Fayetteville State coach Kenny Phillips not buying preseason predictions for his Broncos

Fayetteville, N.C. - Perhaps it was unintentional. But Fayetteville State football coach Kenny Phillips stole a page right out of Yogi Berra's book.

Thursday during CIAA Media Day festivities at Virginia State. Asked about the upcoming season, with his Broncos pegged in the preseason poll to finish fourth in the league's Southern Division, Phillips delivered a calm, if somewhat confusing, aphorism.

"If the prediction goes as the predictions go, they never do," he said.

Phillips has recent firsthand experience with the unreliability of preseason polls. Last season, for example, his Broncos were picked to win the CIAA, yet they sputtered to a disappointing 5-5 season and a fourth-place finish in their division.

"Where you're picked at is where you start," Phillips said. "But it's where you finish at (that matters)." So will FSU exceed expectations this season?

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The Predicted Order of Finish and Preseason All-CIAA team are being formally announced. To see a list of those, go here and here.

Fayetteville State to play Carson-Newman in Football on Sept. 8

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - For the first time since the 2004 NCAA Division-II playoffs, the Fayetteville State Broncos will play perennial powerhouse Carson-Newman in football in 2011.

And a win could mean a potential playoff berth for the Broncos.

Fayetteville State announced on Thursday it will travel to play the Eagles at 7 p.m. on Sept. 8 in Jefferson City, Tenn. The Broncos were originally slated to play St. Paul's on the road in the second week of the season, but St. Paul's College announced earlier this month that it would not field athletic teams next season.

The opportunity to play Carson-Newman gives Fayetteville State 10 football games for the 2011 season -- the number needed to qualify for a playoff berth.

"We are fortunate Carson-Newman had an opening on its schedule and we were able to make a game," says Broncos football coach Kenny Phillips. "It goes for our 10th game, and if we're fortunate enough to have a good season, we'd be eligible for the playoffs."

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Spring Football Report: Fayetteville State

Following up a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship season with a 5-5 record in 2010 wasn't a shock to Fayetteville State coach Kenny Phillips.

"I knew we'd struggle to start out with so many players getting acclimated to becoming starters,'' Phillips said. "But I think down the stretch our players realized what it takes to win football games, and that's one of the things we brought into spring practice."

The Broncos won four of their final five games last season, including the final three by a whopping 167-39 margin. The momentum established during that stretch proved ...



BRONCOS CAP SUCCESSFUL SEASON OF SPRING WORKOUTS

FAYETTEVILLE, NC - Before Larry McDonald is done with his football career, there's a good chance he will have started more games than any other player under Fayetteville State head coach Kenny Phillips.

He may hold the record for participation in the most practices, too. And that includes the ones during the spring.

McDonald, an All-CIAA offensive lineman who will play either guard or center during the 2011 football season, will begin that season penciled in to start from Day 1 for the fourth straight year when the Broncos host UNC Pembroke on Sept. 3 in the third Two Rivers Classic at Luther "Nick" Jeralds Stadium.

In a sense, though, the new season has already begun.

The Mebane, NC, native has already played in 32 games in his Fayetteville State career and was a key component on a line that helped the Broncos win the 2009 CIAA championship.

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Fayetteville State Releases 2011 Football Schedule

Fayetteville, NC – Football season never feels like it is too far away, and it feels even closer for Fayetteville State Broncos fans as the tentative 2011 football schedule has been released.

Fayetteville State will open its 2011 season with the Third Two Rivers Classic against UNC Pembroke at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3. The game will be played at Luther “Nick” Jeralds Stadium as the two programs clash to open their respective grid seasons for the third consecutive year.

The Broncos, who finished the season 5-5 a year ago to complete a season at .500 or better for the eighth time in head coach Kenny Phillips’ 11 years at the helm, are then scheduled to travel to play St. Paul’s for their first road game of the season on Sept. 10.

After that, Fayetteville State will begin a stretch of four home dates in a span of five games, kicking off with a 6 p.m. game against Elizabeth City State on Sept. 17 before traveling to rival Winston-Salem State on Sept. 24 to open CIAA play. Fayetteville State will then host St. Augustine’s (Oct. 1, 6 p.m.) and Virginia State (Oct. 8, 6 p.m.).

Homecoming is scheduled for Oct. 15 against Shaw. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m.

Fayetteville State will close its regular season with three games on the road: at Livingstone (Oct. 22, 1:30 p.m.), Johnson C. Smith (Oct. 29, 4 p.m.) and Virginia Union (Nov. 5, 1 p.m.).

FSU Broncos 2011 Football Schedule

Date Opponent / Event Location Result

09/03/11 vs. UNC Pembroke Fayetteville, NC 6:00 p.m.

09/10/11 at St. Paul's TBA TBA

09/17/11 vs. Elizabeth City State Fayetteville, NC 6:00 p.m.

09/24/11 at Winston-Salem State * Winston-Salem, NC TBA

10/01/11 vs. Saint Augustine's * Fayetteville, NC 6:00 p.m.

10/08/11 vs. Virginia State * Fayetteville, NC 6:00 p.m.

   BRONCO HOMECOMING

10/15/11 vs. Shaw * Fayetteville, NC 2:00 p.m.

10/22/11 at Livingstone * Salisbury, NC 1:30 p.m.

10/29/11 at Johnson C. Smith * Charlotte, NC 4:00 p.m.

11/05/11 at Virginia Union * Richmond, VA 1:00 p.m.

* CIAA Conference Game

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FSU Broncos fail to make plays in loss to Shaw Bears

RALEIGH - Fayetteville State coach Kenny Phillips leaned against a wall outside his team's locker room late Saturday and broke into a chuckle. He didn't know what else to do. The explanation behind the Broncos' 34-27 road loss to Shaw was far too simple.

"Oh, what a feeling," Phillips said. "You've got to make plays. We talk about it all the time. When opportunities are there for you to make a big play, you have to make that play." Shaw won Saturday's CIAA tussle because its top wide receiver, Julius Gregory, made two highlight reel touchdown catches in the second half.

Shaw Holds Off Determined FSU, 34-27

Raleigh, NC – Shaw built a lead in the first quarter, but could never distance itself from a determined Fayetteville State squad as they held on for a 34-27 win. The win moves Shaw to 5-2 on the season, 4-0 in the CIAA. Fayetteville State drops to 2-5, 1-3 in the CIAA.

“Any time these two teams play, you know it’s going to be a high tempo game,” said Shaw Head Coach Darrell Asberry. “Our team is playing good football, and while it took our offense a little time to click, we stuck to the game plan and it came out in our favor.”

Shaw’s Kevin Atkins threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and Raymond Williams rushed for two touchdowns, but it was Julius Gregory (right) who proved to be the offensive star for the Bears. Gregory caught both of Atkins’ TD tosses, giving him seven on the season, and 18 in his Shaw career, new Shaw records in each instance.

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WSSU Rams whip FSU Broncos to improve to 5-0

Fayetteville, N.C. -- There’s a new sheriff in the CIAA.

That much was evident on Saturday night when Winston-Salem State had its way with Fayetteville State, the defending conference champions, by rolling to a 31-14 win at Luther “Nick” Jeralds Stadium.

With more than half of the 4,000-plus fans dressed in Rams’ red, the Rams remained unbeaten at 5-0 and 3-0 in the conference and will likely crack the top 25 Division II coaches’ poll this week. “That was the whole plan - this was a statement game,” said wide receiver Dominique Fitzgerald of the Rams, who caught a touchdown pass and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass off a wide receiver flea-flicker. “They were the defending champs and to become the champs we had to knock off No. 1.”

Winston-Salem State tops Fayetteville State, 31-14

Winston-Salem State wide receiver Dominique Fitzgerald knew Saturday night's game at Fayetteville State would be a test plus a learning experience all rolled into one. As the Rams continue transitioning back into Division II, returning to the CIAA for the first time since 2005, Fitzgerald admitted he wasn't quite sure what to make of his team's 4-0 start, eager to gauge the program's progress with a showdown against the defending conference champ.

"We really don't know what to expect from most teams because a lot of us have never played them before," Fitzgerald said. "So with everything so far, it's like we're guessing."

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Fayetteville State expects big group of WSSU fans

Fayetteville State will have a web broadcast of the game at http://www.fsubroncos.com./

Winston-Salem State football fans have a reputation for traveling well, and they’ll have the chance to uphold that tradition Saturday, when undefeated WSSU plays at Fayetteville State, the defending CIAA champion. The game, at 6 p.m. at Luther “Nick’ Jeralds Stadium, will be the Rams’ biggest since they last played in the CIAA in 2005.

Antoinette Fairley, Fayetteville State’s ticket manager, said she’s prepared and that she already has sent 100 tickets to WSSU. “And if need be, we can overnight some more to them,” she said. “We’ve been getting a lot of calls already, so we are expecting a pretty big crowd for this one.”

Fairley said that the stadium seats about 6,200, and she’s expecting a favorable forecast to drive game-day ticket sales.

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Fayetteville State fails to capitalize on early lead

Rocky Mount, N.C. - Fayetteville State was given every chance to put away Elizabeth City State during the first half of the Down East Viking Football Classic on Saturday at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex. But as time continued to tick off the clock and a partisan Elizabeth City State crowd grew restless with some poor play by the Vikings early, hope emerged.

It came in the form of a defense that didn’t let things get out of hand, and when Elizabeth City State’s special teams caught a break, momentum followed in its favor. “We had a few stumbles and falls, but we picked it back up, and that’s what we needed to do,” Elizabeth City State wide receiver Dexter Manley said after his team rallied for a 38-26 victory in the 13th edition of the Classic.

Photo Gallery: Down East Viking Football Classic tailgating

Elizabeth City state rallies for Down East Viking Classic victory

With roughly a minute remaining in the first half, Fayetteville State had already watched its 13-point lead against Elizabeth City State shrink to three.

ECSU Vikings travel for 13th Down East Classic

Packing up a football team and traveling 100 miles to play a home game might seem like a pitfall of distractions, but for the Elizabeth City State Vikings, this weekend is a familiar process.

Today’s Down East Viking Football Classic in Rocky Mount has grown into a second homecoming of sorts for ECSU. The weekend is full of parties, banquets and a football game to cap everything off. This year’s game, the 13th year of the event, pits ECSU (1-1) against fellow Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association member Fayetteville State (1-1), although this does not count as a league game. With all that surrounds the game, the Vikings are somewhat insulated from it, according to coach Waverly Tillar.

Down East Classic game features two programs on the rise

When Elizabeth City State plays host to Fayetteville State in the 13th annual Down East Viking Football Classic at 4 p.m.today at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex, the two teams will showcase more than an intrastate rivalry. Both the Vikings and the Broncos are Division II programs on the rise, especially visiting Fayetteville State, which finished last season seventh in the Super Regional 1 rankings.

“We’re coming along pretty good. We’ve been pretty consistent. We won the (CIAA) championship last year, and the past two years have been very...

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UNC-Pembroke blanks Fayetteville State 39-0 in Two Rivers Classic

PEMBROKE, N.C. - A dejected Kenny Phillips left the postgame interview, holding the stat sheet like it was contaminated. He shook his head, handed the paper to a team official and summed up his team's performance in the 2nd annual Two Rivers Classic.

"Can you throw this in the trash?" he said.

Indeed, Fayetteville State would like to forget last night's implosion as soon as possible. With an eleventh-hour change at quarterback, the Broncos' offense was lost in a 39-0 loss to UNC-Pembroke at Grace P. Johnson Stadium. In front of a UNCP record crowd of 6,429, FSU was steamrolled. The latest installment of this budding rivalry deflated from a blockbuster to a straight-to-DVD film before it even began. On Friday, the Broncos learned they'd be without star transfer quarterback Robert Benjamin.

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Fayetteville State expects offense to shine against UNCP

At the end of nearly every practice, Fayetteville State's football team engages in an intense and telling 11-on-11 drill: first-team offense versus first-team defense. And for much of the past month, it's been the offensive playmakers stealing the show.

That's left Broncos coach Kenny Phillips with two mindset choices. On his glass-half-empty days, Phillips departs practice scratching his head and wondering whether his defense is too young, too inexperienced and too mistake-prone to deliver a second consecutive CIAA championship.

But more often, Phillips' optimism takes over and he chooses to feel great excitement about the upgrades made to the offense. Richard Medlin, the Broncos' top tailback in 2009, is back and better than ever.Up front, FSU has a pair of veteran All-CIAA linemen in Dillon Kestner and Larry McDonald.



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Medlin ready to help Fayetteville State defend CIAA title‎

The bull's eye is everywhere around the Fayetteville State football program these days, so much so that if you didn't look close enough you might wonder whether the Broncos had struck up a lucrative sponsorship deal with Target. They haven't.

Instead, the flyers have been posted in the locker room, on weight benches and anywhere else players might be looking as a not-so-subtle reminder: Fayetteville State is the reigning CIAA champion and has been picked in the preseason to defend that crown.

Coach Kenny Phillips is using the targets as a motivational prop. Running back Richard Medlin has been more than willing to take the bait.

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