Mitchell, Southern Jaguars seek back-to-back victories

Baton Rouge, Louisiana - For the fourth time in Stump Mitchell's tenure at Southern, the Jaguars have a chance to do something they have yet to do under the second-year coach: win back-to-back football games. So far, the Jaguars have tried and failed on three different occasions.

SU (2-3, 2-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) gets its next opportunity hosting Prairie View (3-2, 3-1) Saturday at 6 p.m. inside A.W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge.

"There's a lot of things we haven't done. One being we haven't won two games in a row since I've been here," Mitchell said Monday, speaking to reporters on the SWAC's weekly coaches teleconference. "We can do that by winning this week."



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Alabama A&M football: Milton wants to make up for snafu

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - G'Alonzo Milton spent the offseason working on his speed. Good thing, too.

Eleven months ago, Milton, a starting wide receiver for Alabama A&M, endured the most embarrassing moment of his football career when he was chased down from behind against Mississippi Valley State.

Last November, with A&M inside its 10-yard line, Milton hauled in a pass from quarterback Justin Jones and was headed toward the end zone for what appeared to be an easy touchdown. Unfortunately, Michael Boykins chased him down 92 yards later and tackled him at the 2-yard line. Two plays later, Tony Green fumbled giving the ball back to the Delta Devils.

A&M went on to win the game 21-7, but Milton hasn't been able to shake that embarrassing moment.



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Alabama A&M football: Cruz's courage inspired Bulldogs in Saturday's win

Huntsville, Alabama -- HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Right offensive tackle Alan Cruz went down with a knee injury midway through the second quarter Saturday night against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

When Alabama A&M took the field to start the third quarter, Cruz was back in the lineup and played rest of the game as the Bulldogs scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to claim a 28-27 victory.

A&M coach Anthony Jones praised Cruz Monday.

"That kid showed a lot of heart," Jones said. "He went in at halftime and got some treatment on it and came back and played the rest of the game. I don't know how bad he is. I asked him was he going and he said yes and he played well. His courage inspired a lot of people on that sideline."



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Alabama A&M football: Milton's patience pays off

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - G'Alonzo Milton was Alabama A&M's top returning receiver from last year. The 6-0, 205-pound junior had 30 receptions for 517 yards and four touchdowns, but hadn't been much of a factor through the Bulldogs' first four games this season, managing just eight catches for 57 yards and a touchdown.

That all changed Saturday. Milton almost equaled his season total with seven catches for 87 yards and four touchdowns.

"I just stayed patient," Milton said. "Obviously, my time came and they can depend on me now. I'm going to enjoy this, but I'm going to stay humble. We've got a lot of mistakes to fix. We've got to keep working and prepare for next week."







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Quarterback Troast rewards Prairie View's faith in him

Prairie View, Texas -- Prairie View A&M coach Heishma Northern ruled out quarterback Jerry Lovelocke at halftime of Saturday's game against Grambling State after the freshman injured his right ankle.

But Northern left it up to offensive coordinator Mark Orlando to pick Lovelocke's replacement. Orlando chose experience over youth, going with former starter Jonathan Troast instead of true freshman De'Auntre Smiley. He made the right call.

Troast threw for 312 yards and a career-high four touchdowns with zero interceptions to help lead the Panthers to a 31-23 victory Saturday night at the Cotton Bowl. The senior completed 21 of 27 passes operating out of Orlando's no-huddle offense.



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Backup QB leads Prairie View A&M past Grambling State

DALLAS - Backup quarterback Jonathan Troast led four touchdown drives in the second half to lead Prairie View A&M to a 31-23 victory over Grambling State on Saturday night at the Cotton Bowl.

Troast, who replaced injured starter Jerry Lovelocke after halftime, connected with Greg Thurmond twice on touchdown passes and once with Spencer Nelson to help the Panthers (3-2, 3-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) erase a 10-3 deficit and take a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter. The Panthers added another score late in the fourth quarter to boost their lead to 14.

Grambling State (1-4, 1-3) scored with just over two minutes left but missed the extra-point attempt. The Tigers attempted and recovered an onside kick but Prairie View was awarded possession after Grambling State was penalized for illegal touching.

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Alabama A&M Bulldogs pull off improbable comeback over UAPB

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Vandrick Jackson did a few cartwheels across the field. Clarence Morris struck a pose near the scoreboard. Several other Alabama A&M players celebrated in their own way. Meanwhile, in all of the excitement, Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones kneeled down to say thanks.

The Bulldogs had plenty of reasons to be thankful. Trailing by 20 points entering the fourth quarter, Alabama A&M put together a comeback for the ages.

Quarterback Deaunte Mason threw four touchdown passes to G'Alonzo Milton, including the game-winner with 57 seconds as A&M scored 21 unanswered points to pull off an improbable 28-27 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff before an announced crowd of 5,136 at Louis Crews Stadium.

"We played with a great sense of urgency in the fourth quarter," Jones said. "Sometimes you have to get punched in the face before you realize you're in a fight. We got punched in the face in the third quarter. The way our guys responded is darn near a miracle."

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Alabama State beats Alcorn State 31-23

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Greg Jenkins passed for a career-high 297 yards and three touchdowns and Nick Andrews became the all-time school leader in receiving touchdowns as Alabama State held off Alcorn State 31-23 in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game Saturday night at Cramton Bowl.

Alabama State (4-1 overall, 4-0 SWAC) is the lone undefeated team in the conference, improving to 4-0 for the first time since 2005. Alcorn State (1-4, 1-4) lost its fourth game by a margin of eight points or less this season.


Highlights, interviews as Alabama State beats Alcorn State 31-23. Courtesy Alabama State University Athletics

Tied 10-10 at halftime, the Hornets scored touchdowns on consecutive possessions to take the lead for good. Jenkins' nine-yard touchdown run gave Alabama State the lead for good at 17-10 with 11:40 remaining in the third quarter. Andrews' 16-yard touchdown catch gave the Hornets a 23-10 lead with 6:13 to play in the quarter.




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Prairie View WR Nelson steps into spotlight

Dallas, Texas - Prairie View A&M junior Spencer Nelson entered summer camp with the most game experience among the wide receivers and was expected to glide into the No. 1 role.

But Nelson struggled to gain his footing as the Panthers experienced inconsistent play at quarterback from the outset. He had only four catches for 68 yards in the first two games. What a difference two weekends make.




Nelson rebounded with the first two 100-yard, one-touchdown performances of his career. He caught seven passes for 113 yards in a 36-29 loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sept. 17 and had nine catches for 117 yards in last Saturday's 43-34 win over Mississippi Valley State.

Nelson (5-8, 175) has quickly become ...

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Alabama State hopes to avenge 2010 loss as they host Alcorn

MONTGOMERY, Alabama - Alabama State opens October at home when the Hornets host Alcorn State Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Cramton Bowl.

"I think these guys have put in the work this week," head coach Reggie Barlow said of his team's preparation. "Friday is really a jog-through day for us. Spirits are good and they have good energy. Guys seem to be pretty relaxed. We'll meet later tonight and get them ready for tomorrow."



The Hornets have started strong this season with a 3-1 record to begin the 2011 season. The September schedule had Alabama State on the road three times and ASU will play just its second home game Saturday night.

"We've been gone for a while, to only have one home game to start after traveling to Mississippi (twice) and Michigan," Barlow said. "It's going to be good for us to be back at home. We know our fans will come out, support us and give us good energy and hopefully our guys will feed off of that."

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Alcorn travels to Alabama State needing win

Lorman, MS - Alabama State controls its destiny in the Eastern Division championship race. The Hornets (3-1, 3-0 SWAC) entertain Alcorn State on Saturday at 7 p.m. in a game that could determine who reaches the SWAC championship game.

If Alcorn (1-3, 1-3) loses, the Braves would be all but eliminated from the SWAC championship game picture. Alabama State would build a huge cushion in the Division standings.

Alabama State quarterback Greg Jenkins played two seasons at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, helping the Bulldogs win a MACJC state championship. He transferred from Troy University. He threw for over 140 yards against Jackson State.

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KEYS: Complete game still eludes SU, Mitchell

Baton Rouge, LA - It happened less than 20 minutes after Southern gave away yet another game, blowing a fourth-quarter lead and losing to an old rival for the second consecutive week.

It happened less than 20 minutes after the Jaguars failed yet again to play a complete game from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. This time, Saturday evening inside the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, they squandered a 16-point second-half lead and fell apart in a 38-33 loss to Florida A&M.

Less than 20 minutes after the teams exchanged handshakes, Stump Mitchell was behind a microphone, addressing a dozen or so reporters, trying to explain how Southern lost for the 12th time in his 15 games as coach.

The question was simple: You had so many Southern fans come to Atlanta, spend a good bit of money getting here, and obviously, they just watched another frustrating loss. Where do you stand, and what do you tell the Jaguar Nation?

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Saturday Football Around the SWAC

All 10 SWAC teams are in action Saturday, including four conference matchups and two Classics as the season heats up on the final Saturday of September.

Alabama A&M at Grambling (SWAC TV) - 6 pm

The return of coach Doug Williams comes full circle in the home opener for the Tigers, losers of two straight games and needing a win to keep from falling two games back of Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the Western Division race.

The Bulldogs have never won at Grambling, and head coach Anthony Jones is just 2-9 against the Tigers. However, his team righted the ship last week in an important win over out of conference rival Tuskegee.

Alabama State at Jackson State - 4 pm

This game should go a long way in determining the top of the Eastern Division. Last year, the 32-30 win by the Hornets was the difference maker in sending Bama State to the SWAC Championship Game.

JSU's offense has been more balanced early in the season, and the Tigers are the SWAC's only unbeaten team remaining. JSU won a thriller last week in Baton Rouge before a packed house at Southern. Expect a lot of fans at this one this evening.

The Hornets pulled away from Grambling last week, led by the defensive efforts of Kejuan Riley with two interceptions. Will Riley and the defensive backfield be able to stop the JSU Air Raid? We shall see.

Alcorn State at Texas Southern - 1 pm

This suddenly becomes an extremely important game for each team. The Braves cannot afford a third conference loss this early in the season, and the Tigers would be facing an uphill climb back to the championship game if they start 0-2 in SWAC play.

TSU stepped out of conference last week for an easy victory over Texas College. The road will be much tougher today for quarterback Riko Smalls, who put up impressive numbers last week in the victory. The 212 defense is statistically the best in the nation after two games for TSU.

For the Braves, a tough schedule early on in the season has them at 1-2, but a win at Texas Southern would go a long way in getting back in the Eastern Divsion race. The offense found itself with an important win last week over Mississippi Valley State, and quarterback Brandon Bridge is starting to look like the freshman phenom we saw last year.

Mississippi Valley State at Prairie View A&M - 6 pm

Is this the week for Valley head coach Karl Morgan? At some point, the answer to that question is "yes" as the coach tries to break a 14-game skid for the Delta Devils and get his first win as head coach in Itta Bena.

MVSU has shown signs early in the season that it is a much-improved team despite not yet capturing that elusive first victory. Last week the fourth quarter was not kind to the Delta Devils, but the team was toe-to-toe on the road at Alcorn prior to it. If the team can stay healthy, especially at quarterback, this is a dangerous team to play.

PV is looking to recover from a bad fourth quarter of its own. The Panthers allowed UAPB to score 22 unanswered points at home in the final quarter last week and now need a win to remain just a game back of the Golden Lions in the Western Division race.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Clark-Atlanta (Gateway Classic) - 3 pm

The Golden Lions have never lost to the Panthers in two previous games. UAPB is 2-0 in league games this year, but lost a disappointing game to Langston in the Delta Classic 4 Literacy to open the season. With that bad taste still lingering, look for the Lions to be ready to play today as they represent the SWAC at the Gateway Classic in St. Louis.

Southern vs. Florida A&M (Atlanta Football Classic - Television: Versus Channel) - 2:30 pm (CT)

One of the oldest non-conference rivalries in black college football gets renewed today in the Atlanta Football Classic. These two teams haven't met since the MEAC/SWAC Challenge was still played in Birmingham, and both teams are hungry for a win after early season losses.

The game will be carried live on the Versus Network, and you can expect a lot of fans to fill the Georgia Dome for this one. The MEAC has had the SWAC's number so far this year with head-to-head wins by Hampton and Bethune-Cookman. Let's see if the Jags can come up big representing the league today.

Courtesy: SWAC.org

Grambling comes home-finally

GRAMBLING, LA — The Tigers make their way back home this week — finally, and not at all too soon.
Grambling coach Doug Williams hasn't been particularly pleased with his team's — especially his offense's — performances in its past two games.

He's hoping some home-cooking will be just the remedy to rebound against visiting Alabama A&M (1-2, 0-1) and start moving forward again in SWAC play.

"It's certainly a good time to get back on track, and that's at home," he said. "Alabama A&M had a big win for them to beat Tuskegee who has been like a thorn in the side to some of the schools in the SWAC, but the good part about it, it's home. We get a chance to recoup, and hopefully the guys realize in order to do what we've set out to do we've got to compete every week, every minute, every second. There ain't no time to let up, and it ain't over until it's over."

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TSU quarterback Smalls big on answering the bell

Houston, TX - Texas Southern quarterback Riko Smalls had to wait three weeks after the start of summer camp before he could practice with the team. He didn't have to wait nearly as long to see game action.

Smalls, a junior, was pressed into punting duty during the Tigers' Sept. 10 season opener against Prairie View A&M after starter Francois Ejiofor was benched for disciplinary reasons. He saw his first snaps at quarterback last weekend, filling in for injured starter Dantavious Parker against Texas College.

Small (6-2, 185) will make his third career start today against Alcorn State and likely remain the No. 1 quarterback for the near future with Parker expected to miss three to four weeks after undergoing left knee surgery Monday.

It's a remarkable reversal of fortune for Smalls, who missed ...



Alcorn State vs. Texas Southern
When/where: 1 p.m.; Delmar Stadium.
TV/radio: None; 90.9 FM.
Records: Alcorn State 1-2, 1-2 SWAC; Texas Southern 1-1, 0-1 SWAC.

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Fellow SWAC coaches support JSU's Comegy

Jackson, MS - Southern University football coach Stump Mitchell and Alabama State coach Reggie Barlow are standing behind JSU coach Rick Comegy.

Comegy, the 58-year-old sixth-year JSU coach, is in the last few months of his contract with the school.

"I don't think Coach Comegy is going to have a problem finding a job if they don't sign him to a contract (extension)," said Mitchell, whose Jaguars lost to JSU 28-24 last week. "I think they probably need to go ahead and do it, because he's a fantastic coach, and he's been successful every place that he's been."

Said Barlow, whose team faces JSU on Saturday: "This dude, all he does is win everywhere he goes."




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TSU rolls over Texas College for first win of season

Photos | Texas Southern 49, Texas College 6

Houston, TX - Texas Southern handled Texas College with ease to earn its first win, beating the NAIA program 49-6 Saturday night at Butler Stadium.

The Tigers (1-1) jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first half and piled on more from there.

TSU torched Texas College's defense for 503 yards. Quarterback Riko Smalls filled in admirably for injured starter Dantavious Parker, throwing for 290 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for a score.



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ASU Hornets Make Statement, Beat Grambling

Montgomery, AL - Nick Andrews caught nine passes for a career-high 148 yards and two touchdowns and Kejuan Riley made two pivotal interceptions as Alabama State defeated Grambling State 31-17 Saturday night in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game at Cramton Bowl.

Andrews' 15-yard touchdown catch from QB Greg Jenkins in the fourth quarter broke a 10-10 tie as the Hornets (2-1 overall, 2-0 SWAC) scored 21 points in a 2:30 span to pull away from Grambling State (1-2, 1-1).

“This was a great win for our team,” head coach Reggie Barlow said. “It was exciting. We knew it would be a pivotal game and we talked to them about it. These guys are buying into the vision and playing hard.”

Andrews' second touchdown of the night continued his ascent up the ASU receiving charts. Andrews now has 22 touchdown receptions, moving him to third all time, as he surpassed William Evans and Damon Hodge (each with 21).

Jenkins came off the bench in the second half, completing seven of 12 passes for 59 yards and one touchdown. Jenkins also rushed for a 16-yard touchdown two plays after the first of Riley's two interceptions.

“This was a great win for us as a program,” Andrews said. “The fans came out strong, they were great. We started off slow in the first half, but kept the ball moving all night. I just think the execution improved in the second half and we were able to come away with the victory.”

Alabama State rolled up 399 yards total offense, limiting Grambling to 177 yards. GSU quarterback D.J. Williams completed nine of 22 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns, both to Mario Louis, who caught four passes for 46 yards.

“It was a huge night for us,” Riley said. “We had a good plan, did what our coaches instructed and played hard. We knew we had to get off the field, make plays for offense and put them in position to make plays and win the ball game.”

Tied at 10-10 early in the third quarter, Barlow inserted Jenkins in at quarterback, who did not start after suffering a hip injury at Eastern Michigan last week.

“Jenkins is our guy,” Barlow said. “We love Dominguez; he's a good player for us and it's good to have an option like Dominguez. We're excited that we could have Jenkins go in. We just wanted to make sure he was ok and he could protect himself. Obviously he was able to do that, we decided to go with him and he performed well.”

The win by Alabama State was the first over Grambling since 2006 and the first in Montgomery since 1997.

“Grambling was the team that was picked to win the league. We wanted to see how we measured up. It was the same attitude we had against Eastern Michigan, and the same attitude we had against these guys. We knew it was going to be a fight. We were (7-25) against them, so we haven't had a lot of success against them. Obviously, this does something for these guys' psyche to dominate the way that we did.”

By Alabama State University Sports Information

Arkansas-Pine Bluff gets a huge road win against Prairie View

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas- The University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff's victory over the Prairie View A&M Panthers can simply be described as amazing. The Golden Lions battling through several first half miscues to steal a victory on the road against a Panthers team looking to keep their title aspirations alive in what looks to be a SWAC race that will go down until the final week of conference play.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff fell behind 19-7 going into intermission after a first half in which the Golden Lions gave up three safeties triggered by the injury of long snapper Patrick Wray.

Down by twelve to start the first half the Golden Lions cut into the deficit after a 16-yard Desmond Beverly touchdown reception from Ben Anderson at the 11:33 mark of the third quarter.

The Panthers would counter with two consecutive scores of their own scoring on a 26- yard Chris Barrick field goal followed by a three yard touchdown pass by Jerry Lovelocke to Idowu Olatunde giving Prairie View its largest lead of the contest at 29-14 late in the third quarter.

Down by fifteen points with their backs against the wall the Golden Lions dug deep virtually dominating the game on both sides of the ball from that point.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff's defense pitched a shut-out in the second half while the offense under the direction of Anderson kept the Panthers defense on their toes with big conversions and timely plays.

UAPB's amazing comeback quest began at the start of the fourth quarter when Anderson found Beverly for an 18-yard TD pass marking the quarterback-wide receiver combinations' second touchdown strike of the game.

From that point the offensive front of the Golden Lions took over the game imposing their will on a tired and over matched Panthers' front seven while opening up huge holes for Arkansas-Pine Bluff's ground attack. Running back Stephen Jones capped of a 12 play 76 yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run at the 7:27 mark of the fourth quarter.



Still down by two-points the Golden Lions coaching staff opted to go for two in an attempt to tie the game. After a fumbled snap in the shotgun formation Anderson was able to recover the snap and run it in from three yards out bringing the Golden Lions fans at Blackshear Stadium to their feet as UAPB tied the game at 29 all in the fourth quarter.

On the ensuing Panthers possession the Golden Lions defense perhaps came up with their biggest play of the game as Jarvis Webb intercepted a Lovelocke pass attempt setting the offense up with good field possession with 3:00 remaining on the game clock.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff methodically drove the ball down into the Panthers red zone highlighted by a running game that would not be denied. Jones punched in the final score of the game with 24 seconds left in to play giving the Golden Lions their first lead of the contest at 36-29 after a successful Chris Ewald extra point. The game clinching touchdown run by Jones' marked his third TD rush of the game.

The defense held the Panthers scoreless on their final possession of the game as a desperation Lovelocke pass into the end zone was batted down by the UAPB secondary.

The win marked head coach Monte Coleman's first victory over Prairie View A&M since taking over UAPB's football program. It was also the first Golden Lions win over the Panthers since 2007.

'Our players never gave up,” said UAPB head coach Monte Coleman. “We fell behind early in the game but we never lost focus. At halftime we told our players to execute and stick with the game plan. In the second half our defense, running game, and the composure of Ben Anderson helped us pull out this victory.”

The Golden Lions will travel to St. Louis this weekend to participate in the Gateway Classic where they will face Clark-Atlanta in non-conference action. Kick-off is set for 3:00 pm at the Edward Jones Dome.

By UAPB Sports Information

SU Jaguars’ effort comes up short against Jackson State Tigers

Baton Rouge, LA - Saturday night inside A.W. Mumford Stadium, at the end of a wild, intense, energetic college football game between two old rivals, Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault took a knee.

Then he walked toward the visitors sideline, waving his arms in triumph. His team had survived and escaped with a 28-24 victory over Southern.



Moments later, near the 35-yard line, Jaguars senior safety Demetric Rogers shuffled toward the home sideline, peeling off his uniform, his eyes transfixed on the grass. He was heartbroken.

For his team, a promising second half had come and gone. Southern had chances to score more points, to hold off JSU, to pull out an upset victory. In the end, however, the Jaguars frittered too many of them away. The Tigers made them pay.

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