'Storm the land, burn the ships': Bayou Classic a playoff game for GSU, Southern

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- The point of no return.

Win or go home.

State rivals Grambling State (9-1, 6-0) and Southern (7-3, 5-1) square up Saturday in the 44th annual Bayou Classic in the Big Easy with the SWAC Western Division title on the line for the second straight season.

To avoid an abrupt end to their season at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans and to extend it to at least include a return trip to Houston for the conference championship, the Tigers coming off a bye week have approached this weekend’s showdown just like a playoff. Or as senior running back Martez Carter put it, a war with much more at stake.

“We’re battle-tested. (Grambling State head football coach Broderick Fobbs) is always setting us up for war and right now, we’re training for the war on Saturday,” Carter told reporters Tuesday. “You lose some battles, but we win the war. We lost battle one, but Saturday means war, it’s win or go home.

“Like (offensive coordinator Eric Dooley) say, ‘we’re going to storm the land and burn the ships. We’re going to a place of no return.’”



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Why Southern Should Leave the SWAC

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Last week, sources confirmed that Hampton University plans to leave the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) to join the Big South Conference. The MEAC serves alongside the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) as one of two Division I-Football Championship Subdivision (DI-FCS) conferences within the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) that have only HBCU member institutions.

This comes on the heels of Savannah State University, another MEAC school, reclassifying to a Division II athletic program in April. The athletic director of the school recognized the loss in publicity that comes with being a Division II school, but admitted the costs that came with being a Division I program were too expensive.

What if Southern University began to have a similar epiphany?

The SWAC has consistently remained among the bottom feeders in terms of revenue, despite college athletics being a multibillion dollar industry. It has caused the conference to scratch the SWAC Football Championship in hopes that participating in the Celebration Bowl will pay off.

The Celebration Bowl could be considered ‘the Black College Football National Championship’, consisting of the champions from the SWAC and MEAC conferences squaring off to begin the college football postseason.

This type of bowl game is monumental for HBCUs, but although each conference is guaranteed a $1 million payout, more than half of that money goes to the two teams competing on the field. Technically speaking, if Southern’s football team headed to the Celebration Bowl six straight years, we could forget having this conversation.



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Title hopes on line when Southern meets Grambling in 44th annual Bayou Classic

NEW ORLEANS -- The 44th annual Bayou Classic kicks off Saturday at 4 p.m. with way more than bragging rights on the line.

The winner of this year's game will head to the SWAC Championship to face Alcorn State for a shot to play the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion in the Air Fore Reserve Celebration Bowl on Dec. 16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

"The thing that's riding is the chance to play another week," Southern coach Dawson Odums said. "I think this year is a lot different from a year ago from the mindset of our football team. I think both teams understand you win, you move on. You lose you go home.



"There's no better time to be playing a game like that than in the Bayou Classic."

Grambling (9-1) won last year's matchup, 52-30, and went on to defeat Alcorn State and North Carolina Central to be named HBCU National Champions.

However, both coaches acknowledge a lot has changed since last year.

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Bayou Classic hopes to break records this week as Grambling, Southern face off

NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans officials are hoping for record attendance this year at the 44th annual Bayou Classic football game, which will see two Louisiana college teams compete for a shot at a conference championship.

Grambling State University and Southern University will face off for the chance to play in the Toyota Southwestern Athletic Conference Football Championship in Houston on Dec. 2.

Saturday’s game in New Orleans, and the events leading up to it, are not only a chance for supporters to cheer on their team; they are a celebration of Louisiana’s historically black colleges and universities, organizers said Monday.

“When we stand together, and think as one, and do as one, in support of HBCUs, we help to strengthen our future and the lives of students who attend them,” said Dottie Belletto, president and CEO of New Orleans Convention Co., the firm that manages the Bayou Classic.

The annual face-off between the two historically black universities has brought thousands of visitors to New Orleans over Thanksgiving weekend annually since 1974, after the event was launched in Shreveport in a 1973 test run.



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Head Football Coach Alex Wood Resigns From FAMU

Wood went 8-25 in three seasons

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- FAMU’s Athletic Director Milton Overton, Jr. announced Coach Alex Wood has resigned his position as head football coach and will step down today.

Coach Wood was hired on December 23, 2014 and signed a three-year agreement with FAMU.

Overton said, "Wood has served FAMU Athletics with honor as he worked to help rebuild the Rattler football program during the past three seasons. We thank him for his dedication and service."

FAMU will launch a national search to identify the next head football coach through a search committee led by Interim Director of Athletics John Eason. Offensive Line Coach Edwin Pata, a former FSU football player, will serve as interim head football coach.



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Hampton University head football coach Connell Maynor resigns after four seasons

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Less than one week after announcing its plans to leave the MEAC for a new conference (Big South), Hampton University is looking for a new football coach.

Connell Maynor resigned from his position Monday, the school confirmed in a release. Assistant coach Michael Ketchum will oversee the football program until Maynor’s successor is named.

In four seasons at Hampton, Maynor led the Pirates to a 20-and-25 record.

The Pirates’ head coach told the Sportswrap he will resign, effective Tuesday morning.

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University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Makes Change Atop Its Football Program

MONTE COLEMAN

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff announced Monday that it will not renew the contract of Monte Coleman when it expires on December 31, 2017. Coleman has served as head football coach for the Golden Lions since 2008.

The Golden Lions went 40-70 in 10 years under Coleman, including capturing UAPB's first-ever Southwestern Athletic Conference outright championship in 2012 with a 10-2 record. Since that championship season, however, the Golden Lions experienced consecutive losing seasons of 2-9 in 2013, 4-7 in 2014, 2-9 in 2015, 1-10 in 2016 and 2-9 this season. Director of Athletics Lonza Hardy Jr. said it was time to make a change and move the program in another direction.

"I thank Coach Coleman and his staff for the hard work they put forth over the years as he tried to build a formidable program at UAPB," said Hardy. "We wish him all the best as he now looks to the next chapter in his career. As for UAPB, it was simply time for us to make a change and start the process of returning Golden Lion football to prominence."

A search committee has been formed and has the goal of naming a new head coach prior to the start of the December holiday break. Until then, Ted White, offensive coordinator, will oversee the program. The assistant coaching staff will remain intact and continue the program's recruitment efforts.

"Our search committee will identify and interview prospective coaches who are committed to the mission and vision of our University, the welfare of our student-athletes, both academically and athletically, and have innovative ideas and game strategies. We need someone who will put a premium on winning consistently," said Hardy.

For any questions, please contact UAPB Sports Information Director Habtom Keleta at (870) 575-7949.

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Mississippi Valley State Release Head Football Coach Rick Comegy

COMEGY ENDS CAREER WITH DELTA DEVILS WITH 6-38 RECORD

ITTA BENA, Mississippi -- Statement from Mississippi Valley State University:

We have decided that the contract of Head Football Coach Rick Comegy, which ends on Dec. 31, 2017, will not be renewed. We are thankful to Coach Comegy for his commitment to the Delta Devils over the past four seasons. We appreciate Coach Comegy for his service to MVSU, and we wish him well in his future endeavors.

As we transition, Vincent Dancy, will serve as MVSU's interim head football coach, and a search committee will begin the process of selecting our next head football coach immediately.

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FAMU Marching 100 debut first new uniforms in 15 years

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The FAMU Marching 100 debuted their first new uniforms in nearly 15 years.

The new uniforms, along with new instruments and a branded trailer to carry band equipment, were revealed at the Florida Classic on Saturday thanks to over $500,000 in donations. The orange, green and black outfits began with a donation from FAMU alumni Bernard and Shirley Kinsey who put in $250,000. That was quickly matched by the Office of Academic Affairs.

"Now, with the new uniforms, begins a new era," Band President Justin Fitzpatrick said. "It will be exciting to see where the program goes from here."

More than 300 uniforms were custom designed for all 241 band members, including special uniforms for the drum majors and flag corps. The uniforms also include a patch on the cuffs of the original Rattler mascot the band has used sinice 1972.

The uniforms, along with the band, will be in the national spotlight when the Marching 100 take part in the 2019 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.

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Delaware State Fires Athletic Director and Head Football Coach

Delaware State Hornets embarrassed by Florida State 77-6; Kenneth Carter ends DSU Career with 3-30 record (1-10, 0-11, and 2-9).  

DOVER, Delaware -- Delaware State University on Sunday announced it has promoted a senior associate athletics director to interim athletics director and won't extend the contact of its head football coach.

Mary Hill, senior associate athletics director for internal operations and senior woman administrator, is in her fifth year at DSU and already is supervising seven major sports, according to a university news release. She'll now serve as interim director of athletics.

“Mary enjoys the trust of all our coaches and athletes,” Vice President for Student Affairs Stacy Downing said in the release. "We expect the transition to be a seamless one.”

Delaware State paid $475,000 guarantee for the game with FSU Seminoles.

Hill came to DSU from South Carolina State University after a career in both coaching and sports administration, according to the news release.

The university decided not to continue its relationship with former athletics director Louis "Skip" Perkins, who came to DSU in 2015 as the interim athletics director. He'd served in similar roles at Howard University and the University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff.

Head football coach Kenneth Carter's contact ends Jan. 31, and the university won't extend his contact. The process to recruit a new coach begins in December.

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Spady not returning to Alabama A&M as head football coach

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Alabama A&M University announced Sunday that James Spady will not return as Head Football Coach. The announcement was made by Director of Athletics Bryan Hicks.

"After careful and deliberate observation of our football program, we felt a change was needed. We thank Coach Spady for his efforts and leadership of the football program and wish him much success in his future endeavors," Hicks said

Alabama A&M University will be making a personnel decision in the immediate future.

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Gold Rush grab homecoming win vs. Huston-Tillotson

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana overcame a season-worst 27 turnovers by shooting a season-best 52.5 percent from the floor, making nine 3-pointers and outrebounding Huston-Tillotson by 16 Saturday in an 82-68 men's basketball homecoming victory before 1,911 fans at the Convocation Center.

The Gold Rush (5-2) snapped a two-game losing streak and won at home for the second time in as many attempts this season.

XULA junior guard Virgil Davison, who entered the game shooting 32.1 percent from the floor, was 6-of-10 from the floor and made 5-of-7 3-pointers to score a game-high 17 points. Davison led the Gold Rush in scoring for the fifth time this season.

Jeff Dixon snapped out of a four-game scoring slump with 11 points for XULA, and Mike Williams made a pair of threes and scored eight points. But the Gold Rush had more players with turnovers (13) than with points (11).


Kalil Potts scored 14 points, Ray Edwards 13 and Evan Stewart 11 for Huston-Tillotson (0-2).

XULA maintained a double-digit lead the final 29:17, led 42-25 at halftime and held its largest advantage, 60-33, on a Jalen David basket with 11:46 remaining.

The Rams shot 36.1 from the floor — the sixth time in seven games that XULA held an opponent to less than 40 percent — and was outrebounded 42-26. Elex Carter grabbed a game-high seven rebounds for the Gold Rush, and Dixon had six. Donovan Armstrong, in his second start of the season, had a season-high five assists. Joseph Williams blocked a season-high three shots.

Heading the homecoming court, which was introduced at halftime, were Miss Xavier, Shalani Taylor of Reno, Nev., and Mr. Xavier, Hassan Owens of St. Louis. Retired XULA biology professor, longtime faculty athletics representative and NAIA Hall of Fame member Sister Grace Mary Flickinger also was honored with a permanent banner.

The Gold Rush will play Mobile at 7 p.m. Monday at the Convocation Center.

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Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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Marian rallies to beat XULA in 5 in NAIA 1st round

NEW ORLEANS — Kacee Salyers produced 14 of her 20 kills in the final three sets Saturday to rally Marian (Ind.) to a 19-25, 22-25, 25-12, 25-18, 15-8 victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the 2017 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Opening Round at the Convocation Center.

The Knights (28-5) advanced to the NAIA National Championship Final Site at Sioux City, Iowa, with pool play beginning Nov. 28 for 32 teams. Marian snapped the 13-match win streak of the Gold Nuggets (23-3), who finished with the best winning percentage in the program's 10-season history.
Salyers, the Crossroads League Player of the Year, hit .406 in the final three sets after hitting .056 in the first two. Marian outhit XULA .288 to .040 in the final three sets after the Nuggets outhit the Knights .266 to .127 in taking a 2-sets-to-zero lead.



Marian closed the third set with a 17-2 run, ended the fourth set with a 13-4 run and held momentum in the fifth after scoring six of the first seven points. An Anne Strevels kill ended the two-hour, four-minute match.

Frannie Stephenson had 13 kills for Marian, and Sarah Clem and Hannah Trout had eight apiece. Vanessa Lay had 30 digs to lead five Knights in double figures. Strevels had seven blocks, and Clem had five.

Freshman Anna Dalla Vecchia set a school record with 34 digs — she held the previous mark of 31 with two others — and she had 10 assists to became the first XULA libero to produce a double-double. Juliana Tomasoni closed her collegiate career with 15 kills and a season-high 25 digs, and Kayla Black had 11 kills and 15 digs. Tiffany Phillips also produced a double-double with 12 assists and 12 digs. Adili Rikondja had seven kills and three blocks, Lauryn Taylor had nine kills, and Eva Le Guillou had 25 assists.

For the match Marian outhit XULA .221 to .127 and had advantages of 63-55 in kills, 101-97 in digs and 13-4 in blocks.

The loss was XULA's first at home this season and the first since a three-set loss to Saint Francis (Ill.) in the 2016 NAIA nationals opening round. It was the Gold Nuggets' seventh consecutive appearance at nationals and their seventh consecutive first-round exit. This is Marian's first appearance at nationals.

Honored before the match as their teams' NAIA Champions of Character recipients were Rikondja and Marian's Julie Hoying.

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Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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Vaughan leads Nuggets at nationals a 2nd straight year

VANCOUVER, Washington — Maliya Vaughan was Xavier's University of Louisiana's fastest finisher at the NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championships for the second straight year, running the 5,000-meter course at Fort Vancouver National Historical Site in 21 minutes, 24 seconds Saturday.
     
Vaughan, a junior, was 311th out of 338 runners.
     
The Gold Nuggets' other finishers were Taylor Price, 318th in 21:35; Brianna Pace, 324th in 21:53; Hajjia Mohammed, 332nd in 23:11; and Carlie Calais, 336th in 23:45.
     
XULA was 36th in team scoring with 1,189 points. The University of British Columbia scored 109 points to win the team title for the second straight year and the fifth time in six years, and Oklahoma City's Aminat Olowora was individual champion in 16:50.
     
XULA's lone male runner was freshman Camren Sewell, who finished 306th out of 328 runners. His time for the 8K route was 29:19. Oklahoma City's Mark Shaw was individual champion in 24:09, and British Columbia won its first men's title and had five runners in the top 19. The Thunderbirds' 41 points were the fewest by an NAIA men's team since Life won with the same score in 1998.
     
Pace was honored Friday as the Gold Nuggets' NAIA Champions of Character recipient. Pace also was named a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
     
The XULA distance runners will resume competition in early March during the outdoor track and field season.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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It's Okay Not to Share: North Carolina A&T Aggies are ELEVEN-AND-OH

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Technically, the 2017 outright Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship belonged to the North Carolina A&T football team at 3:39 p.m., eastern when Hampton defeated Howard.

But who cares about technicalities?

N.C. A&T needed to defeat North Carolina Central after three straight defeats to their No. 1 football nemesis cost them three outright conference titles, a playoff berth in 2014 and a Celebration Bowl bid and an undefeated MEAC season in 2016.

And defeat NCCU is what the Aggies did Saturday evening in a 24-10 win at Aggie Stadium that led to Aggie fans storming the field to celebrate both an undefeated regular season (11-0) and their first undefeated MEAC season (8-0) in 18 years. In the process, the Aggies also captured their first outright title in 14 years. The Aggies, who knew they were headed to the Celebration Bowl last week, will go there with a chance to complete the first-ever undefeated season by a MEAC team since the league started in 1971.

“Being 11-0 is special,” said N.C. A&T coach Rod Broadway. “It was a good win and a good competitive football game. It was a very physical football game. I thought it got to be a dumb football game at times, especially that one drive in the fourth quarter. That was so unlike us to commit that many penalties. That's not how we play around here, and that's not how we are going to play. But the guys fought, and I thought they showed a lot of class with the way they fought.”

It was Aggie-Eagle so the game was chippie. The two teams combined for 27 penalties for 217 yards. When the game ended, there were a total of 16 unsportsmanlike penalties, two face masks calls and one roughing the passer. In between the things that make the rivalry so heated, the two premier teams in the conference did showcase why they have been the only two teams to represent the MEAC in the Celebration Bowl since it started in 2015.

It took nearly 21 minutes before either team could score, and it was graduate running back Jamari Smith, playing in his first Aggie-Eagle contest that ignited N.C. A&T’s offense. But it was sophomore Elijah Bell who closed it out with a 13-yard leaping grab over NCCU’s De’Mario Evans for a 7-0 Aggies lead. Smith caught a 20-yard pass and rushed for 28 more to set up the score in which Bell broke the school’s single-season touchdown receptions record with his 11th TD grab of the season. He surpassed former teammate Denzel Keyes (2016) and Craig Thompson (1991).

Smith ended his day with a season-high 99 yards on 14 carries. He also caught two passes for 23 yards. In addition to his record-breaking catch, Bell had four receptions for 82 yards.



NCCU (7-4, 5-3 MEAC) did not get on the scoreboard until the end of the first half. It was set up by a 40-yard run by Isaiah Totten to the N.C. A&T 35-yard line. With time running down, Eagles kicker Aedan Johnson stepped on the field and kicked an Aggie-Stadium record 52-yard field goal to make it a 7-3 halftime score.

““They have a good defense,” said Broadway. “I'll give them credit, they know how to win. It's a winning program the last three, four years, and they've done an outstanding job. We weren't playing against some nobodies. I think we were playing on emotion to start with. Once we settled down we started to focus a little bit better and started playing like we're capable of playing we were okay.”

That type of play started early in the third quarter, a quarter the Aggies dominated. It started with a 25-yard kickoff return by senior Khris Gardin and a 15-yard NCCU unsportsmanlike penalty to give the Aggies the ball at the NCCU 45. Junior quarterback Lamar Raynard then completed a 17-yard pass to Gardin before a completion to Bell appeared to go for a touchdown, but after a replay review, it was determined Bell stepped out of bounds at the 1 for a 23-yard reception. Junior running back Marquell Cartwright put the ball in the end zone for a 14-3 Aggies lead. The Aggies took a 21-3 lead on another 1-yard Cartwright run. All 63 yards on the drive came on the ground as the Aggies compiled 205 yards rushing for the game.

“We really committed to the run today,” said Raynard. The o-line blocked very well, the receivers blocked downfield and our running backs took advantage of what was there. To throw the ball effectively you have to run the ball, so that’s what we did.”

The Eagles did try to make it interesting late in the third quarter. Aided by four N.C. A&T penalties – three unsportsmanlike and one face mask – the Eagles scored on a three-yard touchdown by Totten to cut N.C. A&T’s lead to 21-10.

N.C. A&T gave the Eagles nothing else the rest of the game. NCCU compiled only seven yards of offense the rest of the game. Bell put the game away with an unbelievable one-hand catch in which he extended his right arm on a ball that was slightly overthrown to secure it for a 38-yard reception. It led to a 31-yard field goal from Noel Ruiz to give the Aggies a 24-10 advantage with 7:10 to play.

“It is joy and relief,” said senior rover Jeremy Taylor about beating NCCU. “They have beaten us three years back-to-back-to-back, so finally for us to come out on top on our last go around, feels great. That’s the joy. After three years, there’s a new sheriff in town.”

Taylor was one of 19 seniors honored before the game. He joined linebacker Marcus Albert, right guard Daquan Blake, wide receiver Jaquil Capel, punter Dominic Frescura, wide receiver Caleb Gabriel, wide receiver/return specialist Khris Gardin, center Darriel Mack, right tackle Christian Marshall, left guard Joshua Mattocks, defensive back Tard McCoy, left tackle Brandon Parker, punter/holder Garrett Nestor, rover David Pulliam, tight end Trey Scott, running back Jamari Smith, Taylor and defensive back Taylor Wilson as players who played their final game at Aggie Stadium on Saturday.

There is one more game to play for them, however. The Aggies were officially invited to the 2017 Celebration Bowl after the game. The game will be played live on ABC, Saturday, Dec. 16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at noon.

“To end the regular-season season 11-0 I think says a lot about our coaching staff and the job they have done,” said Broadway. “I think we have a great coaching staff and of course we have some great players. One thing about coaching is you don't have time to enjoy it as its happening.

Once it's over, you get a chance to look back and enjoy it a little bit more. Normally, we have a game next week, so let’ move on, go home and get a cigar so we can get ready for tomorrow because you have to start working on the next game. But this time we get to stay home tomorrow, so it may give me a chance to reflect on 11-0. I'm going lay around a watch football all day tomorrow.”

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State Rep. Alexander walks back Twitter comment calling for FAMU coach's firing

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- In a statement released Sunday morning, Florida Rep. Ramon Alexander said he could have "handled his personal thoughts and frustrations differently" in regards to a Twitter post calling for the firing of FAMU football coach Alex Wood.

The Rattlers blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter of Saturday's Florida Classic against arch rival Bethune-Cookman in Orlando, losing 29-24 in front of a crowd of 47,819 in Camping World Stadium.

It was FAMU's seventh loss in a row in the annual Florida Classic.

Alexander, a Florida A&M graduate, took to Twitter following the loss, saying Wood needed to be "immediately" fired after a fake punt was stopped in the fourth quarter of the game.

In Sunday's statement, Alexander said he was frustrated with the loss.

"To be very clear my reaction and personal opinions were in no way intended to directly influence the leadership of FAMU to make a specific decision about the future of Rattler Football," Alexander wrote.

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AAMU Bulldogs' tenacious D helps send seniors out on a winning note

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The Bulldogs sent their seniors off on a winning note Saturday with a 21-13 win over Kentucky State.

The Bulldogs held a pregame ceremony to recognize the 19 seniors who wore the Maroon and White for the final time.

For Alabama A&M (4-7 overall), the defense, as it has been all year, was the story. The Bulldogs, the SWAC's number 2 defense, held the Thorobreds (3-8) to just 135 yards in total offense.

Kenneth Davis, in his final game in a Bulldogs uniform, recorded 13 tackles (5 solo, 8 assists) along with a sack and 1½ tackles for loss.

Yurik Bethune contributed six tackles (five solo, one assist), 2 1/2 tackles for loss and one sack and Vernon Moland had five tackles, 2 1/2 tackles for loss and a sack.

Senior punter Nick Carden, like Davis, a preseason All-SWAC selection, had one of his strongest games with six punts for a 45.5-yard average.

With A&M trailing 7-0 late in the second quarter, Jordan Bentley scored on a one-yard dive and Carden's point-after tied the score.

The Bulldogs then used a pair of 90-plus yard, clock-eating drives to take the lead and ensure the win.

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With 1:50 to go in the third quarter and A&M down 13-7, Roderick Randolph caught a 10-yard pass from Dylan Smith and barreled through three defenders for the touchdown. Carden's PAT put the Bulldogs up 14-13.

The score capped a 14-play, 91-yard drive that took 6:56 off the clock.

The Bulldogs offense did a near-replay of that drive early in the fourth-quarter.

Smith engineered a 96-yard, 12-play march over 6:08 that culminated with Isaiah Bailey catching an 11-yard fade pass in the endzone with 7:19 left in the game. Carden again was good on the PAT for the final 21-13 score.

Smith came off the bench and was 6-of-8 passing for 85 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

No. 7 Langsron Falls to No. 10 Northwestern in NAIA Playoffs

LANGSTON, Oklahoma -- The No. 7 Langston Lions perfect season came to a close on Saturday as they fell to the No. 10 Northwestern Red Raiders 55-7 in the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series.

The loss puts a cap on a remarkable season for the Langston Lions and second-year head coach Quinton Morgan as they clinched the Central States Football League title, hosted the first home playoff game in school history and became the first team since 1973 to finish the regular season undefeated.

"I told our team to keep their heads up, we accomplished a huge milestone here at Langston University," Morgan said. "These kids are now a part of history at Langston. It's not how we wanted to finish the season but I'm very proud with what they've done throughout the season."

The Lions were making their seventh postseason appearance in the NAIA and fall to 2-7 overall in NAIA championship series history; the Red Raiders were making their 19th NAIA championship appearance and improve to 21-16 all-time in the playoffs.

From the outset, the Red Raiders set the tempo by scoring on their first two drives of the game which ended with a three-yard run by Tyson Kooima and a 14-yard scoring run by Jacob Kalogonis to give Northwestern a 14-0 advantage at the 3:40 mark in the first quarter.

Red Raiders head coach Matt McCarty emphasized throughout the week the need for a quick start.

"We were able to get Jacob (Kalogonis) going early and he was able to bust some big runs early," McCarty noted. "That was big for him and that was big for our confidence, we got that early lead with the wind so we were able to let our defense play fast and attack."

The Red Raiders tacked on one more touchdown prior to halftime when Kooima hooked up with Kalogonis for a 42-yard scoring strike to cap a seven-play, 81-yard drive.

Northwestern built a 45-0 advantage before the Lions hit pay dirt following a 14-yard touchdown run by Timothy Whitfield at the 9:43 mark in the fourth quarter.

Kooima finished 16-for-22 for 196 yards with two touchdown tosses; he picked up 18 yards on the ground with two touchdowns as well.

Lowe led the Langston aerial attack and finished 13-for-22 for 73 yards with one interception; he picked up 47 yards on 14 carries.

Kalogonis led Northwestern with 140 yards on 25 carries and one touchdown; Whitfield finished with 64 yards on eight carries and one score.

Northwestern (10-1) advances to the second of the NAIA Football Championship Series.

Langston (10-1) concludes their season at 10-1 overall.

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Capital City Classic: BOTB Jackson State vs. Alcorn State

#5 Delta State Slips By #4 Bowie State Football 45-35 to Advance in NCAA Playoffs

BOWIE, Maryland -- The #4 seed Bulldogs left it all on the field in Saturday's (11/18) NCAA Super Region 2 – First Round contest against the visiting #5 Delta State Statesmen, falling short in the end by a score of 45-35 to conclude the Bowie State football season at 9-2. This was Bowie State's first time hosting an NCAA football playoff game.

Junior Amir Hall (Bowie, Md.) led Bowie State in passing (332 yards) and rushing (66 yards) while redshirt freshman Montez Clay (Baltimore, Md.) paced the Bulldogs with 80 reception yards. Senior Daivon Nixon (Laurel, Md.) and junior Derrick Tate (Baltimore, Md.) were Bowie State's top tacklers with seven each in the loss.

Delta State opened the scoring with a 28-yard field goal from Vince Sciorrotta at the 8:28 mark of the first quarter to take a 3-0 lead. Bowie State responded with a 10-play, 87-yard drive that Hall capped with a two-yard touchdown pass to Lansana Sesay (Bowie, Md.) as the Bulldogs grabbed a 7-3 lead.

The Statesmen answered the call by rattling off 28 straight points on their next four drives as Delta State took a 31-7 lead with 2:54 to go in the first half of play.

The Statesmen's Breck Ruddick's first touchdown of the afternoon gave Delta State the lead back at 10-7 with 2:15 to play in the first quarter, and after the defense forced a three-and-out, Kam Myers hauled in one of only four completed passes by DSU in the game for a 15-yard touchdown that gave the visitors a 17-7 lead after one quarter.

Delta State (9-3) kept their foot on the gas pedal to open the second stanza, as a 41-yard touchdown scamper by Ruddick and a 32-yard touchdown rush from Chris Robinson put the Statesmen on top 31-7 with 2:54 left in the half.

The Bulldogs took the ensuing kickoff and covered 59 yards in 11 plays, and Hall found redshirt senior Brandon Britton from 13 yards out to cut the lead down to 17 (31-14), where it would remain as the first half ended.

The third quarter belonged to the homestanding Bulldogs, who put up 21 unanswered third quarter points to storm back and take a 35-31 lead as the two teams headed to the final stanza.

Bowie State's Hall rushed for a score from two-yards out at the 9:28 mark of the third quarter to trim the deficit to 31-21, and forced a Statesmen fumble on the ensuing kickoff to set up a Robert Chesson (Annapolis, Md.) one-yard touchdown run just 24 seconds later to pull within three points at 31-28. Chesson was held to a season-low 18 rushing yards.

Just over four minutes later, Hall led a 6-play, 71-yard drive that he punctuated himself on a 14-yard touchdown rush, his second of the game, and the Bulldogs carried the 35-31 lead into the final quarter of action.

Delta State leaned on Chris Robinson in the final quarter of play as he responded with a pair of 3-yard touchdown runs as the Statesmen outscored the Bulldogs 14-0 in the fourth to secure the win. Robinson scored the go-ahead touchdown with 5:58 left in the fourth, and then helped ice the game away as the Statesmen drove 97 yards on just six plays to take a 45-35 lead that proved to be the final score.

Like BSU's Hall, Ruddick led Delta State in rushing (164 yards) and passing (61 yards). Landry Tullo garnered a game-high nine tackles for the Statesmen and Dante Will
iams recorded eight tackles.

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BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

UAPB falls in season finale to Texas Southern, 24-10

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas -- Just as predicted at the Southwestern Athletic Conference Media Day prior to the start of the season, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions (2-9, 1-6) will finish in last place in the SWAC Western division for the fourth straight season.

The Texas Southern University Tigers (2-8, 2-5) waltzed out of a near-empty War Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon with a 24-10 win over the Golden Lions in the season finale.



UAPB redshirt sophomore quarterback Roger Totten II got the start for the Golden Lions, making him the fourth to take on the role this year. Along with three quarterbacks, the Golden Lions were missing a host of former starters, and the most notable of that group is running back KeShawn Williams. Entering the game fourth in the SWAC in total rushing yards, Williams didn’t make an appearance at all.

Totten led the Golden Lions down the field on their first possession of the game to draw first blood. Freshman running back Christian Jordan got the start at running back, and he was effective early on. With heavy wind in the air, senior place kicker Jamie Gillan was able to connect on a 30-yard field goal to give UAPB their only lead of the game at 3-0.

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Bayou The Numbers: A look at Grambling State, Southern offenses before Bayou Classic

GRAMBLING, Louisiana – Postseason implications packs an added punch for the 44th annual Bayou Classic in the yearly regular season finale showdown between rivals Grambling State and Southern next Saturday.

For the second straight season, the SWAC Western Divisional title is up for grabs inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The Tigers beat the Jaguars, 52-30, to earn the conference championship game berth in 2016. A league title game spot on the line etches the storyline, and similarly, the offenses could provide the ink.



Over the last three years, Grambling and Southern have combined to score 236 total points, setting an average of 78 points scored per meeting. This year could be much of the same as both offenses enter the rivalry matchup ranking in the top-five in every major offensive category in the SWAC.

Behind seniors DeVante Kincade at quarterback and Martez Carter at running back, Grambling State (9-1, 6-0) owns the league’s second-best scoring offense, putting up 32.2 points per game. Kincade paces the SWAC with 18 passing touchdowns, 2,238 passing yards, a 61.2 completion percentage and in total yards with 2,454. In nine games played,

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Lawmaker calls for FAMU head coach's firing

ORLANDO, Florida -- State Rep. Ramon Alexander, a Florida A&M University graduate, wasn't a happy fan Saturday. 

Alexander went to Twitter following FAMU's 29-24 loss to Bethune-Cookman to call for head coach Alex Wood’s immediate firing.

Wood's contract is up next month.

“It is extremely rare that I will make this type of public comment...,” Alexander wrote after the game.

“Coach Alex Wood MUST be fired immediately for the fake punt call in the 4th Quarter of the Florida Classic....and I mean immediately.”

The Rattlers blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead in the game at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

At one point in the fourth quarter, ahead 24-17, the Rattlers tried a fake punt, which was stuffed.

Bethune-Cookman scored a touchdown on the next possession, though FAMU held on to its lead.

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BCU Wins another Florida CLASSIC

ORLANDO, Florida -- Make that a seventh win in a row for Bethune-Cookman Football against Florida A&M.

Larry Brihm, Jr. rushed for a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns, including the go-ahead touchdown on a two-yard naked bootleg with 1:15 remaining as Bethune-Cookman rallied for a 29-24 come-from-behind victory over Florida A&M in the Florida Blue Florida Classic before a Camping World Stadium crowd of 47,819 and a national ESPN audience.

The redshirt senior quarterback concluded his career by manufacturing a 14-point fourth quarter comeback to deliver the Wildcats' seventh consecutive victory in the series and conclude Bethune-Cookman's 2017 campaign at 7-4 (6-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference).

Brihm finished with 280 yards and one touchdown passing in addition to the two rushing touchdowns.



Florida A&M (3-8, 2-6 MEAC) outgained the Wildcats 136-8 as they took a 24-10 lead on Ricky Henrilus' 4-yard run and Devin Powers' 8-yarder to start the fourth quarter.

Bethune-Cookman quickly closed to within one touchdown with a 9-play, 52-yard drive that produced Brihm's 5-yarder with 11:27 left. Completions of 15 yards to Frank Brown and 20 yards to Jawill Davis sparked the drive.

The Wildcats then received a golden opportunity thanks to Cameron Rigby, who eluded two Rattlers blockers to tackle punter Chris Faddoul shy of the marker on a fake punt.

The quick 32-yard march produced Michael D. Jones's 4-yarder with 7:02 remaining, but Florida A&M kept the 24-23 lead when Antonio Miller blocked the PAT from junior kicker Uriel Hernandez.

After the Maroon and Gold defense registered a three-and-out, Brihm's final drive as a Wildcats student-athlete was a 13-play work of art.

Jamaruz Thompkins runs of 14 and 7, respectfully, set the tone for drive, and Brihm went 3-for-4 on the march that got BCU down to the one yard line after a Michael D. Jones run.

Brihm scored two plays later.

Senior safety Diquan Richardson's second interception of the game preserved the victory with a leaping grab in the end zone as the Rattlers threatened with under a minute to play. With BCU featured on SportsCenter's "Geared Up" segment to begin the day, the Wildcats were able to show off the uniforms in "victory formation" fashion as Brihm kneeled for one last time to run out the clock.

Brihm's touchdown pass was a 35-yarder to senior tight end and Orlando native Ja-Quan Lumas in the first quarter.

Hernandez gave BCU, wearing the "Daytona Nights" uniforms, a 10-3 lead with a 31-yard field goal with 6:22 left in the first half. But Florida A&M managed a 10-10 halftime time on Ryan Stanley's 31-yard touchdown pass to Kareem Smith.

Redshirt senior Frank Brown led the Wildcats receivers with seven catches for 72 yards, while fellow redshirt senior Jawill Davis had six catches for 74 yards. Last weekend's hero, Keavon Mitchell, added five catches for 44 yards. And it was Michael D. Jones who led the rushing attack with 39 yards on 13 carries. Thompkins added 36 on seven carries.

Follow Bethune-Cookman Football on Twitter (@BCUGridIron) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics), Snapchat (@BCUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics).

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BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

HBCU Football Judgment Day Scoreboard -- Week 12

NOVEMBER 18, 2017

NCAA Division II National Playoffs
Delta State 45,  Bowie State 35
West Georgia 35, Virginia State 9

NAIA National Football Championship Playoffs
Northwestern (Iowa) 55,  Langston 7

MEAC
Florida State 77, Delaware State 6 
North Carolina A&T 24, North Carolina Central 10 
Hampton 20, Howard 17 
Norfolk State 45, Morgan State 32
Savannah State 34, South Carolina State 10 
Bethune-Cookman 29, Florida A&M 24, Florida Classic



OVC
Jacksonville State 36, Tennessee State 6 (Nov. 16)

SWAC
Prairie View A&M 42, Incarnate Word 28 (Nov. 16)
Alabama State 16, Mississippi Valley State 10
Alabama A&M 21, Kentucky State 13 
Jackson State 7, Alcorn State 3 
Texas Southern 24, Arkansas Pine Bluff 10`