Alabama A&M notebook

Photo: AAMU Cheerleaders

Huntsville Times

Big plays hard to come by for Bulldogs.

Alabama A&M's offense thrived off of big plays during its first three games, but those big plays didn't happen Saturday night against Grambling.

As a result, the Bulldogs struggled.

A&M managed only one big play - a 24-yard pass from quarterback Kelcy Luke to tight end John Smith right before halftime - that helped set up Jeremy Licea's 36-yard field goal that made it 17-6 at intermission.

But the Bulldogs failed to score again.

"We've been a big-play offense, but now we've got to go back and develop that mentality that teams aren't going to line up and let us beat them deep," A&M coach Anthony Jones said. "We've got to make plays and be consistent in making those plays. If we can't, we'll experience what we experienced (Saturday).

Of A&M's 12 possessions, nine of them ended with punts, including five three-and-outs.

The Bulldogs kicked two field goals and fumbled once.

Grambling best team A&M has played: Jones thought Grambling was better than any of A&M's first three opponents. After watching the Tigers up close and personal, he was right.

"That's the best football team we've played all year," he said. "They have a lot of talent. They're the fastest team and the most physical team we've played all year."

A&M will work this week: Jones suggested that the Bulldogs didn't work as hard as they should have in preparing for Grambling. As a result, he said they won't have time to relax this week with Texas Southern coming to town.

"We're coming to work this week," he said. "Those who want to work will work. Those who don't won't be out there. We're going to work this week.

"We're going to make sure we're ready for this football game. Our effort wasn't where it needed to be in some instances (Saturday night)."

Furthermore: A&M has scored on 13 of 14 possessions in the red zone. ... Licea's 37-yard field goal midway through the first half was his career long. ... A&M is 2-10 in its last 12 games against Grambling, including three losses in the SWAC championship game.

Reggie Benson

Jones has no answer for AAMU letdown

By REGGIE BENSON, Huntsville Times

Coach takes blame for blowout loss at hands of Grambling

Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones didn't offer any excuses. He didn't need to, because this one was pretty easy to figure out.

"We got outplayed and that's my fault," Jones said Sunday afternoon. "My team wasn't prepared."

Jones' comments were in reference to A&M's 31-6 drubbing at the hands of Grambling on Saturday night.

Grambling led 17-6 at intermission and A&M never threatened.

"When you play a good football team on the road, if you don't play your best, you're going to be embarrassed," Jones said. "We didn't play our best. They had something to do with it, but so did we."

How bad did A&M play? Check out these numbers:

Offensively, the Bulldogs failed to score a touchdown for the first time since a 44-0 loss to Grambling in 2005.

The Bulldogs finished with 147 yards of total offense - 30 rushing and 117 passing. A&M entered the game averaging 519 yards - 225 on the ground and 294 through the air.

A&M was 4-of-15 on third-down conversions and was whistled for seven penalties for 55 yards.

Defensively, the Bulldogs allowed 378 yards and 9-of-16 third-down conversions. A&M had allowed only 47 points through its first three games and 278 yards per game.

"We just didn't play well as a team," Jones said. "I would have liked to have seen us play this team giving our best effort, but I don't think that happened Saturday. If we were the same team I saw those first three weeks and we got beat ... I could accept that, but that wasn't the case.

"When you're the head coach and people play well, you get praised. When they don't play well, you take the blame. I'm taking the blame for this one."

Despite the loss, A&M's season is far from over.

The Bulldogs' hopes of winning the Eastern Division title and reaching the SWAC championship game are still intact.

"Am I pushing the panic button?" Jones asked. "No. We lost one game. It's the way we lost that's so disappointing. Can we bounce back? I think we can. I'm going to work my hardest to make sure we do."

A&M (3-1, 1-1) will try to do so Saturday when Texas Southern (0-4, 0-3) come to town for homecoming.

Kickoff is at 3 p.m. at Louis Crews Stadium.

The Tigers shocked the Bulldogs 17-7 on homecoming two years ago and A&M needed a late interception last year to come away with a hard-fought 19-14 victory.

"Texas Southern doesn't fear us," Jones said. "We've got to make sure we're ready for this team."

"We're going to be prepared - I guarantee you we're going to be prepared."

Ford helps SCSU Bulldogs roll to home win

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

For someone who earlier in the week was as beaten up as a Muhammad Ali sparring partner, Will Ford was more than ready for battle Saturday.

The South Carolina State running back looked in mid-season form against Winston-Salem State. For most of the contest, last year’s Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year was flying through holes for big yards and making Rams’ defenders grasp at his sore ankles.

Yet Ford’s 193 total yards, 164 coming on the ground, almost went to waste. As late as 3:11 remained in a contest which was far from decided and one in which the Bulldogs still faced the dire prospect of entering the "bye" week with a 1-3 record for the second straight year.

"We couldn’t walk out of Bulldog Stadium with a loss," Ford said. "So we were willing to work and do whatever we had to do to get into the endzone and get some of this pressure off the defense."

After having seen previous trips to the "Red Zone" result in a fumble in the endzone, an interception return of 87 yards which set up the Rams’ lone score and a blocked field goal, SCSU finally hit paydirt with a scoring drive. What started with a long run from Ford ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Travil Jamison with 1:07 remaining to give the Bulldogs a 20-7 victory.

The win and the "bye" could not come at a better time for Ford and several Bulldog players. In completing arguably the toughest four-game stretch to open a season in school history, two of the games against two Football Bowl Subdivision teams, the Bulldogs paid a price from a physical standpoint in the form of a long list of players either out of action or playing through various injuries or sicknesses.

Already having lost linebacker David Erby and wide receiver Tron Jackson (both ACLs) for the season and BANDIT Marshall McFadden (elbow) and offensive lineman Nygel Pearson (hand) not scheduled to return for another two weeks, SCSU had at least three players (quarterback Malcolm Long, wide receiver Terrance Smith, offensive lineman Devon Dawson) entering Saturday’s game suffering with the flu and running backs Ford, Jonathan Woods and defensive lineman Sterling Blunt dealing with some form of leg injury.

Quarterback Cleveland McCoy was also not at 100 percent, although like Ford, he finished with a season-high 204 passing yards and a TD. Nevertheless, Pough would have been tempted to give both players a week off ‘bye’ or no ‘bye’.

"I don’t know if we played next week if those guys continue to go like they’re going," he said. "I’ve got to give them some time off and give them a chance to heal up a little bit because man, they are beat up. And we put Jonathan Woods in situations that were unfair because he’s not well."

If there’s a silver lining for the Bulldogs is seeing how much of a productive impact some of the replacements have done. Jamison rushed for a career-best 82 yards and has seemingly pushed himself in position to possibly fill the "Thunder" role once occupied by DeShawn Baker.

"I think Travil Jamison is about ready to play now and he looks like he’s going to be a really good player for us," Pough said. "We get that big back kind of guy now that we had with Baker that we can use that can kind of use to kind of give us a change of pace. I’m hoping that’s something that we can develop in a way that can try to get ourselves together."

Redshirt freshmen offensive linemen Josh Harrison and Johnny Culbreath also saw extended playing time and the defense has received a boost from redshirt freshmen Sam Chester and Jayson Ayers.

"I look at our defensive depth chart and I know people don’t want to hear this, but we’re going to be pretty good next year," Pough said.

For now, the focus is this year and for the next seven days, it will be all about rest and recuperating for the Bulldogs. Pough admitted he didn’t count upon having to deal with the litany of health issues from the difficult schedule, but now that the "bye" week is here, he’s taking whatever measures necessary to get his team close to full strength for the resumption of play Oct. 6 at Norfolk State.

"I might tell (Ford) don’t even show up for the next week," Pough said. "Just go the (heck) away and don’t even come down there. Just come down to get treatment and stay out of the way."

Rough homecoming

Saturday’s loss dropped Winston-Salem State head coach Kermit Blount to 1-3 against the school where he served as an offensive coordinator under Willie Jeffries from 1989-93. His lone win came in 2000 over his former mentor.

"It’s always good to come back to where you’ve already been," Blount said. "But, we’d like to play a little better when we come back. I can guarantee you, the next time they come to us or when come to them, it will be a better ballgame."

Saturday also marked the return of WSSU offensive coordinator Nick Calcutta, who also served under Jeffries like his brother, David, a former running backs coach.

Grambling had no trouble with SWAC champ's offensive firepower

Photo: Grambling Coach Rod Broadway

By Nick Deriso, The NewsStar

GRAMBLING — That fumblerooskie trick play provided the sizzle in Grambling's big win over Alabama A&M. But its rapidly improving defense served the steak, manhandling the previously unbeaten Bulldogs.
A&M arrived at Robinson Stadium ranked in the Top 25 and putting up scary numbers — including more than 500 yards of total offense and an average of 45 points over its first three games.

Not this time, as GSU topped the reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference champion 31-6.

Grambling, in fact, held A&M to 147 yards of total offense, seven first downs and just two first-half field goals.

First-year Grambling defensive coordinator Cliff Yoshida said the focus of the defense was corralling Kelcy Luke.

"We wanted to contain the quarterback so he couldn't get on the edge," said Yoshida, who has already taken a cellar-dwelling unit to No. 3 in total defense. "We kept him boxed up, and stayed with him. This was a great win for us."

Luke, who had been averaging 314 yards of total offense per game, was held to 109 — including minus-8 rushing. A&M rusher Ulysses Banks, a brilliant converted returner, was held to just 37 yards after putting up more than 100 yards on each of his previous opponents.

"That's the first thing we want to do, stop the run," said Grambling coach Rod Broadway. "Then, we had to keep (Luke) in the pocket. The guys did it this week. They played the way they practiced."

In the end, Bulldogs were left with a paltry average of 2.3 yards per play.

Brandon's big day: Grambling quarterback Brandon Landers, taking open underneath passes against a furious blitz, posted a career-best 69 percent completion rate against Alabama A&M.

He patiently executed the bubble screen with consistency, in keeping with the coaches' message all week.

"Take the little things," Broadway kept saying. "Take what they give you, and stop trying to make every play. Brandon doesn't have to try to win every game for us."

Landers' previous career best for completions was 64 percent against Prairie View a year ago, but he split time with backup Larry Kerlegan that night and only attempted 19 passes. He had also posted 60 percent completion rates against Southern in 2004 and '06.

Those numbers pale with what Landers accomplished this week.

"The coaches have stressed that I shouldn't press, to let the game come to me," said Landers, a product of Carroll High in Monroe. "I promised them I would do that. They had us well prepared for what the offense gave us."

Landers' overall completion numbers for the year now sit at 56 percent, with an efficiency rating of 125. Landers completed 53 percent of his passes in this year's opener against Alcorn, and then 48 percent at non-conference foe Pittsburgh.

Landers hadn't yet beaten A&M but both stumbles came at Huntsville, where he lost in 2004 and '06. Grambling has now outscored A&M 75-6 in its last two meetings at "The Rob," dating back to 2005.

No foul, no harm: A Grambling team that has consistently finished atop the conference in penalties lately drew only a single flag on Saturday against A&M.

Only one SWAC school had more penalty yards than Grambling in 2006, which posted a 78-yard average. None had more flags thrown a year ago.

That was actually an improvement over 2005, however, when Grambling drew a league-worst number of flags, giving up more than 1,200 penalty yards — or about 105 per game.

GSU was again ninth in the 10-team league in 2004, averaging 71 yards in flags.

Tennessee State turnovers may force change

By MIKE ORGAN, the Tennessean

Heffner remains starter for now

Even after Antonio Heffner turned the ball over four times against Southern on Saturday night, Tennessee State Coach James Webster said he's not changing quarterbacks.

But he's not ruling out the possibility either.

If Heffner, a second-year starter, continues to be so generous with the football, he could end up on the bench.

All of Heffner's turnovers came in the second half and were big factors in Southern's 41-34 come-from-behind win over the TSU.

"When you have turnovers on your team there are two things you can do as a coach," Webster said. "You keep working on what's causing the turnovers, and then if you continue to turn the ball over you have to limit the opportunities of the individual who is turning the ball over."

Running back Javarris Williams also fumbled the ball away in the third quarter, as TSU had five turnovers in the second half after committing none in the first.

TDs and turnovers

The dilemma for Webster is that it was Heffner who helped TSU build a 27-6 first-half lead. He ran for a touchdown and passed for two others.

In the second half, however, Heffner threw two interceptions and fumbled twice. His first fumble led to a Southern TD and his second came on TSU's final possession of the game with 1:45 remaining.

On the season, Heffner has thrown seven interceptions and six touchdowns. With the two fumbles Saturday, he's been responsible for a total of nine turnovers in four games.

Webster said he was not ready to give freshman backup Calvin McNairl more time with the first team in practice.

"Heff is our starter and I still have all the confidence in the world in Heffner," Webster said. "He's just got to make better decisions with the football."

Webster has said since the preseason that Heffner pushes himself too far at times when trying to make something happen on the field. And too often, that ends up in a bungled play.

"I felt like (Saturday) he reverted back to thinking, 'I've got to make a play," Webster said. "He was pushing a little bit. He doesn't have to make a play — all he needs to do is manage the game."

Hall still out: Starting cornerback Marquez Hall, a transfer from Vanderbilt who suffered a high ankle sprain Sept. 8 against Jackson State, was still not able to play Saturday.

Starting safety Anthony Levine, who missed last week's game against Austin Peay with strep throat, returned and made five tackles.

Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands

Landry continues touchdown streak

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Slide Show of SU vs. TSU: http://www.2theadvocate.com/multimedia/9946676.html

Southern wide receiver Gerard Landry didn’t miss a step after having to sit out the first half.

And neither did his teammates.

Suspended by NCAA rules after being ejected for throwing a swing in the fourth quarter a week earlier, Landry came on to make a 6-yard touchdown in the third quarter to give him a touchdown catch in all four games this season as SU beat Tennessee State 41-34 Saturday night at A.W. Mumford Stadium.

Plus, RaShon Jacobs, a Louisiana-Monroe transfer who sat out last season and started in place of Landry, caught his first touchdown as a Jaguar and Del Roberts, a former North Carolina transfer, had a career-high 110 yards and his first score this season, a go-ahead 48-yard TD five minutes into the fourth quarter.

“I was very anxious to get in after I sat out the first half,” said Landry, who motioned to the crowd as he took the field in the second half. “It was good to see guys like Jacobs stepping up and making plays for us. That was a big for us.”

Jacobs’ 13-yard touchdown, on a third-and-11, came on a slant route against Tennessee State cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, whom his position coach called a first-round draft pick earlier in the week. It was Jacobs’ first collegiate score since Oct. 4, 2003.

Later, on Landry’s first catch, he went for 21 yards and a first down — converting a third-and-7 — as Rodgers-Cromartie leaped with two hands unto Landry’s back, only to have Landry shrug him off and keep chugging.

“We wanted to execute every play, take advantage of him,” Landry said. “We weren’t going to stop throwing to his side just because he’s supposed to be a first-round draft pick. It didn’t make any difference. We were going to attack him, no matter what.”

Landry’s TD catch got the Jaguars within 27-25 with 5:42 left in the third quarter.
“When I got in there, I just made something happen,” said Landry, who has caught one TD pass in six of SU’s last seven games.

Jacobs had three catches for 40 yards, all in the first half. Landry finished with the two catches for 27 yards.

Roberts had four catches for 41 yards in the first half and six catches total.

On Roberts’ touchdown, he was pushed out of bounds by cornerback Ozzie Harrell, on what was ruled pass interference, along the right sideline but adjusted to get back to the ball and then weave through the defense to give SU a 38-34 lead with 10:16 to play.

“I knew it was going to be pass interference, so I just kept going,” Roberts said.

Quick hits
SU came up with seven sacks Saturday after totaling six in the previous three games. &hellip SU turned three of Tennessee State’s five second-half turnovers into 16 points. &hellip SU has won five consecutive games, dating to the Bayou Classic. &hellip Southern’s 41 points was its best total since a 44-20 win over Texas Southern in 2005. The Jaguars had gone 16 games without breaking 40 points.

Lagniappe
When Southern plays Tennessee State next season, the teams will play in the John Merritt Classic in Nashville, Tenn., at LP Field (home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans) on Sept. 6, 2008. That will be the second game of the season. SU opens at the University of Houston on Aug. 30. SU had its first sustained first-quarter scoring drive of the season, going 65 yards in nine plays for a TD. Previously, SU’s only first-quarter score came when RB Darren Coates broke a 90-yard TD run on the offense’s first play of the season. TSU stayed in New Orleans on Friday night. TSU CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie’s PAT block with 10:16 left gave him his third straight game with a blocked kick (one field goal and two PATs).

Southern University Jaguars Human Jukebox Marching Band

SU coaching staff making right adjustments

Photo: Coach Pete Richardson signal in play against FAMU.

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Southern has dominated opponents in the second half. So credit the coaching staff, offense to defense, with making all the right adjustments.

Also credit the coaches with keeping this team together — from the preseason when the attrition of more than a dozen players sapped this team of a lot of promise and in two games this season when the Jaguars came back after falling behind.

Saturday night, SU overcame a 21-point deficit deep in the second quarter to beat Tennessee State 41-34 at A.W. Mumford Stadium.

The Jaguars (4-0) outscored the Tigers 35-7 in the final 36 minutes after falling behind 27-6 with 6:36 until halftime.

“The coaches (kept us together),” said Southern quarterback Bryant Lee, who threw for career highs of 305 yards and four touchdowns. “They told us to go out there and just execute, basically.”

“First of all, the coaches got involved,” SU free safety Jarmaul George, who had his third interception of the season.

In the season opener, SU trailed Florida A&M 20-12 at halftime after, like Saturday, giving up big plays on defense.

“I told them at halftime we were going to win this football game, so we might as well get ready to go out here and make it happen. And that’s what we did,” Southern defensive coordinator Terrence Graves said.

Though Tennessee State and FAMU are the only teams to score second-half touchdowns against Southern, getting one each, the Jaguars have shown they can put some serious clamps on teams.

“We knew we made some mistakes, but we had to go get on our horses, go and make plays,” SU drop linebacker Gary Chapman, who had a career- and game-high 11 tackles, including one sack. “We have a lot of talent on this team; we just had to go and get it. We all knew what we had to do.”

Saturday was the more impressive comeback.
TSU quarterback Antonio Heffner (who was all-conference like FAMU’s Albert Chester II) has a strong arm and swift feet. He impressed with big plays throughout the first half and finished with 316 yards on just 13 completions (24.3 yards per catch).

However, the Jaguars forced five second-half turnovers — four by Heffner (two interceptions, two fumbles). SU also totaled a season-best seven sacks. And tailback Javarris Williams, who had 107 yards through three quarter, got nothing in the fourth quarter.

“It’s a 60-minute game,” Southern head coach Pete Richardson said. “We started to work our way back and made plays.

“They weren’t stopping us offensively. We just had to make some stops on defense.”

One Southern attribute that was obvious in preseason camp has surfaced many times this season as the Jaguars corral mobile quarterbacks — Southern has speed across the board on defense. And, yes, the coaches have done well in using that speed as an asset and not allowing the lack of size or depth to be a detriment.

“He got a little tired, too,” Richardson said of Heffner. “We got more footspeed on the field, especially at the linebacker spot.”

Do more of this
Taking over in the second half has been the trademark of this Southern team — the offense finding a groove and the defense going to shut-down mode. Southern has outscored its four foes 58-16 after halftime.

Only once has an opponent scored in the second half, Tennessee State’s 38-yard pass play from Antonio Heffner to Ronald Evans for a 34-32 lead with 1:48 left in the third quarter, to pull ahead of the Jaguars. That lead lasted 5 1/2 minutes. SU won the fourth quarter 9-0 and forced three turnovers.

More than just being undefeated, the Jaguars are developing a confidence that they own the second half.

Work more on this
Southern did not convert after four touchdowns — one PAT missed, one PAT blocked and two incomplete two-point conversions — and had a 38-yard field goal try blocked. That’s seven to nine potential points blown. Plus, the blocked field goal would have iced the game. Instead, Tennessee State got the ball back at its own 21-yard line, down seven points, with 1:49 to play.

Freshman kicker Josh Duran is 7-for-12 on PATs and 2-for-4 on field goals this season. The Jaguars are also 0-for-4 on two-point conversion passes.

Up next
Southern (4-0, 2-0 SWAC) plays Alabama State (4-0, 3-0) in a showdown of the conference’s only unbeaten teams, in the Gulf Coast Classic at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. Both teams lead their respective divisions. Alabama State was picked to finish last in the Eastern Division and is under first-year coach Reggie Barlow. The Hornets benched returning quarterback Alex Engram in their season opener and turned to junior-college transfer Chris Mitchell, who has led them to fourth-quarter wins in all four games. The teams met in the 2003 and ’04 SWAC Championship Games. Southern won 20-9 in ’03, while Alabama State won 40-35 in ‘04. Both teams went 5-6 last season, meaning one team will tie its win total from last year with the victory. Both teams have been strong in the second half. ASU has outscored foes 46-23 in the fourth quarter.

Southern University Jaguars Human Jukebox Marching Band

Pearlman adds nothing new to debate of UD vs. DSU

By JASON LEVINE, The News Journal

One day before Delaware State University made national headlines in the wake of an on-campus shooting early Friday, the historically black college made national news of a different sort.

I guess "news" is a relative term.

Jeff Pearlman, a University of Delaware graduate and former Sports Illustrated writer, penned a piece on ESPN.com about the fact that his alma mater has never played DSU in football.

Pearlman called UD officials racist. He has some experience covering the subject. Remember John Rocker? It was Pearlman's article that made Rocker what he is today.

Anyway, Pearlman didn't tell us anything we didn't already know, though his charge of racism is nothing more than a very logical hypothesis.

We in The News Journal sports department have made our views abundantly clear over the past several years. This game should be played.

For those of you new to the debate, here are the basics: DSU officials, for their part, have stated publicly that they would welcome a game against UD. UD officials, as they do in today's story by Kevin Tresolini, say the game will happen, they just don't know when.

Over the past few years, UD has had ample opportunity to schedule the game. The Blue Hens have filled holes in their schedule with teams like Albany. A few years back, they even plugged a hole with a nonconference game against fellow conference power New Hampshire. And, yes, they continue to maintain the "tradition" of playing Division II West Chester every single season.

Four years ago, our research revealed that Delaware was (and remains) the only state with two or more Division I football teams and those teams have not played each other in at least one game.

Pearlman was not the first person to call UD racist. Won't be the last, either. We in the sports department have speculated for years about who doesn't want the bigger, richer, whiter upstate school playing the smaller, poorer, blacker downstate school.

The question is whether putting this story on a national stage will make a difference or, more to the point, make a game.

What kind of game would it be? You know the Hornets would circle it on their schedule ahead of almost any Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference matchup. And UD? The Hens would be favored, at least for the first few years.

But then DSU would get stronger from playing a perennial I-AA power every year. And then, sometime down the road, they'd beat UD and celebrate all weekend in Dover.

Meanwhile, in Newark, the Hens staff and players would go back to work, just as after any other game, win or lose. And in the back of their minds, they'd think about the next time they face that school. Not that smaller, poorer, blacker school. The school that plays Division I college football in Delaware, just like them.

University of Delaware's refusal to play Delaware State University goes national

By KEVIN TRESOLINI, The News Journal

NEWARK -- The University of Delaware and Delaware State University have never played a football game against each other, despite being located less than an hour's drive apart and sharing the same NCAA Division I-AA classification.

Delaware, the more established and successful of the two programs, has been the unwilling partner, steadfastly refusing to even discuss setting a date for a game many fans from both schools have long craved.

That has led to frequent charges that UD's constant snubbing is a vestige of the schools' racial histories. Delaware had a segregated school system until the 1950s. Delaware State was created in the late 19th Century as a college for black students, who still make up almost 80 percent of its enrollment.

But the often-heated debate, which had largely been confined to the state of Delaware and fans and alumni of the two schools, spilled into the national media last week.

Jeff Pearlman, a University of Delaware graduate, wrote a scathing column on ESPN.com, the country's most widely viewed sports Web site. It was headlined "Is race the reason Delaware won't play Delaware State?"

Pearlman, as many others have, concluded it must be a factor, since UD has given no sound reason for its ongoing snub of DSU. He wrote the column as an open letter to a prospective UD football recruit, urging him to "Say no to the Blue Hens."

Pearlman wrote: "The University of Delaware's persistent refusal to face Delaware State University in football is cowardly, pig-headed, self-righteous and, worst of all, oozing with racism."

The story quickly became the talk of the town after being posted Thursday. On Friday, a printout of it sat on the check-in table at the Blue Hen Touchdown Club's weekly luncheon at the Newark Country Club, where all of the more than 50 who attended were white and most were more than 50 years old.

Still, some believed Pearlman had made some valid points, though they wished he hadn't worded it so strongly. Gene Trivits also has wondered why the state's two I-AA schools haven't met yet and hates the black eye it gives UD's reputation.

"How long are we going to keep taking this hit?" said Trivits, 75, who received bachelor's and master's degrees from UD. "I've said that to Edgar [Johnson, UD's athletic director], and we're friends. The easiest way is to just schedule the game. I don't understand why we don't -- it would be so convenient -- and then we go out and play Albany and Monmouth. And I don't like West Chester being here, either."

Albany, which Delaware played in 2006 and will play again in 2008, and next Saturday's opponent Monmouth are limited-scholarship I-AA programs from the Northeast Conference, which does not warrant automatic inclusion in the NCAA playoffs. Delaware State is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, which does qualify its champion for the NCAA tourney, as does Delaware's Colonial Athletic Association.

West Chester is a Division II school located 45 minutes away that Delaware has scheduled annually since 1968, always at Delaware Stadium, and beaten 36 of 39 times.

Some UD fans, however, believe Delaware State, which has never made the I-AA playoffs, hasn't earned the right to play Delaware, a perennial playoff contender and frequent qualifier that has won six national championships.

"Four or five years ago, I would have said, 'No way,' " said UD graduate Tom Runnels. "I just don't think Delaware State has played the competitive level of football Delaware has. They have gotten a lot better, so a couple years down the road, maybe ..."

Runnels added, however, that the schools' geographic proximity "cannot be denied" in reasoning why they should play and agreed that "the division clearly has racial roots."

A guest speaker at Friday's touchdown club luncheon was Nate Beasley, who has a unique perspective on the issue, having played football for both schools.

The Dover Air Force Base High graduate played a year at Delaware State, then transferred to Delaware and played three more. He became one of the Blue Hens' all-time leading rushers from 1973 to '75.

"A football game between Delaware and Delaware State would be such a wonderful thing for the state," said Beasley, who is black. "It just doesn't seem to make any sense that it hasn't happened. It makes you wonder."

Including, he added, for lack of any other valid explanations, where racial histories might fit in.

Pearlman's column had generated about 600 comments as of Saturday.

Johnson, as has been his policy, would not publicly discuss the issue or the ESPN.com piece, other than to deliver what has been his standard line for almost 20 years:

"The game will happen," Johnson said.

He wouldn't say when. Delaware recently scheduled three games with South Dakota State -- one there and two in Newark -- in the next decade, when West Chester also is on the schedule.

"My position, as an alum, is that the mere implication that race has anything to do with it is further proof that they just need to schedule the game," said Paul Zoppi, a 1990 UD graduate. "By avoiding Delaware State, Delaware has turned this into something much bigger than it should be, and I'm embarrassed."

New UD president Patrick Harker, in an e-mail response Saturday, said he is giving the topic close scrutiny.

Harker, who took office this summer, has spoken about the issue with athletic department personnel as he familiarizes himself with UD.

Delaware State needs no arm-twisting, new athletic director Rick Costello said.

"We want to play anywhere, any time," Costello said. "It'll be great for the kids, great for school sprit, great for the state. I see nothing but positives. ... It's mind-boggling that it has happened yet."

Featured Gallery: Alabama State University vs. Alcorn State University 9/22/07

Battle of the Bands: Tennessee State, Southern University, North Carolina A&T & North Carolina Central 9/22/07

Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands

Southern University Human Jukebox Marching Band


North Carolina A&T State University Blue & Gold Marching Machine


North Carolina Central University Marching Maroon and White Band

Miners cruise to victory over Texas Southern

Photo: UTEP running back Marcus Thomas (8) rumbled down the sideline Saturday after making Texas Southern defenders miss at the Sun Bowl.

By Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times

What, if anything, should be made of the UTEP football team's 52-12 demolition of overmatched Texas Southern Saturday is a valid question.

Then again, that's not a question the Miners really have to answer.

After two consecutive losses, what mattered to UTEP was that it put on a commanding performance against a team it was a whole bunch better than.


The defense dominated from the first snap, the offense finally produced a 100-yard rusher while moving the ball at will, and third-string quarterback Kyle Wright was sent in to mop up with four minutes still remaining in the second quarter.

The lead was 38-0 by then, giving a banged up Miner team a chance to rest its best players for the Conference USA opener against SMU next week.

They head into that game with a level 2-2 mark and in a good frame of mind following a night when they were as businesslike as the situation called for. The Miners made the layup.

If there were any doubts about how seriously UTEP would take a game against a winless 1-AA foe, they were put to rest quickly in a perfect first few minutes.

Jose Martinez sent the opening kickoff out of the end zone, the defense held Texas Southern without a yard on three plays, Quintin Demps nearly broke the punt return, and Marcus Thomas needed just three carries to take care of the 39 yards the Miners were left with.

Thomas' 11th and final carry of the night was a 27-yard touchdown run that pushed him to 105 yards for the night, snapping a 16-game streak without a 100-yard rusher.

UTEP was actually held to a field goal on its second possession, then Trevor Vittatoe hit Brandon Moturi for a 25-yard touchdown and a 17-0 lead at the 1:12 mark of the first quarter.

Nuuese Punimata returned an interception to the 7-yard line on the next Texas Southern series, and Lorne Sam carried the ball in a play later for a 24-0 lead on the final play of the first quarter.

At that point, Texas Southern had just two first downs, and one of those was on a late hit penalty.

The Tigers did start to do a few things as UTEP reserves trickled into the game in the second quarter, though the starters hung around long enough to tack two more touchdowns on the board.

In that span, Demps picked off the 14th pass of his career to move into a tie for first among active Division 1-A players, Moturi caught a second touchdown pass for his first multi-touchdown game of his career and Thomas reached his 100-yard milestone.

Texas Southern University Tigers--Ocean of Soul Marching Band

By halftime, about the only thing left for UTEP to play for was the shutout, but Texas Southern quickly dashed that with a 21-yard strike from Tino Edgecomb to William Osborne on its first possession of the third quarter.

In fact, the Tigers were able to play the second half on even terms against the Miner deep reserves, but on this night, that mattered little.

Photo: UTEP fans braved the rain to cheer on their Miners Saturday agaisnt Texas Southern at the Sun Bowl.

Notebook: Tigers' improving O-line clears way for 473 yards

By David Brandt, Clarion Ledger

ITTA BENA - It's been less than a month ago that Jackson State's offensive line was trashed after getting manhandled by Division II Delta State in a 27-15 loss.

But quietly, the Tigers' big boys up front have turned in three good games in a row. On Saturday, they allowed no sacks on quarterback Jimmy Oliver and cleared some decent room for the running game.

JSU racked up 473 total yards as 12 offensive linemen played against the Delta Devils. Offensive coordinator James Woody said he made it a point to keep the line fresh in the muggy weather.

"The offensive line took a lot of criticism (early in the year), so we shuffled a lot today and they all did a good job," Woody said. "Sometimes, people don't see that in the stands."

"We got off to a rough start, but we made some adjustments," center Lorenzo Breland said. "I was proud of our guys because we voluntarily watched some film on our off day this week and I think that helped us get better."

SACK ATTACK

Jackson State's defense was once again stout, giving up 253 total yards.

Though MVSU scored 16 points, seven of those weren't the fault of the defense. MVSU's Marc Moody picked up a fumble and ran 25 yards for a touchdown against the JSU offense.

JSU put never-ending pressure on MVSU's Paul Roberts, who was sacked four times and flushed from the pocket on several other occasions.

The only black mark was MVSU running back Ronald Brewer, who rushed for 146 yards.

"We missed a lot of tackles," JSU defensive end Daniel Brooks said. "But we made some good plays, too. We've just got to keep improving."

GREAT RETURNS

Jackson State speedster Lavarius Giles had his second monster play in four games, starting the second half with a 66-yard kickoff return to give the Tigers excellent field position.

Five plays later, Cody Hull rushed for 3-yard touchdown and Jackson State had a 27-13 lead.

Jaymar Johnson also got in on the special teams fun, returning a punt 42 yards in the fourth quarter.

EXTRA POINTS

Jackson State kicker Eric Perri turned in a very good game, going 3-for-3 on field goals and 5-for-5 on extra points. ...

Jackson State's 50 points on Saturday night were the most the team has scored in a game since 2001. Amazingly, JSU lost that game 61-58 to Alabama State. The last time JSU scored more than 50 points in a win was in 2001 during a 66-36 victory over Mississippi Valley. ...

MVSU tight end Abner Brown caught five passes for 42 yards to lead the team.

Freshman RB Brewer bright spot for MVSU with 148-yard game

Photo:Valley quarterback Paul Roberts hands off to Ronald Brewer in the first half.

By Rusty Hampton, Clarion Ledger

ITTA BENA — Mississippi Valley State lost the football game by a wide margin Saturday, but in the process the Delta Devils took another step in developing a potential star at running back.

Ronald Brewer, a freshman from Germantown, Tenn., led all rushers during Jackson State's 50-16 victory with 148 yards on 28 carries.

Brewer scored on a 4-yard run to give the Delta Devils a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter. By halftime, he had 71 yards on 11 carries. His longest run covered 23 yards and he ripped off several others of 10 or more yards.

Afterwards, coach Willie Totten questioned the play of his quarterbacks - "Right now, I don't know where our quarterbacks' heads are," he said - but he had no questions about the running game.

Brewer improved his season rushing average to 85 yards per game.

"We know that Ronald can run the football," Totten said. "He's a very unselfish kid. The thing is, he trains like that in practice, and if we can get a few more guys to train like that in practice we'll be better."

Brewer's 148 yards were more than half of MVSU's total net offense.

"But my production wasn't enough," he said. "We've got to start getting better every week."

JSU had four sacks and chased MVSU starting quarterback Paul Roberts all over the field. Totten tried two others in the second half. Overall, MVSU threw for just 99 yards.

"I can't make the system any simpler," said Totten, a college Hall of Fame quarterback in the 1980s for Valley. "But right now, we're making a lot of mistakes. A lot of bad reads, and then they're getting down on themselves too quick."

Photo: Ronald Brewer scores a Delta Devils touchdown past JSU's Marsellus Speaks.

JSU Football: Tigers' run now 13

Photo: Jackson State wide receiver Jaymar Johnson is surrounded by the Mississippi Valley State defense after making one of his two catches that produced 32 yards.

By David Brandt, Clarion Ledger

Comegy: JSU 'starting to put it back together'

ITTA BENA — By midway through the fourth quarter, Jackson State's players were exchanging chest bumps and laughing while re-enacting their numerous touchdown drives.

Third-string quarterback Joseph Hawkins was warming up on the sidelines as the JSU crowd danced in the stands to the Sonic Boom's tunes.

It's been the same scene for 13 straight years - Jackson State celebrating at the expense of Mississippi Valley State. This time it wasn't even close, especially in the second half, as the Tigers ripped off a 50-16 victory in front of an announced crowd of 11,700 at Rice-Totten Stadium.

Saturday's victory signified a huge momentum swing for the Jackson State program. Two weeks ago, the Tigers were 0-2 and appeared lost on offense. But with two straight victories, JSU coach Rick Comegy said he's beginning to see his team develop into the powerhouse he imagined when he took over the program less than two years ago.

"I was hoping to build a team that could score a lot of points and keep the other (team) off the board," Comegy said. "And that's starting to come around now. We're still in the early stages...but we're starting to put it back together and Jackson State football is starting to develop."

A seesaw first half ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by JSU quarterback Jimmy Oliver, giving the Tigers a 20-13 lead. But in the second half, Jackson State (2-2 overall, 2-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) unleashed a furious wave of offense that dominated the Delta Devils 30-3 in the second half.

Oliver was 15-of-23 passing for 262 yards and a touchdown. JSU's running backs combined to rush for 169 yards and 10 different JSU receivers had a reception.

"A few hours before the game, the coaches came up to me and said this was the night when we were going to open up the offense and hold nothing back," Oliver said. "That got me excited right there. Then all my receivers started making catches and we were moving that football like we used to do."

Photo: Jimmy Oliver directs traffic.

Though Jackson State hasn't lost to MVSU (1-3 overall, 1-3 SWAC) since 1995, many of the games have come down to the final couple minutes. That wasn't the case on Saturday, and a dejected Delta Devils' coach Willie Totten questioned his players.

"We've got to find some guys that can adjust to adversity," Totten said. "We had a few bad plays and the offense shut down. ... We didn't play good football. We haven't played good football in three weeks."

Jackson State outgained MVSU 473 yards to 253. The two game-breaking touchdowns came early in the third quarter, when JSU stretched a 20-13 halftime advantage to a 34-13 blowout in barely more than seven minutes.

The Delta Devils had little answer for Oliver, who carved up the MVSU defense. The Tigers also had a breakout game from running back Cody Hull, who rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.

"We made a few (plays), but we gave up a thousand plays," MVSU defensive end Ronald Green said.

MVSU got another great game from freshman running back Ronald Brewer, who rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. He rushed for 148 yards against last week against Alabama A&M.

But it wasn't enough to offset an anemic passing game. Sophomore quarterback Paul Roberts completed 9-of-17 passes for 73 yards before being replaced in the fourth quarter.

The Jackson State defense put constant pressure on Roberts, sacking him four times. Sophomore safety Malcolm Palmer continued his impressive first season as a starter with 12 tackles, a forced fumble and half a sack.

"That first half we gave up some big plays, but later we tightened up," said senior Willie Williams, who had an interception in the third quarter. "It's great to see us really finish a game off. I'm proud of this group tonight."

UAPB Forte comes off loud and clear

By Mike Marzelli, Pine Bluff Commercial

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Mo Forte lit into his Arkansas-Pine Bluff football team in the locker room following its embarrassing 58-3 loss to Southern Illinois, his voice booming through the locker room doors in the bowels of McArthur Stadium.

The message was loud and clear to the Golden Lions: Their performance Saturday was unacceptable.

"I think they understand where I'm coming from and if they didn't, that's a problem," Forte said. "We played a terrible football game and we need to take responsibility for all the things we did wrong and correct them because that type of game is not indicative of our program."

Forte didn't speak long, delivering his fiery speech in under five minutes, as he made sure the Lions know that there is still a tough road ahead of them.

"We come right back and have an opportunity to go out and play a mid-level Division I football team in New Mexico State that has a good program going," he said. "We need to turn things around in a hurry to be ready for that and I wanted to make sure the guys kept sight of that because there is no way we can play like we did [yesterday] again next week."

Wallace returns

Senior quarterback Chris Wallace got back on the field for the Lions late in the third quarter, leading a pair of promising drives that both came up short.

The Southwestern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year looked more like his old self than he did in either of his previous two starts this season, showing good mobility and his trademark soft touch in completing four passes for 69 yards and running for 11 yards.

Esaw impresses

While UAPB's two-headed backfield of Martell Mallett and Mickey Dean combined for just 14 total yards in the game, reserve tailback Kenneth Esaw made the most of his opportunity in the fourth quarter.

Esaw carried the load on UAPB's final three drives and finished with 63 yards on seven carries to outgain the rest of his team combined.

Just for kicks

The effectiveness of Southern Illinois' offense spoke for itself. The Salukis put up 44 points and over 500 yards of offense before they were forced to punt for the first time. SIU punter Scott Ravanesi's first kick came with 11:35 to play in the fourth quarter.

New Look

The Golden Lions have added a new decal to the sides of their gold helmets. Debuted in last week's Arkansas Classic, a script "Golden Lions' emblem written in white arches across the crest of the headgear on both sides.

UAPB had not worn a helmet decal since 2003, when the traditional Golden Lion logo was emblazoned on the sides of the old black helmet that was discontinued after last season.

Forte had elected to go with a blank helmet during his three-plus year tenure until last week.

M4 absent

Much to the dismay of the Southern Illinois fans and a number of local high school bands who had gathered for the university's 'Band Day,' the Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South did not make the six-hour trip from Pine Bluff.

M4 is also not expected to attend next week's game at New Mexico State.

UAPB loss the worst in Forte era

BY BECK CROSS, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s suspect offense wasn’t in the same league with one of the more prolific teams in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Southern Illinois (4-0 ), No. 6 in the FCS, racked up 585 yards in total offense and led 30-0 at halftime before rolling to a 58-3 victory Saturday before 11,316 at McAndrew Stadium.

UAPB (1-3 ) was held to 51 yards of total offense in the first half before padding the statistics to a more respectable 299 for the game after the Salukis had pulled most of their starters. The 55-point loss was the worst for UAPB in four seasons under Coach Mo Forte.

The nonconference schedule doesn’t get any easier. The Golden Lions take on New Mexico State on Saturday in Las Cruces, N. M.

“We can bounce back by doing it mentally,” Forte said. “We played a great football team out there, and those guys are going to go a long way in the playoffs. The [offensive ] line play deteriorated once again, but there were some things we can build on.”

Southern Illinois, which defeated its first three opponents by an average margin of 27. 3 points, didn’t ease up on the Golden Lions. The Salukis scored on 5 of 6 first-half possessions and piled up 371 yards of total offense in running out to a 30-0 lead.

UAPB, which had the topranked defense in the Southwestern Athletic Conference going into the game, put up a fight in the early going. The Salukis had a first-and-goal at the 10 on their opening possession but settled for a 29-yard field goal by Kyle Dougherty after three consecutive incomplete passes.

The Golden Lions’ offense netted minus-16 yards on its first two possessions before Southern Illinois padded its advantage to 10-0 with 2: 20 remaining in the opening quarter. In the threeplay, 58-yard drive, Nick Hill was 2 of 2 passing for 41 yards, capped by a 36-yard scoring pass to Phil Goforth.

UAPB got its initial first down late in the quarter on a 5-yard run by Mickey Dean, but the offense again sputtered well short of midfield with two incomplete passes, a holding call and an 8-yard sack.

The Salukis needed only five plays to cover 83 yards. Facing a third-and-5 play, Deji Karim broke free on a 37-yard scoring run. The missed extra point left the margin 16-0 with 13: 03 left in the half.

After the UAPB offense again went three plays and out, Southern Illinois relied primarily on the run in grinding out a sevenplay, 81-yard scoring drive.

John Randle had two carries for 29 yards to set up Joe Allaria’s 8-yard scoring run. Dougherty’s extra point extended the Salukis’ advantage to 23-0 with 8: 23 left in the second quarter.

Southern Illinois scored again with 2: 55 left in the first half. Hill was 3 of 3 passing for 51 yards, and Randle scored on a 10-yard run.

“The first half we just didn’t play,” Forte said. “It’s like we were in sleep mode out there in the beginning. You can’t give away points the way we did and expect to win against a top-10 team.”

The Golden Lions had some bright spots in the second half. On the first series of the third quarter, Johnathan Moore was 5 of 8 passing for 50 yards, helping UAPB gain a first down at the Southern Illinois 24, but UAPB stalled and settled for Brodie Heflin’s 38-yard field goal to prevent the shutout with 10: 07 remaining in the quarter.

Southern Illinois added two third-quarter touchdowns before Chris Wallace came on in relief of Moore on the opening series of the fourth quarter. Wallace completed a 33-yard pass to Jason Jones, but UAPB came away empty after Heflin’s 42-yard fieldgoal attempt was blocked.

The Salukis scored two more touchdowns in the final 5: 02.

“I think we have it in us, but we just have to bring it out to the field,” Forte said. “I’ve never seen the guys, what they did [Saturday ], I’ve never seen that side of them and that kind of bothers me. By the time we woke up, it was too late.

“ The effort they gave in the second half was better, but we have to take advantage of the opportunities. We killed ourselves on offense.”

S.C. State holds off WSSU 20-7

By Shawn Singleton, SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL

ORANGEBURG, S.C.- S.C. State, despite outgaining Winston-Salem State by nearly 300 yards, committed four turnovers but still pulled out a 20-7 win at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

“We’re not as good as we thought we were,” said Coach Buddy Pough, whose Bulldogs outgained the Rams 493-200. “We made a lot of mistakes.

“But we’re happy to get the win.”

After a punt by the Rams, it took two plays and 21 seconds for the Bulldogs to score on their first possession. From the Bulldogs’ 21-yard line, quarterback Cleve McCoy went deep and found Terrance Smith uncovered for a 71-yard touchdown pass.

Steven Grantham added the extra point, and S.C. State led 7-0 at the 12:15 mark of the first quarter.

Grantham later capped a 14-play, 5:06 drive with a 28-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 10-0 lead with 10:48 left in the second quarter.

S.C. State attempted to add to its lead on its final possession of the first half. On second-and-goal from the Winston-Salem 1, miscommunication between McCoy and center Raymond Harrison led to a fumble that Brand McClellan recovered in the end zone for a Winston-Salem State touchback with 2:08 left before halftime.

After Grantham opened the second half with a 38-yard field goal to boost the Bulldogs’ lead to 13-0, S.C. State tried to put WSSU away. But McCoy was picked off in the end zone by Nathaniel Biggs. Biggs, a free safety, took the interception 89 yards to the S.C. State 12.

Quarterback Monte Purvis took advantage, finding Bryant Bayne for a 12-yard touchdown pass. S.C. State’s lead was sliced to 13-7 with 2:43 left in the third quarter but the Rams could score no more.

“We played well in some spots, but we weren’t consistent,” said Coach Kermit Blount of the Rams. “We didn’t move the ball as smoothly as we would have liked offensively.”

WSSU 0 0 7 0 - 7

SCSU 7 3 3 7 - 20

First Quarter

SCSU-Smith 71 pass from McCoy (Grantham kick), 12:15.

Second Quarter

SCSU-FG Grantham 28, 10:48.

Third Quarter

SCSU-FG Grantham 38, 8:59.

WSSU-Bayne 8 pass from Purvis (M.Mitchell kick), 2:43.

Fourth Quarter

SCSU-Jamison 1 run (Grantham kick), 1:07.

A-8,222.

TEAM STATISTICS

WSSU SCSU

First downs 12 25

Rushes-yards 37-113 57-289

Passing 87 204

Comp-Att-Int 12-21-1 12-24-1

Return Yards 87 1

Punts-Avg. 7-34.3 1-47.0

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 3-3

Penalties-Yards 10-109 9-103

Time of Possession 26:23 33:37

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING - WSSU, Bines 10-53, Fluellen 10-42, Purvis 15-11, Dunston 1-6, Bayne 1-1. SCSU, Ford 27-162, Jamison 16-83, McCoy 10-37, Woods 4-7.

PASSING - WSSU, Purvis 12-19-1-87, Dunston 0-2-0-0. SCSU, McCoy 12-24-1-204.

RECEIVING - WSSU, Bayne 4-21, Fluellen 2-40, Bines 2-11, Kizzie 2-(minus 1), Kinzer 1-9, Thomas 1-7. SCSU, DuBose 3-47, Morris 3-20, Smith 2-89, Ford 1-29, B.Bush 1-11, Washington 1-8, Capers 1-0.

Losing at Grambling a hard habit for Alabama A&M to break

By Paul J. Letlow, the Monroe Newsstar

GRAMBLING — Defending SWAC champion Alabama A&M has never won a game at Grambling State's Robinson Stadium.
Some habits are hard to break.

Grambling extended that drought Saturday night in the home opener at "The Rob" with a dominating 31-6 win over A&M.

The home win before 7,831 was a first for first-year coach Rod Broadway, now 2-1 at Grambling and 2-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. A&M fell to 3-1, 1-1.

Grambling's defense engulfed a potent A&M attack that entered the day averaging 45 points and 519 yards. A&M was limited 147 yards and two field goals (36 and 37 yards) from place-kicker Jeremy Licea in the first half.

Grambling quarterback Brandon Landers completed 22-of-32 attempts for 235 yards and two touchdowns while senior receiver Reginald Jackson caught nine passes for 61 yards and a touchdown and ran three times for 30 yards and another score.

Landers used a short passing game early to move the chains and help his team build a 17-6 halftime lead. The Carroll product hit 13-of-16 attempts in the first two quarters, including an 18-yard touchdown to Clyde Edwards — the first score ever for Grambling's star receiver against A&M.

Grambling's other scoring drive finished with a diving touchdown plunge from freshman running back Cornelius "Sky" Walker, who leaped over the pile for to reach the end zone.

Grambling extended its lead to 24-6 with 30 seconds left in the third quarter on a trick play that netted a 24-yard touchdown run by Jackson. Landers faked a broken play and a fumble before handing off to Jackson, who darted around left end for a back-breaking touchdown.

Jackson caught a touchdown pass from Landers with 6:22 remaining to finish off his night.


GRAMBLING 31, ALABAMA A&M 6
AAM................. 3 3 0 0 - 6 Record: (3-1,1-1)
GSU................. 10 7 7 7 - 31 Record: (2-1,2-0)



Scoring Summary:
1st 10:33 GSU - EDWARDS,Clyde 18 yd pass from LANDERS,Brandon (MANUEL,Tim kick), 11-66 4:27, AAM 0 - GSU 7
07:37 AAM - LICEA,Jeremy 37 yd field goal, 4-8 1:08, AAM 3 - GSU 7
03:23 GSU - MANUEL,Tim 29 yd field goal, 10-50 4:00, AAM 3 - GSU 10
2nd 08:24 GSU - WALKER,Corneliu 2 yd run (MANUEL,Tim kick), 7-73 2:43, AAM 3 - GSU 17
00:06 AAM - LICEA,Jeremy 36 yd field goal, 11-60 4:25, AAM 6 - GSU 17
3rd 00:30 GSU - JACKSON,Reginal 26 yd run (MANUEL,Tim kick), 8-65 3:24, AAM 6 - GSU 24
4th 06:22 GSU - JACKSON,Reginal 7 yd pass from LANDERS,Brandon (MANUEL,Tim kick), 9-31 3:18, AAM 6 - GSU 31



AAM GSU
FIRST DOWNS................... 7 22
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 23-30 43-143
PASSING YDS (NET)............. 117 235
Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 26-14-0 32-22-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 49-147 75-378
Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............ 3-31 2-28
Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 6-122 2-46
Interception Returns-Yards.... 0-0 0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)............ 9-43.1 5-43.8
Fumbles-Lost.................. 1-1 1-1
Penalties-Yards............... 7-55 1-5
Possession Time............... 25:11 34:49
Third-Down Conversions........ 4 of 15 9 of 16
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 0 of 0 1 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 2-2 4-4
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 1-9 3-19


RUSHING: AAM-BANKS,Ulysses 12-37; GREEN,Anthony 3-1; LUKE,Kelcy 8-minus
8. GSU-WARREN,Frank 19-65; JACKSON,Reginal 3-30; EDWARDS,Clyde 4-27;
WALKER,Corneliu 12-25; KERLEGAN,Larry 1-7; LANDERS,Brandon 4-minus 11.

PASSING: AAM-LUKE,Kelcy 14-26-0-117. GSU-LANDERS,Brandon 22-32-0-235.

RECEIVING: AAM-SMITH,John 3-40; MOODY,Charles 3-24; HARRIS,Thomas 3-20;
BANKS,Ulysses 2-20; McCLAIN,Bobby 1-13; STOCKDALE,Geral 1-2; JOHNSON,Rashad
1-minus 2. GSU-JACKSON,Reginal 9-61; EDWARDS,Clyde 5-51; HILLS,Kovarus 4-83;
ABNEY,Tim 3-16; WALKER,Corneliu 1-24.

INTERCEPTIONS: AAM-None. GSU-None.

FUMBLES: AAM-BANKS,Ulysses 1-1. GSU-ABNEY,Tim 1-1.

NC A&T loss leads to scuffle

Photo: NCA&T and NCCU getting pepper sprayed by stadium security during after game brawl at mid-field.

Slide Show: The NCCU/A&T Scuffle and Pepper Spray Dance:
http://mm.news-record.com/legacy/indepth/07/ncat_092207/

By Keith Tolbert, Special to the News & Record

GREENSBORO -- N.C. A&T was 6 yards from ending almost two years of futility, but fell short of victory once again Saturday night.

The Aggies drove 74 yards in the game's final two minutes and had a second-and-goal at the N.C. Central 6 with 23 seconds left. Quarterback Herbert Miller dropped back and tried to hit a receiver in the slot, but the pass was intercepted by Central's Eric Ray, who preserved a 27-22 Eagles victory before a near-sellout crowd at Aggie Stadium.

After the game, some N.C. Central players stomped on the Aggies' logo at midfield, causing a shoving match among players and prompting at least one security officer to use pepper spray. The teams were separated after about two minutes.

"I can still taste the pepper spray," said A&T coach Lee Fobbs, who was in the middle trying to break up the scuffle. "It was very unfortunate that it happened, and we will deal with our guys."

Players wouldn't comment on the scuffle.

"It was two rival schools ... it was a lot of emotion," said Rod Gray, an assistant in the A&T sports information department. "The coaches did a good job of separating everybody."

Central coach Mose Rison said: "I'm disappointed in what happened."

The loss was the 20th straight for A&T (0-4), which hasn't won since 2005. Central raised its record to 4-1.

The midfield incident overshadowed a fine football game in which the lead changed four times.

The Aggies outgained the Eagles in yardage 412-199 and entered the fourth quarter with a 19-14 lead.

But it was all downhill for A&T after that.

On the fifth play of the fourth quarter, Aggies quarterback Shelton Morgan tried to throw a short out pass to a receiver, but Derrick Ray jumped in front of it and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown, giving the Eagles a 21-19 lead.

On the Aggies' next possession, Morgan took them deep into Eagles territory, but he overthrew a receiver. This time defensive back Jeffrey Henderson was there, and he returned the interception 72 yards for a touchdown. That made the score 27-19 with 8:30 to play.

Eric Houston kicked an A&T field goal with 4:51 left, and the Aggies drove to the Central 6 on their next possession. Then came the final interception.

"The opportunity we had was taken away on a great play by the defender," Fobbs said of Eric Ray. "We thought we had something, but he just stepped in front and made a great play."

It was Central's third interception of the fourth quarter.

"You've got to take care of the football," Fobbs said. "We thought we could do some things against them and we did, but we didn't take care of the football."

While the Aggies were making plenty of mistakes, the N.C. Central offense was quietly efficient. Although the Eagles were outgained, they made no turnovers.

Staff writer Jason Hardin contributed to this report.


N.C. Central 7 7 0 13 -- 27

N.C. A&T 0 9 10 3 -- 22

NCCe--Scott 44 pass from S.Brown (Gray kick)

NCAT--Safety

NCAT--Ferguson 1 run (Houston kick)

NCCe--Chr.Edwards 4 pass from S.Brown (Gray kick), :48.

NCAT--McNair 1 run (Houston kick)

NCAT--FG Houston 27

NCCe--D.Ray 23 interception return (Gray kick)

NCCe--Henderson 72 interception return (kick failed)

NCAT--FG Houston 39

A--19,320.


NCCe NCAT
First downs 11 18

Rushes-yards 32-102 42-164

Passing 97 248

Comp-Att-Int 11-18-0 22-30-3

Return Yards 116 56

Punts-Avg. 6-28.0 3-39.3

Fumbles-Lost 1-0 2-0

Penalties-Yards 7-35 9-80

Time of Possession 27:11 32:49

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--N.C. Central, Shankle 14-66, J.Campbell 8-36, Abdul-Azeez 5-16, Team 1-(minus 4), S.Brown 4-(minus 12). N.C. A&T, Ferguson 13-113, Miller 7-27, McNair 5-18, Robinson 9-11, Parnell 1-3, Morgan 7-(minus 8).

PASSING--N.C. Central, S.Brown 11-18-0-97. N.C. A&T, Morgan 13-17-2-121, Miller 9-13-1-127.

RECEIVING--N.C. Central, Blackwell 4-18, Spears 3-19, Scott 1-44, Alston 1-16, Chr.Edwards 1-4, J.Campbell 1-(minus 4). N.C. A&T, Walls 6-42, Caldwell 5-69, C.Dawson 3-30, Lowrance 2-11, Morgan 1-35, Miller 1-15, Whitaker 1-15, Ferguson 1-14, Fisher 1-12, Christen 1-5.

Postgame scuffle mars NCCU's win over NCA&T

By MIKE POTTER, The Herald-Sun

GREENSBORO -- It may not have had the designation this time, but once again N.C. Central's game with rival North Carolina A&T was an Aggie-Eagle classic.

It wasn't decided until the Eagles' Eric Ray intercepted a Herb Miller pass at the goal line with 14 seconds left, preserving the Eagles' 27-22 victory on Saturday night at Aggie Stadium.

The minutes after the game were marred by a scuffle after a large group of NCCU players celebrated on the Bulldog logo at midfield and the Aggies strongly objected. But pepper-spray wielding campus police quickly dispersed the mob.

"I'm not happy about what happened at the end -- I just didn't like the scene," NCCU coach Mose Rison said.

Said N.C. A&T coach Lee Fobbs: "What happened after the game ended was very unfortunate, and we'll deal with it with our guys. I'm just concerned about our players and our fans. We'll let the powers-that-be deal with it."

But before the postgame disturbance, the Eagles won with defense. Three interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns, helped NCCU (4-1) overcome A&T's 412-199 advantage in total offense.

"Give credit where credit is due," said Rison, the first NCCU coach to win four of his first five games since Larry Little went 4-1 in 1993. "Coach Fobbs and his staff did an outstanding coaching job, and like I said, they were the best football team we've played this season. But I'm extremely proud of my team. We hung in to the bitter end."

Fobbs also gave his team credit for a good effort.

"We had a chance to win the game right up until the finish and played hard on both sides of the ball," Fobbs said. "We were in position to win it, and then [Eric Ray] stepped up and made a great play.

"That's the game. You've got to take care of the ball."

Eric's brother Derrick Ray returned one interception for a 23-yard score, while true freshman Jeffery Henderson returned another 72 yards for a touchdown.

"The last time both of us got picks was in high school [at Raleigh Millbrook], and we both took them back for touchdowns," Derrick Ray said. "Tonight, we just played good team football on defense and made big plays."

Stadford Brown led the Eagles' offense, completing 11 of 18 passes for 97 yards and the other two touchdowns. Tim Shankle added 66 yards on 14 carries. "I guess I was good enough," Brown said with a smile. "The important thing is that we won."

Northern High alumnus Michael Ferguson led the Aggies with 113 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Two A&T quarterbacks, Shelton Morgan and Miller, combined for 248 passing yards on the night.

"It's really tough to lose this one after we played so well," Ferguson said. "Losing at the end like that is hard. It hurts."

The Eagles scored on their first possession when Brown tossed a short pass up the middle to Will Scott, who sprinted 44 yards for the touchdown to complete a six-play, 65-yard drive. Taylor Gray added his first successful conversion kick, and NCCU led 7-0 with 12:33 left in the quarter.
A&T got on the board with 11:23 left in the half, as Nick Johnson blocked Gray's punt from the NCCU 19 and Gray recovered in the end zone for a safety. The Aggies kept their momentum going on the ensuing possession, going 58 yards in 10 plays with Ferguson taking it in from 1 yard out for A&T's first lead of the season. Eric Houston added the conversion kick, and it was 9-7 with 6:41 left in the half.

But the Eagles recovered with a balanced 14-play, 75-yard drive that included three runs of at least 10 yards from Shankle. Brown connected with Brandon Alston for a 15-yard pass on fourth-and-11 from the A&T 24, and two plays later found tight end Christopher Edwards in the back of the end zone from 4 yards out. Gray added the boot and the Eagles led 14-9 with 48 seconds left in the half.

A&T found some lightning on its first play of the second half, as Ferguson burst up the middle for a 74-yard gain to the Eagles' 16. Dion McNair's 1-yard run completed a seven-play, 89-yard drive and Houston's kick made it 16-14 at 11:30.

The Aggies scored again on their next possession, going 65 yards in nine plays to set up Houston's 27-yard field goal, their first 3-pointer in 17 games.

But the Eagles struck with a big play early in the fourth quarter, as Derrick Ray stepped in front of a Morgan pass intended for David Robinson and rambled down the left sideline for the touchdown. Gray's kick gave the Eagles a 21-19 lead with 12:30 to play.

Four minutes later, they came up with a bigger one, as Henderson intercepted a Morgan pass at his own 28, got several blocks through traffic and finished a 72-yard return. Gray's kick was blocked, leaving the score at 27-19 with 8:30 left.

A&T cut the margin back to 27-22 with 4:51 to go on Houston's 39-yard field goal.

Gray punted into the Aggies' end zone with 2:24 remaining, giving A&T one last chance for victory before the interception sealed the result.

NOTES -- The renewal of the rivalry after a one-year hiatus was NCCU's first game as a member of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) team against another FCS team. ... A&T (0-4) had its losing streak extended to 20 games, the longest slide in the nation among FCS teams. ... Along with NCCU's 23-22 victory in Raleigh in 2005, the wins were the Eagles' first back-to-back victories in the series since 1987-88. This was the fourth time in the last five meetings in the series that a game had been determined by no more than five points, with NCCU winning three. … A&T leads the series 45-29-5. … The Eagles host Presbyterian on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the schools' first meeting. It will be a matchup between the only two teams in their first season in the FCS. … A&T hosts MEAC foe Norfolk State on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

Special teams propel Alabama State Hornets over Alcorn State

Photo: Alabama State running back Jay Peck struggles past Alcorn State's Benjamin Griffin on Saturday at Cramton Bowl.

By A. Stacy Long, Montgomery Advertiser

The rain came down in sheets, peppering the Cramton Bowl crowd and sending the fans scurrying for umbrellas and cover.

Considering Alabama State's fourth-quarter habits this season, few of them left to dodge a first-half rainstorm.

The Hornets rallied in the final period for a victory for the fourth time in four games this season, scoring two late touchdowns and picking up three key plays on special teams to beat Alcorn State 28-25 on Saturday.

"The best teams win close games," junior defensive back Travis Rayford said. "It may be scary, but we did it when we had to."

Quarterback Chris Mitchell ran for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, the last set up when Rayford recovered a fumbled kickoff return, and the Hornets improved to 4-0 for the first time since their 1991 national championship team.

Mitchell scored on a 23-yard run with 91/2 minutes to play to give the Hornets (3-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference) the lead and jumped in from the 1 with eight minutes remaining to make it 28-18.

"This is too scary for me," Mitchell said. "But it doesn't matter how we win, as long as we win."

Alcorn State (0-4, 0-3 SWAC) scored only one touchdown in its first three games, but scored three Saturday -- two on Chris Walker passes -- and led 18-14 when the fourth quarter started.

But a late deficit is a ho-hum thing for the Hornets.

Bama State beat Jacksonville State 24-19 on a touchdown with three minutes left, downed Texas Southern 21-10 behind two touchdowns in the final three minutes and stopped Arkansas-Pine Bluff 12-10 last week on a last-minute touchdown.

"Every team has its personality," first-year ASU coach Reggie Barlow said. "It seems that ours is taking on a 'come back in the fourth quarter' one.

"We don't want to continue that," he said, "but we'll take them however we can."

Mitchell and special teams provided the path Saturday.

Joel Raggins had a 41-yard punt return that put Alabama State at the Alcorn 37 to set up Mitchell's first fourth-quarter score. The Hornets ran an option and Mitchell -- after a sweet pitch fake -- kept the ball and ran for the score.

"It's just something I picked up," Mitchell said. "I've been working on it."

On the ensuing kickoff, Alcorn's Nate Hughes fumbled the return. Jimmy Toussaint forced it and Rayford recovered at the 11. Four plays later, Mitchell had a 1-yard touchdown and the Hornets led 28-18.

"That fumble gave us more momentum," Mitchell said. "That gets the offense the ball back and gives us a chance again right away."

The second score became important.

Alcorn needed only four plays to make it 28-25 on Tony Hobson's 18-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Arceneaux and soon had the ball back. Alabama State went three-and-out and on came its new punter.

Alex Engram, ASU's backup quarterback, boomed a 54-yarder that pushed the Braves back to their 7-yard line. Alcorn State didn't run another play outside its 25-yard line.

Engram averaged more than 42 yards on his six punts, dropping two inside the 20.

"He just learned how to punt this week," Barlow said. "He took one for the team and learned how to punt."

Mitchell was 9-of-20 passing for 136 yards and a first-half touchdown, while running back Jay Peck posted his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game. Peck totaled 143 yards, including a career-high 69-yard carry.

Walker was 18-of-31 for 216 yards to lead Alcorn, while a Montgomery native made his season debut with 101 yards rushing. G.W. Carver High graduate Eric Relf, who didn't play in the Braves' first three games due to a leg injury, carried 11 times and lost a second-half fumble.

"It's real disappointing because this is my first game back," Relf said. "The offensive line did a great job, and I wanted to come out and play hard. I did well, except for that fumble."