North Carolina A&T Aggies 23, North Carolina Central Eagles 17

N.C. A&T wins OT thriller over N.C. Central

GREENSBORO -- Carlton Fears and Wallace Miles decided they had to accept responsibility for turning around N.C. A&T's struggles. So over the last couple weeks, as the Aggies battled through back-to-back losses, the roommates enacted a self-imposed curfew, agreed to new rules by which the pair would live to discipline their routines, and put in extra work in the hope that it would pay off on the field. And after Fears hit Miles on a 24-yard touchdown pass in double overtime to beat N.C. Central 23-17 Saturday night at Aggie Stadium, the senior quarterback said what the pair had been doing must be working. The game winner was the second touchdown the pair hooked up for Saturday, and capped a wild win.

NC A&T Wins in Double OT Over NC Central

Greensboro - Wallace Miles caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Carlton Fears in the second overtime as North Carolina A&T snapped a three-game losing streak with a 23-17 victory over rival North Carolina Central on Saturday night. The Aggies started strong, getting an early touchdown pass from the Fears-Miles combination from a 7-0 first-quarter lead. Tony Coles padded the Aggies lead with a 1-yard touchdown run and Patrick Courtney booted a 34-yard field goal for a 17-0 advantage in the second quarter. But led by Will Scott, who caught five passes for 179 yards and a touchdown, the Eagles rallied, scoring 17 unanswered points to tie the game late in the fourth quarter.



Attendance: 19,534 @ Aggie Stadium, Greensboro, N.C.
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SCSU Marching 101 @ USC 10/3/09

South Carolina Gamecocks 38, South Carolina State Bulldogs 14

South Carolina State Bulldogs QB Malcolm Long scores first TD against FBC competition in 2nd quarter.

Long stays cool with the heat on

Malcolm Long has had his share of success at Williams-Brice Stadium, twice hoisting the Class 4A state championship trophy as the quarterback for Gaffney High School. But with South Carolina State 5 yards from the USC end zone, a place that had eluded the Bulldogs in their four prior meetings with FBS teams, even the 235-pound Long was shocked after being charged to chase down that feat, which he did. "I don't know what possessed him (coach Buddy Pough) to call that for me, but he did," said Long, who also rushed for 1-yard score to cap the scoring in the Bulldogs' 38-14 loss. "I'm not a speedy guy, but I have a lot of power behind me, where I can push for 10, maybe 15 yards."

And the Bulldogs gave the Gamecocks more than a playful shove during a closely contested first half. Much of that had to do with Long's pocket presence and his ability to avoid the pass rush. On four occasions, the junior escaped potential sacks, converting three consecutive third downs on a 75-yard scoring drive that cut USC's lead to 10-7. "I was just taking what the defense was giving me," Long said. "I was feeling good on that drive, and we were clicking as an offense."

Long scores first Bulldogs' touchdown against FBS school

COLUMBIA — Oddsmakers had South Carolina State listed as a 37½-point underdog Saturday night against the University of South Carolina. The odds were arguably even longer of Bulldog quarterback Malcolm Long using his legs to score the team’s first touchdown against a Division I school. Yet it’s exactly what happened with 17 seconds left in the first half when the Gaffney native once again wrote his name in the S.C. State history books with a 5-yard touchdown run. For Long, who won three state championships with the Indians in the same stadium – two as a starting quarterback – he found the achievement more surprising than how it was accomplished.
USC breaks free of SC State

COLUMBIA -- Steve Spurrier predicted a dogfight with South Carolina State. He was right. For a half. South Carolina turned a three-point halftime lead into a 38-14 rout Saturday night in front of a crowd of 77,066 at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks scored 28 consecutive points against their FCS counterpart before the Bulldogs punched a second score in with four seconds left in the game. Spurrier had warned all that would listen that the Bulldogs weren't to be taken lightly.

"South Carolina State is a good team," Spurrier said. "They played with us. They played just as well as we did in the first half -- maybe a little bit better." Despite being down a field goal, the Bulldogs (3-1) did in fact outgain the Gamecocks (4-1) 159-149 through two quarters. The word used to describe the first half for the offense -- by both quarterback Stephen Garcia and running back Kenny Miles -- was flat.

South Carolina State University RB Will Ford rushes away from USC Gamecock defender.

South Carolina rolls past SC State, 38-14

COLUMBIA — Steve Spurrier predicted a “dogfight” with South Carolina State. He was right. For a half. The Gamecocks turned a three-point halftime lead into a 38-14 rout Saturday night in front of 77,066 at Williams-Brice Stadium. South Carolina scored 28 consecutive points against its FCS counterpart, until the Bulldogs punched a second score in with four seconds left in the game. Playing despite a bruised left side, Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia was needed for a good portion of the evening.

And his throws - mostly to senior Moe Brown - made the difference in the team’s third-quarter push. Garcia found Brown for a 40-yard score that pushed the Gamecocks ahead 24-7 at the 5:22 mark of the third quarter. On the following drive, facing third-and-5 inside the S.C. State 10, Garcia lobbed the ball over a Bulldogs defender for a 9-yard touchdown that pushed the lead to 31-7. Garcia and Brown also hooked up for a 23-yard play earlier in that scoring drive.

Gillespie: Pough's gambling ways give game spark

SO WHO KNEW BUDDY Pough had so much riverboat gambler in his soul? Heck, the guy grew up in Orangeburg, a stone's throw from the South Carolina State campus where he now plies his trade as the Bulldogs' coach. Closest thing to "gambling" in his hometown back then was bingo on Wednesday nights - and that was the Episcopalians. But when you're coaching a lower-division team - even one coming in 3-0 and ranked No. 15 in the FCS - and going up against a South Carolina team fresh off a 16-10 manhandling of then-No. 4 Ole Miss, you figure: What have I got to lose?

So in the first half of Saturday night's 38-14 USC win, a game that all along figured to be a blowout - they don't do point-spreads for games involving FCS teams, but 35 points is a good number - Pough threw caution to the wind early and often. First, with S.C. State backed up on its own 2-yard line, quarterback Malcolm Long stepped back and heaved a 38-yard rainbow to receiver Tre Young, whose acrobatic catch got the Bulldogs out of the hole. In fact, "if (Long) puts more air under the ball, that's 99 yards for a touchdown, you know," Pough said. "It takes a pretty cool guy to stand in that end zone knowing he'd better hurry and get that sucker out of there."

Attendance: 77,066 @ William Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C.

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Circle City Classic: Alabama A&M Bulldogs 35, Tuskegee Golden Tigers 15

Alabama A&M rallies to win Circle City Classic, 35-15

Taking advantage of four second-half turnovers and a blocked punt for a touchdown, Alabama A&M rallied past Tuskegee 35-15 today in the Circle City Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium.Alabama A&M trailed 15-0 but scored 35 unanswered points. Tuskegee (4-2) lost two fumbles, had two interceptions and had a punt blocked that Larry Lumpkin fell on for a score. The two traditional rivals from Alabama were playing a rematch of last year’s game, won 34-24 by Tuskegee, an NCAA Division II school. Ulysses Banks ran for 104 yards and a touchdown for A&M (4-1), an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivsion (formerly I-AA) program. Korey Morrison also had a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown for A&M, alma mater of Colts defensive end Robert Mathis.

A time to rise

INDIANAPOLIS - For 30 minutes, Alabama A&M's defense had no answers against Tuskegee's offense. The Golden Tigers had their way against the Bulldogs in the first half, accumulating almost 230 yards, but only had an eight-point lead at intermission. The second half was totally different. The result was a 35-15 A&M victory before an announced crowd of 35,289 in the 26th annual Circle City Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Bulldogs blanked Tuskegee over the final 30 minutes, holding the Golden Tigers to 23 yards in total offense while blocking a punt for a touchdown and forcing four turnovers that led to 17 points.

"We realized they couldn't hang with us if we played the way we were supposed to play," said A&M inside linebacker Afu Okosun, whose interception early in the fourth quarter helped set up Tony Green's 1-yard run that gave the Bulldogs a 25-15 lead with just less than nine minutes remaining. "We dominated the way we were supposed to dominate." With the win, A&M avenged last year's 34-24 loss to Tuskegee, and improved to 4-1 on the season. Tuskegee fell to 4-2.

Circle City Classic -

Alabama A&M makes it a rivalry

For a half, it appeared Robert Mathis might be upset with his alma mater for the second year in a row. The Indianapolis Colts defensive end delivered a pregame speech to Alabama A&M prior to its 35-15 victory over Tuskegee in Saturday's Circle City Classic. The Bulldogs fell behind 15-0 before turning four second-half turnovers and a blocked punt in the end zone into a lopsided victory in the recently resurrected rivalry between the two Alabama schools. A&M lost 34-24 to Tuskegee in last year's Classic, the first time the schools had played since 1999 in a rivalry that dates to 1932. Mathis let the Bulldogs know what he thought about losing to the Golden Tigers.

"He was talking about last year's game and how he was down about that," said A&M running back Tony Green, whose 1-yard touchdown run was part of 20 fourth-quarter points. "He was here and wanted to see us whoop up on them." Alabama A&M leads the series 23-20-4, but when the schools next play is up in the air. The rivalry stopped after A&M won 54-0 in 1999 and moved from NCAA Division II to the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (I-AA) while Tuskegee remained Division II.

Circle City Classic Attendance: 35,289 @Lucus Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN.

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Jackson State Tigers 22, Southern Jaguars 14

JSU Coach Rick Comegy

Southern falls to JSU, 22-14

JACKSON, Miss. -- Southern suffered a 22-14 loss to Jackson State tonight. The Jaguars (3-2) led 7-3 at halftime, but they fell victim to 12 points by the Tigers in the final quarter. Quarterback Trae Rutland threw for 236 yards and rushed for another 127 as JSU (1-3) picked up its first victory of the season. Southern led 14-10 in the fourth quarter, but Jackson State's Eric Perri hit field goals of 38 and 43 yards to give the Tigers a 16-14 edge with 3:44 remaining. JSU pushed its edge to 22-14 on Bloi-Dei Dorzon's 9-yard TD run with 1:14 to go. Southern blocked the extra-point attempt to leave open a chance for overtime.

Massive letdown

JACKSON, Miss. — Fans filled every section. The bands blared. The stadium came alive. It was Jackson State and Southern, going full-tilt for four quarters. This was what the SU athletic department had in mind when it moved Saturday’s home game to Veterans Memorial Stadium. From a dollars-and-cents standpoint, the operation was a success. And while Southern’s hopes of a Southwestern Athletic Conference title didn’t die Saturday night, the Jaguars walked off the field with their heads searching every inch of the grass after a stunning 22-14 loss before 33,977 fans. Players knew their championship hopes had been severely crippled.

Quick trip home lets Southern wear blue

JACKSON, Miss. — All along, Southern had planned to wear its new blue jerseys for Saturday’s game against Jackson State. The Jaguars wore blue jerseys, all right. Just not the blue jerseys they planned on wearing. Between the team’s walk through Friday and their warmups Saturday, four of SU’s new blue game jerseys went missing from Veterans Memorial Stadium, SU spokesman Kevin Manns said. Equipment manager Derek Price drove home to Baton Rouge and boxed up last year’s home jerseys, which he’d kept in storage. Price spent much of Saturday morning and afternoon removing name plates from the jerseys and preparing them for the game, Manns said. The last time SU wore those jerseys was in a 15-0 win Nov. 15 against Alabama State in Mobile, Ala.

SU unable to close deal

JACKSON, Miss. — Southern had the ball on its 25-yard line, down 16-14, with 3:35 left to play. Bryant Lee, Brian Threat and Juamorris Stewart had been bottled up all game. It was time for someone to step forward and make a play. Lee jogged out and readied himself for the drive that would have put his team ahead. At that point a field goal was all the Jaguars needed. What happened next, Lee would like to forget. Hit as he threw, Lee dropped back and floated the ball 10 yards. Breaking on the ball, Jackson State’s Ryan Rich moved in for the interception. Just like that, the SU defense was thrust back onto the field and asked to make a stop. Setting up shop at the SU 35 with 3:30 remaining, JSU quarterback Trae Rutland preceded to hand the ball off to Bloi-Dei Dorzan and let him go to work.

Rutland gets the job done

It wasn't a perfect day for Tray Rutland, but it was surely good enough. In four games the senior quarterback has gone from starter, to being benched for an entire game, to playing the second half, to starting again on Saturday. His topsy-turvy season went hand-in-hand with Jackson State's 0-3 start. Thanks to Rutland's best performance of the year, Jackson State pulled out a much-needed 22-14 victory over Southern in front of an announced 33,977. Rutland finished with 236 passing yards and 47 rushing yards. He didn't throw a touchdown and had an interception. Not exactly most valuable player numbers, but Rutland did enough. And for the first time this season, the quarterback position wasn't a negative for Jackson State.

Attendance: 33,977 @ Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, Jackson, MS

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State Fair Classic: Prairie View A&M 35, Grambling State 32

Prairie View A&M gets first win over Grambling State since 1986

The clock was ticking down, and the Prairie View A&M players were jumping. The program had waited a long time to celebrate against Grambling State. So when the game officially ended with The Panthers on top, 35-32, they stormed the field and tossed up a banner in the rain. Horns blared. Quarterback K.J. Black waved a golden champions belt. For the first time since 1986, Prairie View (2-1) had defeated Grambling (2-3), and this wasn't a celebration. This was catharsis, soaking-wet catharsis.

"People here have been waiting on this a long time," Black said. Black fooled them Saturday at the Cotton Bowl's State Fair Classic. He fooled everyone. His fake, one that hadn't worked all game, sealed the victory. It was fourth-and-1 with 1:22 to go. The Panthers needed a foot. Run it up the middle, right? Instead, coach Henry Frazier called a play that would let Black decide his team's fate. He took the snap with the option to hand off the ball or run it outside. Black saw a linebacker coming and sprinted outside for a major gain. No one saw it coming. "That was all K.J.," Frazier said. Black capped off his big day after running for two touchdowns and throwing for two more.



GSU loses to Prairie View

DALLAS — Greg Dillon did what Greg Dillon does against Prairie View. It just wasn't enough this time, as Prairie View won an historic State Fair Classic, 35-32. The Panthers hadn't beaten Grambling State since 1986 --- and had only bested its Southwestern Athletic Conference divisional rival 11 times since 1950. "The ball bounces a lot of different ways, and that has determined the winner," Grambling coach Rod Broadway said. "Prairie View has been good since we've been here."

Last year, Dillon secured the starting position in GSU's dominating win at the State Fair Classic. He found his long-lost rhythm again against these Panthers --- exploding for 293 yards and 3 touchdowns, two in the air and one on the ground. But Prairie View had this game in hand from the first, jumping out to a two-score lead, and only briefly falling behind as Grambling came alive in the third-period to make it interesting with three quick scores. "If you want to be the champs," Prairie View coach Henry Frazier said, as GSU's players silently filed off the field, "then you have to beat the champs."



State Fair Classic Attendance: 42,786 @ Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas

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Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical University Marching Storm Band @ State Fair Classic 10/3/09, Dallas, Texas

Tennessee State 23, S.E. Missouri State 17

TSU head coach James Webster is 2-3, 1-0 OVC on the season.

TSU beats SEMO in OVC opener

One quarterback turned out to be all Tennessee State needed to beat Southeast Missouri State Saturday night. Calvin McNairl, who shared time at quarterback last week with Dominic Grooms, ran the offense the entire game and led the Tigers to a 23-17 win. An LP Field crowd of 6,314 watched McNairl, a sophomore from Henry County, run for two touchdowns and throw for another as TSU (2-3, 1-0) won its Ohio Valley Conference opener. SEMO (1-4, 0-2) gave TSU its first OVC loss last year in Cape Girardeau but is now 0-5 against the Tigers at LP Field. Grooms started the first game of the season but injured his hamstring in the second quarter. He returned last week against Florida A&M, but had to leave in the fourth quarter when his hamstring started tightening up. Grooms returned to practice this week and hoped to play but did not dress.

TSU's McNairl more comfortable passing

Earlier in the week Coach James Webster said Tennessee State’s coaches were putting in a passing package Calvin McNairl would find more comfortable, and the sophomore certainly looked at ease Saturday night against Southeast Missouri State. McNairl threw the ball more efficiently in the 23-17 victory than he has in any of his four starts this season or in the four starts he had as a freshman in 2007 when he replaced Antonio Heffner because of injury. “I’ve told people Calvin can throw the football and he showed that tonight,’’ Webster said. “I think the offensive coaches did a great job of putting together a package for him and that really helped us.”

Attendance: 6,314 @ L.P. Field, Nashville, TN

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