Ramsey revives defense at Texas Southern

Texas Southern defensive coordinator Kevin Ramsey has a résumé that surpasses his Southwestern Athletic Conference counterparts.

Ramsey collected college coaching stints at Tennessee, Georgia, West Virginia, Northwestern, Kansas State and Arizona State. He had a stop in the NFL as the Arizona Cardinals’ secondary coach from 2001-03. He helped coach West Virginia to a Big East championship in 1993 and helped Tennessee win Southeastern Conference titles in 1997 and 1998 and a national championship after the 1998 season.

But Ramsey said he has always admired SWAC and envisioned himself coaching in it someday. He got his opportunity when TSU...


Videographer: Bookman (Texas Southern vs. Southern 2010)

Dunbar grad starring at Texas Southern

Texas Southern University running back Marcus Wright (Dunbar) is one win from playing for the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship. It’s quite a bounce-back story considering Wright appeared in just four games last season as a sophomore mainly due to a suspension for violating a team rule. “It taught me a lot about responsibility,” Wright said by phone this week from the campus in Houston. “You’ve just got to handle your business.”

Arguably only one other SWAC running back has handled his business better this season. Having worked his way from the bottom of the depth chart after being reinstated this summer, Wright ranks second in the conference with 955 rushing yards. He is the reigning SWAC offensive player of ...

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Grambling State in showdown at Texas Southern

Houston, TX (Sports Network) - It may not be one of the neutral-site "classic" games that Southwestern Athletic Conference teams often play in, but Grambling State's visit to Texas Southern Thursday night is a classic matchup. The showdown, fittingly, will be broadcast on ESPN Classic. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. Eastern.

SWAC races going down to wire

This much we know for sure: When the Southwestern Athletic Conference holds its championship game Dec. 11 in Birmingham, Ala., the two contestants will need a city map and a decent restaurant guide. After all, they’ll be visiting Legion Field for the first time in at least two years.

Prairie View, the reigning SWAC champion, lost too many early conference games and is out of the running for the Western Division title. Alabama A&M, last year’s Eastern champion, has found itself in a major rebuilding year; the Bulldogs have lost five straight games since they defeated Southern on Sept. 25.

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Videographer: Bookman

TSU 3 Wins Away from SWAC Championship

HOUSTON, TX - In a battle of football Tigers, Texas Southern University will face Grambling State University in one of the most important games in the history of the TSU football program.

TSU has never won an outright SWAC championship. The program has shared the title on three occasions, although the last time that took place was in 1968.



WBB: Tigers to tip off at 1 p.m. Saturday at OSU

Texas Southern University women's basketball will tip off at 1 p.m. Saturday when the Tigers meet Oklahoma State on the road to open the season. Saturday's tip times weren't disclosed until this week due to Oklahoma State's football game at Texas, which will be aired on ABC at 7 p.m. ABC did not set kickoff times for its regional football broadcasts until Sunday. This marks Texas Southern's fourth trip to Stillwater, Okla., since 2004-05.

TSU returns five players who all have starting experience from last year's team, which went 13-18 overall, 9-9 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

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Texas Southern hands Southern worst loss since 1999

When Southern’s football team came out the locker room after halftime Saturday night at A.W. Mumford Stadium, the goal was to close a 13-point gap against a brutally physical Texas Southern football team. The Jaguars believed they could do it. They had faith.

“The coaches told us to keep fighting. We weren’t out of the ballgame,” safety Anthony Wells said. “They told us to keep mistakes to a minimum and play hard.”

Southern needed a spark, a turnover, a big special-teams play. Something. Anything. Nothing good happened. By the end of the third quarter of a thoroughly convincing 54-7 blowout, the pep in Jaguars’ step was long gone and so were most of the 8,329 fans who bothered to show up.

Jaguars offense stymied

Call it intuition, call it foreboding. Whatever it was, the smallest crowd of the season was on hand to watch the most lopsided home loss for Southern University in recent seasons, a 54-7 defeat at the hands of Texas Southern.

Texas Southern brought in the second-ranked defense in the Football Championship Subdivision, and the Tigers acquitted themselves nicely. Southern’s offensive statistics all came in below the meager averages already allowed by Texas Southern.

SOUTHERN NOTEBOOK: Lopsided loss makes history

This was not the way Southern intended to make history. In dominating the Jaguars 54-7 on Saturday night in A.W. Mumford Stadium, Texas Southern earned its most lopsided win in the history of the TSU-SU football series, which dates to 1946. Before Saturday, the Tigers’ largest margin of victory was 37 points, achieved in a 37-0 win in 1972.

Southern offense manages just 134 yards

Think Southern’s 54-7 loss to Texas Southern on Saturday night was bad? Linebacker Shomari Clemons said it should have been worse. “We could have held them to zero points, we could have held them to a goose egg,” said Clemons, the LSU transfer who scored the first of Texas Southern’s two defensive touchdowns — outscoring Southern’s offense. His defensive teammates agreed.

TSU/SU: How they scored

First quarter
TEXAS SOUTHERN: Shomari Clemons 3 fumble return (Robert Hersh kick) at 14:08. KEY PLAYS: On Southern’s third play from scrimmage, defensive lineman Jonathan Hollins, a Redemptorist graduate, sacks quarterback Dray Joseph, forcing a fumble in the process. Clemons, a former LSU player, scoops up the fumble and walks into the end zone. Texas Southern 7, Southern 0.

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ATTENDANCE: 8,329

Videographer: Bookman, 11/7/10

TSU looks to gain more respect today against Southern

Texas Southern has spent much of this season fighting to earn respect. Southern, a once-proud program, is doing all it can to keep the respect it has left. Thus, it will be an unusual matchup when the two Southwestern Athletic Conference programs meet today in Baton Rouge, La.

TSU (5-3, 5-1 SWAC) has won four consecutive games and remains on track to challenge Grambling State for the SWAC Western Division crown. The Tigers have the SWAC’s No. 1 and the Football Championship Subdivision No. 2 defense (223.6 yards per game) to go with a power rushing attack (232.8-yard average the past five games) that continues to stymie defensive coordinators.

Jaguars face stiff challenge from Texas Southern

The Southern Jaguars have lost three consecutive games and sunk into last place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference's Western Division. That's the bad news for the Jaguars. The good news? Well, there's not much good news — at least not this week.

Texas Southern (5-3, 5-1 SWAC) brings a four-game winning streak into Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge to face Southern (2-6, 1-5). "They are one of the best defenses in the SWAC and in the country when you talk about statistics," Southern coach Stump Mitchell said.

Worth repeating: Johnnie Cole

In a teleconference earlier this week, Texas Southern coach Johnnie Cole discussed Saturday's game against Southern, the rise of his football program and an upcoming showdown against Grambling, likely for control of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Western Division:


The Wright change

Marcus Wright employs a simple yet effective rushing style, a method which has transformed Texas Southern’s offense. “I’d rather hit them before they hit me,” said Wright, who is listed at 5 feet-10, 210 pounds. Strong words for a running back, but his coach, Johnnie Cole, said he can shoulder the load. So much so that Cole, whose offenses are known for their passing, opted for the change in philosophy midway through the season.

'Burger' time

You first meet Roddrell Stewart — a massive fifth-year senior guard, a mainstay of the Southern University football program, a jolly young man with a neatly trimmed beard, an ever-present grin and no visible neck — and you see any number of things.

You see a natural-born character. He is a 6-foot-3, 315-pounder whose size is only outmatched by his personality. Think of a cross between Keenen Ivory Wayans and George Foreman, and you’re in the ballpark.

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TSU Offense clicks; defense allows just 109 yards

Texas Southern has a message for the rest of the Southwestern Athletic Conference: We’re here to stay. Mississippi Valley State got that message loud and clear Saturday.

The Tigers ran circles around the winless Delta Devils before a homecoming crowd of 7,016 at Delmar Stadium, rolling to a dominant 38-7 victory that keeps them squarely in the thick of the race for the SWAC Western Division title.

TSU (5-3, 5-1) won its fourth straight game with strong contributions on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Arvell Nelson threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and running back Marcus Wright rushed for 131 yards and ...

Texas Southern defense dominates in 38-7 Homecoming victory

HOUSTON—Texas Southern held Mississippi Valley State to 109 yards of total offense Saturday en route to a 38-7 victory. Arvell Nelson threw two touchdowns and ran for another for the Tigers (5-3, 5-1 Southwestern Athletic), who have won four straight.

MVSU (0-8, 0-7) came up with an interception on Texas Southern’s opening possession, then scored on its first play from scrimmage when Oliver Hughes hit Paul Cox for a 37-yard touchdown pass. But that was it for the Delta Devils, who had only 38 yards rushing in the game. Hughes completed 6 of 22 passes for 71 yards and was sacked four times.

Attendance: 7,016

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TSU fizzles on offense in OVC loss

Tennessee State's offense started strong but stalled in the second half as the Tigers lost to Tennessee Tech 21-10 on Saturday night. It is the first time TSU (3-5, 0-4) has lost four consecutive conference games since joining the Ohio Valley Conference in 1988.

Not only did TSU's offense suddenly start to sputter in the second half, but it also failed to take advantage of the two opportunities it did have. Freshman kicker Jamin Godfrey missed field goals from 24 and 31 yards. "We have to score in the red zone and we're making too many field goal attempts, and missing two tonight didn't help our effort any," TSU Coach Rod Reed said.

McNairl gives TSU an offensive boost

Not even Tennessee State's versatile Calvin McNairl enjoying a breakout game at wide receiver was enough to give the Tigers a win over Tennessee Tech Saturday night at LP Field. McNairl started eight games at quarterback last season, then moved to receiver in the spring. The junior from Henry County came into the game as TSU's third-leading receiver with 13 catches for 145 yards and no touchdowns. He finished the 21-10 loss as the leading receiver with nine catches for 131 yards, including an 84-yard TD.

TTU FOOTBALL: Golden Eagles fend off Tennessee State

NASHVILLE -- A year ago, it was Tennessee Tech's Tim Benford making the game-saving catch to give the Golden Eagles the win over Tennessee State and clinching the Sergeant York Trophy. On Saturday night, Benford caught two touchdown catches, his sixth and seventh in OVC play this season, leading the Golden Eagles to a 21-10 victory at LP Field. In other words, Benford likes playing Tennessee State.

For TSU, injury updates are a taboo subject

Tennessee State first-year Coach Rod Reed said he recently adopted a policy for being tighter-lipped about his team's injuries, but he doesn't deny the Tigers are hurting as they try to snap their three-game OVC losing streak today. The Tigers (3-4, 0-3 OVC) hope to avoid their first 0-4 start since joining the league in 1988 when Tennessee Tech (3-4, 2-2) visits LP Field at 6 tonight. Lost for the year are:

TTU FOOTBALL: Tech, TSU battered and bruised

COOKEVILLE -- As both Tennessee Tech and Tennessee State enter this week's contest, both sidelines could look like a battlefield hospital with many wounded players are lining up the sidelines. The two teams square off in a Sergeant York Trophy contest Saturday night at 6 p.m. from LP Field. The biggest blow this season has been the loss of running back Preston Brown, who was a major focal point of the Tigers' offense.

"Everybody knows about him," Reed said. "He was the nation's leading rusher.

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ATTENDANCE: 6739


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Harvey has TSU Tigers making academic strides

Texas Southern men’s basketball coach Tony Harvey could check off a lengthy list of accomplishments from the 2009-10 season. TSU’s first winning season since 2002-03. A 10-win improvement from the previous season. The Tigers’ first appearance in the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament final since 2003.

Harvey, however, said his No. 1 accomplishment of 2009-10 can be best seen in a photo that sits on the desk of his office. In the photo, Harvey is posing with former Tigers guard David Burrell after the latter’s graduation from TSU in May.

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Grounded: JSU's vaunted passing attack stymied by TSU's attacking D‎

HOUSTON, TX - Air what? For the first time this season, Jackson State's Air Raid offense met its match. And then some.

Hounded, hassled and harassed, quarterback Casey Therriault and his prolific passing attack stood no chance as Texas Southern beat Jackson State 21-18 on Saturday, grounding the Air Raid with a swarming secondary and a pass-rushing defensive front.

The Football Championship Subdivision's leaders through the air, Therriault and JSU's new pass-happy offense walked out of Houston's Butler Stadium with a black eye of a day that included one offensive touchdown.

Clock ticks down on Jackson State's decisions

HOUSTON, TX - Jackson State fans let the boos reign during the final 2 minutes of the Tigers' 21-18 loss to Texas Southern on Saturday. The reason for it stemmed from some questionable game management that may have cost JSU a chance to get a final possession with the team down by three points. Here's a retake of the events:

Notebook: Banged-up defense melts down in second half

How about this for a tale of two halves in Jackson State's 21-18 loss to Texas Southern on Saturday? JSU's defense allowed 97 yards and 0 points in the first half. And in the second? 260 yards and 21 points.

The Tigers allowed a total of 295 yards rushing, most of those coming in the final two quarters and many of them coming on long third-down scampers from TSU QB Arvell Nelson.

Texas Southern holds off Jackson State

Marcus Wright ran for 139 yards and a touchdown and Arvell Nelson added 115 rushing yards and two scores as Texas Southern held off Jackson State 21-18 Saturday. Wright rushed 26 times while Nelson scored on a 12-yard run and a 1-yarder and passed for 62 yards.

Texas Southern (4-3, 4-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) finished with 295 yards on the ground while holding Jackson State (5-2, 3-2) to minus-6.

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Attendance: 8,767

Texas Southern Tigers defense flusters Bridge in Alcorn State loss

LORMAN, MS — Alcorn State quarterback Brandon Bridge has shown such great promise since becoming the starter three games ago that the ASU sports information department is trying to think of nicknames for him. But he is still a true freshman. And against Texas Southern’s relentless pressure, you could tell.

The Tigers’ pressure flustered Bridge all game long, forcing him to throw two interceptions, cough up a fumble and take a crucial sack in the final minute of the Braves’ 30-20 loss. Alcorn coach Earnest Collins knew his team was going up against the best defense in the SWAC, and knew they would bring the pressure against Bridge.

Texas Southern defeats Alcorn State 30-20

LORMAN, Miss. — Marquis Jackson had his second sack of the game, forcing a fumble to prevent a potential game-winning touchdown late in Texas Southern's 30-20 win over Alcorn State on Saturday. The Tigers (3-3, 3-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) led 23-20 when the Braves (3-2, 2-1) were driving in Texas Southern territory.

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Attendance: 10,000

Tennessee State falls to SEMO

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Southeast Missouri State had plenty of chances to administer a knockout blow. The Redhawks failed to deliver despite dominating Tennessee State statistically — yet they lived to tell about it as their remarkable football season continued.

Southeast survived a big rally by the visiting Tigers to hold on for a 19-17 victory Saturday night. “It was a little more exciting than I would like,” said junior quarterback Matt Scheible after the Redhawks built a 19-3 halftime lead. “But these past two years I’ve been here we lose games like this.”

The Redhawks aren’t losing them any longer. They improved to 5-1 overall with the program’s first five-game winning streak since moving up to Division I-AA in 1991. Southeast also continued its best Ohio Valley Conference start since joining the league in 1991. The Redhawks are a first-place 4-0 in OVC play.

Football Hangs on for 19-17 Win Over Tennessee State

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Henry Harris and Matt Scheible each rushed for over 100 yards and scored a touchdown to lead No. 25 Southeast Missouri (5-1, 4-0) to a 19-17 win over Tennessee State (3-3, 0-2) Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 10,316 at Houck Stadium.

Harris averaged 6.5 yards per carry on 29 attempts en route to 188 yards. He became the first in Southeast history to rush for over 100 yards in five-straight games.

Meanwhile, Scheible gained 128 yards on 16 carries. He also completed 5-of-11 passes for 49 yards and a touchdown. It marked the second time this season where Scheible ran for over 100 yards in a game.

"Henry and Matt continue to make big plays for us," said Southeast head coach Tony Samuel. "We are playing with a lot of confidence right now. Things got tight at the end tonight, but we never gave up." Southeast put up 19 points in the second quarter and that was the difference in the game, as TSU shutout the Redhawks and rallied for 14 unanswered points in the second half.

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Attendance: 10,316.

SEMO previous week highlights

Backfield powers TSU in Classic win

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Even though Preston Brown is one of the top running backs in the Football Championship Subdivision, he's always concerned each week about losing his starting spot. Dante' Thomas showed why.

With Brown slowed in practice by a groin injury, Thomas took over the starting spot Saturday, rushing for a career-high 186 yards and two touchdowns in Tennessee State's 37-7 victory over North Carolina A&T in the Circle City Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium. Brown might not have been himself, but he was still pretty good. The second-leading rusher in the FCS added 145 yards, nine shy of his average.

Aggies coming home with 0-5 mark

INDIANAPOLIS -- The N.C. A&T football team ran out of luck at the Circle City Classic. The Aggies, who brought a 3-0 record at the event into Saturday's showdown against Tennessee State, couldn't draw from past success, dropping a 37-7 decision to the Tigers at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Aggies, with previous victories over Southern (1994) and Tennessee State (1997 and 2005), were the only undefeated team in Classic history with at least three appearances. The game, which was established to showcase Historically Black Colleges and Universities, has been played each year since 1984.

"Coach (Alonzo) Lee told us we were 3-0 coming in, so we tried to keep the legacy alive," said Aggies junior running back Mike Mayhew, who finished ...

Slide Show: Tennessee State 37, North Carolina A&T 7 in the Circle City Classic

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Alabama State struggles under center in loss to Texas Sourthern

Alabama State's game Saturday against Texas Southern looked a lot like August practices at Hornet Stadium. Three quarterbacks shuffled duties. No one appeared to want the job. When the musical chairs ended, it was Texas Southern who left Cramton Bowl singing, claiming a 21-7 victory over the Hornets.

Devin Dominguez, Demetric Price and Rashard Burkette took snaps for the Hornets and each struggled to find any rhythm in an offense that generated just 149 total yards.

Alabama State University Athletics - Turnovers, Bad Field Position ...

MONTGOMERY, AL — Curtis Thomas’ 59 yard interception return for a score put the final touches on a Texas Southern 21-7 win over Alabama State University in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game.

For the second game in a row, the Hornets’ offense struggled with five turnovers and continually had bad field position.

TSU’s defense was stellar the whole game and after forcing ASU to punt on their first possession, William Osbourne returned the punt 39 yards to set up TSU’s first offensive possession from the ASU 19 yard line. From there it only took two plays for Martin Gilbert to cover the 19 yards, with the scoring run coming from 12 yards out as TSU took a 7-0 lead a little over two minutes into the game.

COMMENTARY: ASU-Texas Southern matchup more than a game for ...

Johnnie Cole wants to beat Alabama State today. That much, the Texas Southern head coach doesn't hide. Calling it a game of "personal" importance in several interviews, Cole has made no secret of the fact that today's meeting between his Tigers and ASU carries more than just SWAC ramifications for him.

How personal, and how important the game is though, is something Cole's trying to keep to himself. And he's used all the right words, saying he'd be happy with a 3-0 win and reminding everyone of the great friends he still has in Montgomery.

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Attendance: 12,182

Tuskegee Rebounds, Holds off Texas Southern

A week after being manhandled at home by Albany State, Tuskegee got back on track, outlasting FCS foe Texas Southern 21-14 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama Saturday.

Although Martin Gilbert rushed for 121 yards on 19 carries for TSU (1-3) against the 25th-ranked Golden Tigers (3-1), it was Nykeem Barton outdueling Arvell Nelson that was the heart of the game.

Barton smashed through the goal-line stands of TSU for all three Tuskegee touchdowns that combined for just four total yards. The third score, in the fourth quarter, proved to be the game-winner.

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Attendance: 5336

TSU safety keeps piling up tackles

Even though safety Eugene Clifford is Tennessee State's leading tackler, that doesn't mean opposing ball carriers are making it to the last line of defense, Coach Rod Reed said.

"That doesn't bother me because the coverages we've been running put safeties down in the box, up close to the line," Reed said. "Tackling is what his job is. A lot of the linebackers' responsibility on runs is to clog up the middle and spill to the safeties."

The scheme has worked against the run as TSU (1-2) is first in the OVC and 21st in the Football Championship Series, allowing 110.0 yards per game. The Tigers play Florida A&M (2-1) on Saturday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

The Rattlers have depended heavily upon the running back tandem of senior Philip Sylvester and sophomore Eddie Rocker. TSU held Sylvester and Rocker to a combined 61 rushing yards in FAMU's 31-12 win last year, and Clifford recorded six tackles.

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Tennessee State's Preston Brown to get bulk of carries
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A&M's Jones, Texas Southern's Cole exchange words

HOUSTON, TX - Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones and Texas Southern coach Johnnie Cole exchanged words after the game was over and had to be separated. Jones said Cole said something to him and everything became chaotic.

"He said I was disrespecting him and his program," Jones said. "When I asked him for an explanation, one of his guys starting pushing me. I didn't throw a punch. I didn't try to throw a punch. I asked Johnnie what he was talking about and I told him he was being disrespectful.

"He ran off and the guy pushed me and (A&M sports information director) Brandon (Willis). Johnnie came back and I told him we could talk and people started grabbing me."

Alabama A&M, Butler High collaborate on The Hill Project - Class ...

HUNTSVILLE, AL - Madison County District Judge Lynn Sherrod knows what happens too often to high-school dropouts. They show up in her courtroom.

"There's a direct correlation between school performance and delinquent behavior," said Sherrod, who tries juvenile court cases. In the prison population, "an overwhelming percentage did not graduate from high school," she said.

With that in mind, Sherrod spearheaded a recent trip to Alabama A&M University for freshmen at Butler High School. About half the class of 180 spent the day attending workshops on decision making and preparing for college as well as touring the campus.

Offensive outburst fuels TSU past Alabama A&M

Texas Southern stumbled like a punch-drunk boxer for three quarters against Alabama A&M on Saturday, landing only occasional jabs. The Tigers, however, had plenty left in the tank to deliver the knockout blow in the final period.

With an aggressive defense leading the way, TSU forced two turnovers and broke open a close game with 20 points in the fourth quarter to sprint past the Bulldogs 32-9 before 6,347 at Delmar Stadium.

Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands Cares...

The Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands visited their director, Edward Graves, at his home on Saturday, September 18, 2010. Prof. Graves is recuperating from surgery, and the surprise visit brightened his day!

Tennessee State defense faces challenge against Austin Peay

Had Tennessee State's defense struggled in other games as much it did against Austin Peay last season, Rod Reed probably would not be coaching the Tigers today. Reed was the defensive coordinator when the Governors piled up 201 rushing yards and beat the Tigers 24-21. That's more yards on the ground than any other opponent has gained on TSU in the last 23 games.

Reed was elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach after James Webster resigned at the end of the season, but it wasn't based on his performance against Austin Peay. "They rushed for over 200 yards on us, so evidently I didn't figure out how to stop them," said Reed, whose defense led the OVC last year against the rush (119.9 yards). "Hopefully we'll come up with a little better scheme to get them stopped this year."

The challenge for TSU (1-1, 0-0 OVC) tonight at LP Field will be...

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WATCH ON ESPN3
6:00 P.M.
Austin Peay vs. Tennessee State

UConn Huskies take care of business, pummel Texas Southern

East Hartford, CT — UConn did exactly what you would expect it to do against an inferior opponent. The Huskies never gave Texas Southern a chance to breathe, scoring on their first five possessions, converting a pair of first-half turnovers into touchdowns and allowing the Tigers no room to roam on offense.

The result: After building a 45-0 halftime lead, UConn's reserves got the bulk of the work in the second half of a 62-3 victory over Texas Southern before 37,359 in the home opener at Rentschler Field.

In the first half, Jordan Todman rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns, Zach Frazer threw a pair of touchdown passes and the UConn defense, which couldn't get off the field on third down a week earlier at Michigan, allowed only one first down. That's all you really need to take from this game, although you must applaud the Huskies for coming out prepared, not taking the Tigers lightly, and dominating from the start.

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Connecticut easily handles Texas Southern 62-3 UConn regains winning form

UConn 62, Texas Southern 3: Todman 3:16 means I just scored on an inside draw

Texas Southern's Arvell Nelson: "It's An Opportunity For Us"

Football Overwhelms Texas Southern, Downs Tigers 62-3

FCS teams optimistic about early upsets

Prairie View, TSU see chance to prove ability

Jacksonville State inspired Football Championship Subdivision programs across the country when it stunned Mississippi in a 49-48 double-overtime victory last Saturday at Oxford, Miss. Later that evening, North Dakota State outlasted Kansas 6-3 in Lawrence, Kan., to gain another upset for the FCS.

Today, Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M will have their shot at shocking the Football Bowl Subdivision establishment. TSU will face Connecticut at 11 a.m. in East Hartford, Conn.; Prairie View will take on Southern Mississippi at 6 p.m. in Hattiesburg, Miss.

First USM home game today

The Southern Miss football team holds its home opener at 6 p.m. today against Prairie View A&M, trying to bury last week’s disappointing 41-13 loss at South Carolina. USM has never lost to an opponent from the SWAC, but the Panthers are the best team that the league offers after a 9-1 season in 2009 and a season-opening 16-14 win over Texas Southern.

Southern Miss players admit that Ole Miss’ loss to another FCS team, Jacksonville State, last week has been a refresher on what can happen when you don’t play your best against a lesser opponent. The Golden Eagles went 6-0 at home last season, and have an eight-game home winning streak going.

UCONN FOOTBALL: Huskies eager for home opener

STORRS, CT — Following up last weekend’s season-opener at Michigan to Saturday’s game with Texas Southern is a little like going from playing Carnegie Hall to the local fair in consecutive weeks for the UConn football team. Then again, beggars can’t be choosers. The Huskies are fairly lucky to have landed anyone at all for today’s home-opener at Rentschler Field (noon, SNY).

Northeastern, an old Yankee Conference rival from UConn’s Division I-AA football days, was the original opponent. But when it abruptly ended its football program last December it left UConn coach Randy Edsall scrambling to fill the open date.

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