Fayetteville State lets big lead slip away in overtime loss to Shaw

Fayetteville, North Carolina -- Fayetteville State had a commanding lead and seemed to end its homecoming week on a high note until a second-half aerial attack by Shaw grounded those plans.

Quinshon Odom connected with James Pettiway for a 17-yard touchdown in overtime, and the defense forced a fumble by Colon Bailey to give Shaw a stunning 35-29 win over Fayetteville State on Saturday.

Odom threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns as the Bears (2-5, 2-2) scored the final 28 points of the game to overcome a 22-point deficit and end the Broncos' two-game winning streak. Odom did most of his damage after halftime with 249 yards passing.

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Loyal fans turn out for Fayetteville State homecoming parade

Fayetteville, North Carolina -- Die-hard parade and Bronco fans arrived hours ahead of time on Saturday to score the best spots to watch the annual Fayetteville State University homecoming parade.

With the clear, blue sky, pleasant fall temperatures and entertaining bands, cheerleaders and marchers, spectators said it was worth it. The parade ran more than a mile along Murchison Road, from the edge of the downtown area to the north end of the FSU campus.

Thousands of people lined Murchison Road. Some walked from nearby neighborhoods, and some drove in from out of town.

Some sat for two hours before they heard the first drum taps and booms and the trumpet blares from down the street. Parked cars filled the surrounding roads.

• SLIDE SHOW:
  FSU homecoming parade
• SLIDE SHOW:
  Game: Fayetteville State vs. Shaw

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Busy times for Southern University’s Banks

Baton Rouge, Louisiana -- You’ll have to forgive Roman Banks if he’s a little short on sleep these days. The man has quite a lot on his mind. Originally, the first-year Southern men’s basketball coach planned on starting preseason practice Friday - but he adjusted on the fly, and with good reason.

At 9 a.m. Saturday, Banks - who finished a stellar career at Northwestern State in 1992 - will be inducted into the university’s “N Club” Hall of Fame. He and his family planned to leave Baton Rouge late Friday night, accept what Banks called “a tremendous honor,” then pack up the car and head back to SU, where the team will crank up its first practice together at 6 p.m. inside the F.G. Clark Activity Center.



“I got the call out of the blue,” said Banks, fresh from an eight-year stint at Southeastern Louisiana. “I know several years ago, when I would go up there, they would tell me my time is coming up. I guess I got voted in there when my time came up. I’m just glad to know that the body of work that you did over time, that people respect it and appreciate it.”

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Melee erupts shortly after UAPB celebrates victory over SU

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas - What started as a celebration for Arkansas-Pine Bluff after its thrilling 22-21 victory Saturday night over Southern soon turned ugly after the final play, with swinging helmets, thrown punches, fans throwing soda bottles and some coaches and players getting hit with pepper spray.

The game had a wild finish preceding the fracas.

First, UAPB took a 22-15 lead on a 14-play, 79-yard drive ending with a Dennis Jenkins touchdown run and two-point conversion pass with 1:30 remaining.

Then, Southern completed a mad drive for what looked like it would be a game-tying score. The 76-yard, seven-play drive ended with no time on the clock when quarterback Dray Joseph found Sylvester Nzewke on an 11-yard throwback screen to get the Jaguars within 22-21, pending an extra point.

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Blackwell, Jackson lead B-CU over FVSU

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- With a third-string quarterback taking over the reins Saturday, Bethune-Cookman's offense was as explosive as ever. On the other hand, the other offense on the field was almost as prolific as the home team's.

B-CU and Fort Valley State combined for 1,070 yards as the host Wildcats shook off a dismal offensive performance at North Carolina A&T a week before to race past their Division II rival 58-30 before 4,921 fans at Municipal Stadium.

B-CU improved to 3-3, while FVSU fell to 1-6. B-CU sophomore David Blackwell passed for 222 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 92 yards in his first start. He left the game late in the third quarter after dislocating his thumb.

"We wanted to start David and give him an opportunity. And we were going to come back with Jackie (Wilson)," B-CU coach Brian Jenkins said. "David moved the offense well, we decided to go ahead and stay with him."

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NCCU takes beating from Morgan State

Durham, North Carolina -- The last time Morgan State visited Durham was Oct. 10, 1981, when the Bears won 35-27. N.C. Central would like to make it another 30 years after Saturday's 52-3 drubbing - its worse home loss since a 67-6 thrashing by Florida A&M in 1951.

All but 10 of Morgan State's points were in the first half.

The Bears have now won five of the last six meetings, including last year's 49-7 victory in Baltimore. The loss is NCCU's fourth straight, but this one, undoubtedly, is the most embarrassing.



"We got our tails whipped," NCCU coach Henry Frazier said. "We committed every penalty there is to commit in football. You name it, we did it."

Morgan State held the Eagles to minus-17 yards rushing, 52 total yards and just three first downs in the first half.

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CIAA Football: Winston-Salem State 62, Livingstone 7

Salisbury, North Carolina -- Livingstone knew it was operating with a small margin-for-error against 13th-ranked Winston-Salem State on Saturday. It just didn’t know how small.

“They’re not world-beaters,” coach Elvin James insisted after the Blue Bears flatlined and fell 62-7 at Alumni Stadium. “They weren’t the kind of team I thought would come in here and dominate us. But when you give a team ammunition to shoot at you — and you keep doing it — they’re gonna score.”

The visiting Rams (7-0, 6-0 CIAA) threw a cascade of offense at LC, reached the end zone nine times and clinched the league’s Southern Division championship, assuring themselves a berth in the Nov. 12 title game.

“That’s what we set out to do,” said second-year WSSU coach Connell Maynor. “Last year we went 8-2 and didn’t make it to the championship game, so we came in with a chip on our shoulders. Our expectations are high — win every game.”

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FAMU runs past Savannah State Tigers, 47-7

Savannah, Georgia -- Al-Terek McBurse came out of high school as one of the top running backs in Florida and signed with Purdue. But after two years as a Boilermaker, McBurse decided to transfer to Florida A&M to be closer to home. On Saturday, McBurse made the move pay off — running wild as the Rattlers dominated host Savannah State in a 47-7 MEAC victory.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound junior seemed to impose his will on the Tigers — piling up a career-high 218 yards on just 14 carries. He scored on touchdown runs of 5, 60 and 31 yards in front of 4,356 fans at T.A. Wright Stadium.

“I was raised by my grandmother and I just wanted to be closer to her,” McBurse said “And I was able to make the change without having to sit out a year. I’ve had better games in high school, but this is my best in college.

“I’ve got to credit my offensive line, fullback and receivers for allowing me to get to the second level,” McBurse said. “From there, I was able to ...

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McBurse scores 3 TDs as Rattlers blast the SSU Tigers

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Florida A&M had its hiccups throughout the night, but Saturday was a victory the Rattlers football team needed. Through it all, the offense showed a new-found spark in running back Al-Terek McBurse, who anchored a 47-7 victory over Savannah State on Saturday night at T.A. Wright Stadium.

McBurse, a transfer from Purdue, ran every play as if he wouldn't be denied, and in the process turned out to be the impact FAMU needed out of the backfield. By halftime, he had four carries for 114 yards. That included his biggest run of 60 yards for his second score.

McBurse finished the night with 218 yards, becoming the first FAMU running back since Philip Sylvester to go over 200 yards in a game. Sylvester rushed for 222 yards against Howard in 2007. McBurse also had two other touchdown runs of 5 and 31 yards.

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Old Ties

Although FAMU played SSU for only the fourth time, their ties go back almost a century. Six years before their first meeting in 1927, Ted Wright for whom the Tigers' stadium is named, was a coach at FAMU.

Wright coached two seasons at SSU, starting in 1947. That was 20 years after the first meeting between the two teams, which FAMU won 18-0.

They wouldn't meet again until 77 years later when the Rattlers again beat the Tigers, 50-14.



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Albany State: Beast of the east -- the Dirty Blue is back

Albany, Georgia -- Octavious Staton was open -- wide open -- and he made the catch, turned and waltzed into the right corner of the end zone all alone. He was in! Absolutely in! And so is Albany State.

Well, maybe not absolutely, but the Rams stood up Saturday night, lifted their season above their shoulders and tossed it right back on the tracks: Here comes the Golden Ram Express.

That's what Saturday's 25-15 victory against Morehouse means. It means the Rams can win the SIAC East if they win their last three games. It means the door is now open to the postseason.

It means the Rams control their destiny, just like they controlled Morehouse for most of the night. They had control of nothing until they won Saturday.

"There just was no tomorrow,'' ASU coach Mike White said. "It would have killed our season.''

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Grambling crushes Concordia

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — Grambling piled 16 points onto the scoreboard in the final 2:45 of the second quarter Saturday to provide a comfortable 30-0 lead by halftime. The Tigers (2-4, 1-3) added another two touchdowns after the break to claim the eventual 44-0 victory against visiting nonconference Concordia (4-3, 1-1).

"The kids have worked their behinds off — the ball just hasn't bounced for us," coach Doug Williams said. "Today the ball bounced our way a little bit."

Both teams started slowly until Grambling broke out of somewhat of a funk with a first-quarter screen pass from sophomore quarterback Frank Rivers to Mario Louis. The senior receiver broke tackles and took off downfield for an explosive 70-yard score.  Running back Dawrence Roberts capped a 71-yard drive two possessions later with a 1-yard touchdown for a 14-0 lead.

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Lane Dragons falls at homecoming to Tuskegee

Jackson, Tennessee -- Things went wrong all day for Lane College, and just about everything went right for Tuskegee. That added up to a 41-17 win for the Golden Tigers at Lane's homecoming.

"We just didn't have anything going right for us today," said Lane head coach Derrick Burroughs. "It's hard to find anything positive when you play like we did today. "They just kicked our butts on both sides of the ball."

Tuskegee head coach Willie Slater said his team is still a work in progress, but there was plenty to build on in the win. "We did a lot of good things, especially offensively," Slater said. "We're getting better in some areas, and our ground game is one of them."

The Tigers moved the ball at will at times in the first half against the Dragons, compiling 122 rushing yards on 25 carries while the defense held Lane to 38 yards before halftime. Most of Tuskegee's yards came in the second quarter.



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Georgetown defeats Howard, 21-3, to win Mayor’s Cup

Washington, D.C. -- For most of Saturday’s matchup between Howard and Georgetown, the District’s two Football Championship Subdivision teams, neither the Bison nor Hoyas generated much offense. Too many off-target passes, false-start penalties and missed field goals made for short stints for the offenses and little rest for the defenses.

But heading into the fourth quarter of the third Mayor’s Cup game, Howard’s defense began to wear down and Georgetown capitalized. The Hoyas scored two touchdowns in the final 10 minutes to win, 21-3, at Greene Stadium.

The victory capped a successful five-game stretch of away games for the Hoyas (5-2), who have won more games this season than in any of Coach Kevin Kelly’s six seasons at Georgetown.



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Tennessee State's big offense beats Tennessee Tech

COOKEVILLE, Tennessee — Tennessee State’s newfound explosive offense helped the Tigers score early and often on the way to a 42-40 upset over No. 19 Tennessee Tech. The win came on the heels of TSU’s 55-3 trouncing of Southeast Missouri last week.

It marked the first time TSU (3-4, 2-2) has won back-to-back OVC games since beating Southeast Missouri and Eastern Kentucky in 2009.

“It feels great to win two in a row and I’ve got about six hours to enjoy it and then I’m on to the next one,” said TSU redshirt freshman quarterback Mike German, who completed 19 of 29 passes for 232 yards with two TD passes and one TD run. “We were good on offense, but we’ve got to finish. We’ve got to keep it up longer and put teams away.”

Even after taking a 42-20 lead in the third quarter after Dante’ Thomas ran in his second TD, TSU wasn’t able to put Tech away until the final 15 seconds. Tech (4-2, 3-1) scored 20 points in the final 18:14.

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TTU FOOTBALL: Tech rally falls short

COOKEVILLE -- It went down to just one yard Saturday night. As the Tennessee Tech football team kicked the onside kick to get the ball back with about 15 seconds remaining, the officials ruled that the kick did not go the required distance, while the replay did.

But in the end, Tennessee State knocked off the No. 19 Golden Eagles 42-40, buoyed by four costly turnovers for Tech (4-2, 3-1 Ohio Valley Conference).

"It was just a disappointing loss for us," said Tech coach Watson Brown. "We got outplayed. They did the things they did last week (against Southeast Missouri) better. We have to play better. We can't turn the ball over. We can't have the penalties we had (11 for 80 yards). We have to play better defense. You can't win games when you can't stop people. You just can't outscore people every week."



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Xavier Gold Nuggets sweep Judson on road, earn 15th victory

MARION, Alabama — Kerris Crier and Moira Kirk had six kills apiece, and Xavier University of Louisiana allowed its fewest points in nearly a year in a 25-11, 25-8, 25-11 women's volleyball victory against Judson (Ala.) on Saturday.

The Gold Nuggets (15-5) rebounded from a three-set loss Thursday at Loyola and allowed their fewest points since a 25-4, 25-8, 25-10 victory at Tougaloo on Oct. 22, 2010. Xavier also set a school record with its fourth victory of the season on opponents' courts.

Eight Xavier players had multiple kills, including Iva Bobkova, Chinedu Echebelem and Taylor Reuther with four apiece and Jeanay Butler and Alexandria Rencher with three apiece. Seven Gold Nuggets served aces, and Bobkova had all three of hers — her season best — in the second set.

Xavier finished with 33 kills and nine aces. The Gold Nuggets are 5-0 this season in matches after losses.



"We played well after a long trip here," Xavier coach Christabell Hamilton said. "I got to switch some players' positions, and they stepped up and produced. We want to be ready for anything in case we have to scratch a player late because of illness like we did Thursday against Loyola."

Xavier is 4-4 on opponents' courts after going 6-30 in the program's first three seasons. Including neutral-site matches, the Gold Nuggets are 9-4 on the road this season.

Judson (5-15) lost its seventh in a row and its 14th in 15 matches. The Eagles are 0-4 in two seasons against Xavier.

Xavier will return to Alabama next Saturday for an 11 a.m. match against Mobile. The Gold Nuggets' next home match will start at 3 p.m. Oct. 28 against Faulkner.


Box score


By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: GCAC SPORTS

Benedict wins first game under Woody over Clark Atlanta

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College Tigers rushed for a season-high 185 yards against one of the top defenses in the SIAC to take a hard-earned 10-7 Homecoming victory over the Clark Atlanta Panthers on Saturday at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.

Tyquan Bazemore rushed for a season-high 80 yards, and Milton Myers rushed for a season-high 72 yards for the Tigers, who improved to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in the SIAC. “Our game plan was to run the ball,” said interim head coach James Woody. “We wanted to establish the run and then open up our screen passes and vertical game.”

Benedict finished with 267 total yards of offense against a Clark Atlanta team that ranked third in the SIAC, allowing just 122 yards rushing per game. The Panthers entered the game ranked 41st in the nation in total defense.




But the Tigers were the one to stand out defensively on Saturday. Clark Atlanta finished with 176 yards of total offense and had just 71 in the first half.

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University of West Georgia 23, Saint Augustine's 21

Carrollton, Georgia -- Davis Brackett didn’t exactly have the ideal start to his Saturday afternoon. The University of West Georgia junior place-kicker missed two of his first three field-goal attempts during the Wolves’ showdown with St. Augustine’s College at University Stadium, something that can put a specialist in a fragile state of mind should his number be called upon again.

And in this case, it most definitely would. But Brackett got his redemption by nailing a game-winning, 35-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Wolves to a thrilling, 23-21 victory over the Falcons — marking his second field goal of the fourth quarter after the shaky start for the Harrison High School product.

St. Augustine coach Michael Costa tried to ice Brackett before he booted the decisive kick through, something the Marietta native actually studied up on recently.

“It’s funny. Just a couple of weeks ago I read an article based off of opposing teams calling a timeout before kicking in hopes to ice the kicker. After reading that and kind of knowing what those stats were, you just realize that you practice all the time throughout the week,” Brackett said.



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SCSU Bulldogs look to snap little-recognized 12-game skid

Orangeburg, South Carolina -- For a non-conference matchup, today's first-ever meeting between Georgia State and South Carolina State carries significant meaning for both teams.

The visiting Panthers (1-4) arrive at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium looking to snap a four-game skid with another setback matching last year's loss total in the program's inaugural season.

In the case of the Bulldogs, a victory would give the team its first two-game winning streak of the season. It would also snap a 12-game losing streak to non-HBCU Football Championship Subdivision programs dating back to 1999.




While head coach Buddy Pough, who's 0-9 during his tenure in such games, points out the losses have come against formidable FCS teams such as Wofford, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, the topic is still a sore one for S.C. State.

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ASU Hornets stay focused on the road ahead

Montgomery, Alabama -- For the first six weeks of the season, Alabama State players needed no motivation. The Hornets were ready to play the season opener and their second game, at Eastern Michigan, featured a rare opportunity to play a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent.

Over the next four weeks, they played games against three teams -- Grambling, Alcorn and Texas Southern -- that had defeated them in 2010 and another (Jackson State) that was the preseason favorite to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference's East Division.

But with a 5-0 conference record and praise from all the black college football polls that are ranking the Hornets No. 1, is Alabama State running out of motivation as Prairie View A&M comes to town?

GAME TIME: 2:00 P.M. ET 
INTERNET Video Streaming: ESPN3



"We have a really mature group of guys that understand it's all about the next step," said ASU football coach Reggie Barlow. "We've experienced success and we're happy about it, but what's next?

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Former Alabama State star to play basketball for Canada’s NBL

Montgomery, Alabama -- Tyrone Leavett, a former standout player with the Notasulga Blue Devils and the Alabama State University Hornets, was a recent first-round draft choice of the London Lightning of the National Basketball League (NBL) of Canada.

Leavett’s 1998-2002 collegiate career with the Hornets saw him finish as the 11th leading scorer in the history of the ASU program with 1,552 points. He also had 944 rebounds, made 83 three-point shots, and hit 74 percent (477-641) of his free throws. He started 115 of the 118 games he played in over the course of his career.



He was a member of the first ASU squad to win a Southwestern Athletic Conference outright. Leavett has spent the past several years playing in Europe and was the third overall pick in the first round.  “Hearing my name called Sunday night during the draft was ...

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A&T defensive challenge awaits Delaware State Hornets

DOVER, Delaware -- Delaware State's football team did not make its last scheduled trip to North Carolina A&T. Instead, the Hornets forfeited the 2009 game because they scheduled a trip to play at the University of Michigan that same weekend. DSU lost that game 63-6 but earned more than $500,000 in the process.

Since those days, DSU has added a new athletic director in Derek Carter, a new head football coach in Kermit Blount and a renewed commitment to being a member of the MEAC. This afternoon, Delaware State (2-4, 0-3 in the MEAC) tries to stop a four-game losing streak when it visits North Carolina A&T (3-2, 2-0) at Aggie Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.

"I've been saying all along that this thing is going to turn and we're just not an inch, a half-inch, a quarter-inch, we're maybe a 16th-of-an-inch from being able to flip it around and make something real positive happen," Blount said.



DSU Hornets (2-4, 0-3) at North Carolina A&T (2-0, 3-2)
TIME: 1:30 p.m.
RADIO: WWTX-1290, WDOV-1410


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Former Central standout leading the way for Jackson State

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Marcellos Wilder is having a big season for the Jackson State University football team. He also has big dreams of one day playing in the National Football League and has a big influence to help him accomplish those goals.

His influence is his brother, Olympic medalist Deontay Wilder, who has become a role model for his younger brother and his football career.

“My brother and my family have always been encouraging people in my life.” Wilder said. “I really appreciate the things he tells me about working hard. Those things have gotten him where he is today. He tells me to work hard, earn people's respect and be a great teammate. He really stresses that.

“I have learned a lot from watching my brother come from a regular guy in Tuscaloosa to an Olympic boxer and a great role model. He motivates me. I see what he has done, and that makes me want to accomplish my goals and my dreams and do what he has done. He has set a good example for me.”



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SIAC Battle Of The Bands Week 5

The CAU Mighty Marching Panthers face off against the Morehouse Machine Marching Band

Fort Valley State Wildcats hoping to get on track on road at B-CU

Daytona Beach, Florida -- Fort Valley State is sputtering, and Bethune-Cookman isn’t exactly operating as finely tuned as hoped for. And they will battle each other Saturday in a game being billed as the inaugural “Biker Classic” in Daytona Beach, part of the weekend’s Biketoberfest.

Both groups of Wildcats hope to avoid turning in a moped performance in front of the bikers.
FVSU is 1-5 and Bethune-Cookman is 2-3, and both are out of their respective conference races, Bethune-Cookman in the FCS Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

It’s the second game against an FCS opponent this season for FVSU, and a fair amount of success in the first game -- a 28-22 loss to Florida A&M -- has given the struggling Wildcats some confidence.

“They might have more talented players, but I think if we get after it, we’ll be OK,” defensive end Emanuel Williams said, citing Bethune-Cookman having more scholarship players as a Division I program. “As long as we don’t make mental mistakes.”

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Game preview: Tuskegee at Lane College

When: 2 p.m. today
Where: Jackson, Tenn.
Records: Tuskegee (1-4); Lane (3-3)
On the air: None

FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY
1. Close. That's where Tuskegee head coach Willie Slater believes his program is, despite its 1-4 start. "I think we're getting better every week," Slater said. A big part of the Golden Tigers' struggles so far, Slater said, has been their youth. After a knee injury sidelined starting quarterback Jeremy Williams for four weeks, Slater was forced to insert freshman Justin Nared at QB. Three freshmen on the offensive line and an inexperienced backfield adds to the mistake-prone offense.

2. Slater said Williams' knee injury won't keep the junior quarterback out of the lineup much longer. "He was out here running steps today, so I think he's a little ahead on his rehab," Slater said. Williams was injured in the first half of Tuskegee's loss to Alabama A&M three weeks ago.



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WSSU can lock up division today at Livingstone

Winston Salem, North Carolina -- Winston-Salem State will try to remain undefeated today with a game at last-place Livingstone. The Rams (6-0, 5-0 CIAA), ranked No. 13 in the NCAA Division II poll, can clinch the Southern Division title with a win over the Blue Bears (1-5, 0-3). Game time is 6 p.m.

After doing just enough in a 35-28 win over St. Augustine's last week, the Rams should have an easier time against the Blue Bears, who average a CIAA-worst 10.8 points a game. The Rams allowed 464 passing yards last week. Of course, the Falcons did throw the ball 65 times, something that coach Connell Maynor of the Rams pointed out.



"We have to address it," Maynor said about the pass defense. "But they threw the ball 65 times. Most teams don't throw it that much in two games. When you throw the ball that many times and have 37 completions, you should have 400-something yards. "But we still won the game."

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