UAPB Moore slated to start against Southern Illinois University

By Mike Marzelli, Pine Bluff Commercial

Johnathan Moore will remain as Arkansas-Pine Bluff's starting quarterback for Saturday's game at Southern Illinois and it appears as though the job will belong to the former Dollarway star for the foreseeable future.
Moore, who replaced Southwestern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year Chris Wallace under center in Saturday's 12-10 loss to Alabama State after Wallace had missed the previous week of practice with exhaustion, completed 8-of-25 passes for 83 yards and also ran for a score against the Hornets. His start this weekend will be the fourth of his three-year college career.

“Johnathan Moore is still our guy,” Forte said. “The thing he has to do is look at some more film and really study some film of himself and our opponents and just increase his knowledge of the position and what we need from him. We don't need him to go out there and win the game for us, he just needs to play within himself and manage the game and make good decisions.”

Wallace, who spent Saturday on the sidelines in street clothes, has returned to full practice this week and got a number of snaps with the first-team offense on Tuesday. The senior looks to have regained his strength and is slated to be Moore's backup.

“It is great to have Chris back out here,” Forte said. “Any time a member of our UAPB family is sick or hurt or has anything wrong you just pray for him and you want him back out here so it's good to see him back.”

Continued struggles up front

Forte continues to be frustrated by the ongoing struggles of his offensive line, which was unable to hold the line of scrimmage in either facet of the offense for the third straight contest Saturday.

Offensive coordinator and line coach Jonathan Cannon, a former UAPB offensive lineman himself, continues to work long and hard with the group but Forte says there is only so much a coach can do.

“There isn't one thing that we need to focus on or spend extra time on, they just need to keep working and keep getting better and they can't quit,” he said. “It's really just the whole thing that offensive lines work on throughout the season that they need to spend their time in practice doing because we just haven't been good enough.”

Tough loss

The Golden Lions are still stung by their last-second loss in Saturday's Arkansas Classic but the coaching staff has made sure to emphasize the need to move on.

Practice has been crisp to begin the week, especially on Tuesday when UAPB has its longest workout of the week, but the disappointment from the loss still lingers.

“It's been rough,” Forte said. “That's as tough a loss as any right here but these kids are resilient and they know we need to look ahead and never look back anymore.”

A tough test

Southern Illinois will be as tough an opponent as UAPB faces all season. The Salukis are currently ranked sixth in the Football Championship Subdivision after reaching the national semifinals a year ago.

It's a challenge UAPB is welcoming for the second straight year.

“Some teams don't get the chance to play a top ten team but we do and we're going to make the most of it,” Forte said. “They're an outstanding football team with so many talented athletes and they're going to be very tough but we're a good football team and we like challenges.

Last season UAPB hung with SIU for a little over a half and trailed 21-16 early in the third quarter before the Salukis ripped off five straight scores and 27 consecutive points to close the game.

“We were right there in a tough game and then they just broke it open,” Forte said. “It gives our kids confidence that they can compete with them if we play every play and we all know it would be great to go in there and pull an upset.”

Reynolds in running for TSU basketball coaching job

By BRANDON C. WILLIAMS, Houston Chronicle

The latest name to toss in his hat for the Texas Southern men's basketball coaching job is a familiar one to longtime Tigers fans.

Dr. Lacey Reynolds, who is currently an instructor at the school, was confirmed as the third man who applied for the position, joining former TSU basketball star and current Worthing boys basketball Kevin Granger and Paul Mills, coordinator of men's basketball operations at Baylor. Candidates are vying to replace Ronnie Courtney, who was fired in July after four seasons with the Tigers.

Reynolds served as an assistant coach at TSU from 1983-95, where he helped guide the Tigers to four Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season titles and three trips to the NCAA tournament. Among the players he helped bring to the school as chief recruiter was Granger, who starred for the team from 1993-97.

Reynolds was the head coach at Grambling from 1995-99 before returning to TSU as the women's basketball coach from 2000-03. A graduate of Delta State University, he began his collegiate coaching career at the age of 23 when he led Mississippi Industrial College to a 19-10 record during the 1975-76 season. He recently received his educational doctorate in curriculum and instructions.

Granger was the latest to have a formal interview, having met with school officials on Friday.

Whoever is named for the job will face the challenge of putting together a full roster before fall practice begins on Oct. 15. The Tigers have only six players on scholarship returning from a team that finished 14-17 last season.

NCCU prepares for rivalry game

By MIKE POTTER, The Herald-Sun

Mose Rison was a part of some huge rivalries during his long career as an assistant football coach.

During his three seasons at Navy from 1988-90, it was the classic season-ender with Army that could make a bad season good or put a sour note on an otherwise successful year.

Ditto for his six seasons at Stanford from 1995-2000, where a win or loss in "The Big Game" with rival California could do the same thing.

And maybe, just maybe those experiences have prepared N.C. Central's first-year head coach for what he's about to see this weekend.

"Rivalry renewed," said the headline on the Eagles' weekly media notes for their game against North Carolina A&T, their bitterest historic rival, on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Aggie Stadium.

Fittingly, it's NCCU's first football game as a member of the Football Championship Subdivision against another FCS team. The Eagles, who were members of NCAA Division II until this season, are 3-1 against an all-Division II schedule so far and riding a three-game winning streak. A&T is 0-3, has a 19-game losing streak that is the longest in the FCS and is coming off a 59-14 home loss to Hampton.

So does all that make NCCU a prohibitive favorite?

Not on this planet, Rison said Tuesday during his weekly news conference.

"A&T will be the best football team we've played all season," Rison said. "As soon as we finished our game Saturday [an 18-10 victory over Elizabeth City State at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.], I told our players 'Let's not get caught up in the hype.' We all know what this means to both universities."

Rison said beating the Aggies, coached by Lee Fobbs, won't be easy, but the formula is simple.

"I know I don't want to be part of history," Rison said. "We just have to go out and do what we have to do to get ready. We know what we have to do defensively -- we've got to create second- or third-and-long situations. Offensively, we need to avoid giving our defense short fields. And on special teams, we have to figure out a way to hit extra points."

Rison said he has plenty of respect for the Aggies' defense, even in the loss to Hampton.

"They played a very good football team," he said. "But their defense is getting better at running to the football. They tackle well, and they're physical."

The Aggies' sophomore middle linebacker Andre Thornton (6-3, 230) has been in on 25 tackles including 16 solos and four for losses, while junior back Marques Ruffin (6-2, 190) has 22 tackles including 12 solos and two for losses.

NCCU's strength also has been on defense.

"I tell them every week I hope we go on defense first so I can see what they can do," Rison said.

The Eagles' win in New Jersey was a coming-out party of sorts for redshirt freshman Tim Shankle, who picked up 116 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Rison said he liked the way sophomore quarterback Stadford Brown (10-of-23 for 103 yards and a TD) directed the offense and freshman Deshawn Spears (four catches for 28 yards) caught the ball against the Vikings.

NOTES -- A&T leads the series, which was interrupted last season, 45-28-5. ... The Aggies won the last meeting in Greensboro 48-0 in 1991, but three of the past four meetings have been classics at Raleigh's Carter-Finley Stadium. NCCU won 23-22 in 2005, lost 16-15 on Carlos Davalos' 50-yard field goal at the horn in 2004, and won 33-30 in overtime in 2002 after trailing 27-0 heading into the second quarter.

Texas Southern vs. UTEP Miners

UTEP (1-2, 0-0 C-USA) will host Texas Southern (0-3, 0-3 SWAC) of the Championship Subdivision on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. MST. The Miners will be home for four of their next five games. Following next week's conference opener at SMU, UTEP will take on Tulsa (Oct. 6), East Carolina (Oct. 13) and Houston (Oct. 27) in succession at the Sun Bowl. The Miners were dealt a 29-24 loss at I-10 rival New Mexico State last week.

Texas Southern remained winless with a 28-7 setback at Jackson State on Sept. 13. The Tigers have scored 31 points in their first three contests. UTEP is 14-5 in the Sun Bowl under head coach Mike Price. The Miners are 1-0 in the venue in 2007, a season-opening 10-6 triumph over New Mexico. Texas Southern is 0-1 on the road with the aforementioned loss to Jackson State.

The UTEP-Texas Southern Ledger

UTEP has won the two previous matchups between the schools, both in the Sun Bowl. The Miners beat the Tigers 52-6 in 2001 and 45-0 in 2005.

The Last Meeting

UTEP limited Texas Southern to 146 yards of offense in a 45-0 blanking of the Tigers on Nov. 12, 2005 in the Sun Bowl. UTEP won its ninth straight game in the Sun Bowl, extending a school-record streak in the process. Jordan Palmer completed 16 of 23 passes for 248 yards and four touchdowns, breaking Billy Stevens' career record for passing yardage. Palmer helped the Miners to a 28-0 halftime lead, connecting with Marcus Thomas, David Sutton, Chris Marrow and Joe West for scores. He extended the lead to 35-0 on a three-yard touchdown run of his own midway through the third period. A 26-yard field goal by Reagan Schneider and a two-yard run by El Paso native Jon Lane completed the scoring.

Texas Southern missed its best scoring opportunity with 31 seconds remaining in the first half, when Kyle Watson's 22-yard field goal attempt was wide right. Brent Wilson rushed 22 times for 90 yards for the Tigers. Thomas rushed for 112 yards on 18 carries for the Miners, and caught four passes totaling 69 yards. Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. chipped in with three receptions for 73 yards.

Howard University vs. Eastern Michigan

Click Here to Listen to the Game via WEMU.

Click Here for Live Statistics.

The Eastern Michigan University football team returns home Saturday afternoon, Sept. 22, to host Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference foe Howard University. The highlight of the afternoon will be the appearance and performance of the renowned Howard "Showtime" Marching Band. "Showtime" is recognized nationally as one of the finest marching bands in the land and has a long and distinguished history of excellence and showmanship.

FIRST MEAC TEAM IN RYNEARSON: When EMU plays host to Howard University Saturday, it will mark the first appearance in Rynearson Stadium for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) team. The MEAC is comprised of: Howard, Bethune-Cookman, Coppin State, Delaware State, Florida A&M, Hampton, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Morgan State, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T, South Carolina State.

ANOTHER TELEVISION APPEARANCE: Saturday’s EMU-Howard game is one of eight television appearances this season for EMU. The Sept. 8 Ball State game and the Howard contest are both Comcast Local TV productions as are the EMU-Western Michigan (Oct. 27) and Central Michigan (Nov. 16) games. The EMU-Northern Illinois game (Sept. 15) and the EMU at Ohio (Oct. 13) games are both slated for ESPN Regional action and the EMU-Northwestern (Oct. 19) and EMU-BGSU (Nov. 9) games are scheduled for ESPNU.

THE HEAD COACHES: EMU head coach Jeff Genyk (Bowling Green, ‘82) is in his fourth year as head coach after serving the previous 12 years working for Northwestern University. Howard head coach Carey Bailey (Tennessee, ’92) is in his first season.

GREEN EGGS AND COFFEE: EMU head football coach Jeff Genyk will be the featured guest on the Monday evening radio show, "Green Eggs and Coffee", from 6 p.m.-7 p.m. each Monday of the football season. The shows, with WTKA radio’s Jeff Radford and WEMU radio reporter Brian Nemerovski serving as co-hosts.

PROJECT PERFECT: EMU would like to recognize Saturday’s guests that are part of the Project Perfect program. The incentive program is designed to honor and recognize top students at local elementary and middle schools. Project Perfect rewards perfect grades, perfect attendance, and/or exemplary citizenship.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? The labels Division I-A and I-AA have been deleted from NCAA use and replaced by the terms "Football Bowl Subdivision" and "NCAA Football Championship Subdivision." The FBS is used to describe football programs like Eastern Michigan that compete to participate in the postseason bowl system that includes the 32 NCAA-licensed bowls that make up the Bowl Championship Series. The FCS is used for schools such as Howard that participate in the NCAA championship postseason structure.

COACH HAS A VOTE: EMU head football coach Jeff Genyk will be involved in weekly coaches’ polls for 2007. Genyk, the fourth-year head coach of the Eagles’ football squad, will be one of 60 head coaches that will vote in the weekly USA Today Coaches’ Poll that will pick the top 25 teams in the NCAA Bowl Championship Series each week of the season.

COLLEGIATE CLASH SET FOR OCT. 19: For the fourth year in a row the EMU football team will be taking one of its home games on the road, hosting a Big Ten team for the first time ever in the fourth annual Collegiate Clash at Ford Field in Detroit. EMU will be the host team for the non-conference battle against Northwestern University with game time set for 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19. The Eagles hosted Central Michigan in the inaugural Collegiate Clash, Nov. 6, 2004, and Eastern won a thriller, 61-58, in four overtimes. In 2005 EMU hosted Western Michigan, Nov. 5, 2005, and lost a 44-36 shoot-out. Last year Navy recorded a 49-21 win, Nov. 5, 2006, in the game at Ford Field.

CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: EMU will have five captains for the 2007 season. The captains, as voted by the players, are: Ken Bohnet, Jason Jones, Darran Matthews, Andy Schmitt and Pierre Walker.

STATELY BREAKDOWN: The 2007 EMU football roster has 60 players from the state of Michigan, 16 from Ohio, eight from Florida, two each from Indiana and Virginia, and one apiece from Washington D.C., Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Illinois, New York and Georgia.

Jackson State TE Frost in doubt for season

By David Brandt, Clarion Ledger

Jackson State tight end Marcel Frost said on Tuesday that if his left leg hasn't healed enough to play by the Tigers' Oct. 6 game against Alabama State, he'll likely seek a medical redshirt and come back next season.

Frost, a senior, broke his leg in the JSU spring game last March. He was cleared to practice three weeks ago, but his leg and ankle have been slow to recover.

As a junior, he caught 10 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown.

"Really, my leg is feeling pretty good," Frost said. "Now it's my ankle. After being in a cast for a month and a half, I lost a lot of strength down there. It's really frustrating to keep having problems."

In Frost's place, Jackson State has mainly used redshirt freshman Cedric Dixon. Dixon caught a touchdown pass in JSU's opening game against Delta State.

JSU coach Rick Comegy said even if Frost can't contribute on the field this year, he'll still be useful.

"Frost is a smart guy who's been around football for a lot of years," Comegy said. "Even if he can't play, we'll have him working with the coaches in some way."

INJURY REPORT

JSU receiver Kethonne McLaurin (shoulder) will likely miss two to three weeks after an injury in Thursday's game against Texas Southern. Before he was hurt, McLaurin had a touchdown catch against the Maroon Tigers...Offensive guard Michael Harness (knee) sat out practice, but said he expects to be ready for Saturday's game.

JSU Football: Tigers reap benefits of depth on defense

By David Brandt, Clarion Ledger

THE JSU GAME
What: Jackson State (1-2, 1-0 SWAC) at Mississippi Valley (1-2, 1-2)
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Radio: JSU Network (WOAD-1300 AM)

Jackson State defensive tackle Corey Clark, No. 97, is hopeful that having capable backups on the defensive side this fall will help the Tigers stay fresh and aggressive late in the season.

Despite being a huge human being, Jackson State defensive tackle Corey Clark is an athlete who's in pretty decent physical shape.

But when he's flinging his 6-foot-3, 320-pound body all around the field, crashing into running backs and quarterbacks, he gets tired once in a while. During those times, it would be nice to have a break.

That was a problem last season.

Because when Clark - or any of the other defensive starters - turned to the sideline and asked for a play or two to catch his breath, the answer from the sideline was almost always this: Sorry, guys. There's nobody that can take your place. Suck it up.

JSU started 5-1 last season before losing four of its last five games and finishing with a 6-5 record. Defensive coordinator Darrin Hayes said that's not a coincidence.

"We had guys that were tired and dinged up that couldn't sit because we didn't have the talent behind them," Hayes said. "By the last few games, fresh legs were pretty hard to find. That's when you started seeing all those blown assignments and mental mistakes."

That's why it was so refreshing for Clark and most of the other starters to get the opportunity to watch from the sideline for part of last Thursday's 28-7 victory over Texas Southern.

Instead of Clark in the fourth quarter, it was Neal Pogue or Antonio Atkins plugging holes on the defensive line.

Instead of regular cornerbacks Keith Camp and Domonique Johnson, it was Jeremy Pierce and Oliver McNeil batting away passes.

And you know what? Clark admits it was hard to tell much of a difference between those guys and the first team.

"We were all talking about how good the backups looked," Clark said. "It's so much different than last season. We're really comfortable no matter who's on the field. Hopefully, it will make us a better team in the long run."

So far, Jackson State's defense has been the strength of a team with a disappointing 1-2 record (1-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference).

The Tigers rank second in the conference in passing defense (122.7 yards per game), fourth in rushing defense (99.3) and second in total defense (222).

In Thursday's game, Jackson State held Texas Southern to just 30 total yards and minus-39 on the ground. Poor field conditions because of constant rainfall certainly helped keep the Texas Southern offense under wraps, but Hayes acknowledged that added depth and intensity is turning the defense into an impressive group.

"It's always been our goal to have a defense that's two-tiered," Hayes said. "Now we've got backups who are nearly as good as the starters and that's helping everybody keep fresh."

Arguably the deepest spot is the defensive line, where coaches felt comfortable enough to move Jamile Owens, a starting defensive tackle last season, to fullback without worrying about the consequences.

"No way that happens last year. Absolutely not," Hayes said. "We just wouldn't have been able to afford it. Now we barely thought twice because it makes us a better team."

Up next for the JSU defense is a Mississippi Valley State offense that's averaged just 12 points and less than 200 total yards through three games. Add in the fact that the Tigers have beaten MVSU 12 times in a row, dating back to 1995, and it appears to be a mismatch.

JSU coach Rick Comegy couldn't disagree more. But he likes his chances with the defense that's been assembled.

"I know (MVSU has) struggled, but they've got all the ingredients of a great offense," Comegy said. "One of these weeks very soon they'll put it together. I'm just glad we've got a strong, athletic defense because I think we're going to need all of it to stop Valley on Saturday."

Morgan's Wolfe to play; QB spot up for grabs

By Ken Murray, Baltimore Sun

Morgan State's Roderick Wolfe will return from a one-game exile tomorrow night when the Bears open their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference season with a trip to Hampton (Va.) University.

Who will be throwing to the senior wide receiver is another matter.

Morgan coach Donald Hill-Eley said yesterday that he likely will alternate Mario Melton and Byron Selby at quarterback and that the hotter passer will play more.

Hill-Eley also said Wolfe will play after sitting out last week's 19-17 loss to Winston-Salem State. Wolfe was picked up Saturday morning on an active warrant for failing to appear in court in July on previous traffic violations.

After making a $350 bail payment, Wolfe was released Sunday, and he practiced with the team Monday.

Cornerback Darren McKahn, who was benched Saturday for missing team meetings, also will play tomorrow, Hill-Eley said.

Melton, a junior, has started the team's past 10 games going back to last season. He has completed just 45.5 percent of his passes with two interceptions this season. Selby, a senior who played at Dunbar, led the MEAC in passing in 2005.

Hill-Eley said Melton has struggled since throwing a critical interception against Towson.

"He's been very reluctant to deliver the ball since then," the coach said. "Up to that point, he was throwing the ball.

Alabama A&M notebook

Huntsville Times

Game holds no added incentive for Jones

Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones interviewed for the Grambling job on two occasions last January.

Grambling officials eventually hired former North Carolina Central coach Rod Broadway to lead the school's football program.

But Jones doesn't plan to add anything extra to Saturday's game when the Bulldogs and Tigers meet at Robinson Stadium in a big Southwestern Athletic Conference game.

"This game is important to me because it's the next game," he said. "It's important to me because it's a conference game. I don't care if USC was in our conference. If that was the next game on our schedule, that would would be the next important game.

"I don't try to build ballgames up more than what they are. The game is big because it's our next game, it's a conference game and it's against a good football team."

Tough crowd: Alabama A&M has beaten every team in the SWAC on the road except Grambling.

The Tigers hold a 12-4 advantage in the all-time series against the Bulldogs, but the teams have split the last four meetings.

However, A&M's last three trips to play the Tigers in Louisiana haven't been fun.

Grambling won 30-7 in 2001, 45-14 in 2003 in Shreveport and 44-0 in 2005.

"It would be nice to get a win down there," senior defensive end Chris Traylor said. "My favorite wins are road wins. Hopefully, we can pull it off this time."

After watching Grambling's game against Pittsburgh, Jones said it won't be easy.

"They played Pittsburgh tough," he said. "They didn't lay down. They had opportunities to win the game. If they had had a little more success in the red zone, that game is a different ballgame.

"They had a punt blocked and three turnovers in the red zone. It wasn't like they went up there and got sandblasted. They went up there to win the ballgame and I admire that."

Grambling had the ball in the red zone four times, including three times inside Pittsburgh's 10-yard line, but came away with just three points.

The Tigers also were whistled for 14 penalties for 108 yards, were 6-of-17 on third down and allowed two touchdowns on special teams in the 34-10 loss.

Baxter likely out: Wide receiver Nate Baxter, who sprained his right ankle in the first quarter Saturday night against Mississippi Valley State and never returned, will likely miss the Grambling game, Jones said.

A redshirt freshman from Enterprise, Baxter has five catches for 48 yards and a touchdown.

"It's too tender," Jones said of the ankle. "He's still not walking on it."

-Reggie Benson

AAMU: Catch him if you can

By REGGIE BENSON, Huntsville Times

Alabama A&M sophomore blossoms into big-time receiver

There are days when Thomas Harris hardly says a word. Unlike a lot of wide receivers, Harris doesn't desire the spotlight. In fact, he shies away from it.

But the Alabama A&M sophomore can't help but be in it as a result of his spectacular play through the Bulldogs' first three games.

"Coach (Anthony) Jones has put me in the right position to make plays," Harris said. "I'm having fun."

While that may be true, A&M receivers coach Roger Totten said Harris deserves a lot of the credit.

"Thomas is a kid that is very serious about what he's doing," said Totten, who has had a major impact on the Bulldogs' receivers since arriving in July. "I like him because he works and he wants to be good. He doesn't talk a whole lot. He just wants to do his job and that's what you want as a coach."

And what a job Harris has done.

He has been one of the Southwestern Athletic Conference's best receivers thus far, having hauled in 14 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns. He is averaging a league-best 23.5 yards per catch and 109.7 yards per game.

Harris, a native of Alexander City, is second in the league in receiving yards per game (109.7), fifth in all-purpose yards per game (121.3) and sixth in receptions per game (4.67).

This after catching 27 balls for 327 yards and two touchdowns in helping A&M win its first SWAC championship a year ago.

"I think I'm going to put up big numbers this year," Harris said.

Jones started preparing Harris for this season shortly after the Bulldogs finished spring practice. A&M lost two of its top four receivers to graduation and Anthony Mitchell, who eventually was ruled academically ineligible, was borderline on being able to play. Jones went to Harris and told him he needed to be ready for more.

"He told me he was looking forward to me catching up to 60 balls and being the leader among our receivers," Harris said. "I think I can be a leader, but I'm not a vocal leader. I lead through practicing and playing."

Totten certainly can attest to that.

"Thomas leads by example," he said. "He lets his work speak for him and I have no problem with that. I'm trying to bring a little more emotion out of him because I think he has the potential to be one of the leaders in our receiving corps.

"He's kind of laid-back. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. It's just the way he is, but he performs.

Check out his numbers.

Harris had four catches for 100 yards and a touchdown in A&M's 49-23 season-opening win over Tennessee State. In fact, he had back-to-back catches - a 42-yarder from wide receiver Gerald Stockdale and a 44-yarder from quarterback Kelcy Luke - to put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard against the Tigers.

He had six catches for 92 yards in a 41-10 thumping of Clark Atlanta and torched Mississippi Valley State with four catches for 137 yards and a touchdown in Saturday night's 45-14 win.

Harris had three catches for 124 yards and a touchdown in the second half alone against the Delta Devils.

"We expected him to do that last year," Luke said. "He kind of deferred to the seniors because he was the new guy. He's the only receiver we have back that played a lot last year and he's stepped it up. This year, our offense has opened up and he's taking advantage of it."

Jones isn't surprised.

"Thomas made a lot of big plays last year and we knew he had that big-play potential," he said.

"Last year, he was a young guy surrounded by a bunch of veterans. This year, he was going to have to be the guy and we challenged him. He accepted that challenge."

Harris will try to continue his strong play Saturday night when A&M visits Grambling.

Kickoff is 6 and the game will be tape-delayed on ESPNU, beginning at 9.

It will be Harris' first visit to Grambling.

"I've heard it's very hostile - very loud," Harris said. "I've never been there so I don't know what to expect. I'm just going to go out there focused and ready to play."

Just like he's been through A&M's first three games.

WSSU prepared for a tough SCSU team

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

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The "new kid on the block" has wasted little time making an impression of the veteran teams on the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Still in the early stages of a five-year transitional period from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Rams are off to a 2-1 start following last Saturday’s 19-17 road win over Morgan State. True freshman Matt Mitchell’s 24-yard field goal with one second left was the difference as Winston-Salem State overcame the loss of running backs Brandon McRae (broken right wrist) and leading rusher Jed Bines (sprained ankle) and a 221-yard rushing effort from the Bears’ Chad Simpson to pull off the victory.

"That was a victory that we needed," Rams’ head coach Kermit Blount said Tuesday. "We played a very good football team in Morgan State. I have a lot of respect for Donald Hill and his program and what he’s doing. A very class act guy. The program is class act now, unlike the last time I was there in 1990 or 1991 when I was at South Carolina State (as an offensive coordinator for Willie Jeffries). It’s a totally different atmosphere up there and his teams played tremendously well and hard.

"We just happen to get the edge in the end with the pass up under the coverage and were able to get the ball in around the 6-yard line and kick the field goal."

Bines should be fine, according to Blount, and active for Saturday’s return to Oliver C. Dawson Stadium to face his former employer. It’s a matchup Blount sees as one which could provide a measuring stick as to where WSSU stands in the MEAC and how it should pursue its long-term plans.

"The one thing I think we understand and our administration understands is that we’re going to build a program by taking steps," Blount said. "Right now, it’s not about all wins and losses. It’s about building a program to compete at that level and anytime you start building a program, you can do it one or two ways. You can do a quick fix where you can win now or pay later or you can do the young fix way - you do it with high school kids and building a program where it’s going to pay off later.

"We don’t want to pay later. We want it to pay off later, so we’re building it in steps and we’re doing it with young kids, trying to keep them in the program and keep that graduation rate up and just trying to do it the right way. We just want to be competitive."

A pair of fumbles lost and four sacks allowed were not the only problems WSSU ran into in losing 35-6 to SCSU last season at home. The Bulldogs racked up 467 total yards of offense, 197 coming from running back Will Ford who rushed for two scores.

This season, the Rams are operating a revamped offense led by senior quarterback Monte Purvis (5-11, 190), whose overall numbers through three games (22 of 44 passing, 248 yards, two touchdowns, one interception; 223 rushing yards, four touchdowns) are eerily similar to SCSU counterpart Cleveland McCoy. While hoping to open things up in the air, Blount said the Rams will not try to force things.

"The passing game actually comes off the rushing game," he said. "We all as coaches like talking about we want to be balanced, we want to run 50 percent and throw 50 percent. But we all know that the flow of the ballgame will dictate what we do. But we do what we normally do with our passing game. We work it every day and all we can do is continue to work to make it better.

"This is a new offense for our kids. They only had the spring to go through it. They’re starting to really now focus in and catch on to all the integral parts of the process. So it’s a building process in that aspect of it also. But we’re going to try to throw the football as we normally do and we’re going to try to take what South Carolina State gives us because that’s what Buddy Pough is going to do. He’s going to take what we give them."

The Rams also shook up their offensive line prior to last week’s game against Morgan State. Facing a physical team like SCSU (1-2, 1-0), which leads the MEAC in sacks, Blount said depth up front is a concern on the road.

This will mark the third time Blount is facing SCSU as a visiting coach. He led the Rams to a 39-28 victory in 2000 over his mentor Jeffries, their only win in five outings against SCSU, only to get routed 52-12 five years later in Orangeburg.

"The team we’re going to play on Saturday is probably be one of the best that we play all year," Blount said. "So we’re going to have to be ready to play football and we can’t make mistakes this weekend."

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

Entering his 11th season at WSSU, Blount sees Saturday’s game as another part of a methodical building process towards developing a program which can compete in the MEAC as it did successfully in the CIAA.

A player Blount had hoped to snag as part of his building process was SCSU quarterback Malcolm Long. Right up until a week before signing day, WSSU battled SCSU as the two finalists for the services of South Carolina’s "Mr. Football".

"I had a chance to home visit him and sit with his family and I think they have his best interest at heart," Blount said. "They want to see the kid get a good education, play football second and have a good career. But I tell you what, he’s a difference-maker and I would have loved to have had him. That’s why we made the visit to Gaffney to see if we could steal him."

Long eventually signed with the Bulldogs and could potentially see action against the Rams this Saturday.

Jesse Jackson stops by SCSU Bulldogs' practice

By BRIAN LINDER, T&D Sports Editor

The South Carolina State University football team got a bit of a surprise when Jesse Jackson stopped in on practice following his speech at Martin Luther King Auditorium Tuesday afternoon. According to Bulldogs head coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough, whose team was preparing for Saturday’s 6 p.m. home game against Winston-Salem State, the meeting was set up by former SCSU player Dexter Clinkscales who now works with Jackson.

"We could not get up there (to hear Jackson speak) because it was during our practice time, so we asked him to come down here," Pough said. "It was great. He talked about staying in school, getting an education and presenting your diploma to your mom ... real good things that we try to preach all the time. He also talked about voting and voter registration, and that’s stuff I think is important too. So, anytime you can get a good solid message to these guys -- we are in the business of educating -- and anytime you do things that can help them later in life I think that is good."

While Pough was expecting Jackson, defensive lineman James Simmons was not.

"I was kind of surprised," he said. "It was a good experience. I’m from Greenville and Jesse Jackson is from Greenville. My granddaddy told me they grew up in the same neighborhood."

Freshman tight end Sean Lampkin was also impressed by Jackson.

"It was a great experience," he said. "It helped us out a lot. He said a nice little prayer and gave us some good motivational words. It think that is going to go a long way with our team."

Before boarding a bus and heading out of Orangeburg, Jackson spoke just outside of the team’s practice field about the message he tried to convey.

"First, it is a privilege to play football, and they must use this moment to be first-class athletes and first-class students," he said. "This matters if it turns into a diploma. I went to college on a football scholarship. Anybody that can master this game can also master reading, writing, counting and thinking. So, apply leadership skills here and become leaders on campus and beyond that, graduate, go on to grad school and make a big difference.

"If they do that, they can be champions everywhere they go."

Southern WR Landry to sit out first half because of ejection

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Jacobs to fill in

Southern University has confirmed with the Southwestern Athletic Conference that its top offensive playmaker, wide receiver Gerard Landry, will have to sit out the first half of Saturday’s home game with Tennessee State, SU coach Pete Richardson said.

Landry was ejected for fighting after throwing a swing at a Prairie View player with 8:16 left in the fourth quarter.

According to Rule 9-5 of the NCAA rulebook, the penalty is “disqualification for the remainder of the game and the first half of the next game.”

“We called (SWAC Interim Commissioner Duer Sharp) and, in fact, I’ve got a fax back from him,” Richardson said.

SU (3-0) hosts Tennessee State (2-1) of the Ohio Valley Conference at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Landry leads Southern with both three touchdowns — one in each game — and 172 yards (on 12 catches).

“I’ll be ready to go,” said Landry, who has a catch in 28 consecutive games.

Senior RaShon Jacobs will start in place of Landry at the “X” receiver position.

“He’s about the same type of receiver,” Richardson said. “He catches the ball well, and he can knock some folks around.”

Jacobs has three catches for 53 yards. He averages a team-best 17.7 yards per reception.

Jacobs did not play last season after transferring from Louisiana-Monroe. Though he practiced last year at SU, he was held back in preseason camp after injuries to both feet, a chipped bone on the ankle in April and a fractured bone during camp.

“I think I’m OK. I’ll just go out there and play, take advantage of the opportunity,” said Jacobs, a three-sport star at Woodlawn High School who played football and basketball for three years at ULM. “I have to go out there and continue what I’ve been doing, make plays when I have to. That’s it.”

Chinyoung ineligible
Sophomore center Ramon Chinyoung will be ineligible this season, Richardson confirmed.
Chinyoung’s process seeking to be declared eligible ended this week.

Chinyoung was to have been the team’s starting center. He finished in that role last season as a true freshman.

Instead, senior Demarcus Stewart, who started at center at the beginning of last season, has been Southern’s starting center this season. Stewart would have been the starting right guard, but Reuben Oliver moved inside from tackle to handle that role.

Chinyoung is the sixth offensive linemen to be ruled academically ineligible, joining junior guard Adrian Banks, junior tackle Allen Buckner, senior guard Jacoby Collins, freshman guard Joshua Keelen and sophomore tight end Joshua Nixon.

Also, freshman guard Brian Bridges practiced during preseason camp while awaiting a decision from the NCAA Clearinghouse, which rendered him a nonqualifier. Plus, three other signees who play offensive line are nonqualifiers this year.

Williams out for season
Richardson said sophomore Tremaine Williams, a reserve cornerback, is resting at home after having knee surgery Monday. Williams is out for the season. He severely injured the knee on kickoff return coverage in the third quarter Sept. 8 against Mississippi Valley State.
Richardson said Williams, who missed last season as a nonqualifier, will require additional surgery in six weeks.

Richardson said his staff was trying to find out if Williams could take correspondence courses for this semester.

Watch these two
Tennessee State senior cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Southern free safety Jarmaul George are both on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List. The award honors the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Rodgers-Cromartie, a preseason first-team FCS All-American selection by The Sports Network, had six interceptions and five pass breakups last season and has eight tackles, three breakups and two blocked kicks this season.

Rodgers-Cromartie is also one of the best track athletes in the OVC.

TSU defensive backs coach Randy Fuller told The Tennesseean newspaper Rodgers-Cromartie could be a first-round pick in the NFL draft. If so, he’d be TSU’s first first-rounder since linebacker Waymond Bryant went to the Dallas Cowboys with the fourth pick of the 1974 draft.

“He’s a guy, when we needed a play to be made, he’s made that play,” Tennessee State coach James Webster said.

George, a preseason second-team FCS All-American selection and the SWAC’s preseason defensive player of the year, had 51 tackles, five interceptions and 10 breakups last season and has 20 tackles and two interceptions this season.

Notes
SU sophomore CB Ronald Wade will be out two more games. He is serving a three-game suspension for violating team rules. That suspension started Saturday. A Cincinnati Bengals scout stopped by SU on Tuesday.

Big-time transfers boost Hampton University football

The Pirates of Hampton University (2-0, 2-0 MEAC) are set to take on the Bears of Morgan State University (1-2, 0-0 MEAC) live on ESPNU on Thursday, September 20th at 7:30 pm. The match-up is set to take place at Armstrong Stadium on the campus of Hampton University.

By MARTY O'BRIEN, Daily Press

HAMPTON - Hampton University used to reload primarily with freshman recruits. Graduating high school seniors still are the staple of the Pirates' recruiting classes, but never before have Division I-A transfers been so visible in the football program.

The Pirates' I-A transfers have their fingerprints all over the season-opening victories at Howard and North Carolina A&T. Jackie Bates, formerly a starting cornerback at Oregon, will increase that I-A influence when he debuts in the Pirates' nationally televised (ESPNU) home game Thursday against Morgan State.

The Pirates' roster includes seven I-A transfers. All of them, save Bates, have made significant contributions this season. HU coach Joe Taylor is especially happy to have them because 14 senior starters graduated from the 2006 team.

"Sometimes you need to get more maturity in the lineup when you lose more seniors," Taylor said. "But you have to be certain that a transfer is the right fit for the program.

"I'm not so sure that we recruited them as much as they recruited us. Three consecutive (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) championships, five guys in the (NFL) combine and several guys in the pros has created more visibility."

Below is an update on the I-A transfers through two games. Former colleges are listed in parentheses.

T.J. Mitchell (West Virginia): Starting QB has thrown for 520 yards and six touchdowns.

Kevin Beverly (Kent State): Starting tailback ran for 39 yards and a TD in a half at Howard, but hasn't played since because of an ankle injury and likely will miss the Morgan State game.

Jeremy Gilchrist (Virginia Tech): Starter leads HU with 14 catches, 205 receiving yards and two TD receptions.

Sam Pope (South Carolina): Starting cornerback has nine tackles, two pass breakups and a pass block.

Vaughn Mansfield (Utah State): Reserve free safety returned a fumble 41 yards for a touchdown at A&T.

Kevin Burke (West Virginia): Reserve defensive tackle had a tackle for a loss among his four stops at A&T.

Jackie Bates (Oregon): Hamstring pull sidelined the starting cornerback the first two games, but Taylor says he'll play Thursday.

Grambling's Broadway uses bye to evaluate, correct mistakes

By Nick Deriso, the News-Star

GRAMBLING — A bye week, even in the best of times, gives football coaches a time to reflect. Grambling coach Rod Broadway, fresh off a gut-wrenching loss to Pittsburgh, wasn't happy with what he found.

He's looked at the tape. Given extra time, he's examined it both forwards and backwards.

"We had an extra week to go through it," Broadway said. "Usually, you watch it on Sunday, maybe a little on Monday, then you put it away."

Four times, his new team had the ball in Pittsburgh's red zone, with three drives inside the 10-yard line. But Grambling was held scoreless in the second half, eventually falling 34-10 in non-conference action.

Grambling also committed 14 penalties for 108 yards, converted only 6 of 17 third downs, and saw two mishaps on special teams lead to Pitt scores.

Even the defense, in an otherwise solid performance, saw two seniors gave up a pair of huge plays that accounted for more than 100 yards of offense by the Panthers.

"We got burned up with turnovers, with four of them," Broadway said, during a Monday morning news conference on campus. "That will kill you in any league. You're not going to win too many games with that many turnovers."

Evaluation involved not just player execution but also things like play selection.

"We've got to come up with a better plan to get the ball in the hands of guys that can make plays for us," Broadway said.

His hope is that film work, and additional time to prepare, will help Grambling clean up some of these basic errors.

"Mentally, I think the guys are buying into what we are trying to do," Broadway said. "The coaches are getting a better understanding of exactly how we want to do things."

This young season reaches a critical crossroads with Saturday's home opener against Alabama A&M, the Southwestern Athletic Conference's reigning champion. The game, set for kickoff at 6 p.m. at Robinson Stadium, will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.

Broadway, who called the contest an important measuring stick, admits that the team and coaches are still meshing. He said he learned as much from the win over Alcorn State in Week 1 as he did in the stumble at Pittsburgh.

Lessons from both should help Grambling improve, he said.

"One of the things that we are dealing with, going into this season, is going through this transitional period," Broadway said. "It's new to them; it's new to us. We're still trying to get a feel for them; they're still trying to get a feel for us. The only cure for that is time."

Alabama A&M notebook

Huntsville Times

A&M's Harris, Moland, Mattix honored

Alabama A&M's coaching staff selected receiver Thomas Harris, inside linebacker Avery Moland and kicker Grant Mattix as players of the week for their work in Saturday's 45-14 win over Mississippi Valley State.

Harris was named offensive player of the week after catching four passes for a career-high 137 yards and a touchdown. A 6-foot, 171-pound sophomore, Harris had a huge second half with three catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. He had a 63-yard catch late in the third quarter to help set up Ulysses Banks' 15-yard touchdown run and hauled in a 50-yard touchdown pass from Kelcy Luke on the fourth play of the fourth quarter.

Moland was named defensive player of the week after coming away with a game-high 10 tackles, including six solo stops. He also had 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and recovered a fumble.

Mattix, a freshman walk-on from Lee High School, handled the kickoff duties and did a great job in helping the Bulldogs contain Clarence Cotton, one of the more dangerous returners in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Cotton returned three kickoffs for 11 yards.

Richardson swipes one: Jimmy Richardson, a senior inside linebacker, had his first career interception in Saturday night's 45-14 win over Mississippi Valley State.

With the game tied 0-0 early in the second quarter and A&M's offense struggling, Richardson picked off a Semaj Williams pass to help set up the Bulldogs' first touchdown. Six plays later, Kelcy Luke fought tight end Charles Moody with a 7-yard strike.

"I read screen and when I came up to get the running back, they overthrew him and the ball fell in my arms," said Richardson, who was also credited with four tackles.

Richardson, who lost his starting job to Mississippi State transfer Carlton Rice, has been bothered by some of the things that have appeared in The Times. "I'm trying to outplay Rice," he said. "Every week, he makes a play, I've got to make a play. That's why we're so good on defense."

Jones defends decision: Luke was pulled with about nine minutes left in the season opener against Tennessee State. He played long after A&M's last two games were decided, but Jones defended his decision to keep him in the game against Mississippi Valley State even with a 38-14 lead with more than 13 minutes remaining.

"I didn't feel the game was secure," Jones said. "I didn't want to give them any life and I didn't feel like we had played well enough. I told Kelcy to put the team on his shoulders and carry us and that's what he did."

Luke was 16-of-29 for 276 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He did most of his damage in the second half when he completed 8-of-11 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns.

MVSU coach Willie Totten said he had no problems with Luke in the game.

"Coach (Jones) has to do what he has to do," Totten said. "He's got to get his guys ready to play."

- Reggie Benson

AAMU Bulldogs not running away from a problem

By REGGIE BENSON, Huntsville Times

A&M is 3-0 and ranked but stopping the run is a concern

Alabama A&M always has prided itself on stopping opposing teams from running the football. In 2000, the Bulldogs led the nation in rushing defense, allowing a paltry 30 yards per game, and they have led the Southwestern Athletic Conference in that category over the last several years in addition to being ranked nationally.

This season, however, defensive coordinator Brawnski Towns figured A&M would have some problems stopping the run. After all, the Bulldogs lost All-SWAC defensive tackle Kevin Lockhart, a four-year starter. Justin Harper, a starter last season, had surgery during preseason practice on his left thumb and hasn't returned to form yet.

Even so, Towns didn't expect the Bulldogs (3-0 overall, 1-0 SWAC, ranked 23rd by Sports Network FCS poll, 25th in the coaches poll) to have as many problems as they have had through the first three games.

Tennessee State, led by Javarris Williams' 123 yards on 20 carries, rushed for 206 yards against A&M, while Mississippi Valley State, led by Ronald Brewer's 146 yards on 21 carries, finished with 161 yards on the ground.

Through three games, A&M is allowing 121.7 yards rushing per game and has allowed two backs to top the 100-yard mark. Last season, the Bulldogs allowed 113.8 yards per game and allowed only four 100-yard rushers.

What's the problem? Here is Towns' assessment:

"We've got some young linemen in there that really don't understand our gap control principles," said Towns, whose unit includes previously seldom-used juniors Whitney Garrett and David Winston, sophomore Renaldo Askew and freshman Frank Kearse.

"Their job is to stay in their gaps with their outside arm free and make some plays. That didn't happen much against Tennessee State or Mississippi Valley and if we're going to be the kind of defensive football team we want to be, we've got to get that corrected."

As a result, when the Bulldogs begin preparations this afternoon for Saturday's SWAC showdown with Grambling, those fundamentals will be a major part of practice.

Grambling running back Frank Warren had more than 130 yards rushing in the season opener against Alcorn State. If A&M is to come away with a win, Towns and company will have to slow Warren down.

"We're going to work on that a lot this week to make sure we stay in our gaps," Towns said. "I was surprised Mississippi Valley State was able to run the ball on us like that. Our strong safeties and will linebackers missed some tackles that enabled them to get some more yards.

"We did a bad job of tackling and a few times we were lined up wrong. In fact, we were lined up wrong right before halftime and that allowed them to score."

While Towns appeared to be concerned with A&M's inability to stop the run in two of its first three games, coach Anthony Jones wasn't as stressed.

"People are opting to run the ball against us because when we get them in passing situations because we can get after the quarterback," Jones said.

"They're trying to run the ball to slow down our pass rush. Nobody has been able to beat us just running the football, so I'm really not concerned with where we are in terms of rushing defense because it's misleading."

SCSU Pough concerned with injured Bulldogs

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

RAMS vs. BULLDOGS
WHO: Winston-Salem State (2-1) at South Carolina State (1-2, 1-0)
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m.
WHERE: Oliver C. Dawson Stadium
RADIO: WQKI 93.5 FM in Orangeburg, ESPN 93.1 FM in Columbia

The foul sheet detailing the 10 penalties South Carolina State received during Saturday’s historic game at Williams-Brice Stadium was not the only two-page document getting head coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough’s attention.

SCSU’s injury list was just as long following the 38-3 loss to the University of South Carolina. Along with season-ending knee injuries suffered prior to the game to wide receiver Tron Jackson and linebacker David Erby, wide receiver Tre’ Young is expected to miss Saturday’s game against Winston-Salem State with a thigh contusion and quarterback Cleveland McCoy and running back Will Ford were among several of the Bulldogs’ "walking wounded" being treated Sunday for various bumps and bruises.

"Both Cleve and Will Ford both look like they went through an 18-round bout with (Muhammad) Ali and Ali was mad," said Pough at Monday’s press conference. "Both of those guys yesterday couldn’t hardly walk just from soreness."

Yet despite the toll taken from playing three straight road games, Pough said he would still open the season against two Football Bowl Subdivision games if given the opportunity again. If anything, he believes the experience will give the Bulldogs confidence going against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference teams.

"We’re beat up and bloodied, but I think we’re better off for the experience," he said. "I feel like we will continue to improve to match up to these football games. The only way we can get better is to compete with better. If we can get to the point where we get a little bit better understanding and get a little better feel, then I think that will be us getting better as a team also.

"We now know that we can compete with these kind of guys. We understand now that we can tackle, we can block them and at certain points, we can scheme with them. It gives us some confidence in the fact that if we are to really clean our mistakes up and refine some of the things that we do to the point where we execute better, we have a chance to be okay."

Compounding SCSU’s effort to get healthy is facing a Rams’ team which is coming off a 19-17 road victory over Morgan State. Although this contest does not count in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings (WSSU is in the second year of a transitional period to obtain full membership), the last thing Pough wants to dwell on during the ‘bye’ week is a loss.

"It would be awful," he said. "We would be back to where we were last year as far as record is concerned. The fact that we’ve beaten our only conference opponent (Bethune-Cookman) so far means a world of difference. We will at some point maybe try to get some of our guys healthy. We haven’t exactly figured out how we do that. I don’t know if we sacrifice say the Winston-Salem State game for the overall season with our injury situation as it is and I’m awfully, awfully concerned about that situation and whether we can get back to full speed by the Norfolk (State) game. We’ve got some thoughts to put together there to figure out how we handle this week."

Pough does plan to play more freshmen like offensive linemen Johnny Culbreath and Josh Harrison, mostly due to merit. The two showed they belonged this past Saturday against USC, according to Pough, and he’s looking forward to seeing their progress.

The Bulldogs will also get back place-kicker Stephen Grantham, wide receivers Terrance Smith and Phillip Morris and defensive lineman Patrick Brooks following their one-game suspension for team rules violations.

SCSU has won four of the five meetings with Winston-Salem State, including last year’s 35-6 win at Winston-Salem. This time around, Pough expects a more spirited effort from the Rams, coached by former SCSU assistant coach Kermit Blount.

"Winston’s got a good team and a large portion of what they’re about is that they hired (former SCSU running backs coach) Nick Calcutta...as their offensive coordinator and if you remember seeing Howard last year and what Howard put us through last year at ‘Homecoming’ which was a tough football game, that’s what you’ll see with Winston-Salem."

If there’s one lesson Pough said his team learned from the games against Air Force and USC is to be more consistent on offense. The Bulldogs are ranked near the both of the MEAC in points scored, although Pough said that has more to do with the competition level.

"Go check Norfolk’s stats and see where they’re at because they’ve played the same people we played," he said. "Go check some of the other (MEAC) teams and see who they played. I can throw the football against Savannah State. I’ve got a problem throwing the football against Air Force and South Carolina. We’ve had a problem protecting against those guys sometimes because of the fact they gave us some things that stressed us out some that we didn’t get in other instances. I think it’s more the people we’ve played. Our stats will come up as we get into our schedule."

No ‘Spy-gate’ around here

The recent controversy surrounding the New England Patriots violating NFL rules when it was caught videotaping the New York Jets’ sidelines has spurred talk about coaching ethics and cheating.

According to Pough, he does not see such practices as a major issue among MEAC teams as he relies mostly on scouting, knowing team tendences and watching game film.

"Most of the people that I play can’t afford enough cameras to film the sidelines and end zone shot, much less cameras to put on our coaches," he said. "There’s a little gamesmanship there. You kind of look at a guy, kind of see if you can tell, but that’s as far as we go. We don’t have the resources to do that like the NFL."

A&T Aggies expect full house for N.C. Central

By Rob Daniels, Greensboro News-Record

N.C. CENTRAL AT N.C. A&T
When: 6:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Aggie Stadium, Greensboro
Radio: WNAA-90.1
Records: N.C. Central 3-1; N.C. A&T 0-3
Tickets: Call 334-7749 or
$20 online at http://www.ncataggies.com

GREENSBORO -- Think of homecoming without the parade or the other ancillary events. An oxymoron? Sure. But that's the sort of crowd and stadium atmosphere N.C. A&T officials anticipate Saturday when the Aggies (0-3) will play host to N.C. Central (3-1) for the first time in 16 years.

The Aggie-Eagle Classic, which became its own contradiction in terms when the third-party organizers failed to deliver on financial guarantees, has died and been replaced by a conventional home-field arrangement. Central's first trip to Greensboro since 1991 is expected to produce a sellout, even though tickets remained available Monday afternoon, and A&T administrators say they're preparing accordingly.

Security, ticket-sales agents and other game-day personnel will be at homecoming levels for a rivalry that drew an announced crowd of 35,000 at N.C. State's Carter-Finley Stadium in 2005. Aggie Stadium seats 21,500.

"I've heard about the Aggie-Eagle Classic because my grandfather used to talk about it," said A&T defensive end Keith Holiday. "It brings a lot of pride and school spirit out. This is going to be fun."

The series will be played for the 79th time in a history that began in 1924 and has shifted from campus to neutral sites before. A fight in the 1950s compelled a move to Duke's Wallace Wade Stadium, where, in one memorable game, a man drove his car right onto the field and parked at the 50-yard line. At least he had the good sense to wait until the previous play had been whistled dead.

"He left the motor running," said Spencer Gwynn, A&T's radio play-by-play man of four decades. "And he was quickly apprehended by the gendarmes."

In its most recent reincarnation, the game was run by a tax-exempt outfit known as the Capital Area Sports Foundation, which guaranteed each school $150,000 for the 2005 matchup. In its tax return for that year, the foundation reported more than $160,000 in payouts to A&T, but the university said it has received less than $100,000 and doesn't expect to see anything more.

"We can probably kiss that money goodbye," athletics director Dee Todd said Monday.

A year ago, Lawrence Wray, the group's chief administrator, said the foundation had run out of money, but it reported remaining assets of $12,285 as of Dec. 31.

The arrangement clearly is better for A&T now that it has cut the middle man out of the equation. That should hold true for a two-year period, even though Central gets next year's gate receipts. If A&T sells only 10,000 general-admission tickets this year, it will take in $200,000 and won't have to wait for anybody else to cut a check.

"You go to the Aggie-Eagle and you're dealing with a third party," Todd said. "Here, the gate is ours."

The Eagles surely understand. Last week, the West Alabama said that its game with Central, scheduled for Oct. 6 in Birmingham, Ala., had been canceled because of a "breach in the game contract by the Varsity Sports Marketing Group, the game's promoter."

Traditionalists might mourn the further migration of Central-A&T from its roots as the Turkey Day Classic, but future schedules should ensure A&T of at least two home sellouts a year -- one for homecoming and the other from Central or Winston-Salem State, which will alternate appearances at Aggie Stadium.

"The reality is that you've got to look at the financial amounts," Gwynn said.

Jackson State Hull should play more vs. Valley

Photo: WR Jaymar Johnson catches pass in rain against Texas Southern.

THE JSU GAME
What: Jackson State at Mississippi Valley
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Radio: JSU Network (WOAD-1300 AM)

Running back Cody Hull made his Jackson State debut during Thursday's 28-7 win over Texas Southern after missing the first two games because of eligibility concerns.

The senior, who transferred from Southern Miss, rushed for 7 yards on four carries on the wet turf at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Hull, who earned his degree at USM and is taking graduate courses at JSU, sat out the first two games while the NCAA sorted out eligibility issues.

"We knew he was going to be eligible, it was just a matter of when the NCAA was going to clear him," Jackson State coach Rick Comegy said. "We're thrilled to have him and he gives us an added dimension in our running game."

JSU offensive coordinator James Woody said Hull would probably see an increased workload this weekend against Mississippi Valley State.

"We wanted to get him more carries against Texas Southern, but the field was in such bad shape we held him out," Woody said. "But he's going to help us a lot before this season's done."

JOHNSON HONORED

Jaymar Johnson was the SWAC's Specialist of the Week after gaining 117 yards on two returns. The highlight was a 75-yard punt return that gave the Tigers a 14-0 lead. DE Daniel Brooks and CB Domonique Johnson were honorable mention for Defensive Player of the Week.

INJURY REPORT

Backup linebacker Justin Baylor had his knee scoped on Monday and Comegy said he's likely out two to four weeks. ... If tight end Marcel Frost isn't able to play within the next few weeks, Comegy said he'll consider seeking a medical redshirt for the senior. Frost has missed the first three games while recovering from a broken leg suffered last spring.

- David Brandt, Clarion Ledger

MEAC week three football honors

Photo: FAMU #10, Tyrone McGriff smashes Howard University offense for two sacks, 11 tackles.

By MEAC Sports information

Senior runningback Chad Simpson of Morgan State University and Tyrone McGriff of Florida A&M University were selected as the MEAC Football Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, the league announced Monday.

Phillip Sylvester also of Florida A&M earned his second Rookie of the Week accolade, while teammates Dennis Conley and Kevin Teel of Hampton earned offensive lineman and special team’s player of the week honors respectively.

Simpson (RB, 5-9, 210, Sr., Miami, Fla.) ran for a career-best 221 yards on 41 carries including a 33 yard touchdown run as the Bears fell in the final seconds to Winston Salem State, 19-17. He also had 68 yards on three kickoff returns. Simpson is currently averaging 186.0 yards, third best among NCAA D-I (FCS) players, in three games and has rushed for five TDs.

McGriff (DE, 6-1, 217, Sr., Tallahassee, Fla.) led the Rattlers in tackles with 11, eight solo, in a 30-17 win over Howard. McGriff also recorded two sacks for a loss of 16 yards and four and a half tackles for a loss of 20 yards.

Sylvester (RB, 5-10, 185, Fr., Marianna, Fla.) was one-of-two players to post over 200 yards rushing in MEAC action this week. Sylvester rushed for 222 yards on 21 carries and tallied nine yards on two receptions. He also ran back two kickoffs for 41 yards. His longest run of 94 yards resulted in a touchdown, giving the Rattlers the 20-10 lead over Howard. The freshman, who also received Rookie of the Week honors in week one, accounted for 276 all-purpose yards in the win. Sylvester currently ranks 15th in rushing among NCAA D-I (FCS) players.

Photo: FAMU #30, Phillip Sylvester takes it 94 yards through Howard University defense for TD.

Conley (LG, 6-4, 257, r-So., Suffolk, Va.) graded out at 94-percent on assignments as he aided the Pirates to 438 total offensive yards in a win over N.C. A&T. Conley led the way for the Pirates’ 228 yards on the ground and 210 yards passing that resulted in three touchdowns for quarterback TJ Mitchell. He also collected two pancake blocks in the win.

Teel (WR, 5-9, 168, Jr., Bowie, MD) recorded a 70-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Pirates win. He amassed 95 total yards on returns and also notched 68 yards receiving with a touchdown.

Other Top Performers

Josh Brite (DSU) had eight punts for 321 yards (40.1 average) with one inside the 20 and one touchback for the Hornets.

Rafael Bush (SCSU) tallied nine tackles, with all but one unassisted, against the nationally ranked South Carolina Gamecocks.

Will Ford (SCSU) rushed for 112 yards on 17 carries against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Jerrell Guyton (MSU) collected a career-high 14 tackles (10 solo) and a sack in the Bears slim loss to the Winston-Salem State Rams.

Dakarai Grimsley (MSU) graded out a 98-percent on his assignments and collected five pancake blocks as he led the Bears to 366 total offensive yards against the Rams.

Justin Keable (BCU) punt for 191 yards on five attempts including a 48-yarder that pinned the Tigers deep in their own territory as Bethune-Cookman posted their second win of the season.

James Lee (SCSU) had two pancake blocks as he helped the Bulldogs to 196 yards rushing against intrastate rival South Carolina.

Van Morgan (HAM) rushed for 154 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns in the win over N.C. A&T State.

Russell Reeves (DSU) led all tackles with 14, eight solo, and one sack for a loss of three yards in the Hornets loss to Kent State. He also posted a forced fumble and one pass breakup for the Hornets defense.

Jimmie Russell (BCU) scored three rushing touchdowns with 65 yards on 12 carries in the Wildcats win over Savannah State. Russell also completed 10-of-15 passes for 112 yards in the victory.

Carlo Turavani (HAM) scored 11 points completing 8-of-8 extra point attempts and a 28-yard field goal as the Pirates defeated N.C. A&T 59-14.

Bobbie Williams (BCU) accounted for 10 tackles, five solo, and three pass breakups in the Wildcats 38-13 victory over Savannah State.

Defense sparks Southern University’s 3-0 start

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Tennessee State at Southern
WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: A.W. Mumford Stadium
TV: Tape-delay, 3:30 p.m. Sun., CST
RADIO: KQXL-FM, 106.5

Southern has allowed one second-half touchdown all season — with 16 seconds left in the opener as the Jaguars played more for time than score.

That’s not how this was supposed to happen.

The thinking going in was, Southern’s offseason attrition left the Jaguars thin and young and that combination would have them wearing down as games wore on.

Not so.

Southern (3-0, 2-0), which hosts Tennessee State (2-1) of the Ohio Valley Conference at 6 p.m. Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium, has gotten better throughout the games.

A big reason for the undefeated start is the way SU has played in the second half, outscoring the opposition 36-9.

Between substitution patterns and coaching adjustments, Southern’s defense has been stingy and dominating after halftime.

Mississippi Valley State got 9 yards in the entire second half. Prairie View changed quarterbacks, with its playmaker Chris Gibson ineffective, and couldn’t convert on fourth-and-3 at the SU 28-yard line. Florida A&M couldn’t convert a key fourth-and-1 at the SU 25 in the third quarter and threw two interceptions, one setting up the go-ahead score and the other in the Southern end zone.

“The thing that helps is, we do a game plan and we actually have adjustments in the gameplan,” said SU defensive coordinator Terrence Graves, who is also the defensive backs coach. “We practice it throughout the week, so it’s nothing they haven’t seen for the most part. Little, subtle adjustments.

“Those guys understand the little wrinkles, adjust to them and do a good job of executing.”

After getting burned for two long touchdowns in the second quarter of the season opener with FAMU, Southern has clamped down, allowing just two touchdowns (and a safety, charged to the punting unit) in the last 10 quarters.

“Those guys are doing a good job of really just executing the defense,” Graves said. “That’s a credit to them, because it means something to them.”

Southern had three interceptions, three sacks and two fourth-down stops in a 12-2 win over Prairie View on Saturday.

Gibson came in averaging 99.5 rushing yards per game. He had minus-17 and suffered his first two sacks of the season.

“They took away some of the things we wanted to do,” Prairie View coach Henry Frazier III said. “Coach Graves and his staff were on it. &hellip We’re going to look at where they were robbing us &hellip see how they took it away and we’ll correct it.”

Remember, though, that there is not a senior among Southern’s front seven (its linebackers and line).

“(First-year linebackers coach Todd) Middleton and (defensive line coach David) Geralds are doing a good job up front of making those guys aware of what to look for and what to respond to, making sure they’re in the right places and paying attention to detail,” Graves said. “They’re playing well together.”

At the core of this success, the team’s playmakers have made plays, as Southern head coach Pete Richardson has pointed out.

The secondary, headlined by the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s preseason defensive player of the year in free safety Jarmaul George and a three-year starter in cornerback Michael Williams (11 tackles), has lived up to expectations.

Strong safety Glenn Bell, the team’s top tackler last season, has 23 tackles, with that interception in the end zone and a fumble recovery in the end zone. &hellip George has 20 tackles and two interceptions.

Junior Johnathan Malveaux, the most veteran of linebackers, leads the team in tackles at 29.

The two veterans on the defensive line, end Vince Lands and tackle Joseph Selders, have produced.

Lands, this week’s SWAC Defensive Player of the Week, has 13 tackles, with 5.5 for losses, including 2.5 sacks, along with three pass breakups and two quarterback hurries. And Selders has 14 tackles.

Meanwhile, junior defensive tackle Dwayne Charles (13 tackles) continues to make the progression coaches expected.

And sophomore drop linebacker Gary Chapman (14 tackles) is showing he can be what he looked like he could be in preseason camp.

And the tag-team of Allan Baugh (11 tackles, one interception) and Brian Lewis (eight tackles, one sack) has worked at eagle linebacker.

“We’ve got some guys who are coming in and making plays, just doing a good job of understanding what to do and how to do it,” Graves said. “We emphasize playing fast and playing hard.”

Southern has totaled five interceptions, 14 pass breakups, six sacks and two fumble recoveries.

“We made big plays at the right time,” George said.

Scouting Report: SCSU Marching 101 Band

Based on the Marching 101 performance at the South Carolina vs South Carolina State University historic football game played before 73,095 fans, it appears that the 101 is the second best marching band in the MEAC. Sorry, Bethune Cookman, Norfolk State and North Carolina A&T--the Marching 101 has superior musicianship, showmanship and precision in marching--like its role model, the FAMU Marching 100.

This video was filmed by a unknown rookie videographer that was too excited.



Here is the SCSU Marching 101 practice video so you can break down their techniques as a teaching tool.

FAMU selects men head basketball coach

Thursday at 1:00 p.m., Florida A&M University will hold an official press conference to introduce its new men head basketball coach to replace Mike Gillespie. Unfortunately, the selection will come as no surprise to many that frequent the Tallahassee Democrat's FAMU forum or read ESPN.com, who publicly released an announcement on the selection yesterday, based on information from multiple sources.

As expected, the new coach selected is Florida State University graduate and Georgia State University assistant coach, Eugene Harris. Our only hope and wish is that Coach Harris is given the support necessary to build FAMU into a national mid-major power that will be a beast in the MEAC and southeast with frequent NCAA tournament appearances. With a 10,000 seat FAMU Teaching Gym under construction, this is not an impossible task for a coach with a reputation as an excellent recruiter and developer of Division I players.

No doubt the MEAC will become much stronger Thursday with this hire, as the league is showing a serious commitment to basketball. If the upgrade in talent continues to flow to Delaware State, Hampton University, Morgan State, South Carolina State, FAMU, Winston Salem State and other league members, the MEAC will become very exciting to watch. How can you not like the basketball coaching talent of the MEAC? Welcome, Coach Harris....

Bio: Coach Eugene Harris (photo on right)

ATLANTA (April 23, 2007) – Georgia State head men’s basketball coach Rod Barnes has announced Eugene Harris as his second hire for his new coaching staff.

Harris, a veteran of 23 years in college athletics in the southeast, brings more recruiting contacts and experience with his basketball knowledge.

“Eugene Harris is known as one of the best recruiters in the southeast,” Barnes noted. “We are excited to be able to add him to our staff at Georgia State because he is well thought of and respected. No doubt, he will be an asset in helping us take this program to a higher level.”

Harris began his college coaching with Cliff Ellis at South Alabama in 1983 and moved on to 10 years at Clemson University, 11 years at Auburn and one year at Alabama. He has also been a high school coach at Rickard High in Tallahassee, Fla., Pelham High in Pelham, Ga. and Smiths Station High in Smiths, Ala.

As a college player, Harris was a three-year starter for the Seminoles of Florida State under Coach Hugh Durham. The guard was a co-captain of the Florida State team that won the Metro Conference in 1978 and was the team’s most valuable defensive player winner for three seasons.
“It is obvious that Coach Harris has improved the programs every where he has been a coach,” Barnes added. “He brings invaluable experience and maturity to our program. I know he has recruited not only good college players, but players who have gone on to play extensively in the NBA.”

Harris is a graduate of Scottsboro, [Ala.] High School and of Florida State University in 1979.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to coach with Rod Barnes,” Harris said. “Coach Barnes has an outstanding reputation on and off the court. I look forward to helping improve this program.”
Harris and his wife, Phyllis, have three daughters.