Delaware State Holds on to Beat VMI on the Road

Lexington, VA - Kermit Blount made a memorable debut as head coach of the Delaware State football team. In a game marked by a more than one hour delay to start the second half due to lightning, Blount led the Hornets to a 24-21 victory over VMI in the season opener for each team before 6,209 fans at Foster Stadium this afternoon.

Nick Elko threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns and Justin Wilson had two TD catches to lead Delaware State's 346-yard attack. The Hornet defense forced three turnovers and made a key fourth down stop late in the fourth quarter on VMI's final possession.

"This is a very special win for me, but more importantly for our players," said Blount, who was head coach at Winston-Salem State University for 17 years for accepting the DSU job last February.

"Our players have done everything we've asked since I arrived, and I couldn't be happier for them," Blount said. "This is a good win for our program. We had some adversity right from the start, but everyone stayed focused on the mission at hand."

A Delaware State turnover on the opening kickoff led to a VMI touchdown just 52 seconds into the season. Three plays after Tavis Tarpley lost a fumble on the opening kick at the VMI 11, Chaz Jones scored a touchdown on a one-yard run to give the Keydets a 7-0 lead.

The Hornets took advantage of a VMI turnover to score their first points of the season. Tarpley atoned for his miscue by hauling in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Elko on a diving catch to pull DSU to within 7-6 with 12:03 left in the first quarter. The drive began at the VMI 19 following an interception by linebacker Brandon Harvey The Hornets failed to tie the score when freshman Mitchell Ward missed the extra point kick.

"The team responded well to the early turnover," Blount said. "After the fumble, I told Tarpley to keep his head up, and he came through with a big-time catch for the touchdown."

The Keydets added to their lead on a touchdown midway through the second quarter. Jones scored for the second time in the game when he fumbled on a three-yard run, but recovered the ball in the endzone to give VMI at 14-6 lead with 6:22 to go before halftime.



Elko and Wilson connected on the first of their two touchdown strikes to help pull the Hornets pull even shortly before the half. The duo capped off a five-play, 56-yard drive with a seven-yard scoring pass to pull the Hornets to within 14-12 with 1:55 left in the second quarter. The pair also had a 28-yard connection during the drive. The Hornets tied the score at 14 on a two-point pass from Elko to Tarpley after the touchdown.

The teams had to endure a longer than usual halftime break when lightning forced an evacuation of the stadium. There were also reports of a tornado in the area. Played resumed after a 68-minute delay.

Delaware State took the lead for the first time when Elko and Wilson hooked up on a 47-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Wilson caught the ball at around the VMI 20, then eluded two would-be tacklers before sprinting into the endzone. Freshman placekicker Mitchell Ward tacked on the extra point to give the Hornets a 21-14 lead with 5:46 left in the third quarter.

Wilson, the 2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Offensive Player-of-the-Year, had six catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the contest. Counting the Hornets' 2010 finale at Howard, Wilson has 15 receptions for 327 yards and six touchdowns in his last two games.

The Hornets stretched their lead to 24-14 when Ward hit his first collegiate field goal, a 24-yard kick with 12:51 left in the fourth quarter. Elko completed 2-of-3 passes for 47 yards during the scoring drive, including a 37-yard strike to Tarpley.

VMI pulled to within 24-21 when Jones scored his third touchdown of the game on a 4-yard run with 7:38 left to play. Jones led all players with 76 yards rushing on 19 carries.

After Delaware State failed to score on its next possession, the Keydets started their final drive of the game at their 20-yard line with 2:51 left to play.

The Hornet defense forced VMI into three incomplete passes and a completion for no gain in four plays to seal the win.

Elko, in his first season as the full-time starting quarterback, completed 17-of-32 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.

"I didn't have to face a lot of pressure because our offensive line did such a great job," said Elko, who was not sacked in the contest. "We had a few execution issues early in the game, but overall I was pleased with our offensive effort."

Tarpley had 174 all-purpose yards; 76 on five receptions and 92 on four kickoff returns.

Jaashawn Jones led the Hornets with 69 rushing yards on 18 carries, while newcomer Josh Bailey rushed for 38 yards on 10 attempts.

Defensive back Joe Boyd led the Hornets with nine tackles. Tavis Tabb, Ernest Adjei and Quentin Ferguson had seven stops each.

Matt Spicer also had a DSU interception, while Quintin Fortes recovered a VMI fumble for the Hornets.

Darrell Brown was credited with Delaware State's lone sack.

The Hornets will play their home opener next Saturday (Sep. 10) against Shaw University. Game time is 6:00 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.

STINGERS
The Hornets snapped a two-game losing streak in season openers, while the loss snapped VMI's six-game win streak in opening games ... Blount is the first Delaware State head coach to win his opening game with the team since John McKenzie made his debut with a 50-18 win over Cheyney in 1997 ... redshirt freshman Joseph "Bo" Ceravolo had two receptions for 10 yards in his Hornet debut ... The Hornets have won their last two road games after dropping their previous five ... Delaware State is now 7-11 time against current Big South Conference teams.

BOXSCORE

QUOTES - VMI Head Coach Sparky Woods
"I think that they just made a few more plays than we did. Credit them, they have a big, strong athletic football team and I thought their quarterback threw the ball well and their running backs ran the ball hard. The two key plays that stick out were our first big kick-off return. When we got the ball back, we threw a really bad interception on a tipped ball."

"We missed our field goal, they made theirs and then they drove the ball 80-yards and scored and we just ran out of time. We have potential to be a pretty good football team, but we just have catch more passes that could have turned into first down or positive yards."

"Tracy Hairston made a couple great catches and Chaz Jones ran the ball well. They were determined to keep us from running the ball, and we need to throw the ball better when that happens. Defensively, we needed to rise to the occasion, and our coverage and returns were average, and we need to make field goals from shorter distances."

"The delay had the same effect on both teams. We kind of sat down and got our thoughts together. That has happened to us in practice plenty this year, and I don't see it as a reason to lose a game."

Courtesy: DSU Athletic Media Relations

and VMI Keydets.com

DSU opens new era of high expectations

DOVER -- The Delaware State football team hopes it will be able to begin to erase the stigma of three consecutive losing seasons when it begins a new era under coach Kermit Blount in its season-opener at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va., today.

(L) Coach Kermit Blount and (R) Derek Carter, Athletic Director

Blount, who spent 17 years as the coach of Winston-Salem State, is certainly ready to see if his Hornets are ready to respond to all of the changes in their football program since last winter.

"I'm really, really excited right now, probably a little bit of butterflies, but it's a good thing that [today] is here," Blount said. "We've been tackling each other for the past three-and-a-half weeks and I think it's time now for our guys to actually get on the field and compete against somebody else."

Delaware State and VMI are both coming off 3-8 seasons in 2010, but both have high expectations heading into a new season that kicks off at 1:30 this afternoon at Foster Stadium. This will be the first meeting between the schools.

2011 VMI Football Virtual Guide

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Howard University alumnus Mike Jones introduced as Radford University Head Men's Basketball Coach

Radford, VA - Mike Jones was officially introduced as the men’s basketball head coach at Radford University in a 45-minute long press conference Wednesday, June 15, inside the Dedmon Center.

Jones, 46, has spent the last two seasons at VCU, which included a magical run to the 2011 Final Four with wins over USC, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas. While on Shaka Smart’s staff, the Rams posted 55 wins over the past two seasons, the highest total over any two-year span in program history.

Along with playing a major role in the Rams’ success on the court, Jones helped land one of the top mid-major recruiting classes in the country a year ago.

“We are extremely excited to have Mike, his wife and two sons join the Radford University family,” commented Director of Athletics Robert Lineburg. “During the course of his career, Mike has demonstrated the necessary qualities and character to lead our student-athletes in the classroom, in the community and on the basketball court. His reputation as a proven mentor, coach and recruiter makes him the perfect fit for Radford University.”


MBB: Mike Jones Raw Press Conference from Radford Highlanders on Vimeo.

Note: Mike Jones was offered the men's head coaching position at Florida A&M in late May 2011, but turned the Rattlers down before the position was offered to University of Alaska-Fairbanks head coach, and former Rattlers/NBA alumnus Clemon Johnson, who accepted a $150,000 yearly salary and holdover assistant coach Tony Sheals from fired coach Eugene Harris unsuccessful era, as part of the deal. Jones is a top drawer recruiter and his RU teams should be highly competitive in the Big South Conference in a 2-3 years.

Prior to his second coaching stop in Virginia, Jones served a six-year stint on Dennis Felton’s bench at the University of Georgia from 2003-09. In 2008, Georgia advanced to the NCAA Tournament when the sixth-seeded Bulldogs won four games in three days to complete the most improbable SEC Championship run in conference history.

Although the challenges at Georgia were many, Jones managed to make a name for himself as Rivals.com selected him as one of the nation’s Top-25 recruiters in 2005.

In addition to Georgia, Jones had previously worked under John Beilein at Richmond from 2000-02 and during the early stages of Beilein’s rebuilding project at West Virginia in 2002-03.

Jones’ father, Jimmy, was a star guard in the ABA from 1967-74. In 1974, Jimmy Jones signed with the Washington Bullets in the NBA, where he remained until 1977.

The Silver Spring, Maryland native stayed close to home and attended Howard University, where he played basketball and majored in zoology. Jones, a four-year standout for the Bison, forged a connection with fellow Howard alum Felton (’85), who he calls the biggest influence on his coaching career.

Once Jones graduated in 1990, he began his coaching career as a high school coach at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.

In 1994, Jones took his first collegiate job – at his alma mater. In addition, he also married his college sweetheart, Sharon, that year. Jones and his wife have two sons: Nate (14) and Miles (10).

He later moved on to Furman, where he stayed from 1997-2000. He joined Beilein’s staff at Richmond in 2000 and helped the Spiders to a pair of 20-win seasons and three straight NIT berths.

What They’re Saying About Radford Head Coach Mike Jones…

“Radford just hired a tremendous basketball coach and more importantly an unbelievable person. Over the past two seasons, I’ve had the great fortune of working with Mike and I can say with no hesitation that there isn’t an aspect of coaching where he doesn’t excel. Mike and his staff will do great things at Radford.”
Shaka Smart, VCU Head Men’s Basketball Coach

“Mike has been preparing for this moment his entire professional life and the Radford community is going to love him. He has a keen basketball mind with a rich background of experience and he is a teacher at heart. His players will benefit from his passion to succeed and his genuine sense of caring for their best interests and futures. Mikes' tireless and enthusiastic approach will rally everyone around that program to build something really special that you can all be proud of.”
Dennis Felton, San Antonio Spurs, Director of Player Personnel

“Mike Jones is an extremely talented basketball coach, but more importantly, he is a first class individual with great character and values. Radford University and the community will love the leadership and success Mike will bring to its basketball program.”
John Beilein, University of Michigan, Head Men’s Basketball Coach

“We are extremely excited to have Mike, his wife and two sons join the Radford University family. During the course of his career, Mike has demonstrated the necessary qualities and character to lead our student-athletes in the classroom, in the community and on the basketball court. His reputation as a proven mentor, coach and recruiter makes him the perfect fit for Radford University.”
Robert Lineburg, Radford University, Director of Athletics

VIEW MIKE JONES PHOTO GALLERY FROM PRESS CONFERENCE.
From: Radford University Press Release

Bracketbuster: Morgan State Ready To Shine In ESPN Spotlight

Morgan State and the Virginia Military Institute will play each other in men's basketball Feb. 19 for the first time as part of ESPN's Bracketbuster weekend.

The Bears (12-10, 8-3 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) are returning to Hill Field House after a two-game road trip in which they beat Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State. It is Morgan State's third appearance in ESPN Bracketbusters.

The Keydets (15-11, 8-8 Big South) have won three games in a row, most recently topping Liberty, 79-69, at home. VMI has a 7-3 record in nonconference matchups this season -- 1-2 in away games. Morgan State is 4-7 in its nonconference games, with a 2-1 home record.

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Videographer: UrbanSportsITG

Morgan sinks Liberty for Pirates' second straight win

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team trailed for much of the night Wednesday, but junior guard Kwame Morgan gave the Pirates the lead when it mattered most, sinking a 3-pointer with one second to play to help Hampton beat Liberty 62-59 at the HU Convocation Center.

The Pirates (9-2) trailed for 39 minutes, 20 seconds, but Morgan (Largo, Md.) tied the game at 59-59 with 40 seconds to play with a trey. Liberty had a shot, but the Flames turned the ball over with 20 seconds remaining, thanks to a steal by junior forward Danny Agbelese (Lanham, Md.).

Liberty (7-6) took a 53-39 lead with 9:44 to play after Evan Gordon sank a 3-pointer, but the Pirates responded with a 13-0 run, cutting Liberty’s lead to one, 53-52, with 3:52 to play on a layup from senior forward Charles Funches (Jersey City, N.J.).



Liberty Flames commit 26 turnovers in loss to the Hampton Pirates

HAMPTON, Va. — Liberty men’s basketball assistant coach Jason Eaker walked off the floor at the Hampton University Convocation Center, bowed his head, closed his eyes in frustration and shook his head sharply. He knew his team had given one away Wednesday night.

Interpret the words “give away” literally. Despite shooting 52.1 percent against the nation’s fourth-best field-goal percentage defense, Liberty lost to Hampton 62-59 thanks to 26 turnovers. The Flames (7-6) blew an 18-point lead, including a five-point lead in the final two minutes.

And fittingly, the game’s key play was a turnover, which was the theme of the night for Liberty.

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Williams Helps N.C. Central Edge Liberty

North Carolina Central's Chasidy Williams scored 14 of her game-high 18 points in the second half, helping the homestanding Lady Eagles come from behind to defeat Liberty, 50-48, Saturday afternoon at McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.

Despite Avery Warley's third double-double of the season (14 points, 10 rebounds), Liberty drops its second straight contest, falling to 3-6 on the year. The Lady Flames are 0-4 in road matchups this season. North Carolina Central improves to 2-8, while snapping a seven-game losing streak. The Lady Eagles improve to 19-8 at home since beginning their transition to the NCAA Division I level in 2007-08.



NCCU women topple Liberty

DURHAM, N.C. -- Sophomore Chasidy Williams scored a season-high 18 points off the bench to push the N.C. Central women's basketball team past three-time reigning Big South champion Liberty 50-48 on Saturday at McDougald-McLendon Gym to snap a seven-game losing streak.

"I am very pleased with what we were able to do today," NCCU coach Joli Robinson said after her 210th career victory. "We needed our younger players to grow and mature, and it was amazing to see what they did against this team." Williams did not miss a shot, going 6-for-6 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. She added a team-high seven rebounds.

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HPU Men's basketball hosts Hampton Sunday afternoon

The game: High Point University (2-2) hosts a hot Hampton University team (4-1) on Sunday at 3 p.m. HPU is coming off a 71-63 loss at the Citadel in which the Panthers staged a huge comeback to get within three points with under a minute remaining but couldn’t tie it up.

Hampton lost its first game of the season, 63-56, to Wake Forest at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum before reeling off wins over Winthrop, Fordham, Boston University and George Washington. It will be the first-ever meeting between High Point University and Hampton. HPU is 7-4 all-time against current MEAC schools. The Panthers beat North Carolina Central twice last season and split two games against South Carolina State.

On the air: 1230 AM-WFMR with Jason Benetti and Stafford Stephenson --LISTEN LIVE

Pirates to Take on High Point Panthers on the Road

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team will take to the road on Sunday, as they head to the Millis Center to face the Panthers of High Point University at 3 p.m. Since moving to Division I in 1995, this will mark the first time that Hampton and High Point face each other.

The Pirates, in their second season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., are on a four-game winning streak following wins over Boston University and George Washington on Monday and Tuesday in the consolation rounds of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off. Junior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) scored a team-high 18 points in Tuesday’s 62-51 win over George Washington, while junior guard Kwame Morgan II (Largo, Md.) added 14 points and tied his career high with 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.

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Coastal Carolina dominates early in win over DSU

CONWAY, S.C. -- Coastal Carolina dominated the first half en route to a 34-14 win over Delaware State on Saturday night.

Coastal Carolina (1-3) led 31-0 at halftime, and 34-0 late in the fourth quarter before DSU (0-3) scored two touchdowns in the final 1:58 of the game to avoid being shut out for the first time since 2004, a span of 66 games.

The Hornets gained 97 yards in the fourth quarter to finish with 210 for the game. The Chanticleers racked up 339 total yards in the contest. Coastal Carolina scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions. The Hornets' second possession ended with a fumble that was recovered by the Chanticleers at the DSU 34. Coastal Carolina needed six plays to pad its lead.

Coastal Carolina tops Delaware State for its first victory of season

CONWAY, SC -- There will be no talk around the Coastal Carolina football program this week about early season struggles or missed opportunities. There will be no need to scavenge for positives or search for ways to explain a season careening off path. Not this week, at least. The Chanticleers played nothing like a team mired in a winless slump - and everything like a squad eager to prove it is better than it had showed through the first three weeks.

The Chants shook the demons of the last three weeks - thoroughly and impressively - and started the process of righting their season with a 34-14 win over visiting Delaware State before an announced crowd of 9,218 at Brooks Stadium.

Hornets Dominated by Coastal Carolina

Conway, S.C. --- Coastal Carolina completely dominated the first half en route to a 34-14 win over Delaware State before a sellout crowd of 9,218 at Brooks Stadium this evening. The Chanticleers improved to 1-3 on the season, while the Hornets fell to 0-3.

Coastal Carolina led 31-0 at halftime, and 34-0 late in the fourth quarter before DSU scored two touchdowns in the final 1:58 of the game to avoid being shutout for the first time since 2004, a span off 66 games.

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Coastal Carolina-Delaware State breakdown‎

Series | Tied 1-1
Weather | 84 degrees with clear skies

Injuries | Coastal: LB E.J. Brown (knee) and RB Travis Small (thigh) are questionable; DE Jamel Davis (thumb), LB Andrae Jacobs (head), S Marcus Lott (thigh) are probable; OL Steve Simpson (knee) is doubtful; DE Quinton Davis (ankle) and David Hall (knee) are out. Delaware State: n/a.
Key number: 1
Delaware State returned only one full-time defensive starter from a team that finished 4-7 last season.
Key matchup

Delaware State's Larrone Moore vs. Coastal Carolina's Josh Norman (and friends). Moore is the Hornets' top offensive weapon, averaging 97 receiving yards per game. Look for Delaware State to try to get Moore heavily involved. Coastal would be wise to have Norman (eight interceptions last season) shadow him.

Less size allows growth for DSU's Green

DOVER, DE -- Kevin Green was ranked by one scouting service among the top 40 linebackers in the country when he signed to play football at Purdue in 2007. But even though he grew up in Chicago, something just didn't feel quite right for the 6-foot-2, 245-pound linebacker in West Lafayette, Ind.

"I wasn't really getting treated right there," Green said. "I was talking to a couple of the players and they said, 'We'd like you to stay here, but you've got to do what you've got to do for yourself.' "

So, rather than playing in front of 62,500 at Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium, Green says he is just as happy playing before 4,000 fans at DSU's Alumni Stadium.

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Coastal Carolina 28. North Carolina A&T 7

Quarterbacks falter in Aggies' loss to Coastal

CONWAY, S.C. -- The way N.C. A&T's offense failed to move the ball in the first half, a two-touchdown halftime deficit appeared insurmountable. Outside of one second-half series, the Aggies did little but confirm that in the third and fourth quarters. A&T lost 28-7 to Coastal Carolina on the road Saturday night, leaving coach Alonzo Lee's team still searching for answers on offense. "We have to execute better with our quarterbacks," Lee said. "We've been back and forth; we've shown spurts of doing really good things. And then, boom, we fall on our face. &ellipses; We're going to simplify a little bit more. We simplified some this week. We'll simplify a little more next week until we can get the nuts and the bolts."

Even with a scaled-back playbook, A&T (2-2 overall) quarterbacks Carlton Fears and Lewis Kindle struggled, overthrowing and undershooting receivers throughout the night. Fears -- who finished the game 7-of-22 with two interceptions -- didn't help his cause of holding on to the quarterback job. His first pick, a second-quarter job by Coastal Carolina defensive back and North Carolina transfer Tavorris Jolly, looked all too easy for the CCU player, who barely moved to cause the turnover. Kindle was inserted on the Aggies' next possession. But after three running plays, he drilled CCU (2-2) linebacker E.J. Brown in the chest with his first pass attempt. The Chanticleers squeezed a field goal out of that turnover.

Box Score Photo Gallery

Chants pound out win

CONWAY -- Teams typically spend their bye weeks focusing on their weaknesses. Coastal Carolina began working on its ailments a week early. Despite a passing game that may have taken a step back, the Chanticleers established the running game and began to find an offensive rhythm in the second half of a 28-7 win over North Carolina A&T Saturday. The Chants rushed for 304 yards, including a combined 239 yards from tailbacks Eric O'Neal and Tommy Fraser, and their defense was solid for a fourth consecutive week, sending Coastal to its off week at 2-2.

Quarter-by-quarter breakdown

First quarter
Key moment Coastal Carolina was gashing North Carolina A&T's defense for big gains on its second drive. Tailback Eric O'Neal and quarterback Jamie Childers had several long runs, helping the Chanticleers drive to A&T's 23 before Childers' first-down pass was picked off in the end zone by Quay Long. The man A&T punter Alex Grubb had three first-quarter punts and pinned all of them inside Coastal's 20-yard line: one at the 8, one at the 15 and one at the 3.

Attendance: 7, 367 (Sold-Out) at Brooke Stadium, Conway, S.C.

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CCU notebook: Looking back at N.C. A.&T Aggies

Excerpt:

GREENSBORO, N.C. The Coastal defense was scheduled to face yet another talented runner in A&T's Michael Ferguson, who rushed for 1,169 yards last season and entered averaging 102 rushing yards per game this season. Ferguson was scratched Saturday with a high ankle sprain. He was listed as questionable on the Aggies' injury report. Dione McNair replaced Ferguson in the lineup.

Welcome to the machine. The North Carolina A&T marching band, "The Marching Machine," is a sight to behold. The band began play in 1918 with 50 members and now contains over 200 pieces, easily out-numbering both football rosters on Saturday. The Marching Machine typically plays throughout the game, offering the Aggies a distinct home-field advantage.

CCU's party. With the win, Coastal improves to 6-1 all time against MEAC schools. Coastal's lone loss to a MEAC opponent came last season when the Chants lost their opener to eventual MEAC champion Delaware State.

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Attendance: Coastal Carolina defeat the Aggies 20-7 in the rain. A&T had only 2,062 (9.4%) fans at Aggie Stadium, Greensboro, N.C. (Capacity: 22,000).

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