Alabama A&M falls to ULM 37-15

A&M falls to 0-3 but is proud of its showing at major-college La.-Monroe

MONROE, La. - Anthony Jones walked out of Malone Stadium Friday night with his head held high. So did his Alabama A&M football team. The Bulldogs gave Sun Belt Conference member Louisiana-Monroe all it could handle for almost three quarters before the Warhawks pulled away down the stretch. When it was over, ULM ran off to celebrate its 37-15 victory, but A&M walked away with a renewed sense of confidence.

"My team went through a lot to play this game," Jones said after his team fell to 0-3 for the first time since 1992. "We traveled through the night to get here and had to make an adjustment due to the weather. I'm exhausted and I can only imagine how my kids feel. "I am proud of the way my kids represented Alabama A&M University. They came and fought hard. At halftime, they (ULM) had reason to be concerned. To their credit, they came out in the second half and took advantage of some of the mistakes we made and put the game away."

PHOTO GALLERY: Alabama A&M v. ULM

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Attendance: 9,717 (32%) at Malone Stadium, Monroe, LA (Capacity: 30,427)

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Tuskegee trounces Coach Billy Joe's Miles Bears

TUSKEGEE, AL -- Tuskegee quarterback Jacary Atkinson walked out of his team's locker room, sweat from a season-opening victory washed away with a postgame shower and a smile creeping across my face. "I had to take a little time to make myself look good," Atkinson said. Atkinson had already done that for the Golden Tigers in Saturday's 34-0 win over Miles at Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium.

The senior ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns, including a 14-yard score just before halftime that got Tuskegee rolling. He also passed for 258 yards and another score. "He's great," receiver Jason English said. "I'm glad I have another year with him." Atkinson and English hooked up for a 12-yard touchdown pass to end Tuskegee's first drive, but the Tigers had bountiful offensive mistakes until the final minute of the first half. "We played like we haven't played this year," Tuskegee coach Willie Slater said.

Tuskegee University Crimson Pipers Marching Band



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Excerpts:

FAMU coach Joe Taylor inherited a decidedly young team when he took over the football program at the end of December. Linebacker and captain Vernon Wilder is the only senior on FAMU's two-deep depth chart. This is marked contrast to Delaware State, FAMU's opponent Thursday night. Five of the Hornets' front six players on defense are seniors, with junior right end Tyron Hurst the only non-senior. On offense DSU started four seniors and five juniors. Senior quarterback Vashon Winton entered Thursday's game with a 25-8 record and a 20-3 mark in MEAC.

The Hornets also had the services of former FAMU running backs coach Renato Diaz. He came to DSU after working under former FAMU coach Rubin Carter.

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FAMU Rattlers ready to strike Hornets!

Teeing up on the road with the DSU Hornets

Wherever DSU football team goes, fine links are never far away

As long as Delaware State University remains in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Hornets football fans are guaranteed a golf trip to Florida every season. The Hornets played at Florida A&M in Tallahassee last year. This season, they play at Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach. It alternates that way every two years. And while DSU isn't playing any road games in the Carolinas this year, there will still be plenty of fine golf destinations for the traveling Hornets fan.

Sept. 13, at Kent It's 420 miles from Dover to Kent, Ohio. A good stop for golfers along the way would be Mill Creek Golf Course, which sits just off Interstate 76 in Canfield, Ohio, 35 miles east of Kent. Both the North and South courses at Mill Creek were designed by the legendary Donald Ross. The South is the longest at only 6,302 yards, but both have plenty of trees, bunkers and streams in play.

Oct. 11, at Bethune-Cookman It's Florida, so there is no shortage of four-star golf. But a good place to start is LPGA International.

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Howard U: Brothers in Arms

His Dream Deferred but Not His Duty, McElrathbey Carries On

Ray Ray McElrathbey allows a moment to consider the consequences of growth. He can smile about how three years ago teenage exuberance filled his mind with football fancy. Now he sits gazing at the suburban sprawl from a friend's eighth-floor apartment in Hyattsville as a college graduate, a father, a former Clemson reserve running back, a Howard graduate student and a survivor. He's a changed man.

It's crazy, because I'm in D.C.," McElrathbey said, staring into the late-afternoon haze. "The first time I got in a plane to go to D.C., it wasn't that bad. The second time when I came back, and I knew this was the place I was going to stay for at least the next two years, it was real strange. I wouldn't put myself in D.C. No way would I put myself in D.C. That's just what life is. It's unpredictable."

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Royster-Crockett continues career

Courtesy, Latasha Edwards, The FAMUAN

Student travels overseas to pursue professional dream in league

After being kicked off the Florida A&M University's volleyball team, Marrita Royster-Crocket could have wasted her talents, but instead she decided to take them overseas to Switzerland to pursue her dreams. Royster-Crockett was dismissed by the athletic department after being classified as academically ineligible last year.

"They told us we have to declare a major after August of our junior year to be academically eligible," said Royster-Crockett, a 20 year old, senior broadcast student from Tallahassee. "My transcript read pre-journalism instead of broadcast journalism. It was a technical error." That error cost Royster-Crockett both academically and athletically. She lost her scholarship because she was not allowed to practice and she was still unable to be a part of the team. She missed the whole season.

According to Alvin Hollins, assistant athletic director of media relations, the Athletic Department could not comment because the information is confidential. In October 2007, she was told her ineligibility was a mistake but she already missed half of the season. Royster-Crockett asked to be red shirted following the mix-up. A red shirt is when a player has five academic years, but skips a year of play without losing a year of eligibility.

Marrita Royster-Crockett was a sophomore Florida State University transfer student-athlete who earned First Team All-MEAC honors in her first season with the Lady Rattlers and made an appearance in the 2006 NCAA Championship at Florida. The 6-0/outside hitter averaged averaged 4.72 kills per game while hitting .270 and averaging 1.96 digs per game in her last season with the Lady Rattlers.

"They ended up giving me my red shirt and my coach stop contacting me," Royster-Crockett said. "They told me not to practice with the team and wait until next fall."

With a burning desire to continue her career on the court, Royster-Crockett turned to her mother Rita Buck-Crockett, a volleyball agent and two-time Olympian. Buck-Crockett decided to contact Techlaser in Cheseaux, a national team in Switzerland to prevent her daughter from ending her volleyball career.

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A&M aims to prove '07 was no fluke

Alabama A&M women's soccer coach Frank Davies always tries to find a way to top the previous year. After winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship last season and becoming the first team in league history to score in an NCAA tournament game, Davies says he has found a way. "We've got to repeat," Davies said. "In order to prove that last year wasn't a fluke, we've got to win it again."

In the five-year history of the SWAC championships, there has been no repeat winner. Davies says the Bulldogs can do it if he can find a way to retool their midfield. "How we revamp that unit will be a big key," Davies said. Belinda Kanda, one of the nation's top scorers, returns along with six other starters. Brittan Thomas and newcomer Celeste Roberts will also be counted on to help shoulder some of the scoring load.

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Grambling names Greg Dillon starting QB

Grambling, LA --Sophomore Greg Dillon has emerged from a three-man quarterback derby to be named the starting quarterback, Grambling coach Rod Broadway announced Tuesday. Dillon, on the scout team last season, edged out redshirt sophomore J.P. Tillman, a Missouri transfer. Broadway said both should play Saturday at Nevada. (Freshman Brendan Crawford was also in the race.) Dillon threw the only touchdown pass in two scrimmages. The derby became necessary after senior Brandon Landers was ruled academically ineligible in the summer.

Grambling coach Rod Broadway opens second season as head of the Tigers at the University of Nevada on Saturday.

“We’re not going to ask our quarterback to do a lot for us,” Broadway said. “We just want him to learn how to manage the game.” Though Frank Warren, last season’s SWAC Freshman of the Year, returns at running back, the offense is in for a major overhaul. Two freshmen — Quint Roberts (6-3, 325) at right tackle and Greg McGrue (6-foot-8, 360 pounds) at right guard — are expected to start. Another, Sanford Banks (6-5, 303), could play at right tackle.

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Beast of the East: UMES, Great Expectations

After last season's 24-4 record, Hawks feeling confident

PRINCESS ANNE, MD -- With a new coach and numerous new players in the mix in 2007, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team came out and surprised a number of people with a 24-4 season, which included 22 consecutive match victories and a trip to the MEAC tournament title match against Florida A&M. This season, the Hawks were selected as the preseason pick to repeat as the conference's Northern Division champion, and they return nearly every starter from last year, leading to optimism heading into the '08 campaign.

"The first year I got hired, I knew I had a couple good recruits, but I didn't have any expectations," UMES second-year coach Don Metil said. "But going 10-and-oh in the conference last year, and having my five, six returners and being first in the preseason poll, there's a lot of expectations, not only intrasquad, but outside the UMES community. And I think that's why I've been really, really hard on the girls, because now we do have expectations and I think they're playing well, but I think there are still a lot of errors that need to be cleaned up."

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UMES 2008-2009 VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

VT Hokie Invite
08/29/08 at Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Va. 7:00 p.m. ET
08/30/08 vs. Coastal Carolina Blacksburg, Va. 10:00 a.m. ET
vs. Winston-Salem State Blacksburg, Va. 4:00 p.m. ET

UMBC Tournament
09/05/08 at UMBC Baltimore, Md. 10:00 a.m. ET
09/06/08 vs. Duquesne Baltimore, Md. 10:00 a.m. ET
vs. Niagara Baltimore, Md. 2:00 p.m. ET

Ramada Invitational
09/12/08 vs. Butler Buffalo, N.Y. 12:00 p.m. ET
at Buffalo Buffalo, N.Y. 7:00 p.m. ET
09/13/08 vs. Maine Buffalo, N.Y. 1:00 p.m. ET

09/16/08 at Norfolk State Norfolk, Va. 7:00 p.m. ET

Colonial Challenge
09/19/08 at William & Mary Williamsburg, Va. 7:00 p.m. ET
09/20/08 vs. Elon Williamsburg, Va. 10:30 a.m. ET
vs. Radford Williamsburg, Va. 4:30 p.m. ET

NCA&T Tournament
09/26/08 at North Carolina A&T Greensboro, N.C. TBA
09/27/08 vs. Alabama State Greensboro, N.C. TBA
vs. Kentucky State Greensboro, N.C. TBA

09/28/08 at North Carolina Central Durham, N.C. 11:00 a.m. ET
10/03/08 vs. Morgan State * Princess Anne, Md. 7:00 p.m. ET
10/05/08 vs. Delaware State * Princess Anne, Md. 3:00 p.m. ET
10/08/08 at Delaware Newark, Del. 7:00 p.m. ET
10/10/08 at Hampton University * Hampton, Va. 7:00 p.m. ET
10/12/08 vs. Coppin State * Princess Anne, Md. 3:00 p.m. ET
10/15/08 at American Washington, D.C. 7:00 p.m. ET
10/17/08 vs. Howard * Princess Anne, Md. 6:00 p.m. ET
10/19/08 at Morgan State * Baltimore, Md. 3:00 p.m. ET
10/24/08 at Delaware State * Dover, Del. 6:00 p.m. ET
10/26/08 vs. Hampton University * Princess Anne, Md. 3:00 p.m. ET
10/31/08 at Coppin State * Baltimore, Md. 7:00 p.m. ET
11/02/08 at Howard * Washington, D.C. 2:00 p.m. ET

MEAC Championships
11/14/08 MEAC Championships Hampton, Va. TBA
11/15/08 MEAC Championships Hampton, Va. TBA
11/16/08 MEAC Championships Hampton, Va. TBA

*Conference Event

Senior Blanks has been anchor of WSSU's offensive line, making 31 consecutive starts

During yesterday's Meet the Rams Day at Bowman Gray Stadium, fans got to admire the new field house and the new large scoreboard. Just how much Winston-Salem State uses that scoreboard will likely come down to how well the offensive line performs this season.

Leading that unit will be senior Joe Blanks, who has made 31 straight starts and hasn't missed a game at right tackle since he left high school. It's rare for a lineman not to be moved around during his career, and it's even rarer when a lineman starts his first season out of high school.

Blanks, who was recruited by several Division I programs coming out of high school in Erie, Pa., signed with WSSU and has been everything that Coach Kermit Blount had hoped for. Blount likes to redshirt freshmen when they arrive, but Blanks was too good for that. "He's a right tackle and that's his position and he's anchored it the last four years," Blount said. "We are happy to have him right there."

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Ray Ray McElrathbey Begins a New Chapter at HU

There is a 13-year-old running around in Cook Hall, hanging out with the football players and playing video games. Fahmarr McElrathbey seems like a typical kid but he's far from that. He followed his brother Ramon "Ray Ray" McElrathbey to Howard University from Clemson University where his brother is an alum and also played football.

While most students have classes, extracurricular activities and maybe a job to juggle, McElrathbey who is a graduate student studying Mass Communications, has more responsibilities than the average college student. In 2006, he adopted Fahmarr from his mother who is a recovering drug addict. And wherever big brother goes, little brother isn't too far behind. Finding a place to live and searching for the perfect school for Fahmarr are some of the decisions the 21-year-old has to make.

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SSU to stay Division I; eyes conference

Excerpt:

According to Claud Flythe, SSU vice president for administration...

Flythe, before speaking briefly at the scholarship extravaganza - but not about SSU's Division I status - told the Savannah Morning News that SSU will remain in Division I. He also said the Tigers intend to join the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, and hinted that membership could come as early as December.

"We have had no discussions about going back to Division II," Flythe said of SSU, which left the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and joined Division I in 2002 without conference affiliation. "Savannah State's mission, its goal, its objective right now, is to stay in Division I and to become a full-fledged member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference."

SSU's football program will complete a three-year NCAA probation on May 18, 2009. In 2005, SSU paid the MEAC a $10,000 non-refundable application fee. In 2006, the MEAC put SSU's application on hold until it completes its NCAA probation in 2009. "We are full speed ahead," Flythe said. "We're working very closely with the MEAC's board of directors, and the (MEAC) commissioner, and the NCAA."

Click here to view photos from the SSU scholaship extravaganza.

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Ex-Howard Bison athlete captures bronze in hurdles

It wasn't that long ago that David Oliver was an afterthought on the U.S. track team, a hurdler who went unrecognized by television analysts when he finally won a major race. "A nobody," he said. But Thursday night, the 26-year-old Denver East High School (and Howard University) graduate stood on a podium in National Stadium, a 2008 Olympic bronze medal hanging around his neck, eight years after a college scholarship seemed beyond his grasp.

"They only pass out three of these every four years, so to be one of the people who've got one is definitely an accomplishment in itself," Oliver said. "To get one of them (means) you'll always be remembered." Once Chinese superhero Liu Xiang pulled out of a preliminary heat with a foot injury, the race lost its luster in China. But Cuba's Dayron Robles, the world record-holder, ran a remarkable 12.93 seconds to take the gold.

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Heffner stars for TSU both on, off the field

Tigers quarterback is one of OVC's best in classroom, too

On the football field, Antonio Heffner keeps opponents guessing with his ability to run or pass. Away from it, he's as predictable as death and taxes. If he's not pestering offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss with an idea to improve the scheme, the Tigers quarterback is most likely in his room watching television or studying. "Heff don't ever go anywhere," said tight end Antonio Graham. "He's always in the house watching TV, watching sports."

It's that mundane lifestyle that makes Heffner, who is carrying a 3.7 grade point average with a major in criminal justice, a bit of a rarity among college football players. It's also a routine that has helped him become a role model for his teammates and overcome frustrating injuries and other setbacks to become the premier quarterback in the Ohio Valley Conference. He has a steady girlfriend who lives in Memphis...

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Wright resigns as DSU wrestling coach

DOVER, DE -- For the fifth time in six years, Delaware State must find a new coach for its wrestling team following the departure of Reggie Wright, who resigned over the weekend. Wright coached the 2007-2008 season at DSU after being picked by school president Allen Sessoms and then-athletic director Chuck Bell to stabilize the program. Athletic director Rick Costello said Wright left to pursue "other opportunities."

Costello said he will conduct a nationwide search for Wright's replacement and that he expects to make a hire prior to the start of the season. The team is scheduled to begin practices, with or without a coach, in three weeks. Contacted last week by text message, Wright seemed surprised about questions of his departure. On Wednesday, his phone service had been disconnected.

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New vision for Coppin State athletics

As AD, former NFL player Derrick Ramsey wants the school to become synonymous with the city.

At first glance, it seems an odd choice - Coppin State naming Derrick Ramsey as athletic director. Ramsey, an All-America football star in college, played nine years in the NFL. But Coppin has no football team. Ramsey last worked as Kentucky's deputy secretary of commerce, where he oversaw the state's Fish and Wildlife Service. Around Coppin, the only fish are the fried lake trout in North Avenue carryouts, and wildlife consists of a few squirrels that scrounge for food on the campus quad.

But yesterday, as Ramsey, 6 feet 6 inches, surveyed his new domain, he saw nothing but opportunity - a chance for Coppin to become Baltimore's hometown favorite. "This city is up for grabs," said Ramsey, 51. "There is no one school with which everyone identifies. Baltimore screams out for an institution to take it over, and we're going to do that with integrity and character."

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UMES Tyson is academically ineligible

UMES men's starting basketball shooting guard Ed Tyson will not return to the team next season because he is academically ineligible, the school announced yesterday.

Tyson, an All- Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference second-team player, averaged a conference-best 20.2 points while starting in all 32 games for the Hawks last season. He also led the team with 54 steals, 1,176 minutes, 219 field goals and 73 three-pointers.

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TSU shores up holes on defense with new faces

TSU defensive coordinator Rod Reed.

Tennessee State's new defensive linemen are facing old problems. Not only did the unit struggle against the run last year, but the top linemen also are gone. So Rod Reed, who coached linebackers last year and took over as defensive coordinator this year, is trying to make improvements with young and inexperienced players.

"They get to go against a pretty good offensive line every day in practice so they get their noses bloodied a little bit,'' Reed said. "It's good to watch them sit in there and fight." Even with likes of All-OVC defensive end Shaun Richardson and nose tackle Lamar Divens, who signed with San Diego, TSU finished 88th nationally in run defense (193.5 yards per game) and 74th in total defense (386.4). Harold Ayodele, who rotated at tackle with Maurice Davis, did not to return for his final year of eligibility.

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MEAC volleyball kicks off

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The 2008 MEAC volleyball season will kick off Labor Day weekend with a flurry of nonconference games. The defending champions Florida A&M, will begin its season at the Florida State Invitational against Bowling Green and Stetson.

UMES will start at the Virginia Tech Hokie Invite at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30. They will face Virginia Tech, Coastal Carolina and Winston-Salem State. Conference play will begin Oct. 3 when the northern and southern teams will face each other.

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