Fixer upper: Tigers look for big improvements vs. S.C. State

CLEMSON, South Carolina -- Believe it or not, Buddy Pough is looking forward to playing Clemson for the third time in four years.

It’s just that the timing leaves something to be desired.

“It’s a bigger task now that it would have been because Clemson really hasn’t played all that well,” Pough said. “I’m sure the fact that they’re searching themselves for that vibe that they had last year at the end of the year is going to mean they’re going to be more attentive to detail than ever in their process. So we’ll have our work cut out for us.”



Pough is right. Despite being 2-0, the Tigers haven’t looked like their former selves in any regard this season, and S.C. State hopes that early season funk extends for another week.

“We’ve got to have some success early to be able to play with these guys,” said Pough, whose team has been outscored 125-20 in its last two games at Memorial Stadium. “That in itself would be something we could take some pleasure in.

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Norfolk State looks to rebound at No. 13 William & Mary

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia -- Norfolk State’s final non-conference test will be more than a run-of-the-mill football game.

When the Spartans visit FCS No. 13 William & Mary at 6 p.m. today, they hope to prove their reslience. And they’ll have to do it in front of what is likely to be an enthusiastic road fan base in a newly refurbished stadium.

NSU (1-1) is coming off a 34-0 loss at No. 2 Richmond, a game in which the Spiders turned a 14-0 halftime lead into a runaway.

Spartans senior quarterback Greg Hankerson completed just 6 of 18 pass attempts for 37 yards – by far his lowest output since transferring from Florida Atlantic before last season.

As Tribe fans attending the home opener get their first look at an overhauled Zable Stadium – with a new upper deck, press box and additional restrooms and concession locations at a cost of $27 million – NSU will try to right its teetering ship before opening the MEAC schedule against North Carolina Central next week.

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6 from XULA advance to quarterfinals at HBCU tourney

COLLEGE PARK, Georgia — Four men and two women from Xavier University of Louisiana advanced Thursday to main-draw singles quarterfinals of the 16th annual HBCU National Tennis Championships.
     
XULA's four men were a combined 6-0 in singles. Advancing were:

     •  Top-seeded and defending champion Karan Salwan, a 4-6, 7-6 (11-9), 1-0 (9-4, retired) winner against Howard's Ismael Kaovache in the A-bracket.
     •  Thomas Setodji, who won 6-3, 6-2 against Jackson State's Andrey Alawi and 6-2, 6-3 against Tennessee State's Daniel Bernal in the A-bracket.
     •  B-bracket top seed Tushar Mandlekar, who beat Alabama A&M's Masteo Monroy 6-1, 6-3.
     •  C-bracket top seed Adam Albrecht, who defeated Benedict's Malek Selmen 6-0, 6-0 and Howard's Dylan Paul 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (11-9).
     
The Gold Nuggets still in the main draw are:
     •  Charlene Goreau, who won 3-0, retired against Alabama State's Marine Cartier in the A-bracket.
     •  Freshman Lacee Ancar, who began her collegiate career by defeating Florida A&M's Kiara Shaw 6-1, 6-2 and Jackson State's Oni Jones 7-6, 6-2 in the C-bracket.
     
The Gold Nuggets' Emma Kranendonk and Dasia Harris also won singles matches before being eliminated. Kranendonk, a transfer from South Dakota of NCAA Division I, won her first XULA match 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-8) against Alabama State's Gabriela Lackova in the B-bracket.
     
More singles matches and the opening rounds of doubles are scheduled for Friday. This is the first of three fall tournaments for the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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UMES Hawks have new baseball coach; O'Neil to stay on staff

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland -- Charlie Goens is the new head coach for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s baseball team.

Which seems odd, because the Hawks already had John O’Neil, who had been the interim head coach for the past two seasons. O’Neil will remain on the staff as an associate head coach, but Goens will be the head skipper.

Eastern Shore announced the hiring of Goens on Wednesday, Sept. 14, but he announced that he would be the new head coach in Princess Anne on his Twitter account on Aug. 30. Goens comes to Princess Anne after taking a season off from coaching college baseball.

“Charlie emerged as the top candidate from a lengthy list of qualified candidates,” said Keith Davidson, Eastern Shore’s athletic director. “His experience at many levels and a proven record of finding top talent to play for his teams will help us continue moving this program in the right direction.”

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XULA's August, Price are GCAC Runners of the Week

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Christopher August and Taylor Price are the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Runners of the Week in cross country for Sept. 5-11.
     
Both are from the Houston suburbs. August, a senior from Spring, Texas, and a graduate of Klein Collins High School, finished 20th this past weekend in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival at Metairie, La. His career-best time of 15 minutes, 41.6 seconds is the second-fastest at 5,000 meters for the Gold Rush in the last 14 seasons. August finished ahead of 13 runners from NCAA Division I schools.
     
At that same meet, Price — a freshman from Missouri City, Texas, and a graduate of Ridge Point High School — set a XULA 5K women's record of 18:07.5 in her collegiate debut. She placed ninth overall and was faster than 23 NCAA Division I runners.
     
The conference award is August's second this season and the seventh of his career. Price is the fourth Gold Nuggets freshman in seven years to be honored.
     
Both XULA teams will run a 5K Saturday morning in the LSU Invitational at Highland Road Park in Baton Rouge, La. The women's race will start at 7:30, and the men will run at 8:10.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Nuggets, Rush open fall at HBCU Championships

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Xavier University of Louisiana's men's and women's tennis teams will open their fall schedule Thursday in the HBCU National Championships at South Fulton Tennis Center in College Park, Ga.
    
The Gold Rush won the team title at last year's HBCU tourney en route to an NAIA national runner-up finish and No. 2 postseason ranking in May.

Alan Green, back for his 14th season as coach of the XULA men and women, announced Wednesday three more signees for the Gold Nuggets. All three will compete this week. They are:
     •  Lyndsey Clark, a freshman from Jacksonville, Fla., and Stanton College Preparatory School. She is a chemistry/pre-medical major.
     •  Emma Kranendonk, a senior from Heemskerk, The Netherlands, and a transfer from an NCAA Division I member, the University of South Dakota. She is majoring in psychology.
     •  Whitney Vilmaure, a sophomore from Paris and a transfer from NAIA member Reinhardt University. She is a biology major.
    
Clark won approximately 50 championships in junior tennis and was a 2014 ITA Georgia-Alabama section finalist in singles and doubles in 16s. At Stanton she was all-conference four years and helped her team finish third at the state tournament three times, including 2016. Clark is a third-generation HBCU athlete; her mother and grandmother played tennis for Florida A&M.
    
Kranendonk last season won a doubles championship at the Drake Invitational, produced a victory at No. 3 singles against the Big Ten's Minnesota and was second on the Coyotes in doubles victories with 15. She played for another NCAA DI school, Nicholls State, as a freshman and sophomore.
    
Vilmaure returns to college after helping Reinhardt finish second in the 2014 Appalachian Athletic Conference regular season and tournament and receive votes (29th place) in the NAIA coaches postseason poll. It was the first time the Lady Eagles reached a conference tournament final as an NAIA member.
    
In Green's first 13 seasons as coach, he had one Gold Nugget who was 5 feet 9 inches or taller. This season he has three — Clark is 5-11, Kranendonk is 5-10, and Vilmaure is 5-9.
    
The Gold Nuggets have four newcomers in all. XULA announced in February the signing of Lacee Ancar of Harvey, La., and John Curtis Christian School.
    
Xavier's other fall events will be the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional Championships Sept. 23-25 at Lawrenceville, Ga., and the Big Easy Invitational Oct. 21-22 at the University of New Orleans.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Game Day Preview: Alabama State at Southern

FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY

1. Heavyweight battle: Alabama State took a tough 21-18 defeat at the hands of two-time defending SWAC champion Alcorn State last Saturday. Jenkins compared Saturday’s game to a heavyweight title fight from yesteryear. “It was an Ali-Frazier type event,” Jenkins said. “We went back-and-forth, and Alcorn deserves to be called the champions. They found a way to make a play when it was needed.” Alabama State is off to a 0-2 start for the second straight season and for the third time in four years.

2. Business as usual: Alabama State linebacker and reigning SWAC Defensive Player of the Year Kourtney Berry made his season debut last Saturday and picked up where he left off. Berry finished with 10 tackles and two forced fumbles against the Braves. Jenkins said Berry’s performance came as no surprise to him. “He did as he always does,” Jenkins said. “Kourtney has a certain level of play that he expects from himself and he did exactly what we needed him to do.”

3. Going deep: One area that Alabama State has struggled with early this season has been getting big plays in the passing game. So far, both ASU quarterbacks have a combined 211 passing yards. “It’s definitely an area where we need to upgrade our performance,” Jenkins said. “We’ll continue to work on things to get better. We feel that we can throw the ball pretty well.” Last week against Alcorn State, the Hornets only gained 69 yards through the air.

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Celebrated college football teams renew rivalry in 5th Quarter Classic

MOBILE, Alabama -- Among all of the celebrated Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) football teams in the United States, two that stand out are Tuskegee and Florida A&M. Going into this season, the Golden Tigers claim the most all-time wins among HBCU teams with 668, while the Rattlers are next at 574.

Now, for the first time since 1996, these two rivals will face each other during the 5th Quarter Classic at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 17. The game, sponsored by the Mobile Sports Authority, will kick off at 6 p.m.

“One of the events which we at the Mobile Sports Authority thought was missing on our annual Mobile sports calendar was a ‘Classic-style’ college football game,” said Danny Corte, executive director of the MSA. “It’s been seven years since the last Classic was played here [in 2009]. So several years ago we started working to create another Classic game for Mobile.



“We’re very proud to have two traditional teams and former rivals, that being Florida A&M and Tuskegee, playing in Mobile on Sept. 17 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. We’re looking forward to welcoming the teams, officials and fans for both teams to Mobile.”

The most recent meeting between the two was a 56-0 shutout by FAMU in 1996. The Rattlers lead the overall series, which began in 1906, by a 27-15-2 margin.

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New challenges for Mangus, Botkin at S.C. State

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- The chartered flights have been replaced by long bus rides. Instead of having access to the latest technology, finding a computer can often become a chore. In spite of the challenges, G.A. Mangus and Kirk Botkin are thankful to be doing what they love, coaching football.

The two former South Carolina assistants, under Steve Spurrier, found a new home at South Carolina State after not being retained by new Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp.

Botkin and Mangus said they had interest from other programs, but both have kids and decided to stay in the Columbia area and coach at the FCS level rather than move and force their children to attend a new school.

Botkin played in the NFL and had previous coaching stints at the high school level, at FCS programs and in the SEC. Mangus spent several years coaching Division III football before stops at Middle Tennessee State and South Carolina.

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Tennessee State: Winston-Salem native, longtime college and NFL coach Hubbard Alexander dies

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Winston-Salem native Hubbard Alexander died two weeks ago, and those in the football community knew what kind of impact he made.

Alexander played at old Atkins High School in the late 1950s before playing at Tennessee State in Nashville and graduating in 1962. But it was impact as a college and pro coach that touched the lives of so many people and players.

He died at the age of 77 of pancreatic cancer in Baltimore, but he was going back and forth from his home in Memphis to Baltimore to receive treatments at Johns Hopkins. His son, Chad Alexander, said there will be a memorial Sept. 17 in Memphis. Hubbard Alexander leaves behind a widow, Gloria, and two other sons — Todd and Bard.

Chad Alexander played for Jim Caldwell at Wake Forest and is now the assistant director of player personnel for the Baltimore Ravens. He has held that position since 2009 and has been working with the Ravens since 1999.

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Florida A&M taking Tuskegee seriously

MOBILE, Alabama -- This is not how Alex Wood wanted to begin his second season at Florida A&M.

In their 0-2 start, the Rattlers have been outscored 119-13 in losses at Miami (Fla.) and Coastal Carolina.

“We were disappointed with the losses for sure, but just like wins, losses, you’ve got to shake it off and move forward,” said Wood, who was an interim head coach at FBS school Buffalo in 2014. “We all understand that there’s a lot of football to be played. We’ll get a chance to demonstrate what kind of team that we are.”



Florida A&M isn’t facing an FBS or FCS school this week, but Wood is making sure the Rattlers don’t sleep on Tuskegee for Saturday’s Fifth Quarter Classic in Mobile. Ranked 13th in the latest AFCA NCAA Division II poll, the Golden Tigers (2-0) are coming off a 28-18 win over Albany State.

“That’s an easy answer,” said Wood when asked how he will prevent his team from overlooking Tuskegee because it’s D-II. “One, we’re 0-2. Just show them the film on the two games we just lost. And then throw Tuskegee on and that should just set the tone. Just throw the tape on and watch them and you’ll understand that they’re not any different than we are to be honest.”

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S.C. State not thrilled about having Clemson’s full attention

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- There’s some unhappiness at Clemson with the way the Tigers’ offense has performed this season. You can add South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough to the list of people not thrilled with the way Clemson enters Saturday’s game.

S.C. State’s no stranger to playing at Clemson. This will be the third meeting between the two schools since 2013.



Clemson won the previous two meetings by scores of 52-13 and 73-7, and Pough knows playing a Tigers squad coming off a lackluster performance against Troy might not be good for his Bulldogs.

“We know enough about Clemson to understand that they’ve probably not played as well as they can play. It’ll be interesting to see how they react to us,” he said. “I think this may give them a little different sense of urgency. I really do get the feel that they’ll try to really get after us. We’re going to try to do the same to them, but at the same time their get-after-it might be a little bit different than our get-after-it.”

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Jackson State 'ready' to play Grambling State

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State started the season with two potentially disheartening games, a 63-13 loss at UNLV and a 40-26 neutral-site loss to longtime rival Tennessee State.

But the Tigers said they have flushed those defeats from their minds.

“I feel like the losses leave like a sting of vengeance,” linebacker Kwame Bowens said. “As soon as the clock hits zero in those last two games, it just hit the whole team like, ‘OK, we’re not going for it anymore. We have to be ready to play our game, and it’s go-time.’

“We just feel like it’s ready to be that time right now.”

The Tigers (0-2, 0-0 SWAC) begin their conference and home schedule at 6 p.m. Saturday against Grambling State (0-1, 0-0), which is coming off a 31-21 loss to Arizona. Grambling State nearly pulled off the upset, leading 21-3 at halftime before allowing 28 unanswered points.

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Jackson State defense '90 percent' complete

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State’s defense is almost ready.

Linebacker Kwame Bowens described the group as “a good 90 percent” adjusted to its duties within new defensive coordinator John Hendrick’s system. The senior said something holding back the unit is players not knowing their reads and responsibilities.

Bowens used the Tigers’ nickel package as an example, saying a nickel cornerback would line up as a strongside linebacker but be unsure of what to do on the play because he’s at a new spot.

“A lot of personnel changes have occurred,” Bowens said. “It’s a lot of movement as far as who’s playing when, and we’re struggling all coming together as one and just know exactly what kind of defense we want to be. In the second game, I feel we started jelling as we thought about stopping the run and see how that’s just going to affect us in our focus towards the passing game.

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Southern football survives nonconference, opens SWAC play with Alabama State

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- The Southern University football team’s two-week nightmare is finally over, and for better or worse, the Jaguars survived.

After two weeks of playing FBS opponents in nonconference games, the Jaguars are ready to face off with a Southwestern Athletic Conference team this week when they host Alabama State in their home opener.

It wasn’t easy in any sense, Southern went 0-2, including a 66-21 defeat at Tulane last weekend, but the silver lining is that it’s over.

“We survived the injury bug. That’s always big,” Southern coach Dawson Odums said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “The wrong player goes down, that can really set you back.

“We did dodge the injury bug, but now we have to get ready for conference. We have to make sure we’re healthy and smart as coaches so that our healthy guys can go out and make plays.”



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Arkansas to host Florida A&M in 2017, Missouri State in 2021

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas -- The Arkansas Razorbacks will host the Florida A&M Rattlers in 2017 and the Missouri State Bears in 2021, according to a report by WholeHogSports.

Arkansas and Florida A&M will meet for the first time ever on the gridiron to open the 2017 season on Sept. 2. The game will be played at D.W.R. Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville or at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

Florida A&M, often referred to as FAMU, is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Last season, the Rattlers finished 1-10 overall and 1-7 in MEAC play.

The addition of FAMU completes the non-conference schedule for Arkansas in 2017. The Razorbacks are also set to host TCU in Fayetteville on Sept. 9 and will later host New Mexico State on Sept. 30 and Coastal Carolina on Nov. 4.

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North Carolina A&T, Tuskegee Remain Atop HSRN Polls

HARTLY, Delaware  – North Carolina A&T and Tuskegee remained on top of the HSRN Football Polls following the second week of HBCU action.

In the Division I FCS poll, the Aggies of North Carolina A&T were a unanimous pick following their four-overtime road upset of FBS and Mid-America Conference member Kent State, 39-36. The 2015 Celebration Bowl Champions remained in the top spot ahead of Alcorn State who picked up a SWAC Eastern Division win over Alabama State. Grambling State, Tennessee State and Bethune-Cookman rounded out the top five.

In Division II, Tuskegee continued its winning ways defeating Albany State in the Third AnnualWhitewater Classic in Phenix City, Alabama, 28-18.  The Golden Tigers held on to the top spot ahead of three CIAA teams; Virginia State, Bowie State and Winston-Salem State.  SIAC upstart Lane College completed the top five after week two.

About HSRN:

HSRN (Heritage Sports Radio Network) is the national leader in live radio broadcasts of mid-major athletics. HSRN combines innovative programming and production with a vast broadcast network. The SiriusXM platform avails partners of HSRN exposure on the world's largest radio broadcaster as measured by revenue and exposure to 28.3 million subscribers. In addition to SiriusXM, HSRN is available on terrestrial radio affiliates, smartphones and other connected devices as well as online at HSRN.com. 

XULA hits .389, scores 20 straight to sweep Philander

NEW ORLEANS — Monet Fontaine had 10 kills Monday to lead hot-hitting Xavier University of Louisiana to a 25-5, 25-22, 25-13 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball victory against Philander Smith.

The Gold Nuggets (6-10, 3-0) extended their win streak to a season-high four matches.

XULA hit a season-high .389 and scored the final 14 points of the first set and the first six points of the second set. The run included a kill and three aces from Juliana Tomasoni, three kills from Fontaine and two blocks from Terri Drake.

Fontaine, who reached double figures in kills for the third time this season, hit .476 with no errors in 21 attacks. Tomasoni and Hasani Salaam had six kills apiece, and Bria Moore had a career-best five. Kayla Jones served two aces. Amanda Perry produced 14 digs and extended to 15 her XULA-record streak of consecutive matches in double figures.

Tomasoni, Salaam and Moore combined to hit .682 in 22 attacks.

\Autumn Trimble had 10 kills and Alona Ward seven for the Lady Panthers (2-5, 0-2), and Kendal Savarino had 12 digs.
\
The Gold Nuggets never trailed until the final set and closed the match on a 22-5 run after trailing 8-3.

XULA limited Philander Smith to .011 hitting and had advantages of 36-22 in kills, 6-3 in aces, 43-27 in digs and 6-1 in blocks. The Gold Nuggets lead the series 10-0.

XULA will play host to Spring Hill of NCAA Division II at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Convocation Center.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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CAU Panthers Claim First Victory Over Central State With 20-13 Win from Soldier Field.

CHICAGO, Illinois --- Playing from the home of the Chicago Bears, Clark Atlanta University took the field versus Central State in the Chicago Football Classic and picked up the 20-13 victory. The win is the first in the three-game series for the Panthers versus the Marauders.

THE GAME
Score: Clark Atlanta 20; Central State 13
Records: Clark Atlanta (1-1; 1-1 SIAC); Central State (0-2; 0-1 SIAC)
Date: Sept. 10, 2016 | 3:30 pm Kickoff
Location: Soldier Field | Chicago, Ill.
Series: 3rd Meeting | CAU trails 1-2 | FIRST WIN IN SERIES



HOW IT HAPPENED
After forcing Central State to turn the ball over on 4th down, Clark Atlanta covered 43 yards on six plays ending with a Jaha McCray seven yard scoring run with 11:11 left in the opening quarter.

Early in the second quarter CSU took the 7-6 lead.

CAU responded with a 40 yard drive over four plays with Johnathon McCrary scrambling for the six yard touchdown run. The kick from Carlos Saldana was good to give Clark Atlanta the 13-7 advantage.

A late touchdown from Central State tied the game, 13-13, after the opening half of play.



Mathew Daniels found the end zone to start the scoring in the second half with 1:56 left to play in the third quarter from four yards out. The play was set up with a long pass from McCrary to Trenton Earl down the right sideline for 42 yards. Saldana added another PAT to give the Panthers the 20-13 advantage.

The game concluded with Central State driving before Jacob Mitchell stepped in front of the pass and recorded the interception inside the CAU 10 as time expired.

OFFENSIVE NUMBERS
McCrary went 7-for-21 passing for 119 yards while Dashawn Blow went 2-for-6 passing.

Earl paced a trio of receivers with two grabs covering 76 yards; Dre Martin (23) and Deandre Jackson (17) also had multiple receptions.

McCray covered 81 yards on 11 carries while Daniels rushed 14 times for 57 yards.

DEFENSIVE NUMBERS
Jaquatin Victrum posted 15 tackles to lead the Panthers while Marquise Parker recorded 13 stops.

Kenneth Morgan had an interception and forced fumble to go along with eight tackles.

Mitchell tallied six tackles to go with the game-ending interception.

TEAM NUMBERS
Clark Atlanta had 60 plays on offense covering 348 yards.

The Panthers were flagged for 15 penalties for 186 yards, compared to five Marauder flags covering 45 yards.

CAU trailed the time of possession battle; 31:36 - 28:16.

Clark Atlanta held Central State to 4-for-15 on 3rd Down conversions and 0-for-4 on 4th Down attempts.

UP NEXT
Clark Atlanta travels to Fort Valley State on Sept. 17 with a 6:00 pm kick from Wildcat Stadium. The Panthers trail the all-time series versus the Wildcats 17-46-5.



CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Virginia State Trojans Defeat Tusculum College, 24 - 10

ETTRICK, Virginia -- The Virginia State University Trojans secured a 24-10 home field victory over the Pioneers of Tusculum College. Nearly 4,000 fans, alumni, family, and members of the military joined the Trojans to celebrate Military Appreciation Day and Family Weekend.

The Trojans improved to a 2-0 overall under the leadership of Head Coach Reggie Barlow in his inaugural season. VSU football has not had a season start of this caliber since 2010.

"Every game has a life of its own," Barlow said. "We enjoy this one for 48 hours and then of course we focus our attention on Kentucky State."

Senior Quarterback Tarian Ayres (Buckingham, VA) completed 8-of-17 passes for 43 yards and secured a single touchdown. Virginia State struggled to find a rhythm offensively in the opening quarter. The Pioneers defense held the Trojans to only 47 yards of total offense in the first quarter, but the VSU continued to fight.

Offensively the Trojans were stirred by senior running back Kavon Bellamy (Hampton, VA), who ended the game with 136 yards rushing on 20 carries. Junior kicker Mathew Hillquist nailed a 27 yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter to help lift the Trojans to victory.

The Pioneer offense was led by Isaac Robinson (Palmyra, VA) who recorded 66 yards on 20 touches.

The Trojan defense left their mark on the contest holding the Pioneers to one touchdown, recorded 3 sacks for a loss of 22 yards and tallied 3 interceptions. After picking off a pass, senior Trevon Byron (Newport News, VA) rushed for a 22 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Trojan defense was led by senior Lamont Britt (Norfolk, VA) who recorded 6 solo tackles.

Cameron Thomas (Nicholasville, KY) led the Pioneers defensive effort recording 8.5 tackles (8 solo).

On Saturday, September 17, 2016 the Trojans will travel down to Frankfort, KY to take on Kentucky State University at 1:30 P.M.

For more football information, visit govsutrojans.com, call 804-524-5030, or follow Trojan Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports.

VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Tuskegee pulls away from Albany State in second half

PHENIX CITY, Alabama -- The 15th-ranked Tuskegee scored 21 unanswered points over a 12-minute span to pull away from Albany State, recording a 28-18 victory at the Whitewater Classic Saturday evening.

After Albany State (0-2, 0-1 SIAC) took advantage of a fumble early in the third quarter to take a 10-7 lead with 9:37 to play, the Golden Tigers took over on both sides of the ball.

The two teams traded positions with Tuskegee (2-0, 2-0 SIAC) turning the ball over on downs, and Albany State missing a field goal. After the missed field goal, the Golden Tigers took over at their own 24-yard line with just 6:24 remaining in the third quarter. The Golden Tigers took seven plays to move the ball 76 yards, scoring on a fumbled snap that was recovered in the end zone by Jerome Lewis with 2:34 to play in the quarter, taking a 14-10 lead.

During the drive, the Golden Tigers used passes of 25 and 27 yards to Javarrius Cheatham and Leo Gilbert to move the ball down the field.

Following a three-and-out forced by the defense, the Golden Tigers took possession again with 1:05 remaining in the third. And it didn't take long for Tuskegee to add to their lead as Kevin Lacey dropped back and found a streaking Leo Gilbert for a 41-yard touchdown pass with 1:05 remaining in the quarter, the second touchdown of the day for the pair. After the extra point, Tuskegee led 21-10.

They added to the lead in the fourth quarter after a pair of Albany State punts, using just two plays to push the lead to 18. Senior Desmond Reece took a pitch and ran around end for a big first down gain, before taking a pass from Lacey and shaking a defender before racing 51 yards for the 28-10 lead with 7:29 to play.



Albany State was able to score late and threatened with just 2:41 remaining but missed a field goal to trim the deficit to seven, allowing Tuskegee to run out the remainder of the clock for the victory.

Tuskegee outgained Albany State 406 to 293 on the night, with freshman Jayjerien Craig leading the way with 130 yards on 23 carries on the night. The freshman averaged 57 yards per carry.

Lacey finished the night 11-for-19 for 250 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 49 yards in the win. Reece finished the night with three receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown, while Gilbert and Cheatham each finished with three catches on the night.

Defensively, the Golden Tigers held SIAC Offensive Player of the Year, Jarvis Small, to just 15 yards on nine carries; while Caleb Edmonds finished with 216 yards passing. Linebackers Quavon Taylor and Osband Thompson each finished with 11 tackles on the night, while team sacked Edmonds five times.

Four different players – Terrence Leatherwood (1.5), Darion Hall (1.0), Daryl George (1.5) and Chris Faulkner (1.0) – each got to Edmonds on the night; with three of the sacks coming on three consecutive plays in the fourth quarter. The defense was able to get pressure on Edmonds most of the night with six quarterback hurries.

Tuskegee will renew a rivalry with Florida A&M University next week in the 5th Quarter Classic, the first meeting between the two schools since 1996. The game will kickoff at 6 pm (cst) at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile (Ala.), and will be carried by the Tuskegee Digital Network.

For more information on Tuskegee University athletics, follow us on Twitter/Instagram/Snapchat @MyTUAthletics, and like us on Facebook.

TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

North Carolina A&T Aggies Get Flashy Win Over FBS Foe

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

KENT, OHIO – Depth was supposed to be an issue for North Carolina A&T, the school with fewer allotted scholarships. Instead it was an asset for the Aggies and “a what just happened here?” moment for Kent State.

Saturday night at Dix Stadium, the Aggies looked down their depth chart and placed fifth-year quarterback Oluwafemi Bamiro, a third stringer out of Washington, D.C., into a highly-contested game. Bamiro responded by completing 7 of 14 passes for 95 yards, no interceptions and two touchdowns including the game-winning TD toss to Denzel Keyes to lead the Aggies to a 39-36 quadruple overtime victory over Division I-FBS Kent State.

The game did not end until after midnight following a two-hour delay to the start of the game because of lighting. The win over Kent State is the Aggies first over an FBS program which typically have more financial resources and are allotted 85 scholarships versus 63 on the FCS level. The Aggies had lost to their previous three FBS opponents by an average of 39.7.

Tarik Cohen had an enormous day, rushing for 133 yards and a touchdown to go along with nine receptions for 125 yards. Defensively, junior linebacker Jeremy Taylor was ferocious. He had 15 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass break ups, an interception and he forced and recovered a fumble.

“This is big for the program, the athletics department and the school as a whole,” said N.C. A&T head coach Rod Broadway. “To do it in four overtimes is really something because I thought they would eventually wear us down because of their scholarship advantage. Give our defense credit, they held them to a field goal, and so we were able to get out of here with that touchdown.”




N.C. A&T (2-0) did not allow the Golden Flashes (0-2) a single yard on their first drive of the fourth overtime. Therefore, the Flashes had to settle for a 42-yard Shane Hynes field goal to take a 36-33 lead.

Hynes’ kick set up a scenario where the Aggies if the Aggies scored on a field goal on their next drive the game would go into a fifth overtime. But if the Aggies scored a touchdown, they would pull off one of the biggest upsets in school history. The drive did not start well.

Senior running back Tarik Cohen lost six yards on first down. On second down, Bamiro lofted a pass in the air toward freshman receiver Elijah Bell which led to a jump ball situation between Bell and KSU defensive back Darryl Marshall. As both men jumped for the ball and came down empty handed, a flag fell to the ground along with Bell, Marshall and the football. It was ruled Marshall impeded Bell’s path to the ball, giving the Aggies a 1st-and-10 at the KSU 15-yard line.

Two players later, Keyes stretched out his 6-foot-4 body to swipe Bamiro’s pass out of the air while at the same time shielding off defender Will Matthews for the 15-yard game-winning touchdown. Broadway said the playcall was simple.

“In critical times around here we think players and not plays,” said Broadway. “(Denzel) is one our better players, so sometimes you’ve just got to get the ball to a player you trust will make a play. Denzel is one of those guys we believe in.”

The win adds to Broadway's collection of huge wins as the Aggies head coach. In 2013, he took his Aggies to Boone, N.C., an upset then perennial Division I-FCS power Appalachian State 24-21. Last season, he led the Aggies to 10 wins, a MEAC title, the black college national championship and a win in the inaugural Celebration Bowl game. In order to get this big win, Broadway had to believe in Bamiro after sophomore Kylil Carter left with an injury and redshirt sophomore starter Lamar Raynard was taken out of the game. Broadway’s belief in Bamiro was a long journey.

Bamiro came to Aggieland in 2012 as a quarterback before being moved to tight end in 2014. After the departure of one of the Aggie quarterbacks, Bamiro was moved back to quarterback. Last week against St. Augustine’s, he threw his first career touchdown. Now here he was with the Aggies trailing 17-10 to an FBS opponent the Aggies have a chance to beat with 10:05 remaining in regulations.

It was a mixed beginning for Bamiro. Cohen opened the drive with a 25-yard run, followed by a 5-yard Bamiro completion to Bell. Bamiro then had runs of 15 and 5 before Cohen popped off a 33-yard touchdown run that was called back for holding. An illegal formation penalty and a sack put Bamiro and the Aggies in a 3rd-and-20 situation.

No problem, Bamiro simply found a wide open Cohen for a 39-yard completion to the KSU 5. Three plays later the Aggies benefited from a pass interference call to keep the drive going and give the Aggies a 1st-and-goal from the 2. Cohen pushed the ball across for a touchdown to tie the game at 17 with 5:40 to play. The Flashes would drive the ball to the Aggies 38 before a deep ball from KSU quarterback Mylik Mitchell landed in the hands of Taylor in the back of the end zone, essentially forcing the overtime thriller.

“We got down to our third guy and he stepped up for us,” said Broadway about Bamiro. “You know what, we are surrounded by some pretty good players. Femi made enough good plays for us to win. We’re going to take it and move on.”

The Aggies will move one after overcoming a 10-0 halftime deficit to force the overtime. N.C. A&T has another FBS opponent next week as they will travel to Tulsa to face Tulsa University at 2 p.m., eastern time.

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NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

TSU Defeats Jackson State, 40-26, in Southern Heritage Classic

PHOTO GALLERY

MEMPHIS, Tennessee -- Southern Heritage Classic Player of the Game O’Shay Ackerman-Carter lifted the Tennessee State football team to a 40-26 victory over Jackson State at the Liberty Bowl on Saturday night. The victory helps TSU improve to 2-0 and drops Jackson State to 0-2.

Ackerman-Carter finished 14-for-18 for 227 yards and two passing touchdowns, while also recording his first career rushing touchdown. Defensively, Ebenezer Ogundeko posted a team-best 11 tackles with Ezra Robinson adding six tackles and an interception, which he returned for a touchdown.

TSU trailed Jackson State 23-19 at the half before outscoring JSU by a 21-3 margin in the second half to pull away.

Chris Rowland gave the Tigers great field position as he returned the opening kickoff 46 yards to the TSU 48. TSU was not able to take advantage going three and out setting up an Austin Rowley punt. The good start turned quickly into a score for Jackson State, as Kwame Bowens blocked the Rowley punt allowing Josh Miller the opportunity to scoop up the loose ball and scamper 40 yards for the first score of the game.

The Tigers found themselves 13-0 just over five minutes into the contest as Dan Williams converted a diving catch into a 30-yard scoring play.

TSU would respond on the following series as they moved 81 yards on seven plays. Erick Evans would get the drive started with a nine yard carry setting up back-to-back passes from O’Shay Ackerman- Carter to Rowland for 13 and 11 yards, respectively, to move into Jackson State territory.

Ackerman-Carter continued the aerial assault by hitting Evans for 16 yards and connecting with Sabree Curtis for 21 yards, before finding Patrick Smith for six yards.

Evans capped off the drive with a five yard blast through the left side of the line to pull the Tigers to within seven points, 13-6.

After a failed onside kick attempt, JSU would start its next possession at the TSU 43. The defense would hold strong forcing a missed field goal attempt and getting the offense back on the field with 2:26 remaining in the first quarter.

TSU would go back to the air and needed just three plays to reach the end zone. After a modest two yard pass to Smith, Ackerman-Carter hit Steven Newbold down the right side for 49 yards to the JSU 13. The combo teamed up on the final play for the 13-yard scoring play as Newbold went over the defender and pulled down the pass with one hand off the defenders back to even the score at 13-13.

JSU regained the lead midway through the second stanza as Rowley mishandled a Thomas Newberg snap and was hit in the end zone as he tried to get the ball away. A scrum ensued and JSU came up with the loose ball for a touchdown and a 20-13 advantage.

The Tigers once again drove down the field in response to the JSU score. Early in the drive, Ackerman-Carter found Chris Sanders-McCollum for 18 yards on a key third-and-long situation. The Big Blue would get rolling again with a 13 yard run by Evans and a 12-yard pass from Ackerman-Carter to Newbold.

After the aid of pass interference, Evans got the Tigers back within one on a two-yard plunge. The extra point was blocked making the score 20-19 with 2:36 to go in the half.

The Tigers looked to get the ball back before halftime, but an off-sides call on a JSU punt attempt gave the visitors a fresh set of downs. JSU would take advantage of the new life and make its way down the field for a 38-yard field goal to increase the lead to 23-19 at the break.

JSU opened the second half the same way as they closed the first, adding a 37-yard field goal to take a seven point lead. At that point it became all Tennessee State as they went on to score 21 unanswered points.

The Big Blue relied on the legs of Evans who finished with 109 yards on 21 carries. The Dallas, Texas native opened the following drive with three runs for 29 yards putting the Tigers into JSU territory. At that point, Ackerman-Carter teamed up with Smith for a 28 yard pass play, before tying the game, 26-26, with a three yard pass to the redshirt-junior. The signal caller kept the play alive scrambling long enough to let Smith make his way back to an open area of the end zone.

Ezra Robinson wasted no time in putting the Tigers in front for the first time in the game with 4:15 to go in the third. The senior cornerback jumped a LaMontiez Ivy pass and returned it 25 yards to the house just eight seconds after TSU had tied the game.

Ackerman-Carter closed out the scoring and the Tigers from JSU with a one yard quarterback sneak early in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers are back in action on Sept. 17 for a road test at Bethune-Cookman.

GAME NOTES: TSU won the coin toss and chose to receive the opening kickoff… Kickoff was at 6:05 p.m… Weather at time of kickoff was 86 degrees and partly cloudy… TSU captains were O’Shay Ackerman-Carter, Patrick Smith, Chris Collins and Thomas Burton… Southern Heritage Classic Player of the Game: O’Shay Ackerman-Carter… The official attendance was 46,263… Defensive End Ebo Ogundeko recorded 11 tackles, marking his first game with double-digit tackles… Quarterback O’Shay Ackerman-Carter recorded his first rushing touchdown… Running back Erick Evans went over the 100-yard rushing mark for the second time in his career… Tennessee State moves to 2-0 for the second year in a row and the third time under seventh-year Head Coach Rod Reed… TSU improves to 28-21-2 in the all-time series versus Jackson State... TSU is now 16-11 in the Southern Heritage Classic… TSU has won five in a row against Jackson State... Tennessee State moves to 10-3 versus SWAC teams under Head Coach Rod Reed.

Running Back Erick Evans
“I want to thank my offensive line, first of all, and second my coaches. We strain every day. We drew it up and we executed.”
- On the running game

“I love that we responded well to adversity tonight. We were down early, and we showed what type of team we have. That was the main thing I got out of this game.”
- On coming back after falling behind early

Defensive End Ebo Ogundeko
“The resilience of the defense starts with Chris Collins, Trevion Duncan and me as well. This was the first real test that we faced as a defense, and we did a good job showing the maturity of the defense.”
- On the resiliency of the defense

Cornerback Ezra Robinson
“We just told everybody not to keep their heads down. We told everybody to keep fighting and that’s what we did tonight. We just kept fighting and pressing against adversity.”
- On overcoming adversity

“They ran that play earlier, and I was sitting on it. When I saw the formation come back again I recognized it. I was able to jump the route, and I just did what I could with the ball.”
- On his interception for a touchdown

Wide Receiver Steven Newbold
“It was a big game for us. This is a rivalry game. Everybody just came in and stepped up when it was time to step up.”
- On the offense

“It’s just a mindset. When we went into the locker room, we came together as a team and had to make it happen as one.”
- On coming back from a first-half deficit

Attendance: 46,263

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TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Sights and Sounds from Southern Heritage Classic 2016

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Arizona Wins Home Opener, 31-21 Over Grambling State

TUCSON, Arizona -- Brandon Dawkins, starting in place of injured Anu Solomon, ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, all in the second half, and Arizona rallied from an 18-point deficit and escaped with a 31-21 victory over Grambling State on Saturday night.

The Wildcats (1-1), 45-point favorites, trailed 21-3 at halftime and looked in danger of their first-ever loss to an FCS school.

But the Tigers (1-1), who lost quarterback DeVante Kincade to injury late in the first half, committed six second-half turnovers, four of them in a row in the third quarter. Backup Trevon Cherry threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball away once.



PHOTO GALLERY

Dawkins, a redshirt sophomore, completed 15 of 29 passes for 223 yards and gained 97 yards in 16 carries. He scored on runs of 21 and 2 yards and threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Trey Griffey. Nick Wilson rushed for 116 yards, including an 11-yard TD run.

Kincade completed 15 of 19 passes for 193 yards and two scores before leaving with a leg injury with 2:38 to play in the second quarter. Grambling's Chad Williams caught 13 passes for 152 yards,

Cody Ippolito recovered two fumbles, both leading to Arizona touchdowns, but was ejected from the game for targeting and must sit out the first half of next Saturday's game against Hawaii.

The Tigers took the opening kickoff and went 81 yards in seven plays, Kincade throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Verlan Hunter.

The Wildcats had Grambling pinned in a third-and-29 situation at the Tigers 17 when Kincade threw short to Martez Carter, who raced down the sideline 49 yards to the 34. Six plays later, Kincade threw 26 yards to Devohn Lindsey for a touchdown that made it 14-0 with 11:55 left in the half.

Dawkins' 42-yard run highlighted a drive to the Grambling 6 but, on fourth-and-1, Wilson was hit in the backfield and fumbled the ball away.

A 70-yard pass from Dawkins to Samajie Grant led to Arizona's only first-half points, Josh Pollock's 31-yard field goal.




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INJURED QB

Kincade was sprinting into an open field for what looked to be a big gain when he came up lame, hopping out of bounds on one leg in front of the Arizona bench. He had to be carried from the field.


Cherry came on to direct another score. Carter 1-yard dive initially was ruled to come up inches short of the goal line. But a video review showed the ball was just over the line for a touchdown that put Grambling State up 21-3 with 16 seconds to play in the half.

THE TAKEAWAY

Grambling State looked like a SWAC contender when Kincade was in there and the extent of his injury could go a long way in determining how successful the Tigers are on from now on.

Arizona avoided what would have been the worst loss of the Rich Rodriguez era but the coach will have plenty to criticize in his team's first 30 minutes of play.

UP NEXT

Grambling State: The Tigers open SWAC play at Jackson State next Saturday.

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS