By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter
THE RATING GAME
1. Grambling
Gets late FG to win squeaker over improved Prairie View
2. Southern
Stingy ‘D,’ strong second-half play power undefeated start
3. Alabama A&M
Offense gets back rolling, scores 48 in blowout over TSU
4. Alabama State
Couldn’t find fourth-quarter magic against Southern
5. Jackson State
Big stretch coming: Ala. St., SU, Grambling, UAPB, Ala. A&M
6. Prairie View
If offense was as good as defense, would contend for title
7. Miss. Valley State
Personnel changes follow three-game slide, open week
8. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
In 1-4 hole, preseason favorite has open week to work things out
9. Texas Southern
Tigers fall to 4-34 in four seasons under Steve Wilson
10. Alcorn State
Braves hope to be healthier, play better after open week
THE BIG GAME
Alabama A&M at Southern
5:30 p.m. Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium
Another week and another showdown for surprising No. 25 Southern. The Jaguars didn’t win any of their three games in October a year ago — despite leading both Alabama A&M and Jackson State in the fourth quarter. Alabama A&M, the defending SWAC champion, has plenty of big-play capability on both sides of the ball. Southern has an impressive defense and a balanced offense.
AROUND THE SWAC
Grambling
Grambling senior Clyde Edwards, a first-team All-SWAC wide receiver last season, has caught a touchdown in his last seven games (including all four this season) and 12 of the last 13 games. He had at least one TD catch in nine of last season’s 11 games and has 28 TD catches in his career.
Edwards, with 2,489 yards on 152 catches, is within reach of becoming Grambling’s all-time leader in receiving yards and touchdowns along with catches.
“In Clyde, I see everything that’s good about college football,” Grambling coach Rod Broadway said. “He’s a model student, (3.9 grade point average), and he can play with anybody in the country.”
Broadway has been an assistant at Florida, North Carolina and Duke and he said Edwards “could have played on any of those football teams. You can never say enough good about him. I’m glad Clyde is on our football team.”
Grambling’s 17-14 victory over Prairie View was its closest margin over PV since the Panthers won 24-19 in 1986. RB Cornelius Walker, with career bests of 19 carries and 109 yards, was the SWAC’s Newcomer of the Week. Walker (48 carries, 224 yards, TD) and fellow freshman Frank Warren (73 carries, 332 yards) power the running game. “We’re getting good yardage with them; we’re just not making any (big) plays,” Broadway said. Grambling has two rushing TDs (one on a fumblerooskie) and nine passing TDs (one on a fake field-goal try) so far.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
UAPB was 1-3 last season before ripping off seven straight victories and winning the Western Division for the first time. The preseason favorite to repeat, UAPB is 1-4 (1-2 SWAC) and has benched senior quarterback Chris Wallace, the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year last season, in favor of junior Johnathan Moore.
“Anything’s possible,” UAPB coach Mo Forte said of the ability to make another turnaround this season. “Last year is last year. We have to break down as simple as we can: We have to win the next play.”
That motto carried UAPB last season as the Golden Lions won their first four SWAC games in that stretch by a combined 17 points. Ahead for UAPB, open last week, is Grambling (3-1, 3-0) on Saturday, a Thursday game at defending SWAC champ Alabama A&M (4-1, 2-1) on Oct. 18, at Jackson State (2-2, 2-0) on Oct. 27, Prairie View (2-2, 1-2) on Nov. 3 and No. 25 Southern (5-0, 3-0) on Nov. 10.
Mississippi Valley State
The Delta Devils have lost three straight games since winning their season opener and used the open week — which Valley coach Willie Totten said was the first in his six seasons at the school — to revamp the depth chart.
Valley will make changes at quarterback, receivers, defensive line, linebacker and in the secondary. Senior Jean-Pierre Marshall, a preseason All-SWAC first-teamer, will return to safety from cornerback. Semaj Williams (3-for-8 for 26 yards and one interception), a transfer from Coahoma Community College who had been slowed by an elbow injury, will replace sophomore quarterback Paul Roberts (48-for-89 for 440 yards and three TDs).
“We have to find some type of continuity,” Totten said. “It’s not all Paul’s fault. &hellip We wanted to change the atmosphere. We can always put Paul back in the game.”
Prairie View
Senior linebacker Zach East, a former Hampton University transfer from Houston, leads the nation with 52 tackles (13.0 per game). He had 60 tackles last season. East was the SWAC Defensive Player of the Week for his 18 stops against Grambling.
“We knew we had something special in Zach,” Prairie View coach Henry Frazier III said. “He is the real deal.”
Texas Southern
Texas Southern senior running back Brent Wilson continues to fade. After rushing for 1,032 yards and 10 TDs as an All-SWAC first-teamer in 2005, Wilson ran for 444 yards (3.4 yards per carry) and four TDs last season. He has 151 yards and one TD on 48 carries (3.1 per rush) this season.
TSU’s ground game, averaging 38.0 yards per game, is 115th of 116 Football Championship Subdivision teams.
THE RATING GAME
1. Grambling
Gets late FG to win squeaker over improved Prairie View
2. Southern
Stingy ‘D,’ strong second-half play power undefeated start
3. Alabama A&M
Offense gets back rolling, scores 48 in blowout over TSU
4. Alabama State
Couldn’t find fourth-quarter magic against Southern
5. Jackson State
Big stretch coming: Ala. St., SU, Grambling, UAPB, Ala. A&M
6. Prairie View
If offense was as good as defense, would contend for title
7. Miss. Valley State
Personnel changes follow three-game slide, open week
8. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
In 1-4 hole, preseason favorite has open week to work things out
9. Texas Southern
Tigers fall to 4-34 in four seasons under Steve Wilson
10. Alcorn State
Braves hope to be healthier, play better after open week
THE BIG GAME
Alabama A&M at Southern
5:30 p.m. Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium
Another week and another showdown for surprising No. 25 Southern. The Jaguars didn’t win any of their three games in October a year ago — despite leading both Alabama A&M and Jackson State in the fourth quarter. Alabama A&M, the defending SWAC champion, has plenty of big-play capability on both sides of the ball. Southern has an impressive defense and a balanced offense.
AROUND THE SWAC
Grambling
Grambling senior Clyde Edwards, a first-team All-SWAC wide receiver last season, has caught a touchdown in his last seven games (including all four this season) and 12 of the last 13 games. He had at least one TD catch in nine of last season’s 11 games and has 28 TD catches in his career.
Edwards, with 2,489 yards on 152 catches, is within reach of becoming Grambling’s all-time leader in receiving yards and touchdowns along with catches.
“In Clyde, I see everything that’s good about college football,” Grambling coach Rod Broadway said. “He’s a model student, (3.9 grade point average), and he can play with anybody in the country.”
Broadway has been an assistant at Florida, North Carolina and Duke and he said Edwards “could have played on any of those football teams. You can never say enough good about him. I’m glad Clyde is on our football team.”
Grambling’s 17-14 victory over Prairie View was its closest margin over PV since the Panthers won 24-19 in 1986. RB Cornelius Walker, with career bests of 19 carries and 109 yards, was the SWAC’s Newcomer of the Week. Walker (48 carries, 224 yards, TD) and fellow freshman Frank Warren (73 carries, 332 yards) power the running game. “We’re getting good yardage with them; we’re just not making any (big) plays,” Broadway said. Grambling has two rushing TDs (one on a fumblerooskie) and nine passing TDs (one on a fake field-goal try) so far.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
UAPB was 1-3 last season before ripping off seven straight victories and winning the Western Division for the first time. The preseason favorite to repeat, UAPB is 1-4 (1-2 SWAC) and has benched senior quarterback Chris Wallace, the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year last season, in favor of junior Johnathan Moore.
“Anything’s possible,” UAPB coach Mo Forte said of the ability to make another turnaround this season. “Last year is last year. We have to break down as simple as we can: We have to win the next play.”
That motto carried UAPB last season as the Golden Lions won their first four SWAC games in that stretch by a combined 17 points. Ahead for UAPB, open last week, is Grambling (3-1, 3-0) on Saturday, a Thursday game at defending SWAC champ Alabama A&M (4-1, 2-1) on Oct. 18, at Jackson State (2-2, 2-0) on Oct. 27, Prairie View (2-2, 1-2) on Nov. 3 and No. 25 Southern (5-0, 3-0) on Nov. 10.
Mississippi Valley State
The Delta Devils have lost three straight games since winning their season opener and used the open week — which Valley coach Willie Totten said was the first in his six seasons at the school — to revamp the depth chart.
Valley will make changes at quarterback, receivers, defensive line, linebacker and in the secondary. Senior Jean-Pierre Marshall, a preseason All-SWAC first-teamer, will return to safety from cornerback. Semaj Williams (3-for-8 for 26 yards and one interception), a transfer from Coahoma Community College who had been slowed by an elbow injury, will replace sophomore quarterback Paul Roberts (48-for-89 for 440 yards and three TDs).
“We have to find some type of continuity,” Totten said. “It’s not all Paul’s fault. &hellip We wanted to change the atmosphere. We can always put Paul back in the game.”
Prairie View
Senior linebacker Zach East, a former Hampton University transfer from Houston, leads the nation with 52 tackles (13.0 per game). He had 60 tackles last season. East was the SWAC Defensive Player of the Week for his 18 stops against Grambling.
“We knew we had something special in Zach,” Prairie View coach Henry Frazier III said. “He is the real deal.”
Texas Southern
Texas Southern senior running back Brent Wilson continues to fade. After rushing for 1,032 yards and 10 TDs as an All-SWAC first-teamer in 2005, Wilson ran for 444 yards (3.4 yards per carry) and four TDs last season. He has 151 yards and one TD on 48 carries (3.1 per rush) this season.
TSU’s ground game, averaging 38.0 yards per game, is 115th of 116 Football Championship Subdivision teams.
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