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Saturday, January 1, 2011
Texas Southern signs Chicago star basketball player Kenny Stevenson
Chicago, IL - Former Seton Academy basketball star Kenny Stevenson doesn't mind sitting out a semester. Stevenson, a 2010 Seton grad, will enroll at Texas Southern University after spending a semester at Central Jersey Each One Teach One in Somerset, N.J.
"I think it will make me better, because I will have that much more time to learn the plays and the system," Stevenson said. "I know they are graduating a few guards, so if I work hard, I think I will have a chance to play right away."
Right away is the 2011-2012 season. Stevenson originally committed and signed with Illinois-Chicago, but when coach Jimmy Collins retired, he decided to look elsewhere.
Videographer: danpon1 (Kenny Stevenson (Seton) Highlights and Interview with Daniel Poneman)
Seton basketball coach Ken Stevenson leaving school
Ken Stevenson is the reigning Chicago Catholic League and Illinois Times Coach of the Year (2009). Sevenson was 106-75 in seven years in building Seton's program from scratch.
He came, he saw, he conquered.
Now, he's moving on. After starting a boys basketball program from scratch when Seton Academy went coed in the fall of 2003 and leading the Sting to a Class 2A state championship last spring, Ken Stevenson told The Times on Wednesday that he has resigned as head coach. He'll also step down from the athletic director's position at the end of the school year.
"I'm going to leave the whole shebang," Stevenson said. "I've had seven wonderful years at Seton Academy. I had the opportunity to build a program to my liking, but I just felt it was time for me to do something a little different.
Ken Stevenson named coach at Urban Prep's South Shore campus
Ken Stevenson will be starting from the ground floor again.
He started the boys basketball program at Seton Academy and won the Class 2A state title in 2009. The Hales Franciscan grad built the Sting into a Class 2A power before stepping down after last season. He was 106-75 in seven years.
Stevenson was named to a similar position at the new Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men's South Shore campus. He said he is excited about the challenge of starting a program.
"I believe in giving back, and this is one way to give back is to help develop young men and help guide them in their lives," Stevenson said. "Whether it is city kids, suburban, Seton, Catholic school or public school, I am looking forward to getting the program going and working with these young men."
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Monday, December 27, 2010
Return of key seniors a gift for TSU
Senior forward Travele Jones and senior guards Harrison Smith and Justin Ray are back in the lineup after having to miss nearly a quarter of the season because of compliance issues. Jones returned to the starting lineup against Iowa State on Dec. 12, and Smith and Ray were activated one and two games later, respectively.
Jones, the preseason Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year, has provided an immediate boost for the Tigers (2-8). He averaged ...
TSU softball signs 3 early
The TSU softball team landed three recruits during the early signing period. The Tigers signed...
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Thursday, December 16, 2010
SWAC football is getting better
SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp |
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Monday, December 13, 2010
SWAC champion TSU returns home to hero's welcome
Cole makes case for TSU: Black college national title to be awarded this week
Texas Southern accomplished its primary goal by capturing the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship with Saturday’s 11-6 victory over Alabama State in the league title game. Coach Johnnie Cole, however, believes his squad should also be considered for the black college national championship.
The Tigers (9-3) were ranked fourth in the previous Sheridan Broadcasting Network black college football poll with 192 points, behind Albany State (276), Bethune-Cookman (253) and Grambling State (228), which they beat Nov. 11. TSU will likely have passed Grambling when the final ranking is released early this week, but it would hard-pressed to leap the other two teams.
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Sunday, December 12, 2010
SWAC Championship Game: Big defense, backup QB deliver Texas Southern victory against Alabama State
"I told the guys, 'You won't understand what you've done until you're my age, 20 years from now,' " Cole said. " 'You're the best team in Texas Southern history. You've taken the SWAC championship.' "
Playing at Legion Field, before a crowd of 22,350 fans, Texas Southern (9-3) turned to something old - Division I-AA's second-ranked defense - and something new - backup quarterback Riko Smalls -- to take home the trophy.
Photos from Birmingham
Cole has look of a winner
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Johnnie Cole wanted to be under this hot light, in this spotlight, for a long time. He used to sit in his dorm room at Texas Southern in the early 1980s, when he was a quarterback on teams that never once posted a winning record, thinking he could one day coach the Tigers to a Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.
Several times the school told Cole he could not do that and instead hired men who would fail to do what Cole was certain he could. It was painful for him to watch from afar, as he trekked around the college coaching landscape for more than 20 years, all the while dreaming of one day becoming a championship coach for the Maroon and Gray. Saturday was that day.
SWAC Championship football game at Legion Field
Texas Southern tops Alabama State, wins 1st SWAC title since 1968
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Prairie View A&M did it last year. This season, it was Texas Southern’s turn to rise from longtime cellar dweller to Southwestern Athletic Conference champion. The Tigers earned their first SWAC title since 1968 on Saturday behind coach Johnnie Cole’s swarming defense and backup quarterback Riko Smalls, holding off Alabama State 11-6 at Legion Field.
"I’ve been waiting on this job for over 20 years," said Cole, who played quarterback at Texas Southern in the mid-1980s. "I’ve been in the business for 24 (years) and I always wanted to come back to Texas Southern and get us to this championship."
Tigers Roar: TSU Wins SWAC Title
Birmingham, Ala. - Texas Southern did Saturday what it has done all year. The Tigers rode on the strength of their defense and wound up with a SWAC championship to show for it. TSU defeated Alabama State 11-6 at Legion Field in the 2010 Farmers Insurance SWAC Football Championship Game.
The toughest defense in the SWAC, and #2 ranked in the nation, and led by SWAC Defensive Player of the Year and SWAC Championship Game Defensive MVP, Dejuan Fulghum, the Tigers held the Hornets to 72 total yards and an average of just 1.7 yards per play. The "212" defense, named for the boiling point when water turns to steam, even scored two points of its own.
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ATTENDANCE: 22,350
Saturday, December 11, 2010
SWAC Championship: Title game is rematch for Alabama State University and Texas Southern
"Their D-line is tops in our conference, and shucks, I'd put them up there with anybody else in any other conference," Alabama State coach Reggie Barlow said this week. "They get to the quarterback and they get a lot of sacks."
For Alabama State to win its first Southwestern Athletic Conference title since 2004 when the two teams meet today at 1 at Legion Field, its offensive line must contain Texas Southern, the nation's leader in sacks and tackles for loss per game.
TSU: QB Arvell Nelson Will Not Be Allowed to Play in SWAC Title Game
Birmingham, Ala. - FOX 26 Sports has learned the Texas Southern Tigers will play Alabama State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game Saturday without starting quarterback Arvell Nelson. TSU athletics officials have chosen not to allow Nelson to play.
In a statement from the school's athletics department, released to FOX 26 Sports, TSU explained its position, but did not go into detail.
"Texas Southern University has discovered issues regarding TSU quarterback Arvell Nelson and his ability to participate in the SWAC Championship game. Because of concerns, the university has decided not to allow Nelson to play in the game. "This will be the only comment released by Texas Southern and its representatives on this issue at this time.
Cole eager to turn the page, hopes to lead Tigers to SWAC title
BIRMINGHAM, Al. - Texas Southern coach Johnnie Cole closed the chapter between him and Alabama State back in October when the Tigers downed the Hornets in Montgomery. Cole and his brother, L.C., had been fired by ASU officials following the 2002 season and he had never gotten over it.
After TSU downed ASU 21-7 back on Oct. 2, Cole said he no longer had an ax to grind. That was the before the Tigers and Hornets won their respective divisions in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and qualified for today's championship game at Legion Field. Kickoff is 1:05 and the game will be carried live on ESPN Classic.
TSU's shot at SWAC title a long time coming
Championship would be first in SWAC since 1968
At one point during Tuesday's send-off for Texas Southern, the seniors were allowed to address the energetic crowd of fans assembled at Durley Field on the TSU campus. When linebacker Dejuan Fulghum's turn came, he spoke for an entire class of seniors that previously could only dream of competing for a Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.
"We've come a very long way," said Fulghum, this year's SWAC Defensive Player of the Year. "I've been here since the bad days, the 0-11 days. "There isn't any more of that at TSU."
The Tigers (8-3) ensured their former losing ways were a thing of the past by winning their final seven regular-season games to earn the program's first SWAC Western Division title and the right to challenge Alabama State (7-4) for the league championship today at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. One of those final seven wins was a 21-7 decision over Alabama State on Oct. 2.
TSU's Fulghum receives SWAC's top defensive honor
Cole named coach of the year
Texas Southern’s Dejuan Fulghum and Johnnie Cole hauled in two of the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s biggest honors when they were named Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively, on Friday.
Fulghum, a senior linebacker, led the SWAC in sacks (nine) and was third in tackles (91) and tied with three others for sixth in tackles for loss (15). He also recorded an interception and two forced fumbles while helping TSU finish the regular season with the Football Championship Subdivision’s No. 2 defense.
“It’s a tremendous honor,” Fulghum said. “It was one of my individual goals as a player coming into this year, but I also have to attribute this award to our team’s success.”
With look of a champ, TSU vies for SWAC crown today
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Tyler native Willie Hopkins came to Texas Southern University in 1953 to get an education, to play football and baseball - student athletes had to play two sports in those days to earn a scholarship — and to be part of a budding but already strong winning tradition.
Killeen-born Dejuan Fulghum came to TSU in 2007 to get an education, to play football — he didn't have any other college scholarship offers — and to be part of a program in which winning was an unfamiliar concept.
Hopkins joined a team that was the defending Negro national college champion. Fulghum, who was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year on Friday, started every game as a freshman on a team that played 11 games and lost 11 games.
Johnnie Cole Named Coach of the Year
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Texas Southern coach Johnnie Cole was named the SWAC Football Coach of the Year as announced by the league office on Friday.
Cole has led his alma mater to its first-ever SWAC Championship Game berth and the first 8-win season at Texas Southern since 2000. The Tigers can tie the school record with a 9th win Saturday. Cole is finishing his 3rd season at TSU with a record of 18-16 with the Tigers. He is 33-32 in his 6th season as head coach for his career.
Solomon: TSU QB takes wrong turn, then finds his way
Arvell Nelson knows trouble when he sees it. He could look at an older brother, now in prison, or his best childhood friend, now on the same Ohio cell block as his brother, and see where street life would inevitably take you. No one thought Nelson would go that route.
But for some reason, after he had realized one of his dreams — becoming a scholarship athlete at a Big Ten school — Nelson started slipping.
The Cleveland native posed in silly but infamous photos posted on Facebook of teammates and him holding up cash and bottles of liquor. A few months later, in the spring of 2008, the then-19-year-old redshirt freshman was arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession and dismissed from the University of Iowa, where he would have contended for the starting job at quarterback that next season.
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Thursday, December 9, 2010
Commentary: TSU AD has stamp of a winner
Texas Southern's success on the football field reflects a larger feel-good story, and that story includes someone who hasn't made a tackle or called a play this season. Charles McClelland is the school's 38-year-old athletic director, hired by TSU president Dr. John Rudley 21/2 years ago to clean up a program smothered in scandal and red ink.
As TSU tries to win its first Southwestern Athletic Conference football championship in 42 years on Saturday, there are plenty of other reasons for optimism.
"Dr. Rudley laid out a vision and a philosophy," McClelland said. "He wants to use our athletic program to help build the reputation of our entire university."
Soccer stadium/TSU football stadium, a done deal for Dynamo and Tigers
Texas Southern University, which will play its football games at the new stadium, is expected to contribute $1.5 million toward construction.
The Dynamo have agreed to pay $76 million to build a professional soccer stadium in downtown Houston and then lease it from the city and county for $65,000 a year.
The board of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, a joint city-county agency that acts as a pro sports stadium landlord, unanimously approved the deal Thursday morning. While the Dynamo will pay most of the cost of construction, the city and county will own the stadium.
Thursday's (Dec. 2, 2010) approval sets the stage for construction to begin as early as next month just across U.S. 59 from the George R. Brown Convention Center.
"It's an absolute win situation for not only Harris County but for the residents of Houston that for no expense to them — basically, no cost - we're getting a stadium," board member Tom Sprague said before the vote.
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Note: TSU currently pays $40,000 per game for use of the University of Houston's Robertson Stadium for home games. The Tigers also rent Reliant Stadium at a cost $115,000 (2010 rate) for the Labor Day Classic with Prairie View A&M University. TSU on-campus Delmar stadium seats only 4,500, too small for most SWAC football contests.
The Tigers are expected to sign a 20-year lease as consideration for the $1.5M (prepaid rent) towards stadium construction, and receive in return: -- a private TSU locker room, 100% income from all TSU merchandise sales, 50% income from concession sales on all its games and no per game rent for the entire lease period.
From our view, this is a great deal for a $91 million-state-of-art stadium with luxury boxes in the 10th largest television market in the United States. Texas Southern football should become in short order, one of the premier brands and a hot destination point for the Labor Day Classic within five years. Mr. McClelland and TSU president Dr. John Rudley are clearly on an upward path with an economic engine (Dynamo Stadium) that will generate dollars comparable to other highly successful mid-major Division I FBC programs.
The question is, who's laughing now? Congratulation's TSU....Go Tigers!!
(beepbeep)
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
TSU President Says SWAC Run a Renaissance
"We haven't had this kind of excitement for 42 years, since 1968. That's what it means to this school. All these years without having a sense of pride in your campus, always being put in a negative light. It's about time for Texas Southern to get in a positive light."
That sentiment is echoed by virtually everyone on campus, including head football coach and alumni Johnnie Cole. Cole tried to get the coaching job twice before. When he was hired last year, he made changes from the ground up.
'Second Chance U' appropriate nickname for TSU
Joseph Warren remembers receiving recruitment letters from Texas Southern during his days as a standout running back at Madison. He also remembers the trash cans those letters ended up in. "Back in the day, nobody wanted to come to TSU, even me," Warren said. "When I was in high school, I would get a letter from TSU and throw it away. I wasn't even trying to hear (about) TSU."
Given the atmosphere surrounding the TSU program at the time, Warren's indifference was understandable. When Warren graduated from Madison in 2005, TSU had just come off a disastrous 0-11 finish. Warren took three years off from football after leaving Madison, working a number of jobs to help support his mother. When the 5-10, 175-pounder returned to football in the spring of 2009, he found a home as a walk-on at TSU.
ASU, Texas Southern set to play for SWAC crown
The Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game is set for Saturday at Birmingham's Legion Field, but Texas Southern coach Johnnie Cole has already seen enough from the competition to anoint his team as the best HBCU team in college football.
"I think we're the best black college football team in the country," Cole said. "We've rolled off seven straight wins, we've dominated our conference. When you look at conference stats, we dominate on offense and defense. The only thing (that's less than dominant) is the passing. We play football the old way here, run and tackle on defense and on offense run the football."
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Alabama State (7-4) vs. Texas Southern (8-3)
DATE & TIME: Saturday, December 11, 2:05 p.m. ET.
FACTS & STATS: Event: SWAC Championship. Annual: 12th. Site: Legion Field (72,000) -- Birmingham, Alabama. Surface: Artificial Turf. Television: ESPN Classic. Announcers: Anish Shroff, Jay Walker, Charlie Neal. Home Record: Alabama State 4-2; Texas Southern 4-0. Away Record: Alabama State 2-2; Texas Southern 3-1. Neutral Record: Alabama State 1-0; Texas Southern 1-2. Current Win/Loss Streak: Alabama State 1L; Texas Southern 7W. Series Record: Tied, 11-11-2. Last Meeting: October 2, 2010 (Texas Southern, 21-7 at Alabama State). Series Streak: Alabama State has won six of the last eight meetings. Nicknames: Alabama State Hornets; Texas Southern Tigers. Sheridan Broadcasting Network Poll Rankings: Alabama State (10); Texas Southern (5). Heritage Sports Radio Network Poll Rankings: Alabama State (7); Texas Southern (3). Sports Network/Fathead.com Rankings: Alabama State (51); Texas Southern (31). All- Time Records: Alabama State (438-418-41); Texas Southern (242-308-15). Coaches: Alabama State - Reggie Barlow (19-25 at Alabama State and Overall); Texas Southern - Johnnie Cole (18-16 at Texas Southern, 33-32 Overall). SWAC Championship Record: Alabama State (1-2); Texas Southern (0-0).
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Alabama State facing former assistant coach Johnnie Cole in SWAC championship game
Nearly a decade ago, Johnnie Cole helped his older brother, L.C., resurrect the Alabama State football program. The younger Cole served as the team's offensive coordinator, and his High Octane, Big Offense (HOBO) immediately turned things around.
The Hornets claimed back-to-back SWAC Eastern Division championships in 2000 and 2001, but the school was charged with 668 NCAA rules violations, which led to the firing of the Cole brothers.
Now the head coach at Texas Southern (8-3), Johnnie Cole will face his old team when the Tigers take on Alabama State (7-4) in the SWAC championship game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Birmingham's Legion Field. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.
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Monday, November 29, 2010
Road trip helps TSU learn to handle adversity
SWAC Championship, Dec. 11-Texas Southern vs. Ala. State |
Senior forward Travele Jones and senior guards Harrison Smith and Justin Ray are ineligible because of compliance issues. The loss of Jones, the preseason Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year, is especially painful, as he was the team's leading returning scorer (13.7 points per game).
TSU Cole Talking Contract
After leading TSU to an 8-3 regular-season record and its first berth in the SWAC championship game, football coach Johnnie Cole stands to receive a raise and an extension of the four-year contract he signed after being hired in December 2007.
Athletic director Charles McClelland said Friday that the two sides would sit down after the Dec. 11 SWAC championship game to discuss the situation.
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Monday, November 22, 2010
Texas Southern Advances To SWAC Title Game
HOUSTON — It was an emotional night for Texas Southern University head football coach Johnnie Cole and his players following their 20-13 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday, Nov. 20 at Delmar Stadium. TSU clinched the program's first Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Western Division title and now advances to the SWAC championship game in Birmingham, Ala., on Dec. 11.
The Texas Southern Tigers, who recorded their seventh straight victory, will now compete for their first SWAC title in over 40 years.
In what will go down as one of the most memorable football games in black college history, TSU wrote a new chapter in those books following its huge win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. When Arkansas-Pine Bluff's quarterback...
Wright Carries TSU To West Division Title
Texas Southern running back Marcus Wright probably wasn’t surprised at the defense Arkansas-Pine Bluff threw at him in Saturday’s regular-season finale.
The Golden Lions routinely stacked eight or nine defenders in the box, knowing full well that TSU would primarily run the ball. It was a somewhat risky move, but Arkansas-Pine Bluff was left with few options to keep Wright and his backfield mates from running wild at Delmar Stadium. It didn’t work.
Wright weaved masterfully through the Golden Lions’ defense, rushing for a game-high 134 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries...
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ATTENDANCE: 11,285
Videographer: djburntsu (TSU Tigers vs. UAPB Golden Lions 11/20/2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Ramsey revives defense at Texas Southern
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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Friday, November 12, 2010
Grambling blows big lead, falls to Texas Southern
Grambling (8-2, 7-1 SWAC) dropped its first conference game while Texas Southern improved to 7-3 (7-1). The Tigers can still claim the division title if they defeat Southern University in their regular-season finale and Texas Southern loses to Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Thursday, Texas Southern outgained Grambling 542-219. The Tigers were aided by a 95-yard kickoff return from Edward Patterson and a 39-yard interception return from Derrick Wilhite in the first half.
TSU a victory away from earning berth in title game
Move over, Grambling State.
Texas Southern is the new frontrunner in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Western Division.
TSU rallied from a 17-point, fourth-quarter deficit with 24 unanswered points, including the tie-breaking touchdown in overtime, en route to snagging a thrilling 41-34 victory before a crowd of 10,023 Thursday night at Delmar Stadium.
• Photos from Delmar Stadium
TSU (7-3, 7-1 SWAC) won its sixth consecutive game to knock Grambling (8-2, 7-1) off its perch and can win its first Western Division title and a berth in the Dec. 11 SWAC championship game with a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in their Nov. 20 regular-season finale. Another win would push TSU one step closer to competing for its first SWAC title since 1968.
TSU Defeats Grambling State 41-34 (OT)
HOUSTON, TX - Texas Southern University defeated Grambling State University 41-34 (OT) at Delmar Stadium in northwest Houston. With this latest victory, TSU is now two wins away from their first outright SWAC Chamionship in the 54-year history of the football program.
The TSU Tigers were coming from 17 down in the fourth quarter to beat Grambling 41-34 in overtime. With seven minutes left, Richard Samuel scored a 23-yard touchdown pass from Arvell Nelson to bring the point gap within three. Robert Hersch kicked a 20-yard field goal, tying the game with 15 seconds left on the clock.
TSU football's long climb nearing summit
Texas Southern football coach Johnnie Cole has the year 1968 stamped in his memory.
It's a reminder of the prize that has eluded his program for more than four decades. For Cole, it has been far too long since TSU won its last Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.
The 1968 Tigers, who split the title with Alcorn State and Grambling State, were of an era when TSU was a perennial contender in the SWAC. The accomplishments of those teams from 1950s and '60s have been overshadowed by the disparaging label placed on the program in recent years.
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ATTENDANCE: 10,023
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Grambling State in showdown at Texas Southern
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
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
TSU 3 Wins Away from SWAC Championship
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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Monday, November 8, 2010
Texas Southern hands Southern worst loss since 1999
“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
Saturday, November 6, 2010
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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Sunday, October 31, 2010
TSU Offense clicks; defense allows just 109 yards
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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Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Harvey has TSU Tigers making academic strides
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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Sunday, October 24, 2010
Grounded: JSU's vaunted passing attack stymied by TSU's attacking D
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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Sunday, October 10, 2010
Texas Southern Tigers defense flusters Bridge in Alcorn State loss
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