MEAC/SWAC SPORTS MAIN STREET™

The "unofficial" meeting place for intelligent discussions of Divisions I and II Sports of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC). America's #1 blog source for minority sports articles and videos. The MEAC, SWAC, CIAA, SIAC and HBCUAC colleges are building America's leaders, scholars and athletes.

Friday, October 17, 2008

SWAC coach gets official reprimand

UAPB coach apologizes for comments

PINE BLUFF - The Southwestern Athletic Conference won't come down hard on Monte Coleman after the first-year Arkansas-Pine Bluff Coach publicly criticized game officials following UAPB's 21-10 loss to Jackson State last Saturday. SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp said in a statement Wednesday that the conference would formally reprimand Coleman, adding that "with all athletic competitions, emotions do run high, but that does not condone the comments of Coach Coleman."

Coleman opened his postgame press session Saturday by criticizing referee Anthony Johnson for charging him a time-out during the fourth quarter. "Absolutely horrible,"Coleman said after the game. "Anthony Johnson, he needs to get a zero for this game. He wanted to cost me a time-out because I asked him a question." Coleman also attacked the crew for what he believed was an unnecessary roughing the passer penalty.

"This is the worst officiated game I've ever been a part of in my life,"Coleman said. "They should not get paid. They should be suspended. Every last one of them."

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'07 thriller sets rematch's stage: Hampton vs. NSU

Hampton University (4-1, 3-0 MEAC) coach Jerry Holmes suffered a sudden, convenient bout of amnesia as he tried to remember last year's game against Norfolk State. "What happened last year?" Holmes asked. He turned to the Pirates players sitting beside him at HU's weekly media luncheon. "Do y'all remember?" With no answers forthcoming, Holmes, in his first year as head coach following three seasons as the Pirates' defensive coordinator, faced his audience again. "Any more questions?"

What happened was that Norfolk State (2-4, 1-2 MEAC), which had won just two games against Hampton since 1992, stunned the Pirates with a 20-19 victory when HU kicker Carlo Turavani's 49-yard field-goal attempt with two seconds left sailed wide right. "It felt really good," Spartans senior defensive lineman Dennis Marsh said. "The first year I got here (from Maryland), in '06, they beat us pretty bad (42-13). They try to set themselves apart from us, and for us to come out and beat them, it felt really good."

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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Rivalry brings out emotions--SU vs. FAMU

Cornerback Joe Manning grew up cheering for Florida A&M, the school Southern University will host Saturday night, and rooting against SU, the school he plays for now. “I used to go to the FAMU games and root for FAMU, since that’s the home town,” said Manning, who went to Lincoln High in Tallahassee, Fla., and lives about a 10-minute drive from the FAMU campus. “I grew up hating them (Southern).” There is no more hate for Southern from Manning. Now there is an appreciation that comes from seeing both sides of one of black college football’s best rivalries.

“I love the fans at Southern,” Manning said. “I think the rivalry is great, because the schools have the same type of fans. It makes it like the old days.” Manning, a Florida State transfer, and SU receiver Del Roberts, a North Carolina transfer, are two seniors from Tallahassee, and both said this matchup took on a more emotional element than other games for them a year ago, when SU beat FAMU 33-28 in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge.

Southern University Human Jukebox Marching Band

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Carter takes SCSU hoops into cyberspace

Getting close to South Carolina State men’s basketball coach Tim Carter is now as easy as entering cyberspace. At www.CoachTimCarter.com, Bulldog fans can get the inside word about the program directly from the second-year sideline leader. The Web site contains a blog by Carter as well as his biography, information about S.C. State University and comments from fellow head coaches and former players.

“I just wanted people to have more of an insight into kind of what we’re doing,” Carter said. “So I kind of got my bearings having been here a year, and I wanted to make sure that our fans not only here, but our fans ... we’ve got a lot of fans all over the country. Georgia, Virginia, Florida. It gives them just a little bit of an insight to kind of what’s going on.”

Up and operating since August, Carter has provided such nuggets as:

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Update of Week Seven - MEAC/SWAC Football

Sorry for being missing in action this past week, but had to travel to South Carolina/North Carolina for consulting tasks for key Agency client. Unfortunately, it was a secure environment on a Federal facility (no outside Internet access) and my hotel had whacked Internet service and no ESPNU. I nearly went nuts, unable to access MEAC/SWAC Sports Main Street nor receive FAMCast of the Rattlers game with the WSSU Rams.

The best I received was 45 second packets of streaming audio of FAMU's game standing outside the hotel front doors and having to re-boot every 60 seconds. Folks thought I was crazy for holding the laptop upside down, at ground level, trying to receive the hotel's Internet signal.

More importantly, I got the opportunity to watch my son's soccer team (Cary, N.C.) play two great teams in Fayetteville and Wilmington, N.C. over the weekend. The kid has skills scoring 2 goals in a 2-1 victory (Sunday) and being a defensive force in the 0-0 tie on Saturday. I could retire in the Carolinas (Apex or Carolina Beach, N.C.), but must have excellent Internet service and Dish Network. Otherwise, you are in HBCU sports purgatory. Happy to be back!

If you live in the Savannah River basin, here's what happen last week in the MEAC/SWAC, as you wouldn't know this from the local press. Talk about being blacked-out, the South Carolina locals are oblivious on the happenings in HBCU sports...

FAMU (4-2, 1-2) kicked Winston Salem (1-5, 0-2) as expected 23-0, with 15,448 (60.5%) attending on a Thursday night affair for ESPNU--that 95% of America will never see this game on television. The highlight of the night was the cute little Winston Salem State Marching Band that came to Bragg Memorial to challenge the FAMU Marching 100.

Morgan State (3-3, 1-1) went to Greensboro and steamrolled North Carolina A&T 41-3 before 21,500 Aggie Fans. Are the Bears really that good or has A&T (2-5, 0-3) slipped back a notch?

South Carolina State (5-2, 3-0) has just about wrapped up the MEAC conference title, crushing the hopes of Norfolk State Spartans 24-23 at Dawson Bulldog Stadium. S.C. State packed in 16,003 for the big payback to the Spartans (2-4, 1-2) for last season's upset.

Delaware State pulled an upset of the Bethune Cookman Wildcats 26-20 at Municipal Stadium in Daytona Beach. A crowd of 9,136 saw the BCU Wyatt-bone get contained by the Hornets (2-3, 2-1). BCU fell to 4-2, 2-2 on the season.

Tennessee State was Idle.

Prairie View A&M (5-1, 2-1) crushed the Alabama State 27-6 before 9,257 home fans at Blackshear Stadium. The Hornets are 1-5, 1-1 and still has shot to win the SWAC.

Grambling State (5-2, 2-0) gave AAMU a lesson in football on its home field, 27-7. The Bulldogs fans (15, 170) were not happy with the outcome or the season record of 2-5, 1-1.

Jackson State (2-4, 1-1) gave UAPB (0-6, 0-2) another beatdown to keep the Golden Lions winless under former Redskins great Monte Coleman. Is it Coleman or UAPB is really that bad? Oh, the final score was 21-10 with 10,600 attending at Pumphrey Stadium, Pine Bluff, AR.

Alcorn State beat Mississippi Valley 35-21 on the road with 7,852 attending. The Braves are 2-5, 1-1 and the Delta Devils fall to 1-4, 0-2 in hopefully--Willie Totten's last season as head coach. Valley fans should be tired of losing.

Southern University (4-2, 3-0) rained on Texas Southern (3-4, 0-2) 45-14 in their homecoming party at Mumford Stadium. 25,512 watched as the Jaguars prepares to face the FAMU Rattlers this weekend in an important rivalry game.

Charleston Southern had a rough time beating Savannah State 29-20 on the Tigers home field. Coach Robbie Wells has surprised most with a record of 3-4, starting a freshman QB and players he recruited in his first season as a head coach. A total of 3, 457 fans came out to support the Tigers.

Presbyterian (3-4) beat North Carolina Central 28-24 before 2,987 home fans. The Eagles (1-5) are finding the competition difficult in their second season at the D-IAA level.

We are now all up to date and are ready for Week Eight in the MEAC/SWAC.

Hayes enjoying the AD job at FAMU

(L) William "Bill" Hayes and (R) FAMU president, Dr. James Ammons shares a laugh as part of the three headed monster--Ammons, Hayes and (Joe) Taylor that is giving the rest of the MEAC conference nightmares.

Prediction he would not like administrative work turned out to be wrong

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Many people who move to Florida late in life are often ready to retire. Not Bill Hayes. He's still hard at work. "It's about trying to build another program," Hayes, a former Winston-Salem State football coach and now the athletics director at Florida A&M, said last week as he watched FAMU defeat WSSU 23-0. Hayes, 65, has a soft spot for WSSU, where he coached from 1976 through the end of the 1987 season, and always calls it home when talking about his favorite stop. He made the Rams one of the most powerful programs the CIAA has ever seen, leading them to unbeaten regular seasons in 1977 and 1978 and becoming the school's leader in career coaching victories with 89.

Hayes still holds the record, but one of his former players, Kermit Blount, is two wins away from taking it. Hayes left WSSU in 1987 to take over at N.C. A&T, and eventually became that school's career victories leader, too. He compiled a 195-105-2 record in 27 seasons. Hayes was forced out at A&T after the 2002 season. Instead of pouting or holding a grudge, he made a seamless transition from coaching to administration.

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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

WSSU struggles in loss to FAMU

Rams able to cross midfield only once; band the main highlight

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Winston-Salem State's not-ready-for-prime time Rams had a rough go of it last night against Florida A&M. The game was televised by ESPNU, but the Rams probably wished nobody had seen a 23-0 loss in which they crossed midfield once. About the only bright spot for WSSU was the performance of its band at halftime. It more than held its own against the more famous FAMU band that has nearly 450 members.

The same couldn't be said on the field for the Rams, who fell to 1-5. The Rattlers (4-2) had a lethal combination -- an efficient offense that picked apart the Rams' secondary, and a defense that was relentless. The best chance the Rams had to score came early in the third quarter when linebacker Marcus Coates stepped in front of a pass from Curtis Pulley in the flat, but Coates couldn't handle it. Had he caught it, he had 25 yards of daylight in front of him and a sure touchdown.

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FAMU Marching 100 - "Cash Flow"

ATTENDANCE: 15,448 (60.6%) @ Bragg Memorial Stadium, Tallahassee, FL (Capacity: 25,500).

Monday, October 6, 2008

Turnovers hurt Prairie View in loss to Grambling State

Early 9-0 lead fizzles in a hurry as Tigers roll

Game statistics

DALLAS — Everything that had gone right for Prairie View A&M in the first four games went wrong in the span of 52 seconds Saturday. A pair of Grambling State touchdowns early in the second quarter helped the Tigers overcome an early nine-point deficit en route to a 40-16 win in the State Farm Classic at the Cotton Bowl. The loss not only dented Prairie View’s Southwestern Athletic Conference hopes but also extended its losing streak to Grambling State (4-2, 1-0 SWAC) to 23 games.

“There is nothing we can do about this,” PV coach Henry Frazier said. “There is still a lot of football left. We didn’t perform, but I can promise you that this team will be ready (next week at home against Alabama State).” The Tigers looked nothing like the team that entered with the SWAC’s worst offense. Quarterback Greg Dillon had four touchdown passes. Prairie View (4-1, 1-1), which entered the game with the second-best scoring defense among Football Championship Subdivision teams, allowed its most points since Grambling scored 53 against the Panthers in 2006.

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ATTENDANCE: 54,315 (71.5%) at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX (Capacity: 76,000)

Tuskegee makes a statement (over AAMU Bulldogs)

Photo Gallery: Circle City Classic Game

Golden Tigers win their 21st straight

His team had won 20 straight games before Saturday, but Tuskegee football coach Willie Slater insisted he doesn't think about the streak. He prefers that traditional one-game-at-a-time model. Of course, even Slater knew that playing against Alabama A&M in the 25th Circle City Classic -- the first at Lucas Oil Stadium -- would be a little different. "I guess I was concerned about this game," said Slater, talking not only about the atmosphere, but about playing against an in-state foe.

"The guys, they showed a lot of maturity today." And that showed in the score, as Tuskegee's streak moved to 21 -- and its record this year improved to 5-0 -- with the Golden Tigers' 34-24 win over the Bulldogs (2-4). To senior quarterback Jacary Atkinson, the win was impressive, and not just because it came on a big stage. The fact that NCAA Division II Tuskegee was able to knock off I-AA A&M showed how strong his team is.

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Sunday, October 5, 2008

Practice pays off for NMSU Aggies in win over Alcorn

LAS CRUCES, NM — The players said it. Coach Hal Mumme said it too. The New Mexico State Aggies went through possibly their most grueling practices of the year during the past week in preparation for Saturday's affair versus Alcorn State. The workouts came on the heals of the team's disappointing performance last weekend against the University of New Mexico — a 35-24 NMSU loss. The hard work paid off, as the Aggies pummeled the Braves 45-10 at Aggie Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

"We got after it," Mumme said. "We weren't happy after last week's Lobo game. It wasn't the best week of practice but It was an intense week of practice and I think everybody was like me — pretty much mad at the world." During the week, the team worked specifically on running the football and solid play along both the offensive and defensive lines. NMSU responded, pounding Alcorn for 220 yards on the ground and recording six sacks on the defensive side of the ball while holding the Braves to minus 13 yards rushing.

Game Notes
Box Score

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ATTENDANCE: 11,374 (37.5%) at Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, NM (Capacity: 30, 343).

Southern Jags put it on JSU Tigers

Photo Gallery: SU 35, JSU 28

The aisles suddenly filled inside Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium with just under 14 minutes in the fourth quarter Saturday.The movement wasn't a surprise; Jackson State fans had seen this before. With the Tigers trailing by nine points and trying to rally against Southern, quarterback Tray Rutland threw his eighth interception of the year, including three in the final quarter of the last two games.

Brake lights soon littered Woodrow Wilson Avenue as the misery continued for those in blue and white. A massive announced crowd of 42,513 watched JSU lose its SWAC opener 35-28 to Southern University. "We didn't play well at all tonight, at all," JSU coach Rick Comegy said. "We just have to go back and find out why we're not playing the type of football (we should). That's the bottom line.

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Half-Time Shows JSU Sonic Boom of the South vs. SU Human Jukebox Marching Band
Jackson State University Marching Band

Southern University Marching Band

Hampton holds on to beat Delaware State

Justin Brown hauls in the game-winning TD pass, then the Pirates thwart a late Hornets drive.

Photo Gallery: Hampton 17, DSU 14

DOVER, DE -- Behind one of the best individual efforts of the year, Hampton improved its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference record to 3-0 by defeating Delaware State 17-14 Saturday. Hampton wide receiver Justin Brown made the biggest play of the game with a touchdown on fourth down with 3:30 left in the game. After making the reception, he managed to bull his way from the 10-yard line into the end zone against several Hornets defenders for 30-yard game-winning touchdown.

"From the beginning of the game, we knew we were going to be able to exploit their secondary by just watching film," said Brown, who had 106 yards on seven receptions. "We didn't play our best game, but we came out here and got a win, so that's all that matters." After the touchdown, the Pirates (4-1, 3-0) went for a two-point conversion to increase the lead to three. They lined up in Statue-of-Liberty formation.

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ATTENDANCE: 5,218 ( 76.4%) at Alumni Stadium, Dover, DE (Capacity: 6,828)

FAMU unable to complete rally

Photo Gallery:
FAN CAM - FAMU vs. South Carolina State
FAMU vs. South Carolina State Pregame

Seated beside five of his players in the post-game-interview room, Florida A&M football coach Joe Taylor turned to his glum-faced Rattlers and attempted to soften the blow of a 28-21 loss to South Carolina State. "It's going to be all right gentlemen," the first-year Rattlers head coach said Saturday night. Based on the solemn expressions on his players' faces, it was — at least at the moment — hardly any consolation. The Rattlers had allowed themselves to fall behind 20-0 in the first half of the game, and the bulk of the points came off of their own turnovers.

Despite being derailed in the first half by the preseason favorite to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Rattlers (3-2 overall record, 1-2 in the MEAC) came back and, at one point, led 21-20 before surrendering one final score, a 44-yard-touchdown run by SCSU running back Will Ford. The win places the Bulldogs (4-2, 2-0) behind Hampton (4-1, 3-0) in the race for the MEAC title. "We are very proud of the way these guys came back, fought and went ahead," Taylor said about his team. "They showed a lot of character and had to fight all game.

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RATTLERNATION HAVING A GREAT TIME AT THE FAMU vs. SCSU Game.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Costello explains departure from DSU

DSU A.D. Rick Costello is leaving for Rutgers.

DOVER, DE -- Rick Costello said his decision to leave Delaware State came down to location and opportunity. The DSU athletic director accepted a position this week as Rutgers' deputy athletic director for finance and administration, almost identical to the role he played at the University of South Florida from 2004-2007 when he was associate athletic director and chief financial officer.

Though South Florida and Rutgers are both in the Big East, Costello sees the move as a step up. His wife is from New Jersey and being near New York City was too much to ignore, he said. "Those factors weighed heavily," Costello said Friday. "I think I just got presented with a great opportunity at Rutgers. I'm excited to go to a BCS program from the Big East. I'm glad they hired me." His new job starts Nov. 1. He's said he told DSU he will stay on until then and was assured he would be paid through that time.

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OPENING DRIVE: Grambling State vs. Prairie View

Grambling State (3-2) vs. Prairie View A&M (4-0)
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Cotton Bowl in Dallas
Radio: KPCH 99.3 FM
Series: Grambling leads 45-13-1
Last meeting: 2007 — Grambling 17, Prairie View 14
Coaches: Grambling, Rod Broadway (second season, 11-6); Prairie View, Henry Frazier (fifth season, 22-24)

After playing two pseudo-conference games, Grambling officially opens SWAC play against Prairie View A&M at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Grambling beat SWAC foes Jackson State and Alcorn State in games that won’t count in the conference standings. Last week Grambling topped Langston 13-2, while Prairie View beat Morehouse, 28-17.

KEYS TO VICTORY
Grambling’s offense must find a way to put some points on the board and take the pressure off its defense. Grambling’s scoring output has decreased in each of the last four games. There’s only so much the Tigers’ defense can do. Sooner or later, Grambling will run into a team that can’t be beat with defense alone.

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Alcorn to collect bounty for long trip to NM State

Hurricane Gustav struck the Louisiana coastline Sept. 1 and canceled a football game between New Mexico State and Nicholls State. The storm caused billions of dollars of damage in the United States alone, but happened to put $250,000 in the coffers of the Alcorn State athletic department. Looking to add a 12th game, Alcorn athletic director Darren Hamilton noticed there was no way for the two programs to move the game because of schedule conflicts.

With a few phone calls, another team opting not to play NMS and a previous contact with athletic director McKinley Boston, Hamilton was able to negotiate the $250,000 pay game. "When you foster those relationships, opportunity presents itself," Hamilton said. Scheduling pay games isn't all about the cash, Hamilton noted, though it does play its part. Playing the allowed 12-game schedule helps in recruiting.

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On fan wrote the Clarion Ledger on this story.... At what price will ASU not take a *** whipping!! Funny, but a reasonable question to ask...

A&M, Tuskegee together again - in Indianapolis

Alabama A&M and Tuskegee are finally getting back together in football - only the field is three states away. A&M and Tuskegee play today in the 25th annual Circle City Classic in Indianapolis at the new Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Colts. It's the first time the teams have met since an A&M 54-0 victory in 1999. The game kicks off at 3 p.m. and the NFL Network will televise it. The Division II Tigers are riding a 20-game win streak, including a 4-0 mark this season, and are ranked 11th in the nation. The I-AA Bulldogs are 2-3 and enjoying a modest two-game winning streak.

"It's an exciting venue," A&M head coach Anthony Jones said. "We haven't played there since 2002, but every time I've been associated with it it's always been a great college football game.
"With two teams from the state of Alabama who have a rich history, it almost can't get any bigger than this." A&M leads the series that started in 1932, but ended soon after the Bulldogs left Division II, 23-18-4, according to the school. TU scores the series 22-19-3, still A&M's way.

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Alabama A&M University Marching Maroon and White Band

Tuskegee University Crimson Pipers Marching Band & Dancin' Divas

AAMU Maroon and White Marching Band & Dancin' Divas

WSSU hopes for defensive game against Howard

Howard University LB Endor Cooper is the best defensive player in the MEAC and is having an All-American season.

When Winston-Salem State and Howard play, odds are good that the game will be close. That's the history between the teams, which will meet tonight at 6 at Bowman Gray Stadium. "I really don't know why that is, but it just seems to me that it's a good rivalry game where the two schools are always pretty evenly matched," Coach Kermit Blount of WSSU said. Blount also is a former assistant at Howard, and he was on staff there in 1985 when the programs met for the first time. WSSU won 12-7.

Howard won last season's game 24-21 in overtime in Washington, D.C., and WSSU won 12-0 at Bowman Gray Stadium in 2006. This season, the Rams (0-4) are averaging just 11.2 points and hoping for another defensive battle against the Bison (1-3). If it works out that way, WSSU's secondary will have to play well against one of the top offenses in the MEAC. Howard averages 312 passing yards a game and leads the MEAC in total offense with 417 yards a game.

Winston Salem State University Marching Rams Band

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SSU hopes to spoil Clark Atlanta's Homecoming

SSU Freshman QB Kurvin Curry.

Tigers try to even record at 3-3

Savannah State's football team will attempt to snap its two-game losing streak today against Clark Atlanta, which has a four-game winning streak. SSU (2-3) will play Clark Atlanta (4-1) at 1:30 p.m. at Panther Stadium. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the NCAA Division II school, whose president is ex-SSU president Carlton Brown, has made SSU its Homecoming opponent."It's going to be a big-time college atmosphere with a great crowd for Clark's Homecoming," SSU first-year head coach Robby Wells said.

SSU should feel comfortable. The Tigers are 24-18-1 against the Panthers. When the teams last played each other in 1999, SSU won 34-7. And SSU has 32 players from the Atlanta area, so the game will be a homecoming of sorts for the Tigers. "It's going to be a neat deal for those guys to be able to go back home and play in front of a lot of their family and friends," said Wells, who added that both programs have 36 scholarships. SSU is coming off a 49-21 loss to Howard last Saturday in the Miami Classic. A crowd of 3,926 watched as SSU played perhaps its worst game of the season.

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Moral victory prizes plentiful for Coleman, UAPB Lions

About 20 minutes after his team lost for the fifth straight time to start the season, Monte Coleman walked slowly into the team’s weight room inside the J. Thomas May Field House. He approached a pair of reporters and, trying to keep a tense moment light, said: “Another consolation prize, huh?” Consolation prizes have come in bunches for Coleman in his first season as coach of the Golden Lions, but perhaps no more so than during Saturday’s 23-17 loss to Alabama A&M in both teams’ Southwestern Conference opener.

UAPB senior QB Jonathan Moore is nursing a thumb injury that has impacted performance of the Lion's offense.

UAPB played what Coleman said was its best game of the season. Its defense held the conference’s third best offense to less than 300 total yards and intercepted three passes, which tied the highest total in a game this season. The Golden Lion offense, while it struggled to sustain drives throughout the game, was able to score three times after a defensive or special teams play provided them with good field position. But as this season moves into October and the halfway point of Coleman’s first season, he’s still looking for his first win — and those consolation prizes have become harder to accept.

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