‘Ugly’ but ‘decent’ too: Pough cautiously optimistic after SCSU Garnet and Blue game

Oliver “Buddy” Pough took an openminded approach toward Saturday’s annual Garnet and Blue game at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. With several new faces looking to make a strong impression before 3,177 fans at the culminating scrimmage of the spring practice, Pough truly did not know what to expect. The best-case scenario was to have both sides of the football make big plays and display stretches of consistency. What started out as potentially a convincing win by the Blue team (defense) saw it edge out the Garnet (offense) 17-16.

“It was a spring game,” Pough said. “You see some ugly stuff. You see some pretty decent stuff. It looked like we’re still defensively a little bit ahead and that’s always a good thing because if you can stop people you’ve got a chance to win. So I think that was the case today.” Down 11-0 in the first half, the Garnet rallied to tie the game at 16-16 with 1:24 remaining following a 40-yard field goal in the fourth quarter by Blake Erickson. The Pensacola, Fla., native was a perfect 3-3 in the scrimmage, adding attempts from 20 and 25 yards and an extra point.

VIDEO- 2009 SPRING GAME HIGHLIGHTS: http://thetandd.com/vgallery/#vmix_media_id=3822868

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Delaware State Holds Annual Red/White Spring Game

DOVER, DE - Quarterback Anthony Glaud threw for one touchdown and ran for another to help lead the Red Team to a 27-0 win over the White Team during Delaware State's annual Red/White Spring Game on Saturday, April 18 at Alumni Stadium. The Red Team out-gained the White 279-94 in total yards, accumulating 215 yard through the air on 17-of-25 passing and two touchdowns. Glaud led all passers with 120 yards on 8-of-11 passing, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to Erick Jones. Jones led all Red receivers with four catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. Halfback Jason Randall registered 34 yards on eight carries, including a nine-yard touchdown run to give the Red Team an early 7-0 advantage.

DSU Alumni Stadium

Boston College transfer Chris Johnson completed 5-fo-16 passing for the White Team for 52 yards. Johnson shared snaps with Nick Elko, who threw for 29 yards on 3-of-8 passing for the White Team. Cincinnati transfer Tahree McQueen led the White Team with yards rushing on the ground on five carries. Wideouts Travis Tarpley (35 yards) and Justin Brewton (28 yards) led the White Team with two catches each.

All three quarterback took snaps as part of the Red Team as Elko and Johnson started the contest playing for the White Team. On the day, Johnson completed 9-of-20 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. The Paterson, N.J., native was a perfect 4-of-4 for 58 yards and one touchdown (an 11-yard completion to Donnell Dixon) as a member of the Red Team. Elko threw for 66 yards on 8-of-18 passing on the day.

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Jaguars defense steals the show during SU game

Final score: defense 38, offense 14.

A.W. Mumford Stadium started to empty out. Most players, splattered with water and mud, retreated to a set of shower heads. A few others lingered on the field. Southern University’s spring football finale had wrapped up Saturday, and the Jaguars defense had scored a convincing TKO of the offense. Still, the trash-talking continued. Defensive coordinator Terrence Graves shuffled to a spot near midfield, where he sized up wideout Juamorris Stewart — the only receiver who, against a revamped secondary, did pretty much whatever he wanted.

Graves offered up a shove. It was payback. The way he saw it, officials hadn’t flagged Stewart for pass interference all afternoon. “No one called a push-off,” Stewart admitted, flashing a grin. “Those were some nice refs out there today.” At any rate, on a gray, drizzly Saturday afternoon at SU, spring practice officially reached the finish line. From any angle, Graves’ unit got the best of the Jaguars offense.

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Jackson State receiver can't shake SWAC championship loss to Grambling

JACKSON, Miss. -- Keenan Tillman was little more than a pleasant surprise in 2008. The Jackson State receiver started all season - an accomplishment for any freshman. His numbers (23 receptions, 300 yards) weren't mind-boggling, but they were more than acceptable for someone who was supposed to be overshadowed by three upperclassmen on an offense that didn't exactly make opposing defenses sweat.

Jackson State wide receiver Keenan Tillman takes a hit from TSU's Nahshon Bigham. Tillman got a first down on the play as the ball pops out.

Apparently, "acceptable" didn't sit well with Tillman. "After that (SWAC) championship game, it left a bitter taste in my mouth," he explained. "I don't know ... by the end of this year I don't want that same taste in my mouth. "Every time I go in the weight room and am getting tired, I think about that game and what Grambling did and how they embarrassed us." If the 2009 spring session is any indication, it will be Tillman embarrassing defensive backs in the fall.

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FAMU Rattlers inconsistent in last spring football practice

Taylor does a simulation of Delaware State

Running back Philip Sylvester made his usual big runs. Quarterback Curtis Pulley found a few gaps and his backup Eddie Battle connected with receivers in spots. There were even some big hits by the FAMU's defense, but coach Joe Taylor didn't see the consistency he'd hoped for during Thursday's final spring football practice.

"We've got to finish; every play, every quarter, every half," Taylor said. "It's been a great spring, but I don't know if today was a good finish. "I don't know if the intensity was where it should have been today. I don't think we saw the kind of intensity that we needed to see." Cornerback Curtis Holcomb said he would have especially liked the defense to go out with a little more momentum.

Photo Gallery: Last Spring Practice

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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Addition of Texas Southern underwhelming at best

Texas Southern's AD Charles McClelland takes step up from Texas College and Texas State by adding road games with Louisiana-Monroe and Rutgers to Tigers 2009 schedule for Coach Johnnie Cole second season.

Rutgers loads schedule with cupcakes -- Howard Bison (Sept. 12), Texas Southern, Florida International and Army.

The Scarlet-White game is tomorrow, Rutgers Stadium’s expansion is taking shape and the open slot in the "Rutgers University" 2009 schedule has finally been filled. With Texas Southern. From the Southwest Athletic Conference. Really.

I’m not knocking the thought of a second Football Championship Subdivision (I-AA if you will) opponent, but when Morgan State and Norfolk State look like USC compared to these guys, excuse me if I’m a little underwhelmed. Texas Southern was all of 4-8 last season, falling to mighty 6-6 Arkansas State in a close 83-10 slobberknocker. Three of its four wins were against non-Division I opponents Shaw, Texas College and Concordia College, and they were an impressive 1-6 in the SWAC.

To Rutgers’ credit, it’s not like they didn’t try to get a better opponent. “We have worked diligently for months to complete our 2009 schedule with a Football Bowl Subdivision team,” Athletic Director Tim Pernetti said in a press release. “We were unable to convince any of the institutions with openings to come to Rutgers, including numerous BCS conference opponents.” If they waited this long and worked this hard to try to schedule a better opponent, so be it. I commend that effort. But to settle for Texas Southern is unacceptable. But there are still a bunch of positives to come out of this.

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Coach K won't say if Casey Printers his type

But ex-Ticat welcome at tryouts, Kelly says

He's been labelled a clubhouse cancer and a prima donna. And if you were to paint a picture to best describe quarterback Casey Printers' days with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, it would almost certainly involve a mushroom cloud, an enormous crater and several kilometres of scorched earth. And now, just a few weeks after vehemently denying any interest in his services, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are tap-dancing around weekend reports emanating from a Vancouver radio station that Printers is suddenly in their plans.

QB Casey Printers (Florida A&M Rattlers - 2002) has dropped in one season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from the top paid player in the CFL to unemployed professional quarterback.

"It's beyond me how this story has taken on a life of it's own," head coach Mike Kelly said from San Diego, where the Bombers conducted a free-agent tryout camp on the weekend. "Right now, we're just looking for good players (the club has two more camps scheduled in the next month). These are open tryouts. Joe Montana might walk out and say, 'Hey, I want to throw the ball around' and we'll say, 'OK, let's see what you got.' "I can't turn anybody away from these workouts."

That may be true, but despite his considerable skill set and his glowing credentials -- Printers was the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 2004 -- the Bombers have until this point repeatedly spit out a polite "no thanks" when his name popped up in recent weeks. They vehemently denied interest in him in January when rumours surfaced that Printers would be traded to the Bombers for Kevin Glenn. And last month, when Printers was cut adrift by the Ticats, the Bombers took a pass on him as well.



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ASU moves ahead with plan to upgrade athletic facilities

Excerpt:

ASU's board of trustees ap­proved two proposals in recent weeks that call for the construc­tion of a new football complex and a complete overhaul of the team's practice field, including the installation of synthetic turf. The football complex project, which is still in the "early plan­ning stage," will cost the school around $6 million, according to Kippy Tate, ASU's vice presi­dent for buildings and grounds, and has an estimated time of completion of 18 months. The new two-story building will be approximately 25,000 square feet and will be located on the north side of Hornet Stadium, where the school's old bus barn currently stands.

Under those current plans, which Tate said are far from be­ing finalized, the bottom floor of the facility will contain the stan­dard facilities for players, in­cluding a locker room, trainer's room, meeting areas and an aca­demic center for tutoring of all student-athletes. The second floor will primarily consist of coaches' offices, a lounge and meeting areas. The field project, which will cost the school around $900,000 and is close to entering the bid­ding stage of the process, should be completed prior to fall drills in August. The new Sprinturf synthetic turf will be identical to the turf in place at Cramton Bowl, where the Hornets play their home games.

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McDonald gives JSU Tigers motivated backup QB

In an ideal world, Jackson State coach Rick Comegy would carry five quarterbacks on the roster. He has just three this spring, and a lot of that has to do with Dedric McDonald. The JSU coaching staff was very selective during the recruiting process last year and just a few quarterbacks drew interest. None signed, but it wasn't the end of the world. "Dedric puts us, not in a comfort zone, but we know we've got a guy that can throw the home run, hit the soft pass and can run," Comegy said. "He does make up for saying, 'Well, we didn't get that guy.' "

McDonald redshirted his freshman year after graduating from Morton. He ran the scout team all year, going against one of the best defenses in the nation on a daily basis. At 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, McDonald stands tall in the pocket and seems to put a perfect spiral on every pass. His arm strength has never been questioned, but his touch has improved since last year and he's carrying himself much differently. "He does throw a very catchable ball, Dedric just seems so natural," receiver Keenan Tillman said. "The difference in Dedric, his first year he accepted that he was a redshirt. This year ... he's more into it. He wants to compete for that starting job.

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Taylor sees good things at FAMU scrimmage

Rattlers All-American KR LeRoy Vann

There were enough good signs during Saturday's practice for Florida A&M football coach Joe Taylor to beam with optimism about his team. Running back Philip Sylvester toyed with the interior defensive linemen, then darted through some holes to score twice. Receiver Kevin Elliott made a leaping catch for another touchdown and quarterback Curtis Pulley showed more efficiency with his passes.

On a scale of 1 to 10, Taylor rated the performance by both the offense and defense as an eight. He also said the team will begin preparation for its season opener against Delaware State, starting with the final two spring practices next week. "We are doing some good things, and like I told them -- all you ever want in life is a chance," Taylor said. "You give yourself a chance when you're competitive. I'm very, very convinced that we will be very competitive this year."

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BC Lions ink receiving trio

(Vancouver) - The BC Lions Football Club announced today that import receivers Dereck Faulkner, Jason Jones and Eric McCain have signed with the team. Faulkner attended Hampton University and recorded 75 career receptions for 1,017 yards and five TD's over four seasons (2003-'06). The native of Lundstuhl, Germany signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007. Jones played three seasons at Arkansas-Pine Bluff where he became just the fifth player in NCAA history to average more than 20 yards per catch for his career. The two-time All-SWAC selection signed as an undrafted free agent with the Buffalo Bills in 2008.

McCain spent two seasons at Glendale Community College ('04-'05) and starred in the 2005 NJCAA championship game notching six catches for 177 yards earning MVP honours. After going undrafted in 2007, McCain most recently spent time with Quad Cities of the Arena2 Football League.

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JSU's Braddy in limbo about 11th game

Jackson State will not be able to schedule an 11th game unless the date of the Capital City Classic is changed, athletic director Bob Braddy insists. Braddy would like to see the game against Alcorn State moved to Thanksgiving day or, at least, during that week. The switch would open Nov. 21 for another nonconference game.

"We get inquiries (about playing) all the time," Braddy said. "Certainly, we'd love to have a money game. ... We've got Southeastern Louisiana, UAB and other schools in Alabama. "We can't do anything until we have the capability of having that open date." JSU currently has open dates on Sept. 26 and Oct. 31. Braddy said they could fill the Oct. 31 slot, but would need to move the Alcorn game to avoid playing eight consecutive weeks in a row.

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NSU won't have to move Nov. 14 Delaware State game

Norfolk State picked up its first victory of the 2009 football season Wednesday. The Spartans learned they won't have to give up their valued midseason open date to re-schedule a game at Delaware State. The Hornets had asked NSU to move its Nov. 14 game to Oct. 3 so they could play a $500,000 "guarantee game" at Michigan. That would have left the Spartans playing 10 straight games without a break.

















North Carolina A&T State University athletic director Wheeler Brown holds the trump card on whether the DSU Hornets will play at Michigan for a $500,000 pay day in 2009.

Norfolk State balked at the request. With the schools at an impasse, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference commissioner Dennis Thomas had the final say. NSU President Carolyn W. Meyers was told Wednesday that the Spartans' schedule can remain as is, athletic director Marty Miller said. The conflict arose when the Hornets signed to play Michigan on Oct. 17, the same day Delaware State was scheduled to play North Carolina A&T. The Aggies agreed to move the game to Nov. 14, which is when Delaware State was scheduled to play NSU.

The Spartans weren't consulted and refused to budge from the Nov. 14 date. At a news conference last week, school officials said the MEAC schedule is set more than a year in advance, and Delaware State needed to abide by it.

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Mixed results in ASU Hornets' scrimmage

Photo Gallery: ASU football offices, practice field
Photo Gallery: ASU football practice

Alabama State defensive coordinator Jo Nixon wants his players to think. It's not enough for the ASU defensive players to just play a position and execute a predetermined set of movements. Nixon wants them to understand why they're being asked to make those moves. Even more important: He wants his players to learn how an offense is going to attack in every conceivable situation, and then make the necessary adjustments before the play develops.

Year of the Hornets will be 2009 as the Coach Reggie Barlow led ASU Hornets have a schedule deep with in-state home games (see schedule below).

Because of those expectations, the first-year coordinator couldn't call the Hornets' first scrimmage of the spring on Saturday morning a defensive success. But he couldn't call it a failure, either. "We had a lot of situations today where we just didn't play very smart football -- where we weren't ready for what was likely to happen," Nixon said. "We're going to get that corrected. If you're going to play in this defense, you've got to understand how an opponent is going to attack us. We've improved in that area, but there were still some gaps."

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HORNETS' 2009 SCHEDULE (Tentative)
9/5 Concordia-Selma 7 p.m.
9/12 at Savannah St., GA 4 p.m.
9/19 Edward Waters 7 p.m.
9/26 at Miss. Valley St., MS 1 p.m.
10/10 Prairie View A&M 1 p.m.
10/17 Grambling St. 1 p.m.
10/24 Alcorn St. 1 p.m.
10/31 Ala. A&M in Birmingham 2:30 p.m.
11/7 at Jackson St., Jackson, MS 1 p.m.
11/14 vs. Southern U. in Mobile 2:30 p.m.
11/26 Tuskegee 1 p.m.

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Elmore shines in South Carolina State scrimmage

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Lennel Elmore’s smile was too big to be hidden following the South Carolina State football team’s first scrimmage of the spring Saturday morning at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. Elmore, a former Allendale-Fairfx standout, redshirted last season, seeing the majority of his action on the Bulldogs’ scout team. Saturday morning, Elmore showed how he earned the nickname “Superman” while in Allendale, hauling in three quick hitch passes and turning them into 79 yards of offense and a touchdown.

Coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough Bulldogs are not favored to repeat as MEAC Champions in 2009, based on fan response to a MEAC/SWAC Sports Main Street poll last month. The hardcore football fans believe the FAMU Rattlers will be league champions.

“It feels great,” Elmore said. “They are expecting a lot out of me, and I just feel like I have to step up to their expectations and play to the best of my ability.”

Elmore’s ability was put on display early in the scrimmage when he snagged a pass from quarterback Malcolm Long on the third offensive series, turned up field, juked a defender and headed for what appeared to be a touchdown. Instead, officials ruled that Elmore stepped out of bounds after gaining 53 yards and marked the ball down at the 3-yard line.

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Several FAMU players stand out in spring game

The Green team of mostly starters from last year did what it was expected to do at Bragg Stadium, handily beating the Orange squad with plenty of help from a defensive unit that scored three touchdowns. But on a balmy Saturday afternoon, a handful of Florida A&M players whose Orange squad fell 48-0 performed well enough to cause an argument that they have no intentions of being overlooked. "There are about four or five guys that really showed today that they in some kind of way need to be in that 90," coach Joe Taylor said, referring to the players who will be invited to preseason two-a-days in August.

Taylor was especially impressed with Andre Jacob who led the Orange team with 40 yards rushing on 12 carries. Red-shirt freshman receiver Jeremy Tillman also showed that he could be a candidate to bring depth to the receiving corps. Last season, the Rattlers had the league's leading scoring offense with 55 touchdowns, but just two weeks into spring practice the defense is clearly a step ahead of the unit that amassed 4,299 yards last year. "Overall I was satisfied," Taylor said. "I thought we competed as a team. I was a little concerned that we were a little bit sluggish with our punts and special teams but offensively I thought we competed."



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2009 PHOTO GALLERIES:
FAMU Orange & Green Game
FAN CAM - Green vs. Orange spring game
FAMU football practice

2008--Florida Classic FAMU 58, B-CU 35
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JSU football: Jamison can help Glover fit in

Something is missing in the middle of the Jackson State defense. The presence of No. 56 patrolling and barking out orders is gone for the first time in what feels like forever. Marellus Speaks was the unquestioned leader of the entire team and was named SWAC defensive player of the year in 2008. For two years he and Marcus Jamison filled the two middle linebacker positions and were as inseparable as conjoined twins. Now, Jamison stands alone.

"I could just look at Speaks and feel Speaks sometimes," Jamison said. "I could just look at Speaks' eyes and just know it was time to play hard, regardless, to the end."

Jamison is now trying to form that same relationship and bond with will-be senior LeBrandon Glover. The transfer from South Florida has made his mark primarily on special teams during his two-year tenure at JSU. Glover is holding down the starting position this spring - arguably the most important slot on a defense that ranked among the best in the nation last year.

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Rain can't dampen Aggies' spirits

GREENSBORO -- The sky was gray, the field green, the jerseys blue and gold. And for one day, at least, the outlook was rosy. With new head coach Alonzo Lee running the show from the sideline, N.C. A&T's Blue team defense eked out a 27-26 victory over its Gold team offense in the annual spring game Saturday at Aggie Stadium. Rising junior linebacker Brandon Jackson made eight tackles for the Blue, which came back from deficits of 14-0 and 17-10. Linnell Evans, another linebacker who redshirted as a freshman last season, made four of his six tackles in the backfield.

Carlton Fears, who will be a senior in the fall, staked an early claim to the starting quarterback job, completing 17 of 28 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns for the improved offense. But in this controlled scrimmage -- the offense scored points on touchdowns and field goals, while the defense earned points based on things like third-down stops and turnovers -- the final stat sheet didn't matter much.

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A&M preps for spring game

There will be plenty of work to do when Alabama A&M reports for fall camp in August, but the Bulldogs will try to have some fun today as they wrap up spring practice with the annual Maroon and White Game at Louis Crews Stadium.

Kickoff is 2 p.m. and admission is free.

"Hopefully, we can go out and light it up," said quarterback Kevin Atkins. "We don't have all of our guys, but we've got some weapons and we're going to go out and try to have some fun." The Bulldogs are without three potential starters along the line and receiver Rashad Johnson is out after breaking his arm. Despite that, receivers Thomas Harris and Nate Baxter and running backs Ulysses Banks and Tony Green have been impressive. "Banks has had a good spring," running backs coach Errol Jones said. "He looks like he did two years ago when he was first-team All-SWAC."

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Taylor seeking reliable tight end for FAMU

Photo Gallery: FAMU football practice

As a tight end, the role might call for blocking on one play and making a catch on another. FAMU football coach Joe Taylor just wants to find the right player who could execute both roles well enough. If that player steps up during spring, he could very well end up with a significant role in the Rattlers' offensive scheme. Taj Jenkines proved himself to be the right fit in his final season last year, but it's a wide-open position with at least three candidates making a push.

"It takes a special kind of guy to get down there and do that three-point stance," Taylor said Thursday, following the third day of spring practice in soggy conditions. Max Purcell and Tobias Lee are the two leading candidates, but freshman Brandon Hepburn might make a case if he could mature fast enough. Fullback Mykel Benson could also be considered, Taylor said.

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