Alabama State Hornets profit with new schedule

The Gulf Coast Classic just got a shot of life. On Tuesday, officials at Alabama State and Southern University signed an agreement guaranteeing the two schools will meet each season in Mobile's Ladd-Peebles Stadium through the year 2011.

The deal gives the game the two things its critics have demanded: A big-time, consistent opponent and a nice payday. Southern boasts one of the largest, most devoted fan bases in the conference and its continued involvement in the game puts an end to ASU's often-criticized practice of rotating opponents each season. In addition, the Gulf Coast Scholar and Sports Foundation, a non-profit organization in Mobile that's serving as host for the game, has promised a $900,000 payout to ASU over the next four years.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

Southern, Alabama State to sign contract for Gulf Coast Classic

Southern University and Alabama State appear to be getting close to signing a four-year deal to play in the Gulf Coast Classic in Mobile, Alabama. That contract would begin this season, with a Nov. 15 game.

Southern has yet to sign the contract to play the Gulf Coast Classic, LaFleur said. “It looks like it’s 99 percent sure that it’s going to happen,” LaFleur said. LaFleur said the City of Mobile is organizing the game.

In order to accommodate the start of the contract, Southern is giving up its home date this season and in 2010. However, according to LaFleur, the payoff will come in a generous pay date as well as getting paid to play when the game is Alabama State’s home game.

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.

Strong defense keeps SU unbeaten

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

MOBILE, Ala. — Late in the first half, Alabama State quarterback Alex Engram told Southern strong safety Glenn Bell, after Bell squared him up for a tackle in the open field, the next time would be different.

Bell disagreed. And, it turns out, Bell was right.

Midway through the third quarter, Bell unloaded on Engram as he tried to make a play with his legs around the left end. Engram got 3 yards to the Southern 2-yard line on third-and-goal. But Bell knocked him out of bounds and out for the next play after trainers helped the wobbly quarterback across the field to the Alabama State sideline.

Rahmod Taylor was then stopped at the 1-yard line on the next play and Southern took possession.

That goal-line stand, with 8:42 left in the third quarter, was the exclamation point to a day in which Southern’s defense paved the way for a 21-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference victory over Alabama State Saturday in the 34th Gulf Coast Classic at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

“Just before halftime, when I tackled him in the open field, he said, ‘Next time, five, I’m going to run over you.’ I was like, ‘Next time, you won’t get up.’ It just so happened, the next time was on the goal line, and he didn’t get up,” said Bell, named the game’s defensive MVP after totaling 10 tackles and one breakup. Bell wears No. 5.

To his credit, Engram, verified the back-and-forth jawing and gave Bell and the SU defense respect.

“It was a bootleg pass,” Engram said. “I was looking for my guy. He didn’t show up, so I tried to run and make a play. The guy gave me a lick, that’s all. He’s a good athlete. They have a good defense.”

Photo: SU’s Vince Lands (33) and Gary Chapman (39) pressure ASU quarterback Alex Engram.

The clash of SWAC unbeatens was in no way an offensive masterpiece. But it was a day for gritty defense.

Southern (5-0, 3-0 SWAC) turned the ball over four times (getting one back on a wild play in which the Alabama State defender who recovered the initial fumble subsequently fumbled himself) in the first half and five times overall.

Plus, SU had minus-6 yards, with two three-and-outs, an interception and a safety in the end zone in the third quarter. And SU had a first-quarter rushing touchdown wiped out by a holding penalty.

Southern scored twice in the second quarter — on a 21-yard touchdown run by Brian Threat (12:35 before halftime) and a 3-yard quarterback keeper by Lee (4:36 before halftime) — to take a 14-0 halftime lead.

Because of Alabama State’s solid defense, the Jaguars couldn’t get any continuity until deep in the fourth quarter, when the offense flipped field position with a strong drive and iced the game with Lee’s 23-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Gerard Landry.

Lee, who hadn’t thrown an interception in his previous five starts, tied a career high with three Saturday, but he still threw for 242 yards and one touchdown. And running back Darren Coates, the game’s offensive MVP, ran for 67 yards and had a career-best 119 receiving yards. His 51-yard catch set up Lee’s TD pass to Landry.

“I’m proud of the effort of my football team,” Southern coach Pete Richardson said. “We had to play hard for 60 minutes. We knew they had won quite a few games in the second half, so we had to stay with our game plan.”

Alabama State (4-1, 3-1), meanwhile, alternated quarterbacks because of a staphylococcus infection to the right knee of Chris Mitchell, who had started the previous three games. Mitchell was 2-for-19 for 17 yards and two interceptions, while Engram was 6-for-14 for 67 yards. SU broke up 10 passes, including five by linebacker Gary Chapman, whose fourth-quarter interception ended Alabama State’s last possession.

Alabama State running back Jay Peck, a first-team All-SWAC selection last season who leads the conference in rushing, had 35 yards on 16 carries — his lowest total since last season’s opener against Troy, when he had 20 yards and had yet to make a name for himself.

“We had to shut down that running back,” Richardson said. “We played a lot of eight-man fronts.”

All told, Alabama State, the team that had made four fourth-quarter comebacks, outscoring foes 46-23 in the period, had zero points for the first time all season. Alabama State’s only points came one play after SU’s goal-line stand, with linebacker Leland Jones Jr. tackling Coates in the end zone with 8:37 left in the third quarter.

SU played without its top tackler, linebacker Johnathan Malveaux (high ankle sprain), who didn’t make the trip. The Jaguars defense has allowed just two second-half touchdowns this season. It was the second time this season that the Jaguars defense could claim a “moral shutout.” Previously, the unit had underscored a 12-2 victory over Prairie View.

“I can’t say enough about our defense,” Landry said. “They played their heart out every down. They didn’t quit. Things didn’t go their way, but they kept fighting, kept fighting. The offense, we kept going three-and-out, but they didn’t complain. I can’t say enough.”

“The defense pumped us up, and we got it done,” Lee said.

Alabama State fumbled at the SU 31 and missed a 22-yard field-goal try in the second quarter. Then, the Hornets offense held the ball for 11 minutes in the third quarter and came away empty — turning the ball over on downs at the Southern 1 and SU 16 with 4:22 left in the third quarter and at the SU 18 with 12:26 left in the fourth quarter, with Chapman making his interception on the last Alabama State possession.

“I’ll be honest with you, we didn’t really have a great week of practice,” SU defensive coordinator Terrence Graves said. “We talked with them (Friday night) and told them the practice week was over; we have to go out and set the tone.”

A week earlier, SU’s defense gave up a series of big plays as the Jaguars fell behind by 21 points. But the offense came alive and the defense clamped down as SU went on to a 41-34 victory over Tennessee State.

“We’re a team,” Bell said. “Last week, we weren’t playing too well, and the offense caught our slack. ... We play together as a team, and that’s why we win.”

“It was just a testament,” Graves said. “They made the determination they weren’t going to let those guys score. All the credit goes to those guys.”

SOUTHERN 21, ALABAMA STATE 2: Southern shuts down Hornets

Photo: Southern's Brian Lewis brings down Alabama State's Rahmod Trayloy during the 34th annual Gulf Coast Classic football game in Mobile.

Gulf Coast Classic: Attendance - 16,130

Special to the Montgomery Advertiser

MOBILE -- Before the season, Alabama State head football coach Reggie Barlow chose the theme: "Push it to the Limit," which turned out to be quite apropos, as each of the first four games came down to pivotal plays in the final few minutes.

In the Gulf Coast Classic -- against a formidable Southern defense -- the Cinderella season hit its first bit of adversity as ASU simply ran out of magic dust and fell 21-2 to Southern on Saturday.

"It was a tough game," Barlow said. "We were really bad on offense. We moved the ball, but we couldn't take advantage of the opportunities."

Alabama State quarterbacks Alex Engram and Chris Mitchell combined to go 8-of-33 for only 84 yards and two interceptions. Southern's Bryant Lee, who had not thrown an interception in 183 consecutive attempts, tossed three picks during a 16-of-29, 242-yard performance.

Between the teams, there were 14 punts and eight turnovers.

Still, the Jaguars made just enough big plays to get an important SWAC win. However, the ASU defense would get none of the blame from Barlow.

"Those guys (ASU defense) are great," he said. "They play so hard, but we just didn't get them any help from the other side of the ball."

Rechard Johnson tallied 10 tackles, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and broke up a pass. Not to be outdone, Leland Jones had his breakout game of the season with seven tackles -- including two for loss -- forced a fumble, broke up a pass and picked up a quarterback hurry. Also, his third-quarter tackle of Chad Harris in the end zone accounted for the Hornets' only points of the night.

"We don't care what happens, we are one team," Jones said. "If one side of the ball is struggling, it's our responsibility as teammates to pick them up. That's what we do for each, and that's what we'll do this week as we get ready for Jackson State."

The Hornets will travel to Jackson, Miss., to take on the Tigers at 3 p.m.

Classic matchup in Ladd: Southern U. vs. Alabama State

Photo: Southern Head Coach Pete Richardson

By CASSANDRA M. TAYLOR, Press-Register

SWAC's unbeaten teams meet in Mobile

For Alabama State and Southern University, the time has come to put up or shut up.

All the pomp and circumstance surrounding today's game between the Southwestern Athletic Conference's final two unbeaten teams has ended. The Hornets (4-0) and Jaguars (4-0) will square off at 2:30 p.m. in the 34th annual Gulf Coast Classic at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The game will be televised at 9 tonight by ESPNU.

"It'll be a good football game," Southern coach Pete Richardson said. "Hopefully, we can have a packed house to see two fine football teams play.

"This game is a conference game, and it's huge for both teams. We want to be in a position to control our own destiny, so we don't have to depend on anybody else."

Alabama State's Reggie Barlow, who's coaching in his first Gulf Coast Classic, said the game will be pivotal for both programs and he expects his team to be ready.

"The thing about our players and our team is it's hard to read them," Barlow said. "They don't get all off into a lot of stuff. It's hard to tell how excited they are. But I'm sure once we pull up to the stadium and they see all the cars and recreation vehicles, they'll get more excited."

Photo: ASU QB Chris Mitchell , 6-3/200 Jr., Mobile, Ala.

ASU will be led by quarterback Chris Mitchell, who prepped at LeFlore High School. He has rallied the Hornets (3-0 SWAC) in the fourth quarter in each of their wins.

"We talked with Chris early on in the week about coming home to play," Barlow said. "We don't want him to peak too fast and be so hyped and filled with emotions that things don't go well for him.

"I think overall he'll be fine. One of the reasons he's been so good for us is he's never too high and never too low. If he makes a mistake, he's always the same, and our kids feed off that."

For Mitchell, the chance to play at home is exciting, but he knows it's still just another game his team needs to win in its pursuit of a berth in the SWAC Championship Game.

"I look at every game the same and the significance of each game is the same -- we have to win," Mitchell said. "Southern's defense is very active. We've seen a lot of their film and they make big plays and force turnovers. We have to capitalize on our big plays and limit our mistakes."

Mitchell has completed 46-of-81 passes for 621 yards and five touchdowns and run for two scores. He'll be counting on Jay Peck to help balance the attack; Peck leads the SWAC in rushing with 492 yards on 98 carries and 2 touchdowns.

The Jaguars (2-0 SWAC) will be led by quarterback Bryant Lee, who's completed 83-of-126 passes for 870 yards and 9 touchdowns.

Perfect starts give Southern, Alabama State high hopes

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

SU vs. Alabama State
WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
WHERE: Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Ala.
TV: ESPNU.
RADIO: KQXL-FM, 106.5

Both Southern and Alabama State — teams that dueled in the 2003 and ’04 Southwestern Athletic Conference championship games — went 5-6 last season and entered this season with little in the way of outside expectations.

Both, however, are off to 4-0 starts this season, and hopes are starting to inflate.

The Gulf Coast Classic at 2:30 p.m. Saturday will give one team a chance to equal last season’s win total and keep precious momentum going. The game will be played on Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., and was picked up earlier in the season by ESPNU.

“It’ll be a good football game,” 15th-year Southern coach Pete Richardson said. “Hopefully, we can have a packed house to see two fine football teams play. This game is a conference game, and it’s huge for both teams. We want to be in a position to control our own destiny, so we don’t have to depend on anybody else.”

Despite being sapped by losing 18 players since the spring, Southern (4-0, 2-0 SWAC) nevertheless has gotten stronger as games progress, outscoring foes 58-16 after halftime. SU overwhelmed both Tennessee State and Florida A&M with second-half comebacks.

“We’ve won the close ones,” Richardson said. “That helps you out a great deal. It keeps your spirits alive. A large part of that becomes confidence in yourself.”

Alabama State (4-0, 3-0) switched quarterbacks, going to junior college transfer Chris Mitchell, and has won all four of its games in the fourth quarter. The Hornets have outscored the opposition 46-23 in the fourth quarter.

“I never had any predictions coming into the season, but you always want to win them all,” first-year Alabama State coach Reggie Barlow said. “This may not be the best way to win games, but I’ll take it.”

In the conference’s preseason poll, Southern was picked to finish third in the SWAC Western Division. That’s the Jaguars’ lowest projection since the SWAC went to divisional play in 1999.

“I’m kind of surprised,” Richardson said of his team’s 4-0 start. “I’m proud of this football team, the way they hung in regardless of the situation. They’re going to play hard for 60 minutes and they’re learning how to win.”

Richardson credited his assistants and his players for the Jaguars’ best start since 2003.

“To be in this position, we have to attribute that to the players themselves,” Richardson said.

Meanwhile, Alabama State was picked to finish last of five teams in the Eastern Division.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” Barlow said of Saturday’s game. “We’re going to come and give it our best shot. If we can pull it out, that will be huge for our kids, our community and our school.”

Powerful Peck
The player working the room at the SWAC Media Day in late July was Alabama State running back Jay Peck.

Peck had a reason to be confident and self-assured. After all, the former walk-on from Columbus, Ohio, — introduced to the school by an Alabama State alum who is a cousin —Peck had already graduated in marketing and had emerged from the shadows of Robert Randolph and Keldrick Williams to run for 1,139 yards and eight touchdowns, becoming a first-team All-SWAC selection in the process last season.

“He gets it,” Barlow said. “He understands what he’s here for. You know what you’re going to get out of him every day. He comes to work.”

Peck had six carries in 2005, but had 249 last season. He’s already rushed for a SWAC-best 492 yards and two TDs on 98 carries this season.

“We have to stop the run,” Richardson said. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to stop Peck. We’ll have to try to limit him.”

2007 Alabama State University Marching Hornets Band and Stingettes Dancers



Peck has the complete package after transforming from third-down back to workhorse back. ASU split him out Saturday, and Peck hauled in a key pass in a victory over Alcorn State. He has 10 catches for 116 yards this season.

“He’s always been talented,” Barlow said. “We knew he could run routes and catch the ball well. I’m not sure anybody knew he would be as good a runner as he’s turned out to be. He’s patient. He sets up his block well.

“We’re going to lean on him again to rush the ball and get us to where we need to be.”

Barlow credited offensive coordinator Maurice Harris with finding ways to get Peck involved all over the field — and the entire offense for allowing Peck to work, even though teams are keying on him.

“That’s a tribute to our O-line,” Barlow said. “Even though teams are preparing for him, those guys are still creating positive running lanes for him, and our receivers are doing a good job in perimeter blocking.”

The buzz on the Hornets’ defense
Alabama State is 14th nationally in scoring defense (16.0 points per game), 15th in total defense (286.0 yards per game) and is tied for 14th in tackles for loss (8.8 per game). The Hornets are second in the SWAC in scoring defense and rushing defense (101.0 ypg) and third in total defense.

Barlow called his defense “the backbone” of his team and its success.

“We’ll have to continue to rely on them,” Barlow said.

While Barlow, Alabama State’s quarterbacks coach, may be new to the role of head coach, much of the staff has remained intact. That includes Tony Pierce, in his fifth season as the Hornets defensive coordinator. Pierce was named the American Football Coaches Association’s I-AA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2004.

“Defensively, they’re real aggressive,” Richardson said. “They like to do a lot of blitzing, which puts a lot of pressure on you to get rid of the football.”

Said Southern sophomore quarterback Bryant Lee, “They’re physical. They’re going to attack us.”

Gulf Coast Classic: Barlow--will, desire key to ASU Hornets' success

By CASSANDRA M. TAYLOR, Special to The Advocate

Reggie Barlow is a proven winner.

A freshman on the 1991 Alabama State squad, Barlow and the Hornets claimed a National Black College Championship that season after going 11-0-1.

He claimed his second championship ring 11 years later with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when the group won Super Bowl XXXVI.

Despite all the accolades and title rings, fans and critics alike are trying to figure out how this year’s Alabama State squad remains undefeated.

The Hornets will put their unbeaten record on the line against another unbeaten team in Southern University on Saturday, when the two clash in the 34th annual Gulf Coast Classic in Mobile, Ala. The Southwestern Athletic Conference clash will be televised by ESPNU and will kick-off at 2:30 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

With running back Jay Peck, who leads the conference in rushing yards with 492 yards on 98 carries and two touchdowns, being the lone superstar returning from last year’s 5-6 team, Barlow doesn’t have a simple answer to the secret of his team’s success.

In his first year as head coach at his alma mater, Barlow cites different factors in the group’s 4-0 start.

“That 1991 team was as deep as any team I’ve ever seen. We had so many play makers and it was a very explosive group,” Barlow said. “In comparison, I think this team has a better defense than we did in 1991. But offensively, we had so many weapons.

“To be fair to this year’s team, we have our own character,” he continued. “It’s a bunch of silly young guys that really care and love each other and the game of football equally. In every game this season, our guys kept fighting under the final horn. I contribute that to will, desire and conditioning.”

The last time the Hornets program opened the season 4-0 was in 1991.

One of the reasons Barlow’s group has been successful is credited to the poise and play of quarterback Chris Mitchell.

A backup before the season, Mitchell has led the group to four consecutive fourth quarter come-from-behind victories, including a pair of rushing touchdowns a week ago against Alcorn State.

“Chris just never gets rattled. He’s as calm late in the game as he is prior to the game starting,” Barlow said. “Obviously we’d love to close teams out early but every team has their niche. Right now rallying late in the game might be our niche.”

At 34, Barlow is the youngest coach in the SWAC and is quick to give praise to his staff.

“Our coaches have been really good to me and encouraged me,” he said. “Anywhere I’m slacking they’ve encouraged me and picked me up. Plus what a great group of players we have. I’m just grateful and happy for this staff and our team.”

In Mobile on Monday for a meet-and-greet sessions with fans, Barlow admits his team will have to play some of their best football on Saturday.

“This game is going to be pivotal for both schools. Southern is a great team and it’s scary because they have so much talent and explosive players,” he said. “We’ll have to make sure we take the proper angles and come to battle when we tackle these guys.

“It’s going to be challenging for us and all of their play makers scare me,” Barlow continued. “Obviously their talent level is back to where it use to be and their coaching staff will have their team prepared.”

While the upcoming contest will be the battle of the unbeatens for the Montgomery, Ala., native he has the same message for his team that he’s had the previous four contest.

“As a player, a coach and a team you can’t ever feel like you’ve arrived. You have to always compete and always feel threatened that you may fail,” Barlow said. “That’s what we’ve been trying to get our kids to buy into.”

Conditioning factor in Alabama State comebacks

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Alabama State is 4-0 because the Hornets have made fourth-quarter comebacks in all four of their games.

The ability to come back is no accident. Alabama State prepares to be the better team in the fourth quarter.

To get ready, the Hornets run “gassers” (sprints) before, during and practices, not just after practices.

“We pride ourselves on being a well-conditioned team,” first-year Alabama State coach Reggie Barlow said. “We’re just trying to be creative so these guys can actually see what it feels like to have to compete in a game, feel like you’ve spent everything and all of a sudden you need a big drive or a big stop and being able to reach down and grab some more energy. We practice like that.”

Alabama State has outscored opponents 46-23 in the fourth quarter. And the Hornets (4-0, 3-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference), who play Southern (4-0, 2-0) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Mobile, Ala., have totaled just 39 points in the other three quarters combined.

“Every team has its character, so I guess this is ours,” Barlow said. “We must like it close, but we are finding a way to win so its alright with me.”


In the season opener, Jay Peck’s 15-yard run with 3:27 to play capped a 10-play, 81-yard drive to give ASU a 24-19 win over Jacksonville State. The Hornets, down 16-6 with five minutes left in the third quatrer, dove 81 and 94 yards in the fourth quarter to twice overcome deficits.

After trailing 10-7 to Texas Southern with 13:26 left, Peck’s 3-yard run with 2:40 to play put ASU up 14-10 and the Hornets scored on two short drives (24 yards after a 17-yard punt, and 22 yards, taking over on downs) in the final three minutes to win 21-10.

Down 10-6 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 9:10 in the fourth quarter, Chris Mitchell completed a 10-yard pass to Fred Ragsdale with 41 seconds to play for a 12-10 victory.

And down 18-14 to Alcorn State entering the fourth quarter, a 41-yard Joel Riggins punt return to the Alcorn 37-yard line set up Mitchell’s 23-yard touchdown run two plays later (9:30 left) and a fumble recovery at the Alcorn 11 on the ensuing kickoff set up Mitchell’s 1-yard TD (8:02 left) in a 28-25 victory.
“I really can’t say how proud I am of these guys. No matter what they never quit fighting,” Barlow said after Saturday’s 28-25 win over Alcorn State. “I am so proud of our team, how hard we play as a team.”

Southern coach Pete Richardson said watching game film showed him how hard and how long Alabama State was playing for its new coach.

“What I’ve seen is the players are playing with a lot of effort for 60 minutes,” Richardson said.

Landry says he’ll be fine

Southern senior wide receiver Gerard Landry on Wednesday did not wear a sling on his left arm and said he’d be fine to play Saturday.

“I’m feeling pretty good. The range of motion is getting back there,” said Landry, who has scored a touchdown in all four games this season and six of Southern’s last seven games overall. “Saturday, I’ll be ready to go.”

Landry, who said he’s getting rehab twice a day, said he injured the shoulder diving for the football in the end zone after fellow wide receiver Del Roberts score to put Southern ahead for good with 10:16 remaining in Saturday’s 41-34 win over Tennessee State. Landry said he was unsure if Roberts had scored or the ball was live.

Landry has 14 catches for 199 yards this season.

Coates for MVP

Richardson on Wednesday lauded senior running back Darren Coates, who leads the team in rushing with 341 yards and four touchdowns (along with 62 yards and another TD through the air.)

Said Richardson, “If there’s an MVP on our football team at this time, it has to be him.”

Coates has played with turf toe since the second game of the season.

“Game by game, I’m just building up confidence in myself, knowing I can do it,” Coates, who ran for 119 yards and one touchdown last season.

In comparison, through four games last season, SU’s top rusher was Coates, but he had only 61 yards. Meanwhile, Kendall Addison, who went on to lead SU with 650 yards and seven TDs, had 60 yards and one TD.

“I get stronger (as the game goes on),” Coates said. “That comes from the conditioning we had this summer, fighting the heat. All that’s doing is helping us, helping us fight for 60 minutes.”

Malveaux injury significant

Richardson said junior linebacker Johnathan Malveaux, already scratched for this week with a high right ankle sprain, may be out several weeks.

Malveaux, with 33 tackles, is Southern’s top tackler. Junior Donald Steele (four tackles) will start in Malveaux’s place, with sophomore D.J. Bolton (five tackles) as Steele’s primary backup.

“(Malveaux) won’t play. He’s in a cast,” Richardson said. “I don’t think he’s going to be back within a couple of weeks.”

Coach’s honors

Richardson named quarterback Bryant Lee (23-for-33 for career highs of 305 yards and four TDs), drop linebacker Gary Chapman (11 tackles, one forced fumble, one sack) and cornerback Joe Manning (four tackles, his first interception at SU) as his offensive, defensive and special teams players of the week for the win over TSU.

Earlier in the week, Lee was named the SWAC Offensive Player of the Week and Chapman the SWAC Newcomer of the Week.

Southern LB Steele ready for the call

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

SU vs. Alabama State
WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
WHERE: Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Ala.
TV: ESPNU.
RADIO: KQXL-FM, 106.5.

If the Southern defense’s loss of junior linebacker Johnathan Malveaux to a high ankle sprain for this week and a few others can be considered an emergency, the Jaguars are turning to the right man.

Junior Donald Steele has responded to his share of real-life emergencies as a volunteer fireman in his hometown of Selma, Ala., since he was a sophomore at Selma High.

“Whenever I go back home, I just pick up my radio and I’m on call,” Steele said.

Over spring break, he checks in when he goes home. Between the end of spring semester and summer school, he checks in when he goes home.

“It’s just something I do back at home, just trying to help out the community,” said Steele, who, since he turned 18, also learned how to dive to further enhance his capabilities.

Photo: Donald Steele, #46 LB
Taking up for Malveaux is important to Southern, but, of course, isn’t quite as vital as Steele helping put out fires or searching for drowning victims.

Southern (4-0, 2-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) faces Alabama State (4-0, 3-0) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.

“Donald has had a couple of years of experience,” defensive coordinator Terrence Graves said. “That always helps. He knows what to do.”

Okie lineacker, with Malveaux (the team’s top tackler with 33 stops and four pass breakups) and Steele, is one of the few spots on defense, in the front seven, where a veteran backs a veteran.

Both players shared time working with the first unit in preseason camp.

“It’s not that big of a switch for me,” said Steele, who has four tackles this season and 18 in his career. “I want to come out and do the same things Malveaux did: be productive, make tackles, move to the ball.

“Hopefully, Saturday, it’ll be just like Malveaux is there playing.”

Steele has come up big for Southern when the call has come in the past.

After Malveaux went down Saturday, Steele and strong safety Toyin Akinwale teamed to sack Tennessee State quarterback Antonio Heffner on a third-and-6 at the Southern 33-yard line in the fourth quarter. That forced a punt, with Southern scoring the go-ahead touchdown on the ensuing possession in Southern’s 41-34 win over Tennessee State.

Even as a freshman, on the first play after replacing D.J. Brooks, who came down with a leg cramp at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Steele recovered a fumble on a botched center exchange. That came at the SU 29 with 14:14 left, preserving a three-point lead in a 27-21 win.

As a volunteer fireman, Steele said he’s been called to housefires, drowning scenes and fires in the woods.

“It’s just something I do whenever I get a chance to go back home,” Steele said.

Steele isn’t necessarily looking for a future as a firefighter. He’s a criminal justice major who said he’d like to go to law school.

“It’s just something to learn, something to teach someone else some day,” Steele said of the firefighting.

In the end, the commendable work may only complement a man who has been defined by diverse talents.

Steele kicked a 22-yard field goal to win the homecoming game as a senior in high school. He was also a standout catcher on the baseball team and played forward on the basketball team.

Returning home to Alabama — though without checking in on the radio — is something Steele always relishes.

One of Steele’s best friends, Roderick West, is a junior for Alabama State who starts at rover on defense. West has seven tackles in three games.

Also from Selma High is Alabama State sophomore linebacker Adrian Hardy (seven tackles, one blocked kick). Junior wide receiver Robert Childers (one catch for 9 yards) also went to Selma High.

“I haven’t talked to (West) all this week,” Steele said Wednesday afternoon. “I probably won’t talk until game time. It’ll be fun.”

For Southern University, 'T' is for team, Thomas

Photo: Converted TE Trent Thomas facing FAMU as SU starting RT.

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

One day during preseason camp, Southern University offensive coordinator Mark Orlando called his guys up around him and told them about Trent Thomas.

By this time, everybody thought they knew all they needed about Trent. That he was a senior. That he was a top student. That he was a team player. That he has always been a likeable guy.

The thing is, though, early in camp, everybody found out how much of a team player Trent was.

Southern lost (or was in the process of losing) six offensive linemen to grades. To help offset that, there was this crazy idea: Move Thomas from tight end to left tackle, which is the most important position on the line other than center.

Thomas is 6-foot-2 and a shade above 245 pounds, where standard tackles are 6-6 and three bills. And then there was the little fact Thomas had never played tackle.

Trent’s parents didn’t like the move at all. He wasn’t crazy about it, either.

“It hurt him,” Orlando said. “The first week or so, I couldn’t get two words out of him.”

Photo: SU line coach Mark Orlando

The other players not getting their academics set wasn’t Trent’s fault. Why should Trent have to pay for the mistakes of others? Why should his burden become more?

Everything hinged on Trent, though. One left tackle would move to left guard. The right guard would move to center. Another tackle would move to right guard.

Know this about Trent: Trent came through. His quickness and athleticism — assets that flashed early in scrimmages, confirming the move could work — have carried him.

“It’s getting easier,” Trent said the other day of the transition.

Southern leads the Southwestern Athletic Conference in rushing and is second in total offense and scoring offense. The Jaguars are 4-0.

“He’s been a big help to us, converting within a short time,” said SU offensive line coach Damon Nivens, who was a black college All-American at left tackle for Southern and helped coach another one in Myniya Smith in 2003. “He’s become a big part of the offensive line for us, and I appreciate it very much with him sacrificing and being a team player.

“He has my utmost respect with that.”

What was true as Orlando called the troops up during camp is still true now.

“I told them, he’s put it all on the line to help us win,” Orlando said. “I told them, this is what we need right here. For us to win, it’s going to take the unselfish attitude Trent has shown.”

There are two things the attrition of 17 to 19 players did across the board for SU.

First, there was a tremendous sense of urgency for the offensive line as soon as camp began.

Second, as an entire team, the players who are left on this team are the players who most wanted to be here.

“The unselfishness he’s shown has drained into some of the other guys,” Orlando said. “He’s giving us everything he’s got to help us win.

“That kind of sacrifice can only make us better.”

Alabama State, Southern QBs getting it done when it counts

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

If a Southwestern Athletic Conference starting quarterback is described as “nonchalant,” Southern fans might assume the description was being hung on their new guy, Bryant Lee.

Alabama State fans, meanwhile, think of their new guy, Chris Mitchell.

Either fan base is right.
Neither quarterback wowed their coaches in practices, and both are laid-back. Then again, both are winners who don’t rattle easily and have already led several come-from-behind wins.

Both lead 4-0 teams into Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. Gulf Coast Classic clash at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.

Mitchell, a transfer from East Mississippi Community College after playing for LeFlore High in Mobile, Ala., has led four fourth-quarter comebacks for Alabama State (4-0, 3-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference), which plays SU (4-0, 2-0) at 2:30 p.m. in Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

“This is us,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got a bad habit of playing so close, but this is what I love about this team. We play all the way until the end.

“(The fourth quarter is) when we have to buckle down. We know what we have to do.”

Mitchell is 46-for-81 (56.8 percent) for 621 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.

“He has that personality,” Alabama State head coach Reggie Barlow said. “It’s kind of nonchalant. It doesn’t seem like a whole lot bothers him. He’s always the same: never too high, never too low. I guess that’s a good thing. It’s been working for him so far.”

While Mitchell came off the bench in the second quarter of the season opener, SU began the transition to sophomore Lee late last season.

Lee is 5-1 as a starter (6-1 if given the win for his comeback against Texas Southern). He has won his last five starts.

SU head coach Pete Richardson said pretty much the same thing about Lee. In fact, Richardson earlier this season delivered a description of Lee that sounded nearly word for word like Barrow’s summation of Mitchell: “He’s a nonchalant individual. He’s not going to say a lot. The thing about him, you watch him practice and you swear he can’t play.

“But you put him out there (Saturday) and all of a sudden the lights go on. That’s all you’re looking for.”

Lee is 83-for-126 (65.9 percent) for 870 yards, nine touchdowns and no interceptions.

Lee has led Southern to second-half comebacks over Texas Southern, Grambling, Florida A&M and Tennessee State.

“The kid is just calm, cool and collected,” SU offensive coordinator Mark Orlando said. “When you play in the championship game in high school in the Superdome (leading Hahnville High over Evangel Christian Academy in 2003), he’s just a kid who’s a gamer on a Saturday night. You can’t ask for anything else.

“He doesn’t get rattled out there, doesn’t let anything get to him — coaches, players, fans. He plays his game, stays focused on what he’s doing.”

Both quarterbacks are still learning.
Mitchell, being a transfer, has had less time to learn than Lee, in his third season at SU. And Barlow even said Mitchell didn’t practice well in preseason camp. The staff even talked to him about showing a little more pep.

But when returning starter Alex Engram struggled in the opener, Mitchell came in and did fine.

“Real confident kid,” Barlow said. “He doesn’t get rattled by a whole lot. We just want him to continue to learn our system. We need him to learn and grow up even more.”

Lee was third on the depth chart — behind J.C. Lewis and C.J. Byrd — last season and he held off surging Warren Matthews for the No. 1 job in preseason camp.

“He’s really improving, feeling a little more comfortable in the system,” Orlando said. “He did some things well (Saturday) night that he hadn’t done in the previous three games.

“He’s focused in on what he’s got to do, 100 percent.”

SU coaching staff making right adjustments

Photo: Coach Pete Richardson signal in play against FAMU.

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Southern has dominated opponents in the second half. So credit the coaching staff, offense to defense, with making all the right adjustments.

Also credit the coaches with keeping this team together — from the preseason when the attrition of more than a dozen players sapped this team of a lot of promise and in two games this season when the Jaguars came back after falling behind.

Saturday night, SU overcame a 21-point deficit deep in the second quarter to beat Tennessee State 41-34 at A.W. Mumford Stadium.

The Jaguars (4-0) outscored the Tigers 35-7 in the final 36 minutes after falling behind 27-6 with 6:36 until halftime.

“The coaches (kept us together),” said Southern quarterback Bryant Lee, who threw for career highs of 305 yards and four touchdowns. “They told us to go out there and just execute, basically.”

“First of all, the coaches got involved,” SU free safety Jarmaul George, who had his third interception of the season.

In the season opener, SU trailed Florida A&M 20-12 at halftime after, like Saturday, giving up big plays on defense.

“I told them at halftime we were going to win this football game, so we might as well get ready to go out here and make it happen. And that’s what we did,” Southern defensive coordinator Terrence Graves said.

Though Tennessee State and FAMU are the only teams to score second-half touchdowns against Southern, getting one each, the Jaguars have shown they can put some serious clamps on teams.

“We knew we made some mistakes, but we had to go get on our horses, go and make plays,” SU drop linebacker Gary Chapman, who had a career- and game-high 11 tackles, including one sack. “We have a lot of talent on this team; we just had to go and get it. We all knew what we had to do.”

Saturday was the more impressive comeback.
TSU quarterback Antonio Heffner (who was all-conference like FAMU’s Albert Chester II) has a strong arm and swift feet. He impressed with big plays throughout the first half and finished with 316 yards on just 13 completions (24.3 yards per catch).

However, the Jaguars forced five second-half turnovers — four by Heffner (two interceptions, two fumbles). SU also totaled a season-best seven sacks. And tailback Javarris Williams, who had 107 yards through three quarter, got nothing in the fourth quarter.

“It’s a 60-minute game,” Southern head coach Pete Richardson said. “We started to work our way back and made plays.

“They weren’t stopping us offensively. We just had to make some stops on defense.”

One Southern attribute that was obvious in preseason camp has surfaced many times this season as the Jaguars corral mobile quarterbacks — Southern has speed across the board on defense. And, yes, the coaches have done well in using that speed as an asset and not allowing the lack of size or depth to be a detriment.

“He got a little tired, too,” Richardson said of Heffner. “We got more footspeed on the field, especially at the linebacker spot.”

Do more of this
Taking over in the second half has been the trademark of this Southern team — the offense finding a groove and the defense going to shut-down mode. Southern has outscored its four foes 58-16 after halftime.

Only once has an opponent scored in the second half, Tennessee State’s 38-yard pass play from Antonio Heffner to Ronald Evans for a 34-32 lead with 1:48 left in the third quarter, to pull ahead of the Jaguars. That lead lasted 5 1/2 minutes. SU won the fourth quarter 9-0 and forced three turnovers.

More than just being undefeated, the Jaguars are developing a confidence that they own the second half.

Work more on this
Southern did not convert after four touchdowns — one PAT missed, one PAT blocked and two incomplete two-point conversions — and had a 38-yard field goal try blocked. That’s seven to nine potential points blown. Plus, the blocked field goal would have iced the game. Instead, Tennessee State got the ball back at its own 21-yard line, down seven points, with 1:49 to play.

Freshman kicker Josh Duran is 7-for-12 on PATs and 2-for-4 on field goals this season. The Jaguars are also 0-for-4 on two-point conversion passes.

Up next
Southern (4-0, 2-0 SWAC) plays Alabama State (4-0, 3-0) in a showdown of the conference’s only unbeaten teams, in the Gulf Coast Classic at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. Both teams lead their respective divisions. Alabama State was picked to finish last in the Eastern Division and is under first-year coach Reggie Barlow. The Hornets benched returning quarterback Alex Engram in their season opener and turned to junior-college transfer Chris Mitchell, who has led them to fourth-quarter wins in all four games. The teams met in the 2003 and ’04 SWAC Championship Games. Southern won 20-9 in ’03, while Alabama State won 40-35 in ‘04. Both teams went 5-6 last season, meaning one team will tie its win total from last year with the victory. Both teams have been strong in the second half. ASU has outscored foes 46-23 in the fourth quarter.

Southern University Jaguars Human Jukebox Marching Band

SU Jaguars look for fast start in SWAC

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

After a 33-27 victory over Florida A&M on Saturday which Southern coach Pete Richardson called a “great shot in the arm,” the Jaguars are set to start Southwestern Athletic Conference play.

SU (1-0) plays Mississippi Valley State (1-0, 1-0 SWAC) at 4 p.m. Saturday at Soldier Field in Chicago.

“It’s a conference game. It means more to us than last week, because we can’t afford to fall a game behind in our conference and expect to get back on top.

“Last year, we dug a hole and just couldn’t get out.”
Southern won its SWAC opener last season, 31-14 over Valley, but then lost four of its next five conference games. SU, picked as the preseason favorite in the Western Division, finished second to surprising Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Richardson’s point is well-taken, though. The Jaguars are 11-3 in conference openers under Richardson and have never won the SWAC after losing an opener (1996, 2000 and ’05).

The Jaguars have won five SWAC titles after winning 11 conference openers. Plus, though they did not win the SWAC while going 6-1 in conference play 1995, the Jaguars won the black college national title.























“The (intensity level) has to go all the way up, because now every game counts,” senior strong safety Glenn Bell said. “The FAMU game was significant for getting a good start, but now we’re talking about conference play. In this conference, if you lose one or two games, you’re basically out. We have to get off to a good start so we can be in the hunt.”

Valley, picked fourth in the Eastern Division, is coming off a 16-9 stunner over UAPB, the preseason pick to win the Western Division.

“I’m sure Mississippi Valley is going to be sky high after beating Arkansas-Pine Bluff,” said Richardson, whose team was picked third in the Western Division. “They’re excited. It’ll be a challenge for us.”

ESPNU adds GulfCoast
The Gulf Coast Classic, with Southern playing Alabama State at Ladd-Peebles Stadium Sept. 29 in Mobile, Ala., will be televised on ESPNU, the conference announced Wednesday.

The game remains scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff.
Duran Duran
What Southern saw in preseason camp played out in the season opener as true freshman kicker Josh Duran boomed kickoffs and punts.

Duran, a Class 4A All-State selection, averaged 42.3 yards per punt, 13th (of 116 teams) nationally. SU is also 12th nationally in net punting, at 39.2 yards per punt.

“When we had seen him, primarily we were after a field-goal kicker,” Richardson said. “That’s a plus for him. He can do both. He’s got good hang time now, and that gives our coverage an opportunity to get down and cover those punts and kickoffs. And that helps you out on defense.”

Duran made the transition from Division I-AA All-American Breck Ackley, who led the nation at 45.2 yards per punt last season, seem seamless.

“He did an outstanding job for his first start in college,” Richardson said.

What’s more, kickoffs have been moved back 5 yards, to the 30, so helping the coverage team is a must.

A big test comes Saturday.
Valley’s Clarence Cotton is third nationally in punt returns (19.3 yards per return) and tied for 10th in kickoff returns (29.3 yards per return).

“Cotton is a return guy who, any time he gets his hands on the ball, he can make things happen,” Richardson said. “When you look at Mississippi Valley, historically, they always have good special teams, especially return people who can make big plays. That has to be a concern, keeping them out of the end zone.”

Coach’s honors
Richardson named senior RB Darren Coates (142 yards and two TDs in his first career start), junior DE Vince Lands (four tackles, two pass breakups) — “he was relentless, we expected that,” Richardson said. and Duran (also 3-for-4 on PATs) as his players of the game for the FAMU victory.

Notes
SU senior WR Gerard Landry has caught a pass in 27 straight games. &hellip Richardson said sophomore Ronald Wade and senior Chad Harris likely will remain as punt returners. Wade fumbled and Harris muffed a return.