Tennessee State Releases 2011 Football Schedule

Tennessee State University Athletic Director Teresa Phillips has released the tentative 2011 football schedule without the Atlanta Classic against perennial opponent, Florida A&M University.

"The Atlanta Classic is sponsored by the 100 Black Men of Atlanta and they decided to bring in another opponent to face Florida A&M," said Phillips. “We are in active negotiations to schedule an FBS or prominent FCS team to replace that game this year.” She concluded saying, “We expect to complete our schedule by the end of the month.”

The Tigers and Rattlers have played each other for twenty-eight consecutive years with FAMU holding a 26-25-1 edge in the all-time series. TSU beat FAMU 29-18 last year in Atlanta in front of a crowd of 54,202.

Phillips added, "Considering our long-standing rivalry with Florida A&M, we are looking to negotiate future home-and-home games with the Rattlers to renew and sustain our series."

Tennessee State University Tentative 2011 Football Schedule
Date Opponent Site Event Time
Sep 3 Southern Nashville, TN John Merritt Classic TBA
Sep 10 Jackson State Memphis, TN Southern Heritage Classic TBA
Sep 17 TBA TBA    TBA
Sep 24 TBA TBA    TBA
Oct 1 Austin Peay State* Clarksville, TN    TBA
Oct 8 SE Missouri State* Nashville, TN    TBA
Oct 15 Tennessee Tech * Cookeville, TN    TBA
Oct 22 Eastern Kentucky * Richmond, KY    TBA
Oct 29 O P E N     
Nov 5 Eastern Illinois * Charleston, Il    TBA
Nov 12 Tennessee Martin * Nashville, TN Homecoming TBA
Nov 19 Jacksonville State * Nashville, TN Senior Day TBA

* = Ohio Valley Conference Game
Home games in Bold

Author: Tennessee State Sports Information

TSU out, Southern may be FAMU's opponent in the next Atlanta Classic

Florida A&M and Tennessee State University definitely won't meet in this year's Atlanta Football Classic, while Southern University is the apparent front-runner to replace the Tigers in the late-September game on the Rattlers' schedule.

While both FAMU and Southern athletic officials have been mum about negotiations for both teams to renew their long-time rivalry, several sources have said that the Rattlers and Tigers will meet this season for the first time since 2008.

TSU football coach gets a pass on first evaluation

Tennessee State's football players and coaches will move into a plush new locker room soon and have an indoor facility for practice, which is rare for most Football Championship Subdivision programs.

It might seem odd for a 3-8 team to be rewarded after its first season under Coach Rod Reed. But TSU Athletics Director Teresa Phillips points out the new amenities are not a reward, but a sign of support from an administration that expects improvement.

Phillips met recently with Reed to give her season-ending evaluation, as she does with all sports, and cut him some slack for the dismal record because he dealt with injuries to so many key players.

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