Saturday, September 27, 2008

Rivalry is personal for TSU's Heffner

NO. 23 TSU (4-0) VS. FLA. A&M (2-1)
Where: Georgia Dome
Last meeting: FAMU 18, TSU 17 (2007)
Key matchup: FAMU RB Philip Sylvester vs. TSU DT Maurice Davis. Sylvester carried the ball 25 times for 131 yards in last year's game. Davis helped TSU hold Eastern Kentucky to 9 rushing yards last week and is tied as the Tigers' leading tackler among linemen with 13 total stops.
TV: Versus Sports Channel (LIVE nationally) -- Cable Systems, Dish Network and Direct TV

Time: 4:00 PM ET

Tennessee State quarterback Antonio Heffner made his way past a teammate being interviewed by a reporter earlier this week and offered a directive. "Talk about the team Cliff — it's all about the team,'' Heffner said to safety Eugene Clifford. This team is very special to Heffner. Just how special a team the Tigers are could be answered if they finally beat Florida A&M (2-1) at 3 p.m. today in the Atlanta Classic at the Georgia Dome.

TSU QB Antonio Heffner proposed to girlfriend after Southern Heritage Classic victory in Memphis on Sept. 13, 2008. She said "yes", and since he has the girl, he now plans to get first victory in his career against FAMU.

It has been a great start for the No. 23 Tigers (4-0), but today's test might be the stiffest they've faced so far. Playing before a large crowd that could be in excess of 50,000, TSU hopes to snap a six-year losing streak to an opponent Coach James Webster calls "our No. 1 rival." Heffner agrees. "Not only is this our No. 1 rival, (but) it's about the event, all the hype that comes along with this game,'' Heffner said. "We haven't beaten them in a long time and not since I've been here." More fanfare was added last week when the Versus cable sports network announced it would televise the game live nationally for the first time.

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