By KRISTIAN POPE, The News Journal
Hampton trying for fourth championship
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Their feeling of abandonment was palpable at July's preseason meeting of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football coaches.
And little old Winston-Salem State didn't even have a home to be abandoned from. Technically.
But there sat the school's football contingent, led by head coach Kermit Blount, ready to answer questions about his program's first year as a "member" of the conference. WSSU is now considered a provisional Division I program until 2010-2011.
Which means, according to a MEAC spokesperson, WSSU's football games against league opponents won't be counted toward the final standings for three more seasons. Nor will the team be eligible for the league's weekly awards and postseason honors.
For WSSU it all means one thing: forget about having to compete with South Carolina State and Hampton for the league championship and Division I-AA playoff berth.
Once again, the MEAC will mainly be a two-team race between defending champion Hampton and South Carolina State.
Hampton loses 13 starters but has more than enough talent -- like defensive player of the year junior end Kendall Langford -- to compete for a fourth-straight regular-season championship. Receiver Jeremy Gilchrist (Virginia Tech) and quarterback TJ Mitchell (West Virginia) will be a powerful tandem for coach Joe Taylor.
"That's what I respect about this conference," Taylor said. "It's gotten better and better. If we can lose that many starters and still be considered for a championship, that shows a lot of respect for our program."
South Carolina State, the preseason pick among coaches and school sports information directors, is a team that needs to win the championship outright. It hasn't done so since 1994 and coach Buddy Pough is feeling the pressure to deliver and get his team to the postseason under his leadership.
"We're at the point where we need to make the playoffs," Pough said. "It appears we have the staff to do it. This is a business of nerves."
Here are a few items to keep an eye on as the season begins:
Coach(es) on the run: Look out Pough and Alvin Wyatt. Pough's 40-17 record at SCSU won't help him if he misses the playoffs. Wyatt, who claims to be college football's best-dressed coach, might be shopping at the Goodwill store if his Wildcats finish in sixth place.
You'll hear from him again: Howard senior defensive lineman Rudy Hardy. With new defensive coordinator Andre Creamer (discarded from DSU's staff), the 6-1, 270-pounder should land an invite to the NFL combine.
Make the trip: South Carolina State comes to Hampton on Oct. 20, and at least one of these teams will be vying for a championship.
Hampton trying for fourth championship
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Their feeling of abandonment was palpable at July's preseason meeting of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football coaches.
And little old Winston-Salem State didn't even have a home to be abandoned from. Technically.
But there sat the school's football contingent, led by head coach Kermit Blount, ready to answer questions about his program's first year as a "member" of the conference. WSSU is now considered a provisional Division I program until 2010-2011.
Which means, according to a MEAC spokesperson, WSSU's football games against league opponents won't be counted toward the final standings for three more seasons. Nor will the team be eligible for the league's weekly awards and postseason honors.
For WSSU it all means one thing: forget about having to compete with South Carolina State and Hampton for the league championship and Division I-AA playoff berth.
Once again, the MEAC will mainly be a two-team race between defending champion Hampton and South Carolina State.
Hampton loses 13 starters but has more than enough talent -- like defensive player of the year junior end Kendall Langford -- to compete for a fourth-straight regular-season championship. Receiver Jeremy Gilchrist (Virginia Tech) and quarterback TJ Mitchell (West Virginia) will be a powerful tandem for coach Joe Taylor.
"That's what I respect about this conference," Taylor said. "It's gotten better and better. If we can lose that many starters and still be considered for a championship, that shows a lot of respect for our program."
South Carolina State, the preseason pick among coaches and school sports information directors, is a team that needs to win the championship outright. It hasn't done so since 1994 and coach Buddy Pough is feeling the pressure to deliver and get his team to the postseason under his leadership.
"We're at the point where we need to make the playoffs," Pough said. "It appears we have the staff to do it. This is a business of nerves."
Here are a few items to keep an eye on as the season begins:
Coach(es) on the run: Look out Pough and Alvin Wyatt. Pough's 40-17 record at SCSU won't help him if he misses the playoffs. Wyatt, who claims to be college football's best-dressed coach, might be shopping at the Goodwill store if his Wildcats finish in sixth place.
You'll hear from him again: Howard senior defensive lineman Rudy Hardy. With new defensive coordinator Andre Creamer (discarded from DSU's staff), the 6-1, 270-pounder should land an invite to the NFL combine.
Make the trip: South Carolina State comes to Hampton on Oct. 20, and at least one of these teams will be vying for a championship.
No comments:
Post a Comment