affordable tickets: Tickets for Thursday night's game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff are available at a reduced rate.

Any school in the Huntsville area is eligible to sell tickets to their students for $1. School officials have to pick up the tickets and distribute them on consignment at their respective schools.

Local church groups of 25 adults or more can purchase tickets in group quantity for $10 apiece. All student tickets (ages 6-18) are half price for the game at $3. These tickets are available at any time. General admission tickets that do not fall under one of these specials are $15 in advance and $18 the day of the game. For more information, contact the A&M ticket office at 372-4059. The offer ends today at 5 p.m.

Reggie Benson

Secondary foremost concern for Alabama A&M

REGGIE BENSON, Times Sports Staff

Defensive backs have been giving up big plays of late

Alabama A&M entered this season with some concerns on defense, but none of them involved the secondary.

Fifth-year senior Stephan Tucker was back at one corner. Junior Frank Moore, a preseason All-Southwestern Athletic Conference pick after tying for the league lead with six interceptions, was back at the other one.

Sophomore Maurice Thomas, who played a lot last season while Tucker was hampered by an ankle injury, was also considered a starter. Throw in junior free safety Al Donaldson, who was the team's fourth-leading tackler a year ago, and defensive coordinator Brawnski Towns believed he had a group that could be as good as any in the league.

The Bulldogs played that way through their first three games in blowout wins over Tennessee State, Clark Atlanta and Mississippi Valley State. A&M allowed just over 156 yards passing per game and had four interceptions.

However, the Bulldogs haven't been nearly as good in their last two games.

In a loss to Grambling and a win over Texas Southern, A&M has allowed almost 300 yards passing per game, including 352 in Saturday's 48-24 victory.

"We're messing up on little things," Tucker said. "We're not following our technique or we're out of position. It's all about guys focusing on what they need to do."

Towns admits his group can play better. But he said the problems don't lie solely with the secondary.

The Bulldogs haven't gotten consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Their linebacker play in passing situations has been suspect and that has contributed to the problems in the secondary.

"We're not getting it done right now," Towns said. "We're not as fine-tuned in certain coverages like we need to be. We've had some people out of position and then when we've been in position, we've missed some tackles, misplayed the ball or dropped some interceptions.

"We've just got to continue to work to get better in a lot of areas."

That work continued Tuesday as A&M began preparations for Saturday's game at Southern. Kickoff is 5:30.

Like Grambling and Texas Southern, A&M's secondary will be tested against Southern.

Quarterback Bryant Lee has completed a league-high 64 percent of his passes for 1,112 yards, 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

Del Roberts has 29 catches for 272 yards and a touchdown, and Gerard Landry has 18 catches for 253 yards and five touchdowns.

"Bryant is doing a good job of distributing the ball," Towns said.

"He's getting the ball out quick and giving his guys a chance to make plays. We've got to do some things to try to confuse him in terms of his reads."

Alabama A&M lining up for success

By REGGIE BENSON, Times Sports Staff

Despite losses, A&M's offensive line is thriving

The phone calls have come on a regular basis. So have the pats on the back.

Chris Franklin has called. So has Jeffery Johnson. Kristian Smith has also checked in.

"We've even seen them after the game, too" Alabama A&M center Xavier Manuel said. "It's been fun."

Franklin, Johnson and Smith - three fifth-year seniors - anchored the Bulldogs' offensive line last season and played key roles in helping A&M win the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship. Franklin was a four-year starter, while Smith and Johnson were first-team All-SWAC selections a year ago.

While there were a number of question marks surrounding A&M's offense when the Bulldogs opened preseason practice two months ago, none seemed bigger than the offensive line.

Tackles James Sanders and Darius Turner returned along with sophomore Charles Meade, who played a lot last year as a true freshman, but two first-time starters would have to emerge.

Offensive line coach Cedric Pearl plugged Manuel, a redshirt sophomore, in at center and redshirt freshman Russell Jackson won the starting job at left guard and A&M hasn't missed a beat.

"We could see in practice they were going to be good players, but it's surprising to see them playing this well," Pearl confessed. "You expect young players to make mistakes, but I've been really pleased."

What offensive line coach wouldn't be?

With a revamped unit, A&M is enjoying the type of success on offense it hasn't seen in a number of years.

"I'm actually not surprised because we had a good group of guys that taught us a lot and helped prepare us for what we're going through now," said Manuel, who had never played in a game before this season. "I didn't know we'd get off to this kind of start, but I knew we would eventually get there and knew we could play well."

The Bulldogs haven't just played well. They've been terrific.

Aside from the 31-6 loss at Grambling, A&M has topped the 40-point mark in four of their five games. The Bulldogs are averaging 37.8 points and 443.6 yards per game.

And, while quarterback Kelcy Luke has played well along with A&M's running backs and receivers, this wouldn't be possible without the work of the Bulldogs' offensive line.

"It's a nice surprise, but it's kind of what we do," A&M coach Anthony Jones said. "Every year, we groom some more kids into our system. It's not like those kids just showed up. They've been on our campus ... learning and waiting for an opportunity.

"Meade played some last year. Xavier and Russell watched and learned last year and we spent a lot of time with them in the spring making them understand they were going to have to step up in the fall. They bought into it and Sanders and Turner are taking care of them and they're fitting in and growing each game."

That growth will be tested Saturday when A&M visits Southern in an important conference game.

Kickoff is 5:30.

Sanders and Turner were both preseason All-SWAC selections. Meade is also an All-SWAC caliber player. However, little was known about Manuel and Jackson.

Manuel was stuck behind Franklin and as a result didn't get a chance to play. Russell, one of the better athletes along the offensive line at 6-foot-2 and 300 pounds, was learning the offense this time last year.

Despite their lack of experience, they have helped solidify A&M's unit.

"The coaches know what they're doing," Sanders said. "If somebody is out there on the field, they're the best person for the job and those guys have proven they can play winning football."

Alabama A&M Jones' deal almost done

Photo: Betty Austin, AAMU Athletic Director

By REGGIE BENSON, Huntsville Times Sports Staff

Raise would make A&M coach one of SWAC's highest paid.

Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones is close to signing a deal that would make him the fourth-highest paid coach in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The school's board of trustees approved a $32,500 raise for Jones last June that will pay him $142,500 annually. He is also slated to receive $12,500 for his radio and television show. The $12,500 would be paid from funds raised by Jones, who has been asked to raise $50,000 to be deposited into the school's football budget to help offset the deficit.

Jones will also receive bonuses for winning classic games, homecoming and the SWAC championship. Amounts were not available Tuesday, but Jones received $10,000 for winning the SWAC championship, $2,500 for the Magic City Classic and the John Merritt Classic, $2,000 for being SWAC Coach of the Year and Washington Pigskin Coach of the Year and $1,000 for homecoming.

The new deal will go into effect next month when the school's new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

A&M athletic director Betty Austin presented Jones with the contract earlier this month, but he says he hasn't had a lot of time to look it over.

"It's kind of a rough deal for me because a contract is a big thing," Jones said. "It takes a lot of looking into to make sure the language is correct and agreeable."

Jones, whose contract runs through 2009, said he hopes to be able to review the contract and get it back to Austin in the near future, but admitted the contract was the last thing on his mind.
"My concern right now is making sure my football team is ready to play," he said. "Am I concerned about my contract? Of course I am, but this week is a very urgent week."

A&M, 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the SWAC, is coming off of a 31-6 drubbing at the hands of Grambling. The Bulldogs host winless Texas Southern on Saturday afternoon for homecoming. Kickoff is at 3.

While Jones expressed thanks to A&M president Robert Jennings, Austin and the board of trustees, he said it would have been better had he been able to get the contract in July and likely could have had it done before the Bulldogs reported for preseason practice on Aug. 1.

"That would have been ideal because football season is tough," he said. "Every week you've got a deadline. I try to teach our players that. Every week our product is put on full display and people don't want to hear why you were distracted. They expect the product to be working at optimal level."

Jones has compiled a 44-19 record during his five-plus seasons and has led the Bulldogs to three appearances in the SWAC championship game. A&M won its first SWAC title last December with a 22-13 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. His 44 wins rank him third on the school's all-time wins list.

"We've had some success, but this program isn't where we want it to be," Jones said.

Jones was the seventh-highest paid coach in the league last season with a base salary of $110,000. Only Texas Southern's Steve Wilson, Mississippi Valley State's Willie Totten and Alcorn State's Johnny Thomas made less money.

However, the salary increase makes Jones the fourth-highest paid coach in the SWAC, trailing Southern's Pete Richardson, Grambling's Rod Broadway and Jackson State's Rick Comegy.

Alabama A&M finds moving difficult against Grambling

Huntsville Times

GRAMBLING, La. - Alabama A&M's offense, which entered Saturday's game averaging 45 points and 519 yards, misfired throughout the first half against Grambling.

The Bulldogs went three-and-out on their first possession, failed to get a first down on their second possession after getting a first down at the GSU 27 and had to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Jeremy Licea, and went three-and-out on their third possession.

A&M finished the first half with five first downs and 101 yards in total offense, including 21 on the ground. Three of those first downs came on A&M's last possession of the half.

Execution a problem

A&M tailback Ulysses Banks, held to 37 yards on 12 carries, blamed the A&M downfall on "execution. We just didn't execute. And we had our defense out there too long. You can only have them on the field so long. They can only do so much. They're not Superman. They try to be, but we had them on the field too long.

"They (Grambling) did the same game plan, they did the same thing we saw on film. We just didn't execute. They didn't do anything different than what they do to anybody else. And it worked."

Landers loosens up

Grambling quarterback Brandon Landers had a big first half against Alabama A&M.

Landers, who entered the game 0-2 against the Bulldogs, completed 13-of-16 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown to lead the Tigers to a 17-6 halftime lead. Four players caught passes for the Tigers.

Luke looks tight early

Alabama A&M quarterback Kelcy Luke didn't look sharp in the first half against Grambling. Luke was 1-for-5 for 7 yards on the Bulldogs' first three possessions and never appeared to be comfortable early on. He finished the first half 10-of-19 for 80 yards and was sacked once.

And the Oscar goes to ...

Bad enough that Grambling State was already beating Alabama A&M straight-up with conventional football. The Tigers tacked on their third TD when they had a bunch-up third-and-short alignment.

After a quick snap and some Oscar-worthy acting among the Tigers, as if there were a fumble, wide receiver Reginald Jackson came out of the scrum with the football and ran unmolested for 24 yards and a score. "It was like hurry, hurry, hurry to the line. The quarterback hid it some way to a guy ducked down behind the line. The offense ran one way and he went the other. It's easy to see from the sidelines, but on the field it wasn't that obvious," said linebacker Carlton Rice.

Grambling gobbles yards

Alabama A&M had a hard time slowing down Grambling in the first half Saturday night.

The Tigers went 66 yards in 11 plays on their first possession of the game to take a 7-0 lead. Tim Manuel kicked a 29-yard field on Grambling's third possession to give the Tigers a 10-3 advantage and the Tigers scored again on their first possession of the second quarter as Cornelius Walker scored on a 2-yard run to cap a six-play, 73-yard drive to take a 16-3 advantage.

Grambling finished the first half with 194 yards in total offense. A&M entered the game allowing only 278 yards per game.

Busy night for Licea

Licea, who made only four field goals last season, has three this year after hitting a pair in the first half against Grambling.

Licea, who made three field goals in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game to help Alabama A&M beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff in December, hit a 37-yarder midway through the first quarter to pull the Bulldogs within 7-3. He made another one from 36 yards out near the end of the first half as A&M pulled within 17-6 at intermission.

Jones praises Grambling

Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones has been up for the Grambling job twice in the last four years. Although Jones didn't get the job on either occasion, that hasn't diminished his affection for one of black college football's top programs.

"I've always had a lot of respect for Grambling," he said. "The Grambling name has its own legacy. We're trying to build our name into something similar to what they've built over the years. We want people to respect our program throughout the country."

Good to be home

This was the first home game and only the third Grambling will play at Robinson Stadium this season. The Tigers have a long history of playing neutral-site games, especially from the days of legendary Eddie Robinson. Now, it's an essential budget matter for Grambling and most other SWAC teams to play "classic" games to draw larger crowds.

Grambling has future games in Dallas against Prairie View and in Little Rock against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, as well as the annual Bayou Classic in New Orleans against Southern.

In the 12 neutral-field games last year, SWAC team drew an average of 33,457, according to announced crowd reports. Meanwhile, average SWAC home attendance was 11,593. Nearly 45 percent of those who watched an SWAC team in '06 were attending a neutral-site game.

Reggie Benson and Mark McCarter

Alabama A&M striving for top

By REGGIE BENSON, Huntsville Times

Grambling history, present give 'Dogs worthy goal

GRAMBLING, La. - When Anthony Jones was named the football coach at Alabama A&M six years ago, he wanted his program to emulate the program that Eddie Robinson had built at Grambling.

The Tigers, who have won more Southwestern Athletic Conference championships than any team in league history, have long been the measuring stick among black college programs.

Under Jones, the Bulldogs have been the league's best team the last five years. A&M has appeared in the SWAC Championship Game three times in that span and finally won it last season by beating Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Despite the success, Jones and A&M have struggled against Grambling. Jones is 2-5 against the Tigers, several of the losses being blowouts - with two of them coming in the SWAC Championship Game. Over the past four years, the teams have split four meetings.

"When I first came here, that was the program I wanted my program to aspire to be," Jones said. "We're close, but we're not there yet."

Jones will try to get his program a little closer tonight when No. 23 A&M visits Grambling at Robinson Stadium. The Bulldogs are 3-0 overall and 1-0 in league play. The Tigers are 1-1 and 1-0. Kickoff is at 6 and the game will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on ESPNU at 9.

Some are calling tonight's game a preview of the SWAC Championship Game. Jones disagrees.

"It's still early," he said. "Anything can happen. We're playing well, they're playing well. But the season is still young."

A&M has easily disposed of its first three opponents, having outscored Tennessee State, Clark Atlanta and Mississippi Valley State by a combined score of 135-47. Meanwhile, Grambling whipped Alcorn State 31-10 before falling at Pittsburgh 34-10.

After watching the film, Jones seems sold on the Tigers.

"This will be our toughest test to date," he said. "This is a good football team. They can beat you in all three phases of the game. We feel the same way.

"If everybody shows up to play, it's going to be a hell of a football game."

Jones said the outcome will be decided on three things: turnovers, big plays and special teams.

"Turnovers are always a premium," he said. "When you start turning the ball over, you shorten the field for the opposing offense and you give them opportunities to score. That changes the complexion of the game.

"We have been a big-play offense. They have been a big-play offense in the past and they still have some of those people on their team. Big plays are always going to be a big deal. Special teams will be a key factor. Who's going to have field position due to special teams and who's going to get points due to special teams?"

Tonight's game is Grambling's home opener. It is also the Tigers' first home game since Robinson died earlier this year. Those factors haven't been lost on Jones.

"It's going to be a tough situation for us to go into," he said. "I'm sure the crowd is going to be loud and supportive, but we'll be ready."

Grambling coach Rod Broadway expects nothing less.

"This will be a great challenge for us," he said. "We're looking forward to playing this game. It will give us an indication of what we can accomplish in this conference."

Broadway gives Grambling rebuilding plan

By REGGIE BENSON, Huntsville Times

New coach aware of past, but he's stressing patience

Rod Broadway knows all about Grambling. He knows about legendary coach Eddie Robinson, famed quarterback Doug Williams and all of the other great players who played for the Tigers.

But Broadway also knows winning takes time. Particularly after inheriting a team that went 3-8 last season and lost five of its last six games. That's why Broadway got the job in the first place.

"We're honored to be here and be a part of something Coach Robinson built and we're going to try to add to that," Broadway said. "One of the things that we are dealing with, going into this season, is going through this transitional period.

"It's new to them ... it's new to us. We're still trying to get a feel for them (and) they're still trying to get a feel for us. The only ure for that is time."

Unfortunately for Broadway, Grambling fans want to win now.

"Any time you come into a new situation, you have to change the culture and the attitude of the players," he said. "If we can do that, we'll have a chance to have a pretty good team. I think our guys are buying into what we are trying to do. Hopefully, we can win enough games to stay around here a long time."

Beating Alabama A&M, the defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champions, Saturday night will certainly help Broadway's cause.

The Tigers host the Bulldogs at Robinson Stadium. Kickoff is at 6 and the game will be televised on a tape-delayed basis at 9 on ESPNU.

"This will be a great challenge for us," Broadway said. "We're looking forward to playing this game."

Grambling opened the season with a 31-10 win over Alcorn State.

The Tigers fell 34-10 at Pittsburgh two weeks ago in a game that was much closer than the score indicated. Grambling was victimized by three turnovers and a couple of special teams miscues led to Pittsburgh scores.

"We played well in the second half," said Broadway, whose team held Pittsburgh to three points in the final 30 minutes. "We were in the red zone five times and came away with three points.

"We played for 60 minutes. They didn't quit. Learning to play through adversity is a big thing."

The Tigers' effort against the Panthers, even in defeat, impressed Broadway.

"I like this team," he said. "I like the direction we're going. We have enough talent to be a good football team, but we've got a lot of work to do here. We're just trying to do what gives us the best chance to win football games."

Broadway says he has studied how A&M coach Anthony Jones has made the Bulldogs' program into one of the league's best. He's using Saturday's game as a measuring stick.

"That's not by accident," Broadway said when asked about A&M's success. "They've had a good program year in and year out. I'm envious of what they've done. Hopefully, we can do as well as they've done."

Alabama A&M notebook

Huntsville Times

A&M's Harris, Moland, Mattix honored

Alabama A&M's coaching staff selected receiver Thomas Harris, inside linebacker Avery Moland and kicker Grant Mattix as players of the week for their work in Saturday's 45-14 win over Mississippi Valley State.

Harris was named offensive player of the week after catching four passes for a career-high 137 yards and a touchdown. A 6-foot, 171-pound sophomore, Harris had a huge second half with three catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. He had a 63-yard catch late in the third quarter to help set up Ulysses Banks' 15-yard touchdown run and hauled in a 50-yard touchdown pass from Kelcy Luke on the fourth play of the fourth quarter.

Moland was named defensive player of the week after coming away with a game-high 10 tackles, including six solo stops. He also had 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and recovered a fumble.

Mattix, a freshman walk-on from Lee High School, handled the kickoff duties and did a great job in helping the Bulldogs contain Clarence Cotton, one of the more dangerous returners in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Cotton returned three kickoffs for 11 yards.

Richardson swipes one: Jimmy Richardson, a senior inside linebacker, had his first career interception in Saturday night's 45-14 win over Mississippi Valley State.

With the game tied 0-0 early in the second quarter and A&M's offense struggling, Richardson picked off a Semaj Williams pass to help set up the Bulldogs' first touchdown. Six plays later, Kelcy Luke fought tight end Charles Moody with a 7-yard strike.

"I read screen and when I came up to get the running back, they overthrew him and the ball fell in my arms," said Richardson, who was also credited with four tackles.

Richardson, who lost his starting job to Mississippi State transfer Carlton Rice, has been bothered by some of the things that have appeared in The Times. "I'm trying to outplay Rice," he said. "Every week, he makes a play, I've got to make a play. That's why we're so good on defense."

Jones defends decision: Luke was pulled with about nine minutes left in the season opener against Tennessee State. He played long after A&M's last two games were decided, but Jones defended his decision to keep him in the game against Mississippi Valley State even with a 38-14 lead with more than 13 minutes remaining.

"I didn't feel the game was secure," Jones said. "I didn't want to give them any life and I didn't feel like we had played well enough. I told Kelcy to put the team on his shoulders and carry us and that's what he did."

Luke was 16-of-29 for 276 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He did most of his damage in the second half when he completed 8-of-11 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns.

MVSU coach Willie Totten said he had no problems with Luke in the game.

"Coach (Jones) has to do what he has to do," Totten said. "He's got to get his guys ready to play."

- Reggie Benson

AAMU Bulldogs' road gets rougher

By REGGIE BENSON, Huntsville Times

Grambling bigger challenge than first 3 A&M opponents

Tennessee State didn't test Alabama A&M. Neither did Clark Atlanta nor Mississippi Valley State.

The Bulldogs disposed of the Tigers and the Delta Devils with big second-half efforts. A&M built a 21-7 lead at intermission against Clark Atlanta and coasted the rest of the way.

Although the Bulldogs' first three opponents didn't provide much competition, coach Anthony Jones said that will change Saturday night when A&M visits Grambling in an important Southwestern Athletic Conference game. Kickoff is at 6 at Robinson Stadium and the game will be televised on ESPNU.

"This is a big game for us," Jones said Sunday afternoon before meeting with his team. "Grambling is playing probably as well as anybody in the West Division. They'll be, without a doubt, our biggest test to date."

The Bulldogs are 3-0 and 1-0 in league play. The Tigers, who were idle last week, are 1-1 and 1-0.

During a six-year span from 2000 through 2005, Grambling won four SWAC championships. However, the Tigers struggled last season, finishing 3-8, and coach Melvin Spears was fired. Rod Broadway was hired earlier this year, and Jones says he has already paid dividends.

"They're much better this year," he said. "They've got talent down there. Broadway is an excellent coach.

"Watching them on film, they do a lot of good things. You can tell that they're well-coached. They've got their swagger back."

This A&M team is playing with a swagger, particularly on offense, unlike any of Jones' previous five teams.

The Bulldogs are averaging 45 points and 519 yards per game through their first three games.

"We've got some weapons we've never had in the past," Jones said.

After struggling throughout the first half and leading just 10-7 at intermission against MVSU, A&M erupted for 35 points in the second half.

Quarterback Kelcy Luke, after going 8-of-18 in the first half for 56 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, completed 8-of-11 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. Wide receiver Thomas Harris had three catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. Running back Ulysses Banks scored two touchdowns, one on a 70-yard screen pass and another one on a 15-yard run. Banks finished with 103 rushing yards on 11 carries.

A&M had a pair of two-play, 70- and 78-yard drives for touchdowns, but also had a six-play, 75-yard drive and a 13-play, 90-yard drive for touchdowns.

"This team has been able to score on big plays and long drives," Jones said. "We haven't been able to do that in the past."

Monday after

Who's hot: Wide receiver Thomas Harris had four catches for 137 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's game.

Who's not: The Bulldogs' run defense. Mississippi Valley State freshman Ronald Brewer rushed for 146 yards on 21 carries, averaging a whopping 7.0 yards per carry. It is the second time in three games A&M has allowed a 100-yard rusher.

Who's hurt: Wide receiver Nate Baxter sustained an ankle injury in the first quarter against MVSU and never returned. His status is day-to-day.

Who's next: The Bulldogs visit Grambling in a Southwestern Athletic Conference showdown Saturday night. Kickoff is at 6 (ESPNU) at Robinson Stadium.

AAMU Bulldogs-MVSU Devils 100 percent Totten

By REGGIE BENSON, Huntsville Times

Brothers coaching on opposing teams won't spill secrets

When Roger Totten's phone rang almost six years ago at 2:30 a.m., he anticipated somebody was in trouble. After all, isn't that usually the case when the phone rings that early?

In this case, however, Roger's younger brother, Willie, was calling with good news.

Willie Totten had just been hired as the head football coach at Mississippi Valley State, their alma mater, and he called to invite his older brother to join his staff. Roger, now at Alabama A&M, was an assistant coach at Arkansas-Pine Bluff at the time.

"Don't you want to come back and work at a place where your name is on the stadium?" Roger recalled his brother asking. "Don't you want to come back and help me restore this program?

"In all honesty, he blackmailed me into coming back to Valley."

The stadium at MVSU was renamed Rice-Totten Stadium in 1999 in honor of Willie and Jerry Rice, one of the most electrifying quarterback/wide receiver tandems in the country in the mid-1980s. Roger played receiver in Rice's shadow and they were both seniors in 1984. Roger stayed at MVSU in 1985 and helped coach Willie, a senior that season.

Willie used the stadium name to lure his brother back.

"We had gone through a lot," said Roger, who took on a leadership role in the family while in college after their father died.

"We had helped turn the program around as players, and we believed we could turn it around as coaches."

It took a year after Willie became the head coach at MVSU in 2002 before Roger could accept his invitation and join the Delta Devils' staff.

After posting back-to-back losing seasons in 2003 and 2004, MVSU put together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in two decades and came within a win of playing for the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship last season.

But despite their success, things weren't all rosy for Roger at his alma mater, and he elected during the past offseason to take a job as receivers coach at Alabama A&M.

As a result, Roger, 46, and Willie, 45, will be on opposite sidelines Saturday night when the Delta Devils take on the Bulldogs at Louis Crews Stadium. Kickoff is at 6:30.

"Expectations were really high at Mississippi Valley last year for us to win (the SWAC) and things didn't work out," Roger said this week. "Once expectations are high and you don't meet them, people want to do something different.

"I felt if I left it would take some of the pressure off of Willie. It was nothing negative against Mississippi Valley. Mississippi Valley has been very good to me and my family. There's eight of us and five of us graduated from Valley. We felt like the program was moving in the right direction, but I guess it was time for me to do something different and let Willie run his own program."

Willie told a much different story earlier this week.

"I blame a lot of people for that," said Willie, referring to his brother's departure but refusing to elaborate. "When you have a seasoned coach. ... Roger has over 20 years experience in the game. He's been around the league and knows a lot of football.

"To lose him was very, very crucial for us. But we have to move on."

The Delta Devils haven't moved on very well.

Normally among the league's most potent offenses, MVSU is last or next to last in all four of the major statistical categories this year.

Meanwhile, A&M's offense has undergone an awakening since Roger arrived.

The Bulldogs, a ground-oriented offense during Anthony Jones' first five seasons as head coach, have not only been good on the ground but have been terrific through the air. A&M is averaging 45 points, to rank seventh nationally, and 529 yards in total offense after two games.

"Roger has added an attitude to our receiving corps," Jones said. "He's a no-excuse kind of guy. He brings some toughness to those guys and he has raised their level of expectation. He's really done a nice job of getting those guys to compete and play at a high level."

MVSU's loss has clearly been A&M's gain.

Willie and Roger, who grew up in Greenwood, Miss., say they haven't discussed Saturday's game. In fact, they haven't communicated in months.

"We haven't spoken since he left in June," Willie said. "That's normally how we operate. We both have a job to do. Both of us are loyal to our programs. When he was at Alcorn and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, we never talked during the season because it's strictly business.

"We talk family business, but not football business."

Added Roger: "We don't talk during football season. We've been doing that since we got in the business. We're very serious about what we're doing and it's all business to us."

They'll likely talk a little Saturday night. Approximately 25 of their family members are expected to attend the game.

Alabama A&M notebook

Huntsville Times

Bulldogs bite early

After struggling early in last week's season opener against Tennessee State, Alabama A&M's offense wasted little time in getting it going Saturday night against Clark Atlanta.

The Bulldogs went 73 yards in just five plays to take the lead two minutes into the game.

Quarterback Kelcy Luke found Thomas Harris for a pair of 13-yard gains and tailback Ulysses Banks ripped off a 39-yard gain down to the Clark Atlanta 3 and scored one play later.

Garrett on the prowl

Defensive tackle Whitney Garrett hasn't been much of a sackmaster during his first two seasons with the Bulldogs. Garrett had one sack in 2005 and was credited with half a sack last season.

It didn't take him long to get his first sack of the season Saturday night.

On the Panthers' third play from scrimmage, Whitney, a 6-foot-3, 287-pound junior from Talladega, broke through and sacked Clark Atlanta quarterback Corey Jones for a 3-yard loss.

Tucker takes a seat

A week after being called out by defensive coordinator Brawnski Towns for gambling defensively and giving up a 66-yard pass play that led to a Tennessee State touchdown, defensive back Stephan Tucker was beaten for a long touchdown pass midway through the first quarter against Clark Atlanta.

Mortimer Lightburn got behind Tucker and hauled in a 61-yard touchdown pass from Jones. Henry Boynton's extra made tied the game at 7-all. Frank Moore replaced Tucker two possessions later.

Moore, a preseason All-Southwestern Athletic Conference selection, didn't start after violating a team rule, Towns said. Moore, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound junior from Gadsden, led the league in interceptions last season with six.

Sophomore Maurice Thomas, who came on last season after Tucker sustained an ankle injury against Arkansas-Pine Bluff during the regular season, started in place of Moore.

Johnson goes long

Rashad Johnson sat out last a season as a academic casualty. After two games, he has already made his presence felt.

Johnson, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound wide receiver out of Murphy High School, caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Luke with just less than three minutes remaining to give Alabama A&M a 21-7 advantage.

Harper takes the field

Defensive tackle Justin Harper, who underwent surgery on his left thumb during preseason practice and wasn't expected to return until the Grambling game on Sept. 22, entered the Clark Atlanta game late in the first quarter.

Banks burns up field

Banks had a huge first half Saturday night. Banks, who led the nation in kickoff returns last season, had 122 yards on just nine carries in the first 30 minutes, including a pair of touchdowns.

New Bulldogs in lineup

Alabama A&M had two new starters in the lineup on defense Saturday night.

David Winston, who sustained a back injury during preseason practice, started at left defensive tackle, while Dominique Cummings was back in the starting lineup at right end.

Winston replaced Renaldo Askew in the starting lineup, while Cummings replaced Jeremy Maddox.

Rematch may be ahead

Clark Atlanta athletics director Brenda Edmond-Square said she would be more than happy to play Alabama A&M again.

Edmond-Square said Clark Atlanta received "more than $20,000" to play A&M.

"We're interested in doing it again if the opportunity presented itself," she said.

Edmond-Square and A&M athletics director Betty Austin have had a long-going relationship and that led to the schools playing each other.

Edmond-Square said the game serves as more than a payday for Clark Atlanta.

"It puts a little money in our pocket, but we also saw this as a test," she said. "We've been rebuilding. We saw a big improvement in our team last year and we saw this game as an opportunity to see how much we've grown."

'Dogs no stranger to Georgia

Alabama A&M's roster is filled with players from Georgia. Thirteen Bulldogs call the Peach State home.

The list includes outside linebackers Bobby McClain (Atlanta) and Dorian Waluyn (Tucker), defensive back Jonathan McConico (Atlanta), punter Rashan Cylar (Stone Mountain), inside linebackers Quinton Holmes (Norcross) and Afu Okusun (College Park), defensive ends Chris Traylor (West Point) and Dominique Cummings (Atlanta), offensive linemen Russell Jackson (Riverdale) and Leon Thompson (Roswell), wide receiver Darius Griffin (Decatur) and defensive tackles Frank Kearse (Savannah) and Renaldo Askew (Atlanta).

Clark Atlanta's roster included three players from Alabama.

The list included running backs Arthur Stokes (Montgomery), linebacker Joel Allen (Mobile) and offensive lineman Alphonso Johnson (Montgomery).

Seven inducted to A&M Hall

Seven new members were added to the Alabama A&M Athletic Hall of Fame Friday night at the Ernest L. Knight Reception Center. They were recognized during halftime of Saturday's game.

The list included wide receiver Roy Dean, Ernest French, who played football and baseball for the Bulldogs, running back Reginald Gipson, former head football coach Ray Greene, Ananias Harris, who played football and baseball for the Bulldogs, defensive back Cleveland Jarman Jr. and former basketball standout Frank Sillmon.

French was a four-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference performer in football and a three-time pick in baseball.

He finished his career with 22 interceptions, 347 tackles and was twice named the league's Defensive Back of the Year. In baseball, French led the nation in hitting with a .525 batting average in 1980.

Gipson was the SIAC Player of the Year in 1981 when he set the A&M single-season rushing record.

Green compiled a 53-27-5 record during eight seasons and won three SIAC championships and led the Bulldogs to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1979.

Sillmon helped A&M compile a 55-9 record during two seasons in the late 1980s.

Furthermore

Alabama A&M had 318 yards - 157 rushing and 161 passing - in the first half. ... Quinton Carlock made his A&M debut as a punt returner and had two for 19 yards in the first half. ... Jeremy Licea's consecutive extra point streak was snapped at 17 in a row when Clark Atlanta's Michael Porter broke through to block his point after following Alabama A&M's first touchdown of the third quarter. .... Traylor, who has more sacks in the SWAC than anybody the last three seasons, picked up his first one of the season midway through the third quarter.

-Reggie Benson

Banks rushes for an Alabama A&M-record 211 yards in victory

By REGGIE BENSON, Huntsville Times

Banks rushes for an A&M-record 211 yards in victory.

There was some concern about Alabama A&M's running game entering the season. After all, the Bulldogs had lost Nic Luke and Ta'mar Scott, who had combined for more than 3,500 yards the last three years, and didn't have a tailback on their roster that had carried the ball from scrimmage.

That concern grew even more after the Bulldogs managed just 147 yards last week against Tennessee State. In fact, many of those yards came late after the game had long been decided.

Saturday night, A&M fans began to put those concerns to rest after Ulysses Banks, in only his second career start, put together a game for the ages.

Banks, a 5-foot-8, 172-pound redshirt sophomore from Birmingham, set a school record with 211 yards on just 19 carries and scored two touchdowns and A&M finished with 608 yards in total offense in a 41-10 shellacking of Clark Atlanta in its home opener at Louis Crews Stadium.

Banks, who averaged a whopping 11.1 yards per carry, broke the record of Jeremiah Bonds, who had 197 yards rushing against Mississippi Valley State on Sept. 20, 2003.

"It hasn't sunk in yet," Banks said when asked about his record-breaking performance. "The offensive line blocked excellent tonight. They opened up the holes, I saw them and I tried to hit them hard. It was good blocking, good vision and good running."

A&M's offense overpowered Clark Atlanta's defense.

The Bulldogs rushed for 307 yards and threw for 301. It is the second time in Football Championship Subdivision play that an A&M offense has surpassed 600 yards in total offense. The Bulldogs had 650 yards in a 52-6 win over Jackson State in 2005.

"We came out clicking," said A&M quarterback Kelcy Luke, after compiling his first career 300-yard passing game, going 21-of-32 for 301 yards and four touchdowns. "Everybody was on the same page. We knew what we wanted to do and we executed the game plan."

It is the first time in school history A&M has opened the season with back-to-back 40-point plus games.

The offense is vastly different from the ball-control units seen from Anthony Jones' teams the past five years.

"We've got some speed out there now," Jones said. "We had some guys on the shelf last year because we decided to go with experience. We rode that experience to a championship.

"Now, we're trying to do the same thing with speed. We've got some young guys who are making big plays for us."

Banks is one of them.

He led the nation in kickoff returns last season and if he can have a few more games like he had Saturday night, he could lead the nation in rushing.

"He did a great job of running the football," Jones said. "He made some great reads and some great cuts. I'm happy for Banks because he worked extremely hard to put himself in the position he's in now."

The win lifted A&M to 2-0 for the only second time since 1966, when the Bulldogs finished 8-1.

A&M wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard.

The Bulldogs went 73 yards in just five plays to take the lead as Banks scored on a 3-yard run barely two minutes into the game.

After Clark Atlanta tied the game, the Bulldogs scored a pair of touchdowns within a four-minute span to take control.

Banks scored on a 4-yard run and Luke found Rashad Johnson with a 65-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-7 at the end of the first quarter.

"We wanted to break their will," Jones said.

Johnson, who had a 20-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter, finished with three catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He was one of nine players to catch passes. Thomas Harris finished with a team-high six catches for 92 yards, while tight end Charles Moody had five catches for 68 yards and a touchdown.

"We've got some good receivers outside and we're going to take advantage of them," Luke said.

The Panthers pulled within 21-10 after Henry Boynton kicked a 39-yard field goal to open the third quarter, but Luke found Nate Baxter with a 15-yard touchdown pass to complete a seven-play, 76-yard drive with nine minutes remaining and Johnson's second touchdown iced the game.

"We've got the right kids with us and they're believing in what we're saying," Jones said.