Saay What! MEAC/SWAC sports and people

by beepbeep

Saay What, ya'll!

Morgan State University men basketballers nearly pulled off an upset of the Connecticut Huskies last night in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic at Storrs, Connecticut. The Bears in their season opener, held the Huskies to 42 percent shooting from the floor, busted a 14-2 run in the second half and tied UConn at 52 with seven minutes remaining in the game. However, the Huskies prevailed 69-65 over the Bears.

MSU head coach Todd Bozeman crew was able to overcome a 37-28 first half lead over the Bears and outscore UConn 37-32 in the second half. Guard Reggie Holmes came off the bench for MSU to throw down 6 of 12 shots to lead the Bears with 18 points; Boubacar Coley hit a double/double with 12 points and 10 rebounds; and senior guard Jamar Smith popped in 16 points to lead the Bears. Morgan State shot 50 percent from 3-point land (11-22), had 11 steals and 24 personal fouls. UConn shot 24-33 free throws (72%) where as, Morgan hit only 4-9 (44%). If they quit fouling ya'll, the Bears walks away with the win. Coach Bozeman is in his second season at Morgan State and it appears the Bears are ready to compete...

What the heck is the Atlantic Sun Conference? Well--anyhow, Alabama A&M University Bulldogs drops two games to start the season in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic at Rupp Arena to Gardner-Webb University 69-55 in the first round and Central Arkansas 69-59 in the consolation game. That Gardner-Webb bunch pulls off the upset of the season by embarrassing the #22 ranked Kentucky Wildcats 84-68 before 20,000 Kentucky fans in their home arena. Yep, the Southeastern Conference gets steamrolled by the Atlantic Sun and Gardner-Webb University, a 2,474 student private school located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. The Runnin' Bulldogs accomplished something above and beyond anything it had ever achieved in the sport. You can hold your heads up Alabama A&M Bulldogs as you held the Running' Bulldogs to 69 points, which Kentucky could not...

Photo: Head Coach Clemon Johnson, UAF

Former Florida A&M University and Philadelphia 76ers basketball star Clemon Johnson got a great start to his head coaching career as the new leader of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks. Coach Johnson's team was able to put it on cruise control in two wins over Simpson University 110-84 and 93-81 on November 1 and 3rd, respectively. Just how good the Nanooks will be this season under Coach Clem Johnson will be revealed tonight in a Division I game at California and November 15, in the BP Top of the World Classic, where the Division II UAF club will face Tennessee State University Tigers in the hosted Division I classic. Johnson earned both his undergraduate degree in Economics and a Master's Degree in Sports Management from FAMU. You can read more about the 6 foot-10 inch Clemon Johnson and the UFA basketball program at: http://www.uaf.edu/news/featured/07/coaches ...

The Aggies of North Carolina A&T State University are becoming a total embarrassment to Division I football. The Florida A&M University Rattlers were able to kick a field goal in the final minute of their homecoming contest to beat the Aggies 24-21 at Bragg Memorial Stadium for NCA&T's record 26 consecutive loss. We don't mean to rag on the Aggies but these guys are virgins when it comes to laying someone out and winning a ball game. Their last recorded victory came in the 2005 season and they now lead all of Division I with the current losing streak. Maybe the Aggies can pull off an upset at South Carolina State on November 17, 2007 at Charleston, South Carolina. Probably not on a well coached Buddy Pough team that fell short on the hype of being the favorite to win the MEAC. Coach Lee Fobbs Jr. is currently 0-21 in his second season as the head of the Aggies football program and if they don't win their final game with SCSU, it will give NCA&T two consecutive 0-11 virgin seasons. We understand abstention, but this is a bit much to stomach.

Aggies, please do your fans a favor and schedule Livingstone College or Savannah State as your 2008 season opener and end this streak. Strike that last suggestion--Savannah State University school colors does have Orange, so they probably will beat you too. Substitute Texas Southern University Tigers, who have their own dreadful losing streak going with 12 consecutive loses that should be at 14 by next season with UAPB and UHouston left on their schedule for this season. Saay What! ...

FAMU's Wesley Taylor #20 kicks winning field goal in last week homecoming game with North Carolina A&T State University. Rattlers win 24-21.

Hampton University head football coach Joe Taylor announced on Wednesday that T.J. Mitchell will be the starting quarterback against Florida A&M University Rattlers on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., in Armstrong Stadium. However, expect Herbert Bynes to play against FAMU, also. Mitchell had been benched in favor of freshman Herbert Bynes for arguing with teammates during games for missed plays during two previous games. This two head monster at quarterback may cause problems for FAMU as both played well in the 31-24 win last week over Bethune Cookman.

Expect Jeremy Gilchrist to hook up with T.J. to break the Hampton school record of 977 yards, held by Houston Texans Jerome Mathis. Gilchrist is currently 25 yards shy of this record and has 63 receptions on the season. The Rattlers owe the Pirates big time for a 59-7 azzkicking they received last season in Bragg Stadium. FAMU r-freshman Eddie Battle is expected to continue his development at quarterback with senior QB Leon Camel providing much needed leadership. FAMU sensational freshman running back Philip Sylvester leads the MEAC in all-purpose yards averaging 159.8 yards per game. The Pirates leads the MEAC in scoring offense (30.2 per game), 4th in scoring defense (22.0 per game), 1st in passing offense (238.0 per game), 1st in punting (39.3 net/P, 44.8 average yards)and first in first downs. On paper, Hampton beats FAMU in just about every statistical category, but nothing is worst than tangling with angry Rattlers. FAMU will not get blown out this weekend by the 5-4,4-3 MEAC Pirates. The Rattlers are 3-6,2-4 MEAC in a disappointing season...

Saay What! brothers. The Florida A&M University Volleyball Team played just well enough to knockoff the University of North Florida at home on Tuesday night by a score of 30-25, 27-30, 30-22, 30-27 for a total 3-1 score. The Lady Rattlers are 13-6 on the season and usually plays to the level of the competition, which is not good especially playing a club that is 4-25 like the Ospreys. FAMU was coming off a spirited showing against #3 ranked Texas where they loss 3-0 to break a 14 game Rattlers win streak. The Lady Rattlers are undefeated in MEAC play and have a 96 game win streak intact in the conference. FAMU Seniors Hannah Uckelmann and Iva Lakic were honored and played their last home game as Rattlers. The next match is at South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs on November 10, 2007, at 5:00 p.m., Orangeburg, S.C....

Senior running back Chad Simpson, Morgan State University is MEAC leading rusher with 248 att/1272 yards, 12 TDs/10 games, 5.1 average/127.1 yards per game. Simpson is 2nd in all-purpose yards with 1589 yards at 158.9 per game.

The lotto question of the day--will Morgan State Bears end the football season on a winning note and with a winning record? Standing in the Bears (5-5, 4-3 MEAC) way for a winning season are the South Carolina State University Bulldogs (5-4, 4-2 MEAC), who have won 22 of the last 23 games in the series. MSU Coach Donald Hill-Eley is very close to leading the Bears over the hump but it will take a monster game (i.e. 250+ yards) from MEAC leading rusher Chad Simpson and a complete shutdown of SCSU running back Will Ford and quarterback Cleve McCoy for the Bears to win. This is going to be Morgan's Superbowl, so expect Hill-Eley to have the Bears in championship form and successfully pull off the upset. Saay What! Bears win...

Will it be #10 ranked Delaware State (8-1, 7-0 MEAC) or #26 ranked Norfolk State (7-2, 6-1 MEAC) crowned as MEAC Champions this Saturday? It's any body's guess, but Delaware State has found a way to overcome adversity the past few weeks to keep their undefeated conference record intact. However, the DSU Hornets does not dominate in any conference statistical category but just find ways to win. Norfolk State is a half game behind DSU in the MEAC standings.

On the other hand, Norfolk State Spartans has "the bus" at running back, who can takeover a running game. I'm speaking of none other than senior Daryl Jones who is tied for #2 in MEAC rushing with 989 yards and 12 TDs on 211 carries. Jones is a 250 pound load to tackle and will run over you in a one-on-five situation. If the Hornets focus solely on stopping Jones and company, the Spartan quarterback Casey Hansen will go over the top for completions to keep the drives alive. In ten seasons of division I football, NSU has never had a winning season nor won a MEAC championship in football. The Spartans should be ready to jump on the bus with Daryl Jones for this contest.

Delaware State has too much riding on this game to let Norfolk State march into Alumni Stadium and steal the victory. Not only will a win give the Hornets the MEAC crown and automatic bid to the NCAA FCS playoffs, but a date with in-state #6 ranked University of Delaware Hens (8-1, 5-1 CAA) in the first round of the playoff. UD and DSU have never met on the football field although they are both in the FCS and are located only 40 miles apart. Saay What!! This should be sufficient motivation for Coach Al Lavan Hornets to tell the Spartans to beat it, literally and musically. Expect DSU to clobber MEAC upstart Norfolk State, as it has been proven by Howard and SCSU that they can be stopped for -15 and 56 yards rushing. The Hornets balanced attack with several NFL prospects (junior RB Kareem Jones, junior QB Vashon Winton, senior WR Shahee McBride and senior kicker Peter Gaertner) may provide the MEAC with the best opportunity to get past round one of the FCS playoffs. Just beat it, Norfolk State University! Just beat it...

Norfolk State University Spartan Legion Marching Band (playing: "Beat It.")