Campbell defeats WSSU 3-0

Photo: Valentina Pushkina, #500 H.S., Moscow, Russia, 5-10 Junior, Utility

WSSU Sports Information

BUIES CREEK, NC - The Winston-Salem State University Lady Rams volleyball team dropped their season opener on Tuesday evening as they fell in defeat to the Campbell University Camels at Carter Gym by the score of 3-0 (30-18, 30-15, 30-12) as they began play in the 2007 season.

WSSU jumped out of the starting gate hot as they evenly competed with the Camels for the entirety of the first game, ultimately falling in defeat 30-18 in a game in which they registered a match-high .267 attack percentage.

However, the Camels, playing in front of a home crowd of 183 people, responded in the second game of the match with an offensive showcase as they recorded 13 kills and committed only three errors en route to an attack percentage of .500.

The third game saw the Lady Rams commit seven attack errors and earn five kills as a negative attack percentage (-.105) proved too difficult to overcome as the Camels secured the 3-0 match victory with a 30-12 victory in the third, and final, game of the contest.

Photo: Valentina Pushkina recorded a team-high 20 attack attempts in WSSU's 3-0 loss to Campbell on Tuesday evening.

WSSU was led by newcomer Ashley Harris (Mitchellville, MD) who recorded a team-high four kills in the contest. Lore McBroom (Wilmington, NC) recorded a team-high nine assists in the loss.

Campbell was led by Emily Werner who tallied eight kills en route to posting a .700 attack percentage.

The win improves the Camels to 4-1 on the season while the Lady Rams fall to 0-1 overall with the loss.

WSSU returns to action on Friday, August 31, 2007 at 8:00 am as they face the Hampton University Lady Pirates in first round action from the Hampton University Tiny Laster Volleyball Invitational. WSSU will play three matches on the day as they face Hampton at 8:00 am, South Carolina State University at 1:00 pm and Southern University at 3:00 pm.

Alabama A&M Winston returns and may start

Reggie Benson, Huntsville Times

Defensive tackle David Winston practiced Tuesday for the first time in over a week and is expected to play in Saturday's season opener against Tennessee State.

Winston, a 6-foot-3, 263-pound junior, injured his back lifting weights over a week ago and was held out of practice to rest it. He returned on Tuesday and A&M coach Anthony Jones came away believing he could help the Bulldogs.

"He practiced and moved around pretty good," Jones said. "He didn't do a thousand things, but I expect him to be available. We'll look at him again (tonight), but we're hoping he can start."

If Winston is unable to start, Renaldo Askew, a 6-1, 263-pound redshirt sophomore, will start. The Bulldogs are already without defensive tackle Justin Harper, who is out up to four weeks after having surgery on his thumb.

Webster expects stern test: Tennessee State coach James Webster is eager to see how his team stacks up against A&M.

The Bulldogs have beaten the Tigers in each of Webster's two seasons, but both games have been very competitive.

"They're a good football program," Webster said. "They're picked to win the (SWAC) again. It will be a good test to see where we are."

The Tigers, who finished 6-5 last season, return 10 starters from last year's team that came within one win of sharing the Ohio Valley Conference.

The Bulldogs return 15 starters from last year's SWAC championship team. "They'll be a very tough opponent," Webster said. "It'll be a very tough, emotional game. It will tell us a lot about our football team."

Kicker decision coming: Jones said a decision will be made on A&M's place-kicking job tonight or Thursday.

Sophomore Jeremy Licea and freshman Grant Maddix have competed throughout preseason practice and appear to be almost even.

Licea has been more accurate from shorter distances, while Maddix has the stronger leg, but has been a little less consistent.

"We're looking at it and trying to see how it's going to play out," Jones said. "We're trying to determine who's going to be more consistent. We may let both of them kick."

Furthermore: The possible loss of reserve left guard Antonio Regist leaves A&M with only four offensive linemen that have ever played in a game for the Bulldogs. ... Ted Dixie will be the color commentator on A&M's radio broadcast on WJAB along with play-by-play man Ley Jean.

Jones says four AAMU Bulldogs ineligible

By REGGIE BENSON, Times Sports Staff

Running back Martin yet to be cleared by NCAA

Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones said Tuesday night that four football players have been declared ineligible.

Jones said wide receiver Anthony Mitchell, offensive linemen Anquez Jackson and Antonio Regist and defensive end Jonathan Jones were all ruled ineligible.

"We're moving on without those guys," said Jones, four days before A&M opens the season against Tennessee State.

"It would have been nice to have them, but we don't. We're going to look elsewhere for answers."

Meanwhile, former Bob Jones running back Max Martin has yet to be cleared due to an NCAA issue. Jones said Martin has a chance to get eligible, but it won't happen before Saturday's season opener.

"There's a possibility," he said, "but the NCAA has to decide that. I don't want to say anything to derail that possibility. He's still trying to get himself eligible. When and if that happens ..."

Sources say Regist also has an outside chance to get eligible.

Martin transferred to A&M last January from Alabama and was expected to give the Bulldogs a tough, hard-nosed running back at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds. Mitchell and Regist's status had been up in the air throughout training camp, while Jones failed to get eligible during summer school.

Mitchell, who would have been a starter, was A&M's third-leading receiver a year ago with 20 catches for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Regist, a second-team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference performer two years ago, missed all of last season with an ankle injury and was listed as the third team left guard. Jackson was listed as the second team left tackle and was being counted on heavily in A&M's thin and inexperienced offensive line, while Jones was a reserve defensive end and a solid special teams player.

"All of them made plays during camp," Jones said. "We were hoping to have them available."

Losing Martin, Mitchell and Jackson were big blows.

Without Martin, A&M will have to rely on Ulysses Banks and Anthony Green, a pair of undersized running backs. The loss of Mitchell leaves A&M with only one proven receiver in Thomas Harris and he's only a sophomore. Jackson's departure leaves A&M's offensive line even thinner.

Jones said Martin, Mitchell, Regist and Jones will continue to practice with the team.

Hall travels across town to play ball for TSU

By MIKE ORGAN, Staff Writer

In one breath Marquez Hall admits he wasn't ready to play football on the college level last season at Vanderbilt.

In the next breath the talented cornerback says he's more eager than ever to get on the field this season at Tennessee State.

After redshirting at Vanderbilt, the Shorter, Ala., native decided in early summer not to return to the Commodores. He wanted to go to a school where he would be eligible to play right away and that meant finding the right fit at an NCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision — formerly Division I-A) program.

He considered Georgia Southern, Jacksonville State, Appalachian State and Jackson State before settling on TSU.

"At first I wanted to play last season while I was at Vanderbilt, but I found out I really wasn't ready," Hall said. "Now, I thank them for redshirting me because I still have four years to play."
And play he will. Hall quickly moved to the starting cornerback position opposite of preseason All-American Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The Tigers lost Aaron Strong to graduation so Hall will start in the season opener Saturday at LP Field against Alabama A&M.

No avoiding Rodgers-Cromartie

The arrival of Hall got TSU's defense out of a bind. There was no clear starter identified after spring practice.

"We're fortunate to get Marquez," said defensive coordinator Ron Lambert. "I don't know how he dropped in our lap. But anytime (Vanderbilt) drops good players like that, I'll take them."

Hall won't say exactly why he left Vandy other than being buried on the depth chart by upperclassmen.

"I transferred for some other reasons, too, and I'm just happy to be here at Tennessee State," Hall said. "I was pretty happy at Vanderbilt, but things happen."

Hall plans to make things happen.

"He's allowed us to have some flexibility in the secondary," Lambert said. "He's allowing us to do some things with Dominique that we probably wouldn't have been able to do. As good as Dominique is sometimes, people have a tendency to want to go away from him. Now we've got a guy on the other side, that if you try to go away from Dominique, I call a ball hawk."

Lambert calls Hall a ball hawk because he already has caused a turnover in every full-speed drill in practice and recorded seven interceptions.

Fast track

Hall was a track star in high school and has shown off his speed throughout camp.

"My speed is my biggest asset, but I like to tackle, too," Hall said. "I'm a physical corner also."

TSU Coach James Webster is happy Hall didn't have the patience to wait for his turn to play at Vanderbilt.

"On the Division I level it's not a matter of how good you are, it's a matter of when you get an opportunity to play," Webster said.

"There are so many good players – everybody's good. In a lot of cases you have to wait your turn and life goes by fast. A lot of these premier athletes don't want to sit on the bench for two and three years just to play one year. I am just so thrilled to have Marquez – he's been a great surprise for us."

Edwards emerges as GSU's go-to guy

By Nick Deriso, Louisiana Sports Bureau

Receiver shoots for SWAC, school records

GRAMBLING — The rare performer who is as consistent on the field as he is off, senior Grambling receiver Clyde Edwards still surprises people.

"I'm more of a quiet guy," the Houston native said, quietly.


He'd like to see his team — a 3-8 disaster last season, GSU is picked by nobody to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference's Western Division in '07 — slip up on some people, too.

"As talented as we are, we feel like we can play with anybody," Edwards said. "Last year, we had what it takes to win, but for a few plays here and there."

First-year coach Rod Broadway might have trouble sorting out the reasons for that down season — after all, GSU fell six of eight times by a touchdown or less — but not who gives Grambling its best shot at pulling out of the downturn.

That would be Edwards, who enters the season with 2,400 career yards.

"It didn't take long over the spring to see that he was one of our best players," Broadway said. "I would like for him to show more leadership, not only with the receiving corps but the entire offense."

He's a show-by-doing standout.

"My biggest thing is I want to lead by example," Edwards said. "I feel like if I am doing what I need to do on the field, then others will follow."

They'd be following him right into Grambling lore.

If Edwards matches his average over the past two campaigns — 55 catches and 10 touchdowns a year — he will pass Tramon Douglas in the school record books.

His 11 scores last season, even as the team struggled to a 3-8 record, ranks among the best performances in Southwestern Athletic Conference history. Edwards is already No. 13 overall in career yardage among SWAC receivers.

The model of consistency, he has hauled in at least one pass in each of his last 26 games, dating back to 2004. Better still are his trademark acrobatic one-handed grabs, including a dramatic coatch against Alabama State at home last season.

He's the same way off the field, maintaining a 4.0 in seven of his eight semesters at GSU thus far.

"I've been blessed; my parents always stressed school and taking care of things in the classroom," Edwards said. "Football is what I lived to do. So I just try to do my best to please parents on one side and myself on the other."

Broadway and first-year offensive coordinator James Spady have made no promises on how they will adapt Grambling's pass-oriented passing attack, other than to say Edwards will get his touches.

Together last season at North Carolina Central, Broadway and Spady helped craft an attack that led their conference with 211 passing yards per game, while setting school and league records with 24 touchdown passes by a freshman. Broadway's offense also averaged 30.8 points per game in 2005, a new school record.

"In the past, we were always a home-run team," Edwards said. "It's a little bit different now. We are looking to be more of a ball-control offense. I've had a chance to sit down and talk with the coaches; they understand our strengths. They know where the talent is and they will use that.'

JSU Clark finally returns

By David Brandt, Clarion Ledger

Jackson State’s starting defensive tackle Corey Clark was back on the practice field Tuesday for the first time in nearly two weeks.

Coach Rick Comegy said Clark left the team to take care of some “personal” problems. He said Clark has returned in shape and should start on Saturday against Delta State.

“Boy, it’s good to have him back out there,” Comegy said. “He’s been working out while he was gone so he’s still able to help us. We need him out there against Delta State.”

Clark (6-foot-2, 305 pounds) had 44 tackles, including 7› for a loss, last season.
After Tuesday’s soggy practice, Clark stayed on the field with fellow defensive linemen Idrees Abdur-Rashied and Marcus Benard, getting in some extra running.

“These guys have stuck by me and supported me while I got through this,” Clark said. “They were always calling on me and checking on me, making sure I was still working out while I got things figured out.”

JSU'S BIG BOY MAY PLAY

Freshman offensive lineman Terrael Williams has made such an impression during fall practice that he could see extended playing time in Saturday’s season opener against Delta State.

At 6-foot-8 and a reported 390 pounds when he came to camp, Williams has slowly slimmed down into better playing shape.

Once a candidate to redshirt, the big man from Dallas could be a key significant piece to the offensive line.

“He’s young and he’s going to make some mistakes,” Comegy said. “But he’s a man on that field and can really move. We’ll see how everything turns out.”

Hill-Eley has built Florida pipeline to MSU

By Ken Murray, Baltimore Sun

Morgan State head coach has 16 Floridians on roster

Morgan State caught Jerrell Guyton on the rebound. Guyton wanted to play football for Texas Southern in Houston in 2004, but detoured to Morgan State and Baltimore after a chance meeting with Donald Hill-Eley.

From such quirks, college football legends are sometimes made.

A native of Miami, Guyton effectively opened a pipeline to that football-rich area for Hill-Eley, Morgan's coach. When the Bears launch their season Thursday night at home against Savannah State, their roster will number 18 Floridians, the second most by state after Maryland's 24.

"Florida has been major for us," Hill-Eley said. "It's changed the team morale, it's changed the team speed."

It also gives the Bears their best chance to end three straight seasons of losing.

As many as seven players who came from Florida could start Thursday. Another five or six should receive substantial playing time.

The migration essentially started with Guyton, a 6-foot, 225-pound linebacker who was dismissed as too small by Texas Southern. When he visited the Houston campus late in 2004, Morgan State was in town for its final game of the season (a 37-21 victory).

Guyton met Hill-Eley on the sideline that day, offered to send tape, "and the next thing you know, I had a scholarship," he said.

It's not like he knew where he was going, though.

"I never heard of Morgan State. I didn't know anybody that went to school here. When I first got up here, there were two people from Florida," he said.

Guyton had starred at Miami Edison and then went to Dodge City (Kan.) Community College before arriving in Baltimore in 2005. Soon after, he played a role in helping running back Chad Simpson (South Florida), wide receiver Edwin Baptiste (Bethune-Cookman) and defensive end Clarence McPherson (Akron) transfer to Morgan. All three had played at Edison.

"All of us coming out of high school basically are family," Guyton said. "You've got to look out for each other. If you see an opportunity where your friend can step in and do some good, you're going to let him know."

Simpson was disgruntled with limited playing time at South Florida. He quit the team not once, but twice.

"Guyton was saying this is a good place, the coaches are down to earth and fair," Simpson said. "That's what I was looking for."

By the fourth game of the 2006 season, Simpson was Morgan's starting running back. He punched out 795 yards, including games of 192 and 178. He was voted to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's preseason first team this summer.

"I'm trying to be way better than that," he said. "I'm trying to be a new man. I've been focusing on being great, being the first 2,000-yard Morgan running back here."

After listening to Guyton and Hill-Eley, Baptiste didn't bother with a recruiting visit. He just decided to come.

"Jerrell let me know what they were trying to build here," Baptiste said. "Coach Hill wasn't selling anything. He was talking to me like a man and said the best players will play. He offered a scholarship and I came off word of mouth."

Of the 18 players from Florida, eight are transfers and 13 are from Miami. Hill-Eley, who once coached with the Baltimore Stallions in the Canadian Football League, enlisted the help of former CFL players Kwame Smith and Joe Washington to open doors in Florida.

Hill-Eley said Morgan's campus helps close the deal, especially with transfers.

"A lot of times they'll contact a bunch of different schools," he said. "We always believe if we can get them here on campus and show them our facility, we shouldn't lose a one of them, and we've been successful getting them in here."

Strong safety Gary Albury came in from Orlando, transferring from Mississippi. Cornerback Darren McKahn came from Miami Miramar and UConn. That's half the starting secondary.

McKahn said the high number of Florida recruits was what attracted him to Morgan. "I didn't visit," he said. "The people who were telling me about this school, I trust."

Hill-Eley said he even won a recruiting battle with Auburn for running back Devan James from Pompano Beach. For the most part, he goes head-to-head with Florida A&M and Bethune Cookman for the Florida recruits. He recruits Florida himself in May and December, a key point in certain cases.

"I recruit as the head coach, so I don't need to call back to tell the head coach 'I got a kid, what do you think?' " he said. "I can make my decision on those kids right there and sometimes you have to do that."

Hill-Eley also said he first tries to speak with the parents to present the picture beyond football.

"I don't fill the kids with the Sunday [NFL] dream," he said, "and the parents understand. When you treat them right and make sure to keep education up front, you really don't have a problem."

Lane out for opener; others may be back

Photo: Lymon Reed, DL 5-11/272, rs-Soph, Tampa Chamberlain HS, FL

By Heath A. Smith, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Starting defensive tackle Demetris Lane will miss Saturday's season-opener against Southern after reinjuring the index finger on his right hand Saturday.

Lane, a redshirt sophomore from Pace High School in Hollywood, Fla., originally broke the finger two weeks ago, but was allowed to return to practice with a protective cast last week.

Lane said he broke the finger again in Saturday's mock game and had it reset Monday.

"It was a little bit of a setback for Demetris," said Florida A&M head football coach Rubin Carter. "I know he was really looking forward to going to Birmingham and getting the opportunity to play in the first game."

Lane made his first career start last season in FAMU's homecoming game against Morgan State, recording seven tackles and two tackles for loss.

Lane finished last season with 15 tackles and three tackles for loss in mainly a reserve role. Lane earned a starting job in the spring along side sophomore Cameron Houston.

Lane, 6-foot-2, 295 pounds, brings size to a defensive line looking to tighten up against the run this season.

"He was pretty good last year as a redshirt freshman and is looking to improve on his performance," Carter said. "I'm really disappointed that he will not be able to go with us, but he'll stay in good shape and I look to get him back in several weeks."

Redshirt sophomore Lymon Reed is expected to start next to Houston, while Lane recovers. Health concerns may also keep 2007 Preseason All-MEAC running back Anthony Edwards from playing Saturday as well.

Edwards, a senior, has been nursing arthritis in his left foot and went to the doctor Tuesday for his asthma. Edwards said he has been cleared to return to practice, but Carter said he is concerned about Edwards being in the proper condition after missing most of preseason camp.

"He's gradually working himself back," Carter said. "He had to get released and his willing to go out and do it. We just want to make sure that everything is fine."

Edwards led the Rattlers in rushing last season with 482 yards and five touchdowns.

Hayward on Southern's mind

By Heath A. Smith,DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Rattlers WR will face MEAC's top defender

Southern football coach Pete Richardson didn't mention his name, but made reference to Florida A&M senior receiver Willie Hayward Monday in a teleconference.

While Hayward may be on Richardson's mind heading into Saturday's season-opening contest between the two schools in Birmingham, Ala., he has a player that is sure to be on FAMU offensive coordinator Bob Cole's mind as well.

Roaming the secondary for Southern Saturday will be senior free safety Jarmaul George, who was named the 2007 Preseason SWAC Defensive Player of the Year. George led the Jaguars with five interceptions and four pass breakups in 2006.

It could be interesting to see what happens if George and Hayward get locked up with each other.

"Willie is very competitive," said FAMU head coach Rubin Carter. "That is one thing you have to give him credit for. He wants to make a statement. Some say he has a swagger, but that's OK if he makes plays and he has certainly done that."

Hayward, a 2007 Preseason All-MEAC First Team selection, said he is looking forward to the challenge of getting the opportunity to play against George.

"It's always a great challenge when you get to go up against another great athlete," said Hayward, who caught 49 passes last season for 674 yards and five touchdowns.

"It just motivates you to do better. That is a great way to start the season to get the opportunity to go up against that caliber of player. I just want to go out and make any play I can against him."

Taylor is fine
Richardson also made mention of FAMU's "dangerous" kicker referring to senior place kicker and punter Wesley Taylor, who hurt his kicking leg last week.

"Everything is fine," Taylor said. "I'm back to 100 percent."

Taylor, an All-American in 2005, said he was cleared by the team physician just before Saturday's mock game and plans to handle all the kicking and punting duties Saturday.

Other injury updates
Sophomore running back Demetric Henry (hamstring) returned to practice Tuesday as did redshirt-sophomore linebacker Michael McMillan (hamstring) and junior linebacker Vic Arboleda (groin).

Eligibility update
Carter said he should get of those players who won't be eligible for Saturday game within the next two days.

Among the key players yet to be cleared to play are senior receiver Ronald Wright and senior safety Khalil Sutton.

FAMU itching for returns

Photo: Donovan Johnson, KR/CB, 5-11/181 Junior, Miami Booker T. Washington HS, FL
By St. Clair Murraine, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Kicker Wesley Taylor's view of the field won't change this season just because the distance for kickoffs will be five yards longer. He's been preparing for almost a year now since he first read about the change.

FAMU's entire special-teams unit, especially Taylor and kick returner Donovan Johnson, is eager to see the effects of the change.

Adjusting hasn't been more than mind over matter, Taylor said.

“It's a mind-boggling thing, because the field looks longer, but if you do the right technique, it's really the same,” said Taylor, who averaged 56.2 yards per kickoff last year. “If you let it bother you, you will probably mess up.”

Johnson is stepping into the role of returner for the first time. He was the second man last year behind All-American receiver Roosevelt Kiser.

Special teams didn't return any kicks for a touchdown, although the Rattlers gave up one on punt returns. FAMU averaged 9.4 yards per punt return, the longest at 40 yards. Kiser returned 33 kicks, averaging 22.8 yards. As a team, the Rattlers averaged 21 yards per return.

Johnson said he expects those numbers to drastically improve because of the extra yards should give him leverage for better speed.

“Every kick will basically get returned,” he said. “A lot of things will open up with that extra five yards. I will get to see the field better to hit the hole and go the distance.”

During fall camp, special teams spent time making adjustments to get the most out of the extra distance. If executed effectively, Johnson, who plays cornerback on defense, would become an extension of the FAMU offense, Carter said.

“It could be the equalizer, especially if a team scores and then you come out and get a big return for an advantageous field position,” he said. “That gives you an opportunity to match that score from an offensive standpoint.”

The impact that special teams will have on the game could change the unit's image, Johnson said. Special teams could go from being a unit that simply marks a transition in the game to one that has greater significance, he said.

“If we want to be that well-rounded football team we've got to be good in the special teams area, too,” he said. “They say if you win two phases you'll win. If we win the defensive battle and the special-teams battle we'll win. We need that to be a complete team.”

That put the onus on punt returner Greg Clark, too. His goal on every turn would be to make drives as short as possible for his offense, he said.

“I want to get them as close as possible to the goal line,” he said. “My goal is to get it to goal line or score.”

Saturday: p.m. in Birmingham, Ala., on WHBX (96.1 FM).

SU receiver Landry back at practice

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Southern got a nice boost Tuesday when All-Southwestern Athletic Conference wide receiver Gerard Landry returned to practice. Landry had stitches removed in his mouth Tuesday and was cleared to get back on the field.

Landry had oral surgery the previous Tuesday and had missed about two weeks.

“I don’t want to rush him into anything, just let him work,” wide receivers coach Eric Dooley said. “He’s a hard worker as it is. He put in a lot of good time in the summer, so I’m pretty sure all he needs to do is get back in the flow.”

Southern, 5-6 last season, plays Florida A&M, 7-4 last season, for the first time since 2001 as the teams meet in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge at 2 p.m. Saturday in Birmingham, Ala. The game will be televised on ESPN Classic.

Landry, a senior and co-team captain, knows the offense well. Last season, he had career highs of 727 yards, 55 catches and five touchdowns.

The concern was how much timing Landry would lose. He went out pretty much simultaneously with sophomore Bryant Lee emerging as the No. 1 quarterback and taking almost all of the first-team snaps.

“I did worry about that at first,” Dooley said. “But when I saw him (Saturday) running routes with no equipment on, he appeared to be, actually, a lot faster.”

Landry was also out, initially, at the same time as senior A.J. Turner and senior RaShon Jacobs.

“It was a minus, but it was a plus, because (Del) Roberts came on, (Juamorris) Stewart came on and (Mark) Henderson came on,” SU head coach Pete Richardson said. “This gave them an opportunity to get more reps and build confidence. Now, we put them back in there with (Landry).”

Honors
Florida A&M had nine players on the preseason All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference teams.

Five were on the first team: quarterback Albert Chester II, wide receiver Willie Hayward, left tackle Justin Delancy, linebacker Vernon Wilder and Wesley Taylor, as both the place-kicker and punter.

Four were on the second team: running back Anthony Edwards, defensive end Tyrone McGriff Jr., cornerback Michael Creary and free safety Jason Beach.

FAMU coach Rubin Carter said of his team’s leaders, “All are great leaders for us. You have to have that. You can’t police the team by yourself, as coaches. McGriff, he’s a big play-maker for us. Wilder, he’s our inspirational leader on defense. Taylor is the X-factor, with his ability to kick. He’s not shaking under pressure.”

On the preseason All-SWAC teams from Southern are first-teamer Jarmaul Landry, with the senior free safety also the SWAC’s preseason defensive player of the year and Gerard Landry and junior defensive end Vince Lands on the second team.

Quick look at Southern
Said Carter of the Jaguars, “I’m well-acquainted with that team and what they’re capable of doing. (Richardson) has an ability to get his team prepared to play.”

Lid-lifters
Southern is 7-7 in season openers under Richardson. That’s 2-5 starting in 2000. SU won last season’s opener 30-29 against Bethune-Cookman College in Jacksonville, Fla. FAMU has not won an opener since 2001.

The work
A thunderstorm popped up just after 3 p.m. as the Jaguars were just set to begin practice. SU waited, with some players in the F.G. Clark Activity Center, until going back about 4:15 p.m., working on the easternmost field. SU worked in drizzly conditions until the rain subsided and the team transitioned into A.W. Mumford Stadium.

Monday night, SU practiced in Mumford Stadium.

Still waiting

Richardson said Southern is still awaiting clearance for junior running back Kendrick Smith and sophomore center Ramon Chinyoung to make sure they’ll be eligible to play or even make the trip for Saturday’s game.

Offensive line
SU junior Frank Harry, who moved to the offensive line at guard last week, will wear No. 66. He was originally No. 96 and a defensive tackle.

Harry, is listed as the backup at left guard on offense and left tackle on defense, has worked exclusively with the offensive line since making the transition there last week.

Including Harry, the offensive line has three new starters (of five) and five first-year players among its two-deep chart.

Notes
Richardson’s weekly news luncheon is at noon today at The Table is Bread restaurant. Southern and FAMU have combined to win 20 black college national titles, with SU at nine and FAMU at 11.

NCA&T Aggies open with healthy enthusiasm

By Rob Daniels, Staff Writer

GREENSBORO — Somewhere in the heart of every Junction Boys-era hard-liner, there lurks a suspicion: If football players aren't dropping like tropical insects in Iceland, it's not a real preseason. It's got to be some sort of all-inclusive vacation masquerading as work.

N.C. A&T coach Lee Fobbs is familiar with that mentality, having worked at Texas A&M, among other football furnaces. But when he looks at his depth chart for Saturday's opener at Winston-Salem State and sees almost perfect health, he doesn't apologize. He knows this wasn't Club Aggie, and better yet, it wasn't destructive.

Asked when one of his teams made it through a preseason like this, he said, "It's been a long time, especially when you go through the type of camp we went through. We all know how the weather has been."

The only personnel issue of consequence is the status of linebacker Robert Russell, who suffered a concussion two weeks ago and has been held out as a precaution. Doctors have been judicious, but are expected to clear Russell for duty against the Rams.

New strength coach Cedric Walthaw and trainer Rob Woodall instituted workout plans in advance of the summer, and the coaches say they've seen the results. Players returned to campus this month in better shape than in August 2006, and Fobbs said that allowed the staff to accelerate the timetable for contact.

"We got after each other a lot more," he said. "In our offseason, the work was good in the weight room. That enabled us to get into the physical aspect of things more than we anticipated."

There were heat-related accommodations — conducting the second practice on certain days in the evening rather than the afternoon, for example — but the temperature didn't really give in much. It's going to be the hottest August on record in Greensboro.

"Two-a-days," said linebacker Tim Shropshire, "are still a beast. But it was worth it."

Health is an absolute prerequisite for the Aggies, who have only five seniors on an 85-man roster. The NCAA doesn't have complete and certified rosters for all the schools in what is now known as the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly called Division I-AA). But you'll have a hard time finding a team with fewer seniors than A&T.

There's nothing Fobbs, starting his second year on the job, can do about that situation. Attrition is a part of this game early in any administration, and the depth chart won't look normal until 2009.

Competition for starting jobs has been largely resolved. One issue will be whether to use a kickoff specialist in light of a new rule that moves kickoffs five yards back to the 30. Lee Woodson, a preseason All-MEAC candidate, is expected to be the punter and freshmen Elliott Simmonds and Eric Houston are the top field-goal and extra-point candidates.

In general, the status quo is highly undesirable for the Aggies, who have lost 16 consecutive games. The one exception is the injury list.

"It's unusual, but we'll take it," Fobbs said.

A&T AT WINSTON-SALEM STATE

What: Aggies' football opener

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

Where: Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem

Tickets: $25 general admission. Call 750-3220.

Online: http://www.ncataggies.com

Hampton U kick returner Reggie Dixon is out with an injury

BY MARTY O'BRIEN, Daily Press

Broken collarbone might sideline him for the season

Some say Reggie Dixon is so fast that all you can really see of him are his vapor trails. Hampton University football fans might have to wait a year to see even those, because Dixon is sidelined by a broken collarbone.

Hampton coach Joe Taylor said Tuesday that Dixon sustained the injury in practice on Friday. Taylor added that Dixon will miss a minimum of eight weeks.

Dixon, a 5-foot-7, 160-pound true freshman, would've started as a kickoff returner and played as a reserve wide receiver. But Taylor said that it is likely that Dixon will redshirt this season.

"He'll probably need surgery, and when he comes back he's going to get hit," Taylor said. "I'd like to see him get into the weight room and get a little stronger,"

Dixon was a two-time New Jersey state champion at 55 meters for Plainfield High. His 6.31-second 55 ranks second best in New Jersey prep history.

Taylor said that defensive back James Butts will replace Dixon at kickoff returner. He'll partner with Kevin Teel, who finished second in Division I-AA last season with a 31.2-yard return average in addition to returning one kickoff for a touchdown.

Butts a true freshman from Maury High, is also one of the Pirates' fastest players. He ran a 4.3-second 40 at practice recently and will also play as a reserve cornerback.

The Pirates open the season on Sept. 8 at Howard.

MEAC/SWAC Scoreboard-Week One

Finally, the big sports week is here...


MEAC Scoreboard - Week 1

Savannah State
@ Morgan State
7:00 PM Thu Aug 30

South Carolina State
@ Air Force
2:00 PM Sat Sep 1

Southern University
@ Florida A&M
3:00 PM Sat Sep 1
ESPN Classic & ESPN 360

Jacksonville
@ Bethune-Cookman
4:00 PM Sat Sep 1

Virginia State
@ Norfolk State
6:00 PM Sat Sep 1

North Carolina A&T
@ Winston-Salem
6:00 PM Sat Sep 1

Coastal Carolina
@ Delaware State
7:00 PM Sat Sep 1


SWAC Scoreboard - Week 1

Arkansas-Pine Bluff
@ Mississippi Valley State
2:00 PM Sat Sep 1
CSTV live

Southern University
@ Florida A&M
Birmingham, AL
3:00 PM Sat Sep 1
ESPN Classic & ESPN 360

Grambling State
@ Alcorn State
7:00 PM Sat Sep 1

Delta State
@ Jackson State
7:00 PM Sat Sep 1

Alabama A&M
@ Tennessee State
7:00 PM Sat Sep 1

Jacksonville State
@ Alabama State
8:00 PM Sat Sep 1

Prairie View A&M
@ Texas Southern
8:00 PM Sat Sep 1
ESPNU


Division I Independent - Scoreboard Week 1

August 23
North Carolina Central--(10) at Albany State U (16)

Savannah State
@ Morgan State
7:00 PM Thu Aug 30

Fayetteville State
@North Carolina Central
4:00 p.m., Sunday Sept 2

GSU has concerns on ground

By Scott Ferrell, Shreveport Times

Either Grambling State head football coach Rod Broadway is extremely coy or the Tigers have a concern running the football going into Saturday's season opener at Alcorn State.

"We don't have a running back," Broadway joked during Monday's Southwestern Athletic Conference teleconference. "We may play empty (backfield) all game."

The problem is nothing new at Grambling.

Ab Kuuan led the team in rushing last season with 551 yards. But Kuuan averaged only 3.9 yards per carry.

And Kuuan is not coming back.

Photo: Coach Rod Broadway

"As you know, our leading returning rusher has 47 yards in his career," Broadway said. "So we're still trying to find someone to run the ball. It looks like we may be throwing it all over the ballpark."

Actually, quarterbacks Larry Kerlegan and Brandon Landers were the Tigers' second- and third-leading rushers a year ago. Both return. Kerlegan ran for 215 yards and Landers gained 117 on the ground.

But running back Michael Rainey did indeed rush for 47 yards last season.

Broadway, though, isn't giving up on the run.

"We have some freshmen who have done a good job for us," Broadway said. "Cornelius Walker, a guy out of Georgia, has done a good job for us. Frank Warren and Kenny Batiste, all freshmen, and J.R. Spivey out of Atlanta.

"So we have four freshmen there. Of course, there is the issue of: when you throw a freshman in there you don't know what you're going to get. We know what they have done in practice. But once the lights go on, you don't know what these guys are going to do because they are freshmen."

While the Tigers don't have experience at the running back position, Broadway does see talent there in his freshmen backs.

"Once they get in the flow of the game, I think they're talented enough to be good running backs," he said. "They're not great. They're not bad. They're just good running backs at this point.'

Pough says SCSU Bulldogs conditioned well heading into Air Force game

By THOMAS GRANT JR., T&D Senior Sports Writer

Having completed a physically grueling training camp, South Carolina State head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough knows what to expect effort-wise from his team in Saturday’s season-opener against Air Force.

How that translates into competing for the first time in school history against a Football Bowl Subdivision foe on the road remains a mystery for Pough and his coaching staff.

"This the best-conditioned team we’ve had since I’ve been here and it appears that we’ve got some talent," said Pough at Monday’s press conference. "Whether or not it’s going to transcend into a team that goes out and plays good, solid cohesive football is what the next portion of this year’s schedule will let us know. And what better situation to find out if our guys can actually fight through a tough setting than what we’re going into Saturday."

Along with travelling out west and facing an opponent which enjoys a vast advantage in resources and scholarship players over other Football Championship Subdivision programs, Pough said the Bulldogs still do not have a solid idea as to what type of Falcons team to expect under new head coach and former Houston Texans assistant coach Troy Calhoun.

"What really makes this a little bit strange is the fact that we just know so little about what they actually are doing," he said. "We don’t have any film. We don’t any way of knowing of how they’re going to attack us or how we need to attack them because of the fact that everything out there is new. Their staff is totally new and we can only go by what he’s (Calhoun) done in some places in the past. I don’t think he’ll try to run the Houston Texans’ offense. I don’t think he’ll try to run the Houston Texans’ defense. So we’ve got to work to really find what has been a part of their staff’s past history to get an idea of what they possibly may be."

Photo: SCSU Receiver Corps.

Pough does know about senior quarterback Shaun Carney. The four-year starter, who was selected to the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award "watch list for the third straight year, ranks third in career total offense at the Academy with 5,824 total yards. He also ranks eighth in rushing with 1,924 yards, third in passing with 3,900 yards, second in touchdown passes with 30 and reminds Pough of former Coastal Carolina quarterback Tyler Thigpen.

"The Carney kid for them is a special player," Pough said. "He has been not only a good passer, but he’s been a real athletic guy. He seems to be a fit for what would be the possibility of what they do with that kind of style guy. You’d think that he’d be a guy that you would have to really pay some special attention to. It’s no telling all the special things you can do with him."

The element of surprise could work in SCSU’s favor especially if Pough believes the Falcons take a light-hearted approach to the game.

"I can’t see them being awfully concerned," he said. "They know that we are a lower level team. There’s a good possibility that they feel like they would be able to take us on pretty easily. They’ve got a good chance probably to have all of our film so that they have a real good idea about what we are actually going to try to do to them. I would not think it would scare them a bunch. We don’t do anything really unusual, anything that’s going to stress them out more than what they would be ordinarily be stressed out by maybe one of the medium-level teams on their schedule. So I would think that they might think they have an easy time with us."

Furthermore, Pough does not see the Falcons becoming discombobulated should the Bulldogs make an early statement.

"You’re talking about an outfit of men who are practicing to not only play football but they jump on bombs for a living," he said. "I don’t know if you’re going to scare those kinds of people. I don’t know if hitting them in the mouth is what you want to do. I think what you want to do is you want to get in there and find a way to hang in this football game in a way where you have an opportunity to win at the end. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and we hope that our guys can hang in there and not give them any big plays for scores. And then at that point, we can possibly be in the game and have a chance at the end."

In order to make that happen, look for SCSU to make the most use out of its roster of available defensive linemen. Because of the group’s lack of significant size, Pough believes by going three-deep will keep them from getting exhausted and get the highest quality of play.

The offense has had to deal with a litany of injuries. Offensive tackle Nygel Pearson is out again for 2-4 weeks with a broken hand, while a similar injury has wide receiver Tron Jackson sidelined. Meanwhile, Terrance Smith and Phillip Smalls remain questionable.

For all the great anticipation for Saturday’s contest, SCSU continues to have a firm eye towards the Sept. 8 game at Bethune-Cookman. Even with a loss, Pough wants to come out of the Air Force matchup with some positive carryover.

"I think going out and competing is the measure that we probably use to determine if the game was a success or not," he said. "If we go out and play well, if we go out and execute what we’ve been working on in camp in a way where we’ve had some success, then I think that gives us some momentum to go into our next week and feel positive about our situation."

PVAMU vs. Texas Southern-- Labor Day Classic Press Conference

PVAMU Sports Information

Photo: Prairie View A&M University Head Football Coach Henry Frazier III

STATE FARM LABOR DAY CLASSIC PRESS CONFERENCE

Coach Henry Frazier III Opening Remarks:

“Well we are here again... its football season. We are extremely excited about this upcoming season. We had a great training camp. We concluded camp relatively healthy. We’re excited about the opportunity to bring that trophy back to Prairie View. Last year was a very good football game and the year prior to that was a very good football game, and they both came down to the last drive.

This year I anticipate it will be more of the same. Looking at Texas Southern, I know they have a good football team. Looking at their depth chart, they start eighteen seniors. In this conference or any conference, you win championships with juniors and seniors.

As for the Prairie View A&M Panthers, we are ready to roll. On the offensive side of the ball Chris Gibson is our quarterback. He had a great spring practice and a great training camp. It’s no secret that we definitely needed to work on our passing game, and that’s something we worked on all summer. We plan on throwing the ball around a little bit more. I'm sure nobody believes us, but we are going to attempt to pass more frequently, and we are going to have some fun.

Last season our defense was number one in the conference, and twelfth in the nation. We return just about all of those starters and we’ve been having very physical practices, just to get in that mind-set. We should have a pretty good defense. We also tried to address our special team’s problems from last season by bringing in three kickers. When you lose five football games by seven points or less, you’re able to contribute a lot of that to your kicking game.”

Coach Frazier Interview

On the season: “We are very excited about this year. Our goal is to have a winning season.”

On having another down to the wire game: “I hope not, but I think it’s going to be a good football game, we are excited about it. There’s a lot of parody in this conference. I think from top to bottom on any given Saturday any team could beat any team, but being a cross-town rival makes it a little sweeter. Hopefully we can try to put them away, but they have a veteran team, and they will fight back.”

On his relationship with TSU head coach: “We know each other well. We worked together my last year at Bowie State. He was my defensive coordinator, and we had the number one defense in the country, so we know each other pretty well. He had a lot of coaches on his staff that worked for me as well, so we are also familiar with each other.”

On the Labor Day Classic: “It’s not just a regular game, it is a conference game and it’s your rival in an amazing venue like Reliant Stadium, so it is a great way to start the season.”

On the rivalry: “There are so many people that have graduated from both universities. They really pump the game up, and these kids now have grown up and some of their parents or grandparents have.

Academic issues concern Southern

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter


The Southern football team has had at least 10 players become academically ineligible since the spring, but football hasn’t been the school’s only program touched by grade, retention and clearance issues.

In the previous school year, men’s basketball lost veteran forward Ralph Hishaw. Women’s basketball lost up-and-coming shooting guard Deidra Jackson. And baseball lost several veterans and couldn’t get Joshua Kirk, who earned his master’s degree in December, eligible until after the conference season concluded.

In May, the NCAA issued its Academic Progress Report and sent official warning letters to schools, including Southern.

SU was the nation’s only school whose three main men’s programs — football, basketball and baseball — were noted for all having academic concerns.

“With that APR, eventually we’re going to get penalized if we don’t turn this thing around,” SU Athletic Director Greg LaFleur said.

Plus, campus-wide, the problem of academic progress is getting more focus.

Southern reported its retention rate of freshman as 73.2 percent, but its six-year graduation rate was 27.7 percent. The school has been hurt financially by declining enrollment.

“I’m challenging the entire university. We’re going to do something with our retention rates,” SU Interim Chancellor Margaret Ambrose told the school’s student-athletes Thursday at an orientation meeting in the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

Ambrose spoke to the student-athletes about the APR warning letter from the NCAA.

“We have a challenge with at least three of our major sports,” Ambrose said. “I got an important letter that told me you guys are not where you’re supposed to be in terms of graduation rates. p We want not to fail you. Hold us to that. Study; go to class; if you need help, ask for it.”

LaFleur said the school will establish an academic center for student-athletes (in addition to other tools available on campus) in the Clark Center. He said the center, which will be open until 9 p.m., should be up and running in a month.

“We’re consciously doing some things to elevate the academic support we’re giving to the entire athletic department,” Ambrose said.

The problem could require research.
“We need to analyze and try to approach it from a data collection and analytic point of view,” Ambrose said. “We just have to bring to bear everything we can to figure this thing out.”

Photo: SU Football Coach Pete Richardson

The latest rash of ineligible football players, along with at least five more players who are no longer with the program, underscores the problem.

“I feel comfortable Ambrose and (SU System President Ralph) Slaughter understand we have an issue,” SU football coach Pete Richardson said.

“They’ve made a commitment to get us some help. Now, it’s not going to happen overnight, because the problem we have didn’t start overnight. It’s going to be a period of time of putting things in place.”

Like most Southwestern Athletic Conference schools, Southern recruits many nonqualifiers — players who are not eligible to practice or play as true freshmen — as well as players who are high risk even if they qualify initially.

“The mission of a lot of historically black colleges is to give a lot of the lesser an opportunity to go to school,” Richardson said.

“We’re going to get a higher-risk individual, especially from the inner-city schools.

“But then the standards are important, but you also have to realize some of them are all behind. I can just see this start to escalate unless you get some things in place to try to help them out.”

LaFleur said in May that SU had to make an effort to “minimize the risks in terms of whom we offer a scholarship to.”

In the past two recruiting classes, Richardson and his staff have signed a lower percentage of nonqualifiers than in previous classes.

Richardson said the NCAA’s recent change in determining eligibility based on a student-athletes percentage, by year, of completed coursework in a major has made an impact.

“The main reason is we went to the 40-60-80 rule,” Richardson said.

“With that, you have to declare a major and every year you have to maintain a certain percentage of that major in order to be eligible.

“I could see it two or three years ago, when they were putting it in, because of the student-athlete, historically, we’ve been recruiting. Some of our student-athletes are struggling with math and biology. Once you get behind, it’s almost impossible to maintain. That’s what hurting some of them at this time.”

ASU Hornets hit the field with first game in sight

ASU Sports Information

Photo: ASU defensive coordinator Tony Pierce goes over play call

ASU game plan in place for Jacksonville State

With only four days remaining before their home opener, the Alabama State Hornets held their Monday practice at Cramton Bowl, the site of Saturday night's game versus Jacksonville State.

Both ASU defensive coordinator Tony Pierce and offensive coordinator Maurice Harris liked what happened on the field.

Maurice Harris checks out his offense

Photo: Coach Harris

"They were pretty good out there," Harris said. "We went through several specialty situations and the guys performed well."

After using the first several weeks of fall practice to get his team acclimated to the new offense he installed, Harris began putting in the game plan for Jacksonville State last Monday.

"We had to make sure we understood what we wanted to do first," Harris said. "After that, we could start gearing up for the game."

On the defensive side of the ball, Coach Pierce has been happy with the effort and energy of his defense.

"They can smell gameweek," Pierce said. "All of the guys who were sitting out with bumps and bruises are now out here playing with those same bumps and bruises."

Those injuries have really been Pierce's only point of trepidation.

"My concern is how long our guys will last with some of those nicks," he said. "I think we are ready to play, and if we can stay healthy we definitely have a fighting chance."

JSU big athletes work to lose extra weight

Photo: Lorenzo Breland, 6-2/310 Offensive Line, Picayune HS (MS)

By David Brandt, Clarion Ledger

Jackson State senior Lorenzo Breland is a mountain of a man, anchoring the center of the Tigers' offensive line.

He stands about 6-foot-2 and weighs more than 310 pounds. That size serves him well when he's crashing into defenders from Grambling, Alcorn State or Mississippi Valley, clearing space for his teammates.

But in about three months that mammoth size won't be needed anymore. Breland's football career will be finished, and he'll graduate with his degree in history.

He hopes to teach high school and coach a little football. For that job, lugging around 310-plus pounds probably won't be a good idea.

"Yeah, I plan to lose a little weight when I get done with football," Breland said. "Right now, I'm big, but I'm in pretty good football shape. I can eat four or five meals each day because I burn it off. I'm sure it will be a little different when I'm done with football."

Jana Milam, a registered and licensed dietitian with the University of Mississippi Medical Center, said she constantly deals with former athletes trying to stay healthy after their athletic careers.

"For big football players, it's a lot about changing your routine from eating so much each day," Milam said. "Most of these guys need to cut their calorie intake in half and start watching what they eat a little more."

For former offensive linemen, lugging around all that extra weight for long periods of time can lead to problems such as hypertension, diabetes and heart problems.

Many football players struggle with their weight after college, but others manage nicely.

Former University of Southern Mississippi star Steve Carmody weighed about 245 pounds back in his playing days during the early 1980s.

But after a brief tryout with the NFL, he returned home and went to law school. He now has his own law firm in Jackson.

A steady diet of "jogging and Lean Cuisine" got him down to about 220 pounds after college, where he hovered for the next 20 or so years. Recently, he has seen his weight begin to climb.

"Once you hit about 45 years old, your metabolism just isn't getting it done," Carmody said.

For former jocks trying to get down to a reasonable weight after their playing career, Milam offered these tips:

Don't stop weight training; just change your routine. Instead of building power, do a little lighter weight and more repetitions to build tone and endurance. Also incorporate 30 minutes of cardio work five days each week.

Take your time: A healthy pace to lose weight is usually about one or two pounds per week. But over six months, that could add up to 30 or 40 pounds.

Get some help: A dietitian or a personal trainer can help you decide the best course for finding a weight that's best suited for your body type.

Alabama A&M Notebook: Jones waiting for eligibility answers

Reggie Benson, Times Staff Writer

Jones still waiting for eligibility answers

Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones said Monday he was unable to set his lineup for Saturday's season opener against Tennessee State because he was still awaiting word on some eligibility issues.

Jones said last week some of his players had been cleared academically, but he was still awaiting word on several others. The list includes running back Max Martin, wide receiver Anthony Mitchell and defensive back Jonathan McConico, among others.

"We have the same situation that we had Friday," Jones said. "I'm still waiting on some phone calls and hopefully I'll get them before the end of the day. If I don't get them, we're moving on. Whoever we go out there with (today) is who we're going with."

Tucker to start: Defensive coordinator Brawnski Towns said Monday that Stephan Tucker will start at left cornerback in place of Maurice Thomas in Alabama A&M's season opener Saturday against Tennessee State. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at LP Field.

Tucker had been hampered by an ankle injury and that allowed Thomas, who started the second half of last season after Tucker sustained a similar injury against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, to move ahead of him. However, after watching the film from Saturday's scrimmage, Towns made the move.

"Thomas wasn't sound in his technique," he said. "I hadn't had a chance to watch film last week, but he wasn't very solid in the scrimmage ."

Tucker played well, Towns said, and his ankle is about 90 percent.

Towns said Chris Faush moved ahead of Korey Morrison and will back up Frank Moore at right cornerback.

Williams concerns Towns: Annually, A&M has been ranked nationally in rushing defense. That national reputation will be challenged Saturday night when A&M visits Tennessee State.

The Tigers include one of the better running backs in the Ohio Valley Conference in Javarris Williams, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound junior.

Williams rushed for 1,233 yards and scored 11 touchdowns last season, including a 121-yard effort on 23 carries and a touchdown in a 27-20 loss to the Bulldogs.

"He did a good job running the ball last year," Towns said of Williams. "We helped him some with some poor tackling, but he's a powerful runner and we've got to find a way to slow him down."

AAMU 's Moland is out of the shadows

By REGGIE BENSON, Times Sports Staff

With Baldwin in NFL, A&M's Moland eyes spotlight at linebacker

For the last two years, Avery Moland played alongside Johnny Baldwin. For the last two years, they formed one of the better inside linebacker tandems in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, helping Alabama A&M make back-to-back appearances in the championship game and eventually winning it last season.

Still, while Moland did his part, he wasn't able to escape Baldwin's large shadow.

No matter how hard he tried, no matter how well he played, Moland was always the Bulldogs' other inside linebacker.

Now that Baldwin, a two-time first-team All-SWAC selection, has taken his show to the National Football League with the Detroit Lions, A&M's defense will be Moland's to run.

"I've been waiting for this year all summer," said Moland, who will lead A&M's defense into Saturday's season opener against Tennessee State at LP Field in Nashville. "I knew Johnny was the man and I was just going out there every game trying to prove I could play, too.

"I want a chance to show everybody that I'm good enough to play on the next level and this is my year to do it and I'm planning to take advantage of it."

Unlike Baldwin, who played inside linebacker his entire career, Moland has bounced around some.

He started at defensive end as a redshirt freshman in 2004, was converted to inside linebacker a year later and then started at inside linebacker for most of last season, but started a couple of games at defensive end when Chris Traylor was suspended.

"Moland came here at a time when we had players with established roles," A&M coach Anthony Jones said. "That may have taken from his level of consistency playing one position all the time. He has played where we asked him to play and he's done it well. We felt like we had to have him on the field."

The Bulldogs are 25-10 with Moland in the starting lineup so Jones' observation was right. While he hasn't had a break out year, Moland has developed into a good football player.

"Avery has done what we needed him to do," Jones said. "He has been a big hitter for us. He's been a solid pass rusher. He's been a consistent player at linebacker and now he knows the lights are looking for someone to shine upon and it's his turn to step up because he can be that kind of player."

Moland has felt that way all along. He feels that way even more now.

"I feel like I'm an important part of our team," said the 5-foot-11, 236-pound senior from Birmingham. "I'm in a position where I can lead and my actions on and off the field have an effect on how my teammates look at our team. I've got to be one of the guys on defense to stand up and take full account of what's going on out there."

Moland's work ethic, inside linebackers coach Jay Martin says, has prevented him from becoming the kind of player Baldwin became.

"The thing I've been working with Avery on the most is his intensity," Martin said. "He'll turn it on and he'll turn it off. We need him to play with great intensity all the time.

"If his motor is running, he's hard to handle. He's a great pass rusher and a heck of a hitter. He brings fear to a lot of running backs, but he has to step up to the next level if he wants to be compared to Johnny."

Moland recognized that this summer and says he put in the work necessary to reach his goals.

"I did more to get in shape for this year so I could be in mid-season form at the beginning of the season," said Moland, whose father Thaddeus and uncle Vernon played for the Bulldogs in the early 1980s. "I realize the more plays I'm on the field the more plays I'll have a chance to make."

Moland has been one of A&M's top playmakers during his career. He was third on the team in tackles two years ago and second last season. However, Jones says he'll make more plays if he's in proper condition.

"Avery is a guy that loves to hit people," he said. "When you bring a lot of punishment, you also receive some and when you do that, you have to be in great shape. He has worn down some during the season and he needs to be in great shape so he can get through the year."

Moland doesn't seem all that concerned. He says he doesn't plan on letting anything stop him from having a great senior year.

"I'm excited," he said. "I'm glad it's here. Hopefully, I will have a great season."

Monte & Jed: They have played football together (almost) forever

By John Dell, JOURNAL REPORTER

Monte & Jed: They have played football together through Pop Warner, Parkland and now WSSU

Quarterback Monte Purvis and running back Jed Bines of Winston-Salem State have been together so long it’s hard to imagine one without the other.

They met as eager 9-year-olds trying to learn football and wound up on the same team. They have been teammates ever since, together for 13 seasons.

“I was actually the quarterback,” Bines proudly announced, regarding their first team, “and Monte was a running back.”

Before Bines could finish his sentence, Purvis chimed in: “Yeah, but that didn’t last long because I was quarterback in the next game.”

Purvis and Bines, now 22 and fifth-year seniors, will start their last season together Saturday, when WSSU opens against N.C. A&T at Bowman Gray Stadium.

During their younger days, they teamed on two Pop Warner national-championship teams - triumphs documented in a scrapbook by Purvis’ parents, Darlene and Randolph.

As high-school juniors, they teamed to help Parkland win the Class 3-A state title, in 2001.

They have been separated at times. Purvis was a four-year starter at Parkland, and Bines spent much of his freshman season on the junior varsity before moving up. They also were apart during redshirt seasons at WSSU.

“It’s great that they have come this far,” Darlene Purvis said. “It’s rare to see two friends like that stay together for so long. And they’ve grown up now and will graduate. That’s something I’m thrilled about.”


Running back Jed Bines (1) and quarterback Monte Purvis (4) met as 9-year-olds. They won two Pop Warner national football championships together and went on to star at Parkland. Now they are both 22 and fifth-year seniors at WSSU. (Journal photo by Bruce Chapman / Photos courtesy of family)


Purvis and Bines come from different backgrounds. Purvis always had a stable home life. Bines, as a 5-year-old, saw his mother killed and was raised by his grandmother, Irene Williams. Without Williams, Bines said, he doesn’t know where he would be.

“I know she’ll be at all the home games, and she’s been so supportive of me,” Bines said of Williams, whom he calls Mama. “She was always with me when I was young and went through some tough times.”

Williams is a strong-willed person who taught Bines not only to respect people but also to always appreciate things in life. She also passed her strong faith on to Bines. “I always pray for Jed, more than he knows,” she said.

Williams said she wasn’t at all surprised that Bines did what he had to in the classroom last year after being academically ineligible.

“He’s always been determined, and he wanted to play football again, so he wasn’t going to be denied,” Williams said.

Williams said that Bines was a natural with a football from the age of 2 or 3.

“He used to carry that football everywhere he went,” she said. “It’s hard to believe he’s in his last year of college, especially when I look at some of the pictures of him playing Pop Warner.”

Williams said that there have always been doubters who thought that Bines would never amount to much. He is majoring in math, and she said that someday he wants to teach and maybe coach high-school football.

“Now he’s going to graduate from college,” Williams said. “I’ve always told him that just because folks are grinning at you doesn’t mean they are your friends. But he’s showed a lot of determination, and I can’t say enough about how proud I am of him.”

Darlene Purvis knows about the struggles Bines has endured.

“Jed was always like one of my boys,” Darlene said. “He and Monte would be here all the time when they were both at Parkland.”

The two nearly split up after graduating from Parkland in 2003.

Photo: Monte Purvis
Bigger colleges were recruiting Bines, mainly because of his gaudy statistics and ability to break tackles. Purvis wasn’t getting the same attention, in part because of his size (he was listed at 5-10 in high school).
If not for a coaching change at East Carolina in December 2002, Bines probably would have ended up there. But after Steve Logan was fired, the staff that stayed stopped recruiting Bines.

“It was a couple of days after signing day, and I called up Monte and we talked,” Bines said. “And I said, ‘What do you want to do?’ and we decided to bring our scholarship papers with us to school the next day, and we both signed to play with Winston-Salem State.”

It was one of Coach Kermit Blount’s best recruiting efforts, bringing in two local players who have excelled. Bines is No. 6 in school history in career rushing yards (2,675) and career touchdowns (28). Purvis has passed for nearly 1,800 yards.

“When they were being recruited in high school, Coach (Dee) Bell told them that there’s a chance they might not be able to go to the same school,” Darlene Purvis said. “Some schools weren’t looking at them together because Jed was a little more highly recruited, but Coach Blount wanted them to come, and they both decided to go there.”

Purvis said that seeing his friend stay in school and regain his eligibility has been inspiring.

“That says to me about the dedication he showed,” Purvis said. “It shows that he didn’t give up on school or the football team. That shows what kind of person he is, because quitting isn’t something he’s ever done.”

Parkland’s Bell called Purvis and Bines two of the toughest players he has coached. Bines is Parkland’s all-time leading rusher with 5,878 yards and 71 touchdowns, and Purvis set the school record for most starts in a career, going 40-11 over four years.

“I think of not only how good they were on the field for us but what great friends they are,” Bell said. “For four years they were as close as anybody I know, and you can ask anybody when they were here at Parkland, you never saw one without the other.”

Bell found it tough to pick a highlight from their high-school careers before settling on a play against Wilson Hunt during the state-championship season, when Purvis and Bines ran an option play that went for about an 80-yard touchdown.

“I swear I think all 11 guys missed,” Bell said. “I think one of their guys actually missed twice. It was just something else to watch those two run the option.”

Bell played for N.C. A&T and is a big Aggies’ fan, but he said that come Saturday, he’ll be rooting for Bines and Purvis.

“I’m going to get to all four of their home games,” Bell said. “Since it’s their last go-round, I want to watch as much as I can.”

Darlene Purvis said it’s great seeing how far the two have come. “I’m proud of both of them,” she said.

Four transfers make a quick impact on TSU defense

By MIKE ORGAN, Staff Writer

Four transfers have made it to the first team defense and will start for Tennessee State when the Tigers open the season Saturday at LP Field. They will face Alabama A&M in the John Merritt Classic.

Sophomore cornerback Marquez Hall, who transferred from Vanderbilt, began working with the first-team unit during the first week of practice and has been a staple throughout camp.

More recently, Kellen Woodard, a linebacker who transferred from Western Michigan last season, has moved to defensive end, where he will start on the opposite side of veteran Shaun Richardson.

Harold Ayodele, a transfer from Coffeyville Community College, has moved into a starting spot at nose tackle, and Ramone Willis, a transfer from Illinois, has jumped ahead of last year's starting linebacker Kalvin Baker.

The emergence of Woodard and the arrival of Ayodele in preseason camp helped to relieve some concerns of the coaching staff about a defensive front that lost three starters.

Photo: Head Football Coach James Webster, TSU

"Woodard has gotten a lot stronger, he's gotten a lot more physical, he's gotten more aggressive, and he's shown really good intelligence," said Coach James Webster.

"Last year we had him between end and linebacker so he never really got to a chance to settle in. This fall camp we put him at one position and kept him at that one position, and it's been good for him."

Richardson is the only returning starter on the line.

Lamar Divens, who started the first three games before being ruled ineligible, will be the other starter at tackle.

Former Antioch star Mark Drew has moved from linebacker to defensive end, where he is backing up Woodard.

Willis caught the attention of the staff at the start of camp, which helped him move ahead of Baker, who was the team's leading tackler before being injured toward the end of last season.

"Willis has emerged as a leader for us," Webster said. "He was a starter for Illinois. He's got really good speed, excellent athletic ability, and he's a good hitter. He's added a positive dimension to our defense."

Moore out: Freshman receiver Jonathan Moore from Maplewood, who was working with the first team, is not expected to play Saturday because of a sprained ankle. Moore has not been able to practice at full-speed since the injury two weeks ago.

New practice time: After starting afternoon practice at 6 p.m. through training camp, the Tigers will begin today at 4 p.m. Classes began Monday and there was no practice.

Nevels gone: Former Pearl-Cohn offensive lineman Robert Nevels, who earned a starting assignment as a freshman last season, has quit the team.

Gordon's tutoring plus for Jackson State's Johnson

Jackson State senior Jaymar Johnson spent part of this summer training with former JSU star and current San Diego Chargers return specialist Cletis Gordon.

Johnson will likely return both punts and kickoffs for the Tigers this season and said the pointers he picked up from Gordon in training should prove invaluable once the season starts.

"I can't show you everything because I've got to save it for the field," Johnson said laughing. "But Cletis knows what he's doing. He was just showing me some little things to maybe slow down the gunners coming for me on the outside."

Johnson, who was also Jackson State's leading receiver last season, said the team has spent quite a bit of time the past few days watching film of Delta State. The Tigers play DSU at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Statesmen, ranked No. 12 in the country in the AFCA NCAA Division II poll, have a celebrated defense led by All-America linebacker Michael Eubanks. But Johnson said he thinks there's potential to find some holes, especially in the secondary.

"Their front seven is really fast and they swarm to the ball really well," Johnson said. "But I think if we can give Jimmy (Oliver) some time in the pocket to throw, our receivers will be able to handle their secondary."

WHILE WAITING FOR FROST

With senior tight end Marcel Frost still on the shelf while recovering from a broken leg last spring, the Tigers have had a wide-open battle for tight end.

JSU offensive coordinator James Woody said redshirt freshman Cedric Dixon would get the starting nod while sophomore Antoine Ott-Terrell and true freshman Josh Tiller could also see time.

- David Brandt