TSU Tiger Camp 2018: Day 16 - Second Scrimmage

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Scrimmage #2
Venue: William J. Hale Stadium
Weather: Partly Sunny, 82
Total Plays: 100

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee State participated in its final scrimmage before the start of classes on Monday. The Tigers once again opened with a 7-on-7 session before engaging in a 100 play scrimmage.

The defense was solid on the day, but the offense scored three touchdowns and three field goals on the day. Transfer quarterback Demry Croft took 46 snaps and tossed a pair of touchdown passes, while Micheal Hughes worked 21 and produced a scoring pass. Cameron Rosendahl was held out of the end zone during his 34 plays after recording the only touchdown in the first scrimmage.

Both Croft and Hughes closed out their second drives with scoring passes. Croft teamed with Chris Rowland for a 15 yard touchdown, Hughes connected on a 33-yarder to Sabree Curtis, Jr. Croft added a six yard scoring pass to Al-Malik Moore to conclude a 14 play drive.

TOTALS

• Rushing: 36 carries for 106 yards
• Passing: 25-of-45 for 303 yards
• Touchdowns: Three
• Sacks: Five
• Ian Martin tallied two, while Dell Porter, Mekhi Brown and Landon Brazile recorded a sack
• Dajour Nesbeth forced a  fumble
• Lawrence Segree II and Shawn McColley recovered fumbles

THE SCRIMMAGE

• Dell Porter secured a sack to force a three-and-out on the offenses first series.
• On the second drive of the scrimmage, Mekhi Brown sacked Demry Croft to set up a third and 15.
• Croft kept the drive alive by escaping the pass rush and finding Malik Abdul-Haqq down the sideline for a 49 yard completion.
• Two plays later, Croft hooked up with Chris Rowland on a 15 yard touchdown to open the scoring.
• Micheal Hughes took to the field and suffered the same results as Croft’s first series.
• Landon Brazil forced Hughes to get rid of the ball early to get the defense off the field in three plays.
• Hughes responded on his second drive by moving the offense down the field for a score.
• Hughes, Earl Harrison and Seth Rowland each reeled off eight run runs to put the Tigers one yard shy of midfield.
• Hughes delivered on a third and long, finding Chris Rowland across the middle for a 12 yard gain and a first down.
• Two plays later, Sabree Curtis took a Hughes pass at the 30 and outran defenders to the goal line for a 33 yard score.
• The Big Blue took a break from the scrimmage to run a pair of “coming out” scenarios – where the offense starts on their own three yard line and tries to produce a first down.
• The defense forced a three-and-out in the first set.
• On the second set, Hughes hit Abdul-Haqq for an 11 yard gain to gain the first down.
• The defense stood tall once again as the scrimmage resumed, as Josh Green broke up a pass attempt on third down to produce a three-and-out.
• On the next series, Croft once again kept a drive alive by teaming with Chris Rowland for 15 yards on a third and 15, moving to the defense’s 20.
• Seven plays later, Croft found redshirt-freshman Al-Malik Moore in the back corner of the end zone for a six yard touchdown.
• The scrimmage was followed by a Red Zone drill, a 4-minute series and a 2-Minute Offense series.

RED ZONE DRILL (Quarterbacks: Micheal Hughes and Cameron Rosendahl)

• The defense held the offense to a field goal on each of the two attempts.
• Hughes moved the Tigers to the eight on the first play, as Chris Rowland hauled in a 17 yard reception.
• The offense could not cross the goal line and settled for a 23 yard field goal by freshman kicker Kaleb Mosley.
• Cameron Rosnedahl started his series with a six yard completion to Lawrence Segree II, moving inside the 20.
• Redshirt sophomore Ian Martin would break through the line and set the offense back six yards with a sack of Rosendahl.
• Freshman kicker Antonio Zita split the uprights from 37 yards out.

TWO MINUTE DRILL

• Croft threw a three yard pass to Chris Rowland on a fourth and two to get a new set of downs, but the clock ran out as Mekhi Brown sacked Croft.
• Rosendahl moved the offense across midfield with completions to Josh Trueheart for 13 yards and Major Bellamy, Jr. for another 16.
• Rosendahl would team up with the duo again to move the offense to the five to set up a last second field goal.
• Trueheart, a redshirt freshman tight end, pulled in a Rosendahl pass and made his way down the field for 19 yards before getting out of bunds to stop the clock.
• Bellamy, a junior transfer, took a Rosndahl pass for 20 yards to the five on the final play before the attempt.
• Zita made the 22 yard attempt with no time remaining on the clock to cap off a 12 play drive.

OFFENSE

• Junior transfer Demry Croft finished 11-of-20 for 131 yards with two touchdowns.
• Redshirt junior Michael Hughes was 9-for-14 for 94 yards and a touchdown.
• Junior transfer Cameron Rosendahl completed 5-of-11 passes for 78 yards.
• Seth Rowland led all rushers with 22 yards on three carries.
• The offense shared the rushing attempts amongst 12 runners.
• Chris Rowland led all receivers with eight receptions and 78 yards.
• The quarterbacks used nine different receivers throughout the scrimmage.
• Malik Abdul-Haqq amassed 67 yards on three catches, while Steven Newbold caught a pair of 22 yard passes.

DEFENSE

• Jeremy Patterson, Christion Abercrombie, Ronnie Killings and Vincent Sellers all garnered five tackles.
• John Robinson IV, Terry Straughter and Nick Harper, Jr. each made four stops.
• Robinson and Josh Green had pass breakups, while Dwayne Johnson had a pass deflection.
• Landon Brazile picked up a quarterback hurry.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• The Senior Kickoff Luncheon is set for Fri., August 24
• Fan day will be held on Sat., August 25
• Mock Game is set for the evening of Sat., August 25
• Tennessee State will face Bethune-Cookman in the John Merritt Classic on Sat., September 1

Redshirt Sophomore Defensive Tackle Ian Martin- On the last scrimmage of camp
“To be honest, I was glad to get it over with. Both offense and defense came out, did our job and we got better today.”

- On the highlight of the scrimmage
“I would have to say when Coach Reed gave us that pass interference penalty on the two-minute drill. The defense came together and succeeded.”

- On improvements up to today’s scrimmage 
“Coach Nick (Davison) told me how to read my keys. I play multiple spots, so I have to play differently at each position, and Coach Nick taught me a lot.”

- On defensive leadership
“It starts with Coach Nick (Davison), then the upper classmen. We’re all one.”

Junior Running Back Te'kendrick Roberson- On the last scrimmage of camp
“In the scrimmage today, coach tried to put us in a lot of situations to get ready for the first game. We’re trying to put ourselves in different situations for the last scrimmage.”

- On offense’s performance
“I felt like the offense did well today. We moved the ball down the field and scored the first two drives. Basically, we’re just working on stuff getting ready for the first game.”

- On individual improvements made during camp
“Basically just getting my shoulders square, knowing the plays and working on my hands.”

- On offensive leadership
“We have a lot of leadership like T. (Thomas) Burton, (Steven) Newbold and the rest of the boys. They’ve been here multiple years, so they know what it takes to win games, and know what happened in the past years that made us lose games, so we listen to them.”

- On goal for game versus Bethune-Cookman
“We’re just trying to set examples for the first game and show the OVC we’re better than sixth.”

TSU Volleyball Wraps Fall Camp with Annual Alumni Match

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NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee State volleyball hosted its annual Alumni Match Saturday afternoon in the Gentry Center. The match signals the end of fall camp for the program, and with a 3-0 run (25-17, 25-16, 25-19) the team continued its streak of beating the alumni during the preseason match.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• JUCO transfer JoJo Kruize brought the heat at the service line helping the Tigers with five-point runs in two of the three sets.
• Fellow Hawaii-native Laken Te’o facilitated the offense, scoring the winning point with a dump to the middle of the floor in set one.
• Returners Rachel Henderson and Julia Pierson, both Texans and both six-rotation middle blockers, took on leadership roles at the net and in the back row, posting multiple kills and strong blocks to stop the alumni offense.
• Kylie Hayes and Gina Rivera Ortiz locked down the backcourt digging up each and every attack the power hitters on the alumni squad served.

The alumni team consisted of Catherine Armwood,  all-time leader in digs (1,691), Assistant Coach Vicmari Prospero, the all-time leader in hitting percentage (.266), Christian Lowe, ranked top 10 in kills, attacks, block assists, total blocks and hitting percentage, Taylor Patterson, ranked eleventh in career digs (930), sixth in aces (92), and the most recent graduate, Alexis Johnson.

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UDC's Earl Jones to be Inducted in Small College Basketball Hall of Fame

DC basketball legend Earl Jones is honored by then school president, Robert Green, before his final home game at UDC. Jones was the first two-time NABC Division II Player of the Year.

BALDWIN CITY, Kansas – University of the District of Columbia men's basketball great Earl Jones will be inducted in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame on November 2 at the Stoney Creek Inn and Conference Center, St. Joseph, Missouri. 

This year's class, the third in Small College Basketball Hall of Fame history, includes 12 members.

Jones was the first two-time National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Player of the Year in 1983 and 1984, a three-time First Team NABC All-American from 1982-84, and he led the Firebirds to an NCAA Division II championship in 1982 and a runner-up finish in 1983.

The imposing, seven-foot tall center was a two-time NCAA Championship All-Tournament team selection in 1982 and 1983. He remains second on the school's all-time scoring list with 2,256 career points for a 20.7 per-game average over 109 total games. He still holds the school's all-time record for rebounds with 1,168 (10.7 average per-game), and he shot a career average of 54.1 percent from the field and 77.6 from the free throw line.

Jones will be inducted along with the following inductees: John Barnhill (Tennessee A&I), ML Carr (Guilford), Pat Douglass (Cal State Bakersfield), Philip Hutcheson (Lipscomb), Charles Oakley (Virginia Union), John Pierce (Lipscomb), Terry Porter (Wisconsin-Stevens Point), Leonard "Truck" Robinson (Tennessee State), Clarence Walker (Indiana State), Marvin Webster (Morgan State) and John Wooden (Coach).

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North Carolina A&T State University Fun Fest 2018

The 2018-2019 edition of the Blue & Gold Marching Machine perform's "Smash Something" for the crowd & football team at the Aggie Fun Fest!

BGMM Media team:
Damien Cash (Coordinator), Jasmine Kerr, Darius Davis, Trenton Pinnix, Fisher Reaves, Ryan Murray, Jarvis Hough, Jarrell Harris, Jacques Rogers, Dr. Lamon Lawhorn (Director)

Like, share, subscribe to the channel and follow the band on social media:
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(WATCH) PVAMU's KhaDarel Hodge Makes Another Big Play For LA Rams In Preseason Win

CLICK TO WATCH HODGE 47-YARD CATCH!

LOS ANGELES, California – Former Prairie View A&M wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge made another big play for the Los Angeles Rams during Saturday's preseason game against Oakland.

Hodge made a leaping 47-yard catch in the second quarter with a Raiders' defender in coverage. The drive ended with a Rams' field goal.

In the third quarter, Hodge caught a 10-yard pass that led to another Ram field goal in the 19-15 win. Hodge finished the game with two catches for 57 yards.

Last season for the Panthers, Hodge earned first-team All-SWAC honors, as well as Black College All-America accolades from both BOXTOROW and SBN/Power News Radio Network. Hodge was third in the SWAC in both receptions (48) and receiving yards (844), second in yards per catch (17.6) and first in touchdown receptions (12).

In his last seven games of 2017, he caught 39 passes for 746 yards and 11 touchdowns, posting three 100-yard receiving games and four multi-TD receiving games. Hodge broke Otis Taylor's 53-year old single-game receiving yards school record with 232 yards on eight receptions and three touchdowns vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 11. In his three-year career, Hodge caught 104 passes for 1,797 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Hodge, who caught an eight-yard scoring pass in the preseason opener at Baltimore, now has four receptions for 71 yards and one touchdown in two preseason games. The Rams return to preseason action next Saturday, August 25 hosting the Houston Texans.

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Malik Amos Signs with Dillard University

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana -- Coastal Bend Men's Shooting Guard, Malik Amos recently signed with Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana to further his education and playing career. Amos joins the Bleu Devils and will be competing in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) which is associated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA) Division I.

Amos leaves CBC holding a 19.5 points per game average while shooting 43.1 % from three point range. The Missouri City native also scored in double figures 22 times this past season and scored more than 20 points, 15 times during his 26 contests. Amos tied a school record previously held by CBC graduate and All-Lone Star Conference guard Willie Rooks with 40 points scored in a single-game against Victoria College, back in November. That night he made 14-17 and netted eight out of ten shots from beyond the arc. Those eight long distance baskets tied the CBC record for 3-point Baskets with former teammate Rashon Thomas.

Head Men's Basketball Coach, Carliss Robinson on Amos: "Malik had a great year with us, here at Coastal Bend and was a pleasure to coach. This kid is one of the best shooters I've ever seen. Malik ended up second in our Region in scoring at around 20 points per game. He's a great kid with a great family, I'm very excited about his future going to Dillard University."

Amos is currently undecided on major.

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Langston Lions Adds 6'-10" Transfer Forward Edmond Franklin

LANGSTON, Oklahoma - Langston University men's basketball coach Stan Holt announced the commitment of 6-10 forward Edmond Franklin of Coastal Bend College in Beeville, Texas for the upcoming 2018-19 campaign.

"We are thrilled to welcome Edmond (Franklin) into our basketball family here at Langston," said Holt, who has guided the Lions to three-straight seasons of at least 20 wins. "He's a great young man, he's dedicated to giving great effort to become the best player he is capable of being. I'm most excited about Edmond being a defensive anchor. His teammates are going to love him because he's a very unselfish, team first player. He wants to play Lion basketball which is tough, hard-nosed defense."

Franklin, from Houston, Texas signed with the Lions,  a NAIA institution (Red River Conference) in Langston, Oklahoma.  Franklin was a defensive terror for the Cougars, as he was among the Region and Nations leaders in Blocked Shots Per Game with 3.9 and a total of 101 rejections.

Coach Carliss Robinson on Franklin: "I felt like Ed was coaches dream, he worked his tail off everyday (individual workouts, practice, and games). He anchored our defense throughout the year. Ed always had a great attitude and was a pleasure to coach. I'm so proud of him and what he accomplished this season with us. He lead all Division 1 Junior College Basketball in blocked shots this year. He'll do a great job for Coach Holt at Langston university. ."

Franklin averaged 5.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and ranked fourth in the nation with 3.9 blocks per game. The rangy post player led Coastal Bend in field goal percentage, blocked shots, and ranked second in rebounding.

Langston is coming off a 21-win season and a trip to the NAIA DI National Tournament Second Round in Kansas City. The Lions open the season on the road vs Jarvis Christian College on Nov. 2.

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Savannah State completes Orange and Blue scrimmage

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- The Tigers of Savannah State completed their first and only scrimmage of the fall on Saturday at T.A. Wright Stadium ahead of their Aug. 30 season opener at Alabama-Birmingham.

Savannah State (3-8 overall, 3-5 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2017) committed some expected pre-snap penalties and had some miscommunication in the receiving corps that coach Erik Raeburn said comes with the territory in preseason scrimmages.

“It was good for us to get out there and get in some live situations,” Raeburn said following the scrimmage, which began at 1 p.m. “For the defense, it was good to evaluate their tackling skills in live situations, and for the offense it was good for those guys to get to do some cut blocking and other things for us to evaluate their technique.”



Raeburn, now in his third year leading the Tigers, said that All-MEAC defensive end Stefen Banks (70 tackles, 18 for loss, 10 sacks in 2017) was held out of the scrimmage due to an infection in his finger. Banks, a senior, did not practice all week but will return to the practice field on Monday, Raeburn said.

Along with Banks, another senior defensive lineman in Brandon Carswell figures to be a premier playmaker on a Tiger defense under the direction of first-year defensive coordinator Shawn Quinn.

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Big plays from defense highlight Norfolk State second football scrimmage

NORFOLK, Virginia -- In a two-and-a-half hour scrimmage Saturday afternoon, it was the Spartan defense that came up with several big plays and key stops to highlight the team's second intrasquad scrimmage that capped NSU's preseason training camp.

Aaron Chandler returned a blocked field goal approximately 50 yards for a score and linebacker James Byers returned an interception 60 yards down the field before he was stopped just short of a touchdown as the defense made a strong showing throughout.

"Last week the offense drove right down the field (to start the first scrimmage). Today, the defense bounced back and had several three-and-outs to get things started," Scott said. "I thought we tackled better on defense and got after the offense from the outset. Overall, I would say the defense probably had a better day."



The defense started fast by not allowing a first down on the first four possessions of the day. Bobby Price had a pair of pass deflections as the first-team defense held its offensive counterparts to a four-and-out to open the scrimmage. On the next set of downs, lineman Walter Brantley and linebacker Tyre Givers-Wilson both had stops behind the line of scrimmage to force another four-and-out.

Sacks by Matt Hodges and Ricky Thomas Jr. thwarted the third and fourth possessions by the offense, respectively.

After a special teams period, the offense gained its footing with a long 10+ play drive, which Gerald Hulett Jr. capped with a 3-yard touchdown run around the left end.

The offense also got into the end zone in the second half of the scrimmage when quarterback Juwan Carter found wideout Stuart Anderson for an 8-yard touchdown pass. After taking a short throw, Anderson broke a tackle and fought his way into the end zone.

Byers later notched a big turnover for the defense. He caught a Carter pass which was deflected at the line of scrimmage and nearly scored. Byers shook off a tackle by Carter and was caught just before the end zone by wideout Marcus Taylor.



Chandler's touchdown came after a blocked field goal a short time later.

Josh Nardone booted a trio of field goals for the offense in the scrimmage's second half, with a long of about 35 yards.

"We learned these past two weeks that we have a chance to be successful," Scott said. "Every coach is looking for consistency this time of year. It's hard in scrimmage-type situations, but you have to find ways to have both sides of the ball play well at the same time. Overall, we had a productive training camp."

The Spartans start first-semester classes Monday before beginning preparations for the season-opener against Virginia State in the Union Bank & Trust Labor Day Classic. The season kicks off at William "Dick" Price Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m.

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East Carolina to host Norfolk State in 2020, Campbell in 2022

COURTESY: NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

GREENVILLE, North Carolina -- The East Carolina Pirates will host the Norfolk State Spartans in 2020 and the Campbell Camels in 2022, FBSchedules.com has learned.

Copies of the game contracts were obtained from East Carolina University via a state public records request.

East Carolina will host Norfolk State at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina on Sept. 19, 2020. The Pirates will pay the Spartans a $300,000 guarantee for the game, per the contract.

The 2020 contest between ECU and Norfolk State will mark their-first ever meeting on the gridiron.

Norfolk State is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Last season, the Spartans finished 4-7 overall and 4-4 in conference play.

Campbell will travel to face East Carolina in Greenville on Sept. 10, 2022. The Camels will receive a $350,000 guarantee for the game, according to a copy of the contract.

ECU and Campbell first met on the gridiron in 1933 and have squared off a total of four times. The Camels currently lead the series 3-1, but the teams haven’t played since 1939.

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Notebook: Quarterback race, depth chart begins to take shape as Southern closes camp with team scrimmage

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern's quarterback race may be hitting its final stages.

With two weeks until the Jaguars go to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on TCU for the season opener, coach Dawson Odums said his staff will evaluate the scrimmage film and begin to make a depth chart.

Odums fell short of saying a starter would be named any time soon, maintaining the strategy of letting the race play out in the first few games.

“We’ll have a better plan of how we’ll do it,” Odums said. “Whether we name a starter or not, that’s not first on the agenda. It’s about having a plan that allows our offense to execute at a high level. Whatever that plan is, whether that’s naming a starter, understanding or shortening down the playbook or being able to call plays according to what each guy is good at.”

Southern listed John Lampley, Bubba McDaniel and Ladarius Skelton as the top three quarterbacks at the start of preseason camp.

As he’s done all preseason, Lampley took most of the first-team snaps in Saturday's scrimmage with McDaniel running with the second team and Skelton with the third. McDaniel got limited time with first-team snaps while Skelton took a few near the end of the day.

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NSU Volleyball Green Hangs on to Top Gold, 3-2

NORFOLK, Virginia – Green took control in the middle of the match and then held on in extra points in the fifth set to defeat Gold 3-2 on Saturday afternoon. The Norfolk State volleyball program held its annual Green vs. Gold Scrimmage at Gill Gymnasium before the start of the fall semester.



Green benefitted from a balanced attack, with sophomores Quiana Griffin (12 kills) and Taylor Eichelberger (10 kills) and junior Bojana Bolozan (11 kills) leading the way. They actually fell in the first set however, 25-20, but stormed back to win sets 2 and 3, 25-14 and 25-12.
 
But just as Green was ready to end the match early, Gold rallied in the latter stages of the fourth set to win 25-22. Neither team led by more than two points in the fifth set. Green had three chances to put it away but saw Gold stay alive each time. Then on its fourth chance, Green was able to finally end the match by taking the last set, 20-18.
 
Green also got eight kills from junior Daiysa Burrell and five each from sophomore Jazmine Craig and junior Halley McKnight on the way to the win. Gold, meanwhile, was led by junior Anna Rupertova with 15 kills. No one else had more than six kills for Gold.
 
Bolozan and McKnight sparked Green in the first set, but Rupertova had several kills and service aces late in the set to lead Gold to the win. Green then pulled away in the second set, using an 11-2 run to turn a one-point lead into a 21-11 advantage.
 
After finishing off the second set, Green stormed out to an 11-1 lead in the third set. McKnight and Eichelberger each had three service aces during that time, and Eichelberger sparked Green to increase the lead to as much as 13.
 
Bolozan had a pair of kills to start the fourth set, and kills by several different players allowed Green to eventually go up by as much as six. Eichelberger's kill made it 13-7, but Gold rallied after that point. Freshman Symone Thomas had a block and a kill to get things going, and junior Ashley Patterson tallied three straight service aces to get Gold to within one.
 
A few errors on Green gave the lead back to Gold and then extended it to four. Rupertova had a pair of kills late to keep the match alive.
 
Thomas and Griffin each had two kills early in the fifth set as the teams went back and forth. Each team got kills from three different players, but then kills by McKnight and Griffin and a block from freshman Alyx Steitz made it 13-12 in favor of Green.
 
Another block by Steitz kept the match alive for Green, but kills from Rupertova, Patterson and sophomore Jannel Ezeagwu allowed Gold to keep going. Another kill from Patterson made it 18-17 in favor of Gold, but kills from Eichelberger and Bolozan and another block from Bolozan finished off the match for Green.
 
Both Patterson and Eichelberger each had five service aces, while McKnight added four. Patterson and Thomas each had six kills as well to complement Rupertova. Green finished with 12 service aces for the match compared to nine for Gold.
 
Bolozan and Ezeagwu each led their respective teams with six blocks. Steitz had four, while Griffin and Thomas each added three.
 
The Spartans will practice for another two weeks before playing their first matches of the season on August. 31 at Georgetown.

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Former FAMU Rattler, long drive champ Allen back home

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Maurice Allen is one of professional golf’s biggest hitters. The multiple Long Drive champion can generate club-heads speed in excess of 150 mph and his longest drive on record is 488 yards. Allen’s one of the sports’ biggest personalities, too. His smile and laugh are infectious, and his impersonation of wrestler Ric Flair is spot-on.

All this – and much more – were on display Saturday in the Tallahassee Open at Hilaman Golf Course.

“It’s almost like a shock when you see his ball – it just never falls,” playing partner and fellow professional Evin Jenkins said.


“He pretty much overpowers every hole.”

Allen’s bone-crushing drives were on display in the opening round of the two-day tourney, but he struggled with his short game and is not among the leaders. But that’s fine. Allen didn’t have any illusions about winning the tourney due to injuries this season. But his body – powerfully built at 5 foot 8 and 230 pounds - is feeling better, and the Orlando resident saw a lot of positives in his game.

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First look: Southern brings fresh look with new Under Armour apparel and equipment deal

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Years ago, Derek Price asked former Southern football coach Marino Casem why the university’s colors were Columbia blue and gold.

“Because God is a Jaguar fan,” Casem said.

“What?” Price asked, confused as to why that had to do with anything.

“Why else would the sky be Columbia blue and the sun gold?”



In 40 years around the school, including 36 handling the Jaguars’ athletic equipment, Price never learned the real reason Southern adopted its official colors.

He doesn’t care. He likes this explanation better.

For the past four decades, every uniform, every piece of sporting equipment, every shoe, every ball, every jersey to bear Southern’s colors was handled by Price.

He has worked under seven head football coaches and seen seven changes in apparel providers. He hasn’t missed a football game since he stepped on campus as a player in 1978.

Saturday is among his crowning achievements.

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Defense shines in Southern's final scrimmage of preseason camp

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Starting near his own end zone, quarterback John Lampley dropped back into the end zone on the opening play of Southern’s full-team scrimmage Saturday, when he spotted a streaking Kendall Catalon over the middle of the field.

Lampley threw the ball 40 yards just in front of the undersized receiver and past the trailing defender where only Catalon could catch it with a sliding effort.

If only for a moment, Southern’s offense was in control at A.W. Mumford Stadium.



The defense controlled most of the rest of the day.

For the next two hours, the Jaguars defense locked down Lampley, Catalon and the offense to limit the number of big plays any of the first-, second- or third-team groups produced.

The offense rarely replicated big yardage gained on that opening snap and failed to break into the end zone until drives began in or near the red zone as the day progressed.

Coach Dawson Odums said he was mainly looking for the offense to garner a few first downs on those early drives and said what he saw was adequate.

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Morgan State-Towson Hold Battle For Greater Baltimore Press Conference

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Representatives from Morgan State University and Towson University held a press conference Thursday afternoon at the Glory Day's Grill Restaurant to talk about the Second Annual Battle for Greater Baltimore football game that will resume Sept. 1 at Hughes Stadium.

Morgan State's Director of Athletics, Edward Scott and interim head football coach, Ernest T. Jones sat with Towson AD, Tim Leonard and head football coach, Rob Ambrose for the Battle for Greater Baltimore press conference.


Towson's Athletic Director, Tim Leonard and head football coach, Rob Ambrose sat with Morgan State AD, Edward Scott and interim head football coach, Ernest T. Jones for the Battle for Greater Baltimore press conference.

Scott spoke about the importance of the game to both schools.
 
"First of all I want to give credit to Tim [Leonard]. It was a joint effort. The game itself was going to be played, but we wanted to figure out how we could do something for the city of Baltimore," said Scott. "When we started last year I think a lot of folks don't realize that we meet during the year. Our two staffs actually get together. This year they came to us. We spent about two hours together, had lunch and went through all the details. It's much different than a normal game.

"The second piece is the community service component. To be able to tie together two initiatives that mean so much to both programs is going to do a great deal for Baltimore, but most importantly, it will show our student-athletes how they're looked at as role models, and that's something that Tim and I talked about when we wanted to design this whole Battle for Greater Baltimore from the beginning."

"This is a statement game," said Jones when asked about the impact of the game on recruiting and marketing. "It's a game where both universities and administrations are saying 'This is your game'.  It's important that we give a game back to the city; that we give a game back to the community. When you're talking about recruiting, everybody can't go to Alabama. Everybody can't go to Maryland, Virginia and Virginia Tech. But you can go to Towson. You can go to Morgan.

"It's a big deal and a big stage. We know that once a year, you'll get on a big stage and have a chance to play in front of the city of Baltimore—in fact, the state if we blow it up to the point that everybody will want to come to this football game. If you don't go to a major division I school, you'll go to Towson or Morgan—that's what this game is."

This year's Battle for Greater Baltimore will feature an array of scheduled and planned events including a combined community service event with the YMCA of Central Maryland and Special Olympics Maryland on Saturday at 3 p.m. The YMCA is on 33rd Street in Baltimore.

Additionally, on gameday there will be an Alumni Happy Hour/Mixer and a live WEAA 88.9 FM Radio Show Remote at 16 On the Park, and Towson Alumni Tailgate at Morgan State. 

Due to scheduling conflicts, the teams will not play in 2019. However, they are scheduled to play in 2020 (at Towson) and 2021 (at Morgan State). During the press conference, both ADs noted that they are working out the details of extending the series for the future.
 
Saturday, September 1, will mark the 25th meeting in the series between the two university football programs that began with a 34-7 Morgan State win on September 1, 1979, at Towson. The Tigers hold an 18-6 advantage in the all-time series and will be playing at Hughes Stadium for the first time since outlasting the Bears, 28-21, on September 8, 2007. 

The game will be broadcast by WEAA 88.9FM and televised locally and regionally (check your local listings). 
 
Morgan State's last win against Towson was on August 30, 2003 when the Bears pulled off a 19-16 victory at Hughes Stadium.
 
Morgan State opened the 2017 season with a 10-0 loss against Towson in the inaugural Battle for Greater Baltimore at Johnny Unitas® Stadium. It marked the first matchup between the teams in six years. Morgan State and Towson played nearly every season from 1979 through 2011, and were excited to see this historical series return.
 
The game will also feature the world famous Morgan State University Magnificent Marching Machine and Towson University Marching Band.



For ticket information click here. 

Fans can keep up-to-date with all MSU Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/MorganStBears and @MSUBearFootball. You can also become a fan of the Bears on Facebook at Facebook.com/MorganStateBears.

About Morgan
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

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Championship Coach Shawn Walker Returns to Lead ECSU Vikings Men’s Basketball

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina -- Former Viking championship coach, Shawn Walker, is returning to Elizabeth City State University to take the helm as head coach of the men's basketball program. Walker, a university alum, was ECSU's championship head coach from 2002 to 2014.

While heading up the ECSU men's basketball program, Walker led the Vikings to the 2007 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association men's championship.

"We are very pleased for the return of ECSU Hall of Famer, Shawn Walker, to the Mighty Viking family," said ECSU Athletic Director George L. Bright. "We are thrilled to welcome him back home. Coach Walker will be a positive influence on our Viking community."

Walker, a Roper, North Carolina native, is a 1994 ECSU graduate. During his time as a student-athlete, Walker was an All-CIAA guard for the Vikings in 1993 and 1994 under former Viking coach and former Interim Athletic Director, Claudie Mackey.

In 2014, Walker left ECSU to become the men's head basketball coach at Grambling State University. While at Grambling, Walker led the Division I team for three seasons.

ECSU Interim Chancellor Karrie Dixon says there is excitement surrounding Walker's arrival on campus and it's clear that he is the right man for the job.

"This is an exciting time for ECSU athletics," said Dixon. "To have the Viking championship, head basketball coach Shawn Walker return to his alma mater signals great things for our program. We look forward to the program flourishing under his direction."

Bright added that Walker is bringing not only a winning record back to ECSU, but also a solid foundation in leadership to the campus community.

"Coach Walker returns to ECSU with a championship, winning record of success in the CIAA, and brings significant Division I and II level experience, and strives for excellence in off-court achievements," said Bright.

"We desired a head coach who possessed several defining characteristics: leadership, relentless recruiting ability, accountability, character and integrity, a proven winner, and an unwavering commitment to our men's basketball program to the next level."

Follow Elizabeth City State Athletics via its official website at: www.ecsuvikings.com to get pre and post-game stories and updates. Like us on Facebook at: ECSU Athletics and follow us on twitter at: @ECSUVikings.

ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

B-CU Head Coach Terry Sims discusses Saturday’s scrimmage

Jonathan Hernandez Named B-CU DiamondCats Head Coach

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida --  – Jonathan Hernandez has been named the new head coach for the Bethune-Cookman University baseball program, announced Tuesday afternoon by Bethune-Cookman Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lynn W. Thompson.
 
"We are delighted to have Jonathan Hernandez join us as the new head coach for our Wildcats Baseball program," said Lynn W. Thompson. "After a thorough national search, it was clear that Jonathan was a rising talent that we couldn't allow to pass us by."

Hernandez joins Bethune-Cookman after spending the previous four years at ASA College in Miami. He served as the school's first head coach after being named to the post in May 2014. He was responsible for all of ASA's program aspects, including being the recruiting coordinator, coordinating travel and budgets, scheduling and equipment maintenance and ordering. All of this while still serving as the head coach. In his time with ASA, his teams excelled on the field and in the classroom, with the team maintaining a 3.21 Grade Point Average (GPA) across five years.
 
"I am extremely excited about being head coach for such a prestigious baseball program like Bethune-Cookman University," said Hernandez. "I just want to thank Interim President Hubert Grimes, Mr. Lynn Thompson and everyone at the university for trusting in me to lead this team and program.
 
"There are some pretty big shoes to fill after this team is just a year away from being in an NCAA Regional final against the eventual national champions. So many great head coaches have come before me and worn these colors and served this institution. Again, I am happy, but I know there's a lot of hard work to do, and some huge shoes to fill."
 
Aside from serving as head coach at ASA, Hernandez has been a scouting task force member for USA Baseball since 2012, which is based out of Cary, North Carolina. He has assisted in the USA selection of players, as well as coordinating throwing programs, working with fielders in practices, games and in one-on-one sessions, respectively.
 
Throughout his time at ASA in Miami, Hernandez has received several accolades that assisted him in his growth. In 2016, Hernandez helped ASA to a Division 2 Region 8 Conference runner-up finish. That same season, he coached four student-athletes in being named All-Region 8 District Team members.
 
Just a season later in 2017, ASA was crowned Division 2 Region 8 conference champions, while seven players were named to the All-Region 8 District Team.
 
ASA achieved 20-plus wins in each of the last three seasons…all without a home field. The team played all games on the road, each season.
 
Prior to the appointment at ASA, he was the head coach for six years at Hialeah High School in his hometown of Miami from 2008-14. It is at Hialeah High that he coached numerous players that went on to several university across the nation, including former BCU pitcher Alexis Herrera (2005-18).
 
During his stint with the Thoroughbreds, his 2011 team reached the State Final Four, and in 2013 he was named the Miami Dade H.S. Class 8-A District 13 Coach of the Year. He has had a number of his former players go on to play college and professional baseball including Rangel Ravelo and Nestor Cortes. Both were drafted out of Hialeah High by the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees, respectively. Additionally, during his time at Hialeah High, Hernandez served as the USA 14U National Team Development Program Pitching Coach in the summer of 2015.
 
"When we looked for a baseball coach, we went out and looked for the BEST," expressed Thompson. "We received many applications from some big names around the country. We really took our time and performed a thorough search for the next head coach of Bethune-Cookman Baseball.
 
"We want to get back to a Regional final, and ultimately, win a Regional championship. And we feel Jonathan Hernandez is the guy that will help us achieve that goal."
 
Jonathan Hernandez is married to Olly, and together, the couple has a son and a daughter.
 
His duties as head coach are set to begin immediately.
 
Bethune-Cookman Baseball on Twitter (@BCUDiamondCats) 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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Prairie View A&M Panthers Maintain High Practice Energy As Rice Opener Moves Closer; UNLV Game Time Set

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- The Prairie View A&M University football teams continue to maintain high energy during practice as the season opener at Rice is now only 10 days away.

Coverage of Panthers Training Camp on pvpanthers.com is sponsored by Texas Farm Bureau Insurance. Texas Farm Bureau Members can receive free tickets to Panther home athletics contests by showing proof of membership at the PVAMU Ticket Office. Panther Nation can visit the local Texas Farm Bureau Agent in Waller to become a member today.



It has been a challenging camp under first-year PVAMU head coach Eric Dooley in getting the Panthers ready not only for the August 25 opener, but the entire 2018 season. The team has made it through the dog days of camp and

"I've been pleased with the energy throughout camp," Dooley said. "A lot of guys have maintained their same energy throughout camp, but I have started to see it rub off on the rest of the team, and those are the good things that you look for. We just have to continue to be consistent and teach and implement the things we're looking for to help us be successful."

Along with that great energy, the Panthers have had great tempo in their preparations for Rice.

The Rice game will kickoff at 6 p.m., with tickets available online at pvpanthers.com/ricegame or by visiting Wolf's Department Store in Houston. The game will be televised online on ESPN for $4.99.

"We've had great tempo this week," Dooley said. "We've put a lot of things and been able to accomplish a lot of things as we continue to prepare ourselves. The guys are continuing to move around and play with great effort and understand their assignments."

UNLV GAME TIME SET: The September 15 game time at UNLV has been set.

The Panthers and Rebels will kickoff at 9 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. PT in Las Vegas, Nev. The game will be video streamed on the Mountain West Network.

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Rattlers pack the Lawson Center for Fan Day

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The Lawson Center was party central at FAMU as Rattler faithful from across the area filled the gym for Fan Day.

FAMU football players and coaches were lined up across the upper level of the arena signing autographs and posing for photos.

"Today is one of my favorite times of the year," said FAMU football coach Willie Simmons. "Fan Day is a chance for our fans, alumni base and student body to come out show support for our football team. It's always good to see the happy faces ready for the start of the season."



The event featured a sea of orange and green from fans of all ages.

Joining the players and coaches in the festivities were the FAMU cheerleading squad and the Venom Dancers.

Throughout the day, fans expressed support and shared their renewed optimism in the program.

CONTINUE READING

Curvelo Named PVAMU Head Women's Soccer Coach

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- Sonia Curvelo has been named Prairie View A&M University head soccer coach.

"We are excited about the hiring of Sonia as head coach," said PVAMU Associate Athletic Director Alicia Pete, who played an active role in the hiring process of Coach Curvelo. "We know she will bring the leadership and guidance to the program that we expect in order to build a championship caliber program. She has high expectations as far as lifting the Prairie View A&M University soccer program."

Curvelo joins Prairie View A&M as the third head coach in the history of the program. Last season, she was the Regional Manager for Player Development at the Ontario Soccer Association (OSA), in Ontario, Canada.

"I am honored to lead the women's soccer program at PVAMU and am very thankful for this great opportunity," Curvelo said. "I am excited to work with our passionate and committed student-athletes, support staff, PV Nation and the community. I am fully committed to helping each student-athlete achieve great success in the classroom and build a championship program. I also want to thank my family and mentors who have guided me throughout my life and career."

Prior to last season, Curvelo spent three seasons as the head women's soccer coach at Cleveland State (2014-16)

Curvelo led the Vikings to eight wins in each of her first two seasons as head coach. She led CSU to the Horizon League tournament in each of her two seasons on the sideline, breaking a three-year absence for CSU in the tournament in 2014.

During her first season at the helm, the Vikings set single-season school records for most goals (28) and assists (22) and fewest goals allowed (18). The team also tied the school record with seven shutouts. In 2015, the Vikings set a single game record with seven goals in a victory over Chicago State.



More importantly, the program attained academic success with Curvelo at the helm, earning the "Best of the Best" Award in the spring of 2015 for having the highest grade point average (3.63) among the 16 teams in the athletics department. That was slightly higher than the 3.60 GPA in 2013-14, which included three players who had a 4.0 and more than half of the roster posting a GPA of 3.75 or higher.



Curvelo joined the Vikings after spending five seasons as the head coach at Mississippi Valley State. During her five seasons at MVSU (2010-14), Curvelo advanced to the SWAC Tournament all five years, leading the squad to the conference title and NCAA tournament bid in 2012. The SWAC Coach of the Year in 2012, Curvelo also led her squad to the conference championship match in 2010 and 2011. She developed 12 players who earned All-SWAC honors, and 14 players who were named to the SWAC all-tournament team as well as the 2012 SWAC Tournament MVP.



Curvelo's teams have also had consistent success in the classroom with her 2011-12 squad completing the academic term with a 3.52 grade point average, the highest among the school's 18 programs and tops among women's soccer programs in the SWAC. In 2012-13, the women's soccer team was tops among MVSU sports with a 3.59 GPA. She has produced a National Dean's List Scholar, as well as an MVSU Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.



Prior to arriving at MVSU, Curvelo served as an associate coach at Fanshawe College in Ontario, a player development coach at the SB9 Soccer Academy in Tampa, Fla., and a coach for the Rochester Rhinos Soccer Academy.

 As a student-athlete at MVSU, Curvelo was one of the original members of the program and was instrumental in leading the team to the 2005 SWAC Title and NCAA bid, assisting on the first goal and scoring the game-winner in the conference championship match. Curvelo was named the 2005 SWAC tournament MVP, leading MVSU to its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.



The Strathroy, Ontario, native made a name for herself internationally, playing for the Portugal National Team that included her first international appearance against Wales in 2008. In addition, Curvelo signed her first professional contract with CF Puebla of the Women's Spanish Super League in Spain. She also played for three teams in the USL W-League.



Curvelo is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association, the United States Soccer Federation and the Alliance of Women Coaches. A graduate of the NCAA Women's Coaches Academy, Curvelo also served as the SWAC soccer chairperson. She is a National Coaching Certification Program Core Coach Developer and Evaluator Trained (2017); served as NCAA Women's Soccer Regional Advisory Committee for CSU and MVSU; has a United States Soccer Federation National "B" Coaching License.

Curvelo earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration in 2007 from MVSU and earned her Masters of Science in Sports Coaching Education in 2013 from Southern Mississippi.

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