Heffner stars for TSU both on, off the field

Tigers quarterback is one of OVC's best in classroom, too

On the football field, Antonio Heffner keeps opponents guessing with his ability to run or pass. Away from it, he's as predictable as death and taxes. If he's not pestering offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss with an idea to improve the scheme, the Tigers quarterback is most likely in his room watching television or studying. "Heff don't ever go anywhere," said tight end Antonio Graham. "He's always in the house watching TV, watching sports."

It's that mundane lifestyle that makes Heffner, who is carrying a 3.7 grade point average with a major in criminal justice, a bit of a rarity among college football players. It's also a routine that has helped him become a role model for his teammates and overcome frustrating injuries and other setbacks to become the premier quarterback in the Ohio Valley Conference. He has a steady girlfriend who lives in Memphis...

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Rattlers Hope New Coach Taylor Brings Bite

Florida A&M is relying on new Rattlers to bring some old magic back to its program. Highly successful head coach Joe Taylor will try to put his winning stamp on a Rattlers team that hasn’t tasted much success lately. Taylor, who will get a chance for his 200th career victory in his first year with FAMU, will try to steer the Rattlers back into the postseason for the first time since 2001. Expectations of winning at FAMU are always high, and Taylor and his staff are embracing the challenge.

“If you take the reins of a stallion, you have an opportunity to ride a stallion, you want to ride it well,” said associate head coach George Small. “You want to showcase it well.” It won’t be an easy task. The Rattlers are coming off a 2007 campaign in which they went 3-8 and finished eighth in the MEAC standings under former head coach Rubin Carter.

Offensively, the Rattlers will be an experienced group. Eight starters are returning, including 2007 MEAC rookie of the year Philip Sylvester.

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Sounds of progress a good thing at Southern

There was an echo bouncing around the field as coaches shouted instructions during a scrimmage Wednesday at A.W. Mumford Stadium. The sound felt eerie. That’s not happened before. After a moment to adjust to the strangeness, the sound felt good, deep down good. That’s the sound of progress. The new echo effect is created by the presence of the north end zone expansion.

When the expansion is finished by the summer and the place fills up next fall, there’s going to be a lot more noise. Really, there’s enough in place already to create a good echo even with just the team and coaches in Mumford the other night. Add in a couple thousand fans next season and there’s a nice chunk of sound raining down. As SU has gone to work on the practice fields next to the stadium throughout preseason camp this month, coach Pete Richardson and his staff peek over at the rapid progress on the project that began in March.

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VIEW: http://www.subr.edu/stadiumproject/index.htm

The Lemoine Company is beginning work on a new state-of-the-art 40,000-square-foot sports complex in the North End Zone of A.W. Mumford Stadium on the campus of Southern University in Baton Rouge. The expansion will add 2,500 seats to the 26,500-seat stadium. Along with the stadium enclosure, the project will include new training facilities, lockers rooms, offices, a weight room, sports memorabilia spaces, meetings rooms, about 500 club-level seats and 2,000 end zone seats. With 18 months to completion, construction will begin in February and is scheduled to be completed in July 2009. Total cost for the project is approximately $16.4 million.

VIEW: http://www.lemoinecompany.com/awmumford.htm

Inside UAPB Camp

The excitement is back at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. This is the first year for head coach Monte Coleman and you can see the difference in practice. Defensively, the Golden Lions should be solid with Stewart Franks, Kevin Thornton, Jared Dorn, Ledarius Anthony, and Tim Turner all returning from last season.

Offensively, returning starters include Jonathon Moore at quarterback, Mickey Dean, and Martell Mallet at the running back spot. The Offensive line should be solid and there are high expectations for the upcoming season.

To get an inside preview of Golden Lion camp click on the video icon.

Wright resigns as DSU wrestling coach

DOVER, DE -- For the fifth time in six years, Delaware State must find a new coach for its wrestling team following the departure of Reggie Wright, who resigned over the weekend. Wright coached the 2007-2008 season at DSU after being picked by school president Allen Sessoms and then-athletic director Chuck Bell to stabilize the program. Athletic director Rick Costello said Wright left to pursue "other opportunities."

Costello said he will conduct a nationwide search for Wright's replacement and that he expects to make a hire prior to the start of the season. The team is scheduled to begin practices, with or without a coach, in three weeks. Contacted last week by text message, Wright seemed surprised about questions of his departure. On Wednesday, his phone service had been disconnected.

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Gorman’s Loyd commits to Grambling State

Las Vegas, NV - Recent Bishop Gorman graduate Kevin Loyd missed most of his senior year with the Gaels basketball team recovering from knee surgery. Now, he has a chance at becoming Grambling State’s starting point guard. The 5-foot-10 Loyd committed to the Grambling, La., school last week and started classes Aug. 18. “It’s a blessing in disguise the way things happened,” Loyd said. “I would have never thought I would be in this position right out of high school.”

He had a bone removed from his right knee last September and spent two months on crutches. He saw limited action in 10 games at the end of the year, but had done enough as a junior — 10 points and 7.5 assists per game — to impress Grambling’s staff when Gorman coach Grant Rice gave them game film. “He’s a real good basketball player who we feel will move the program forward,” first-year Grambling coach Rick Duckett said. “We needed leadership and a steady hand at the point and felt he’s someone to build the program around.”

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North Carolina A&T: Playing With Purpose

N.C. A&T will honor fallen teammate while trying to end long losing streak

N.C. A&T's 27-game losing streak meant nothing in late May. The Aggies had more to think about than football, after one of their most popular players -- offensive lineman Chad Wiley -- collapsed after a routine workout May 27 and died the next day of complications from heat-related illness. "We as his brothers are going to miss him," said Tim Shropshire, a close friend and teammate.

The Aggies want to play well this season in honor of Wiley, who had been a two-year starter. They also want to end their losing streak, currently the NCAA's longest. "They had tremendous respect for Chad," Coach Lee Fobbs said. "I think they are going to play like wild bandits for him." Optimism is high, because for the first time in his three seasons at A&T, Fobbs has veteran leaders he can count on.

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Still Time: WSSU's debut in MEAC is two seasons away

For the most part, Winston-Salem State's trek toward full membership in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference has been smooth. The Rams, who will be playing their third season in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), are 6-8 the past two years against MEAC opponents. They won't be eligible for the conference title until 2010 so they have two more seasons to prepare for that challenge.

The Rams will be much younger this season, but Coach Kermit Blount's expectations haven't changed. "I just expect us to compete hard," Blount said, "and I expect my coaches to have the team prepared to play." There are holes to fill on offense, starting at quarterback. Monte Purvis, a three-year starter, graduated, and a fierce battle for the starting job has been waged in the preseason.

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Grambling's offensive line must mature quickly

GRAMBLING — The responsibility of protecting Grambling's young quarterback — whoever it may be when the Tigers open their season on Aug. 30 against Nevada — will fall on the shoulders of an equally young offensive line. Though the Grambling line will feature two senior starters, it will also feature three freshmen. Corey Williams and Revay Smith, both seniors, line up at left guard and center, respectively. Redshirt freshman Victor Phillips is at left tackle, while true freshmen Greg McGrue (guard) and Quint Roberts (tackle) anchor the right side.

GSU RB Frank Warren misses pass against Pitt last season.

"We' re trying to gel," offensive line coach James Spady said. "You've got a very short period of time to do it in, and we've got new guys coming in. We're trying to find our identity as a group, and it's going to take a little time. It may take halfway through the season, or we may gel next week, but we're making progress, and that's all I can ask."

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Bethune-Cookman's Wyatt Has True ‘Home’ Edge

Alvin Wyatt clearly enjoys being flashy. Bethune-Cookman’s football coach has maybe the most distinctive sideline wardrobe in the game. Shirts opened to mid-chest, gaudy jewelry dangling from his neck, sunglasses, pointed shoes with a glossy shine. And when he’s away from the football field, he sometimes can be found driving around Daytona Beach in his luxury sedan. It’s simply part of his lore, the way he’s always been, the way he’ll always be.

Yet Wyatt also has a simple side, the one that is the backbone of his football program. For nearly three decades, the Bronson Residential Complex — the Bethune dorm that houses most football players, wedged between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the team’s practice field — has been his year-round home. He eats alongside the students, shares a bathroom with them, rides the same elevators, walks the same hallways.

VIDEO: http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1569844333/bclid1126080948/bctid1745137062

Barlow to employ ASU QB platoon for starters

A couple of weeks ago, Alabama State head coach Reggie Barlow made it perfectly clear he wanted one starting quarterback running his offense. Thursday, he made it perfectly clear that he can't decide between the top two candidates for that position. So, he's going to do what he promised he wouldn't do. ASU will use the quarterback platoon when it opens the 2008 season at Florida A&M next Saturday.

Junior Reid Herchenbach will start the game and play the first and third quarters. Sophomore Anthony Speight will take over in the second and fourth quarters. "It's not ideal and it's not what I want," Barlow said. "But I think it's the only fair things for these two guys (Herchenbach and Speight). We told them both when they came here that they would each have an equal shot at winning the job, and to this point, neither one has outplayed the other."

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JSU Tigers seek consistent answer to line question

The Jackson State offensive line has, by far, been the most difficult position to evaluate during training camp. The group started slow and had shaky efforts in two scrimmages. Penalties and small mistakes have been prevalent. And the starting defensive line has been terrorizing the unit.

On the flip side, the offensive line is visibly better with 10 days left before the season opener against Hampton on Aug. 31 than it was when camp opened. That defensive line that's been winning the battle should be one of the best in the conference. And there's no doubt the O-line group, returning three starters, is physically bigger than the 2007 version.

That yin and yang has led to the offensive line depth chart changing almost on a daily basis.

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Ex-Cat Pulley enrolls at Florida A&M

Curtis Pulley, who was dismissed from the University of Kentucky football team earlier this month, has enrolled at Florida A&M University, Pulley’s new school confirmed Thursday. Pulley, who was projected as UK’s starting quarterback this season, was kicked off the Wildcats team for violating team rules. His off-the-field issues included two incidents this summer involving police. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Pulley was Kentucky’s 2004 Mr. Football at Hopkinsville High School.





















Pully (#15) will have two seasons remaining to play for the Rattlers and is expected to compete for the starting quarterback position with RS Sophomore Eddie Battle.

Pulley split time at backup quarterback and wide receiver during his first two seasons at UK before redshirting last year. He competed with Mike Hartline for the starting quarterback job last spring and was believed to be the front-runner before his troubles began.

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Pair should give boost to Jaguars baseball program

Two of Southern’s latest baseball signees checked in with school beginning this week.

Terrell Stringer, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound right-handed pitcher originally from Phenix City, Ala., was the 1,264th pick (42nd round) by the New York Mets in 2006, when he was a Class 6A All-State honorable mention at Smiths Station High.

Shortstop/second baseman D.J. Henderson (6-2, 175) of Southeastern High School in Detroit was picked in the 30th round, with the 916th overall pick, by the Philadelphia Phillies. Stringer further bolsters a pitching staff, while Henderson can help fill in at second base. “Terrell was the one we had to have,” Cador said. “We tried to recruit him out of high school, and we got him two years later. We needed that one big arm.”

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Southern gearing up for scrimmage

Southern will have a fine-tuning scrimmage tonight in A.W. Mumford Stadium after staging a major evaluation scrimmage Saturday. Tonight’s full-gear workout, around 6 p.m., will be closed, unlike Saturday’s, which was open.“It’s going to be a situational thing, concentrating on down and distance, substitutions, almost like a game situation, if we can get out there,” Southern coach Pete Richardson said.

Richardson said he had no preset idea of how many plays Southern would go. “We’re basically looking at situational stuff, some of the calls we’ve deciphered,” Richardson said.

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New vision for Coppin State athletics

As AD, former NFL player Derrick Ramsey wants the school to become synonymous with the city.

At first glance, it seems an odd choice - Coppin State naming Derrick Ramsey as athletic director. Ramsey, an All-America football star in college, played nine years in the NFL. But Coppin has no football team. Ramsey last worked as Kentucky's deputy secretary of commerce, where he oversaw the state's Fish and Wildlife Service. Around Coppin, the only fish are the fried lake trout in North Avenue carryouts, and wildlife consists of a few squirrels that scrounge for food on the campus quad.

But yesterday, as Ramsey, 6 feet 6 inches, surveyed his new domain, he saw nothing but opportunity - a chance for Coppin to become Baltimore's hometown favorite. "This city is up for grabs," said Ramsey, 51. "There is no one school with which everyone identifies. Baltimore screams out for an institution to take it over, and we're going to do that with integrity and character."

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UMES Tyson is academically ineligible

UMES men's starting basketball shooting guard Ed Tyson will not return to the team next season because he is academically ineligible, the school announced yesterday.

Tyson, an All- Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference second-team player, averaged a conference-best 20.2 points while starting in all 32 games for the Hawks last season. He also led the team with 54 steals, 1,176 minutes, 219 field goals and 73 three-pointers.

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FAMU RB Page powerful

Rattlers freshman LaVonte Page packs a wollop in a 5-11/211 pound frame with wheels that can motor past most cornerbacks.

A voice from the sidelines gave LaVonte Page a little encouragement during Tuesday's football practice. Page had shaken off two defenders, leaving them sprawling on the turf. "To the house," reverberated across the field from the sideline. "To the house, baby." It was great encouragement, but the freshman running back from Douglasville (Ga.) High School has been showing that he is driven for more than a week now.

"That just desire to score," he said, sweat rolling down his forehead. "If you have the desire to score, nobody can stop you. That's all I have to do. "I was taught when you get the ball you cut and run hard," Page said. "I just keep my legs moving. You never know how many chances you get to go into the end zone, so I try to go every chance I can." Page had several explosive runs Tuesday, as he's been doing since arriving on campus.

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Whistler honors former Vigor, Jackson State, NFL star Robert Brazile with street name

ROBERT BRAZILE, former Jackson State All-American linebacker who was a first round draft pick of the Houston Oils and a seven-time Pro Bowl selection with the Oilers. His 1974 JSU class included the legendary RB Walter Payton, 1st round pick and Pro Football Hall of Famer (Chicago Bears) and 20 year NFL offensive tackle Jackie Slater, 3rd round pick, Pro Football Hall of Famer, (Los Angeles/St.Louis Rams). Brazile is the only linebacker from the 1970s All-Decade Team not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Long before he was nicknamed "Dr. Doom" for his brutal hitting in the NFL, Robert Brazile was known as "Catfish," and "Bubba" to his neighbors along Till Street and Felder Avenue in Whistler (Alabama). Brazile was honored Tuesday morning when Robert Brazile Jr. Avenue was unveiled. Brazile — a member of the Prichard Sports and Leadership Hall of Fame, the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame, the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame, Senior Bowl Hall of Fame and Alabama Sports Hall of Fame — said it was heartwarming to be recognized by his community.

"Growing up on this street, I had so many parents. I had to answer to everyone up and down this street and I couldn't let them down," he said. "The best part of this dedication is that my parents got the opportunity to see it. People are getting streets named after them every day and their parents aren't around to see it; some of the honorees aren't even around."

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TSU shores up holes on defense with new faces

TSU defensive coordinator Rod Reed.

Tennessee State's new defensive linemen are facing old problems. Not only did the unit struggle against the run last year, but the top linemen also are gone. So Rod Reed, who coached linebackers last year and took over as defensive coordinator this year, is trying to make improvements with young and inexperienced players.

"They get to go against a pretty good offensive line every day in practice so they get their noses bloodied a little bit,'' Reed said. "It's good to watch them sit in there and fight." Even with likes of All-OVC defensive end Shaun Richardson and nose tackle Lamar Divens, who signed with San Diego, TSU finished 88th nationally in run defense (193.5 yards per game) and 74th in total defense (386.4). Harold Ayodele, who rotated at tackle with Maurice Davis, did not to return for his final year of eligibility.

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