Sunday, August 31, 2014

Bethune-Cookman beats FIU for 2nd straight year, 14-12

MIAMI, Florida -- Bethune-Cookman once again opened its football season with a defensive struggle, outlasting Florida International 14-12 before a crowd of 14,053 at Ocean Bank Field Saturday night.

In a game similar to last year’s 12-9 win at Tennessee, the Wildcat defense contained the Panthers and did just enough offensively as B-CU downed their FBS opposition for the second straight season and fourth time.

FIU had a chance to win the game on the final play, but had an errant snap on a 55-yard Austin Taylor field goal attempt, and the Wildcats sacked holder Chris Ayers for a 16-yarder

The Wildcats held FIU to a pair of Austin Taylor 25-yard field goals in the second quarter until Richard Leonard’s 71-yard punt return to the Bethune-Cookman 7 set up Alex McGough’s fourth-down 5-yarder touchdown to T.J. Lowder with 5:16 remaining that cut B-CU’s lead to 14-12.

B-CU maintained the lead when Erik Williams, who had three sacks, hurried McGough into an overthrow on the two-point conversion attempt.

Still, the Panthers had the final possession and a chance to win after advancing to the B-CU 27 in the final minute.

Meanwhile, the Wildcat made their most of their big plays.

A 46-yard Quentin Williams to Michael D. Jones catch-and-run followed by Williams’ 17-yarder to Darian Baker put the ball at the Panther one. Jones, a sophomore running back from Sarasota, bullied in two plays later to give the Wildcats a 7-0 lead with 11:26 remaining in the first half.

After nursing a 7-6 lead for the third quarter, B-CU upped its lead to 14-6 with 12:26 remaining when Frank Brown beat one-on-one coverage deep, shook a tackle, and finished a 55-yard touchdown pass from Williams.

Williams finished 8 of 17 for 149 yards with the one touchdown passing while rushing for 39. Anthony Jordan, who posted a career-high 150 yards against FIU here a year prior, gained 64 yards on 19 carries.

The Wildcats got to the FIU 28 on their opening drive, but came up empty when Williams was sacked on fourth down.

B-CU’s defense held FIU to 186 yards and just one third conversion in 16 attempts. Williams and Tavarus each had eight tackles, and LeBranden Richardson posted three tackles for loss.

The Wildcats are off next week, returning to action against Grambling State in their home opener September 13 at Daytona Beach’s Municipal Stadium

COURTESY BETHUNE COOKMAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Keith Miles Out as Voice of the FAMU Rattlers

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Rattler fans who tune in to listen to the game Saturday night may be in for a big surprise.

FAMU has named a new play by play announcer to replace Keith Miles, who has been the Voice of the Rattlers for the past 30 years.

"He throws down field, got a man, that's .... makes the catch!"

Rattler fans know that voice. Keith Miles has done FAMU's play by play for 30 years, but he won't be doing it anymore.

FAMU has hired a new play by play announcer who will start as the new voice of the Rattlers in the season opener against Jackson State Saturday night.

"It'll be different. It'll be funny to hear the whole play-by-play without the same exuberance that Keith Miles used to give," Rattler fan Johnny McCaskill said.

"He will be missed," FAMU fan Wayne Daniels said, "so I wish him well. I hope they find somebody that's close to him."

"It's definitely a big change," FAMU Sports Information Director Vaughn Wilson said.

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UMaine football team opens season with tight win over Norfolk State Spartans

PHOTO COURTESY NORFOLK STATE ATHLETICS
ORONO, Maine — The projected strength of the 2014 University of Maine football team was its defense.

Even with two starters not in the lineup, that more veteran unit carried play during Saturday night’s season opener.

The 2oth-ranked Black Bears shut down Norfolk State to the tune of 100 yards and 10 first downs, setting the tone for a season-opening 10-6 victory in front of 6,951 fans on Morse Field at Alfond Stadium.

With the Spartans virtually devoid of a passing game, UMaine clamped down despite playing much of the evening in its own end. Sophomore linebacker Christophe Mulumb Tshimanga piled up 14 tackles to provide a potent presence in the middle.

Coach Jack Cosgrove’s squad was without starting linebacker Cabrinni Goncalves, who was serving a one-game suspension for violating UMaine’s student-athlete code of conduct. Senior Randy Samuels posted seven tackles in his first start at linebacker, while redshirt freshman Austin Brown made seven tackles behind a front four spearheaded by end Trevor Bates of Westbrook (5 tackles, interception) and tackle Matthew Wilson (5 tackles).

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Lee views rejuvenating VUL football as another opportunity

LYNCHBURG, Virginia  -- The loud thud of shoulder pads slamming together breaks up the silence at the campus of Virginia University of Lynchburg. The campus nestled in the heart of Lynchburg is typically quiet this time of year except for the sounds of whistles signaling the end of a play in football practice.

But down the hill from Humbles Hall is a different look for a football field that was once barren and almost forgotten. Fresh white paint lines the field and the holes that were often skipped over are now filled and solid.

The sounds are the same from the past couple of seasons. The look is refreshing and different for the players returning a week ago to VUL. In the grand scheme of Don Lee’s vision to improve the football program and ultimately make it successful, these are the first small steps in that building process.

It wasn't pretty, but ODU prevails over Hampton 41-28

PHOTO COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
& MSUTTON PHOTOGRAPHY
NORFOLK, Virginia  --  It wasn’t pretty.
The defense, as usual, gave up wide swaths of real estate. And late in the fourth quarter, the outcome was still in doubt.
But Old Dominion managed to stave off a Hampton University rally and defeat the Pirates, 41-28, at Foreman Field Saturday before a sellout crowd of 20,118 and a regional television audience.
It was the first game for ODU in the Football Bowl Subdivision and Conference USA but came against an old rival from the Football Championship Subdivision. ODU is now 4-0 against Hampton.
The schedule gets much tougher for ODU from now on. Hampton is the only FCS team on ODU’s schedule. Ahead for the Monarchs are 11 FBS opponents, beginning with a game at North Carolina State, Saturday.

Akron Football Cruises to 41-0 Victory Over Howard in Season Opener



Final Statistics  |  Final Statistics (PDF)  |  Season Statistics  | Postgame Notes  
Photos | Recap | Box Score 

AKRON, Ohio – Behind an offensive attack led by junior QB Kyle Pohl, the University of Akron football team had no trouble handling Howard in its season opener, cruising to a 41-0 victory at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field on Thursday night.

The decisive win was Akron's first in a season-opening contest since 2007, when the Zips defeated Army 22-14.

Pohl finished the night 22-of-35 with 304 yards through the air and four touchdowns to help Akron rack up 506 yards and 24 first downs as a team. He threw touchdowns to three different receivers and tallied 48 yards rushing on seven carries.

One of Pohl's top targets, sophomore Mykel Traylor-Bennett, caught four passes for 89 yards and his two touchdowns, his first two TDs as a Zip.

The Akron defense was stout throughout the game, holding the Bison to 216 total yards and 15 first downs. C.J. Mizell recorded 10 tackles (eight solo) and a fumble recovery to lead the defense as the unit recorded its first shutout since a 41-0 triumph over Morgan State on Sept. 12, 2009.

A consistent pass rush kept Howard QB Greg McGhee off-balance throughout the game. Akron posted four sacks while holding McGhee to 12-of-26 passing for 68 yards.

The Zips started fast, scoring their first touchdown of the season on a 57-yard strike from Pohl to L.T. Smith just 1:34 into the game. After the Akron defense forced a three-and-out on Howard's first drive, Pohl found Smith on a post route down the middle and the senior receiver raced untouched into the end zone for the score.

The Zips continued their defensive dominance on Howard's ensuing drive, forcing a fumble as Justin March dislodged the ball from William Parker. Mizell recovered the ball, returning it to the Bison's 9-yard line. Another no-nonsense two-play drive put the Zips up 14-0 as Pohl threw his second touchdown of the game, this one a 9-yard connection to Imani Davis.

UA needed just 58 seconds to score its first 21 points of the game, all in the first quarter.

Akron did not allow a first down on Howard's first three drives and surrendered just 135 yards in the first half. The Bison reached Akron territory for the first time nearly four minutes into the second quarter and found their way into the red zone just once on the night.

Neither team could dent the scoreboard in the final 24 minutes of the first half and the 21-0 margin remained unchanged until senior running back Jawon Chisholm dove into the end zone on a 6-yard TD run midway through the third quarter to extend the lead to 28-0.

The Zips return to the field on Saturday, Sept. 6, when they travel to Penn State. Kickoff at Beaver Stadium is scheduled for 12 noon ET and the contest will be televised on ABC.

COURTESY THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS 

Akron Volleyball shuts down North Carolina A&T in straight sets

Final Statistics  | 

TERRE HAUTE, Indiana -- Julia Smagacz led a balanced offensive attack that carried Akron past North Carolina A&T in straight sets to conclude the Indiana State Holiday Inn Classic on Saturday morning.

Akron held off the Aggies, 25-20, 26-24, 25-16, to finish opening weekend with a 2-1 record, while N.C. A&T slides to 0-3.

Smagacz delivered eight kills with only a single error in 15 swings for a .467 hitting percentage on the day. As a team, UA out-hit N.C. A&T, .235 to .081.

Kelsey Wilson posted seven kills for a .294 clip, and the trio of Amanda Bedell, Mary Delich and Anna Wenger chipped in six kills apiece. Wilson also recorded three of UA's nine service aces. The junior has eight aces in the first three matches of the season.

Karley Kusan dished out 20 assists for Akron to go with a team-high eight digs, leading six Zips with six or more digs. UA edged the Aggies on the defensive end, collecting 47 digs to N.C. A&T's 44.

After capturing the first set in decisive fashion, the Zips fell behind by eight points with the score at 18-10 in the second set. The Aggies scored six unanswered points before a kill from Bedell stopped the run. Akron was unable to close the gap however, still trailing by as many as six (23-17) before the rally began.

UA went on to score on nine of the next 10 plays to claim the set and go up 2-0 in the match. The stretch was highlighted by a pair of Delich kills and sealed by a solo block from Akron's only senior.

The Zips carried their momentum on through the break, sprinting out to a 5-0 lead to start the third set. Never trailing, Akron scored three straight points on an NC A&T error and two Wilson kills to clinch the victory.

Akron returns to the court for a single weekday match at Cleveland State on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. The Zips are set to open their home slate next weekend when they host the Akron Invitational Sept. 5-6. Akron will take on Bryant (12:30 p.m.) and Binghamton (8 p.m.) on Friday, followed by a doubleheader against Drake (3 p.m.) and Austin Peay (8 p.m.) on Saturday.

COURTESY THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS