Pough happy with performance, looks forward to Georgia State

Orangeburg, South Carolina -- Saturday's victory over North Carolina Central did not just save South Carolina State's season.

For South Carolina State head football coach Buddy Pough, it was another eye-opener into the team's quality young depth and ability to respond to adversity.

"It was a struggle, but it was a good struggle," said Pough at Monday's weekly press conference. "When you get a situation where you're faced with adversity and you find a way to overcome it, it makes you feel good about ourselves. We've got work to do. Don't think in the smallest form that we don't understand what our issues are. But at the same time, I am proud of our guys that we got through it and I like our team and I hope I can get them back healthy."



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GSU Panthers look to get back on track at South Carolina State

Orangeburg, South Carolina -- After a poor showing against Murray state, the Panthers will travel to South Carolina State University.

The Bulldogs are coming off of their homecoming game, and will look to dismantle the Panther defense in their pursuit of a fourth straight Mid- Eastern Athletic Conference title. With redshirt junior quarterback Derrick Wiley leading the way, the Panthers will be up against another prolific offense.

In a 69-0 victory over Delaware State on Sept. 24, Wiley threw for 250 yards and four touchdowns through the air. The 6'1 200 pound Wiley completed 12 of his 20 attempted passes. Along with torching Delaware State through the air Wiley rushed for 2 touchdowns on the ground. With his monster offensive show out, Wiley tied 2 school single game records.

These included the four passing touchdowns, and total touchdowns posted in a game with six.
Luckily for the Panthers, they won't have to face Wiley, who is out with a torn knee meniscus. Due to this injury Wiley could potentially miss the remainder of the season.

Richard Cue will be starting at quarterback in place of the injured Wiley.

In his first start last weekend, Cue completed 15 of his 22 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Although Wiley will be out due to injury, they still have freshman running back Jalen Simmons empowering the Bulldogs offense. In the 69 – 0 route of Delaware State Simmons set up two touchdowns for his team. Simmons rushed for 92 yards on 11 carries, averaging a stellar 8.36 yards per carry.




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Morgan Bears Crush Savannah State, 44-17, on Homecoming

Baltimore, Maryland -- Morgan State (MSU) saved its best performance so far this season for its Homecoming celebration as the Bears crushed Savannah State (SSU), 44-17, on Oct. 8 at a packed Hughes Stadium in Baltimore, Md.

The Bears poured on the offensive production against Savannah State, posting a season-high 430 yards on the day, mostly gained in the second half of the game. Morgan State led 17-10 at half time, and outscored their opponents 28-7 in the third and fourth quarters.

“We started moving the ball around and everyone just did their job,” said MSU freshman quarterback Seth Higgins. “And that's what the coaches stressed this week.”

Higgins played outstanding in just the second start of his young collegiate career, completing 14-of-24 passes for 239 yards and four touchdowns.

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Hampton U. thwarts Princeton's second-half surge for 28-23 victory

Hampton, Virginia -- Dyrri McCain had seen enough. Hampton's senior wide receiver and his Pirate teammates had watched an 11-point halftime lead evaporate after a pair of field goals and back-to-back safeties in less than six minutes, and they'd just escaped losing their suddenly slim edge altogether when Princeton missed a field goal.

It was time to get down to business.  HU mounted an 11-play, 80-yard drive, kept alive when a defender tipped a 15-yard pass on third-and-10 into Javaris Brown's arms, to take a 28-20 lead on McCain's 1-yard touchdown reception, then held off the Tigers 28-23 with a goal-line stand in the final two minutes.

"We didn't play the same type of football that we played in the first half," said McCain, who caught 123 of quarterback David Legree's 302 passing yards and both his passing TDs. "When it got down to where it was like, 'This is it, we have to make a play,' we drove it all the way down. Our tempo picked up. Everybody had it in their mind, 'We've got to turn this around. It's getting too out of hand. "

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North Carolina A&T Aggies surprise Bethune-Cookman

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- A good defense can make up for a lot of deficiencies. And, most importantly, it can win football games. N.C. A&T's defense held Bethune-Cookman to 5 yards on the ground and 108 yards of total offense, leading the Aggies to a 22-3 win over the Wildcats before a crowd of 10,352 at Aggie Stadium.

"Our No. 1 goal every week is to stop the run," A&T coach Rod Broadway said. "We were able to do that. We ganged up on them. If we can get you one-dimensional and throwing the ball, we think we'll have a pretty good chance of winning."

The defense had forced seven turnovers in the Aggies' first four games and came up with four more turnovers against a Bethune-Cookman offense that had more total yards than Miami in the Wildcats' loss to the Hurricanes a week earlier.

"We thought we could play with these guys," Broadway said. "I think we had four turnovers on four plays. We gave them one and then we took it right back. We gave them one and then we took it right back. That was huge. The kids came out ready to play today. That was probably the most physical game we have played all year."

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S.C. State Holds Off NCCU 49-38

ORANGEBURG, SC - Junior running back Asheton Jordan rushed for a career-high 226 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns to lead South Carolina State (3-3 overall, 3-1 MEAC) to a 49-38 victory over North Carolina Central (1-4, 0-2 MEAC) on Saturday at Oliver C. Dawson.

"First off, I didn't think our defense would give up 38 points, said SC State head coach Buddy Pough." "They took it to us and we were very lucky that they had the turnovers and we got a score off both."



Redshirt sophomore quarterback Richard Cue made the most of his first career start completing 15-of-22 for 171 yards and two touchdowns. He is also rushed 92 yards on 17 carries on the day. Cue replaced starting quarterback Derrick Wiley who suffered a knee injury against Norfolk State on last week.

Pough stated about Cue, "I was very proud of his poise ad demeanor today. He did a good job in holding things together and made some very big plays."

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FAMU lets huge lead slip away in the final minutes

Tallahassee, Florida - Not even Joe Taylor has seen anything like it in his more than 30 years of coaching. The 23,400 fans who showed up at Bragg Stadium sure weren't expecting it after Florida A&M had taken a three-touchdown lead on Howard University.

In stunning fashion, though, the Bison came back in the final 4 minutes and 26 seconds to pull out a dramatic 29-28 victory Saturday to hand Taylor his second homecoming loss as head coach at FAMU.

Howard converted two FAMU fumbles and the Rattlers could do nothing right in the meantime to avoid squandering it's the biggest lead it had taken on any opponent so far this season.

By the time the Bison lined up to kick the winning field goal ...

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HOWARD SCORES 29 FOURTH QUARTER POINTS IN WIN OVER FAMU

Tallahassee, FL -- Howard University erupted for 29 fourth quarter points--- including 15 in the last 1:23 to stun Florida A&M, 29-28 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference before a near capacity homecoming crowd at Bragg Stadium.

After trailing 21-0 at the half, the Bison (3-3 overall, 2-2 in the MEAC) rallied to cut the deficit to 21-13 with 10:23 left in the fourth quarter. The Rattlers (3-3 overall, 1-2 in the MEAC), who had won seven straight from the Bison, appeared to dash their comeback hopes when they capitalized on one of the Bison’s special team miscues and turned it into a 28-13 advantage with 8:23 remaining.

But the Bison had other ideas. Freshman quarterback Greg McGhee, who threw three interceptions, engineered a five-play, 71-yard drive that was capped off by a 10-yard scoring pass to Brandon Drayton. The Bison missed the PAT and trailed, 28-19 with just 1:27 left on the clock.

The Bison executed a well-designed onside kick on the ensuing kickoff that was recovered by Theodore Graham, IV. It took the Bison five plays to go 45 yards as Andra Williams capped off the drive with a one-yard burst to narrow the gap to 28-26 with 26 ticks on the clock.

Howard attempted another onside kick, but this time the Rattlers were ready and recovered.

FAMU appeared poised to run out the clock, but Howard’s Corey Berry forced a Damien Fleming fumble that was recovered by Sackie Kerkulah at the Florida A&M 15.

In an attempt to position itself for a game-winning field, Howard ran Williams on first down and took the ball down to the FAMU 8-yard line.

That is when things really got interesting. With four seconds on the clock, the Bison lined up for what would be the potential game-winning field goal. Sophomore kicker Parker Munoz lined up and booted a 25-yard field goal that was signaled good by one official. But the Rattlers had called a timeout in an attempt to freeze Munoz.

The problem was that FAMU had already exhausted its allotment of timeouts.

After a brief discussion, the officials ruled that there would be a penalty on FAMU. They marked if off half the distance to the goal at the FAMU four-yard line, thus setting the stage for what would prove to the game-winning, 21-yards field goal by Munoz, the first game winner in his career.

“This team is growing up,” said Howard first year head coach Gary Harrell. “To be down like that and come back and win shows the character of this team. Mishaps are a part of football but what I am most proud of is that they never gave up.”

Much of the credit has to go to the staunch Bison defense, which continues to improve each week under defensive coordinator Ray Petty. After allowing drives of 80 yards and 72 yards in the first half, Howard limited the Rattlers to 21 yards total offense the second half.

The Bison forced three fumbles and picked up an interception to go along with 12 tackles for losses and three sacks. Senior defensive end Sackie Kerkulah, who is playing as well as anyone in the FCS, added two more tackles for losses to his total of 11.5 and two sacks to up his total to 7.5, ranking him among the nation’s leaders.

He received a lot of help from teammates Keith Pough (5 tackles, two for losses and a forced fumble), DeCarlos Knight (six tackles, a tackle for a loss, a fumble recovery), Kurt Mangum, II (4 tackles, 2 for losses), Julien David (8 tackles) and Cameron Alston (4 tackles, an interception).

Offensively, red-shirt sophomore running back Andra Williams and freshman Aquanius Freeman picked up the slack with the running game when leading rusher Terrance Leffall left the game with a concussion. Williams led all rushers with 76 yards on 11 carries and a TD. He also grabbed three passes for 37 yards.

Freeman, who has begun to come own, carried the ball nine times for 28 yards. Freshman quarterback Greg McGhee completed 20 of 47 passes for 233 yards and two TDs. He was picked off three times and and sacked three times, but he made the plays when the Bison needed them.

“Everyone played their role,” said Coach Harrell. “Coach Petty (defensive coordinator) and Ted White (offensive coordinator) made some great adjustments at halftime. And the players responded with a courageous effort.”

By Howard University Sports Information
VISIT: HOWARDBISON

Norfolk State beats Delaware State 38-21

(Photo by Mark's Digital Photography)

DOVER, Del.--The Norfolk State football team maintained its hold on first place in the MEAC with a 38-21 win at Delaware State on Saturday.

Quarterback Chris Walley completed 28 of 37 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a third to pace the Spartans (5-1, 3-0 MEAC) over the Hornets (2-4, 0-3) and set up an interesting Battle of the Bay matchup with Hampton next Saturday.

Norfolk State took a 24-7 lead into halftime and Matthew Grant stopped the Hornets’ only real chance to make the contest close by blocking a 27-yard field goal on Delaware State’s first drive of the second half. The blocked kick was Grant’s third of the season.

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Spartans "deserve" MEAC title if they run table, Pough says

Norfolk State is now in the driver’s seat for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title. A look at the Spartans’ remaining six conference games looks more than favorable with their two toughest remaining games (Hampton on Oct. 15 and Bethune-Cookman on Oct. 20) taking play at home and three winnable road games at Delaware State today, Savannah State on Nov. 5 and Morgan State on Nov. 12.

Should Norfolk State run the table to claim the MEAC title outright, South Carolina State head football coach Buddy Pough is already lining up to be among the first to give a congratulatory call to head coach Pete Adrian.

"If they win both those guys, let me tell you something. They deserve it," Pough said. "If they beat South Carolina State, Hampton and Bethune, then let me tell you something. They deserve to be conference champions. I’ll pat them on the back and say ‘Go get them’ and we’ll try again next time."

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B-CU not taking N.C. A&T lightly

Daytona Beach, Florida -- Gearing up for his team's first out-of-state game this season, Bethune-Cookman coach Brian Jenkins turned up the coach-speak earlier this week.

"We're going into dangerous territory -- Aggie Land -- and we're going up against a scrappy, fierce football team," Jenkins said of today's opponent, North Carolina A&T. When asked about the Aggies' improvement under first-year coach Rod Broadway, Jenkins said, "I thought they were a pretty good football team last year."

But the Wildcats (2-2, 1-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) thumped A&T last year, 67-17, in a game more famous for the Municipal Stadium power outage during an ESPNU Thursday night broadcast than the action on the field.

Given the one-sided result, it's probably no surprise the cable network passed on the matchup this season. The 1:30 p.m. game today in Greensboro, N.C., will be the first time this season the Wildcats will not be on TV.



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NCCU football coach Henry Frazier previews S.C. State game

G. Alan Inc. previews the 19th matchup between the Eagles of North Carolina Central University and the Bulldogs of South Carolina State University. NCCU enters the contest fresh after an off-week while the Bulldogs were upset last week in the Fish Bowl Classic against Norfolk State. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m., but tune in to Eagle Gameday built by Dayeco Construction Company beginning at 1:00 p.m. as play-by-play voice of the NCCU Sports Network Chris Hooks and Joe Simmons get fans revved up for NCCU Football.

SSU looks to get back on winning track

Savannah, Georgia -- Savannah State coach Steve Davenport doesn’t want to look backward — a direction his team was headed all too often a week ago.

But that was last week. Davenport and the Tigers are now looking ahead to building a new winning streak when they travel to Baltimore to meet Morgan State today at 1 p.m. at Hughes Stadium in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference showdown.

“You can’t live your life looking backward,” Davenport said. “There’s nothing we can do about the loss to Howard now. We just have to focus on Morgan State and handle our business with Morgan.”

SSU (1-4, 1-1 MEAC) played poorly at an inopportune time against Howard a week ago. The Tigers were playing their first game on campus in nearly two years while re-opening their renovated T.A. Wright Stadium. It was also their first home MEAC game.

Savannah State (1-4, 1-1 MEAC) at Morgan State (2-3, 1-1 MEAC)
When: Today, 1 p.m.
Where: Hughes Stadium, Baltimore, Md.
TV/radio: No TV/WHCJ 90.3 FM



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Florida A&M Homecoming Special

FAMU Ready to Face Howard - at Homecoming Game

Tallahassee, Florida -- Protecting home field has been the one thing that has been most consistent for the Florida A&M football team. They pulled out an exciting 28-22 victory over Ft. Valley State and exploded for a 34-7 win over the Deleware State Hornets.

Tomorrow, amidst the distractions of the homecoming festivities, the team's primary focus will be to keep things as routine as possible. Linebacker Demarius "D.J." Folsom, who had 6 tackles (3 solo, 1.5 TFL) and an interception in the previous contest, said that maintaining the normal regimen won't be as difficult as some would think. Especially for the seniors.

"Basically all we have to do is focus and stay discipline," Folsom said. "Every week the goal is to focus and execute and if we do that then everything else should and will handle itself."

Folsom also said that the emotions of this being his last homecoming as a member of the team will lead to an even greater effort from an individual standpoint. "My emotions are going to run really high," Folsom said. "I'm going to be high-wired, but overall I'm just going to have fun with it."

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Hampton Pirates to play host to Princeton

HAMPTON, VA – The Hampton University football team will return to Armstrong Stadium on Saturday, when the Pirates take on Princeton at 1 p.m. to celebrate Alumni Day and Military Appreciation Day.

The Pirates (2-2) are coming off their bye week, having last played on Sept. 22 – a 35-31 loss at Bethune-Cookman on ESPNU. Princeton (1-2) picked up its first win of the season this past Saturday, beating Ivy League foe Columbia 24-21.

The Pirates are 1-0 all-time against Princeton, having won the only previous meeting between the two schools 48-27 in 2007 in Princeton, N.J. Saturday’s contest will mark the Tigers’ first-ever trip to Armstrong Stadium. The Pirates are 2-1 all-time against schools in the Ivy League, including their 1-0 mark against Princeton. Hampton is 1-1 all-time against Columbia, but the two teams haven’t met since the 1907 season, when Columbia took a 1-0 win.



Hampton’s 42 points against Old Dominion on Sept. 17 were the most the Pirates scored in a game since beating North Carolina A&T 35-21 on Sept. 18, 2010. The last time Hampton cracked the 40-point mark was on Sept. 20, 2008, when the Pirates defeated North Carolina A&T 44-7. Hampton followed that with 31 points at Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 22.

Thanks in large part to its offensive performances at ODU and Bethune-Cookman, Hampton, guided by first-year offensive coordinator Willie Snead III, is second in the MEAC in both scoring offense (29.2 points per game) and total offense (397.0 yards per game).

For the season, senior quarterback David Legree (Brooklyn, N.Y.) is completing 61 percent of his passes (75-for-123) for 852 yards and five touchdowns so far this season. Legree is second in the MEAC in passing, averaging 213.0 yards per game, while also sitting seventh in the MEAC with 59.5 rushing yards per contest.



Sophomore running back Antwon Chisholm (Belle Glade, Fla.), the reigning MEAC Rookie of the Year, is averaging 4 6 yards per carry, and is currently second in the MEAC in rushing with an average of 76.2 rushing yards per game despite his struggles against Old Dominion.

Sophomore linebacker Delbert Tyler (Monroeville, Pa.) is currently third in the MEAC in tackles with 42, averaging 10.5 per game, while junior linebacker Lyndell Gibson (Virginia Beach, Va.), a Virginia Tech transfer, is fifth in the conference with 40 tackles, an average of 10.0 per game. Junior defensive back Justin Blake (Piscataway, N.J.) is eighth in the MEAC with 38 tackles, 9.5 per contest.

Senior defensive back James Butts (Norfolk, Va.) is tied for fifth in the MEAC with five passes defended so far this season. Sophomore defensive end Robert Copeland (Hampton, Va.) leads the MEAC in forced fumbles with two. He also has one recorded fumble, which places him seventh in the conference.

For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at hamptonpirates.

By Hampton University Sports Information
VISIT: HAMPTON UNIVERSITY
VISIT: HAMPTONPIRATES

NSU Spartans have a score to settle with DSU Hornets

Norfolk, VA -- History is on Hasan Craig's side. Delaware State's poor record and three straight blowout losses might normally have Norfolk State looking ahead to games against Hampton and Bethune-Cookman. Craig, a senior linebacker, has the team looking back instead.

In 2007, the Spartans went to Delaware State, where a win would have clinched NSU's first MEAC championship. Instead, the Hornets scored 25 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of a 28-21 win, ending the best chance Norfolk State has had at a MEAC championship.



"I remember being so happy and then, at the end of the game, so hurt," said Craig, who played with the team that year before redshirting his sophomore year due to injury. "Like someone ripped my heart out."

The Hornets tied the game on a 28-yard field goal on the final play of regulation, then won it by scoring a touchdown in overtime and stopping NSU on downs.

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SSU NOTEBOOK: Tigers make changes on offensive line

Savannah, Georgia - After surrendering eight sacks during a 34-14 loss to Howard in their renovated stadium’s first game, the Savannah State Tigers went to work Tuesday renovating their offensive line.

SSU has surrendered 16 sacks and 45 tackles for losses accounting for 211 lost yards during its first five games. The Tigers rank 101st among the 120 teams in the Football Championship Subdivision with 3.2 sacks allowed per game.

“It’s one of those things where we’ve got to get better, and I’ve got to find ways to put these kids in better situations,” SSU offensive coordinator Terance Mathis said. So Mathis decided to move some players around. You might need a scorecard to keep up with all the changes.

Thelmore Jackson (6-foot-5, 291), who was moved to ...



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S.C. State coach says he made error in key play before halftime

Orangeburg, SC - A week ago, Buddy Pough was concerned about keeping his South Carolina State football team level-headed after a resounding victory over Delaware State.

Coming off a crucial Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference road loss at Norfolk State, the challenge for the Bulldog head football coach is keeping the team's morale and spirits up.

"We've got our work cut out for us," said Pough at Monday's press conference. "We've got to regroup. It's one of the tougher regroups we've had in a while. One of the toughest Sundays we've had in a while. A little bit unusual, but this team is a proud one. We've struggled a little bit with the understanding and the handling of this past Saturday's game, and we need to hurry up and get by this one so we can on to the next game."

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NSU Spartan Defense Stands Tall as NSU Knocks off SCSU

NORFOLK, Virginia – Norfolk State linebacker Onyemechi Anyaugo returned a second-quarter fumble 84 yards for a touchdown, and the Spartan defense came up with a key goal-line stand late in the fourth quarter to knock off three-time defending MEAC champion and 22nd-ranked South Carolina State 17-14 on Saturday afternoon in the Fish Bowl Classic at Dick Price Stadium.

The win gives the Spartans (4-1, 2-0 MEAC) just their second-ever win over a ranked FCS team in 24 tries, their third win in 17 games against SCSU, and ends the Bulldogs’ 15-game MEAC road winning streak. SCSU (2-3, 2-1) had not lost a road conference game since falling to NSU, 20-13, on Oct. 6, 2007.




The Spartans trailed 7-3 and the Bulldogs appeared ready to add to their lead just before halftime when SCSU’s Courtney Ingram blocked a Troy Muenzer punt, setting the Bulldogs up at NSU’s 11-yard line with 26 seconds left in the second quarter. But on first down, NSU defender Chad Battles hit running back Jalen Simmons in the backfield and forced a fumble, which Anyaugo scooped up and returned 84 yards up the sideline for a 10-7 NSU lead.

The Spartans added to their lead late in the third quarter with a three-play, 62-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Chris Walley capped the drive with 2-yard TD run to make it 17-7 with 1:40 left in the quarter. The big play on the drive was Walley’s 41-yard completion to Xavier Boyce, which included a personal foul on SCSU at the end of Boyce’s run.

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'Kick in the gut': S.C. State loses to Norfolk State, 17-14

NORFOLK, Va. - Buddy Pough was struggling for answers Saturday night. Two plays that he called "kicks in the gut" - one to end the first, one to all but end the second - had Pough in a place that he has only been twice in his South Carolina State football team's last 27 MEAC games, trying to explain a conference loss.

And, yet, Pough insisted he was not down on his team following its 17-14 loss to Norfolk State. "We made too many mistakes," Pough said. "We gave them too many chances, but we fought our way back in it. If there is ever a time you feel good about the amount of fight in your kids, it's these times that make you feel that way."

The final "kick in the gut" came with 3:36 to go in the game when S.C. State kicker Blake Erickson's potentially game-tying 20-yard field goal pushed wide left. Norfolk State took over and ran out the clock against the stunned visitors from Orangeburg.

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Sharpe wants to be more active at Savannah State University

Savannah, Georgia - Shannon Sharpe led the Tiger Walk to renovated T.A. Wright Stadium on Saturday afternoon before Savannah State met Howard University in the school’s first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference home game.

He attended a luncheon earlier in the day and an induction ceremony for the school’s athletic hall of fame on Friday night. “I would like to become more active in the program,” said Sharpe while meeting with the media during some spare time Saturday.

Those are melodious words for a new administration at Savannah State, trying to start new traditions while embracing some of the old.



Sharpe, 43 and still in football shape, is part of the school’s good, old days — a local kid from nearby Glennville who came to Savannah State College in the ’80s when bigger school wouldn’t touch a Prop 48 player.

All Sharpe did was star for four years with the then-Division II Tigers before becoming an even bigger deal in the National Football League, earning his own induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame about two months ago.

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Howard Bison ends Savannah State University's celebration

Savannah, Georgia - A festive weekend for athletics on campus at Savannah State University ended on a sour note Saturday night at T.A. Wright Stadium. A crowd of 5,635 was treated to the amenities of the newly renovated stadium, but didn’t have much else to cheer about in a 34-14 loss to Howard, the first SSU football game on campus in nearly two years.

“We wanted to come out and please the fans. We didn’t get the job done,” said Tigers wide receiver Darren Hunter as fireworks were shot off after the game.



It was Savannah State’s first loss in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play and the Bison’s first win in league play since defeating Norfolk State 17-10 on Oct. 27, 2007. Howard (2-3, 1-1 MEAC) snapped a 29-game conference losing streak.

View Spotted® photos of the game

It ruined the party for the Tigers, who held a stadium dedication celebration on Thursday and their athletic hall of fame induction ceremony on Friday night. The school’s most famous alum, Shannon Sharpe, was in town for some of the festivities and gave the team a pre-game speech.

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Florida A&M Rattlers dominates Delaware State Hornets

Tallahassee, Florida - Florida A&M scored in every quarter, including 14 points in the third quarter, to seal a 34-7 win over Delaware State on Saturday in Tallahassee. The Rattlers got a pair of Trevor Scott field goals to take a 6-0 halftime advantage. The first was from 25 yards out and the second from 34.

Florida A&M (3-2 overall, 1-1 MEAC) saw its offense come alive in the third quarter. Damien Fleming hit Brian Tyms on a 23-yard strike for the first score. Al Terek McBurse burst through the line for a 25-yard run on the second.

Delaware State (2-3, 0-2) got on the board for the first time early in the gourth quarter when Nick Elko hit Milton Williams on a 9-yard touchdown pass. But it was too little too late, as Fleming responded with a 1-yarder touchdown and, just for good measure, Eddie Rocker added a 20-yarder to bring the game to its final score.

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FAMU offense in midseason form

The FAMU Rattlers' offense is clicking at exactly the right time despite an early-season change at quarterback.

Freshman quarterback Damien Fleming started his first collegiate game Saturday and provided a strong performance and leadership for a team looking for its first conference win. Fleming threw for 245 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another touchdown against the Delaware State Hornets.

Head coach Joe Taylor said he was impressed with his quarterback's poise after mistakes and his willingness to fight after a slow first half against the Hornets.

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DSU ends scoreless streak, but drops third in a row

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Delaware State put points on the board for the first time in more than 11 quarters, but had little else to celebrate in a 34-7 loss to Florida A&M in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game Saturday. The Hornets (2-3 overall, 0-2 MEAC) dropped their third straight game.

Delaware State scored its lone touchdown on a 9-yard pass from Nick Elko to Milton Williams with 11:37 left in the fourth quarter. The score was the first for the Hornets since the game-winning touchdown with 35 seconds left in a 31-27 win over Shaw on Sep. 10.

"We played well for a while, but made too many mistakes," said Delaware State coach Kermit Blount. "Hopefully, we'll get some of our injured players back soon to help out the offense."

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