Southern LB Steele ready for the call

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

SU vs. Alabama State
WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
WHERE: Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Ala.
TV: ESPNU.
RADIO: KQXL-FM, 106.5.

If the Southern defense’s loss of junior linebacker Johnathan Malveaux to a high ankle sprain for this week and a few others can be considered an emergency, the Jaguars are turning to the right man.

Junior Donald Steele has responded to his share of real-life emergencies as a volunteer fireman in his hometown of Selma, Ala., since he was a sophomore at Selma High.

“Whenever I go back home, I just pick up my radio and I’m on call,” Steele said.

Over spring break, he checks in when he goes home. Between the end of spring semester and summer school, he checks in when he goes home.

“It’s just something I do back at home, just trying to help out the community,” said Steele, who, since he turned 18, also learned how to dive to further enhance his capabilities.

Photo: Donald Steele, #46 LB
Taking up for Malveaux is important to Southern, but, of course, isn’t quite as vital as Steele helping put out fires or searching for drowning victims.

Southern (4-0, 2-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) faces Alabama State (4-0, 3-0) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.

“Donald has had a couple of years of experience,” defensive coordinator Terrence Graves said. “That always helps. He knows what to do.”

Okie lineacker, with Malveaux (the team’s top tackler with 33 stops and four pass breakups) and Steele, is one of the few spots on defense, in the front seven, where a veteran backs a veteran.

Both players shared time working with the first unit in preseason camp.

“It’s not that big of a switch for me,” said Steele, who has four tackles this season and 18 in his career. “I want to come out and do the same things Malveaux did: be productive, make tackles, move to the ball.

“Hopefully, Saturday, it’ll be just like Malveaux is there playing.”

Steele has come up big for Southern when the call has come in the past.

After Malveaux went down Saturday, Steele and strong safety Toyin Akinwale teamed to sack Tennessee State quarterback Antonio Heffner on a third-and-6 at the Southern 33-yard line in the fourth quarter. That forced a punt, with Southern scoring the go-ahead touchdown on the ensuing possession in Southern’s 41-34 win over Tennessee State.

Even as a freshman, on the first play after replacing D.J. Brooks, who came down with a leg cramp at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Steele recovered a fumble on a botched center exchange. That came at the SU 29 with 14:14 left, preserving a three-point lead in a 27-21 win.

As a volunteer fireman, Steele said he’s been called to housefires, drowning scenes and fires in the woods.

“It’s just something I do whenever I get a chance to go back home,” Steele said.

Steele isn’t necessarily looking for a future as a firefighter. He’s a criminal justice major who said he’d like to go to law school.

“It’s just something to learn, something to teach someone else some day,” Steele said of the firefighting.

In the end, the commendable work may only complement a man who has been defined by diverse talents.

Steele kicked a 22-yard field goal to win the homecoming game as a senior in high school. He was also a standout catcher on the baseball team and played forward on the basketball team.

Returning home to Alabama — though without checking in on the radio — is something Steele always relishes.

One of Steele’s best friends, Roderick West, is a junior for Alabama State who starts at rover on defense. West has seven tackles in three games.

Also from Selma High is Alabama State sophomore linebacker Adrian Hardy (seven tackles, one blocked kick). Junior wide receiver Robert Childers (one catch for 9 yards) also went to Selma High.

“I haven’t talked to (West) all this week,” Steele said Wednesday afternoon. “I probably won’t talk until game time. It’ll be fun.”

For Southern University, 'T' is for team, Thomas

Photo: Converted TE Trent Thomas facing FAMU as SU starting RT.

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

One day during preseason camp, Southern University offensive coordinator Mark Orlando called his guys up around him and told them about Trent Thomas.

By this time, everybody thought they knew all they needed about Trent. That he was a senior. That he was a top student. That he was a team player. That he has always been a likeable guy.

The thing is, though, early in camp, everybody found out how much of a team player Trent was.

Southern lost (or was in the process of losing) six offensive linemen to grades. To help offset that, there was this crazy idea: Move Thomas from tight end to left tackle, which is the most important position on the line other than center.

Thomas is 6-foot-2 and a shade above 245 pounds, where standard tackles are 6-6 and three bills. And then there was the little fact Thomas had never played tackle.

Trent’s parents didn’t like the move at all. He wasn’t crazy about it, either.

“It hurt him,” Orlando said. “The first week or so, I couldn’t get two words out of him.”

Photo: SU line coach Mark Orlando

The other players not getting their academics set wasn’t Trent’s fault. Why should Trent have to pay for the mistakes of others? Why should his burden become more?

Everything hinged on Trent, though. One left tackle would move to left guard. The right guard would move to center. Another tackle would move to right guard.

Know this about Trent: Trent came through. His quickness and athleticism — assets that flashed early in scrimmages, confirming the move could work — have carried him.

“It’s getting easier,” Trent said the other day of the transition.

Southern leads the Southwestern Athletic Conference in rushing and is second in total offense and scoring offense. The Jaguars are 4-0.

“He’s been a big help to us, converting within a short time,” said SU offensive line coach Damon Nivens, who was a black college All-American at left tackle for Southern and helped coach another one in Myniya Smith in 2003. “He’s become a big part of the offensive line for us, and I appreciate it very much with him sacrificing and being a team player.

“He has my utmost respect with that.”

What was true as Orlando called the troops up during camp is still true now.

“I told them, he’s put it all on the line to help us win,” Orlando said. “I told them, this is what we need right here. For us to win, it’s going to take the unselfish attitude Trent has shown.”

There are two things the attrition of 17 to 19 players did across the board for SU.

First, there was a tremendous sense of urgency for the offensive line as soon as camp began.

Second, as an entire team, the players who are left on this team are the players who most wanted to be here.

“The unselfishness he’s shown has drained into some of the other guys,” Orlando said. “He’s giving us everything he’s got to help us win.

“That kind of sacrifice can only make us better.”

Alabama State, Southern QBs getting it done when it counts

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

If a Southwestern Athletic Conference starting quarterback is described as “nonchalant,” Southern fans might assume the description was being hung on their new guy, Bryant Lee.

Alabama State fans, meanwhile, think of their new guy, Chris Mitchell.

Either fan base is right.
Neither quarterback wowed their coaches in practices, and both are laid-back. Then again, both are winners who don’t rattle easily and have already led several come-from-behind wins.

Both lead 4-0 teams into Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. Gulf Coast Classic clash at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.

Mitchell, a transfer from East Mississippi Community College after playing for LeFlore High in Mobile, Ala., has led four fourth-quarter comebacks for Alabama State (4-0, 3-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference), which plays SU (4-0, 2-0) at 2:30 p.m. in Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

“This is us,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got a bad habit of playing so close, but this is what I love about this team. We play all the way until the end.

“(The fourth quarter is) when we have to buckle down. We know what we have to do.”

Mitchell is 46-for-81 (56.8 percent) for 621 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.

“He has that personality,” Alabama State head coach Reggie Barlow said. “It’s kind of nonchalant. It doesn’t seem like a whole lot bothers him. He’s always the same: never too high, never too low. I guess that’s a good thing. It’s been working for him so far.”

While Mitchell came off the bench in the second quarter of the season opener, SU began the transition to sophomore Lee late last season.

Lee is 5-1 as a starter (6-1 if given the win for his comeback against Texas Southern). He has won his last five starts.

SU head coach Pete Richardson said pretty much the same thing about Lee. In fact, Richardson earlier this season delivered a description of Lee that sounded nearly word for word like Barrow’s summation of Mitchell: “He’s a nonchalant individual. He’s not going to say a lot. The thing about him, you watch him practice and you swear he can’t play.

“But you put him out there (Saturday) and all of a sudden the lights go on. That’s all you’re looking for.”

Lee is 83-for-126 (65.9 percent) for 870 yards, nine touchdowns and no interceptions.

Lee has led Southern to second-half comebacks over Texas Southern, Grambling, Florida A&M and Tennessee State.

“The kid is just calm, cool and collected,” SU offensive coordinator Mark Orlando said. “When you play in the championship game in high school in the Superdome (leading Hahnville High over Evangel Christian Academy in 2003), he’s just a kid who’s a gamer on a Saturday night. You can’t ask for anything else.

“He doesn’t get rattled out there, doesn’t let anything get to him — coaches, players, fans. He plays his game, stays focused on what he’s doing.”

Both quarterbacks are still learning.
Mitchell, being a transfer, has had less time to learn than Lee, in his third season at SU. And Barlow even said Mitchell didn’t practice well in preseason camp. The staff even talked to him about showing a little more pep.

But when returning starter Alex Engram struggled in the opener, Mitchell came in and did fine.

“Real confident kid,” Barlow said. “He doesn’t get rattled by a whole lot. We just want him to continue to learn our system. We need him to learn and grow up even more.”

Lee was third on the depth chart — behind J.C. Lewis and C.J. Byrd — last season and he held off surging Warren Matthews for the No. 1 job in preseason camp.

“He’s really improving, feeling a little more comfortable in the system,” Orlando said. “He did some things well (Saturday) night that he hadn’t done in the previous three games.

“He’s focused in on what he’s got to do, 100 percent.”

FAMU vs Tenn. State: Atlanta Classic sure to be close

Photo: FAMU Head Football Coach Rubin Carter

By Heath A. Smith, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Considering the way the last four Atlanta Classics have finished, you can expect just about anything to happen when Florida A&M and Tennessee State clash for the 47th time Saturday.

"It's always a tough game against Tennessee State," said FAMU coach Rubin Carter. "They don't quit and we also have that identity. The game is a real fan pleaser. It's tough on the coaches, though. It's come down to the wire the past two years."

Each of the last four games has been decided by less than seven points, with FAMU coming out on top in all four. Carter has been on the sideline for the last two FAMU-TSU nail-biters.

Photo: Albert Chester II gets congratulated by Coach Carter for win over Howard.

Defensive tackle Steve St. Felix intercepted a pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter to preserve a 12-7 FAMU victory in 2005.

Linebacker Dannel Shepard used his head in overtime to knock the ball out of running back Javarris Williams' grasp to set up Wesley Taylor's game-winning field goal.

"I can't take all the credit for that play," Sheppard said. "There were 10 other guys out there. Without those other 10 guys executing their assignments that play wouldn't have been made."

The FAMU players at Tuesday's weekly press luncheon seemed prepared for another down-to-the-wire battle in the Georgia Dome.

"This game always seems to be close," said senior defensive end Tyrone McGriff. "You know every year it is going to come down to a couple points.

"Even though it is a nonconference game, it is a big game for us. Our nonconference games count for a lot if we hope to get an at-large bid to the playoffs."


Last go-around
For seniors such as Shepard and running back Anthony Edwards, Saturday's game will be the last chance to make memories in the Georgia Dome.

"The atmosphere is great," Shepard said. "When you walk out on that field, the first thing you have to realize is that you have to be focused. It's the biggest adrenaline rush you can imagine."

For Edwards, an Atlanta native, playing in his hometown once again is even more special.

"It's always good to come home and play," Edwards said. "All my family and friends can come watch me play. I get real excited going inside of the Dome. I grew up watching the Falcons play in middle school and high school and working at the Dome.

"I saw all the high-school games in the Dome. It's always a good feeling going there, and I won't let anybody down."

Love that surface
Although FAMU plays its home game on grass, the players seem to have a fondness for the artificial turf in the Georgia Dome.

Former linebacker Shedrick Copeland, who blocked a Tennessee State field goal that led to a winning touchdown in 2003, said he liked the spring of the carpet.

Senior defensive end Tyrone McGriff said the Dome turf plays into the Rattlers' principal strength.

"Our defense is designed for speed," McGriff said. "We have the advantage in that area against most teams we play. We're smaller than most teams, but we're faster. When we get on turf, it is the closest thing to a track meet."

Enjoying the bye
Sheppard said the bye week was just what his team needed, especially after picking up a win heading into it.

"There is nothing like going into a bye week with a victory," Sheppard said. "You walk around smiling, feeling real good wearing your colors. You feel like it's only going to get better. Coming off the bye week, I think we are focused and ready to do what we need to do."

Alcorn Braves still win-less on season; PVAMU next week

By The Natchez Democrat

MONTGOMERY — Alcorn State University inched close to a victory Saturday night, but this isn’t horseshoes.

It’s college football, and the Braves are still win-less on the season after their 28-25 loss to Alabama State University.

Alabama State (4-0) has made a name for themselves in the close games so far this season.

“Every team has its character, so I guess this is ours,” coach Reggie Barlow said. “We must like it close, but we are finding a way to win so its alright with me.”

Barlow praised Alcorn for a good showing and a comeback attempt.

“I was happy that we got off to a good start, but it shows Alcorn’s character that they were able to come back,” he said.

Alcorn fell to 0-4 with the loss. Braves coach Johnny Thomas called this week a pivotal one for his team. Alcorn State has lost to Alabama State the last three seasons.

The Braves lost to UAB last week 22-0, in a defensive struggle. Alcorn was to have played Morehouse in Las Vegas this Saturday, but that game fell through. Their next game is Oct 6th at home with Prairie View A&M Panthers.

Alcorn State University Sounds of Dyn-O-mite Marching Band and Golden Girls Dancers.

PVAMU Volleyball undefeated in SWAC

PVAMU Sports Information

GRAMBLING, La.-The Prairie View A&M volleyball team improved their record to 8-9 after defeating Grambling State and Alcorn State on the road this past Friday in Grambling, La. PVAMU remains undefeated in conference play at 3-0, and currently sit atop the SWAC’s western division standings.

The first match of the doubleheader was against the GSU Lady Tigers. Grambling State remained competitive, pushing the match to four games. PVAMU took the first game 30-25, but the Lady Tigers rallied to win the second game 22-30. The Lady Panthers eventually prevailed, in the third and fourth games with a hard fought 30-27 victory in the third game, and a convincing 30-19 win in last game.

PVAMU had 21 total team blocks versus Grambling State’s 14.5. PVAMU’s Tacho Richard led all players with 13 kills, senior Tamika Newman was right behind her with 12. The Lady Panther’s Laura de la Fuente compiled a game high 31 assists.

In the second match, PVAMU faced Alcorn State. The Lady Panthers quickly defeated the Lady Braves, shutting them out in three games, 30-18, 30-15, and 30-9. PVAMU’s Newman had a game high 11 kills, and fellow teammate de la Fuente compiled 17 assists.

Prairie View A&M will now head back on the road to face the Arkansas Pine-Bluff Lady Golden Lions. The Lady Panthers will finish off the week with a home game versus Southern this Friday, Sept. 27. Game time has been set for 6:00 p.m. at the William Nicks Building.

Hawaii players having Devil of a time at MVSU

By Kalani Takase, The Honolulu Advertiser Staff Writer

The small town of Itta Bena, Miss. has a population of just over 2,000 and if not for a former All-Pro receiver, it may have never become more than a dot on a map.

Instead, Itta Bena is home to Mississippi Valley State University, whose most famous alumnus is future Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and the impact on the school's football team is reaching further than ever.

The Delta Devils went 21-9-1 during Rice's tenure (1981-84), including a school-best 9-2 in 1984.

A wave of players from Hawai'i are hoping to re-create that success at the 450-acre campus located 100 miles north of Jackson, Miss. and 120 south of Memphis.

Kicker Zack Gilarski (King Kekaulike '06 of Ha'iku), considered to be the best in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, kicked a 42-yard field goal in the season opener, a 16-9 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. However, MVSU has lost its next three games, including Saturday's game against Jackson State.

Backup kicker Jamie Whitworth (Radford '06) kicked a 25-yard field goal Saturday. Holding for Whitworth was sophomore reserve quarterback Ryan Burciaga (Radford '06 of Honolulu). Sophomore linebacker Kevin Aguigui (Campbell '06 of 'Ewa Beach) also sees special teams action.

Freshman Marc Moody (Saint Louis '07 of 'Ewa Beach) has ascended to the top of the depth chart at one of the defensive back positions.

Also on the MVSU roster is freshman offensive lineman Esrom Pascual (Saint Louis '06 of Wai'anae).

The Delta Devils (1-3) compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA). Other notable schools in the SWAC are Grambling State, Southern and Alcorn State.

Atlanta Classic now RB showcase

Photo: Freshman RB Phillip Sylvester was unstoppable against Howard U.

By Heath A. Smith, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

One of the major story lines heading into Saturday's Atlanta Classic is the matchup of running backs Philip Sylvester and Javarris Williams.

Sylvester, Florida A&M's freshman sensation from Marianna, is coming off a 222-yard performance Sept. 15 against Howard.

Williams, a junior from Texas, burned FAMU for 229 yards in last year's classic and almost led Tennessee State to its first win in five years against the Rattlers - until he fumbled the ball inside the 10 in overtime.

Both backs come into Saturday's game among the top rushers in the NCAA Division I championship subdivision and will be key factors.

"Watching him on film, (Williams) is a very smart back," said FAMU senior linebacker Dannel Shepard. "He reads his linemen, he knows how to cut his holes and he is a hard runner. I give him much respect for that. He doesn't play around when the ball is in his hands."

FAMU's defense struggled against the run last year, but has looked more stout through three games this season. Williams will provide another test.

"Against Howard, we really did a good job of controlling and attacking our gaps on defense," Sheppard said. "If we continue to do that we can minimize a lot of the yards (Williams) gets on the ground."

Atlanta native Anthony Edwards led FAMU with 101 yards rushing against Tennessee State last year. He says Sylvester's speed gives FAMU's offense another dimension.

"That boy is fast," said Edwards, a senior. "That 95-yarder he had against Howard - people ask me if I would have been able to make that run. Only thing I could come up with to tell them was that I guarantee I would have gotten the first down, but after everybody would have started running after me, I don't think I would have made it."

Sylvester, preparing for his Georgia Dome debut, said his focus will not be outdoing Williams.

"When I go into a game, I really don't try and compare myself to anybody else," Sylvester said. "What he does has nothing to do with what I'm going to to do or what I'm capable of doing. I'm worrying about our offensive scheme and their defense."

Saturday: 3 p.m. on FSN (joined in progress at 4 p.m.), WHBX (96.1 FM).

New Mexico State University to face UAPB

NMSU Press Release

New Mexico State Aggies (2-2, 0-0 WAC)
vs.
Arkansas Pine-Bluff (1-3, 1-2 SWAC)
September 29, 2007 • 6:00 p.m. MDT
First Ever Meeting • Aggie Memorial Stadium (Capacity 30,343)
Radio: Aggie Sports Network - KGRT 104 FM (Las Cruces); plus 12 other stations
Spanish Radio - KKVS 98.7 FM (Las Cruces) & KPZE 106.1;
Television: Aggie Vision

The Aggie football team wraps up their non-conference schedule this coming weekend as they welcome Arkansas-Pine Bluff to town. This is the second 1-AA school to visit Las Cruces this season but the first match up between the Aggies and Golden Lions.

The Golden Lions are coming off a tough loss to Southern Illinois. This week the Aggies will be wearing pink in support of the NMSU Aggies are Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign that has raised over $140,000 to date for cancer research.

You can listen to all the action with the ‘Voice of the Aggies’ Jack Nixon on KGRT 104 FM, as well as listen to the game in Spanish with Martin Cortez on Vista 98.7 FM. The game will also be televised on Aggie Vision on Comcast channel 4 in Las Cruces tape delayed and live on El Paso (Ch. 24), Albuquerque (Ch. 53) and Gallup (Ch. 66).

In a unique opportunity, the New Mexico State Athletics Department has agreed to designate the football game on September 29th against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, as a breast cancer awareness initiative and fundraiser. Coach Mumme has brought together Four Honorary Chair-Women for this event, all with strong ties to New Mexico State University and all cancer survivors; Magellia Boston (wife of Athletics Director Dr. McKinley Boston), Laura Conniff (Chair of the NMSU Regents), June Mumme (wife of head football coach Hal Mumme) and Pat Sisbarro (wife of car dealer Lou Sisbarro).

The proceeds generated by this event will be used to fund breast cancer and women's cancer research project, conducted by UNM Cancer Center and the New Mexico State University Department of Chemistry and Biology. This initiative is being conducted in partnership with ‘Cowboys For Cancer Research’.

“The response has been wildly overwhelming,” Coach Mumme said. “It has put a kind and giving, female face on football. Breast cancer has touched many lives, including players, trainers and coaches. Fans and supporters are anxious to get involved in anyway possible.”

In less than 3 months, over $140,000 has been raised through this sporting event in sponsorship donations for this health initiative. An additional $50,000 worth of food, supplies, etc., have been donated, bringing the total to close to $200,000. This unique, but powerful relationship between a state university, a charitable organization and medical research has gained national attention from the NCAA, ESPN, and the WAC.

New Mexico State University along with the Aggie Athletics Department is encouraging the Las Cruces community to attend the game as a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to ‘Cowboys for Cancer Research’. Fans will be giving the opportunity to donate to the great cause at the game. Be a part of the largest ‘Tough Enough to Wear Pink’ fund raising event in history, as well as the biggest fund raising event in Las Cruces. For tickets call the Pan Am Ticket Office at (505) 646-1420 or go to www.ticketmaster.com.

Scouting the Golden Lions

The Golden Lions are 1-3 on the season and 1-2 on the road in 2007. Their lone win came against the ALCN-Braves on Sept. 6th. Last weekend the Golden Lions fell to Southern Illinois 58-3.

As a team the Golden Lions are averaging 222.8 yards of total offense a game and allowing 306.2 yards to their opponents. Arkansas-Pine Bluff has fumbled the ball 10 times in four games, but have not thrown an interception in 108 pass attempts.

Individually, Johnathan Moore and Chris Wallace have split time at quarterback this season, each throwing a touchdown pass while Moore has thrown for 320 yards, averaging 106.7 yards a game. Martell Mallett leads the running attack with 128 yards on the ground and one touchdown, while Jason Jones has caught 19 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown to lead the receiving corps. Defensively, Tim Turner leads the way with 42 tackles, a fumble recovery, a pass break-up and two tackles-for-a-loss.

Tennessee State Hall returns to field; two others hurt

Photo: TSU RB Jarvarrius Williams rushed for over 200 yards against FAMU in 2006 Atlanta Football Classic.

By MIKE ORGAN, Tennessean Staff Writer

Tennessee State's defense may get one of its best players back, but could be without two others for Saturday's game against Florida A&M.

Starting cornerback Marquez Hall, a transfer from Vanderbilt who missed the last two games with a high ankle sprain, is expected to play when the Tigers meet Florida A&M in the Atlanta Football Classic at 2 p.m. in the Georgia Dome.

Starting defensive end Shaun Richardson and nose guard Harold Ayodele, however,
are "doubtful" for this week's game, according to Coach James Webster. Richardson is hampered by a bruised shoulder and sprained knee, while Ayodele has a sprained ankle.

Hall was back for Tuesday's practice. Richardson and Ayodele did not practice.

Hall sprained his ankle late in the Sept. 15 game at Austin Peay. The staff considered playing him last week at Southern, but rain and sloppy field conditions kept him sidelined.

"The field was in such bad shape — it was a grass field and it had lumps in it and holes and divots — that we just didn't want to take a chance because he's too valuable to us,'' Webster said.
Hall has a better chance of playing Saturday because the Georgia Dome has an artificial surface.

Travis Stubblefield, a freshman from Beech, replaced Ayodele in Tuesday's practice while several players were rotated at Richardson's position.

Richardson leads the team in sacks (4), tackles for loss (6), and quarterback hurries (3). He also has forced two fumbles and recovered one.

"Shaun has been huge — when he's healthy he's as good as there is,'' Webster said. "But right now he's beat up."

Work to do: After committing five turnovers in the second half of last week's 41-34 loss to Southern, the Tigers' offensive players spent extra time Tuesday working on ball-handling drills.

TSU has dropped to last in the Ohio Valley Conference and 113th out of 116
teams nationally in turnover margin at minus-2.25. The Tigers have committed
15 turnovers (8 fumbles, 7 interceptions) while gaining six (5 fumbles, 1 interception).

"We've been putting a lot of effort into protecting the football and we'll continue to do that,'' Webster said.

Top 10: TSU receiver Chris Johnson is ranked ninth nationally in receiving yards per game, averaging 98 yards a game. The junior from Glencliff High School had six catches for 119 yards and a TD against Southern.

Stopping Sylvester: TSU's defense will have its hands full trying to stop Florida A&M freshman running back Phillip Sylvester. He was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week after A&M's last game (Sept. 15) when he rushed for 222 yards on just 21 carries and returned a trap play 94 yards for a TD in a 30-17 win over Howard.

Jackson finally catching on at Grambling State

Photo: Reginald Jackson leads GSU with 20 catches for 291 yards and three touchdowns.

By Nick Deriso, The News Star

GRAMBLING — Senior Grambling receiver Clyde Edwards, as his coaches like to say, is a marked man. That's meant an already-remarkable start for unheralded fellow senior Reginald Jackson.

Three games into this new season, Jackson is suddenly GSU's leading receiver for catches, total yards and yards per game.

"I'm finally getting a chance to showcase myself," Jackson said. "Clyde draws a whole lot of attention from defenses. The respect he gets, opens up things for me."

Always a standout in practice, Jackson has long labored in quiet obscurity behind record-smashing GSU products like Moses Harris and Henry Tolbert.

Jackson's career totals barely register: No catches as a freshman, seven as a sophomore (though three were for scores) and 12 as a junior. He'd caught just four touchdowns coming into 2007.

Even so, a new staff at GSU saw something in him that others perhaps hadn't.

"Reggie was good in the spring, he's been good since we've been here," said first-year coach Rod Broadway. "Everybody knows about Clyde; he's a marked man. So we had to find a couple more guys to get involved. We've got to spread it around."

Through it all, Jackson somehow remained focused and ready.

"You've got to stay humble, but you stay hungry at the same time," he said. "Other players had their chances. You've got to keep continuing to tell yourself that your chance will also come. When it was my time, I told myself that I would make the best of it."

He has.

In fact, "he might be stealing the show," as Edwards conceded.

Jackson scored the first touchdown of the Broadway era in Week 1, dashing 44 yards against Alcorn. Jackson then capped a six-play third-quarter drive with a stunning 69-yard TD in a blow out victory.

He added five catches a week later, though Grambling fell at upper-division Pittsburgh.

Then Jackson sparked an emotional win in last Saturday's game against reigning league champ Alabama A&M with a trick-play touchdown from 26 yards out.

"Everyday in practice, I kept saying we are going to score on this," Jackson said. "I was thinking 'six' the whole time."

It was.

A&M, which came into the game averaging 45 points a game, never scored again on the way to a 25-point loss to Grambling.

Jackson's backbreaking touchdown had a lot to do with that.

"At that point, once the other team gets hit with a play like that, it takes the swagger and the fight out of them," said Jackson, who then finished the scoring with a seven-yard TD.

Teammates say it was only a matter of time before Jackson's star rose.

"Coming into this year, we had to find another receiver, somebody to compliment Clyde," said redshirt junior quarterback Brandon Landers. "He brings that deceptive speed — people underestimate that — and he catches the ball well. He's taking advantage of his final year to shine."

Edwards, meanwhile, sits on the cusp of besting career marks across the Grambling receiving record book. He also sees Jackson as the wingman who can help pilot him there.

"I'm happy for him," Edwards said. "He's always practiced well, but hasn't always gotten the opportunity to perform on Saturdays. This year, he's finally in a situation where he can make some plays."

The 5-9, 170-pound Jackson, whose nickname is "Dee," was a celebrated Birmingham, Ala., recruit after being named all-city as a junior and senior. He considered at least four SWAC schools along with Alabama-Birmingham before becoming a member of one of former coach Doug Williams' last signing classes at GSU.

That followed a final prep season where Jackson scored on five receptions, three punt returns and a kickoff, helping his team to a 10-2 record at Parker High — a legendary Grambling recruiting stronghold that has produced Tolbert, Robert Taylor, Junious "Buck" Buchanan and his former high school coach Andre Robinson, who now oversees linebackers at GSU.

Could Jackson add his name to that list of Grambling greats? He's making a case so far this season.

A career spent waiting on the sidelines has put that goal into tight focus.

"You want to play every game like it's your last," Jackson said. "Every snap, every play, every quarter, I want to take that opportunity," Jackson said. "I want to fulfill every one of those dreams."

MEAC Notebook: School officials considering discipline for teams' brawl

COMPILED BY JOHN DELL

■ Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference officials are looking into Saturday’s postgame brawl between players from N.C. A&T and N.C. Central, and Erskine Bowles, the president of the University of North Carolina system, said yesterday that he would let chancellors at the schools decide on disciplinary procedures.

The fight broke out shortly after N.C. Central intercepted a pass to seal a 27-22 victory in Greensboro, then stormed the field and jumped on the A&T logo. Coaches couldn’t stop the fight, and after several minutes, at least one police officer from Central used pepper spray to break it up, The Associated Press reported. It was the first on-campus game between the teams since 1992.

The MEAC said that it will investigate and take appropriate action. N.C. A&T is in the MEAC. N.C. Central is make the transition from Division II to Division I and hoping to join the conference.

Commissioner Dennis Thomas of the MEAC said in a statement: “We are carefully investigating the incident and will evaluate the findings to determine if any necessary actions are to be taken by the conference office.”

Athletics Director Dee Todd of A&T said Sunday that she wanted to postpone next year’s game against Central, scheduled Aug. 30, but has backed off that statement. “We owe them a game, and at some point, we will honor our agreement that we will return the game,” she said. “When that’s going to be, I can’t say.”

Thomas would not comment when asked if the brawl would affect N.C. Central’s chance to join the conference.

■ Coach Joe Taylor, who is in his 15th season at Hampton, called the N.C. A&T-N.C. Central brawl unfortunate and said that “it’s not a common thing for those two institutions.”

Taylor said that, by MEAC rules, teams are supposed to meet and shake hands at midfield after the game.

“It’s all about good sportsmanship and sometimes emotions get out of control and it’s just human nature,” he said. “If you take 100 ballgames and see that one time, it shouldn’t be a concern. If it happens week in and week out, then you’d have a problem.… I’m the old guy in this league and sometimes human nature gets out of hand. I would say I’ve seen that two or three times, and I’ve been around a long time.”


■ Athletics Director Chico Caldwell of WSSU said that it was S.C. State’s fault that WSSU’s radio crew couldn’t broadcast last Saturday’s game.

“All our folks were there, but the phone line wasn’t working so there was nothing we could do,” he said.

Caldwell said that the campus radio station routinely calls ahead for road games to make sure that there is a phone line that it can use. On Saturday, there wasn’t a dedicated line at S.C. State’s Dawson Stadium that worked.

“We know that when teams come to our stadium and they have a radio team, we make sure there is a phone line for them to use,” Caldwell said. “And if it’s not working or whatever, we make sure we get it fixed. In this instance at South Carolina State, we know some of our fans are probably mad that the game wasn’t on the radio, but our folks did the best they could to get on the air.... Hopefully this won’t happen again.”

■ Winston-Salem State will play at Howard at 1 p.m. Saturday, but Coach Kermit Blount of WSSU said that Howard’s 0-3 record and last-place ranking in the MEAC in penalties doesn’t necessarily indicate an easy game.

“One thing I’ve learned is there’s nobody on our schedule who is a pushover,” Blount said. “We just keep preaching and teaching to our kids that everybody we play we have to be ready for.”

WSSU may be without QB Purvis at Howard

Photo: QB Monte Purvis

By John Dell, JOURNAL REPORTER

Coach Kermit Blount of Winston-Salem State will have to adjust his offense this week because of an injury to quarterback Monte Purvis.

Purvis, a fifth-year senior, sprained his left shoulder late in Saturday’s 20-7 loss to S.C. State. His arm was put in a sling on Sunday, and Blount said yesterday that he didn’t know if Purvis could play this week.

“We are going to have to take it on a day-by-day thing with Monte,” Blount said. “I think he may be OK, but we’ll have to wait and see.”

Blount said that Purvis didn’t practice Monday.

“One thing about Monte is we’ll see how he feels toward the end of the week, because he’s so competitive he would play with a broken arm if he had to,” Blount said.

The Rams (2-2) will play at Howard (0-3) on Saturday in their fourth straight road game.

After Purvis went out, transfer Jarrett Dunston saw his first action of the season and was 0 for 2 passing.

Dunston (6-3, 220) spent last season at Temple, where he played running back and some at wide receiver. He spent the season before at Hargrave Military Academy and passed for 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns, with four interceptions.

Dunston, who is from Raleigh, transferred to WSSU in the spring, went through spring drills and has shown flashes of good play in practice, according to Blount. He is a second cousin of Shawon Dunston, a former major-league baseball player.

“I really feel good about Jarrett because he’ll get a lot of reps in practice this week,” Blount said. “We aren’t afraid to put him out there. He’s a little bigger than Monte and probably has a stronger arm. But on the flip side, he’s probably not as fast as Monte.”

The Rams also will have to keep an eye on center Michael Helton, their most experienced lineman. He went down with a sprained knee in last week’s game, but Blount said that he is getting better.

“With both Michael and Monte, we’ll let our trainer (Darrell Turner) do his job, and I’ll listen to what he says about how they are progressing,” Blount said.

Getting the offense going in the right direction has been a problem for the Rams all season. Last week, they gained just 200 yards against S.C. State.

“Offensively we have to be consistent,” Blount said. “That’s the biggest thing we have to worry about.”

Chowan University makes historic move to join CIAA in 2008

By Michael N. Graff, Fayetteville Observer

Chowan will join the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association as a football-only member, becoming the first non-historically black college or university to affiliate with the conference.

The Hawks, who are in the process of moving from Division III to Division II, will join CIAA play next fall.

The move verifies the CIAA’s interest in becoming more diverse, and confirms the door is open for other non-HBCUs — including UNC-Pembroke.

“Our vision for the CIAA is to grow all aspects of the conference including educational synergies, athletic competition and to create a dynamic mixture of culture, history and geographic relevance,” CIAA Commissioner Leon Kerry said in a release. “We feel that Chowan University joining our football program is a great step on that path.”

Chowan has struggled in football recently, earning its first win since 2005 by beating Methodist two weeks ago.

About six years ago, Chowan attempted to join the Division III USA South Athletic Conference, which includes Methodist. But after a provisional period, the USA South voted not to extend an invitation to be a full-fledged member.

Fayetteville State Athletic Director Ed McLean said Monday he was excited about the new addition. But, he said, Chowan must prove itself worthy.

“I have my doubts,” McLean said. “It’ll be interesting to see.”

Lincoln University in Pennsylvania is scheduled to join the CIAA in 2009. It is starting a football program the same year. That would give the conference 12 football members.

But McLean said he is still waiting to complete Fayetteville State’s schedule for next year, because he anticipates another entry.

Chowan actually plays UNC-Pembroke this weekend. The CIAA has issued an invitation to UNC-Pembroke, which started its football program this year.

UNC-Pembroke Athletic Director Dan Kenney was out of the office and unavailable for comment Monday.

Chowan Athletic Website: http://www.gocuhawks.com/
----------------
Daily Press

Chowan to make historic move

The predominantly white N.C. school to join the historically black CIAA in football.

Chowan University will join the Division II CIAA as a member in football for the 2008 season, the league announced on Tuesday.

The arrangement is believed to be ground-breaking.

Leon Kerry, commissioner of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, said he knows of no other instance of a predominantly white institution joining an historically black athletic conference.

Chowan, in Murfreesboro, N.C., not far from the Virginia border, is close to CIAA member Elizabeth City State and a short distance from the Hampton Roads, long a hotbed for CIAA fans and alumni. Other CIAA schools in Virginia include Virginia State in Petersburg and Virginia Union in Richmond. Former CIAA members include Hampton University and Norfolk State.

"We have a plan where we can help each other, and we're working on a great sports relationship," Kerry said. "We want to be out of the box in our thinking. That's how we maintain our success."

He said Chowan might eventually join the CIAA in other sports.

Chowan currently is a Division I member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), and a Division II member of the NCAA where the CIAA and its school also are members.

"Chowan University is thrilled at the opportunity to become a part of the CIAA football culture," Chowan president M. Christopher White said. "We look forward to developing a relationship with the conference and its athletic programs."

Kerry said CIAA league officials began talking with Chowan officials over the summer, put together a plan and presented it to the CIAA board of directors.

"The CIAA member institutions are excited to have Chowan University and the Hawks join the conference's football member teams, said Dr. Dianne B. Suber, Chair, CIAA Board of Directors. "Chowan University's membership affirms the CIAA's commitment to building a diverse and competitive Conference and represents a new chapter in the CIAA's history of blazing new trails and raising the bar in NCAA Division II sports."

The CIAA has a rich history stemming from the days of segregation and continues to have one of the nation's most successful college basketball postseason tournaments, which continues to draw alumni even from the former CIAA schools.

DSU Hornets' Lavan understands heated rivalries

By KRISTIAN POPE, The News Journal

N.C. brawl shouldn't deter DSU-UD push.

DOVER -- Delaware State football coach Al Lavan said Tuesday he understands the tensions that led to a postgame fight between players from North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central last Saturday.

"There is disdain, but there's respect [for the opposition]," said Lavan, in his fourth season at DSU after being an assistant coach at, among other stops, Colorado State, Washington and Georgia Tech. Those programs play annual in-state rivals in what often can become the most important game of the season.

"It's almost a contradiction," Lavan said. "There's a healthy disdain for the guy you're playing. I mean, guys who are injured are suddenly healthy enough to play.

"I've never experienced anything like [the A&T-Central fight], but there are some serious emotions involved in rivalry games. There are no guarantees that won't happen again."

Lavan, who said he learned of the A&T-Central incident Monday, said that despite the emotions of an in-state rivalry he still would like to see the Hornets play the University of Delaware in a regular-season football game.

The two schools have played each other in most sports, but never in football.

The issue drew national attention last week after an ESPN.com column by UD graduate and former Sports Illustrated reporter Jeff Pearlman.

"On the playground, no one asks you where you're from," Lavan said. "If we play the game, we play it. If we don't, we don't. But, to me, it's very simple."

Lavan said an in-state rivalry is among the best features of college football. He said some of his fondest memories of coaching and playing at Colorado State came from facing the University of Colorado.

He said coaches must instill in their players the sportsmanship needed in rivalry situations to prevent misconduct on the field.

"It's how you approach it," Lavan said. "There are no guarantees. Anything can happen. But I'd be shocked if something like that happened [in a UD-DSU game]."

North Carolina A&T, a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference member from Greensboro, has a longstanding football rivalry with North Carolina Central, located in Durham. The teams have played each other nearly every season since 1924, which also was the first year DSU fielded a team.

According to published reports, some North Carolina Central players initiated an altercation after their team's 27-22 victory at North Carolina A&T when they danced on A&T's midfield logo and then tore up pieces of the field.

Reports said police used pepper spray to subdue some players, leading some to vomit on the field.

In the aftermath, North Carolina A&T athletic director Dee Todd said the school is considering canceling next year's game between the teams.

Second-year A&T coach Lee Fobbs said he believed the two schools could move on and not have to eliminate the game.

"I learned a little more of the rivalry as the year went on and prior to the game, but that's rivalry football," Fobbs said.

Said North Carolina Central coach Mose Rison: "We've moved on, and we're looking forward to playing Presbyterian this weekend."

On Tuesday, MEAC commissioner Dennis Thomas said he would analyze the circumstances surrounding the brawl before taking any action. He would not say if the league would intervene in order to keep the game from being canceled.

North Carolina Central, a provisional NCAA Division I-AA program, has petitioned to join the MEAC on a probationary basis beginning next year.

DSU senior defensive end Kelly Rouse said the tensions surrounding a potential DSU-UD game would be similar to what he expects Saturday when the Hornets play at 13th-ranked Hampton.

Rouse said the passion generated between North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central is inevitable.

"That's got to go somewhere," Rouse said.

MSU Bears at BC-U Homecoming on Saturday

Photo: All-MEAC RB Chad Simpson ran over Hampton for 142 yards on 33 carries last week.

Morgan State University Sports Information

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: Bears travel to Daytona Beach to take on Bethune-Cookman during the Wildcats Homecoming on Saturday

MORGAN STATE “BEARS” (1-3, 0-2 MEAC)
BETHUNE-COOKMAN “WILDCATS” (2-2, 0-2 MEAC)
GAME #5
Saturday, September 29, 2007 • 4:00 p.m.
Municipal Stadium (Capacity 10,000) • Daytona Beach, Fla.
RADIO: Morgan State Radio Network WEAA - 88.9 FM:
Rob Long (play-by-play) & Kelvin Bridgers (color).
INTERNET: www.MorganStateBears.com; www.BCCathletics.com/
INTERNET COVERAGE: Live Audio and Live Stats

Setting the Scene

• Morgan State fell in dramatic fashion last Thursday night at Hampton. T.J. Mitchell threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Justin Brown to clinch a thrilling 24-17 overtime victory against the Bears. The Bears were once again led by All-MEAC RB Chad Simpson who posted a game-best 142 yards on 33 carries and scored two touchdowns. MSU’s offensive unit racked up 438 total yards, 270 on the ground. MSU will look to get back in the win column when they take on Bethune-Cookman.

• Bethune-Cookman is coming off a disappointing 38-31 loss at Norfolk State. The Wilcats had two critical tunovers to help Norfolk State walk off the field with the Fish Bowl Classic victory. Bethune-Cookman QB Jimmie Russell led the Cats by completing 8-of-15 passes for 86 yards with a touchdown, and rushing for 100 yards with a TD. Defensively, Ben Ballard collected a team-high eight tackles (7 solo), while Anotnio Cox finished with three tackles and a 42 yard interception return. With the loss the Wildcats dropped to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in the MEAC. Saturday night’s contest will mark the 22nd meeting between Morgan State and Bethune-Cookman.

• QB Jimmie Russell (Sr./5-9/175/Jonesboro, Ga./Rivedale HS)will be one to watch as the Wildcats prepare for Morgan State this Saturday at Municipal Stadium. Russell is ranked 5th in the MECA in total offense having completed 30-of-61 passes for 358 yards and rushing for 336 yards. Russell has accounted for eight touchdowns so far this season ... he was named MVP of the Fish Bowl as a result of throwing for 86 yards and running for 100 yards in a tough 38-31 loss at Norfolk State last Saturday night.

• The Bears defensive unit will attempt to contain running backs Justin Brannon (Sr./5-10/190/Jacksonville,Fla./Mandarin HS) and Brian Sumlar (Fr./5-11/180/Jacksonville,Fla./Orange Park HS) The duo has combined for 299 yards on 61 carries through four games... Brannon rushed for 54 yards (4.8) and Sumlar had 52 yards (4.3) and scored a touchdown in last week’s loss to the Spartans...Brannon ranks 10th in the MEAC with 177 yards on 33 carries game.

• SEE CHAD RUN … INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS - Chad Simpson entered the Towson game just needing 63 yards to reach 1,000 yards in his Morgan State career…he ended up rushing for 195 yards! The All-MEAC running back rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns in the season-opener vs. Savannah State and has increased his career total to 1,495 yards following a game-high 142 yards against #12 Hampton ... he now sits 16 yards behind T.J. Stallings (1999-02) who ranked #7 in the Bears rushing annals. As a result of his career-high 221 yard output against the Winston-Salem State Rams in Week 3, Simpson was selected as the MEAC Offensive Player of the Week.

Photo: MSU Defense controlled MEAC Champs Hampton University for four quarters to give the Bears an opportunity to win in overtime.

Peck, Alabama State University have plenty to prove

By CASSANDRA M. TAYLOR, Press-Register

Jay Peck isn't surprised at the perfect record the Alabama State football team is sporting.

Peck and the Hornets sit atop the SWAC Eastern Division at 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the league. On Saturday at 2:30 p.m., they'll face the other unbeaten SWAC team, Southern (4-0, 2-0), in the 34th annual Gulf Coast Classic at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The game will be televised by ESPNU.

Peck leads the SWAC in rushing with 492 yards on 98 carries and two touchdowns.

Peck said the Hornets were in perfect position in the preseason, when they were picked to finish last in the division.

"It was motivation for us, but it really didn't matter as much as you might think," Peck said. "We knew what we had and what we could do if things fell right. Right now, we hope they keep picking us to lose every weekend."

ASU coach Reggie Barlow said Peck is the kind of player every coach wants to have on his team.

"Jay is a big part of our offense and he's played a big part in all our wins," Barlow said. "He's exactly what you would want when talking about being a true student-athlete. He has already graduated, he's a great football player and even better young man."

After struggling in the team's opener against Jacksonville State (79 yards on 16 carries), Peck has had three consecutive games over 100 yards.

"I don't know what's happened since the Jacksonville State game. I guess things are just clicking better now," he said. "Also, I guess we're supposed to get better with each game. You also have first-game jitters and stupid penalties. But as the season progresses, your execution is supposed to get better, or it should get better, and that's been the case for us."

Coaching pals inducted into Alcorn Hall of Fame

PAUL BEAUDRY, For The Birmingham News

For the better part of the past 40 years, Willie Ray and Joseph Martin have been friends.

They went to the same high school in Birmingham, they went to the same college in Mississippi and they coached together on many levels back in Birmingham.

That's why it's more than appropriate that they were inducted into the Alcorn State University Hall of Fame together.

Ray and Martin were inducted into Alcorn's Athletic Hall of Fame last month as much for their achievements in college - Ray for football and Martin for basketball - as for their life after it.

"We've been friends forever," said Martin, now the principal at Parker High School and a four-year letter winner in basketball at the Mississippi SWAC school in the early 1970s. "We coach at the U.S. Youth Games together in track. In fact, he and his brother James recruited me to play basketball at Alcorn State."

Ray, a standout at Western-Olin in the mid-1960s, played football at Alcorn State for four seasons, taking a medical redshirt season for knee surgery.

"I was recruited as a fullback and to run track," said Ray, a former Jackson-Olin coach who was an assistant principal at Ensley. He retired the same year the school closed. "I was converted to running back and just got too big to run track. But I was also one of the premier punters in the city."

Ray wound up signing a free-agent contract with the Detroit Lions, but bad knees forced him into education. He was the head track coach and assistant football coach at Parker from 1971-72 and moved over to Jackson-Olin, where he coached until becoming an assistant principal at Ensley in 1990.

One of his biggest accomplishments came through one of his athletes. He coached Vonetta Flowers in track at J-O. She went on to win an Olympic gold medal in bobsled in the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Martin, a 6-foot-7 tweener at big guard or small forward, came out of Western-Olin to average about 19 points a game at Alcorn. He averaged 28 as a sophomore - starting all four years for the Braves. Upon returning to Birmingham, he coached girls basketball at Jackson-Olin - starting the program with the help of head football coach Robert Dickerson - for two seasons.

"When I was in high school, I played it all - I was a wide receiver in football and a first baseman in baseball and got drafted by the Baltimore Orioles," Martin said.

He moved to Glenn High School from 1975-81 as boys basketball coach (with a player named Bobby Humphrey) and followed that as an assistant basketball and football coach at Parker. He left coaching when he got into administration, and has served as principal of Huffman High School and Banks Middle School.

"Alcorn was a nice, friendly place," Martin said. "That's why I chose to go there. And a big part of that was Willie Ray. He was ahead of me in school and kept telling me how wonderful it was."

Alabama A&M notebook

Huntsville Times

Totten looking for leaders at receiver.

Alabama A&M receivers coach Roger Totten has been pleased with the play of his young group, but admits he's looking for some of them to emerge as leaders.

The Bulldogs have used five different players at wide receiver, but there are no seniors among the bunch.

The group includes seldom-used juniors Gerald Stockdale and Paul Kellum, sophomore Thomas Harris and redshirt freshmen Nate Baxter and Rashad Johnson.

"I'm trying to find a leader," Totten said. "That's something we haven't found yet ... a guy that's going to step up. Leadership is very important when you have a lot of young players.

"Sometimes, guys have to be put in leadership roles when they don't want to be or they have to be put in roles because they're in a position to be a leader. We need some of those guys to step up."

Totten said the likely candidates include Stockdale, Harris, Baxter and Johnson.

"All four of those guys have the same personality," he said. "We need them to be more involved in what we're doing and be more vocal."

Jones excited about practice:

The Bulldogs practiced for more than two hours Tuesday as they began preparations for Saturday's homecoming game against Texas Southern. Kickoff is 3 p.m. at Louis Crews Stadium.

"We had a real good practice," A&M coach Anthony Jones said. "Our guys were attentive. They had a desire to learn. We made some mistakes, but it wasn't because of a lack of effort ... it wasn't because guys weren't trying to understand. This was a good bounce back day for us."

Baxter status up in the air: Baxter, who sustained an ankle injury against Mississippi Valley State and didn't play in last week's 31-6 loss to Grambling, didn't practice Tuesday.

His status for Saturday's game against Texas Southern is up in the air.

Totten was unsure if Baxter would be available against the Tigers.

"I really don't know," Totten said. "He's still working on it ... trying to get it ready, but I really don't know."

Reggie Benson

Alabama A&M Jones' deal almost done

Photo: Betty Austin, AAMU Athletic Director

By REGGIE BENSON, Huntsville Times Sports Staff

Raise would make A&M coach one of SWAC's highest paid.

Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones is close to signing a deal that would make him the fourth-highest paid coach in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The school's board of trustees approved a $32,500 raise for Jones last June that will pay him $142,500 annually. He is also slated to receive $12,500 for his radio and television show. The $12,500 would be paid from funds raised by Jones, who has been asked to raise $50,000 to be deposited into the school's football budget to help offset the deficit.

Jones will also receive bonuses for winning classic games, homecoming and the SWAC championship. Amounts were not available Tuesday, but Jones received $10,000 for winning the SWAC championship, $2,500 for the Magic City Classic and the John Merritt Classic, $2,000 for being SWAC Coach of the Year and Washington Pigskin Coach of the Year and $1,000 for homecoming.

The new deal will go into effect next month when the school's new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

A&M athletic director Betty Austin presented Jones with the contract earlier this month, but he says he hasn't had a lot of time to look it over.

"It's kind of a rough deal for me because a contract is a big thing," Jones said. "It takes a lot of looking into to make sure the language is correct and agreeable."

Jones, whose contract runs through 2009, said he hopes to be able to review the contract and get it back to Austin in the near future, but admitted the contract was the last thing on his mind.
"My concern right now is making sure my football team is ready to play," he said. "Am I concerned about my contract? Of course I am, but this week is a very urgent week."

A&M, 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the SWAC, is coming off of a 31-6 drubbing at the hands of Grambling. The Bulldogs host winless Texas Southern on Saturday afternoon for homecoming. Kickoff is at 3.

While Jones expressed thanks to A&M president Robert Jennings, Austin and the board of trustees, he said it would have been better had he been able to get the contract in July and likely could have had it done before the Bulldogs reported for preseason practice on Aug. 1.

"That would have been ideal because football season is tough," he said. "Every week you've got a deadline. I try to teach our players that. Every week our product is put on full display and people don't want to hear why you were distracted. They expect the product to be working at optimal level."

Jones has compiled a 44-19 record during his five-plus seasons and has led the Bulldogs to three appearances in the SWAC championship game. A&M won its first SWAC title last December with a 22-13 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. His 44 wins rank him third on the school's all-time wins list.

"We've had some success, but this program isn't where we want it to be," Jones said.

Jones was the seventh-highest paid coach in the league last season with a base salary of $110,000. Only Texas Southern's Steve Wilson, Mississippi Valley State's Willie Totten and Alcorn State's Johnny Thomas made less money.

However, the salary increase makes Jones the fourth-highest paid coach in the SWAC, trailing Southern's Pete Richardson, Grambling's Rod Broadway and Jackson State's Rick Comegy.

Wyatt: Official's call costs B-CU

Photo: BC-U Head Coach Alvin Wyatt

By BRENT WORONOFF, Daytona Beach News-Journal

DAYTONA BEACH -- Bethune-Cookman football coach Alvin Wyatt claims an official's rule interpretation did more than move a slotback a few feet closer to the middle, it impaired the Wildcats' ability to run their offense at Norfolk State on Saturday.

Norfolk State, coached by former B-CU defensive coordinator Pete Adrian, rallied from a 21-10 halftime deficit to defeat the 'Cats 38-31. On the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's weekly media teleconference call Tuesday, Wyatt said based on a tip from Norfolk State coaches in the days leading up to the game, officials forced B-CU out of a perfectly legal formation in the second half.

The result, he said, was that B-CU was forced to abandon a base formation because the alteration tipped off the defense to the Wildcats' plays.

"The way they had us lining up, the defense definitely knew what we were going to do," Wyatt said. "It was the only thing that stopped us, because we were ripping them apart. It was wrong. It was dead wrong."

NSU Head Football Coach Pete Adrian

Wyatt said B-CU sent tapes of the game to the conference commissioner's office for an interpretation. MEAC commissioner Dennis Thomas said his office was awaiting the tape.

"Coach Wyatt apprised me of his concern," Thomas said Tuesday afternoon from the MEAC office in Virginia Beach, Va. "I asked him to send us a tape. Once we get the tape, we'll review it and see if there are legitimate concerns to his complaint."

The rule in question has to do with where a slotback must line up at the snap to be eligible to block below the waist. According to the NCAA's "Football Rules and Interpretations," the back must be lined up inside of the offensive tackle in front of him. Wyatt said after an illegal cut block was called against B-CU in the second quarter, officials told the Wildcats the player would have to move.

"I know what we were doing was legal. Everyone in football will tell you that," Wyatt said. "(The officials) put us in a suicidal position."

In fact, Adrian agreed the Wildcats never did anything illegal. He said it was a halftime adjustment by his team that neutralized the slotback's ability to cut block and not anything the officials did.

"They were in the same formation the entire game," Adrian said. "We simply moved our linebackers up, so they couldn't cut them."

Wyatt said he was upset an opposing head coach would go to officials during game week to complain about an opponent's formations.

"Our team was hurt. We were frustrated. It was wrong to be influenced like that," Wyatt said.

But Thomas and Adrian said it is common practice for coaches to talk to officials during the week.

"Coach Wyatt talks to officials. Other coaches talk to officials. I don't see how that's an issue," Thomas said.

Adrian said that it was actually another formation he inquired about during the week, one in which two split ends line up on the same side. He said the Wildcats also lined up correctly in that formation.

Adrian, who was Wyatt's defensive coordinator for seven seasons before he went to Norfolk State in 2005, said he was surprised Wyatt would use Tuesday's teleconference to complain about his tactics.

"He can do what he wants to do, he's a grown man," Adrian said. "I'm not losing any sleep over it, that's for sure."

Cut-Block Rule

Backs at the snap positioned with the frame of their body completely outside the frame of the body of the normal tackle (second player from the snapper) positioned in either direction toward a sideline, or in motion at the snap, are prohibted from blocking below the waist toward the original position of the ball in or behind the neutral zone and within 10 yards beyond the neutral zone. The frame of the body does not include arms or legs extended sideways.

Source: 2007 NCAA Football Rules and Interpretations on NCAA.org

Coates leads rejuvenated Southern running game

Photo: Darren Coates, SU RB



















By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Headlining Southern University’s muscled-up running game has been senior Darren Coates.

Coates had his best game as a Jaguar in a 41-34 win over Tennessee State on Saturday, running for 115 yards and a career-high two touchdowns and making three catches for 45 yards and his first career receiving score.

Coates, a two-way star at West Feliciana High School, was a nonqualifier as a freshman at SU and was academically ineligible another season. He ran for 119 yards and one touchdown and had seven catches for 56 yards last season.

“Of anybody who is playing well and is consistent for us this year, it’s him,” Southern coach Pete Richardson said. “He’s finally weathered (the eligibility issues) and developed into quite a fine football player.”

So far this season, he has 48 carries for 341 yards, averaging 7.1 yards per carry, and four touchdowns on the ground and seven catches for 62 yards and the TD through the air.

“Catching and running the ball, he did a great job,” SU offensive coordinator Mark Orlando said. “I’m really excited.

“He’s a kid who has been in the program and to come to his last year and be productive like he is. And he’s a great kid, just works hard. For him to have the success he’s had early is a big plus. He’s really helping us.”

Factor in that Coates’ production comes as SU has balanced the running game with sophomore Brian Threat (22 carries for 110 yards — 5.0 yards per carry) and junior Kendrick Smith (135 yards on 24 carries — 5.6 per rush — and six catches for 48 yards and two touchdowns).

SU averages a SWAC-best 184.0 rushing yards per game.

“You’ve got three guys there who can tote that mail and make things happen,” Orlando said. “And the O-line is doing a good job up front of creating some running lanes for those guys, and they’re hitting them.”

Landry hurting
Southern senior wide receiver Gerard Landry had his left arm in a sling and got rehab for a shoulder injury Tuesday.

“I think he’s going to be all right,” Richardson said.

Landry, a second-team All-SWAC selection last season, has 14 catches for 199 yards and a team-high four touchdowns this season.

He has scored in all four games this season and six of SU’s last season. He also has a catch in 29 consecutive games.

He served a suspension in the first half of the Tennessee State game, with RaShon Jacobs starting in his place. Jacobs scored in the first quarter, and Landry caught a TD in the third quarter.

Passer to punter
What to do with a former starting quarterback? Alabama State’s Alex Engram, the team’s top quarterback last season and the starter of the season opener, is the punter. Pretty good move. Engram was named the SWAC co-specialist of the week after averaging 42.2 yards on six punts, with a long of 54 and two inside the 20-yard line, Saturday in a 28-25 win over Alcorn State.

“I love him,” Alabama State coach Reggie Barlow said. “This is a guy who had the starting quarterback job, instead of pouting he found a way to help us. He taught himself how to punt in one week. He not only did a good job, but he took a lot of pressure off Jeremy (Fetterhoff) and you can see how it helped (Fetterhoff’s) kicking.”

Fetterhoff went 4-for-4 on PATs.

Making the move
Engram was 59-for-137 (43.1 percent) for 787 yards, seven interceptions and six touchdowns and ran 86 times for 399 yards and five TDs last season. He was 4-for-9 for 32 yards and two interceptions a year ago in a 38-20 loss to Southern.

In the season opener, Engram was 3-for-6 for 44 yards and an interception when he was pulled in favor of Chris Mitchell. Mitchell went 10-for-11 for 206 yards and two TDs in a come-from-behind 24-19 win over Jacksonville State.

“We went last year with Alex and were kind of inconsistent,” Barlow said. “I just felt like I didn’t want to start the season off with the same stuff we had been through last year. &hellip If you’re making mistakes and you’ve been in the program for a while, we might as well go with someone else who hasn’t been in the program. We just decided to go with Chris, and he’s been doing pretty well.”

Harry back to defense
SU junior Frank Harry moved back to defensive tackle in practice Sunday. Harry worked at that spot in the spring after transferring from South Florida and at the beginning of preseason camp before moving to guard on offense.

Richardson said Harry could go back to offense in an emergency but said “he’s too good of an athlete” to keep on the sideline. Outside of a few snaps on defense, Harry’s been used just on special teams in games.

Notes
Barlow is the older brother of former Southern basketball player Darrell Barlow, whose last year for the Jaguars was 1997-98. Of SU’s five wins last season, the Jaguars’ largest margin of victory came in the 38-20 win over Alabama State. SU remains the least-penalized team in the SWAC, with 20 penalties for 168 yards. SU sophomore CB/RS Ronald Wade will miss Saturday’s game as the third game in a three-game suspension for violating team rules.

State Fair Classic to honor Eddie Robinson

By KATE HAIROPOULOS, The Dallas Morning News

State Fair Classic
Prairie View vs. Grambling St.
6 p.m. Sat., Cotton Bowl

Ex-Grambling coach to be remembered before State Fair Classic

The legendary, late Eddie Robinson coached his final game at the Cotton Bowl a decade ago, on Oct. 4, 1997.

"Long live Dallas and the football fans," Robinson said then. "I am aware of the fact Eddie Robinson has had a good life in football, and I am a lucky man."

Saturday, Dallas will honor Robinson's memory at the annual Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic between Prairie View A&M and Robinson's Grambling State.

Robinson died in April at the age of 88 after a long battle with Alzheimer's.

His Tigers' 33-6 victory over Prairie View in 1997 was the 407th win of his career. He finished with 408, a national record when he retired at the end of the 1997 season after 57 seasons.

Dallas mayor Tom Leppert will present Robinson's widow, Doris, with a ceremonial award during Saturday's pregame show. She will be escorted by former Grambling player and coach Doug Williams, the former NFL Super Bowl MVP.

The Grambling and Prairie View bands, best known for their halftime battles, will perform together before the game to honor "Coach Rob."

"Coach Robinson, what he was able to do at Grambling is remarkable, and I don't think you'll ever see that again," said Rod Broadway, the first-year Grambling coach. "He's probably 40 or 50 years ahead of his time of how he was able to build that program, take a little, small town in northern Louisiana and put it on the national map."

As usual, Prairie View will be the underdog Saturday, having lost 19 straight to Grambling.

Grambling won 53-7 last year and has scored 50 or more points each of the last four meetings.

Grambling is 2-1 with wins over Alcorn State and Alabama A&M and a 34-10 loss at Pittsburgh. Prairie View is 2-1 with wins over Texas Southern and North Carolina A&T and a 12-2 loss last week to Southern.

Broadway, who came from North Carolina Centraland and is experiencing his first State Fair Classic, said the Tigers' dominance in the series doesn't affect Saturday's game.

That's something fourth-year Prairie View coach Henry Frazier III, who touted the program's rebuilding efforts, stressed Monday.

"We promise you," he said, "this year, you're not going to leave after halftime."

Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic: Prairie View A&M (2-1) vs. Grambling State (2-1), 6 p.m. Saturday, Cotton Bowl (pregame festivities start at 5:15)