Benson's overtime PAT gives TSU victory over Austin Peay

Photo: Austin Peay's Kit Hartsfield (43) and JayR Harper (28) force Tennessee State's Terrence Wright to fumble during the second quarter.



By MIKE ORGAN. The Tennnessean

CLARKSVILLE — For the second consecutive week, kicker Eric Benson lifted Tennessee State to a victory. This time, it was his extra-point kick in overtime that won the game for the Tigers, 33-32 over Austin Peay.

"It's the second week straight, but it's still nerve-racking," said Benson, who a week earlier kicked a decisive field goal in the Memphis rain to defeat Jackson State.

Benson's winning extra point against the Govs was actually his second clutch kick of the night. He connected on a career-long 43-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime at 26-26.

"That field goal was a little too close for comfort," Benson said. "I think God sent a little bit of wind to blow it in. That's how close it was."

It was surprising that TSU (2-1) needed divine intervention to beat the Governors (2-1).

It was Austin Peay's first game against an Ohio Valley Conference opponent since the Govs' return to the conference after leaving it and dropping scholarship football in 1996.

"I'm serious when I say I really hate that somebody had to lose this football game,'' TSU Coach James Webster said. "For Austin Peay to only be giving scholarships for (two) years and play as they did, that's a tribute to their staff and their team. I've got all the respect in the world for their football team."

The Governors earned that respect by giving TSU fits in front of a capacity crowd (8,359) at Governors Stadium. It was the first sellout since the 1970s and would have been one of the Govs' most historic victories had they pulled it out.

Big plays, big trouble

Austin Peay scored on big plays and also made TSU pay for its mistakes.

The Govs scored first on a 58-yard pass from Mark Cunningham to Jeff Lyle on the third play of the game.

Austin Peay also scored on a 67-yard punt return by former Maplewood star Terrence Holt, which gave the Govs a 19-16 lead in the fourth quarter.

After TSU pulled ahead 23-19 on a 27-yard pass from Antonio Heffner to Chris Johnson, Austin Peay's Kevis Buckley scooped up a fumble by TSU's Antonio Graham and went 64 yards for a touchdown that gave the Govs a 26-23 lead.

Benson's game-tying kick came after a TSU drive had stalled at APSU's 25.

In overtime, Benson's extra-point kick was set up to be the game winner by TSU cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who moments earlier had blocked Austin Peay kicker Isaac Ziolkowski's extra-point try. This was after the Govs had scored first in overtime on Chris Fletcher's six-yard run.

On the ensuing possession, TSU running back Javarris Williams scored his first TD of the season from two yards out to tie the game at 32. Benson then connected on the game-winning extra point.

Alabama A&M notebook

Reggie Benson, Huntsville Times

A&M offense on hold early

Alabama A&M's offense, which had scored 28 points in the first quarter in its first two games, failed to score in the opening 15 minutes Saturday night against Mississippi Valley State.

On A&M's first offensive play from scrimmage, quarterback Kelcy Luke was picked off by Sam Irons. The Bulldogs were forced to punt on their next three possessions despite good field position.

The Bulldogs put together two drives in the second quarter as Luke found tight end Charles Moody with a 7-yard touchdown pass to cap a six-play, 39-yard drive with 9:12 left in the half. Jeremy Licea kicked a 25-yard field goal to cap a 12-play, 55-yard drive to give A&M a 10-0 lead with 2:29 before intermission.

A&M, who entered the game averaging 45 points and 529 yards per game, had only 166 yards at halftime.

Luke returns to earth

Luke, who was named Southwestern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week after completing 21-of-32 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns last week in a 41-10 victory over Clark Atlanta, struggled in the first half against Mississippi Valley State.

Luke completed just 8-of-18 passes for 56 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He entered the game having completed 64 percent of his passes for 562 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception.

Nice timing

Inside linebacker Jimmy Richardson, who lost his starting job to former Johnson High star Carlton Rice, picked a good time to come up with his first career interception.

With the game scoreless early in the second quarter, Richardson picked off a Semaj Williams pass to give the Bulldogs a first down at the MVSU 39.

Six plays later, Luke found Moody for the touchdown.

Moving the chains

With Alabama A&M's offense struggling early in the second quarter, Moody took matters into his own hands Saturday night against Mississippi Valley State.

Facing a fourth-and-four at the Delta Devils' 33-yard line, Luke found Moody, but he was short of the first down. The 6-foot, 249-pound Moody refused to go down, dragging a number of tacklers 6 yards to pick up the first down.

Traylor stuck in neutral

Defensive end Chris Traylor, who has more sacks than anybody in the Southwestern Athletic Conference over the last three seasons, had been held in check through Alabama A&M's first two games.

Traylor was shut out in the season opener against Tennessee State and managed just one last week against lowly Clark Atlanta.

Saturday night against Mississippi Valley State, Traylor had two in the first half and also forced a fumble.

Moland makes presence felt

Entering Saturday's game against Mississippi Valley State, Alabama A&M inside linebacker Avery Moland hadn't done much this season.

He had been credited with only nine tackles through the Bulldogs' first two games.

But he more than made up for it against the Delta Devils. Moland had seven tackles in the first half, including five solos and 2.5 tackles for loss. He also had one sack and recovered a fumble.

Commish in attendance

Duer Sharp, the interim commissioner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, attended Saturday night's Alabama A&M-Mississippi Valley State game.

Sharp, who took over June 15 when Robert Vowels left to take a job with the NCAA, was in Jackson, Miss., Thursday night to watch the Jackson State-Texas Southern game. He was in Montgomery on Friday watching the Alabama State Invitational volleyball tournament and came to Huntsville on Saturday. Sharp was heading to Indianapolis this morning to attend a two-day NCAA conference.

"We just want the student-athletes and coaches to know we're interested in what they're doing," Sharp said.

It was the second time in two weeks that Sharp has been at A&M.

He watched A&M's football team practice on Sept. 4 and stayed around to watch the Bulldogs' first volleyball match under new coach Nedra Brown that night.

"You just want them to know that you're out and if there's an issue we're here to talk about it and we can get it resolved," Sharp said.

Defensive changes

Alabama A&M's starting defense underwent some changes for the third straight week.

Left defensive tackle Renaldo Askew, who started the season opener against Tennessee State before losing his job to David Winston last week against Clark Atlanta, returned to the starting lineup against Mississippi Valley State.

Askew was not credited with a tackle against TSU, while Winston was credited with one stop. Askew had two tackles, including one tackle for loss and a sack against Clark Atlanta, while Winston didn't record a tackle.

Right cornerback Maurice Thomas started for the second week in a row after regular starter Frank Moore was out of the starting lineup for the second straight week after violating team rules.

Furthermore

Former Lee High standout Grant Mattix handled kickoff duties for A&M Saturday night. ... A&M failed to score in the first quarter for the first time this season. ... WR Nate Baxter sustained an ankle injury late in the first quarter and never returned. ... Licea's 25-yard field goal late in the first half was his first of the season. .... Combined, A&M and MVSU were 2-of-15 on third-down conversions in the first half. ... A&M had eight sacks through its first two games. The Bulldogs had four sacks in the first half against Mississippi Valley State.

Fumble returned for TD spurs AAMU rout

By REGGIE BENSON, Huntsville Times

Mississippi Valley State's defense had Alabama A&M's explosive offense stuck in neutral Saturday night. The Delta Devils held quarterback Kelcy Luke and company in check throughout the first half and forced the Bulldogs to punt on their first possession of the second half.

A&M's defense, which set up the Bulldogs' first touchdown and was terrific throughout much of the game, took it upon itself to turn the game around.

Defensive tackle Whitney Garrett sacked MVSU quarterback Paul Roberts, forced him to fumble and inside linebacker Carlton Rice, a former Johnson High star, picked it up and rambled 47 yards for a touchdown. Not only did Rice's touchdown ignite the fans, it ignited A&M's offense.

Luke found tailback Ulysses Banks with a 70-yard touchdown and Banks scored again from 15 yards out to cap a 21-point explosion over an eight-minute span in the third quarter and the Bulldogs went on to clobber the Delta Devils 45-14 before an announced crowd of 4,466.

"That play woke us up," said A&M coach Anthony Jones, referring to Rice's fumble return for a touchdown. "It was a heads-up play Rice made by outhustling their guy to the ball and picking it up and getting in for the touchdown.

"After that, we made big play after big play and they couldn't answer."

MVSU coach Willie Totten agreed with Jones that Rice's fumble return turned the game around, but he disagreed with the call.

"That played turned the game around, but it wasn't a fumble," Totten said. "It was an incomplete pass. That play was very questionable. After that, momentum swung their way."

The win lifted A&M to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. It is the first time the Bulldogs have been 3-0 since 1966 when they were 8-0 before losing to Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic.

It is also the first time an A&M team has opened the season with three straight 40-plus point games.

"I've never seen them with that much firepower," Totten said. "They've got a good football team. A&M looks like they can repeat."

MVSU fell to 1-2 and 1-2.

Jeremy Licea's 25-yard field goal, his first one of the season, gave A&M a 10-0 lead with 2:29 before intermission, but MVSU answered when Johey Hargrett scored from 7 yards out to pull the Delta Devils to within 10-7 at halftime.

After forcing A&M to punt on its first possession of the third quarter, MVSU took over on its own 46. The Delta Devils moved to a first down at the Bulldogs' 42 before disaster struck.

Garrett separated Roberts from the ball and Rice picked it up and headed for the end zone.

"I didn't realize I had knocked it loose," Garrett said. "I got up and saw Rice running toward the end zone and I started running."

Added Rice: "I think it was a pass behind the line of scrimmage. I saw the ball and I scooped it up and scored the way they teach us."

Rice's touchdown woke up A&M's offense.

"Rice made a great play," Luke said. "The defense played hard the whole game. Hats off to them. They sparked us."

Luke found Banks on a screen pass on A&M's next possession and he raced 70 yards for a touchdown. to make it 24-7.

"I gave the linebacker a move and I got a great block from (wide receiver) Rashad Johnson and got in for the touchdown," Banks said.

Banks scored on a 15-yard run on A&M's next possession. The touchdown was set up when Luke found Thomas Harris for a 63-yard gain. Harris finished with four catches for 137 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. Three of Harris' catches came in the second half for 124 yards.

"We regrouped after halftime and Coach Jones made some great adjustments and we went out there and started clicking," said Luke, who was 16-of-29 for 276 yards and three touchdowns and two sacks, including 8-of-11 for 220 yards and two touchdowns in the second half.

In addition to his 70-yard touchdown reception, Banks rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries as the Bulldogs finished with 499 yards in total offense, including 333 in the second half.

BCU 'Wyattbone' put on hold in blowout'

By NOELL BARNIDGE, Special to The News-Journal

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Bethune-Cookman turned early Savannah State mistakes into scores, and quarterback Jimmie Russell's injured left knee appeared fine Saturday.

Russell, who was questionable for the game, started and ran 12 times for a team-high 65 yards and three touchdowns in B-CU's 45-13 victory.

A Memorial Stadium crowd of 5,063 watched quietly as B-CU (2-1) staked a 24-0 halftime lead against Savannah State (1-2).

B-CU's offense operated from the shotgun formation the majority of the game instead of from the "Wyattbone," coach Alvin Wyatt's mixture of the wishbone and hambone.

Wyatt said he did not employ the shotgun as a way to protect Russell, who was injured during the Wildcats' loss to South Carolina State. Wyatt said he simply wanted to confuse the Savannah State defense he believed spent the majority of its practices preparing for the "Wyattbone."

"We did not come out with our regular offensive set," Wyatt said, smiling. "We came out with a spread offense. We figured we'd give (Savannah State) more to prepare for."

Russell was 10-for-15 passing for 112 yards.

Savannah State quarterback JaCorey Kilcrease fumbled during the Tigers' first possession, and B-CU right tackle Chris Dirksz recovered at Savannah State's 44-yard line. The Wildcats scored seven plays later when Russell ran in a quarterback draw from 12 yards out. Lucas Esquivel kicked the first of his six extra points to give B-CU a 7-0 lead.

"We came out and attacked, offensively, and we were able to set the tone," Wyatt said. "That got us in a frame of mind where we didn't have to worry about what happened last week."

On the Wildcats' next possession, Esquivel's 38-yard field goal capped an eight-play drive that began at the 50 and gave the Wildcats a 10-0 lead.

Early in the second quarter, Russell's two-yard touchdown run on a sneak gave the Wildcats a 17-0 lead.

"This game was our steppingstone to get us ready for our MEAC game next week at Norfolk State," Russell said. "Coach (Wyatt) had a great game plan. He told us to forget everything about South Carolina State, and everything will work itself out."

During Savannah State's ensuing possession, the Tigers covered 44 yards in 13 plays, consuming 5:16. But Luis Justiniano's 45-yard field goal attempt was blocked by B-CU's James Monds and recovered by the Wildcats' Nick Mayant.

"Those little things will kill you," Lemon said. "That blocked field-goal attempt, things like that are just crushers."

B-CU's Antonio Cox jarred the ball loose and returned it to the Tigers' 20 with 2:35 left before halftime. Three plays later, Russell ran for a 10-yard touchdown up the middle to give B-CU the 24-0 halftime lead.

"The offensive line did a great job keeping me back there in the Shotgun," Russell said. "I felt at home back there. The play-calling was good."

Why did Savannah State and B-CU play at Memorial Stadium?

Because T.A. Wright Stadium is being renovated.Savannah State is playing its first three home games at Memorial Stadium, but the Tigers will play two games on campus later this season even though renovations will not be completed.

What did B-CU think of this season's Tigers team?

B-CU coach Alvin Wyatt said this is not the same Savannah State team that finished 2-9 last season, Theo Lemon's first as the Tigers' coach. Wyatt said his Wildcats' 45-13 victory Saturday did not come as easily as BC-U's 55-6 win last season.

"Savannah State is a good football team," Wyatt said. "(Savannah State coach) Theo Lemon is doing a good job with them. They were much, much, much more physical than they were last year. They were very aggressive."

B-CU quarterback Jimmie Russell said Savannah State has better athletes than it did last season.

"They're a better team. They get better every year we play them," Russell said. "Me and my center (Deron Barnes) were talking about how we don't like playing Savannah State because they keep getting better."

What is B-CU's record against Savannah State?

B-CU owns a 30-8 series lead. Savannah State has not beaten B-CU since 1992, when the late Bill Davis coached the Tigers to a 31-21 victory.

-- Noell Barnidge


Council finally strikes

When Bethune-Cookman's Corey Council intercepted Savannah State backup quarterback Greg McCrary and returned the ball for an 85-yard touchdown with 39 seconds to play, many Savannah State supporters were not surprised. They were well aware of Council, who was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a South Carolina State kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown.

"I was wondering when he would strike," said Savannah State athletics director Robert "Tony" O'Neal, who was hired away from B-CU. "He told me before the game that he was going to bring one back to the house. I can't believe he did it on an interception."

More action for Souverain?

Depending on the status of Russell, who played despite a left-knee injury, B-CU backup quarterback McKinson Souverain might get more playing time, Wildcats coach Alvin Wyatt said.

If so, his performance against Savannah State will help in terms of experience. Souverain was 1-for-2 passing for 39 yards -- a touchdown strike to Paul Neufville in the third quarter.

Brothers Make Noise

B-CU twin brothers Antonio and Antwane Cox produced big plays.

With 2:35 remaining before halftime, Savannah State started its possession with a completion, but Antonio Cox jarred the ball loose, recovered it at Savannah State's 30-yard line and returned it to the Tigers' 20.

Antwane Cox later blocked an extra point attempt, forcing the Tigers to settle for a 31-13 score early in the fourth quarter.

B-CU brings marching band

Bethune-Cookman brought its marching band -- all 357 members -- and took up an entire section, from top to bottom, in the Memorial Stadium stands. B-CU's marching band is among the nation's largest, according to sports information director Bryan Harvey.

Harvey said B-CU's marching band is scheduled to perform today at halftime of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' NFL game.

Tigers' bad luck

It was bad enough for Savannah State fans their team lost to B-CU, but they couldn't even listen to the game on local radio.

SSU's game was not broadcast by WHCJ 90.3 FM in Savannah because the campus radio station was struck by lightning earlier in the week, sports information director Opio Mashariki said.

Mashariki was hired away from B-CU by O'Neal.

B-CU coach heaps praise on SSU Tigers

By Noell Barnidge, Savannah Morning News

This is not the same Savannah State football team, according to Bethune-Cookman coach Alvin Wyatt.

Wyatt said his Wildcats' 45-13 victory Saturday did not come as easily as BC-U's 55-6 win over SSU last season.

"Savannah State is a good football team," Wyatt said. "(SSU coach) Theo Lemon is doing a good job with them. They were much, much, much more physical than they were last year. They were very aggressive.

"They had great poise at times, too. You can see the improvement. As we continue to play, this series is going to get tougher and tougher. He's getting the best out of what he has over there."

B-CU owns a 30-8 series lead. SSU has not beaten B-CU since 1992, when the late Bill Davis coached the Tigers to a 31-21 victory.

B-CU quarterback Jimmie Russell of Jonesboro said SSU has better athletes than it did last season, when the Tigers finished 2-9 in Lemon's first season.

"They're a better team. They get better every year we play them," Russell said. "Me and my center (Deron Barnes) were talking about how we don't like playing Savannah State because they keep getting better.

"They were a lot more aggressive. Their middle linebacker, No. 51 (Calvin Leonard), he's a ballplayer. He made a lot of great plays. I guess he's their motivator on defense. He did a lot."

Too little, too late
SSU trailed, 24-0, at halftime and Lemon said the Tigers missed a great opportunity by waiting until the second half to score points.

"I thought we played real well, defensively," Lemon said. "But, offensively, we just couldn't generate anything until the second half.

"We moved the ball a little but, but with a team like Bethune-Cookman you can't be pretty good. You have to be on all cylinders."

McCrary scores first TD as a Tiger
SSU backup quarterback Greg McCrary ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was the first collegiate touchdown for the freshman from Stone Mountain.
"I'm not going to say I was happy about the touchdown because we were losing," McCrary said. "Scoring ain't on my mind. Winning is on my mind."

McCrary entered the game when starter JaCorey Kilcrease came out with 14 minutes, 4 seconds to play because of an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder.

In the season opener at Morgan State, McCrary was 0-for-4 passing with two interceptions. He appeared more poised against Bethune-Cookman, completing 2-for-11 passes for 29 yards, and rushing three times for 14 yards and a touchdown. He was, however, intercepted by B-CU's Corey Council, who ran the ball back for an 85-yard touchdown with 39 seconds to play.

"He threw the pick at the end, and that really hurt us, but he's young," Lemon said. "I told him when he went out there, 'We're going to take some chances.' And we took some chances. He threw that ball in the flat and the guy (Council) took it all the way back."

Council finally strikes
B-CU's Council, a Valdosta native, returned a kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown in the Wildcats' 23-14 loss to South Carolina State. He was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.

SSU limited Council to 24 yards on two punt returns until Council struck, defensively.

"That's my roommate," Russell said, smiling. "When he scores I know he's a much happier person at the house instead of walking around moping. That's two games in a row now that he's scored a touchdown."

Lemon was pleased with SSU's special teams effort against Council.

"Going into this game we knew he was a force to be reckoned with," Lemon said. "We wanted to kick the ball away from him and not give him a highlight show out there. Until he got that interception, I don't think he had done very much. But he's a good football player and good football players are going to find a way to make something happen."

Denson scores first TD as a Tiger
SSU wide receiver A.J. Denson, a freshman from Macon, scored his first collegiate touchdown when Kilcrease connected with him for a 39-yard scoring strike.
"I saw the middle of the field wide open so I just ran in that direction," Denson said. "My quarterback put it there like he was supposed to."

B-CU brings marching band
Bethune-Cookman brought its marching band - all 357 members - and took up an entire section, from top to bottom, in the Memorial Stadium stands.

B-CU's marching band is among the nation's largest, according to sports information director Bryan Harvey.

Harvey said B-CU's marching band is scheduled to perform today at halftime of the Tampa Bay Buccanners' NFL game.

No SSU game on the radio
SSU's game was not broadcast on WHCJ 90.3 FM because the radio station was struck by lightning earlier in the week, SSU sports information director Opio Mashariki said.

Field looked great
Memorial Stadium was in excellent condition Saturday, which pleased SSU athletics director Robert "Tony" O'Neal.

O'Neal was worried that the field would be a muddy mess because of Friday night's rain, but the field drained well.

It also helped that the high school game between Beach and Charlton County was cancelled because of lightning.

Prairie View offense grounded

By CHARLES SALZER, Special to The Advocate

Photo: PVAMU Head Coach Henry Frazier

Throughout its 3-7 campaign last season, Prairie View had a stalwart defense that seldom let it down.

Saturday night at Southern, the defense was there once again keeping the Panthers in the hunt throughout the game. But an improved Prairie View offense found the going tough against an equally improved Southern defense in a 12-2 loss at A.W. Mumford stadium.

In a game dominated by defense, Prairie View was able to move inside the SU 30 three times, but came away empty on each drive.

“You move the ball down the field, but you’ve still got to execute,” PVAM quarterback Chris Gibson said. “We’ve got to go over the X and O’s because when it came down to it we didn’t execute.”

Gibson finished the game with only 8 yards rushing, and completed 11 of 26 passes for 69 yards with two interceptions. In three games against Southern, Gibson was 15 for 42 for 110 yards with four interceptions and no touchdowns.

Prairie View coach Henry Frazier was frustrated with the lack of offensive production, and the fact the Panthers’ headsets were non-operational. It didn’t keep Frazier from praising the Southern defense.

“We didn’t have the answers, and our headphones didn’t work for whatever reason,” Frazier said. “When you take the coordinator out of the booth, its hard to see some of the things they’re doing from the sideline.

“I don’t want to make excuses because Southern was flying around, and they got turnovers. Throwing three interceptions doesn’t have anything to do with headsets.”

One of Prairie View’s best scoring chances came on the game’s opening possession. From the PVAM 37, Gibson directed the Panthers to a first at the SU 26. Three plays later, Gibson was stopped short on a fourth-and-2 quarterback sneak.

“(Gibson) was supposed to pull that back so we could kick a field goal,” Frazier said. “He said he saw a gap, and he thought he could get it. When you’ve got a senior quarterback that likes to run the ball you’re going to hang your hat on that.”

Prairie View only crossed midfield once more before halftime, initially gaining a first at the SU 34 before stalling. After a penalty, the Panthers gained just 1 yard on three downs and were forced to punt.

The third quarter began with promise as Prairie View used a field position advantage to force Southern to punt from its own end zone. With a drive that began at the SU 35, Prairie View eventually faced a fourth-and-3, but Gibson’s fourth down pass off a roll out fell incomplete.

“We wanted to get (Gibson) on the edge so he’d have a run-pass option,” Frazier said. “Southern did a good job of bringing the strong safety up to stop the run. They took that away so we had the tight end dragging across the backside and tried to lob it over. They were in a perfect defense, once again.”

The lack of offense eventually began to add pressure to the Panthers defense, but the most it could muster was a safety when Southern was flagged for holding in the end zone on a fourth-quarter punt.

“We played as hard as we could,” senior linebacker Zach East said. “As a defense I think we should have gotten more turnovers, and scored for our offense. Anytime our offense doesn’t score I feel like our defense should. We should score once in any game.

“We had a lot of pressure on us to score, get turnovers or give our offense good field position.”

It was pressure created by an opportunistic Southern team that made all the plays it had to.

Deception aids Southern win

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Had there been time, Southern would have tried a 29-yard Josh Duran field goal.

But the clock ran out on the third quarter, and as the teams changed sides, SU coach Pete Richardson called for the play his team had practiced all week: a fake, with holder Nick Benjamin connecting with tight end Evan Alexander for a 12-yard touchdown pass.

That play, combined with stout defense, gave SU a cushion to beat Prairie View 12-2 Saturday night at A.W. Mumford Stadium.

The touchdown pass was the first for Benjamin since 2002 as a quarterback at WS Neal High in East Brewton, Ala.

Benjamin had never thrown a pass, let alone for a score, at Southern.

“Coach really thought I could step up and make that throw,” Benjamin said. “I knew I had to do that for the team, so that’s what I did.”

Some factors for SU to consider: Duran, a true freshman, is 5-for-8 on PATs and 1-for-2 on field-goal tries this season. ... The field position change meant Duran would have been kicking into a brisk breeze. ... PV had blocked two punts and a field-goal try the week before. ... And PV had come strong so far Saturday night.

“We practiced on that all week,” Richardson said. “I knew they were going on an all-out block. That’s what they had been doing all the time, so we took a chance.”

So, Richardson told Benjamin of the change.

“When I went over, I kind of figured he’d change the call,” Benjamin said. “But when he did, it really brought it to realization it was really about to happen. I had to get my mind right. I knew I had to step up and make the throw in order to put some points on the board.”


No butterflies?
“Naaaah,” Benjamin said.
No problem.
Alexander, lined up on the right side, released at the snap. That meant that, if PV was already coming strong, that side, where Benjamin now was as he rolled, was more vulnerable.

Said Benjamin, “There was some pressure (coming), but it just went back to the old days: avoid the pressure and make the throw.”

Said Alexander, “It was a little pop pass. We knew they were going to be rushing real hard off my side. We had watched film. We had practiced it all week. I just released off my line and faded to the back of the end zone.”

Alexander created enough separation and the ball was on target.

“They blitzed hard, and I was wide-open in the back of the end zone,” Alexander said. “It was planned the whole time.”

The gutsy call extended Southern’s lead from a thin 6-0 (a missed extra point) to 12-0 (a failed two-point conversion pass) with 14:55 to play.

Here’s some weirdness. Southern scored on the first play of the fourth quarter against Prairie View for the second straight season.

But unlike the 20-6 lead on Kendall Addison’s 5-yard touchdown run with 14:54 remaining in a 26-23 overtime loss a year ago, the Jaguars made this 12-0 lead stand.

“We called it,” PV coach Henry Frazier III said. “We said, ‘Watch the fake.’ Their guy missed the extra point. They were kicking into the wind, and we said, ‘It’s a fake.’ We called it out and we didn’t make the play. We didn’t execute.”

How They Scored: SU-PVU

Second quarter

SOUTHERN: Quarterback Bryant Lee, with Prairie View blitzing, fires a 15-yard touchdown pass to Gerard Landry with 0:52 left in the first half (kick failed). DRIVE: 56 yards in eight plays. TIME OF POSSESSION: 3:00. KEY PLAY: Lee starts the march with a 17-yard pass to Juamorris Stewart. SOUTHERN 6, PRAIRIE VIEW 0.

Fourth quarter

SOUTHERN: On a fake field-goal try, holder Nick Benjamin rolls right and flips a 12-yard touchdown pass to Evan Alexander, a tight end with 14:55 left in the game (pass failed). DRIVE: 59 yards in seven plays. TIME OF POSSESSION: 3:09. KEY PLAYS: Kendrick Smith breaks free for gains of 13 and 9 yards and Prairie View is flagged 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct as two defenders simulate cramps just as SU gets to the line of scrimmage.

SOUTHERN 12, PRAIRIE VIEW 0.

PRAIRIE VIEW: Safety with 12:39 remaining in the game. Southern is called for holding in the end zone during a Josh Duran punt.

SOUTHERN 12, PRAIRIE VIEW 2.

Final score: Southern 12, Prairie View 2.

Attendance: 16,372.

Next game: Southern hosts Tennessee State at 6 p.m. Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.

SU Lands doesn’t let up for victorious Jaguars

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

A year ago, Southern defensive end Vince Lands couldn’t stop Prairie View from its stunning overtime victory, having already been carted off the field on a stretcher with dehydration.

A year later, Prairie View couldn’t stop Lands or his defensive mates.

The Jaguars defense, with Lands sacking Chris Gibson twice and teaming on another sack of backup Mark Spivey, came up with two fourth-and-short stops in Southern territory and totaled three interceptions to power a 12-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference victory Saturday night at A.W. Mumford Stadium.

“It really burned inside, because I couldn’t finish the game,” Lands said of the 26-23 overtime loss that started a tailspin after a promising start last season. “I felt like I left my team down, so I tried to lay it all on the line and stick it out, even when I was tired. It was just pride tonight.”

That time, in Prairie View’s first win over Southern since 1971, the Panthers turned two Southern fumbles into 14 points in the final 2:33. And that time, after the SU offense coughed up the ball on consecutive bad snaps, the defense didn’t hold up, even against a PV offense that struggled then and all season to pass the ball.

This time, Southern’s offense never could get rolling like the Jaguars had in their first two games, with SU totaling 223 total yards (67 rushing after 293 the week before) and getting a fourth-quarter touchdown on a fake field-goal try. But this time, Southern’s defense held strong and refused to let PV score — stopping the Panthers six times in Southern territory.

“The defense, we really stepped it up tonight,” said Lands, who had eight tackles, including 4&permil for losses.

Photo: Defensive end Vincent Lands sacks Prairie View A&M quarter-back Chris Gibson.










Southern (3-0, 2-0 SWAC) has kept opponents out of the end zone for six straight quarters. If not for a fourth quarter safety, for holding in the end zone during a punt, Prairie View (2-1, 1-1) would have been shut out.

Prairie View had 77 yards in the second half. The Panthers, down 6-0 at the time, were stopped after an incomplete Gibson pass on fourth-and-3 at the Southern 28-yard line and, after getting to the SU 15 down 12-2, free safety Jarmaul George picked off Spivey.

“We got a little more pressure on the quarterback, and once we started to do that, then he started to get a little antsy and we were able to do some things,” SU head coach Pete Richardson said. “That’s the thing we have to do: make them move their feet. Once we started doing that, Lands did a great job coming off that corner.”

How different than getting medical attention on a stretcher was this night for Lands? After sprinting to drag down the mobile Gibson from behind five minutes into the fourth quarter, Lands raced over to the SU sideline to leap into a chest bump with SU defensive coordinator Terrence Graves.

“That’s just Coach Graves’ swagger. That’s just our chemistry,” Lands said.

Prairie View looked to take that oomph away early in the game, driving 46 yards on the opening drive to the SU 17. But on a fourth-and-1, Gibson saw a gap in Southern’s line and gambled, only to get denied for no gain. Cornerback Efe Osawemwenze intercepted Gibson on PV’s next touch.

“We want to come out of the locker room, playing fast, playing hard and making things happen,” Graves said.

Gibson finished 11-for-26 for 69 yards and two interceptions, with Spivey, entering in the fourth quarter, going 11-for-18 for 76 yards and an interception.

Although Calvin Harris rushed for 69 yards, Gibson, averaging 99.5 yards per game on the ground, had minus-17.

“We made some plays on defense,” Richardson said.

Meanwhile, Southern’s offense, which has had slow starts in all three games, made the most of two drives - finished by clutch plays—after good field position.

First, as free safety Anthnony Beck blitzed hard, quarterback Bryant Lee, who was 22-for-36 for 144 yards, zipped a 15-yard touchdown pass to Gerard Landry for a 6-0 lead with 52 seconds before halftime. The PAT by Josh Duran was no good.

Second, holder Nick Benjamin, a former high school quarterback, tossed a 12-yard TD pass to tight end Evan Alexander for a 12-yard TD five seconds into the fourth quarter.

On the possession after the safety, getting PV within 12-2 with 12:39 left in the game, the Panthers started at the Southern 49 but finished at their own 35. First, Lands hauled down Ben Boyd for a 7-yard loss. Then, PV went back 5 yards for a false start. Then, after a 2-yard gain, Lands blasted Gibson from behind.

The next PV touch was a three-and-out. The next ended in the George interception. The next closed out the game.

“Just a credit to the defense. Those guys are just playing hard,” Graves said. “We call it, and those guys are just executing at a high level.”

Southern has won four straight games, dating to last season. And after two straight losing seasons, the Jaguars are off to their first 3-0 start since 2003, when the team went 12-1 and won the SWAC and black college national titles.

“We’ve got to just live from week to week,” Richardson said. “We’re real thin on that offensive line. Injuries could make things real ugly for us. We just have to regroup and come on back.”

UAB plays like Alcorn State but wins 22-0

Photo: UAB Kicker Swayze Waters

STEVE IRVINE, Birmingham

Waters sets record as Blazers pitch shutout over Alcorn State

Want to take an optimistic view of UAB's 22-0 non-conference victory over Alcorn State on Saturday night at Legion Field?

Then focus on Swayze Waters' school-record five field goals and the Blazers' first defensive shutout since 1999.

For you pessimists out there, why couldn't UAB put the ball in the end zone more than once? And, really, how impressive is a shutout of an Alcorn State team that has scored 13 points in three games?

For the record, Neil Callaway can see both sides - at least as far as his offense is concerned.

"It was great what he (Waters) did because he made them all and, really, I don't think there was any question on any of them," said Callaway, after his team improved to 1-2. "On the other hand, we wished we could score a few more touchdowns."

Regardless, linebacker Joe Henderson was pleased Callaway won for the first time as a head coach.

"I felt good to get him a win and see a smile on his face because he doesn't smile very often," Henderson said. "He's tough on us, so we're happy to see him smiling and happy."

Take away the offense's inability to put the ball in the end zone and the Blazers did several things on Saturday night not only to make Callaway happy but to please a crowd of 21,828.

The most important thing was breaking an eight-game losing streak. Before Saturday night, the last time UAB went home victorious was when it beat Memphis at Legion Field on Oct. 7, 2006.

"It means a lot," said safety Will Dunbar. "That losing taste that you've got in your mouth is finally out. You got to get used to winning again. It just gives a big boost to us and is a confidence builder."

Obviously, it was the defense that spearheaded the streak-breaking victory.

The defense took turns being stifling and optimistic. The Blazers allowed the Braves (0-3) just 233 yards in offense. When Alcorn State did get moving in the first half, Henderson and Dunbar stepped up to end drives with interceptions. In the end, it was the Blazers' first shutout in the past 91 games - dating to a 47-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Oct. 2, 1999.

"We turned the ball over inside of their territory two or three times and that hurt us," said Alcorn State head coach Johnny Thomas. "You can't do that against a good football team like UAB."

The game would have been more nerve-wracking for the Blazers without those turnovers because UAB had trouble getting the ball in the end zone.

Three promising first-half drives ended up with Waters converting on field goals of 42, 32 and 52 yards. Two promising second-half drives ended with Waters drilling field goals of 22 and 38 yards.

When he was through, Waters set a school record and tied a Conference USA mark for field goals in a game. But the Blazers would have preferred that Waters wasn't so busy.

"It always drives you crazy when you can't score touchdowns," said fullback David Sigler. "But points are points. It was just a bunch of little things we need to correct to score some touchdowns."

The only touchdown of the night came when quarterback Sam Hunt floated a pass to Sigler in the right flat that Sigler turned into a 4-yard score.

It gave UAB a 16-0 halftime lead.

Other than Waters, the most promising offensive performance came from former Homewood standout Brandon Thornton, who started in place of a banged-up Rashaud Slaughter. Thornton, playing for the first time in a UAB uniform, carried the ball 21 times for 89 yards even though he claimed to be rusty. Jim Mitchell chipped in with 78 yards on 12 carries as the Blazers gained 211 net yards rushing on 45 carries.

Attendance: 21,828

Howard's Lead Is Short-Lived as Florida A&M Takes Over

by The Washington Post

Photo: FAMU RB Philip Sylvester takes it 94 yards to the house (Touchdown--FAMU)!

Albert Chester threw two touchdown passes and Philip Sylvester ran for 222 yards to lead Florida A&M to a 30-17 win over Howard last night in Tallahassee.

Brian Johnson threw two touchdown passes to Jarahn Williams for the Bison (0-2, 0-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference).

The Rattlers (1-2, 1-1) dominated after falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter.

Sylvester gained 196 yards on nine carries in the first half, including a 94-yard touchdown run.

The Rattlers finished with 481 offensive yards, while Howard had 221.

Chester's two-yard touchdown run tied the score at 7 with 10 seconds left in the first quarter. Florida A&M took the lead for good in the second quarter when Chester scrambled and threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Demarius Folsom.

Sylvester's 94-yard touchdown came with 32 seconds left in the second quarter. He took a handoff up the middle, broke to the sideline and outran the Howard defenders.

Southern U. 12, Prairie View A&M 2

BATON ROUGE, LA -- Bryant Lee passed for 144 yards and a touchdown and Nick Benjamin connected on his only pass of the evening for another as Southern beat Prairie View 12-2 to remain undefeated Saturday night.

The Jaguars (3-0, 2-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) also gave Prairie View (2-1, 1-1) its only score, when Southern was charged with a fourth-quarter safety for holding in its own end zone.

Lee, who got a 15-yard touchdown pass to Gerard Landry in the second quarter, was 22-of-36 for Southern. Benjamin's score was on a 12-yard pass in the fourth quarter to Evan Alexander.

Kendrick Smith rushed 10 times for 40 yards for Southern.

Calvin Harris led all rushes with 69 yards on 18 carries for Prairie View. Mark Spivey was 11-18-1 for 76 yards, and Chris Gibson was 11-26-2 for 69.

South Carolina 38, SCSU Bulldogs 3

SCSU RB Will Ford takes 14 carries for 104 yards in front of 73,000 full house; SC pulls away in second half.

COLUMBIA, SC -- Blake Mitchell threw three touchdowns and No. 17 South Carolina defeated South Carolina State 38-3 Saturday to make the Gamecocks 3-0 for the first time in six years.

South Carolina won its sixth consecutive game and the defense didn't allow a touchdown for the second straight.

That streak -- and South Carolina's perfect start -- will get severely tested next week with a trip to No. 2 LSU.

The numbers looked strong for South Carolina.

Mitchell finished 14-for-21 for 147 yards. Cory Boyd (132) and Mike Davis (102) went over 100 yards rushing, but the Gamecocks' offense looked lost for a half against the Bulldogs (1-2).

Mitchell had three interceptions and a fumble to go with his touchdown throws. Backup Tommy Beecher added an interception and a fumble of his own.

It got so bad, Gamecock coach Steve Spurrier chose to run the ball much of the second half. And that's when South Carolina finally put away its Championship Subdivision rivals.

Davis rushed for 43 yards and finished a 91-yard TD drive with a 9-yard catch from Mitchell.

Two series later, Boyd broke free for a 29-yard scoring run and the Gamecocks were up 31-3.

Spurrier called only two passes in the third quarter. Then again, he didn't have to get creative the way South Carolina's defense played.

The Gamecocks picked off three passes of their own, lineman Nathan Pepper returning one 19-yards for a touchdown to put them ahead for good, 7-3.

South Carolina State had just 46 yards passing through three quarters.

The Bulldogs are celebrating 100 years of football at the historically black college. It's the first time, however, they've played their larger state rivals about 45 minutes up the road.

The 73,000 at Williams-Brice Stadium was the largest crowd South Carolina State had played in front of and it showed.

The Bulldogs got an early chance to make an impact when Markee Hamlin got Mitchell's first interception to set South Carolina State up on the Gamecocks 12.

But penalties for an illegal snap and illegal procedure pushed them back and they took a 3-0 lead on Aaron Haire's 37-yard field goal.

South Carolina settled down after that shaky start -- and looked ready to give Spurrier a Florida-style blowout.

Pepper went 19 yards to the end zone with Cleveland McCoy's interception to put the Gamecocks ahead 7-3.

Ryan Succop added a 40-yard field goal and Mitchell hit Kenny McKinley with a 12-yard touchdown pass on the Gamecocks next two series to increase the lead to 17-3.

Soon enough, though, South Carolina reverted to the "average stiffs" Spurrier spoke of two weeks ago in the opener with Louisiana-Lafayette.

The defense, though, was again above average. It didn't give up a touchdown at Georgia in South Carolina's 16-12 win a week ago and did not yield this time, either.

The closest South Carolina State got after its opening drive came in the third quarter after driving to the Gamecock 12, but Darian Stewart recovered Jonathan Woods' fumble to end the threat.

ATTENDANCE: 73,095

Hampton 59, North Carolina A&T 14

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Van Morgan ran for a career-high 154 yards and scored twice to lead Hampton to a 59-14 victory over North Carolina A&T Saturday, the fourth-straight victory over the Aggies in the series.

Quarterback T.J. Mitchell passed for 210 yards and three touchdowns for the Pirates (2-0, 2-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference). Jeremy Gilchrist caught six passes for 112 yards and a score.

N.C. A&T (0-3, 0-1 MEAC) lost its 19th straight game.

Hampton jumped out to a 17-0 lead, but the Aggies cut into the deficit on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Shelton Morgan to Trey Green late in the first half.

Kevin Teel 70-yard kickoff return for a score increased Hampton's lead to start the second half, but the Aggies converted a Pirate turnover into a 6-yard scoring pass from Morgan to Michael Christen with 11:48 left in the third quarter.

The Pirates answered with a four-play, 75-yard drive ending in Gilchrist's touchdown. Kendall Langford returned an interception 22 yards for another score and the Pirates capped the third quarter with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to Teel.

Final: Florida A&M 30, Howard 17

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Albert Chester threw two touchdown passes and Philip Sylvester ran for 222 yards to lead Florida A&M to a 30-17 win over Howard on Saturday.

Sylvester gained 196 yards on nine carries in the first half, including a 94-yard touchdown run. Chester also scored a touchdown on a two-yard run.

Brian Johnson threw two touchdown passes to Jarahn Williams for Howard (0-2, 0-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference).

Florida A&M (1-2, 1-1 MEAC) dominated the game after falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter.

The Rattlers finished with 481 offensive yards, while Howard had 221.

Chester's touchdown run tied the game 7-7 with 10 seconds left in the first quarter. Florida A&M took the lead for good in the second quarter when Chester scrambled and threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Demarius Folsom.

Sylvester's 94-yard touchdown came with 32 seconds left in the second quarter. He took a handoff up the middle, broke to the sideline and outran the Howard defenders.

Florida A&M scored its final touchdown in the third quarter when Chester threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Adrian Smith.

Wesley Taylor also kicked a 42-yard field goal for Florida A&M, which has beaten Howard three years in a row. John Mendoza kicked a 44-yarder for Howard.

ATTENDANCE: 10,175

Final: Winston-Salem 19, Morgan St. 17

BALTIMORE -- Matt Mitchell nailed a game-winning 24-yard field goal with .4 seconds left to give Winston-Salem State a 19-17 victory over Morgan State on Saturday.

Brandon McCrae ran 3 yards for a touchdown for Winston-Salem (2-1) and the Rams took advantage of a pair of early turnovers for a 10-0 lead.

But Bears quarterback Mario Melton scored from 6 yards out for Morgan State (1-2) with 1:25 left in the second quarter to make the score 10-7 at the half.

Morgan State took the lead with 9:33 left in the third quarter when Chad Simpson dashed down the sideline for a 33-yard touchdown that gave the Bears a 14-10 lead. Simpson finished with 221 yards and a touchdown on 41 carries.

After Simpson fumbled, the Rams recovered at the Bears 2-yard line and one play later Roderi Fluellen ran into the end zone to make the score 16-14 with 9:56 left.

James Meade kicked a 43-yard field goal with 1:13 left to give Morgan State a 17-16 lead. Winston-Salem marched 49 yards to set up the winning kick.

ATTENDANCE: 8,953

Final: Kent St. 38, Delaware St. 7

KENT, Ohio -- Eugene Jarvis rushed for 136 yards and scored two touchdowns and Julian Edelman passed for three scores to lead Kent State past Delaware State 38-7 on Saturday.

Jarvis, who carried 22 times, scored on a 4-yard run and also caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from Edelman.

Edelman completed 18-of-33 passes for 267 yards with one interception. He also hit Shawn Bayes on a 42-yard scoring strike and tossed a 56-yard touchdown pass to Rashad Tukes.

Bayes added a 95-yard kickoff return for a score in the final minute for the Golden Flashes (2-1).

Bayes' return followed a 1-yard touchdown run by Vashon Winton for Delaware State (2-1).

Kent State led just 7-0 at the half but broke the game open with 14 points in the third quarter and the first 10 points of the fourth.

Delaware State mustered just nine first downs. Winton was 11-of-21 passing for 74 yards with one interception. The Hornets added only 117 yards rushing on 41 attempts. Winton was sacked three times for 19 yards in losses.

ATTENDANCE: 8,455

Rutgers Rolls Over Norfolk State 59-0

Rice runs for 3 TDs as Rutgers piles it on Norfolk State

PISCATAWAY, N.J.-- No. 13 Rutgers produced the biggest second quarter in the school history, and all it needed was 11 plays and 91 seconds to amass 277 yards and score 42 points.

Ray Rice ran for three touchdowns and Mike Teel threw for three more in the lightning-quick outburst that carried the Scarlet Knights to a 59-0 victory over Norfolk State on Saturday.

While the result wasn't surprising, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano raised some eyebrows just before the half by calling three timeouts in an attempt to get the ball back with the Scarlet Knights (3-0) ahead 45-0.

A roughing the kicker penalty allowed the Spartans (1-1) to keep the ball, but Norfolk State coach Pete Adrian seemed to stare at the Rutgers' bench when he went on the field to help punter Brian Jackson, who suffered an Achilles' tendon injury.

The two coaches shook hands after the game ended and spoke for about a minute, patting each other on the shoulders.

Schiano rested Teel, Rice and most of his skill players on offense in the second half.

The 59 points and the margin of victory were the biggest for Rutgers since a 59-0 win over Buffalo in 2000.

Teel started the biggest second quarter at the birthplace of college football (1869) with touchdown passes of 43 yards to Kenny Britt and 28 yards to Tiquan Underwood on consecutive plays from scrimmage for the Scarlet Knights.

Rice, who now has nine touchdowns this season, scored on runs of 22, 7 and 4 yards, before Teel ended the offensive fireworks with a 34-yard scoring pass to Britt.

The scoring drives covered 52, 28, 92, 46, 42 and 53 yards and lasted two, one, two, two, three and two plays. The total elapsed time for the six drives was one minute, 31 seconds, which is all the time Rutgers had the ball in the quarter.

Remarkably, the big quarter came after Norfolk State forced Rutgers to punt on its first two possessions and then settle for a 30-yard field goal by Jeremy Ito with 4:45 left in the first half for a 3-0 lead.

Defensive tackle Eric Foster intercepted a Casey Hansen pass late in the quarter and Rice ran nine yards to give Rutgers a second-and-inches at the Spartans 43 as the quarter ended.

Norfolk State, a championship subdivision team playing its first bowl subdivision opponent, had to feel good at that point.

The optimism didn't last long for the Spartans, who have yet to produce a winning season since joining then Division I-AA in 1997.

Teel and Britt connected on a deep post on the opening play of the second quarter for a touchdown. After Norfolk State came up short on a fake punt deep in its own territory, Teel found Underwood on a sideline fly pattern on the next play for a 17-0 lead.

Rutgers got the ball back at its own 8 after a punt, and Teel and Underwood hooked up on a 65-yard pass play to the Norfolk State 27 on first down. An illegal substitution penalty moved the ball five yards and Rice, who carried 12 times for 72 yards, scored on a great cutback run from the 22-yard line.

A short punt, a 32-yard pass from Teel to Underwood and a personal foul set up Rice's 7-yard TD run. A 23-yard pass to Underwood, who had four catches for 148 yards, and a pass interference paved the way for Rice's final score.

Teel, who was 8-of-15 for 269 yards, covered the 53 yards on his final drive with passes of 19 and 34 yards to Britt, who had four catches for 121 yards.

Backup quarterback Jabu Lovelace scored on a pair of 16-yard runs for Rutgers in the second half.

ATTENDANCE: 43,712

Bethune-Cookman 45, Savannah State 13

SAVANNAH, Ga.-- Jimmie Russell scored touchdowns on runs of 12, 2 and 10 yards to lead Bethune-Cookman to a 45-13 victory over Savannah State on Saturday.

Russell, who had 65 yards on 12 attempts, also completed 10 of 15 passes for 112 yards. His backup, McKinson Souverain, completed one of two passes, but it went to Paul Neufville for 39 yards and a touchdown.

The Wildcats (2-1) also got an 85-yard interception return from Corey Council and Brian Sumlar got the other score on a 1-yard run.

JaCorey Kilcrease supplied most of the offense for the Tigers (1-2), hitting on 14 of 26 passes for 112 yards, including a 39-yard scoring pass to A.J. Benson. Greg McCrary scored the other Savannah State touchdown on a 1-yard run.

ATTENDANCE: 5,063

MEAC/SWAC Scoreboard- Sept. 15, 2007

MEAC Scoreboard - Week 3, Sept. 13-15, 2007

Norfolk State (1-1) 0
@Rutgers (3-0) 59 Final
#15 AP Poll
3:30 PM ET
Rutgers Stadium, Piscataway, NJ
Internet & TV: ESPN 360, GamePlan Pay-Per-View
Radio: WOR, WCTC, WENJ, WRSU
TV: MSG in the New York/New Jersey; Cox Cable in New Orleans; Charter Cable in St. Louis and Time Warner-Wisconsin.
Radio: WNSB Hot 91.1 FM in the Hampton Roads area. WNSB’s audio stream is also available on the web by logging onto www.nsu.edu/athletics and following the ‘Listen Live’ link.

Delaware State (2-1) 7
@Kent State (1-1) 38 Final
4:00 PM ET
Dix Stadium, Kent, OH
Internet Audio & Video: http://www.kentstatesports.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=11400&KEY=
http://www.dsuhornets.com/

Bethune Cookman (2-1) 45
@Savannah State (1-1) 13 Final
4:00 PM ET
Ted Wright Stadium, Savannah, GA

Winston Salem (2-1) 19
@ Morgan State (1-2) 17 Final
4:00 PM ET
Hughes Stadium, Baltimore, MD
RADIO: Morgan State Radio Network WEAA - 88.9 FM:
Rob Long (play-by-play) & Kelvin Bridgers (color).
INTERNET: http://www.morganstatebears.com/
http://wssurams.cstv.com/
INTERNET COVERAGE: Live Audio and Live Stats

Hampton (2-0) 59
@North Carolina A&T (0-3) 14 FINAL
6:00 PM ET
Aggie Stadium, Greensboro, NC
TV: Tape Delay ESPNU (10 PM)

Howard U.(0-2) 17
@ Florida A&M (1-2) 30 FINAL
6:00 PM ET
Bragg Memorial Stadium, Tallahassee, FL
Howard Internet Live TV: http://www.broadcasturban.net/player/hubison/player.htm
FAMU Internet Live TV: http://www.BlackCollegeSportsNetwork.net/FAMU/Men.html
FAMU: Internet Live audio/visual -http://www.famu.edu/?a=famcast

South Carolina State (1-2) 3
@ South Carolina (3-0) 38 FINAL
7:00 PM ET
Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC
Internet & TV: ESPN 360 & ESPN GamePlan

SWAC Scoreboard - Week 3

Thursday, Sept 13th
Texas Southern (0-3) 7
@Jackson State (1-2) 28 Final
7:30 PM ET
Veterans Memorial Stadium, Jackson, MS
TV: ESPNU live

Saturday, Sept 15th

Alcorn State (0-3) 0
@UAB (1-2) 22 FINAL
7:00 PM ET
Legion Field, Birmingham, AL
Internet Audio & TV: Gameday Central: http://all-access.cstv.com/cstv/player/player.html?code=albr&sport=m-footbl&category=live&media=43266

Alabama State (3-0) 12
@Arkansas Pine Bluff (1-2) 10 FINAL
7:00 PM ET
Pumphery Stadium, Pine Bluff, AR

Prairie View A&M (2-1) 2
@Southern University (3-0) 12 FINAL
7:00 PM ET
Mumford Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA
TV: Cox Sports TV
Radio: SU Sports Network

Mississippi Valley State (1-2) 14
@Alabama A&M (3-0) 45 FINAL
7:30 PM ET
Milton Frank Stadium, Normal, AL

Grambling State-Idle

Division I Independent - Scoreboard Week 2

Elizabeth City State 10
@North Carolina Central (3-1) 18 Final
2:00 PM ET
Giants Stadium – The Meadowlands – East Rutherford, N.J. (80,242 capacity)
The New York Urban League's 37th Annual Whitney Young Football Classic
Audio: http://web.nccu.edu/campus/athletics/audio.html

Bethune Cookman (2-1) 45
@Savannah State (1-1) 13 Final
4:00 PM ET
Ted Wright Stadium, Savannah, GA

A&T's new QB is man with a plan

Photo: Shelton Morgan waited patiently to start for N.C. A&T. He also ran in the heat, studied film and took biology in summer school.

By Rob Daniels, Greensboro News-Record

GREENSBORO -- The Wheel of Misfortune that has defined N.C. A&T's quarterback situation has stopped on Shelton Morgan, a guy who seemingly never stops. With defending MEAC champion Hampton coming to Aggie Stadium for a national TV game tonight, this would be no time to get tentative, and there doesn't seem to be much threat of that happening.

"It's exciting, because out of high school I had been waiting for this moment," said Morgan, a redshirt freshman from Elizabeth City. "It's finally here, and I'm ready for it."

When he replaced injured and perpetually star-crossed Herb Miller last week at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Morgan became the eighth man to play quarterback for A&T during its 18-game losing streak. Injuries, academics and position changes have accounted for the bulk of the turnover. The Aggies are just hoping for some stability.

As far as his routine is concerned, Morgan appears to embody the planning, permanence and professionalism that will give him a shot.

Having come from a high school where he threw an average of 25 times a game and set school passing records, Morgan waited patiently as a true freshman in 2006. He also decided to work ahead academically, which is why he attended both summer sessions this year and developed a daily schedule.

The morning was for film study, the afternoon for weightlifting and running in the heat of the day.

At 5:30 p.m. every Monday through Thursday, Morgan attended a biology class, which involved a bit more than you might imagine. Summer sessions cram a regular semester's worth of work into six weeks, and science classes come with lab work as well as classroom study. Nobody got out until 9:30, at which time it was often necessary to study.

Now A&T hopes the ability to adhere to such a plan carries over to the field.

"In August," Morgan said, "my mind-set was to be ready in case anything happened. Don't let the situation sneak up on you. The most challenging thing was taking it from paper to the field. Last week was actually slower than I expected, but I know the speed of the game this week is going to be a lot different."

That's a safe bet. Hampton, which has established itself as the class of the MEAC, offers up a defense that features Page High graduate Henti Baird, a hybrid linebacker and defensive back who had a sack and six other tackles in a season-opening victory over Howard two weeks ago.

The Aggies don't really expect their quarterback to win the game for them. They have a promising collection of running backs, and they mainly need to avoid turnovers and other breakdowns. Last week, they beat Prairie View A&M in total offense and first downs, but were outscored 22-7.

After replacing Miller, Morgan completed three of eight passes for 55 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions.

The beauty of the incomplete pass or the never-tossed option pitch is often underappreciated. Asked to describe his best asset, Morgan said, "Make good decisions. If it's not there, throw it away."

Not to the opponent. Maybe not even in the general direction of an Aggie. Having played wide receiver -- he had two snaps at that position against Prairie View before Miller's injury -- Morgan said he understands the importance of accuracy.

"I realize the receiver's job is harder than what people might think," he said. "When you're put in a bad situation by a quarterback, you don't appreciate it much."

Coach Lee Fobbs presumably is tired of training a new guy all the time to run the offense, but he can't look back now. Morgan is the captain of this ship until further notice.

"He's a young kid who is talented and who will play hard," Fobbs said. "He'll take care of the ball. He's ready to play. He has shown that in practice with his leadership."