Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Alabama A&M Notebook: Players of the week

Huntsville Times

Luke, Rice and Liceaplayers of the week

Quarterback Kelcy Luke, inside linebacker Carlton Rice and kicker Jeremy Licea were named players of the week against Tennessee State, Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones said Monday.

Luke completed 18-of-29 passes for 261 yards, three touchdowns and one interception and also rushed for 37 yards and another touchdown. He was named the game's offensive MVP.

Rice had a game-high eight tackles, one tackle for loss and an interception. He was named the game's Defensive MVP.

Licea was 7-for-7 on extra points.

Banks, Green find success: Running backs Ulysses Banks and Anthony Green won't strike fear in opposing teams with their size, but they certainly will with their speed.

Both gave a good account of themselves Saturday night against Tennessee State.

Green, a redshirt freshman from San Antonio, rushed for 41 yards on 10 carries and scored two touchdowns. Banks rushed for 28 yards on seven carries, caught a 33-yard touchdown pass and had four kickoff returns for 62 yards.


"We knew both of those guys would play meaningful minutes," Jones said. "We want to get Banks three or four possessions and then get Green three or four possessions. They both had success.

"Neither one of them is a big back, and we're not going to ask them to carry the ball 20 to 30 times apiece. We've got to make sure we use them in such a way they'll be effective for us and I think (running backs) Coach (Errol) Jones did a great job of that."

Green's 1-yard run late in the first half gave A&M the lead for good at 14-7. Banks turned a screen pass into a 33-yard touchdown play that made it 21-13 midway through the third quarter. Green's 25-yard scamper midway through the fourth quarter iced the game and gave the Bulldogs a commanding 42-16 advantage.

Plenty to work on: Although A&M scored 49 points, Jones said after watching the film there are plenty of ways his team can improve heading into Saturday's home opener against Clark Atlanta.

The Bulldogs didn't cover kicks very well and were whistled for eight penalties for 76 yards.

"We made a lot of mistakes," Jones said. "We're nowhere near where we want to be. We made a lot of mistakes that we need to correct, so there's plenty of room for improvement."

-Reggie Benson

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