WSSU basketball team gearing up for season

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Coach James Wilhelmi of Winston-Salem State said he knew there would be plenty of rebuilding to do for this season but with the loss of another starter the challenge will be greater.

Terrell Leach, a redshirt junior guard, has been suspended from the team after a violation of school policy. Leach, who was the Rams leading scorer last season, is still enrolled at WSSU and could possible rejoin the program second semester.

Wilhelmi would not say what type of violation Leach made nor would he reveal how long the suspension would last. Leach, who missed the first semester last season for academic reasons, is in good academic standing, according to Wilhelmi.

“Right now he’s just focusing on his books,” Wilhelmi said. “He had a violation of school rules and is not eligible. We hope to have him back for second semester.”

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CSU Marauders to play KSU in Indy

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — Central State University and Kentucky State University will continue their longstanding rivalry at the 33rd Circle City Classic, which kicks off at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24 in Lucas Oil Stadium.

“It is truly an honor to be playing in one of the premier HBCU Football Classics. This will be our third year playing on this stage and we can’t wait for another opportunity to showcase our talent,” CSU head coach Cedric Pearl said. “We continue to show our appreciation to the Indiana Black Expo and the city of Indianapolis for allowing Central State to continue to be a part of this great event.”

Saturday will be the third straight year the Circle City Classic plays host to the CSU-KSU rivalry, which dates back to 1947. CSU currently owns a 35-20-1 advantage in the all-time series with the only tie coming in 1957. KSU has found recent success in the series, including last year’s 21-17 win. With CSU joining the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2013, the game also holds significant implications in the SIAC West Division standings. SIAC Commissioner Greg Moore considers it an honor for two SIAC schools to be afforded the opportunity to showcase their talents in a premier sporting event.

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Grambling avenges title game loss

GRAMBLING — Broderick Fobbs promised a Grambling team fueled by revenge; his defense delivered.

The Grambling defense – in a SWAC championship game rematch with Alcorn State – held the Braves to less than 200 yards for most of the game in a 43-18 win Saturday night.

Alcorn’s lone offensive touchdown came on the possession after a safety, when the Braves began the possession on the Grambling 42-yard line. Alcorn’s offensive possessions from that point forward ended with five punts, two lost fumbles, a turnover on downs, a safety and a made field goal.

The Tigers took a 16-8 lead into halftime and put the game away with 20 unanswered points to go up 36-11 early in the fourth quarter. Quarterback DeVante Kincaid had a hand in all three touchdowns of that stretch, throwing a 20-yard scoring strike to Verlan Hunter and running in a 6-yard score before a 67-yard completion with Chad Williams effectively sealed the game.

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Wiltz, Singleton Lead PVAMU Football Over MVSU Delta Devils

ITTA BENA, Mississippi – The Prairie View A&M University football team won its ninth consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference game with a 56-21 win at Mississippi Valley State Saturday at Rice-Totten Stadium.

WR Anthony Wiltz scored a touchdown via punt return, receiving and rushing, and CB Terrence Singleton made two interceptions, returning one for touchdown, as the Panthers (3-1 overall, 3-0 SWAC) overcame a bit of a sluggish start to beat Valley (0-4. 0-3).

"That's why you play three phases," Prairie View A&M head coach Willie Simmons said. "You have to score on defense. You have to score in the kicking game. Good teams have to have that. Teams that score a lot, the offense isn't the only one that scores. We challenged the defense and special teams this week to be the difference and make some big plays for us. We had a special teams score, which was good to see."

Wiltz made magic in the first quarter, drifting back to his 23-yard line to field the punt. He weaved through defenders, and used great blocking en route to a 77-yard return for touchdown to give the Panthers a 13-7 lead.

In the third quarter, Wiltz caught a 49-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to give PVAMU a 42-14 lead, and ended the scoring with a 29-yard run for score in the final period.

"Seniors step up in big games," said Simmons of Wiltz, who had 151 all-purpose yards on only four touches. "Anthony is a guy that has played some snaps for us, and started a number of games for us last year. It was good to see him have a big game. He had a big punt return for a touchdown, and had some big catches and big runs late in the game. He works extremely hard, is an unselfish player, and when his time came he showed up."

Singleton's pick six got the Panthers on the board on the first series of the game. His interception later in the third quarter set up a Calob Broach 15-yard scoring run on the next play. Singleton has three interceptions in the last two games.

"He continues to be a big time player for us out on the edge," said Simmons of Singleton, who had seven tackles in the game. "We're going to need that. We're going to go up against some really good wide outs in the next few weeks. It's good to have a shutdown corner. He's being that for us. He's allowing us to do a lot of things coverage-wise because he can take away one half of the field. He continues to show week in and week out why he's one of the top corners in this league."

The interception return for touchdown by Singleton and the punt return for touchdown by Wiltz kept the PVAMU offense off the field for most of the first quarter. As the offense got going in the second quarter, the defense scored on a safety and limited Valley to 29 yards total offense in the period.

Overall, the Panthers made three interceptions (Ju'Anthony Parker had the other INT), had five sacks, and held on five of eight fourth-down attempts by Valley. DeVohn Reed had 10 tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss for the Panthers.

"We had a defensive touchdown, scored a safety, and had a lot of turnovers," Simmons said. "Those guys continue to be opportunistic, and find a way to get the ball. In order for us to be as good as we can be in the conference, we're going to have to continue to do that."

Prairie View A&M returns to action next Saturday against Grambling State in the State Fair Classic at 4 p.m.

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Southern crushes host Alabama A&M 59-31 to move to 2-0 in SWAC play

NORMAL, Alabama — Southern's SWAC road opener didn't get off to a great start.

But after those first 15 seconds? It went about as well as it could.

After allowing a return for a touchdown on the opening kickoff, Southern clamped down and dominated the rest of the way, crushing Alabama A&M 59-31 on its home turf Saturday.

"It’s not the way you want to start a game, but it’s still a game," Southern coach Dawson Odums said. "They rebounded. We’ve just got to come out with a little more energy and excitement. We picked it up as the game went on."

Southern rolled up 503 yards of total offense through the first three quarters before pulling their starters, and saw some prominent plaayers put up career games.

Austin Howard fired a career-high five touchdown passes before he and the rest of the starters were pulled in the fourth quarter.

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Nuggets lead late in 2 sets, but Mobile gets the sweep

MOBILE, Alabama — Xavier University of Louisiana led late in the second and third sets Saturday before dropping a 25-23, 25-23, 25-20 volleyball decision to Mobile.

The Gold Nuggets (7-13), who led 23-21 in the second set and 17-16 in the third, lost a non-conference match for the second straight day.

Mirella Gatterdam and Hannah Wentland had 11 kills apiece for the Lady Rams (14-5), the first-place team in the Southern States Athletic Conference, and Hannah Buck had 10 kills.

Juliana Tomasoni had 10 kills and 11 digs — her ninth double-double of the season — for XULA, and Hasani Salaam and Terri Drake had seven kills apiece. Drake hit a season-high .462, and Taylor Ducros served both XULA aces. Tiffany Phillips had 28 assists and a career-best six kills.

Mobile outhit XULA .328 to .234 and had advantages of 50-41 in kills and 51-46 in digs. The Lady Rams' hitting percentage is the highest by a XULA opponent this season.

Amanda Perry's XULA-record streak of 18 consecutive matches with double-figure digs ended. Perry had a season-low eight digs.

XULA was two points from winning the second set after rallying from a 13-8 deficit. But Mobile scored the final four points on kills by Gatterdam and Alex Karcher, then two consecutive attack errors.

The Gold Nuggets led 17-16 in the third set after Monet Fontaine and Bria Moore combined for a block, but Wentland had three kills and an ace in a 9-3 run that ended the match.

Mobile extended its home win streak to 24 matches. The Lady Rams will visit XULA Oct. 15. Next for the Gold Nuggets will be a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference home match against SUNO at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Convocation Center. XULA is 4-0 in the GCAC, and SUNO is 3-0.

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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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XULA Salwan, Setodji eliminated in third sets of semifinals

LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia — Four of the NAIA's top five men's singles players of 2015-16 — including Xavier University of Louisiana's Karan Salwan and Thomas Setodi — met in the semifinals Sunday of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association NAIA South Regional Championships Presented by Oracle. Higher seeds prevailed, and both matches required third-set super-tiebreakers.

Georgia Gwinnett's Kevin Konfederak (No. 1 last season, seeded first at this tournament) defeated Setodji (No. 5 last season, seeded fourth) 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-3). Salwan (No. 3 last season, seeded third) lost to another Georgia Gwinnett standout, Jordan Cox (No. 2 last season, seeded second), 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 1-0 (10-4).

"The guys put up a great fight," XULA coach Alan Green said. "Gwinnett was just too good for us after the first two sets. I'm proud of the way we played them in singles and look forward to what we can do as a team in the spring."

The XULA men and women will compete in one more fall tournament — the Big Easy Classic at the University of New Orleans Oct. 28-29 — before playing dual matches during the spring semester. Last season Georgia Gwinnett's men defeated XULA in the title round of an NAIA unaffiliated group tournament and the NAIA National Championships.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Alabama State Hornets blow 11-point fourth-quarter lead

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- The night did not start off well for Alabama State in its home opener, and it ended even worse.

Texas Southern quarterback Averion Hurts completed a 41-yard touchdown pass to Austin Watts with 3:44 left in the game to complete a 31-27 come-from-behind win over Alabama State at ASU Stadium.

The Hornets (0-4, 0-3 SWAC) outgained the Tigers 445 to 303 and held a 27-16 lead with more than 12 minutes left in the game.

Hornets quarterback Quinterris Toppings completed 21 of 31 passes for 323 yards and a touchdown with an interception. Willie White caught eight passes for 132 yards. Khalid Thomas carried the ball 17 times for 84 yards.

“I definitely saw improvement, but we still make mistakes that very young teams do,” Alabama State coach Brian Jenkins said. “We’ve got to do better in some areas. The loss falls on me. I’m not going to make any excuses. We just didn’t get it done.”



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Harrell runs Morgan State past Howard, 28-24

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- The game started fast and furious but it all came down to the last minute at Hughes Stadium on Saturday night.

Eric Harrell scored on a four yard touchdown run with 30 seconds left capping a 13-play drive to help lead the Morgan State Bears to a 28-24 victory over the Howard Bison. This was the Bears' first victory for interim head coach Fred T. Farrier and his squad.

For Harrell, it was his first ever touchdown for the Bears, which came at the perfect time.

"When coach called my number, I did what I had to do," said Harrell. "We did what we had to do as a team. O-Line, fullback made their blocks, wide receivers made their blocks. I just got in."

"We just said we're going to run it in," said Farrier. "I said we're either going to win or lose it running the ball. If we didn't, we were going to send in the field goal unit. Eric did a great job on that (touchdown run). That could've been OJ [Orlando Johnson], Lamont [Brown] or anybody. The offensive line got that touchdown for us."

It didn't take long for Morgan State (1-2, 1-0 MEAC) to get on the board. Chris Andrews threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Willie Gillus just 41 seconds into the game. The extra point was missed by Alex Raya. The Bears led 6-0.

Howard (0-4, 0-2 MEAC) answered the Bears with a one yard touchdown run by William Parker. The extra point was good, giving the Bison a 7-6 lead with 5:44 left.

The Bears roared back with Andrews connecting on a 51-yard touchdown pass to Ladarious Spearman who seemed to juggle the ball before securing it. Duchon Davis ran in the two-point conversion to give the Bears a 14-7 lead with 3:51 left in the first quarter.

On Howard's possession, MSU junior Jai Franklin forced and recovered a Kalen Johnson fumble at the Howard 32. Andrews made the Bison pay on the next play, connecting on a 32-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Fisk with 42.4 seconds left. The extra point by Raya extended the Bear advantage to 21-7.

Howard answered with a 34-yard field goal from Jordan Griggs with 4:35 left in the second quarter. That was Griggs' first ever kick made for the Bison on his first attempt. That cut the Morgan State advantage to 21-10, which would be the halftime score.

Howard struck first to begin the second half with a one yard touchdown run from Da'Vaun Johnson with 9:29 left in the third quarter. Robert Mercer caught the two-point conversion pass to further cut the MSU lead to 21-18.

After forcing a Bears three and out, Howard marched for 13 plays to the Morgan State 6 yard line. The defense forced Griggs to convert a field goal from 24 yards to tie the score at 21 with 8:07 left in regulation.

On the next Bear possession, it didn't take long for Howard's defense to strike again as Chris Andrews' pass was intercepted by David Lee at the Howard 37 with 8:02 remaining.

The Bison took nine plays to drive the ball inside the Morgan State red zone. Griggs came through again with a 35-yard field goal to put the Bison ahead 24-21 with four minutes left in the game.

The key to Morgan State's last drive was Andrews converting on a 4th down and 8 with a 10-yard run to the Bears' 43 yard line to keep their hopes alive. The offensive line stepped up huge on the Bears last drive.

"I love my O line," said Andrews. "I love them big guys. They gave me a lot of room to pass for our touchdowns and on that last drive for the runs we needed. So as long as we keep moving like this, I don't see who is going to be able to stop us. But we got to keep getting better."

Next week, the Bears host Delaware State at Hughes Stadium. Kickoff time is scheduled for 1 pm.

BEAR SHOTS

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Battle of the Bands: SCSU 101 VS. FAMU MARCHING 100

SCSU Bulldogs Roll Over FAMU Rattler 48-14 in MEAC Opener

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- South Carolina State put on an impressive showing defeating host Florida A&M, 48-14, Saturday (Sept. 24) at Bragg Stadium. The Bulldogs amassed 431 yards' total offense in the win.

SC State improved to 1-3 overall, 1-0 in the MEAC, while the Rattlers fall to 0-4 overall, 0-1 in the league. The win improves Pough's overall record to 13-1 over Florida A&M.

The Bulldogs scored first on a 3-yard toss from sophomore quarterback Caleb York to wide receiver Ahmaad Harris to jump ahead 7-0. FAMU tied the game 7-7 on a 19-yard strike from quarterback Kenneth Coleman to Desmond Noird.

Redshirt freshman running back Bishop Ford scored on a 1-yard punch to give the Bulldogs a 14-7 advantage. Freshman defensive lineman Paul McKeiver forced a fumble and recovered midway through the second quarter to put SC State in excellent scoring position.

York connected on a 14-yard touchdown score to Quan Caldwell to close out the first-half, giving South Carolina State a 21-7 lead over Florida A&M.

The second-half was all SC State with junior kicker Tyler Scandrett nailing back-to-back field goals of 31 and 27 to push the lead to 27-7. Sophomore tight end Deangelo Frazier caught his first collegiate touchdown on a 55-yard connection from York.

FAMU battled back to find the end zone for the second time on the night on a 2-yard run by Tevin Spells early in the fourth quarter. Ford and York connected on an 8-yard pass to give the Bulldogs a commanding 41-14 lead.

The Rattlers was doomed by costly turnovers, after redshirt junior linebacker Dayshawn Taylor ran a 52-yard interception back for a touchdown to seal the 48-14 victory for SC State.

The Bulldogs defense played lights out forcing seven (7) turnovers on the night with four interceptions and three fumbles. All-MEAC redshirt junior linebacker Darius Leonard led the charge on defense with a game-high 11 tackles, while senior defensive back Marquise Jones finished with two interceptions.

York led the air attack throwing 21-of-38 for 238 yards and four touchdowns, while Ford finished with his first career 100-yard rushing game with 14 carries for 105 yards and touchdown. He finished with 144 total All-purpose yards.

South Carolina State will have a bye next week before returning to action Saturday Oct.8, when they host Bethune-Cookman in a pivotal Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference showdown at O.C. Dawson Stadium. Kickoff is 1:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN3/ESPNU (Tape-Delay).

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SSU beats Bethune-Cookman, 16-10, in overtime thriller

COURTESY SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- Cantrell Frazier's 9-yard touchdown run gave Savannah State University a thrilling 16-10 victory in overtime against Bethune-Cookman University in both teams' Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener Saturday night.

A home-opening crowd of 5,374 at T.A. Wright Stadium watched as SSU (1-2 overall, 1-0 MEAC) won its first game since beating MEAC foe Florida A&M University, 37-27, on Oct. 3, 2015, at T.A. Wright Stadium. The win also snapped SSU's 16-game losing streak to Bethune-Cookman (0-3, 0-1 MEAC), which was picked to finish second in the MEAC preseason poll. Last season, Bethune-Cookman was a MEAC co-champion with North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central.

"There are all types of different emotions going through me right now," said Frazier, a senior whose only run was the game-winner. "I'm proud of the defense. I'm proud of the coaching staff. I'm proud of all my teammates. We just need to get this behind us and go attack the MEAC. Many people have downgraded us but we're about to do big things this year."

SSU's victory was the first for head coach Erik Raeburn, who in March was hired away from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind., where he compiled a 78-13 record from 2008-15 and earned five trips to the NCAA Division III playoffs.

"I'm so proud of them," Raeburn said of his players, who celebrated by dousing him with a bucket of ice-water. "They just hung in there and found a way to win."
Bethune-Cookman took a 3-0 lead when Uriel Hernandez kicked a 39-yard field goal with 2:16 left in the first quarter. Hernandez missed a 32-yard field goal attempt with 12:43 remaining before halftime.

SSU tied the game on John Barron's 38-yard field goal with 7:03 left before halftime.

The Tigers took a 10-3 lead into halftime thanks to freshman quarterback T.J. Bell's 26-yard touchdown pass to senior Jeremiah Harris with 3:04 left in the second quarter. Harris initially bobbled the ball as he attempted to catch it but somehow, without breaking his stride, snared it and darted through traffic into the end zone. Barron kicked the extra point.

In the fourth quarter, SSU botched a punt attempt, giving Bethune-Cookman the ball at the Tigers' 2-yard line. On the ensuing play, Wildcats quarterback Akevious Williams ran up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown. Hernandez kicked the extra point, tying the game with 7:19 left to play.

"That fourth quarter, we lost all momentum," Raeburn said. "We had the bad punt snap that gave them the ball on the 2-yard line, and they punched one in for a touchdown. We could have hung our hats and said, 'Here we go again,' which has been the Achilles' heel for (SSU) in the past."

Bethune-Cookman's Hernandez attempted a 52-yard field goal with 1:34 to play but it fell short.

In overtime, Bethune-Cookman got the ball first and began its drive at SSU's 25-yard line. Running back Tupac Isme ran for 5 yards before SSU senior defensive end Marquis Smith forced a fumble, which was recovered by Bethune-Cookman offensive lineman Phillip Norman at SSU's 15-yard line.

Isme then ran for no gain, followed by a run for a 5-yard loss in which he recovered his own fumble. Bethune-Cookman's Williams was intercepted by SSU sophomore cornerback Darrell "Vanquez" Bonner at SSU's 6-yard line.

"The defense, man, they carried the load tonight," Raeburn said.

SSU started its winning drive at Bethune-Cookman's 25-yard line and Arshon Spaulding ran for 2 yards. Freshman Blake Dever, who made his second straight start at quarterback for SSU, completed a pass to junior wide receiver Tino Smith for a 15-yard gain to Bethune-Cookman's 8-yard line.

On first-and-goal, Spaulding ran for a 1-yard loss. SSU called a timeout. The Tigers, who finished the game with 73 yards rushing (64 yards by Spaulding), considered throwing the ball since their running game had struggled, but Raeburn said SSU assistant coach Russell DeMasi talked him out of it.

"We were going to throw a pass that we like to throw from the left hash but we were on the right hash," Raeburn said. "We decided to take the timeout and we debated which one to do. Coach DeMasi convinced me to run that one and thank God he did."

After the timeout, SSU junior running back Nicholas Bentley made two big-time blocks against Bethune-Cookman defenders, springing Frazier on a jet sweep to the right. Downfield, SSU's Harris blocked a Bethune-Cookman cornerback, providing Frazier the space he needed to sprint untouched into the end zone.

SSU's Dever finished 9-of-23 passing for 114 yards without an interception. Bell was 5-of-6 passing for 74 yards, including a touchdown, and threw an interception.

"I didn't want it to be this close but it happened," Dever said. "We just played together and stuck together through it all. We played as a family. We talked all through the summer about playing as a family. This is a very big win for us."

SSU's Smith, who this season moved from linebacker to defensive end, finished with a game-high 12 tackles, including 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss. He also forced two fumbles.

"We set the tone for this season," Smith said. "This is the new Savannah State. We've got a different mindset, different leaders, different coaches who have come in here and brought the right mentality. It doesn't matter who we play, we're going to give it our all."

SSU junior linebacker Mulik Simmons made 11 tackles, including a half-sack, and sophomore defensive end Stefen Banks had 10 tackles, including a half-sack. Linebacker Ellison Burns, a junior from Savannah's Benedictine Military School, had a half-sack. Burns and Simmons combined to sack Bethune-Cookman's Williams for an 8-yard loss on third-and-8 in the fourth quarter, forcing the Wildcats to punt. SSU sacked Williams three times.

The Tigers made 81 tackles, including nine for minus-44 yards. Junior defensive lineman Quaron Hilliard recovered a fumble. Singleton intercepted a pass in overtime.

SSU will travel to Tallahassee, Fla., to play Florida A&M at 6 p.m. Saturday.

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SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Lacey leads No. 12 Tuskegee to dominating win over Lane

TUSKEGEE, Alabama — All the pregame chatter revolved around the top-20 matchup of Tuskegee’s rush defense and Lane College’s potent rushing attack, but Golden Tigers quarterback Kevin Lacey quickly changed the subject.

The senior orchestrated a game-opening touchdown drive and muted the talk with three total scores as the Golden Tigers, ranked 12th in the AFCA Division II poll, pulled away from the Dragons 38-7 Saturday afternoon in both teams’ Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener at Cleve L. Abbott Alumni Memorial Stadium.

“We knew we had to start fast,” Lacey said. “Lane, they were 3-0 for a reason. They’ve played three good teams. We knew we had to get at them fast. We went out and scored in the first six plays, and that’s how you get at them.

“For us, we just practice on being perfect, so when it comes to game time, we just make sure we’re perfect in the game. Sometimes it’s just carryover for us. We work hard, harder than we have been in recent years and it’s showing on the game field.”

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Matias Lambrecht’s field goal lifts J.C. Smith past Elizabeth City State on final play

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- J.C. Smith found a way to deal with adversity at the right time.

Matias Lambrecht’s 33-yard field goal on the final play lifted the Golden Bulls to a 31-28 home win against Elizabeth City State in the CIAA opener for both teams Saturday. J.C. Smith, which twice blew two-touchdown advantages, marched 73 yards in the final 89 seconds to earn its first win in the series since 2002.

“We’d go forward, then we’d go backward, but that’s the nature of the game,” Golden Bulls (1-3, 1-0) coach Kermit Blount said. “What we did today at the end of the game was something that we work on Thursdays, so it wasn’t a surprise to our young guys.”

Golden Bulls quarterback Harold Herbin, who took over as starter for the injured Jordan Lane (broken leg), sparked the final possession with 45 combined yards, including a 25-yard strike to Demarcus Berry at the Elizabeth City State 34. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moved J.C. Smith into position for Lambrecht’s first successful field goal as a collegian.

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Chances slip through Spartans’ fingers in MEAC loss to N.C. Central

NORFOLK, Virginia -- All of Norfolk State’s issues so far this season were on display Saturday at Dick Price Stadium.

The Spartans dropped passes. They backed themselves up with untimely penalties and sacks. They fumbled in their own red zone and gave up big plays.

And somehow, they almost found a way to overcome it all.

Malcolm Bell passed for 196 yards and rushed for another 77, including a game-clinching fourth-quarter touchdown, to lead North Carolina Central to a 34-31 win over Norfolk State in the MEAC opener for both teams.

The Spartans (1-3, 0-1 MEAC) lost their league opener for the first time since 2012. They started 2-0 in the conference each of the past three seasons.



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SIAC showdown, SWAC title rematch set

ATLANTA, Georgia -- With little exception – particularly Delaware State’s date 4 p.m. Saturday with Missouri – the games pitting overmatched HBCU teams against teams in NCAA divisions above them are over. It’s time to get on to the games between conference foes.

The featured SIAC game of the week is the battle of unbeatens as BCSP No. 7 Tuskegee (3-0, 2-0 SIAC, 0-0 W) hosts Lane (3-0, 1-0, 0-0 W) Saturday (1 p.m.) in a West Division showdown. Lane features the SIAC rushing leader in junior Marcus Holliday who is averaging 146.4 rushing yards per game. Holliday ran for 214 yards on 19 carries in last week’s 46-44 win over Langston. He also leads the league with four rushing touchdowns. Tuskegee is led by senior quarterback Kevin Lacey who is passing for 203.7 yards per game with five TD passes and just two interceptions. Lacey is hitting on 65.4% of his passes and to lead the league in passing efficiency (252.7).

The two are the top scoring teams in the league with Lane at 33.3 points per game and Tuskegee at 28.0. The other intra-divisional match ups pair Benedict (2-1, 0-0 E) and Fort Valley State (1-2, 0-0 E) in an East Division tilt in Columbia, S.C. (6 p.m.) and Kentucky State (0-3, 0-1) and Central State (0-3, 0-1) from the West Division doing battle at the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis (3 p.m.). The only inter-divisional tilt has Morehouse (2-1, 1-0 SIAC) from the East hosting (2 p.m.) defending West Division champ Miles (1-1, 0-0 SIAC).

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Hampton U. coach Maynor wants nothing to do with 'guarantee games'

HAMPTON, Virginia-- Forida A&M took on Miami and was pounded 70-3. South Carolina State lost 59-0 at Clemson. Howard fell at Maryland and Rutgers (in consecutive weeks) by a combined score of 104-27.

But for each game, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schools took home a six-figure check. In the world of college football, that's known as a "guarantee game" — as in, guaranteed money for a guaranteed beat down.



Several MEAC members have gone that route over the years — Norfolk State played at Rutgers last season — but Hampton University wants no part of it. True, the Pirates played at Old Dominion on Sept. 3 (a 54-21 loss), but the Monarchs remain in the toddler stages of Bowl Subdivision membership. Also, they're not a Power Five program.

"We're a private school, and we don't necessarily feel we have to play those games to generate money," HU coach Connell Maynor said on the MEAC's teleconference call. "We don't want to play a game and lose 70-7 just for the money.

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Coming off bye, DSU faces big challenge at Missouri

DOVER, Delaware — A bye week didn’t necessarily mean a week of rest for the Delaware State football team.

Coach Kenny Carter said the Hornets were going to go at it hard for two weeks of practice before the upcoming game at Missouri on Saturday.

With such a young team that is making mistakes based on inexperience, that’s what DSU has to do in the open week, especially since most of the squad does not have any injury concerns.

“There’s no worrying about trying to get healthy because we’re healthy,” Carter said. “Sure, there’s some guys dinged up a bit, but they’ll be fine. We’re going to work. We’ve got a lot of work to do and we can’t afford to take time off. Young people, and we’re young, they need to learn how to grind.”

And the Hornets (0-2) will need to grind if they want to have a positive experience against a team from the SEC.

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HU gets a bye week to prepare for N.C. A&T

HAMPTON, Virginia — Bye weeks rarely come at a bad time, but for Hampton University, the timing couldn't be much better. Following Saturday's 34-7 blowout of Howard, the Pirates will get extra five days to rest, recuperate and prepare for defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion North Carolina A&T.

"I wish I had two (bye) weeks to prepare for them," Maynor said.

A&T, which beat Bowl Subdivision opponent Kent State in its second game, is the team to beat in the MEAC. But in HU's first three games, Maynor has seen plenty to make him believe his team is capable of playing with the Aggies and competing for the conference title.

The Pirates showed flashes in a 54-21 loss to Old Dominion, sustained them in a 24-14 loss to William and Mary, and put everything together in dominating Howard. Some FBS transfers have made immediate contributions, especially on the offensive and defensive lines.

That 33-point loss to ODU? It was a 31-21 game midway through the third quarter. HU was tied with William and Mary, which is now No. 8 in the FCS polls, at halftime. And last week, Howard avoided the shutout by scoring with 13 seconds remaining in the game.

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Norfolk State tries to get offense clicking

NORFOLK, Virginia -- If it’s not the quarterback, it’s the receivers.

That’s how it’s been for Norfolk State’s sputtering offense: The Spartans can’t seem to put it all together.

Through three non-conference games, second-year coach Latrell Scott has had to live with the maddening fact that he and his staff are getting players into the right spots, but they’re not executing plays.

Senior quarterback Greg Hankerson struggled with accuracy in both a 20-12 season-opening win against Division II Elizabeth City State and a 34-0 loss to then-FCS No. 2 Richmond, throwing over or behind open receivers.

In Saturday’s 35-10 loss at No. 8 William & Mary, Hankerson’s equally open receivers dropped as many as seven passes.

Scott, whose 1-2 team opens its MEAC schedule Saturday with a home game against North Carolina Central, is ready to see things start clicking.

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Southern wary of long road trip to Alabama, Odums incidentally 'took all the shine'

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- This weekend’s trip to Alabama A&M is so long, senior offensive lineman Jamal Boulden’s music playlist won’t even cover half of it.

“After four hours the playlist repeats itself,” Boulden said. “But I plan on being in deep sleep by then.”

Southern’s trip to Huntsville, Alabama, will take eight and a half hours by bus. It is the longest road trip on the Jaguars schedule this season, and it’s why the team is leaving on Thursday instead of its usual departure day of Friday. Coach Dawson Odums doesn’t want the team having a travel hangover.

“It’s been a tough game,” Odums said. “It’s off the beaten path. It’s like you’re driving, then all of a sudden the school shows up.”

Odums said the travel itself is not that big of an issue since it doesn’t throw the team’s schedule off too much. But there’s also the additional challenge Odums figures to encounter during the game itself.

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Derrick Griffin dismissed from Texas Southern football team

HOUSTON, Texas --Two-sport Texas Southern star Derrick Griffin has been dismissed from the Tigers’ football team but will remain eligible for basketball.

Griffin will remain eligible to play basketball at Texas Southern for his sophomore year under former Indiana head coach Mike Davis. The forward took to Twitter Tuesday morning to share his outlook and imply that his focus will now shift to basketball, rather than an effort to transfer and get another shot on the gridiron.



In Griffin’s 2015-16 redshirt freshman basketball campaign, he was awarded the SWAC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, First team All-SWAC and was an honorable mention AP All-American.

The two-sport star, whose name has been removed from the Texas Southern football roster on its athletics site, was equally impressive on the football field for TSU last season. He was named Second Team All-SWAC and led the conference with 11 touchdown catches. He had six catches for 90 yards and one TD this season before his dismissal.

Griffin was once considered the No. 3 recruit in the nation at wide receiver and signed to play football at Miami, but was ruled academically ineligible, leading him to Texas Southern.

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SCSU Bulldogs' Coach Pough on 0-3 start: We will move on

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- SC State head football coach Buddy Pough readily admits he never wants to have three straight FBS-level programs on the Bulldogs schedule again.

Playing at Central Florida, Louisiana Tech and Clemson the past three Saturdays was an experience, but not one Pough or members of his program want to relive.

In three losses, the Bulldogs were shut out twice and lost by a total score of 150-24, with the most lopsided loss coming on Saturday at Clemson in a 59-0 defeat.

Of course, Pough and his team knew this was going to be a tough September, perhaps the toughest any SC State football team has ever faced, in terms of competition.

But, even with the Bulldogs athletic department bringing in right around $1 million in funding from the three larger FBS programs for enduring the back-to-back-to-back road losses, there is still little consolation for a young team trying to improve each week.



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Jackson State to "evaluate" quarterback position

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State may have a new starting quarterback this weekend.

Coach Tony Hughes said Monday that the Tigers plan to “evaluate” the position ahead of their game against the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 4 p.m. Saturday in Little Rock, Arkansas, though he added the team does that each week at every position.

A change seems possible after senior LaMontiez Ivy was pulled after just three possessions in last Saturday’s 35-14 home loss to Grambling State. He had been 5 of 8 for 46 yards and had just thrown his third interception of the season, but Hughes said the two weren’t related and that the team planned to use Lyles in the game regardless.

“It had to do with we need(ed) a spark,” Hughes said. “We need(ed) to maybe change something up. Let’s go with the fastball pitcher. We’ve tried the changeup pitcher.”

Redshirt freshman Brent Lyles went 19 of 35 for 150 yards and an interception in place of Ivy and made his case for the role after leading the Tigers (0-3, 0-1 SWAC) on several drives.

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'Sky's the limit' at Grambling thanks to improved defense

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — The last few years around Grambling's football program have brought about high-scoring, potent offenses with feast or famine defenses.

Shootouts generally ensued with the Tigers' defense ranking toward the bottom of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. When the defense did play well, it was often short-lived for a week or two at a time.

So far in 2016, Grambling is operating smoothly as a complete football team, one equipped with a strong offense and a capable defense. Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs learned as much in Grambling's 35-14 win at Jackson State over the weekend. The Tigers allowed just one offensive touchdown and held JSU to 275 yards of offense.

"The mark of a team that has a chance to be a successful team is having the ability to win in several different ways," Fobbs said. "Last week I thought we did a really good job of really playing good defense and then our offense complemented our defense. In times past, our defense has always complemented our offense."

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