Albany State’s Mike White retuns home to face Paine

ALBANY, Georgia — Albany State head football coach Mike White can tell you all the shortcuts between Albany and Augusta, the site of this weekend’s SIAC East Division battle between White’s Rams and Paine College.

While White and his family are firmly entrenched at Albany State, it will be a homecoming for him on Saturday when the two teams meet at 4 p.m.

“It’s always good to go home,” White said. “There’s nothing like getting to see some old faces that I haven’t seen in a while. I’m looking forward to seeing my dad and immediate family and stuff. I’ll see a lot of friends I haven’t seen in a while.”

But playing the Lions, who returned to football this season, will be a challenge. Paine (0-4, 0-2 SIAC East) is still seeking its first victory and would like nothing more than to upend the preseason conference favorites.

Albany State (1-2, 1-0) knows it will get Paine’s best shot.



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Benedict, Miles Battle On TV In "Must Win" Game

Gameday Central

Benedict Tigers at Miles College Golden Bears, 8 p.m. Eastern

TV: CBS Sports Network

Columbia Time Warner: Channel 315, 1537 (HD)

Columbia AT&T U-Verse: Channel 643, 2643 (HD)

Benedict College Cable: Channel 32

Direct TV: Channel 221

Dish Network: Channel : Channel 158

Online:www.ncaa.com

Audio: Stretch Internet

Live Stats

COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- Thursday night's televised football game between Benedict College and Miles College should provide viewers with an exciting game, as both coaches have labeled this contest a "must win."

The Tigers, 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the SIAC, are coming off a gut-wrenching 33-30 loss to Fort Valley State last Saturday. The Tigers tied the game with 1:32 left to play, but then missed the extra point. Then the Wildcats moved down the field, getting a 25-yard pickup on a quarterback scramble, and kicked a 40-yard field goal with two seconds left for the victory.

Miles, which played in the SIAC championship game last year, is 1-3 and 0-1 in the SIAC. But their losses were against West Georgia, a nationally-ranked Division II team, Hampton, a Divison I program, and last week lost to defending SIAC champion Albany State 14-7 in a rematch of last year's championship game.

So both teams are looking to get back on the winning track and point to this contest as crucial to stay in the chase for the SIAC championship game.

"They're thinking they're not playing well. But Miles is a very good football team," Woody said. "They're not going to fool us with that. They've played great teams the first four games, and we're expecting a dog fight. We've got to play our best to have an opportunity to win. We've got to go in there with the frame of mind that we've got to win this football game. It's a must win for each team. Both sides know it."

Miles coach Reginald Ruffin said he is focused on trying to get his team to improve and get a win and not the hoopla surrounding the nationally-televised broadcast.

"It's good for the moral of the school," Ruffin said about the television game. "For me, I have to make sure we don't embarrass the institution the way we've been playing. It's more pressure on me to make sure these guys are ready to play a football game rather than be in the limelight and get embarrassed by a good Benedict football team. To me, it's just a game. A conference game and a game we have to win."

Kickoff Thursday night is 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS Sports Network. The game will also be video streamed over the internet on www.ncaa.com. Benedict will stream audio on Stretch Internet with the Tigers' regular radio crew of Jason James and Brian Morris. The game will not air on WLXC Kiss 103.1. Miles College will also provide live stats.

Woody expects a strong running game out of the Golden Bears. Benedict has been susceptible to the run this season, giving up 193.5 yards per game on the ground.

"We've challenged that defense. They've got to stop the run," Woody said. "They can't come in and run for 200, 250, 300 yards. They just can't do that. We've got to be able to shut that down. They're comfortable throwing the football as well. They're a balanced team, and that's what championship caliber teams are."

Miles' Ruffin is not happy with the play of the Bears, who have lost three straight.

"We're not a very good football team at the moment," Ruffin said. "And that's got a lot to do with me as a head coach. We're just not getting it done special teams, offensively or defensively. We've got to find a way to get us back over the hump. We're on the skids right now and it hasn't been good for Miles."

The Bears, meanwhile, are concerned about stopping Benedict's passing attack. Senior quarterback Cameron Stover has passed for nearly 800 yards in the first four games, and has thrown seven touchdown passes.

"Stover is a well defined quarterback," Ruffin said. "He makes accurate reads and he's got great receivers as well. Coach Woody, being the offensive-minded guy that he is, has really done a good job to build that program. You can tell they have gotten better each year. The biggest thing for us is to coral the running back. They've got a real fast, energetic running back, and when he hits the hole, he can go the distance. More importantly is the quarterback. We've got to get the ball out of his hands and put pressure on him and make him get rid of it. When he has time, he will thread that needle real well. We've got our work cut out for us."

One area Woody wants to see the Tigers do better in is cutting down penalties. After a penalty-free first half against Fort Valley State, the Tigers were flagged 10 times for 93 yards in the second half.

"That's just discipline," Woody said. "We've got to have some discipline. That's the only way you're going to win football games."

COURTESY BENEDICT COLLEGE TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION 

No offense: J.C. Smith needs points

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- Football isn’t much fun at Johnson C. Smith.

Injuries and offensive ineffectiveness have contributed to the Golden Bulls’ 1-3 start, which they’ll try to improve at Bowie State on Saturday. JCSU has been outscored 138-39 and two losses have been shutouts. The latest drawback was a 27-26 loss to Virginia Union on Jussie York’s one-handed touchdown catch from 37 yards out on the final play. The Golden Bulls led 26-15 with 6 minutes, 30 seconds left, but couldn’t close.

“It won’t deflate us at all,” JCSU coach Steve Aycock said. “We’re still a team, we’re a family and we’re going to protect the nucleus of our program and that’s the circle we stand in. We will get closer and we will make plays a little different in the next few weeks.”

JCSU has struggled to find ...

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Temple Statue to be Erected at New Sounds Stadium

NASHVILLE, Tennessee-- Mayor Karl Dean unveiled a model of the proposed statue of legendary Tennessee State track coach Ed Temple on Tuesday night at a ceremony held in Bridgestone Arena.Upon construction, the actual seven-foot tall statue will be placed in a plaza outside of First Tennessee Park, the new Nashville Sounds stadium.

 

“It’s on the greenway so it will be in an area where people will be running, and it’s a prominent area,” Dean said to Mike Organ of the Tennessean. “We’re proud of Ed Temple and we want people to know we’re proud of him, and I think that’s a good place for it.”

 

The statue, designed by Brian Hanlon, is expected to be finished in time for the opening of the ballpark in April.

 

Temple was head women's track and field coach at Tennessee State University for 44 years. During his coaching career at Tennessee State University, forty members of the famed Tigerbelle teams have represented their countries in Olympic competition. Coach Temple has led the team to 34 national titles, and eight Tigerbelles have been inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame including Edith McGuire, Wyomia Tyus, and Chandra Cheeseborough, who all attended last night’s ceremony.

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Alabama State football: SWAC's best meet in prime time

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- Thursday night marks the biggest Alcorn State-Alabama State game in years, perhaps the biggest ever in a series that began in 1934.

Because the two teams are in the same division and the rest of the conference is a step behind in talent and experience, the nationally televised matchup presents a winner-take-all scenario for the two teams chasing a berth in the SWAC Championship Game.

"I don't downplay it," Alabama State coach Reggie Barlow said. "I'll let (the players) know what it is. The only thing that's the same about this game (as any other) is you still have to block and tackle and somebody's got to make plays, but by no means is this just another game. It's a huge game, a huge step in the right direction for us."

The teams are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the conference in at least six statistical ...


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Homecoming still a big deal for Southern University, Jaguars players

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  At most universities, homecoming has lost its luster, at least, when it comes to the current players. Once a big deal for everyone, it's just another game for the guys suiting up on Saturday for the contest.

But not at Southern University. Homecoming on The Bluff is still a major spectacle. It usually draws the biggest crowd of the season and many alumni from around the country. The actual gathering is as big as the game.

The Jaguars host Arkansas-Pine Bluff this weekend for 2014 homecoming at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Southern coach Dawson Odums said homecoming is a dual-edged sword for him and his program. On one hand, it's a chance to bring in recruits and let them enjoy a carnival-like atmosphere on campus. But on the other hand, his players have to balance how they handle it. There is, after all, a key SWAC game to play.

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Southern University football looks to rebound against Arkansas-Pine Bluff this week

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- Alcorn State was, as advertised, a difficult challenge for Southern University. The Braves blew out the Jaguars, 56-16, last Saturday, rolling up 682 yards and 39 first downs.

Southern coach Dawson Odums acknowledged as much during his weekly press conference Tuesday, giving credit to a senior-laden Alcorn State squad. But he also said the Jaguars missed some opportunities early that could have made the score a little more respectable.

He lamented the fact that Southern did little with the four turnovers it forced against the Braves. One of his biggest concerns was Southern's inability to get off the field on third down. Alcorn State was 11 of 15 on third-down conversions and one of one on fourth down.

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