KSU football: Mistakes bury Breds

The Kentucky State football team entered Saturday’s game against Clark Atlanta with the hope that it could score a win for its fans on Homecoming. Four quarters later, KSU coach Wayne Dickens walked off the field thinking things couldn’t have gone much worse for his team. The Thorobreds lost to the Panthers 19-7 under a mountain of fumbles, missed tackles, penalties and blown assignments.

“We took turns today making every conceivable mistake you can make in a football game,” Dickens said. “And it cost us.” Mistakes plagued KSU from its first drive, which ended when junior quarterback Jerrel Noland lost 17 yards on a mishandled snap and the Thorobreds couldn’t recover the yardage.

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KSU 'Breds win big with homecoming looming

In convincing fashion, the Kentucky State football team defeated Central State 41-24 Saturday in Wilburforce, Ohio, improving to 3-4 overall (2-3 SIAC). The ‘Breds opened with a touchdown just eight seconds into the game as Jerrel Noland connected with Jamaree Gordon on a 40-yard pass (PAT missed).

Central threatened to score on its first possession of the game, driving the ball 55 yards on eight plays, but KSU’s Cory Spalding intercepted Jeffrey Brooks’ pass in the end zone and returned it to the 15-yard line.

The Thorobreds were unable to get into Central territory on their next drive and were forced to punt. The Marauders started their second drive with 7:33 to play in the first quarter and on eight plays drove 47 yards, but were left to settle for a field goal (6-3 KSU).

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Kentucky State Thorobreds fall to Morehouse Maroon Tigers

Coming off a big win last week over Benedict, the Kentucky State football team missed their opportunity to start a winning steak on Saturday, falling 41-25 to Morehouse College at B.T Harvey Stadium. Although they racked up 389 yards to Morehouse’s 361, the Thorobreds couldn’t score when it mattered most against the Maroon Tigers, who entered the game 3-0 on the season.

Sophomore quarterback Byron Ingram led an explosive Morehouse passing attack, racking up three touchdowns in the first quarter. Junior Jamar Rodriguez and senior Robert Darby-McNair were on the receiving end of Ingram’s first quarter strikes. Sporting a 20-0 lead, Ingram struck again at the 5:22 mark in the second quarter with a 4-yard touchdown pass to junior Derrick Hector.

MOREHOUSE'S 4-0 BEST START SINCE 1935

ATLANTA, GA – Byron Ingram threw for five touchdowns – three of them to Robert Darby-McNair – and Morehouse beat Kentucky State Thorobreds, to go to 4-0 and the best start to a season since 1935.

Ingram, a 6’-5” sophomore from Atlanta, tied the Morehouse single-game record of five touchdown passes, set by Jimmie Davis, also against Kentucky State, in 1987. In contrast to last week’s 49-6 win over Lane, which featured an overwhelming ground game, Saturday’s game showcased the Maroon Tigers’ aerial attack.

Four touchdown passes by Ingram gave Morehouse a comfortable lead, until a one-yard KSU rushing touchdown took the halftime score to 27-7. Ingram completed first-half touchdown passes to Jamar Rodriguez, for 41 yards, Derrick Hector, for four yards, and two to Darby-McNair, for 17 and 55 yards.

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KSU Thorobreds embracing excellence

Kentucky State University head coach Wayne Dickens returns two 1,000 yard rushers in the backfield (senior Anthony Boykins and junior Shannon Frieson)and a 1,600 passer in junior quarterback Jerrell Noland.

It was only four weeks from kickoff, but 2009 looked to be a lost season for the Kentucky State football team. After losing their head coach a month before the first game and being picked to finish last in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), KSU’s motto could have easily been, “no expectations.” But after finishing with a 6-5 record, including four conference wins, a more appropriate motto would’ve been, “turning heads.”

This season, under coach Wayne Dickens, KSU has come up with their own motto as they look to build on last season’s success: embracing excellence. “To be excellent isn’t just a sometime thing,” Dickens said. “You can’t just do it at practice today. You need to do it everyday.” Part of that excellence involved implementing a new weight lifting program in the offseason that should improve the team’s strength and conditioning. Dickens said there were times last season when his team was physically overmatched, including a 45-0 loss to conference rival Albany State.

“We believe we need to be stronger in our physical core to have the stamina to play later in games,” Dickens said. Late–game performance proved to be a major issue for KSU last season, as four of their five losses came with the team in contention late in the fourth quarter. “We found a way to not quite get over the hump,” Dickens said. “We lacked some poise last year and made some critical mistakes that cost you football games.”

Dickens hopes to find that offensive poise this season in his duo of star running backs. Both senior Anthony Boykins and junior Shannon Frieson rushed for over 1,000 yards last season, and return this year to anchor an offense that’s had plenty of success on the ground.

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