ASU Football Notebook: SIAC Selects Atlanta For Inaugural Title Game; Rams Change Site To Waycross For 'Rumble In The Swamp' vs. Clark

ASU Head Coach Mike White

ATLANTA, GA -- It looks like Albany State could have a chance to play a game this year in Atlanta after all. SIAC officials announced the location of the conference's inaugural football championship game Thursday, and it will be held in Atlanta on Nov. 12.

ASU coach Mike White wasn't thrilled earlier this year when Albany State's game against Clark Atlanta was moved from the state capitol to Valdosta, lamenting the fact that the Rams' many Atlanta supporters wouldn't get a chance to see program play for the first time in more than two decades.

"It's not necessarily a good thing to me because we have a strong fan base in Atlanta, and we look forward to that trip every season," White told The Herald in June when the announcement was first made. "This will be the first time since I got here in 1975 we won't be playing a game in Atlanta, whether it's against Clark or Morehouse. It's disappointing for our alums up there."

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ASU Rams on No. 9 preseason ranking: ‘We are blessed’

ALBANY, GA — The Albany State football team stepped onto the practice field Tuesday as one of the Top 10 Division II teams in the nation, but coach Mike White said he isn’t even thinking twice about the preseason honor.

The Rams are tied for ninth in the American Football Coaches Association Top 25 Division II Preseason Coaches’ Poll, which was released Monday. ASU ended last season ranked fourth in the national poll. This season, the Rams received 379 votes and are tied with Bloomsburg (Penn.) to start their 2011 campaign.

Several ASU players echoed their coach’s belief Tuesday that rankings — especially those in the preseason — matter very little.

“The rankings really don’t matter,” senior running back Darryl Carey said. “We come out here and work hard every day and expect to be a good team. When we come out here on this field, we practice hard, we work hard in the offseason, we have some great coaches, and we are blessed to be on the field.”

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SIAC Championship debate

ATLANTA — Albany State’s road to its sixth SIAC football title in the past decade will be a little rockier than normal. Yes, the Rams were named preseason favorites to repeat as conference champions at Wednesday’s SIAC Kick-Off Luncheon at Fox Sports Grill in Atlanta.

But there is a new factor in this year’s conference — a championship game.

In the past, the team with the best regular-season conference record was crowned as the SIAC champ. This year, the 10 teams are divided into two five-team divisions — East and West — and the winner of each division will face off in the inaugural SIAC Championship game Nov. 12.

Teams will play a seven-game conference slate, including all four divisional opponents and three rotating non-divisional opponents. Every two years, one non-divisional opponent will rotate on, and off, each team’s schedule over a 10-year period, and each team will play its non-divisional opponents an equal number of times.

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Two key Albany State University stars academically ineligible

Albany, GA - At Wednesday’s SIAC Kick-Off Luncheon, (Coach Mike) White announced that last year’s anchor on the offensive line and team captain Mike Mavromichalis, along with fellow offensive lineman Norris Byrd, were both ruled academically ineligible for the upcoming season.

Both were named to the All-SIAC Preseason First Team Offense before final grades were released, and White said it was a big disappointment to see the seniors miss out on their final collegiate football season.

“It’s tough anytime you lose guys with three years experience on the line,” White said. “Both of them are seniors and good kids and just didn’t do what they were supposed to do in the classroom. Our team and staff understand where we are at, and our team and staff will have to step up and do the best they can. There is no way you can put guys in there who are going to be Mike or Norris. It’s just not going to happen. We are going to just deal with what we’ve got.”


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ASU promotes Joyner to O-C, hires veteran coach Livingston to oversee offensive line

ALBANY, GA — It’s official — Uyl Joyner will be the offensive coordinator for the Albany State football team. Head coach Mike White, speaking at Friday’s 12th annual Quarterback Club Kickoff Football Reception, confirmed the rumors that have been floating around for weeks when he announced Joyner as such.

2010 SIAC MVP QB Stanley Jennings

“He is a good, intelligent football coach,” White said of Joyner. “This will be 28 seasons for me coaching, and the guys who I can call out who I have met who are football smart like that, I can count them on one hand and cut a few fingers off. He is one of those guys who can see and recognize what is happening on the field very quickly.”

The Herald first reported Wednesday that Joyner had been named the Rams’ new O-C after seeing Joyner’s name listed as such in ASU’s information packet at the SIAC Kick-Off luncheon in Atlanta. But White said the listing was made in error and that no final decision had been made, although he added Joyner was “the leading candidate.”

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Albany State Rams: 'No excuses'

ALBANY, GA — The question marks are there. They are sprinkled throughout the Albany State football team as it inches toward the 2011 season — a year where the Rams will be defending the SBN National Black College Football Championship and SIAC crown.

And how will the team handle a slew of unknowns, including a new offensive coordinator, a depleted offensive line, an inexperienced group of linebackers and a tougher schedule? ASU coach Mike White said Friday that it will happen, but only with hard work — and no excuses.


No Excuses--ASU Rams have to replace superback LiRonnie Davis

“The 2011 season will have a lot of question marks and a lot of new faces,” White said during the 12th annual Quarterback Club Kickoff Football Reception at Eula Lovett Hall. “But be sure of one thing: As Albany State Golden Rams, we will battle as hard as we can, and we will leave it on the field. Every time, we are going to leave it out there. Every thing we got will stay on the field. And that’s what we have always been about.”

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Oct. 22's ASU vs. Clark Atlanta football game moved to Valdosta

ALBANY, GA — Before a single snap has even been hiked on the Albany State football team’s 2011 season, it’s already turning into an instant classic — literally.

The Rams, who were already slated to play in three “Classics” this season when the schedule was released earlier this month, added another one this week when the road game against Clark Atlanta was curiously moved from Atlanta to Valdosta by the Panthers, who will call the game the South Georgia Heritage Classic.

“It was Clark’s home game, and it’s their call,” ASU Sports Information Director Edythe Bradley told The Herald on Friday shortly after the announcement was made. “We’ve been hearing that moving the game was something (Clark) had been looking to do, and I guess a sponsor must’ve approached them to make it happen. (Financially), it’s a good thing for our school.”

Money saved or not, head coach Mike White was not a fan of the move.




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ASU stars shine at annual Alice Coachman meet

ALBANY, GA — Brittany Carter found herself all alone as she approached the starting line Saturday for the 800-meter run.  “I didn’t believe it,” said the Albany State sophomore, who waited and hoped for another runner to step onto the track. “I was the only one on paper (scheduled to run in the 800), but I thought somebody else was going to run.”

But there she stood — all by herself on ASU’s home track during the 19th annual Alice Coachman Track & Field Invitational. She was just one of several athletes who were on the cusp of qualifying for the Division II National Championships. And Saturday’s meet offered those runners a final chance to post qualifying times.

Carter needed a 2:14 to provisionally qualify in the 800, something that becomes tougher to do as a solo runner.  “Usually I have someone to run with and get my first lap time. Usually I practice for a 1:03 first lap, so I kind of knew how to run that by myself,” said Carter, who ran her first lap in 1:04. “The second lap I had a strategy to pick it up at the 300 mark and at the 150 try to finish strong.”

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Stillman Captures Fifth SIAC Championship; Cagle Hurls Complete Game in 3-2 Win

ALBANY, Ga. – Junior left-hander Josh Cagle fired his second complete game in less than 48 hours, pitching the Stillman College baseball team to a 3-2 win over Albany State University in the championship game of the 2011 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament at Paul Eames Complex on Sunday afternoon.

The Brookwood native was named the 2011 SIAC Tournament Most Valuable Player after his second complete game in the four-day event. The former Tuscaloosa Academy standout worked 18 innings in his two tournament starts and allowed five runs (3 ER) on nine hits with 21 strikeouts and two walks.

Shortstop Josh Beal and first baseman Jarius Brown were also named to the All-Tournament team.

Stillman College 2011 SIAC Tournament Baseball Champions - ROSTER

 Stillman (25-17) won all four games at the 2011 SIAC Tournament Championship in winning its fourth tournament championship in the last five years. The Tigers, who have won SIAC championships in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011, also secured the league's automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Division II Tournament, which will begin on May 19. The pairings and location will be announced at a later date by the NCAA.

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Stillman faces Albany State for SIAC title

ASU Coach Kenyon Conner

ALBANY, Ga. - The Stillman College baseball team's quest for a fourth Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship was put on hold Saturday afternoon at the Paul Eames Complex.

The Tigers were scheduled to play in the championship game at 5 p.m. but the game has been rescheduled for today at 11 a.m. after the Albany State University Rams won both elimination games against Tuskegee and Claflin to reach the championship game.

NCAA and SIAC rules prohibit a team from playing three games in the same calendar day, so the championship game was rescheduled for today.

Stillman (24-17) is the only undefeated team remaining in the SIAC Tournament and needs just one win to claim the school's fourth conference title in the last five years. The Tigers won tournament crowns in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

ASU arms keep Rams alive

ALBANY — An Albany State baseball team that entered the 2011 season with uncertainty and inexperience is now two wins away from winning its second straight SIAC Tournament championship.

“Everybody doubted us because we had a bunch of freshmen,” ASU interim coach Kenyon Conner said about a Rams squad that doesn’t have a single senior. “They didn’t think we would win 20 games, but we did. They didn’t think we would make it to the championship game.”

On Saturday, they did that, too. The sixth-seeded Rams (29-24) capitalized on a pair of strong pitching performances to beat Tuskegee University and Claflin University in back-to-back loser’s bracket games at Paul Eames Park, advancing to today’s championship series with Stillman College.

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Albany State University survives long, long day

ALBANY, GA — Albany State interim baseball coach Kenyan Conner was momentarily speechless following Friday night’s SIAC Tournament game against Miles. Then he aptly described his team’s 18-12 win. “Long,” he said about the four-hour game where his team nearly blew a 15-0 lead.

The sixth-seeded Rams hung on and are still alive in the SIAC Tournament, but now they have no room for error entering the final two days of the event.

After committing five errors in a 5-3 quarterfinal loss to the No. 2 seed Stillman College Tigers, the Rams avoided bowing out of the double elimination tournament Friday at Paul Eames Sports Complex by knocking off Miles.

'Bama athletes think about home

ALBANY, GA - Some people who survived those storms in Alabama are in Albany this week at the SIAC Baseball Tournament. While they're playing ball or rooting for their teams, all of them said their hearts are back home.

The Stillman College baseball Tigers from Tuscaloosa had a former teammate killed in the tornadoes that flattened their town. Three members of the Miles College baseball Bears from Birmingham lost their rental homes at school, while two players' families lost their homes.

Many of the fans at today's games lived through the killer storms. Katie Watkins' fiance is one of the coaches for Stillman College's baseball team. She was in her apartment in Northport during the tornadoes. "He had gone to be with a girl, to protect her...

Defending champion Rams open 2011 SIAC tourney today at home

ALBANY, GA — When Albany State junior shortstop William Smalls talks, interim baseball coach Kenyon Conner said his team listens. That was clear during Wednesday afternoon’s practice when Smalls spoke about preparing for this week’s SIAC baseball tournament, which starts today at Paul Eames Park.

“We are ready to play, man,” the SIAC Player of the Year candidate said. “Just like in the military, get your soldiers up and get ready to go to war.” “War” starts today at 10 a.m. when the No. 6 Rams (25-23 overall, 10-5 SIAC) host No. 3 Tuskegee (16-15, 11-4) in the opener of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament.

The Rams, who have won 11 of their last 18 games, hosted and won last year’s SIAC Tournament. Conner said pressure to repeat lingers in the back of his players’ minds.

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Defending champion ASU Rams open 2011 SIAC tourney today at home

ALBANY, GA — When Albany State junior shortstop William Smalls talks, interim baseball coach Kenyon Conner said his team listens. That was clear during Wednesday afternoon’s practice when Smalls spoke about preparing for this week’s SIAC baseball tournament, which starts today at Paul Eames Park.

“We are ready to play, man,” the SIAC Player of the Year candidate said. “Just like in the military, get your soldiers up and get ready to go to war.”

“War” starts today at 10 a.m. when the No. 6 Rams (25-23 overall, 10-5 SIAC) host No. 3 Tuskegee (16-15, 11-4) in the opener of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament. The Rams, who have won 11 of their last 18 games, hosted and won last year’s SIAC Tournament. Conner said pressure to repeat lingers in the back of his players’ minds.

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ASU men’s hoops signs four, aims for big rebound after tough season

ALBANY, GA — Josh Alford, Justin Wilcox, Tray Pearce and Tyrell Johnson. Remember those names. They’re the quartet of players Albany State’s men’s basketball program welcomed with open arms Friday during three separate signing ceremonies as the Rams look to rebuild and move past what happened a year ago when they finished 7-22 and dead last in the SIAC.

“All these guys are winners, from high school to junior college they won,” ASU coach Chris Cameron said. “We went out and tried to get guys who can restore that winning tradition — and I think we’ve done that.”



Restoring the winning tradition starts with Alford, the high-scoring former Worth County star who signed out of high school with Middle Georgia College. Cameron, who said Friday he’d had his eye on Alford from as early as his sophomore year when Alford attended one of ASU’s summer camps, got a chance to see him this past season during MGC’s trip to Albany to face Albany Tech.

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ASU baseball finishes off series with Morehouse with 14-10 win

ALBANY, GA — Fresh off a doubleheader sweep of Morehouse on Saturday, the Albany State baseball team made it 3-for-3 when it won a slugfest, 14-10, in the series finale Sunday. The Rams moved to 21-16 overall and 8-1 in the SIAC one year after winning the conference title.

Dallas Neloms led the way, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBI, while posting two hits each were Corbin Williams (two runs scored, RBI), former Westover star Jacob Campbell (two runs scored, RBI), Brandon Small (two runs scored, RBI) and Desmond Towns (three runs scored, two RBI).


Videographer: albanystatega; The Past, Present and Future: The Role of HBCUs in Higher Education

ASU mashes Morehouse in twin bill sweep, moves to 7-1 in SIAC

ALBANY, GA — Talk about laying it on thick. That’s what Albany State’s baseball team did to Morehouse College in both games of Saturday’s doubleheader. The Maroon Tigers (10-19 overall, 1-7 SIAC) did not stand a chance as they tried the bounce back from a 20-7 thumping in Game 1, only to fall in similar fashion by a final of 12-2 in the night cap.

“I thought we came into the second game with a little more sense of urgency — (we) jumped right on them,” said ASU interim coach Kenyan Conner, whose team improved to 20-16 overall and 7-1 in the SIAC. “Anytime you don’t have a lot of walks and (play) good defense then you will always give yourself a chance to win.

But the effort by the Rams, who won the SIAC title last season under longtime coach Edward Taylor before Taylor left and Conner took over, on the defensive side of the ball was just one reason for their dominance in this meeting as their bats got hot early — and stayed that way for the entire afternoon.

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Albany State: Coach Steve Smith -- Two-and-done

ALBANY, GA — The Albany State “Gold Rush” offense has officially lost a little bit of its glow.

Steve Smith, the school’s offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, turned in his resignation March 7 to head coach Mike White to take over as running game coordinator and offensive line coach at Tennessee State, a Division I program in Nashville.

Stanley Jennings - 2010 SIAC MVP and Offensive Player
 of the Year. 

“I wasn’t looking for another opportunity, it just happened,” Smith, a Chicago native, told The Herald via telephone Thursday afternoon. “It was just a good opportunity, closer to home, bigger school, little better financial situation — all of that.”

Smith was afforded the opportunity by Tennessee State offensive coordinator Mike Jones, who Smith worked with during his time with the NFL Europe’s Frankfurt Galaxy in Germany.

White confirmed Smith’s resignation Thursday.

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Even without Eric Salley, Claflin Panthers record victory

Eric Salley's playing days with Claflin University are apparently over and teammates and coaches were placed under a self-imposed gag order by the administration about commenting about the ongoing controversy which abruptly ended his college basketball career.

"I have no comments about it," Claflin men's basketball coach Ron Woodard said. "All the issues with him should be directed to (Claflin Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing Sonja) Bennett."

Yet as the All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference guard inconspicuously sat in the Jonas T. Kennedy Center stands Saturday afternoon as the Panthers trailed Albany State by 11 points in the second half, his on-court non-presence was not easy to ignore.

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ASU women flatten FVSU, seize control of No. 1 in SIAC

Albany, Ga. - Good things come to those who wait. Just ask the Albany State women’s basketball team, which had to wait a little over a month to get another crack at Fort Valley State after the Lady Wildcats handed the Lady Rams their first conference loss (74-69) in early January.

So when the time finally came for ASU to take the court against one of its fierce rivals, the Lady Rams did not hold anything back, especially Kourtney Alexander who scored a career-high 35 points, as ASU soundly defeated FVSU, 82-69, Saturday night.

“We needed this win,” ASU coach Robert Skinner said of the victory, which propelled into sole possession of No. 1 in the SIAC. Skinner than added: “This is what we have been waiting for, a chance to get an opportunity to get Fort Valley back in Albany and it feels good and we are really pleased with the win (Saturday night).”

The win gives ASU (15-9, 14-4 in the SIAC) sole possession of the No. 1 spot in the conference, while FVSU (15-9, 13-5) drops to the second spot.

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2nd-half explosion puts DSU in D-II semis

ALBANY, GA. — Delta State spotted undefeated Albany State an early touchdown, then used a dominating second-half performance to beat the Golden Rams 28-7 Saturday and advance to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II football playoffs.

DSU (10-3) will play Shepherd University (11-2) of West Virginia in the semifinals on Saturday. The site and time will be announced today. The game will be televised live by CBS College Sports.
Shepherd advanced with a 49-14 victory on Saturday over Mercyhurst.

Albany State (11-1) took the opening kickoff and drove 74 yards for a touchdown, scoring on a 35-yard pass from Stanley Jennings to Ronnie Childs. With the game barely four minutes old, DSU trailed.

Not to be

ALBANY, Ga. — The Rams came into their Division II quarterfinal playoff game Saturday on the verge of making history. Unfortunately, they repeated it. Albany State fell to another Gulf South Conference team in the postseason, this time, 28-7, to Delta State on Saturday at Albany State University Coliseum, thus ending another magical undefeated season. Only this go round, the Rams beat themselves.

“(Delta State) just played better than we did (Saturday). We made a lot of mistakes and they capitalized on them, and that really was the difference in the game,” ASU head coach Mike White said. “We talked a little about 2004 (when we lost to Valdosta State in the quarterfinals) and how we’ve (had) this opportunity before. We didn’t want to get behind because they have such a good combination on offense, so we knew we had to stay on top of them.

Albany State falls to Delta State in D-II quarters, season ends at 11-1

Albany State scores the first points of the game Saturday against Delta State in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals, then doesn't score again the rest of the game in a 28-7 loss to the Statesmen, ending their amazing season at 11-1 and two wins shy of the national championship.

SO LONG, SENIORS: A historic ASU team says goodbye to historic players

ALBANY, GA — This season has been one to remember for Albany State football fans. Close games, winning streaks and home-field advantage in the playoffs mean the area won’t be forgetting the 2010 Rams any time soon. But with the 28-7 defeat to Delta State on Saturday in the D-II quarterfinals, ASU lost more than just a game. It lost a bunch of key seniors — Jacob Hardwick, Ronnie Childs, Mario Fuller, Prathon Wilkerson, LiRonnie Davis and Robert Welton to name a few.

“That’s always a difficult one for a coach, because most of those guys are five-year guys. You’ve been with them for a while,” ASU head coach Mike White said. “It’s a good relationship and we hate to see it go out this way.”

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DSU national title run gets ready for road bump -- Albany State

Delta State faces a tough obstacle of winning the Division II national championship. The 13th ranked Statesmen (9-3) travel to No. 9 Albany State (11-0) in a quarterfinal contest on Saturday at noon. Delta State is coming off its best game of the season, routing North Alabama 47-24 in the second round last week at Parker Field.

“That was the most complete game we put together this year,” Statesmen coach Ron Roberts said. “It was an outstanding performance across the board and a total team effort.” For Delta State to reach the semifinals, the Statesmen will likely need a repeat performance against the unbeaten Golden Rams. Albany State and the Statesmen are ranked one-two in the South Central II Region.

Scouting the Statesmen

ALBANY, GA — The scouting report is in. Delta State, which takes on Albany State on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II football playoffs, is coming to town, and the Statesmen (9-3) will be the second straight team that the Rams (11-0) face for the first-time ever. So what does head coach Mike White and ASU know about them? Not much, aside from watching film, except that they are 10-4 in the playoffs, won the Division II National Championship in 2000 and have an explosive offense.

But just as much as the Rams don’t know about Delta State, the Statesmen don’t know about Albany State. Which is why DSU head coach Ron Roberts and his team are preparing for the best.

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Albany State Rams enter Division II playoffs with clean slate

Wingate (9-2) at Albany State (10-0).

2nd round of the NCAA D-II playoffs.

1 p.m. today.

At Albany State University Coliseum.

Local Radio: 98.1 FM.
Updates: twitter.com/AlbHeraldSports.

Wingate U. Audio Broadcast: Audio
Live Video Broadcast: NCAA 1:00 PM Video Broadcast

Ryan Brown, Wayne Shadrick and Tylan Merkerson will bring Wingate Bulldog fans the audio broadcast. The Wingate University Sports Network pre-game show will begin at 12:15 p.m. Kick-off is slated for 1 p.m.

ALBANY, GA — It’s officially a new college football season in Dougherty County. That perfect 10-0 run through the regular season by Albany State? Old news. The NCAA Division II playoffs are here, which means slates are clean, tensions are high and losers go home.

In the Rams’ case, though, it’s lose and stay home as they host Wingate (9-2) in the second round today after the Bulldogs — No. 14 in the nation in total offense — defeated Morehouse, 63-41, in the first round last week, while the Rams had a bye.


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