By KRISTIAN POPE, The News Journal
DOVER -- Four Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football teams will play Division I-A opponents this season, games that can bring a I-AA school as much as $150,000.
Delaware State stands to earn close to $100,000 for its Sept. 15 game at Kent State, its second meeting with a I-A opponent. The Hornets beat Akron in 1987.
"That's what you want every Saturday, to play teams who get the most out of you," DSU senior linebacker Russell Reeves said. "No matter who you play for, that's what you want. You don't want teams on your schedule who are weak. This makes you work even harder in the offseason."
South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough sees it differently. The cash is nice, but for Pough, playing two I-A teams -- Air Force and South Carolina -- might help his team make the playoffs for the first time since he was hired in 2001.
Even if the Bulldogs, who finished 7-4 last season and missed the playoffs, lose both games and fail to win the league's automatic bid to the 16-team playoffs, they might be among the at-large teams if they can play well against the I-A teams.
Norfolk State travels to Rutgers on Sept. 15, and Howard travels to face DSU coach Al Lavan's former team, Eastern Michigan, on Sept. 22.
"We're at the point where we need to get into the playoffs," Pough said. "So, we improved our strength of schedule. If we play well at Air Force or [South Carolina], and don't finish 8-3, it still looks real solid and you make yourself more palatable to the [selection] committee."
Not exactly. Portland State played three I-A teams last season, finished 7-4, and failed to make the playoffs. It's likely Pough's team would not have been picked by the selection committee at 7-4, even with a tougher nonconference schedule.
Pough said he still aches from his team's 10-9 loss at Delaware State last season.
"It still hurts real bad. I still have a hard time thinking about that game," he said.
Delaware State also was on the playoff bubble until a season-ending loss at Howard.
DSU played Northwestern (La.) State, St. Francis and Division II Concord out of conference last year, but Lavan and former athletic director Chuck Bell made a concerted effort to upgrade the schedule.
DSU signed to play Coastal Carolina, winners of the Big South Conference, and dumped a game against provisional Division I-AA North Carolina Central for the date at Kent State. Bell said the Kent State game was signed for money considerations, not to boost its playoff chances.
After last season, the NCAA added a permanent 12th game to I-A, and most schools have used the opportunity to schedule games against I-AA teams. It wasn't until that 12th game was added that DSU signed to meet the Golden Flashes, 6-6 in the Mid-American Conference last season.
Pough said his program has wanted to schedule South Carolina for some time. The meeting was a promise SCSU made to him when he was hired. He said the Air Force game was presented "out of the blue," but he jumped at the chance because it was "unique" to a historically black college.
South Carolina State, the preseason favorite to win the MEAC, opens its season at Air Force on Sept. 1. DSU doesn't play Kent State until the third week.
"Right now, we have two games before Kent State, and that's who we're thinking about," Reeves said.
Hornets buzz
MEAC preseason offensive player of the year Shaheer McBride will be DSU's top punt returner this season. McBride served as a backup on punt returns last season. Syracuse transfer Kareem Jones and sophomore receiver Laronne Moore, the Hornets' fastest player, will tandem on kickoff returns. ... The Hornets got a recent boost at defensive back with the signing of Reshard Gresham from Eastern Arizona College. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder from Stone Mountain, Ga., will have two seasons of eligibility at DSU. ... Another Syracuse transfer, safety Reggie McCoy, is expected back this week after a finger injury.
DOVER -- Four Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football teams will play Division I-A opponents this season, games that can bring a I-AA school as much as $150,000.
Delaware State stands to earn close to $100,000 for its Sept. 15 game at Kent State, its second meeting with a I-A opponent. The Hornets beat Akron in 1987.
"That's what you want every Saturday, to play teams who get the most out of you," DSU senior linebacker Russell Reeves said. "No matter who you play for, that's what you want. You don't want teams on your schedule who are weak. This makes you work even harder in the offseason."
South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough sees it differently. The cash is nice, but for Pough, playing two I-A teams -- Air Force and South Carolina -- might help his team make the playoffs for the first time since he was hired in 2001.
Even if the Bulldogs, who finished 7-4 last season and missed the playoffs, lose both games and fail to win the league's automatic bid to the 16-team playoffs, they might be among the at-large teams if they can play well against the I-A teams.
Norfolk State travels to Rutgers on Sept. 15, and Howard travels to face DSU coach Al Lavan's former team, Eastern Michigan, on Sept. 22.
"We're at the point where we need to get into the playoffs," Pough said. "So, we improved our strength of schedule. If we play well at Air Force or [South Carolina], and don't finish 8-3, it still looks real solid and you make yourself more palatable to the [selection] committee."
Not exactly. Portland State played three I-A teams last season, finished 7-4, and failed to make the playoffs. It's likely Pough's team would not have been picked by the selection committee at 7-4, even with a tougher nonconference schedule.
Pough said he still aches from his team's 10-9 loss at Delaware State last season.
"It still hurts real bad. I still have a hard time thinking about that game," he said.
Delaware State also was on the playoff bubble until a season-ending loss at Howard.
DSU played Northwestern (La.) State, St. Francis and Division II Concord out of conference last year, but Lavan and former athletic director Chuck Bell made a concerted effort to upgrade the schedule.
DSU signed to play Coastal Carolina, winners of the Big South Conference, and dumped a game against provisional Division I-AA North Carolina Central for the date at Kent State. Bell said the Kent State game was signed for money considerations, not to boost its playoff chances.
After last season, the NCAA added a permanent 12th game to I-A, and most schools have used the opportunity to schedule games against I-AA teams. It wasn't until that 12th game was added that DSU signed to meet the Golden Flashes, 6-6 in the Mid-American Conference last season.
Pough said his program has wanted to schedule South Carolina for some time. The meeting was a promise SCSU made to him when he was hired. He said the Air Force game was presented "out of the blue," but he jumped at the chance because it was "unique" to a historically black college.
South Carolina State, the preseason favorite to win the MEAC, opens its season at Air Force on Sept. 1. DSU doesn't play Kent State until the third week.
"Right now, we have two games before Kent State, and that's who we're thinking about," Reeves said.
Hornets buzz
MEAC preseason offensive player of the year Shaheer McBride will be DSU's top punt returner this season. McBride served as a backup on punt returns last season. Syracuse transfer Kareem Jones and sophomore receiver Laronne Moore, the Hornets' fastest player, will tandem on kickoff returns. ... The Hornets got a recent boost at defensive back with the signing of Reshard Gresham from Eastern Arizona College. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder from Stone Mountain, Ga., will have two seasons of eligibility at DSU. ... Another Syracuse transfer, safety Reggie McCoy, is expected back this week after a finger injury.
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