Miles College upsets Albany State 20-17 to win SIAC championship

Atlanta, Georgia -- The Miles College Golden Bears, under first-year coach Reginald Ruffin, are the champions of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Bears upset Albany State 20-17 on a 29-yard Patton Chambers field goal with nine seconds left in the first SIAC Championship Game on Saturday in Atlanta.

Miles, 7-4 and the Western Division champs going into the game, ended Albany State's bid for a seventh straight bid in the Division II football playoffs.

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Miles upsets Albany State for SIAC championship

Make room for Miles at the top of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The Golden Bears stunned Albany State for a 20-17 victory on Patton Chambers’ 29-yard field goal with nine seconds left for a 20-17 victory at Clark Atlanta’s Panther Stadium. Miles (7-4) earned its first SIAC championship and knocked Albany State (8-3) out of contention for its seventh consecutive bid to the NCAA Division II playoffs.

It’s the first time since 2000 that either Albany State or Tuskegee didn’t win the SIAC. With only four winning seasons since 1963 and a 3-8 record in 2010, Miles seemed like an unlikely candidate to break through. But first-year coach Reginald Ruffin led Miles to the West division championship and won the league’s first championship game.

“When I interviewed for the job, we didn’t talk about just competing,” Ruffin said. “We talked about winning, and winning right now.”

 photo gallery

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2011 Circle City Classic Tickets Now on Sale

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky State University's Director of Athletics, Dr. Denisha L. Hendricks, announced that tickets for the 28th Annual Circle City Classic were made available for sale today. The Thorobreds will battle Albany State University on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.

Tickets, which range in price from $10 (students only) to $50, are available for purchase at KSU's Department of Athletics (in Bell Gymnasium) and the Office of Alumni Relations (in Hume Hall). The Circle City Classic is a joint collaboration between Indiana Black Expo. Inc. and the Indiana Sports Corporation. The net proceeds from the Classic help fund scholarships and support youth initiatives for each organization. Since 1984, over 1 million dollars have been awarded to deserving Indiana natives who pursue higher education.

For more information about purchasing Classic tickets, please call 502-597-6011 or visit www.ksuthorobreds.com's Fan Zone. To ensure you are seated with other Thorobred fans, you are encouraged to purchase tickets from KSU.

The seating chart is below, but you can also click the following link to view the 2011 Circle City Classic Seating Chart.

By Kentucky State University Athletics



VISIT: KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: KSUTHOROBREDS
VISIT: ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: ASURAMS

Albany State Rams: Climb to the top

Albany, GA - Mike White knows how to build championships, step by sandy step. White, who has coached the Albany State football team to five SIAC titles in the last decade, sat in the bed of his truck as the sun rose early Monday morning, encouraging his players as they ran up and down the famed sand dunes near the ASU football field.

“These dunes have been around for a long time, and we have been running them for a long time,” White reflected. “(The players) are always excited about getting started and excited about coming over, because this is the way we start off each year. Hit the dunes and see what kind of shape we are in.”

It’s a tradition that has cemented itself in the Rams’ program — one that is built on determination and teamwork, which were both on display Monday morning.

“It’s all about coming together as a team, and seeing who is ready to have your back,” junior Justin Blash said as he was catching his breath and brushing sand off his hands.

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Albany State Rams looking for big things from passing game

ALBANY, GA — Uyl Joyner knows exactly what his bread and butter is going to be this year.

After all, Albany State certainly feasted on it last season. Star quarterback and reigning SIAC MVP Stanley Jennings is back for his senior season, and Joyner — the Rams’ new offensive coordinator — is ready to hit the ground running.

Joyner and the rest of the ASU coaching staff spoke to alumni, fans and media at Friday’s 12th annual Quarterback Club Kickoff Football Reception at Eula Lovett Hall, and excitement floated around the room every time Jennings’ name was brought up.

“We are looking for big things out of the quarterback play this year,” said Joyner, who will also remain the quarterbacks coach — a position he has held for the past two seasons. “That’s the one solid area we do have on offense. Stanley is ready to go, and I am ready to run with him.”

Jennings, a 2010 Harlon Hill Trophy nominee and...

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2011 Circle City Classic Tickets Now on Sale

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky State University's Director of Athletics, Dr. Denisha L. Hendricks, announced that tickets for the 28th Annual Circle City Classic were made available for sale today. The Thorobreds will battle Albany State University on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.

Tickets, which range in price from $10 (students only) to $50, are available for purchase at KSU's Department of Athletics (in Bell Gymnasium) and the Office of Alumni Relations (in Hume Hall). The Circle City Classic is a joint collaboration between Indiana Black Expo. Inc. and the Indiana Sports Corporation. The net proceeds from the Classic help fund scholarships and support youth initiatives for each organization. Since 1984, over 1 million dollars have been awarded to deserving Indiana natives who pursue higher education.

For more information about purchasing Classic tickets, please call 502-597-6011 or visit www.ksuthorobreds.com's Fan Zone. To ensure you are seated with other Thorobred fans, you are encouraged to purchase tickets from KSU.

The seating chart is below, but you can also click the following link to view the 2011 Circle City Classic Seating Chart.

By Kentucky State University Athletics



VISIT: KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: KSUTHOROBREDS
VISIT: ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: ASURAMS

Spring is in the air: Blue vs. Gold scrimmage tonight

ALBANY, GA — Steaks or hot dogs? That’s what’s on the line tonight when Albany State holds its annual Blue and Gold scrimmage spring football game.

The game starts at 6 p.m. and tickets are $10 for anyone who wants to get a glimpse of what the 2011 Rams are going to look like next fall. The game is sponsored by the 100 Black Men of Albany, who will have free T-Shirts for fans who arrive early for the game.

Everybody at ASU should be eating steak after the season the Rams produced last fall when they won the SIAC title and advanced deep into the Division II playoffs. By the time it was over ASU had been named 2010 SBN Black College national champions.

It’s that memorable season that has ignited spring practice, and the progress and promise will both be on the field at the ASU Coliseum, where the rules are simple: Winners eat steak, losers get hot dogs.

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Stillman faces Albany State in SIAC series

TUSCALOOSA | The Stillman College baseball team, riding a six-game conference winning streak, will take on Albany State in a key Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series this weekend at historic Eagle Stadium in Ozark.

The teams will play a nine-inning game tonight at 7, then wrap up the series with a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. The doubleheader will consist of two, seven-inning games.

Stillman (12-13, 6-0 SIAC) will serve as the home team for the three-game series to be played in one of the state’s oldest minor league ballparks.

Ozark stadium to host its first four-year college baseball game

OZARK, AL – Several baseball fans and players from Tuscaloosa and Albany, Ga., are expected to be in Ozark this weekend for the city’s first baseball game with four-year, Division 2 college players.

Baseball teams from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa and Albany State University are playing a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Eagle Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday and will have a double-header at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Department of Leisure Services Director Steve Sherrill said Auburn University in Montgomery will play at the stadium against Thomas University in Thomasville, Ga., on April 12.

The stadium, which seats 800, was built in 1946 for the Ozark Cardinals Class D Minor League Baseball team. Sherrill said renovations to the facility have since drawn several junior college and high school baseball teams to the city for regional and state tournaments.

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SIAC Basketball: Fort Valley State Lady Wildcats top Albany State Lady Rams

Kendra Evans doesn’t care much for sitting on the bench. But after picking up two early fouls in the first half, that’s exactly what she did Saturday against Albany State. But the second half was a different story.

Evans spearheaded an 11-0 run to start the second half, scoring seven points and giving the Lady Wildcats the lead, and then she came up with two steals and two assists in the final three minutes to lead her team to a come from behind 74-69 win. The win improves the Lady Wildcats to 6-1 in the SIAC, while it was the Lady Rams’ first loss in the conference.

Stillman rallies past Claflin

ORANGEBURG, S.C. - Senior point guard Rakee Anderson scored 32 points on Saturday, and the Stillman College men's basketball team rallied to defeat Claflin 75-75 in a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game. Stillman, 6-3 overall and 5-2 in league play, trailed 43-31 at halftime. Anderson started the second half by nailing three 3-point shots.

He went 10-for-17 from the field, 8-for-11 on 3-point tries and 4-for-6 from the foul line. He also had three assists and two rebounds. Senior LaJay Sears, a guard and forward, added 13 points. He collected seven rebounds and had five assists and two steals. Guard Lee Riley had 10 points, three rebounds and three assists. Center Kevin Johnson, who scored eight points, grabbed six rebounds.

KSU takes doubleheader from Paine College

It took two overtimes to finish, but the Kentucky State men’s basketball team overcame a 15-point deficit to defeat Paine College 94-87 at Carter Gymnasium in Augusta, Ga. on Saturday. The win moves the Thorobreds to 7-1 on the season with the same record in the SIAC.

KSU managed to keep it close until the 4:45 mark of the first half, when their 24-23 deficit became a 35-23 lead for Paine following a 11-0 run by the Lions to end the half. The teams were relatively even at the midway point, as both squads pulled down 17 rebounds. However, two fewer turnovers for KSU didn’t translate into a lead for the Thorobreds, who committed nine to Paine’s 11.

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NCAA Division II Playoffs: Albany State Rams A.D. declares Saturday ‘ASU Day’

ALBANY — The Albany State University Coliseum can hold roughly 10,000 fans.

And come Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Rams host Delta State in the Division II quarterfinals, ASU Athletic Director Richard Williams says he would be shocked to see even one empty seat in the house. “I expect no empty seats whatsoever. I really think, for this game, (the Coliseum) will be busting at the seams,” Williams said Thursday evening, just two days before the Rams kick off in what could be a history-making moment for the football team if it’s able to beat the Statesmen and reach the D-II semifinals for the first time ever.

ASU Rams Quarterback Stanley Jennings SIAC MVP

“I was thrilled last week that we (got 5,392 fans) to come out (to the second-round game) against Wingate being that it was Thanksgiving and the students weren’t in town. And I say ‘thrilled’ because to have that many fans come out, it lets us know that the community — not just Albany State fans, but almost the entire community of Albany — showed up and supported us. I was pleasantly surprised and I think I will be again Saturday.”

GAME TIME: DECEMBER 4, 2010 @ 1:00 PM ET
LIVE INTERNET VIDEO BROADCAST - CLICK HERE
LOCAL RADIO: 98.1 FM (Albany, Ga.)
DELTA STATE INTERNET RADIO - CLICK HERE

Delta State (9-3) at Albany State (11-0), 12 p.m. CST

The Statesmen advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for fourth time, and first time since 2008, with a convincing 47-24 win over North Alabama last weekend, avenging a 31-7 regular season loss to the Lions. Delta State racked up 524 yards of total offense, including 359 yards on the ground, against the Lions, and held UNA to just 66 yards rushing.

The Rams moved on to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2004 and second time in program history as they fended off a pesky Wingate squad, 30-28, last Saturday. Wingate narrowed the Rams’ lead to just two points, scoring a TD with less than two minutes remaining and then tried an onside kick, but ASU’s LiRonnie Davis recovered the ball to squelch the comeback. Davis also scored two TDs on the day.

DSU sports a balanced offensive attack, and ranks seventh in the nation in total offense with 479.08 yards per game, led by quarterback Micah Davis, and running backs Trevor Deed and Brandon Lucas, who each ran for over 100 yards against UNA. The Rams will counter with the top scoring defense in the nation as they are allowing just 11.55 points per game, and giving up just 217.64 yards per game, which ranks third in Division II.

This will be the first meeting between the two programs. DSU is 10-4 all-time in NCAA postseason play, while the Rams are 3-11.

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Albany State: Nine down, one to go

ALBANY, GA — Rams fans, it’s officially time to start thinking about a 14th conference championship. Albany State cruised to a 44-5 win against Stillman on Saturday to remain undefeated at 9-0 overall and 8-0 in the SIAC on the season, and set up a Fountain City Classic against Fort Valley State (8-1 overall, 7-1 in the SIAC) with a bit more on the line than bragging rights.

“This is championship week,” said senior receiver Ronnie Childs, who finished with four catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. “We’re going to work hard every day, lift weights two or three times a week and let (offensive coordinator Steve) Smith put us in a position to make plays and let our defense carry us. All we have to do is put up some points.”

It didn’t take many points Saturday as the Rams held the Tigers (1-8, 1-7) to just 5 — the lowest of any ASU opponent this season.

ASU-STILLMAN NOTEBOOK: ASU win bittersweet for players, fans

ALBANY, GA — Ronnie Childs Sr. has been to every single one of his son’s football games.

From little league to college, the star wideout’s father did whatever he had to do to give him his support, even if it meant missing work. So it’s no surprise Childs Sr., along with his wife Patissia, were there for the senior’s last regular-season home game, waiting outside the locker room to congratulate him on yet another productive game Saturday following ASU’s 44-5 win vs. Stillman.

“It’s (possibly) the last time I’m gonna see him (here) and I know Ronnie’s gonna miss it,” Childs Sr. said. “(The stadium) seemed like part of us, so I don’t know how to take it. It’s the last one, unless we come back for the playoffs.”

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Albany State comes back, edges Morehouse

Albany State scored a touchdown with 18 seconds to play Saturday for a come-from-behind 13-12 win over Morehouse.

The Golden Rams’ Ronnie Childs caught a 6-yard pass from Stanley Jennings in the corner of the end zone to keep Albany State undefeated. Morehouse players -- and fans who were congregated just off the field -- protested loudly that Childs’ foot was out of bounds on the catch. A scuffed foot mark on the end line was Morehouse’s claim as evidence. The back official saw it and called the head referee over to see the mark, but the head referee was having none of that. The play stood.

“It hurts really bad,” Morehouse coach Rich Freeman said. “I thought we were one first down away from getting the win, and we took a...

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Morehouse junior Lewis Eichelberger wowed the audience attending the Dedicatory Performance in the Emma and Joe Adams Concert Hall in the new Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College. Lewis was accompanied by professor Dr. Jefferson Ethridge on piano. Director Spike Lee took film classes from young Eichelberger's father, Dr. Herb Eichelberger, a professor at Clark Atlanta University.

ALBANY STATE-MOREHOUSE: Just about as big as it gets

ALBANY, GA — There are a lot of storylines floating around Albany State’s football game against Morehouse in Atlanta today.

First, there’s the debate about which team is hungrier. Morehouse will be motivated after quarterback Stanley Jennings guaranteed the Rams wouldn’t lose the rest of the season, but ASU (7-0 overall, 6-0 in the SIAC) will be motivated to stay undefeated after its similar winning streak was snapped at this point last year.

Then there’s the ground game. Morehouse and David Carter are tops in the conference in rushing offense (210.9 yards a game), but Albany State has the best rushing defense (67.7 yards allowed per game). And finally, there’s the playoff atmosphere. It’s homecoming for the Tigers (6-1, 5-1), who are No. 19 in the AFCA Division II poll behind the Rams, who are No. 8.

State football capsules

Albany State at Morehouse
When, where: 2 p.m. today, Atlanta

Key matchup: Morehouse defensive tackle Derrin Nettles vs. Albany State quarterback Stanley Jennings. Much has been said about both players. They are the best at what they do in the conference and how one gets after the other could determine the outcome of the game. Albany State is 6-0 in the SIAC; Morehouse is 5-1.

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Albany State Rams slay Lane Dragons, 43-13

ALBANY, GA — It’s good to be home. After three long road trips in four games to start the season, the Albany State football team returned to the Albany State University Coliseum on Saturday night, using a fourth-quarter surge to beat a pesky Lane team, 43-13, and improve to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the SIAC.

It wasn’t as easy as the Rams had hoped, however, as the Dragons (0-5, 0-4) used a blitz all game long that stumped ASU and quarterback Stanley Jennings until the final frame.

“We actually went into the game thinking we could run the ball a lot better than we did,” head coach Mike White said. “The passing game (ended up being) there, (because) they were throwing a lot of people down (at us). So we were able to get them for some big plays.”

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SSU, Albany State renew rivalry

Can Savannah State University's football team beat a lower-level opponent?

The Tigers, members of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), will get a second opportunity today when they play Albany State, an NCAA Division II member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Two weeks ago, Fort Valley State, also a member of the SIAC, scored 41 unanswered points en route to a 41-10 victory over SSU. SSU (0-3) will play Albany State (3-0) at 2 p.m. today at Memorial Stadium in Waycross in the "Rumble in the Swamp."

Rams set to 'Rumble' against Tigers in Waycross

ALBANY, GA — One Tigers rivalry game down, one to go. After its 34-6 whipping of the Tuskegee Tigers last week, the Albany State football team heads out to Waycross today to take on the Savannah State Tigers — and renew a rivalry — in the inaugural “Rumble in the Swamp.” And while the two schools haven’t played each other since 2004, the history between them is deeper than the bogs of the Okefenokee.

“I’m excited about the game,” ASU head coach Mike White said this week. “They’re somebody we haven’t played in a while.” White was a star defensive lineman on the 1975-1978 Rams teams that beat Savannah State three out of the four times they played, but the tradition goes back further than that. Much, much further.

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Albany State Rams rack up awards, land at No. 16 in poll

ALBANY, GA — The Golden Rams are living up to their name these days, and they have the gold to prove it. The Albany State football team racked up some more awards this week, as the SIAC announced Monday that multiple Rams earned honors for their performance in a 34-6 win against Tuskegee Saturday.

Quarterback Stanley Jennings earned Newcomer of the Week after he completed 9 of 15 passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 83 yards. Starting center Michael Mavromichalis was also honored, earning Co-Offensive Linemen of the Week with Fort Valley State’s Bobby Young. “Big Mike” and the Rams didn’t allow a sack against the Tigers as the Albany State offense racked up 362 total yards on offense.

Albany State Golden Rams pay back Tuskegee in 34-6 romp

TUSKEGEE, Ala. -- One of the Albany State football team's biggest games of the season is now in its rear-view mirror. The Rams crushed SIAC rival Tuskegee on Saturday in Alabama, 34-6, to move to 3-0 on the season and in the SIAC, offically making the Rams the team to beat for this year's title. The win also avenged last season's 21-19 home loss in which the Tigers ended ASU's undefeated season and went on to win the SIAC title, while the Rams dropped three of their last four to end the season.

Stanley Jennings threw three TD passes -- two to Octavius Staton and one to Ronnie Childs -- and Robert Welton and LiRonnie Davis added rushing scores. The win was also significant because it ended Tuskegee's 24-game win streak at home dating back to 2004. The last team to beat the Tigers before that streak started? Albany State.

Take that, Tuskegee

TUSKEGEE, Ala. — There’s really no better way to describe Albany State’s dominating victory against Tuskegee on Saturday afternoon than to borrow from the song “All I Do is Win,” by D.J. Khaled, which the ASU band plays at the end of every halftime show performance.

ASU (3-0) didn’t do anything but win Saturday, jumping out to a 20-0 halftime lead and cruising to a 34-6 win against Tuskegee (2-1) that snapped the Tigers’ 24-game home win streak dating back to 2004 — not to mention Tuskegee’s eight-game win streak in the process.

“They have a great home-field advantage, but the streak started with us,” said head coach Mike White, referring to the fact Tuskegee’s last home loss came in 2004 to ASU. “We just needed to win and play well.” That they did.



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ASU volleyball sets schedule, snags two SIAC preseason nods

ALBANY, GA — Nine-time defending SIAC champions. Has a nice ring to it, eh? Of course it does, only Albany State coach Robert Skinner thinks he knows another phrase that sounds even better: 10-time defending SIAC champs. No. 10 is what’s at stake as the Lady Rams get set to kick off their 2010 season, the schedule for which was released late last week.

But before any of the conference’s teams take the court, there was some housekeeping to handle Wednesday when the SIAC announced its 2010 Preseason All-SIAC Teams as ASU landed two players on that list: Seniors Latrice Lewis and Pricilla Sena. Surprised a team that’s nine-time defending champ only had two players named preseason all-conference — and on the Second Team, at that? Don’t be. Skinner wasn’t.

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