Huntsville Times
Bulldogs bite early
After struggling early in last week's season opener against Tennessee State, Alabama A&M's offense wasted little time in getting it going Saturday night against Clark Atlanta.
The Bulldogs went 73 yards in just five plays to take the lead two minutes into the game.
Quarterback Kelcy Luke found Thomas Harris for a pair of 13-yard gains and tailback Ulysses Banks ripped off a 39-yard gain down to the Clark Atlanta 3 and scored one play later.
Garrett on the prowl
Defensive tackle Whitney Garrett hasn't been much of a sackmaster during his first two seasons with the Bulldogs. Garrett had one sack in 2005 and was credited with half a sack last season.
It didn't take him long to get his first sack of the season Saturday night.
On the Panthers' third play from scrimmage, Whitney, a 6-foot-3, 287-pound junior from Talladega, broke through and sacked Clark Atlanta quarterback Corey Jones for a 3-yard loss.
Tucker takes a seat
A week after being called out by defensive coordinator Brawnski Towns for gambling defensively and giving up a 66-yard pass play that led to a Tennessee State touchdown, defensive back Stephan Tucker was beaten for a long touchdown pass midway through the first quarter against Clark Atlanta.
Mortimer Lightburn got behind Tucker and hauled in a 61-yard touchdown pass from Jones. Henry Boynton's extra made tied the game at 7-all. Frank Moore replaced Tucker two possessions later.
Moore, a preseason All-Southwestern Athletic Conference selection, didn't start after violating a team rule, Towns said. Moore, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound junior from Gadsden, led the league in interceptions last season with six.
Sophomore Maurice Thomas, who came on last season after Tucker sustained an ankle injury against Arkansas-Pine Bluff during the regular season, started in place of Moore.
Johnson goes long
Rashad Johnson sat out last a season as a academic casualty. After two games, he has already made his presence felt.
Johnson, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound wide receiver out of Murphy High School, caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Luke with just less than three minutes remaining to give Alabama A&M a 21-7 advantage.
Harper takes the field
Defensive tackle Justin Harper, who underwent surgery on his left thumb during preseason practice and wasn't expected to return until the Grambling game on Sept. 22, entered the Clark Atlanta game late in the first quarter.
Banks burns up field
Banks had a huge first half Saturday night. Banks, who led the nation in kickoff returns last season, had 122 yards on just nine carries in the first 30 minutes, including a pair of touchdowns.
New Bulldogs in lineup
Alabama A&M had two new starters in the lineup on defense Saturday night.
David Winston, who sustained a back injury during preseason practice, started at left defensive tackle, while Dominique Cummings was back in the starting lineup at right end.
Winston replaced Renaldo Askew in the starting lineup, while Cummings replaced Jeremy Maddox.
Rematch may be ahead
Clark Atlanta athletics director Brenda Edmond-Square said she would be more than happy to play Alabama A&M again.
Edmond-Square said Clark Atlanta received "more than $20,000" to play A&M.
"We're interested in doing it again if the opportunity presented itself," she said.
Edmond-Square and A&M athletics director Betty Austin have had a long-going relationship and that led to the schools playing each other.
Edmond-Square said the game serves as more than a payday for Clark Atlanta.
"It puts a little money in our pocket, but we also saw this as a test," she said. "We've been rebuilding. We saw a big improvement in our team last year and we saw this game as an opportunity to see how much we've grown."
'Dogs no stranger to Georgia
Alabama A&M's roster is filled with players from Georgia. Thirteen Bulldogs call the Peach State home.
The list includes outside linebackers Bobby McClain (Atlanta) and Dorian Waluyn (Tucker), defensive back Jonathan McConico (Atlanta), punter Rashan Cylar (Stone Mountain), inside linebackers Quinton Holmes (Norcross) and Afu Okusun (College Park), defensive ends Chris Traylor (West Point) and Dominique Cummings (Atlanta), offensive linemen Russell Jackson (Riverdale) and Leon Thompson (Roswell), wide receiver Darius Griffin (Decatur) and defensive tackles Frank Kearse (Savannah) and Renaldo Askew (Atlanta).
Clark Atlanta's roster included three players from Alabama.
The list included running backs Arthur Stokes (Montgomery), linebacker Joel Allen (Mobile) and offensive lineman Alphonso Johnson (Montgomery).
Seven inducted to A&M Hall
Seven new members were added to the Alabama A&M Athletic Hall of Fame Friday night at the Ernest L. Knight Reception Center. They were recognized during halftime of Saturday's game.
The list included wide receiver Roy Dean, Ernest French, who played football and baseball for the Bulldogs, running back Reginald Gipson, former head football coach Ray Greene, Ananias Harris, who played football and baseball for the Bulldogs, defensive back Cleveland Jarman Jr. and former basketball standout Frank Sillmon.
French was a four-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference performer in football and a three-time pick in baseball.
He finished his career with 22 interceptions, 347 tackles and was twice named the league's Defensive Back of the Year. In baseball, French led the nation in hitting with a .525 batting average in 1980.
Gipson was the SIAC Player of the Year in 1981 when he set the A&M single-season rushing record.
Green compiled a 53-27-5 record during eight seasons and won three SIAC championships and led the Bulldogs to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1979.
Sillmon helped A&M compile a 55-9 record during two seasons in the late 1980s.
Furthermore
Alabama A&M had 318 yards - 157 rushing and 161 passing - in the first half. ... Quinton Carlock made his A&M debut as a punt returner and had two for 19 yards in the first half. ... Jeremy Licea's consecutive extra point streak was snapped at 17 in a row when Clark Atlanta's Michael Porter broke through to block his point after following Alabama A&M's first touchdown of the third quarter. .... Traylor, who has more sacks in the SWAC than anybody the last three seasons, picked up his first one of the season midway through the third quarter.
-Reggie Benson
Bulldogs bite early
After struggling early in last week's season opener against Tennessee State, Alabama A&M's offense wasted little time in getting it going Saturday night against Clark Atlanta.
The Bulldogs went 73 yards in just five plays to take the lead two minutes into the game.
Quarterback Kelcy Luke found Thomas Harris for a pair of 13-yard gains and tailback Ulysses Banks ripped off a 39-yard gain down to the Clark Atlanta 3 and scored one play later.
Garrett on the prowl
Defensive tackle Whitney Garrett hasn't been much of a sackmaster during his first two seasons with the Bulldogs. Garrett had one sack in 2005 and was credited with half a sack last season.
It didn't take him long to get his first sack of the season Saturday night.
On the Panthers' third play from scrimmage, Whitney, a 6-foot-3, 287-pound junior from Talladega, broke through and sacked Clark Atlanta quarterback Corey Jones for a 3-yard loss.
Tucker takes a seat
A week after being called out by defensive coordinator Brawnski Towns for gambling defensively and giving up a 66-yard pass play that led to a Tennessee State touchdown, defensive back Stephan Tucker was beaten for a long touchdown pass midway through the first quarter against Clark Atlanta.
Mortimer Lightburn got behind Tucker and hauled in a 61-yard touchdown pass from Jones. Henry Boynton's extra made tied the game at 7-all. Frank Moore replaced Tucker two possessions later.
Moore, a preseason All-Southwestern Athletic Conference selection, didn't start after violating a team rule, Towns said. Moore, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound junior from Gadsden, led the league in interceptions last season with six.
Sophomore Maurice Thomas, who came on last season after Tucker sustained an ankle injury against Arkansas-Pine Bluff during the regular season, started in place of Moore.
Johnson goes long
Rashad Johnson sat out last a season as a academic casualty. After two games, he has already made his presence felt.
Johnson, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound wide receiver out of Murphy High School, caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Luke with just less than three minutes remaining to give Alabama A&M a 21-7 advantage.
Harper takes the field
Defensive tackle Justin Harper, who underwent surgery on his left thumb during preseason practice and wasn't expected to return until the Grambling game on Sept. 22, entered the Clark Atlanta game late in the first quarter.
Banks burns up field
Banks had a huge first half Saturday night. Banks, who led the nation in kickoff returns last season, had 122 yards on just nine carries in the first 30 minutes, including a pair of touchdowns.
New Bulldogs in lineup
Alabama A&M had two new starters in the lineup on defense Saturday night.
David Winston, who sustained a back injury during preseason practice, started at left defensive tackle, while Dominique Cummings was back in the starting lineup at right end.
Winston replaced Renaldo Askew in the starting lineup, while Cummings replaced Jeremy Maddox.
Rematch may be ahead
Clark Atlanta athletics director Brenda Edmond-Square said she would be more than happy to play Alabama A&M again.
Edmond-Square said Clark Atlanta received "more than $20,000" to play A&M.
"We're interested in doing it again if the opportunity presented itself," she said.
Edmond-Square and A&M athletics director Betty Austin have had a long-going relationship and that led to the schools playing each other.
Edmond-Square said the game serves as more than a payday for Clark Atlanta.
"It puts a little money in our pocket, but we also saw this as a test," she said. "We've been rebuilding. We saw a big improvement in our team last year and we saw this game as an opportunity to see how much we've grown."
'Dogs no stranger to Georgia
Alabama A&M's roster is filled with players from Georgia. Thirteen Bulldogs call the Peach State home.
The list includes outside linebackers Bobby McClain (Atlanta) and Dorian Waluyn (Tucker), defensive back Jonathan McConico (Atlanta), punter Rashan Cylar (Stone Mountain), inside linebackers Quinton Holmes (Norcross) and Afu Okusun (College Park), defensive ends Chris Traylor (West Point) and Dominique Cummings (Atlanta), offensive linemen Russell Jackson (Riverdale) and Leon Thompson (Roswell), wide receiver Darius Griffin (Decatur) and defensive tackles Frank Kearse (Savannah) and Renaldo Askew (Atlanta).
Clark Atlanta's roster included three players from Alabama.
The list included running backs Arthur Stokes (Montgomery), linebacker Joel Allen (Mobile) and offensive lineman Alphonso Johnson (Montgomery).
Seven inducted to A&M Hall
Seven new members were added to the Alabama A&M Athletic Hall of Fame Friday night at the Ernest L. Knight Reception Center. They were recognized during halftime of Saturday's game.
The list included wide receiver Roy Dean, Ernest French, who played football and baseball for the Bulldogs, running back Reginald Gipson, former head football coach Ray Greene, Ananias Harris, who played football and baseball for the Bulldogs, defensive back Cleveland Jarman Jr. and former basketball standout Frank Sillmon.
French was a four-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference performer in football and a three-time pick in baseball.
He finished his career with 22 interceptions, 347 tackles and was twice named the league's Defensive Back of the Year. In baseball, French led the nation in hitting with a .525 batting average in 1980.
Gipson was the SIAC Player of the Year in 1981 when he set the A&M single-season rushing record.
Green compiled a 53-27-5 record during eight seasons and won three SIAC championships and led the Bulldogs to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1979.
Sillmon helped A&M compile a 55-9 record during two seasons in the late 1980s.
Furthermore
Alabama A&M had 318 yards - 157 rushing and 161 passing - in the first half. ... Quinton Carlock made his A&M debut as a punt returner and had two for 19 yards in the first half. ... Jeremy Licea's consecutive extra point streak was snapped at 17 in a row when Clark Atlanta's Michael Porter broke through to block his point after following Alabama A&M's first touchdown of the third quarter. .... Traylor, who has more sacks in the SWAC than anybody the last three seasons, picked up his first one of the season midway through the third quarter.
-Reggie Benson
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