Interviews crucial to FAMU's Taylor

Taylor and his staff just completed one phase of the blueprint by signing 16 players to their 2008 recruiting class this past week. FAMU had 13 sign on National Signing Day Wednesday and three more came in the next day. The latest three were place kicker Nicardo Blake and wide receiver Tyrone Brantley out of Boyd Anderson High School in Fort Lauderdale and cornerback Marvin Ross out of Trinity Christian School in Jacksonville.

Taylor and his staff didn't just recruit for need, they recruited for GPA as well. FAMU's 2008 class has brains as well and brawn. Rush, 6-3, 205 pounds, has a 3.4 GPA and scored a 1530 on his SAT. Defensive back Michael Greene, 6-1, 183 pounds, was an honorable mention All-State at Jonesboro (Ga.) High School and cleared 6-feet, 8-inches to finish second in the Georgia Class 4A State meet. Greene came up just as big in the classroom with a 3.3 GPA and a 1460 on his SAT.

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SCSU football gains more commitments

Defensive lineman Sam Hammond of Union County was the latest prospect to give a verbal commitment. The 6-3, 300-pound Shrine Bowl participant played on both sides of the football for the Yellow Jackets this past season, tallying 46 tackles and seven quarterback hurries on defense and 22 pancake blocks and an 86 percent grade in six games on the offensive line.

Also committing to SCSU were quarterback Ronald Holiday Jr. (6-3, 230) of Douglass High School in Atlanta, Ga. and running back Chris Merrill (5-9, 180) of Hillcrest, who rushed for 1,287 yards and 11 TDs this season.

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List of Bulldog 2008 Oral Commitments

1. Dyrell Porcha, 6-3/260, DT
2. Derek Belin, 6-0/180, DB
3. C.J. Missick, 5-10/200, LB
4. Ronell Ferguson, 6-2/240, DE
5. Arnett James, 6-3/240, DE
6. Gary Grace, 5-11/225, RB
7. Larry Patterson, 6-5/260, OL
8. Justin Garrick, 6-4/280, OL
9. Yari King, 5-9/170, DB
10. Marquel Goodman, 6-2/175, DB
11. Ronald Holiday Jr., 6-3/230 QB
12. Chris Merrill 5-9/180 RB
13. Sam Hammond,6-3/300 OL/DL

SCSU up to nine commitments

Photo: Oliver "Buddy" Pough, head football coach, South Carolina State University Bulldogs.

As National Signing Day draws closer, the list of verbal commitments gained by South Carolina State continues to grow. Currently, a total of nine high school seniors have indicated their intentions to sign with the Bulldogs this Wednesday. Joining Carvers Bay defensive tackle Dyrell Porcha (6-3, 260) on the list Thursday was Shrine Bowl and Associated Press All-State defensive back Derek Belin of Class 3-A champion Wilson. A 6-0, 180-pound senior, Belin tallied 87 tackles and had three interceptions for the 12-3 Tigers.

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Short List of Bulldog Oral Commitments

1. Dyrell Porcha, 6-3/260, DT
2. Derek Belin, 6-0/180, DB
3. C.J. Missick, 5-10/200, LB
4. Ronell Ferguson, 6-2/240, DE
5. Arnett James, 6-3/240, DE
6. Gary Grace, 5-11/225, RB
7. Larry Patterson, 6-5/260, OL
8. Justin Garrick, 6-4/280, OL
9. Yari King, 5-9/170, DB
10. Marquel Goodman, 6-2/175, DB

FSU, FAMU football teams might play this season

The university campuses have grown to the point where Florida State and Florida A&M are nearly connected. But it's always seemed like a continental divide on the idea the two schools pair for a football game in Tallahassee.

That may change.

Immediately.

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We can agree with T.K. Wetherell on one point--a FAMU vs. FSU football game is long overdue!

FAMU has played Miami, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, South Florida and Florida in the past decade. Central Florida and FSU should be next in the Joe Taylor era at FAMU.

South Carolina State University will open the 2008 season at Central Florida. FSU will host a horrible Western Carolina program with a new head coach and staff on September 6, 2008. So, why should FAMU turn down a good $500,000 PLUS payday for what amounts to a road game in Tallahassee with a weaken FSU team?

If FAMU expects to become a national force under Joe Taylor, the Rattlers need to play two games with FBS teams each season to grow the program, expand the athletic budget and improve FAMU and the MEAC strength of schedule. Let us not forget Florida A&M is a Division I program with high aspirations for winning another FCS national championship.

You cannot get better by playing a schedule that is full of MEAC weaklings that will not prepare the Rattlers to compete with Delaware, Appalachian State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Richmond or Eastern Washington in the football championship subdivision playoffs.

Some folks have quickly forgotten the Rattlers 2004 season where FAMU played Illinois, Virginia Tech, Tulane, Temple, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Nicholls State, Tennessee State, Virginia Union, Bethune Cookman, and Savannah State. This schedule was deemed the toughest in 1-AA history.

By comparison, FSU is no more difficult to play than Illinois or Tulane.

So go play the game, collect the fat pay check, invest it wisely in the Rattler program and use the game as a recruitment tool to get better student-athletes that want to play for FAMU against the Florida BCS schools.

FSU President T.K. Wetherell has the right ideal. It's just a football game that has a tremendous upside for earning more than $3 million for a sellout home game. For some, just seeing the FAMU Marching 100 blow away the FSU Marching Chiefs is worth the price of admission.

This game is long overdue--let's make it happen in 2008 or 2009.

It would be devastating for FAMU's Florida recruiting if South Carolina State, Norfolk State or Delaware State came to Tallahassee to play the Seminoles in a money game. SCSU has already made inroads in Florida with their game at UCF this season and it will be interesting to see how this translates in Florida recruiting.

SCSU once recruited a future Pro Football Hall of Famer from FAMU in David "Deacon" Jones, "the Secretary of Defense" from Hungerford High School, Eatonville, Florida back in the 1960's. Jones is considered to be one of the greatest defensive ends of all time. The Bulldogs appears to be returning to Florida to re-establish themselves for more bluechips like Jones?

Rattler Nation need to wake up before its too late.

-beepbeep

Norfolk State gets FBC transfer quarterback

Photo: Former UConn and Miami Central H.S. (FL) quarterback Dennis Brown is transferring to Norfolk State University and the MEAC.

by beepbeep

Norfolk State University Spartans just received the best commitment possible before the February 6, 2008, National Signing Day. This is the first day that a high-school athlete can sign a National Letter of Intent for football.

Dennis Brown, a former Miami Central Senior High School (Florida) quarterback is leaving the University of Connecticut Huskies and transferring to Norfolk State University. The 6-foot-3, 196-pound red shirt sophomore played in five games this season as the backup to junior starter Tyler Lorenzen and was 5-for-12 for 48 yards with one touchdown. Brown started two games as a true freshman in 2005 but was red shirted in 2006.

UConn loss 24-10 to Wake Forest in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte. They finished the season 9-4, 5-2 in the Big East Conference.

Brown is a pre-pharmacy major that was team captain in high school; a third-team 6A All-State selection in Florida and a first team All-Dade County pick. He threw for 2,001 yards in his senior year for 18 touchdowns, leading Miami Central to a 10-2 season and the third round of the state playoffs. He was a Dade-Broward County All-Star pick and named MVP of the Dade-Broward All-Star Game. His 13-yard TD run in that game with 31 seconds left gave Dade County a 20-17 win.

Photo: Norfolk State Pete Adrian is building a strong FCS contender with a base of high school players, Jucos and key D-IA transfers.

Norfolk State is coming off its best season ever as a Division I, football championship subdivision (FCS) member with an 8-3 record. The Spartans were ranked #7 in the FCS, with 103,320 accumulated attendance for six home games. NSU average game attendance was 17,220 and leads all HBCUs in accumulated home attendance.

The Spartans are scheduled to play at FBS, University of Kentucky on September 6, 2008, and Brown's game experience makes him the potential starter at NSU. The Spartans were walloped 59-0 at #5 Rutgers University in their first contest with a FBS program in 2007.

NSU coach Pete Adrian, 2007 MEAC Coach of the Year is seeking a replacement for graduating senior quarterback Casey Hanson who passed for 3,648 yards and 16 TDs in the third best scoring offense in the conference, averaging 24.7 ppg in 2007.

Norfolk State returns to sophomore quarterbacks in Dexter Merritt, Brian Jackson, Rakeem Kersey and senior Korey Jones. Jackson also serves as the team's
punter.

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MEAC/SWAC Rivalry Weekend: Delaware State 29, Howard Bison 13

Compiled by beepbeep

FCS #10 ranked Delaware State University Hornets (10-1, 9-0 MEAC) 29, Howard University Bison - 13 (4-7, 3-6 MEAC). Season over for the Bison. DSU MEAC representative in NCAA FCS Playoffs next weekend.

The Delaware State Hornets took care of business with the Bison as expected, but their FCS #9 ranked rivals at the University of Delaware (8-3, 5-3 CAA) were beaten by the Villanova Wildcats (7-4, 5-3 CAA), 16-10.

We do not expect to see the long anticipated first football game between Delaware State and UD in the FCS playoffs, as the Hens are no better than Villanova, who they are tied for 3rd place in the South Division of the Colonial Athletic Association. The CAA has a tie for their automatic bid in Division leaders UMass and Richmond, who are both 9-2, 7-1 CAA. Both are expected to be in the playoffs with possible second place James Madison University (8-3, 6-2 CAA)being selected.
Expect Delaware State to be put on the road and paired with one of these CAA teams by the FCS selection committee.

Only 1,985 fans came out to watch the Hornets dismantle Howard.

DSU stomped HU Bison 29-13 to go undefeated in the MEAC for 2007.

The Bison took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 9 yard pass from Brian Johnson to Larry Duncan to cap a 14 play, 80 yard drive consuming 7:05 of the quarter. Howard was helped on a second and 6 at the DSU 35 with a 15 yard roughing the passer call on senior LB Russell Reeves from Mechanicsville, MD. After two rushing plays and a 4 yard completion from the DSU 20 yard line, on third and goal from the 9 yard line, Brian Johnson hit Duncan for the touchdown.

The Bison would only score again in the fourth quarter with only 2:43 remaining in the game on a 4 yard pass to Jarahn Williams 4 from QB Floyd Haigler with the two point conversion failed.

The Hornets scored 29 straight points on the Bison before their final score of the game. Quarterback Vashon Winton led the attack with 16/24 passes, 185 yards 0 TD/0 interceptions. DSU running back Kareem Jones scored one touch down on a five yard run in the second quarter, and had 13 carries for 53 yards and caught five passes for 58 yards. Lennox Norville scored on a four yard run.

DSU field goal kicker Peter Gaertner hit two from 24 yards and 33 yards to complete the offensive scoring. The Hornet defense scored a safety and a touchdown with the tackle of Howard's Russell Reeves in the end zone in the third quarter.

Later, Howard's Jarahn Williams fumbled the return and Brandon Hudson ran 10 yards for a touchdown that put the Hornets ahead 19-7.

The Hornets should more up to #9 spot in the FCS Polls this week.