B-CU continues slide

By SEAN KERNAN
KERNAN'S CORNER

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the starting date of Bethune-Cookman's slide to the bottom of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

One year ago today, Morgan State handed the Wildcats a 28-14 loss. At the time, nobody could have imagined it was the start of something bad for the Wildcats.

But it's been worse than bad. It's been terrible.

The Bears affirmed last year's victory Saturday with not so much a win, but a thrashing of the Wildcats, beating them 33-9 in front of a homecoming crowd of 10,121 at Municipal Stadium. Rain kept some of the Wildcat faithful away, apparently, and for that they can be thankful.

The Bears scored 27 unanswered points on a day when the Wildcats' offense didn't score a touchdown on homecoming for the first time in 29 years. It marked the worst homecoming loss since a 27-0 shutout by South Carolina State in 1968.

Saturday's setback, as miserable as it may have been, should not have come as a surprise. It extended B-CU's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference losing streak to six games -- three to start this season and three to finish 2006. The Wildcats have now lost eight of their last nine MEAC games.

WHAT'S WRONG?

Turnovers four interceptions and one fumble against Morgan State -- have been a recurring theme. The

Wyattbone offense has taken a leave of absence, or so it appears. The defense, while stiff at times, hasn't been able to handle the difficult situations it has been put in by the struggling offense, and in five of those conference defeats the opposition has scored more than 30 points.

B-CU is now 2-3 overall and 0-3 in the MEAC, a conference that now includes more teams with similar talent than a few years ago. The Wildcats -- an upper echelon team from 2000-2004 -- have slipped in the standings to fifth in '05, sixth in '06 and currently last in '07.

"Right now we're trying to find ourselves," head coach Alvin Wyatt said. "We're searching and we're going to keep grinding until we get it done."

NOT FAR AWAY

As bad as the results -- wins and losses -- have been, in recent weeks the Wildcats have been in position at halftime to win. They led Norfolk State 21-10 last week before falling 38-31, and on Saturday it was 9-9 at halftime before chalkboard adjustments by Morgan State paid dividends against a B-CU defense that finally broke down from overuse. The Bears had just 68 total yards offense in the first half, but added 181 yards, three touchdowns and a field goal in the second half.

The tough part is the Wildcats still have to play four MEAC opponents who beat them the last time they played. That gauntlet includes Thursday night's road opponent Delaware State, which defeated three-time defending conference champ Hampton 24-17 on Saturday.

So what do the Wildcats do now?

"We go back to practice and try to get it right because we're going against Delaware State, who is undefeated in the MEAC and who I think is the best team in our conference," Wyatt said.

As far as who's the worst, it's up to the Wildcats to prove it's not them.

BC-U Home(coming) invasion

By BRENT WORONOFF, Daytona Beach News-Journal

DAYTONA BEACH -- Bethune-Cookman defensive back James Monds expected a tight, low-scoring ball game. And that's exactly what a Wildcats' homecoming crowd of 10,121 witnessed Saturday.

For the first half.

In the second half, B-CU ran into a buzz saw, and Morgan State cruised to a 33-9 victory at Municipal Stadium.

"Everything was happening so fast," said Monds, who scored the Wildcats' only touchdown, returning a blocked punt in the first quarter. "I was asking on the sideline, 'What happened? It was just 9-9. How is it 23-9?' "

Both teams had trouble generating any offense in the first half as they battled to a 9-9 halftime tie with B-CU scoring all of its points on special teams and Morgan State relying on a blocked punt and an interception for its two scores.

But while B-CU's offense continued to sputter and shoot itself in the foot in the second half, the Bears (2-3, 1-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) got on track, forcing the Wildcats (2-3, 0-3) into a desperation passing scheme before the end of the third quarter.

"We wanted to break them out of their offense," Morgan State coach Donald Hill-Eley said. "When a triple-option team has to go four and five wide, they're not going to be comfortable in that situation."

The Wildcats managed just 149 yards of offense and turned the ball over five times, including four interceptions.

"They have a good defense. That's why they're ranked No. 1 in our conference," B-CU coach Alvin Wyatt said. "They were just much better than us today."

The Bears scored on their first three possessions of the second half to take a 26-9 lead. James Devan's 65-yard run up the middle made it 33-9 with 4:17 left.

"It's just frustrating," said B-CU linebacker Ronnie McCullough, who had a game-high 20 tackles. "The defense played pretty good, but when the offense is struggling we just have to step it up."

The Bears moved ahead for good on their first possession of the second half, driving 55 yards on 12 plays with quarterback Byron Selby scoring on a 3-yard run. After holding B-CU on downs, Selby's 18-yard rollout pass to Robert Surratt made it 23-9.

A Matt Johnson interception then gave the Bears the ball at B-CU's 17, and James Meade kicked his second field goal to put the Bears up 26-9 with 9:55 left in the game.

"The difference was they got (the ball) in good field position," Wyatt said. "The score was tied, so they didn't have to be in a hurry to do anything. They took their time, and they just grinded the ball down the field on us."

The Wildcats held Chad Simpson, the MEAC's leading rusher with 798 yards, to 98 yards and no touchdowns.

Photo: MSU #2 Chad Simpson gains 98 yards on the Wildcats defense.
Now the Wildcats have to quickly regroup for a Thursday night game at MEAC leader Delaware State, a game that will be televised nationally by ESPNU.

"This was a difficult homecoming loss," McCullough said. "But we have to come right back. We're not going to fold up."

Questions & attitude

How was the officiating?

It may have cost Bethune-Cookman a victory last week at Norfolk State and caused the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to suspend three officials for one game, but it was not a factor in B-CU's 33-9 loss to Morgan State on Saturday.

The Bears were called for nine penalties for 88 yards, while the Wildcats were flagged six times for 63 yards, which is not a lot, but almost half as many yards as B-CU's offense produced in the game.

What's wrong with the offense?

You name it. The line struggled. The quarterbacks struggled. Running back Justin Brannon missed the game with a high ankle sprain, and without him, the Wildcats ran for just 47 yards. Quarterback Jimmie Russell, who came into the game with a team-high 358 yards rushing, was held to minus-4 yards on 16 carries Saturday. It didn't help that three B-CU quarterbacks combined for four interceptions.

If the Wildcats were so hapless on offense, how were they able to go into halftime with a 9-9 tie?
Morgan State's offense was just as bad in the first half. B-CU tallied 72 yards and converted 1 of 6 first downs, while Morgan State had just 68 yards and went 0 for 7 on first downs. And B-CU's defense played well, even in the second half, when it was on the field most of the time. The Wildcats had 10 tackles for losses in the game.

Jimmie Russell was replaced by Matt Souverain in both the first and second half. Is the quarterback job now up for grabs?

B-CU coach Alvin Wyatt said Russell is still the starting quarterback. Souverain is the quarterback the 'Cats use when they are far behind and forced to abandon the triple-option offense in favor of a four-wide receiver set.

Photo: BCU Marching Wildcat Band

TAKE FIVE

Representing South Florida

Morgan State has nearly as many players from South Florida as Bethune-Cookman does. The Bears boast 16 players from Broward and Dade counties, while the Wildcats have 21 from the South Florida area that produces so much gridiron talent.

Pick Four

Morgan State picked off four Bethune-Cookman passes in its 33-9 victory Saturday. Lamar West, Kofi Nkrumah, Kendall Jackson, and Dakota Bracey each grabbed an interception. Three different Wildcat quarterbacks contributed as Jimmie Russell threw two interceptions, and McKinson Souverain and Matt Johnson each misfired once. For Johnson, it was his first collegiate pass.

A Busy Day

B-CU linebacker Ronnie McCullough was one busy Wildcat. The senior who came to B-CU via South Florida registered 20 tackles, including six solo tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. It was the most tackles by a Wildcat since Jamal Muhammad had 20 in a loss to Morgan State in 2003.

Two Tough Points

B-CU's Ben Ballard scored two points the hard way. Ballard scooped up the football after Brendan Odom blocked a Morgan State point-after kick and went the distance for only the second PAT return in school history. Ballard's return gave B-CU a 9-6 lead with just under 6 minutes left in the first half.

Big Body

B-CU tried a different wrinkle early in the game by having 280-pound tackle De'Juan Guillory line up at fullback. Guillory made a couple of solid blocks, but wasn't a threat to carry the football.

Blue Hose run past NCCU Eagles' defense

Photo: NCCU's quarterback Stadford Brown fumbles as Presbyterian College's Brian Leonardi (right) gets the strip and fellow Blue Hose teammate Chris Bowman (top) looks to make the play on Saturday at O'Kelley-Riddick Stadium. The Blue Hose won 34-27.

Attendance: 7,021

By MIKE POTTER, The Herald-Sun

N.C. Central's defense had gained a reputation for wreaking havoc on opponents' passing all season, but the Eagles hadn't seen a running game like the one Presbyterian put together Saturday.

NCCU managed three touchdowns in the final eight minutes, but when it was over the Eagles were looking at the losing end of a 34-27 score at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

Blue Hose sophomore S.J. Worrell rushed for a career-high 154 yards, while quarterback Tim Webb -- starting in place of starter Grayson Mullins, who did not make the trip for reasons that were not announced -- completed 16 of 23 passes for three touchdowns.

"They played us tough until the very end," Blue Hose coach Bobby Bentley said. "With our No. 1 quarterback out, we decided to put more emphasis on the running game today, and I thought we did a good job."

NCCU quarterback Stadford Brown completed 26 of 47 passes for 372 yards -- both career bests -- and three touchdowns with one interception. Will Scott caught eight passes for 134 yards, both career highs, including two for touchdowns. Freshman Deshawn Spears had season highs of nine catches and 103 yards.

"I'm proud of my team because, once again, we didn't quit," NCCU coach Mose Rison said. "We got behind and knew it was going to be an uphill battle, but we kept playing.

"And I can't say enough about Stadford's game. He's a gutsy quarterback and a good football player."

The game was NCCU's first at home as a member of the Football Championship Subdivision against a fellow FCS member. The two schools are the only members of the NCAA in their first season at this level, and this was the first win against an FCS team for the Blue Hose (2-3). The loss ended a four-game winning streak for the Eagles (4-2).

The Eagles scored on their first drive, going 70 yards in 11 plays as Brown connecting with Spears from 15 yards out. Taylor Gray's kick gave NCCU a 7-0 lead with 9:04 left in the quarter.

Presbyterian tied the score with 14:20 left in the half, as Chetyuane Reeder scored from 6 yards out to complete a 13-play, 70-yard march.

The Blue Hose scored again on their next series, with Reeder going in from the 1 to finish a 15-play, 78-yard drive that included a pair of fourth-down conversions.

But the biggest play of the first half came with 1:57 to go, when the Eagles' Tim Shankle came up short on fourth-and-goal from the Presbyterian 3.

NCCU was deep in Blue Hose territory again late in the third period after Tyrone Williams' 21-yard interception return gave the Eagles the ball at the Presbyterian 49. But Brown was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-6 at the 16.

The Blue Hose responded with a 10-play, 84-yard drive. Webb hit Larry Thomas for a 17-yard scoring pass, helping make it 21-7 with 12:07 left in the game.

Presbyterian scored an important insurance touchdown less than a minute later after Brown fumbled at NCCU's 7-yard line and PC's Antwan Thomas recovered. Two plays later, Webb found Larry Thomas in the back of the end zone, and after Cam Miller's kick was blocked, the Blue Hose led 27-7 with 11:30 to go.

The Eagles scored again with 7:38 as Shankle went in from 2 yards out. Gray missed the conversion kick, and Presbyterian's Chris Robinson covered the onside kick to end the drama.

The Blue Hose took four plays to take the ball 39 yards for a score, with Webb hitting Jordan High alumnus Robert Bumgarner from 17 yards out for the first catch of his career. Miller's boot stretched the lead to 34-13 with 6:05 remaining.

"And [it was] the first touchdown catch of my life," Bumgarner said with a laugh. "It felt pretty good to be the first option and score a touchdown in my hometown.

"Central has a great football team, but our defense made the plays we needed for them to make."

NCCU cut the margin to two touchdowns when Brown hit Brandon Alston from 25 yards out with 4:36 left for the Hillside alum's first touchdown reception. This time, Gray made the point-after kick, and Tyrone Williams recovered the onside kick to give the Eagles life.

The Eagles cut the margin to 34-27 with 3:22 left, as Brown connected with Scott from 43 yards out.

"At least we never quit," Scott said. "No matter what, we don't quit."

Presbyterian recovered the onside kick but ran out of downs at the NCCU 25 with 1:24 left. The result wasn't decided until Antwan Thomas broke up a Brown pass on fourth-and-14 from the Presbyterian 45.

"We just turned it on too late," Brown said. "I'm proud of the way we came back. Both Scott and Spears made a lot of big catches today.

"But the bottom line is we lost. Whether it was by an inch or a mile, we lost."

NOTES -- The Eagles were without one unnamed player, suspended for his role in the fight after last week's victory over North Carolina A&T. The suspended player apparently was not in NCCU's two-deep. ... NCCU will have an open date Saturday before hosting North Greenville for homecoming on Oct. 13. Presbyterian hosts North Greenville on Saturday.

SSU's record on sacks gets busted

By Noell Barnidge, Savannah Morning News

Attendance: 6, 109

FORT VALLEY - Savannah State is no longer No. 1 in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) in the sacks allowed category.
SSU entered Saturday's game against Fort Valley State having not given up a sack through three games, and the Tigers were tied with Yale, which had not given up a sack through two games.

But FVSU's defense sacked SSU quarterback Greg McCrary five times for minus-44 yards in the Wildcats' 33-2 victory.

"Obviously, we were not ready to come in here and play," SSU second-year coach Theo Lemon said. "We showed that. We didn't play well on either side of the ball, offensively or defensively, or on special teams. We fumbled the ball too many times and we just didn't execute."

Where's Trent?
Trent Newton, who transferred to FVSU after leading SSU in tackles in each of the past two seasons, did not dress for Saturday's game.

Newton, a linebacker from Lakeland, Fla., is being redshirted this season, according to FVSU sports information director Russell Boone.

Ominous trend
When SSU running back Reginald May fumbled during the Tigers' first drive of the game it marked the second consecutive game that SSU has lost the ball to start the game.

SSU quarterback JaCorey Kilcrease fumbled two weeks ago against Bethune-Cookman.

Where's Garrett?
FVSU junior Garrett Williams did not start at quarterback for the first time this season for the Wildcats (4-2).

Williams, who was SSU's starting quarterback in each of the past two seasons, was intercepted four times the previous Saturday in a 34-3 loss at Tuskegee (Ala.) University.

FVSU second-year coach Deondri Clark started Nate Samas, a sophomore from Americus, against SSU.

"He had a better week in practice," Clark said of Samas.
Williams started the second half because Clark said he felt Samas was struggling. FVSU staked a 10-0 lead at halftime.

Lemon said he was not surprised that Williams did not start the game.

"He threw four interceptions last week," Lemon said. "I didn't expect him to start. But I expected to see him at some point in the game, and we did."

Williams ran for a 9-yard touchdown in the third quarter to give FVSU a 16-0 lead. It was his first collegiate rushing touchdown.

NFL-type hit

SSU defensive back Javorris Jackson, whose brother, Grady, is a defensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons, delivered the fiercest hit of the season when he leveled FVSU wide receiver Melvin Atueyi to break up a pass in the second quarter.

Jackson, a 6-foot-4, 216-pound junior transfer from Southfield, Mich., hit Atueyi so hard that he sent the 6-foot-5, 205-pound senior's helmet flying. Atueyi needed the assistance of two FVSU trainers in order to hobble off the field.

FVSU's FSU connection

Clark, defensive coordinator Dedrick Dodge, and defensive line coach Carl Simpson all played at Florida State under legendary coach Bobby Bowden.

Clark, a former defensive lineman, helped the Seminoles to a 42-7 record during his four-year career. FSU also won four consecutive bowl games and never finished lower than fourth in The Associated Press poll.

Saturday, Clark wore a bow-tie, his trademark.

Before arriving at FVSU, Clark was the head coach at Shaw University in Raleigh, N.C. He helped to revive the Bears' football program, which had been dormant from 1979 until 2002. Clark guided Shaw to a 7-3 record in 2003, his inaugural season, a 10-2 record in 2004 and a 4-3 record in 2005.

Last season, his first at FVSU, the Wildcats finished 5-6.

Series record

FVSU is 34-11-4 against SSU. Before Saturday's game, the last time the teams played was 2002 - SSU's final year in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - and FVSU won, 25-6.

SSU has not beaten FVSU since 2000, when the Tigers won, 37-13.

Alabama A&M notebook

Huntsville Times

Bulldogs gobble up ground

Alabama A&M's running game, which was limited to 30 yards rushing in a 31-6 loss last week at Grambling, showed up Saturday afternoon against Texas Southern.

The Bulldogs finished with a season-high 308 yards on 46 carries as five different players had 30 or more yards.

Ulysses Banks led with 112 yards on 17 carries. Anthony Green had 60 yards on nine carries, Generion McWhorter had 40 yards on three carries, Kevin McCants had 39 yards on four carries and quarterback Kelcy Luke had 32 yards on eight carries.

Harris on the move

Thomas Harris, a sophomore wide receiver, was involved in the running game early on.

On Alabama A&M's second play from scrimmage, Harris went 22 yards on a reverse that helped set up Banks' 9-yard touchdown run.

Cummings a force early

Defensive end Dominique Cummings has played behind Chris Traylor for much of his career, but the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder made his presence felt early against Texas Southern.

Cummings had a pass breakup on the Tigers' second possession of the game to force a field goal and later in the first quarter came up with his first sack of the season when he dropped quarterback Tino Edgecombe for a 6-yard loss.

Unfortunately for A&M, the Tigers came back to score on the next play as Edgecombe found B.J. Haith with a 32-yard touchdown pass.

Donaldson swipes pass No. 2

Free safety Al Donaldson took over the team lead in interceptions early in the second quarter.

Donaldson, a junior from Crawfordsville, Fla., picked off an Edgecombe pass early in the second quarter that led to a 12-yard touchdown pass from Luke to Gerald Stockdale.

Donaldson, who had four tackles and three pass breakups, now has two interceptions on the season. He had one in the season opener against Tennessee State that also led to a touchdown.

Luke picked off again

Luke threw his fourth interception of the season on Alabama A&M's first possession of the second quarter.

The Bulldogs had moved from their own 31 to a first down at the Texas Southern 40. Two plays later, facing a third-and-four from the 34, Luke's poorly thrown ball, intended for Rashad Johnson, was picked off by Texas Southern's Chris Salvant.

Luke threw just eight interceptions all of last season.

McWhorter an opportunist

McWhorter, a fullback, hadn't gotten many opportunities through Alabama A&M's first four games, but he had made the most of them.

Going into Saturday's game, McWhorter had only 40 yards on five carries, but was averaging a whopping 8.0 yards per carry. He topped that average in the first half against Texas Southern.

A 5-foot-10, 208-pound redshirt freshman out of Jasper, McWhorter had 40 yards on three carries, including a 27-yard jaunt to help set up Luke's 12-yard touchdown pass to Stockdale midway through the second quarter.

Stockdale scores his first TD

Saturday was a big day for Stockdale.

A 6-2, 223-pound junior from Talladega, hadn't scored a touchdown during his career. However, that all changed when quarterback Luke found Stockdale with a 12-yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter.

"I saw the coverage a couple of plays before the touchdown," said Stockdale, who had three catches for 37 yards.

"I knew Kelcy was going to get it to me quick and I had to get in the end zone."

Harper picks off Edgecombe

Not only did defensive tackle Justin Harper make his first start of the season Saturday against Texas Southern, he also got his first career interception.

Harper, who lost his job to Whitney Garrett last spring and underwent surgery during the preseason on his left thumb, had a sack early in the third quarter and then recorded his first interception early in the fourth quarter.

Edgecombe's pass was tipped by defensive end Traylor and Harper was there to pick it off.

"I almost dropped it," Harper said. "It rolled around in my hands, but I finally got a hold of it."

Opponents are ex-teammates

Alabama A&M defensive back Stephan Tucker and Texas Southern's Edgecombe were former teammates during their Pop Warner football days in Miami.

"We were real cool," Tucker remembered.

Tucker was 2-1 against Edgecome entering Saturday's game.

"I just want to win," he said. "I'm not worried about any personal battles. I just want to get this win and go on to the next game."

Tucker forced Edgecombe to fumble early in the third quarter and recovered it. He finished with four tackles. Edgecombe completed 29-of-59 passes for 352 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

However, Tucker came away with a 48-24 victory.

Praise for Bulldogs

Texas Southern quarterback Steve Wilson said Alabama A&M was the best team the Tigers have faced in the Southwestern Athletic Conference because of Luke.

"There's a lot of things you can do with a senior quarterback," Wilson said. "He's the difference. He's a good runner, a good passer and he checks off well at the line of scrimmage.

"As long as they keep him healthy, they'll have a chance."

Furthermore

The 28 points A&M scored in the first half were the most the Bulldogs have scored in the first half this season. ... Luke has thrown at least three touchdown passes in four of A&M's five games this season. ... A&M place-kicker Jeremy Licea has made eight straight field goals dating back to last year's Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game.

Reggie Benson

AAMU Bulldogs regain bite, 48--24 over Texas Southern

By REGGIE BENSON, Times Sports Staff

A&M offense roars again for landslide homecoming win

There would be no upset this time around. Alabama A&M's offense made sure of that.

The Bulldogs scored on four of their first five possessions, rolled up more than 500 yards in total offense and simply overpowered Texas Southern on homecoming Saturday afternoon.

When it was over, A&M ran off to celebrate a 48-24 victory before an announced crowd of 13,745 at Louis Crews Stadium and exorcised some demons from two years ago when the Tigers came to town and spoiled homecoming with a shocking 17-7 win.

"We couldn't let it happen," said offensive lineman James Sanders, referring to another homecoming loss. "I wasn't going to let it happen."

Sanders and the rest of his offensive linemates certainly did their part.

A week after managing only 147 yards in a 31-6 loss to Grambling, A&M dominated Texas Southern's porous defense.

How good were the Bulldogs?

A&M finished with 514 yards in total offense and 33 first downs.

Tailback Ulysses Banks finished with 112 yards on 17 carries and scored a touchdown.

It is the third time in five games Banks has topped the 100-yard mark this season.

A&M finished with 308 yards rushing on 46 carries as five different players had 30 or more yards. A&M averaged a whopping 6.7 yards per carry.

Quarterback Kelcy Luke completed 19-of-34 passes for 206 yards and an interception, not overly impressive numbers, but he threw four touchdown passes.

Seven players caught passes, including four with three or more.

"We needed this," Luke said. "This puts us back on track. We wanted to show people we are the same team that put up big numbers the first three weeks."

The win lifted A&M to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Texas Southern fell to 0-5 and 0-4.

The Bulldogs started fast.

After forcing Texas Southern to punt on its first possession, Luke engineered an eight-play, 77-yard drive to put A&M on the board.

Banks, who had 45 yards on four carries on the drive, capped it with a 9-yard run less than three minutes into the game.

The Tigers trimmed the margin to 7-3 after Djavan Conway kicked a 30-yard field goal, but Luke found tight end John Smith with a 4-yard touchdown pass to put the Bulldogs up 14-3. A&M extended its lead to 21-3 when Luke hit Thomas Harris with a 20-yard touchdown pass with just less than three minutes left in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs had 206 yards in total offense in the first quarter, including 137 yards on the ground. Banks had 82 of them on nine carries.

"We wanted to establish our running game and then put them back on their heels and take advantage of whatever opportunities we had through the air," A&Mcoach Anthony Jones said.

The plan worked perfectly.

Luke found Gerald Stockdale with a 12-yard touchdown pass to put A&M ahead 28-10 midway through the first half. Texas Southern responded with a 15-play, 69-yard drive to pull to within 28-17 at intermission, but couldn't get any closer.

The Bulldogs scored 20 unanswered points in the second half and won going away.

"We got to within 11 before halftime and felt good about that, but they came out and made some more plays," Texas Southern coach Steve Wilson said. "We knew they would be fired up.

"Offensively, they've got a good scheme. Their tight ends did a good job and they converted a lot of first downs.

"That was the difference in the game."

A&M place-kicker Jeremy Licea booted a 32-yard field goal to make it 31-17 early in the third quarter.

Luke found Thomas near the end of the quarter with a 27-yard touchdown pass to put the Bulldogs ahead 38-17.

Licea added another field - a career-long 42-yarder - early in the fourth quarter and fullback Kevin McCants' 30-yard jaunt rounded out the scoring for A&M.

"This gets our hopes up," said Harris, who had six catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns. "This was a confidence builder for us after last week's game."

Banks agreed.

"We needed this win," he said. "That wasn't our team last week."

The win offset a strong effort from Texas Southern's Tino Edgecombe, who completed 29-of-59 passes for 352 yards. He threw three touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions.

Wide receiver B.J. Haith had nine catches for 133 yards and a touchdown, and Roland Robins had seven catches for 73 yards.

"(Edgecombe) was as good as he could be," Jones said. "We battered him.

"He made some plays, but we forced him into some bad throws and turnovers."

Strong defense keeps SU unbeaten

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

MOBILE, Ala. — Late in the first half, Alabama State quarterback Alex Engram told Southern strong safety Glenn Bell, after Bell squared him up for a tackle in the open field, the next time would be different.

Bell disagreed. And, it turns out, Bell was right.

Midway through the third quarter, Bell unloaded on Engram as he tried to make a play with his legs around the left end. Engram got 3 yards to the Southern 2-yard line on third-and-goal. But Bell knocked him out of bounds and out for the next play after trainers helped the wobbly quarterback across the field to the Alabama State sideline.

Rahmod Taylor was then stopped at the 1-yard line on the next play and Southern took possession.

That goal-line stand, with 8:42 left in the third quarter, was the exclamation point to a day in which Southern’s defense paved the way for a 21-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference victory over Alabama State Saturday in the 34th Gulf Coast Classic at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

“Just before halftime, when I tackled him in the open field, he said, ‘Next time, five, I’m going to run over you.’ I was like, ‘Next time, you won’t get up.’ It just so happened, the next time was on the goal line, and he didn’t get up,” said Bell, named the game’s defensive MVP after totaling 10 tackles and one breakup. Bell wears No. 5.

To his credit, Engram, verified the back-and-forth jawing and gave Bell and the SU defense respect.

“It was a bootleg pass,” Engram said. “I was looking for my guy. He didn’t show up, so I tried to run and make a play. The guy gave me a lick, that’s all. He’s a good athlete. They have a good defense.”

Photo: SU’s Vince Lands (33) and Gary Chapman (39) pressure ASU quarterback Alex Engram.

The clash of SWAC unbeatens was in no way an offensive masterpiece. But it was a day for gritty defense.

Southern (5-0, 3-0 SWAC) turned the ball over four times (getting one back on a wild play in which the Alabama State defender who recovered the initial fumble subsequently fumbled himself) in the first half and five times overall.

Plus, SU had minus-6 yards, with two three-and-outs, an interception and a safety in the end zone in the third quarter. And SU had a first-quarter rushing touchdown wiped out by a holding penalty.

Southern scored twice in the second quarter — on a 21-yard touchdown run by Brian Threat (12:35 before halftime) and a 3-yard quarterback keeper by Lee (4:36 before halftime) — to take a 14-0 halftime lead.

Because of Alabama State’s solid defense, the Jaguars couldn’t get any continuity until deep in the fourth quarter, when the offense flipped field position with a strong drive and iced the game with Lee’s 23-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Gerard Landry.

Lee, who hadn’t thrown an interception in his previous five starts, tied a career high with three Saturday, but he still threw for 242 yards and one touchdown. And running back Darren Coates, the game’s offensive MVP, ran for 67 yards and had a career-best 119 receiving yards. His 51-yard catch set up Lee’s TD pass to Landry.

“I’m proud of the effort of my football team,” Southern coach Pete Richardson said. “We had to play hard for 60 minutes. We knew they had won quite a few games in the second half, so we had to stay with our game plan.”

Alabama State (4-1, 3-1), meanwhile, alternated quarterbacks because of a staphylococcus infection to the right knee of Chris Mitchell, who had started the previous three games. Mitchell was 2-for-19 for 17 yards and two interceptions, while Engram was 6-for-14 for 67 yards. SU broke up 10 passes, including five by linebacker Gary Chapman, whose fourth-quarter interception ended Alabama State’s last possession.

Alabama State running back Jay Peck, a first-team All-SWAC selection last season who leads the conference in rushing, had 35 yards on 16 carries — his lowest total since last season’s opener against Troy, when he had 20 yards and had yet to make a name for himself.

“We had to shut down that running back,” Richardson said. “We played a lot of eight-man fronts.”

All told, Alabama State, the team that had made four fourth-quarter comebacks, outscoring foes 46-23 in the period, had zero points for the first time all season. Alabama State’s only points came one play after SU’s goal-line stand, with linebacker Leland Jones Jr. tackling Coates in the end zone with 8:37 left in the third quarter.

SU played without its top tackler, linebacker Johnathan Malveaux (high ankle sprain), who didn’t make the trip. The Jaguars defense has allowed just two second-half touchdowns this season. It was the second time this season that the Jaguars defense could claim a “moral shutout.” Previously, the unit had underscored a 12-2 victory over Prairie View.

“I can’t say enough about our defense,” Landry said. “They played their heart out every down. They didn’t quit. Things didn’t go their way, but they kept fighting, kept fighting. The offense, we kept going three-and-out, but they didn’t complain. I can’t say enough.”

“The defense pumped us up, and we got it done,” Lee said.

Alabama State fumbled at the SU 31 and missed a 22-yard field-goal try in the second quarter. Then, the Hornets offense held the ball for 11 minutes in the third quarter and came away empty — turning the ball over on downs at the Southern 1 and SU 16 with 4:22 left in the third quarter and at the SU 18 with 12:26 left in the fourth quarter, with Chapman making his interception on the last Alabama State possession.

“I’ll be honest with you, we didn’t really have a great week of practice,” SU defensive coordinator Terrence Graves said. “We talked with them (Friday night) and told them the practice week was over; we have to go out and set the tone.”

A week earlier, SU’s defense gave up a series of big plays as the Jaguars fell behind by 21 points. But the offense came alive and the defense clamped down as SU went on to a 41-34 victory over Tennessee State.

“We’re a team,” Bell said. “Last week, we weren’t playing too well, and the offense caught our slack. ... We play together as a team, and that’s why we win.”

“It was just a testament,” Graves said. “They made the determination they weren’t going to let those guys score. All the credit goes to those guys.”

SOUTHERN 21, ALABAMA STATE 2: Southern shuts down Hornets

Photo: Southern's Brian Lewis brings down Alabama State's Rahmod Trayloy during the 34th annual Gulf Coast Classic football game in Mobile.

Gulf Coast Classic: Attendance - 16,130

Special to the Montgomery Advertiser

MOBILE -- Before the season, Alabama State head football coach Reggie Barlow chose the theme: "Push it to the Limit," which turned out to be quite apropos, as each of the first four games came down to pivotal plays in the final few minutes.

In the Gulf Coast Classic -- against a formidable Southern defense -- the Cinderella season hit its first bit of adversity as ASU simply ran out of magic dust and fell 21-2 to Southern on Saturday.

"It was a tough game," Barlow said. "We were really bad on offense. We moved the ball, but we couldn't take advantage of the opportunities."

Alabama State quarterbacks Alex Engram and Chris Mitchell combined to go 8-of-33 for only 84 yards and two interceptions. Southern's Bryant Lee, who had not thrown an interception in 183 consecutive attempts, tossed three picks during a 16-of-29, 242-yard performance.

Between the teams, there were 14 punts and eight turnovers.

Still, the Jaguars made just enough big plays to get an important SWAC win. However, the ASU defense would get none of the blame from Barlow.

"Those guys (ASU defense) are great," he said. "They play so hard, but we just didn't get them any help from the other side of the ball."

Rechard Johnson tallied 10 tackles, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and broke up a pass. Not to be outdone, Leland Jones had his breakout game of the season with seven tackles -- including two for loss -- forced a fumble, broke up a pass and picked up a quarterback hurry. Also, his third-quarter tackle of Chad Harris in the end zone accounted for the Hornets' only points of the night.

"We don't care what happens, we are one team," Jones said. "If one side of the ball is struggling, it's our responsibility as teammates to pick them up. That's what we do for each, and that's what we'll do this week as we get ready for Jackson State."

The Hornets will travel to Jackson, Miss., to take on the Tigers at 3 p.m.

Late field goal lifts Grambling to victory over Prairie View A&M

State Fair Classic - Attendance: 55,878

DALLAS — Senior kicker Tim Manuel nailed a 19-yard field goal with 1:22 left in the fourth quarter as the Grambling State Tigers held off a furious second-half charge by Prairie View A&M for a 17-14 victory Saturday night.

The game remained scoreless for most of the first half until Grambling State (3-1) mounted a 12-play, 71-yard drive that had an interesting ending.

The Tigers drove to Prairie View's 3 but came up short after quarterback Larry Kerlegan was stopped at the 3. On fourth-and-goal with the team lined up in field goal formation with 1 second left, GSU gambled and executed a perfect fake field goal capped off with a Kovarus Hill shuffle pass to John Carter.

The Tigers went up 14-0 margin at the 7:36 mark in the third quarter when quarterback Brandon Landers found wideout Clyde Edwards in the end zone for a 41-yard score.

Then Prairie View (2-2) rallied.

Quarterback Mark Spivey passed 38 yards to Shaun Stephens to cut the deficit to 14-7 early in the quarter. On GSU's next drive, Gary Hicks intercepted a Landers' pass and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown to tie the game.

The Tigers then went into ball- control mode and rode the backs of freshmen running backs Cornelius Walker and Frank Warren. The duo, who set up Manuel's game-winning field goal, combined to lead the Tigers on a 16-play, 76-yard drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock.

Prairie View had a chance to tie but Nigel Copeland blocked a 57-yard field goal attempt to seal the victory.

Grambling's Cornelius Walker rushed for 109 yards, and Brandon Landers passed for 173 yards and a touchdown.

Clyde Edwards, who caught seven passes for 100 yards, hauled in a 41-yard TD from Landers that put the Tigers ahead 14-0 midway through the third.

Mark Spivey threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Shaun Stephens that brought Prairie View within 14-7 with 11:02 remaining.

Less than a minute later, Gary Hicks intercepted a pass and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown.

Grambling then drove for the winning score by converting all three of its third down conversions on a 76-yard drive.

Walker's 23-yard run to the 3 set up Manuel's game-winning kick.

NMSU avoids scare against Pine Bluff

Photo: The Golden Lion defense gives NMSU more problems than anticipated.

By Teddy Feinberg/Las Cruces Sun-News

LAS CRUCES — The New Mexico State Aggies avoided a major scare on Saturday night.

Still questions remain about the team heading into the second half of the season.

NMSU (3-2) squeaked by Arkansas-Pine Bluff 20-17 behind a Paul Young 37-yard field goal with .7-seconds remaining in regulation. Pine Bluff (1-4), a Division 1-AA program, came in as serious underdogs but gave the Aggies all they could handle and then some. It was the Golden Lions first Division 1 game for a program that has existed for over 100 years.

"They came in here and we let them stay in the game with us and they took it," Mumme said. "They made plays."

There are concerns following Saturday's game that go beyond the final score however. Quarterback Chase Holbrook took a vicious shot midway through the fourth quarter that forced him to come out for an extended period of time. Holbrook eventually did return to lead the team downfield on the game winning drive, but was noticeably shook up throughout the closing minutes of the contest.

Mumme said that Holbrook injured his ribs and that his status is uncertain at this point.

"They're looking at him," Mumme said of Holbrook and the medical staff. "It's his ribs."

Another red flag was just how badly NMSU struggled against the Golden Lions. NMSU's vaunted offense outgained UAPB by just 70 yards (297-367), and the Aggies secondary gave up 234-yards passing. Pine Bluff's feature runner Martell Mallet ran for 87 yards on 18 carries and gave NMSU fits throughout.

"We made some mistakes," Floyd said. "Some people got blocked, some people were out of position at times and sometimes we were in the right positions and missed some tackles."

After taking a 10-0 lead early on and eventually a 17-7 advantage, NMSU let the Golden Lions back in the game.

After kicking a field goal at the halftime horn to cut the lead down to seven, Pine Bluff came out in the second half and drove immediately downfield. Two third-down plays highlighted the scoring march. The first one came on third-and-22 from midfield, when quarterback Johnathan Moore dumped it off to Mallett near the line of scrimmage. Mallett gutted the middle of the Aggie defense, breaking tackles and barreling his way down to the NMSU 27 for the first down.

Three plays later, facing a third-and-10, Moore felt pressure and lobbed a ball down towards the goalline. Jason Jones came down with it, outleaping cornerback Chris Woods at the 1 before falling to the ground. Mallett took it in on a pitch-right two plays later. The extra point tied things at 17.

"It just seemed like we were flat even during warmups," safety Derrick Richardson said. "They definitely were better than we thought they were."

The score remained deadlocked at 17 until late in the fourth quarter with Pine Bluff threatening. With the ball at the NMSU 28 on third-and-5, Moore went for the endzone. The ball was tipped by Alex Bernard and picked by Richardson, who fell to the ground for the touchback with 2:30 remaining in regulation.

Two plays later, backup quarterback J.J. McDermott threw a fade down the right sideline for Chris Williams, who was bumped by cornerback Jermaine Clemmons while going up for the ball. The officials threw the flag, calling a pass interference penalty on the play, a 15-yard infraction.

"It was definitely a good call," Williams said. "I went up and he ran right into me."

Holbrook re-entered the game and helped move the ball down the Pine Bluff 20. Holbrook hit wide receiver Wes Neiman on third-and-6 from the Pine Bluff 47 for an 18 yard pickup with just under a minute remaining.

The Aggies got the ball down to the 20 when Young lined up for his 37-yarder.

"I'd thought he'd make it," Mumme said. "I'm pretty optimistic all the time."

15,329 fans came out for Saturday night's game, highlighted by the

Tough Enough to Wear Pink fundraiser. Mumme's wife June led the charge as part of a breast cancer awareness movement. Thousands of fans came out dressed in pink in support of the cause. Over $225,000 was generated coming into the evening, with donations still expected to come.

UAPB Golden Lions go to wire with NMSU

By Mike Marzelli/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Oliver Stone couldn’t have penned a more stunning script than the one that very nearly unfolded Saturday evening.
In almost completing a turnaround that could have easily been ripped from a Hollywood movie, an Arkansas-Pine Bluff team that couldn’t have been more down and out after a humbling 55-point loss just seven days ago waltzed into New Mexico State and outplayed what was supposed to be the most difficult opponent in school history, but fell just short when Paul Young booted a game-winning 37-yard field goal on the last play from scrimmage to allow the Aggies to escape with a 20-17 win before 15,329 pink-clad fans.

State was put in position for its final drive after UAPB (1-4 1-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) squandered a golden opportunity to grab the lead when quarterback Johnathan Moore was intercepted in the end zone by the Aggies’ Derrick Richardson with 2:36 to play after the Lions had driven down to the 28-yard line.

NMSU (3-2) backup quarterback J.J. McDermott opened the game-winning drive under center after starting quarterback Chase Holbrook was knocked from the game on the previous series, but Holbrook returned after McDermott moved the ball to his own 45-yard line and completed the 11-play, 60-yard drive to set up Young on the right hash mark of UAPB 20-yard line. The end-over-end kick was right down the middle and set off fireworks and a stadium-wide celebration.

“I thought our kids accepted the challenge and we took it down to the wire, we just came up short,” said UAPB head coach Mo Forte, who coached the game from the press box. “ Our defense played really well and our offense finally generated some yards and we put it all together and had some chances, we just didn’t finish it off.”

UAPB showed a renewed sense of confidence and a far better execution in racking up 297 total yards. Moore played his best game of the season, completing 16-of-34 for 234 yards and a touchdown, while wide receiver Jason Jones caught five passes for 64 yards and Raymond Webber hauled in three for 32 yards and a touchdown.

The passing game was sparked by a modest yet much-improved running game, led by Martell Mallett’s 84 yards and a touchdown, but the biggest improvement came up front, where UAPB’s offensive line put together an effort that easily surpassed anything it had shown to date.

“We knew that if their quarterback got hot they could really cause us some problems but their offensive line really surprised us,” New Mexico State coach Hal Mumme said. “We didn’t underestimate them because we knew they have athletes, my hat just goes off to coach Forte because his team played great.”

The Golden Lions played equally well on defense, holding one of the NCAA’s top offenses to 367 yards and limiting Holbrook, who has been mentioned as a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate, to 246 yards and an interception just one week after giving up 58 points to Southern Illinois.

“Last week was just an off week and we were embarrassed,” UAPB defensive end Ledarius Anthony said. “This week the defense came together and the offense played its best game all year and we had the game in our hands, it just slipped away from us.”

Down 10-7 after 30 minutes, the overwhelming underdogs from Pine Bluff could have called it a night after first half and left with a moral victory. Instead, they showed that they meant business on the first drive of the third quarter, converting a 3rd-and-11 from the State 27-yard line with a 26-yard pass to Jones and tying the game two plays later on a 1-yard Mallett touchdown run. The 11-play drive covered 70 yards in 5:05, yet more than anything it signified that the contest was far from over.

The teams traded blanks for the next 30 minutes of the game, with a missed 42-yard field goal from Heflin and a botched 34-yard attempt by State’s Paul Young the only serious threats during the stretch until the final second.

“Our guys were confident even after last week and they played that way,” Forte said. “We knew we could play with these guys and we hung around the whole way.”

The Golden Lions fell behind 10-0 right off the bat, but unlike last week they refused to fold. After consecutive three-and-outs to open the game, UAPB’s offense bounced back from the deficit with an 8-play, 89-yard drive in just 2:55, culminating with a 17-yard touchdown from Moore to Webber at the 3:04 mark of the first quarter.

Things could have gotten even closer midway through the second quarter when defensive linemen Kenneth Leichman forced Tonny Glynn fumble and cornerback Menall Webster fell on it at the Aggie 39-yard line, but UAPB’s drive stalled at the 14-yard line when Mallett was stuffed on a 4th-and-1.

New Mexico State rallied around the defensive stand, turned around and drove 85 yards in 10 plays to take a 17-7, however that did not put a stop to the Lions’ furious charge, as they marched right back down the field and got a 43-yard Brodie Heflin field goal on the final play of the first half to head into the locker room down 17-10.

UAPB could have gotten more out of the drive but twice let more than 20 seconds run off the game clock without calling time out despite the fact that they had all three time outs remaining.

The Golden Lions will be off this week before returning to SWAC play on Oct. 13 when they will face Grambling State in the Delta Classic for Literacy Little Rock.

NCCU Eagles' tough 'D' has its work cut out today

ON THE AIR: NCCU vs. Presbyterian College, 2 p.m., Internet TV: http://www.jarvistv.com/nccu/index.asp

By MIKE POTTER, The Herald-Sun

N.C. Central has been making plenty of history on the football field over the last couple of seasons, and the Eagles will be making some more today no matter whether they win or lose.

Mose Rison's 4-1 Eagles will carry the state's longest active college football winning streak into the game today at 2 p.m., when they host 1-3 Presbyterian at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium. It will be the schools' first meeting in football.

The game is historic because it marks the first time that NCCU, which is in its first season as a member of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly NCAA Division I-AA), will face a fellow FCS team at home.

In fact the Eagles and the Blue Hose are the only two teams in their first season in the FCS, thus the easy idea of beginning a home-and-home series.

"They're going to find out where they are and we're going to find out where we are," said Rison, a career veteran of the college assistant-coaching ranks who is in his first season at the Eagles' helm.

Presbyterian coach Bobby Bentley also is in his first season at the helm after a long career as a successful high school coach in South Carolina.

"It's been an experience so far," said Bentley, whose team's losses have come to established FCS teams in Furman, Samford and Western Carolina. "I think we're hanging in there. Our guys are playing hard. And in the Samford and Western Carolina games we've been in the game into the fourth quarter."

This could be the best team NCCU has played this season, as the first four games were against Division II teams and Saturday's win at N.C. A&T stretched the FCS-level Aggies' losing streak to 20 games.

And it should be a major contrast in styles. While the Eagles have won with defense, the Blue Hose -- who before this season were members of the Division II South Atlantic Conference -- have rolled up the offensive yardage.

The Eagles are averaging 215 yards total offense and allowing 263, while Presbyterian is producing 462.2 yards per game and allowing 418.2.

"This is a very, very good football team we're playing," Rison said. "They have an extremely talented quarterback [junior Grayson Mullins] and they love to throw the football. And they have played a very tough schedule."

Mullins has completed 66 of 123 passes for 960 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. With a more conservative-type attack NCCU's Stadford Brown has completed 58 of 115 for 604 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions.

Presbyterian's sophomore running back S.J. Worrell has 215 rushing yards on 42 carries, and has caught 16 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns.

The Eagles have had a solid 1-2 junior punch at the wideout spots, as Wayne Blackwell has 16 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns while Will Scott has 11 catches for 203 yards and three TDs.

And each team has a big-play defensive back. NCCU senior cornerback Craig Amos has three interceptions, five breakups, three fumble recoveries and two blocked kicks. Presbyterian's junior strong safety Anthony McKnight has four tackles-for-losses, an interception and four deflected passes.

NOTES -- NCCU schedule for this season includes five Division II opponents, four FCS members and one team (Western Kentucky) that is transitioning from the FCS to the Football Bowl Subdivision. Presbyterian's 11-game slate has eight FCS opponents (all on the road), two Division II teams and NAIA member Pikeville College. The only common opponent is Division II North Greenville, which will play at Presbyterian next weekend and then be the Eagles' homecoming opponent on Oct. 13.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Can the Eagles slow down Presbyterian's offense?

The Blue Hose start with the aerial show off the arm of junior QB Grayson Mullins, and the team averages 342.5 yards through the air. NCCU has 10 interceptions and has allowed one passing touchdown in five games, so when the visitors have the ball it's going to be strength on strength and should be fun to watch. The Eagles are going to need a couple of interceptions, and a sack or two wouldn't hurt.

Will the NCCU offense continue to get better?

NCCU isn't flashy with the ball, but can some up with the occasional big play. And QB Stadford Brown, with a more limited array of weapons than last season, has shown plenty of patience. Freshman RB Tim Shankle is starting to show flashes of brilliance along with freshman WR Deshawn Spears. And freshman Taylor Gray's kicks are improving.

Will the Eagles be able to focus?

Football fans around the area who rarely pay attention to NCCU are still talking about the fight that happened after the close victory over N.C. A&T. But the folks from Presbyterian don't care. It's not a rivalry now, but these are the only teams in their first season in Division I (Football Championship Subdivision). This is NCCU's biggest challenge to date.

THE PICK

N.C. Central 27, Presbyterian 21

Howard's offense is expected to keep WSSU occupied

Photo: Senior QB BRIAN JOHNSON #13, (53 of 85, 537 yards, 6 TD; 49 carries, 236 yards) hands ball off to #28 Frank Berchie.

ON THE AIR: Internet TV broadcast, www.howard-bison.com/ or http://www.broadcasturban.net/player/hubison/player.htm (direct link)

WSSU: Radio, WSNC 90.5 with Maurice "Big Mo" Stanfield.

Game Time: 1:00 p.m. today, Greene Stadium, Washington, DC.

By John Dell, JOURNAL REPORTER

Winston-Salem State’s long and winding road trip will continue today at Howard.

The Rams (2-2) will play their fourth straight road game in a string of six, taking on the Bison (0-3) at 1 p.m. at Greene Stadium in Washington.

Howard, under first-year coach Carey Bailey, has lost to Hampton, Florida A&M and Eastern Michigan, but Coach Kermit Blount of WSSU doesn’t want his team to take the Bison lightly.

“Our players have to know it’s still a four-quarter game,” said Blount, who was once an assistant at Howard. “We’ve got to play four quarters no matter who we’re playing.”

The defense has kept the Rams in games all season, and it will have another challenge today with Howard’s Brian Johnson, one of the most versatile quarterbacks in the MEAC.

Johnson, a 6-0, 190-pound senior and junior-college transfer, took over as the starter late last season and guided the Bison to four wins in their last five games. This season, he is second in the MEAC in passing with an average of 179 yards and second in total offense with an average of 258 yards. He has completed 53 of 85 passes for 537 yards and six touchdowns, with two interceptions, and has rushed for 236 yards.

“We have to contain him and not let him get outside the pocket,” Blount said. “Our ends (William Hayes and Michael Moore) have to contain him and try to put a little heat on him. We have to try to put some pressure on him and force him to make some errant throws and kind of frustrate him a little bit.”

Blount said that his offense needs to be more consistent and sustain some long drives, something it hasn’t done since a season-opening win against N.C. A&T. The Rams’ defense has been on the field often in the last three games.

Quarterback Monte Purvis, who suffered a sprained left shoulder in last week’s 20-7 loss to S.C. State, has missed a lot of practice time this week and is listed as probable. If he can’t go, Jarrett Dunston will make his first start.

“If Monte’s not at least 90 percent healthy by the end of the week, then he won’t play,” Blount said.

No matter who the quarterback is, finding some kind of flow would be helpful.

“The thing we’ve talked about is throwing the football more on first down and getting some completions,” Blount said. “We want to stay out of third and long and get out of that cycle. We really need to do that if we want to keep moving the ball.”

Blount said that playing six straight road games isn’t ideal but that it isn’t a reason to make excuses.

“I don’t want to blame it on anything like that,” Blount said of last week’s loss. “We’ll be on the road for our fourth straight road game, and I’m not going to say the kids are tired or the coaches are tired. The bottom line is we didn’t execute, and we jumped offsides in that last drive against South Carolina State and kind of shot ourselves in the foot.”

WSSU forced four turnovers against S.C. State, but the offense failed to take advantage.

“We need to get our offense consistent,” Blount said. “That’s something we’ve been working on all season. One thing I can’t complain about is this team’s effort. I think it’s one of the hardest-working teams we’ve ever had here.”

Notes: Linebacker Thad Griffin leads the Rams in tackles with 41. He has been the leading tackler the last two seasons…. Howard is ranked sixth in the MEAC in scoring (18.7 ppg) and eight in points allowed (33 ppg)…. Blount has a 1-2 record against Howard, with the win coming last season at Bowman Gray Stadium, 12-0.

UAPB faces another difficult assignment

BY BECK CROSS, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

LAS CRUCES, N. M. — Arkansas-Pine Bluff Coach Mo Forte insists he’s not looking for any moral victories when the Golden Lions take on New Mexico State tonight at Aggie Memorial Stadium.

“No, I won’t be led down that road,” Forte said. “The bottom line for me is winning, and that’s the way it’s always going to be.”

Pulling off a victory against New Mexico State could be a far-fetched notion for even the staunchest optimist.

The Golden Lions (1-3 ) are coming off a 58-3 loss last week at Southern Illinois, marking its worst rout in four seasons under Forte and the program’s worst since a 63-0 loss to Mississippi Valley State in 1983.

UAPB’s defense, which had been top-ranked in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, gave up almost 600 yards in total offense to the Salukis.

“Any time you get beat like we got beat, the kids come back to practice more enthused,” UAPB defensive coordinator Monte Coleman said “They [players ] were embarrassed, and we [coaches ] were embarrassed. We don’t want to have that happen again, so they came back and had a good week of practice.”

Offensively, it’s been a struggle from the beginning. UAPB, which last year boasted the top-ranked offense in the SWAC, has scored only 10. 8 points per game. The Golden Lions’ average of 222. 8 yards a game in total offense ranks ninth in the SWAC.

Against Southern Illinois, UAPB had only 51 yards of total offense in the first half and trailed 30-0 at halftime.

“The same thing that plagued us last week is the same thing that’s bothered us all year,” Forte said. “We just haven’t been able to generate any offense on a consistent basis.” On paper, New Mexico State’s offense is even more talented than Southern Illinois’. New Mexico State ranks seventh in the nation in passing offense with 363. 8 yards per game and is 16 th nationally in total offense with 487. 2 yards a game. Junior quarterback Chase Holbrook is eighth nationally

ense (355. 8 yards per game ) and 21 st in passing efficiency (152. 7 ). Junior wide receiver Chris Williams had 109 yards in receiving last week against Auburn to mark his third consecutive 100-yard game. New Mexico State led Auburn 20-14 last week on the road late in the second quarter before losing 42-20.

“I knew this was a tough schedule going into the season,” Forte said. “But you want to have tough games because your team is never going to know how good they are unless they play tough teams.

“ We’re playing a very talented Division I team and that’s going to be good for us in the long run.” Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. New Mexico St. WHEN 7 p. m. Central today WHERE Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, N. M. RECORDS UAPB 1-3; New Mexico State 2-2 COACHES Maurice “Mo” Forte (18-18 in fourth season at UAPB, 66-86-1 in 14 th season overall ); Hal Mumme (6-22 in third season at New Mexico State, 103-86-1 in 17 th season overall ) SERIES First meeting RADIO KUAP-FM, 89. 7, in Pine Bluff

DSU faces big test at Hampton

By KRISTIAN POPE, The News Journal

Win would give Hornets significant boost in chase for MEAC title

DOVER -- A conversation this week between a Delaware State assistant football coach and a Hornets player ended with a rather urgent statement, considering it is still September.

"He said if we don't win this game," junior fullback Adam Shrewsbury said of today's game at No. 13 Hampton, "then our season is over."

While no DSU coaches were willing to make that statement publicly, it hit home with guys like Shrewsbury, who feel the program's push to win a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship.

Photo: DSU Coach Al Lavan Hornets are ready for Hampton.

Is today's game DSU's most important of the season?

"That's what it is," Shrewsbury said. "But every game is going to be like that. We're not promised anything. It's the biggest game of the season, but every game will be the biggest from this point."

Just three games into the season, and with virtually the entire schedule of league games remaining, here's how the postseason looks for DSU (2-1, 1-0 MEAC) heading into today's game:

Hampton, while not the overwhelming power it was last season, appears to be the best team in the MEAC. The Pirates are 3-0, with all their wins over MEAC teams.

If the Hornets lose today, they would need Hampton to lose twice in MEAC play in order to have a chance at the regular-season championship and automatic berth in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

South Carolina State (2-2, 2-0 MEAC), the preseason favorite, travels to Hampton on Oct. 20 and plays host to DSU on Oct. 27. Either one of those games could determine the champion.

"Every game [from] here out is for the MEAC championship," DSU senior defensive lineman Kelly Rouse said. "But they're [Hampton] the champs. You got to knock off the champs."

Beating Hampton on its own turf hasn't been easy for DSU. The last time it happened was 1969, when coach Arnold Jeter led DSU to a 20-0 win.

The teams didn't meet from 1971 to 1994. Since the series resumed in 1995, Hampton has gone 11-1 against the Hornets.

QUICKSLANTS: Grambling vs. Prairie View

By Nick Deriso, The News Star

First-year Grambling coach Rod Broadway isn’t in an overconfident mood, despite an emotional win over the league’s reigning champ last week — and the Tigers’ recent success against Prairie View.
“I hope our guys can get ready to play,” Broadway said. “Our goal is to improve weekly. The team that continues to improve is the one with a pretty good record at the end of the year.”

GSU hasn’t lost to Prairie View since 1986.

FIXING ‘A LOT OF STUFF’
Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones said he is starting over after a 31-6 drubbing at Grambling.

Asked during the league’s Monday coaches teleconference if he saw adjustments that needed to be made on offense, which had been averaging 45 points a game, Jones answered simply: “Yes.”

Asked to elaborate, at first he only said: “A lot of stuff. … a lot of stuff.”

Jones summed up the Grambling game like this: “They have a very good football team,” he said. “They’re talented; they’ve got size; they’ve got strength. They’ve got some kids who love to play football and they play it with passion.”

The Bulldogs have never won consecutive games over Grambling. Up next is Texas Southern, a team that pulled off a stunning upset in 2005 as A&M advanced to the first of two consecutive SWAC title matches.

FINALLY, A SCORE
Clyde Edwards notched a receiving touchdown against A&M last week, something the Grambling senior had somehow failed to do over four previous meetings.

“They blitz us, sending everybody they possibly can,” Edwards said. “A lot times that leaves the slot man (Henry Tolbert, in the past) open. That meant I had decent games, but I just hadn’t scored against them yet.”

He had five catches for 51 yards, giving Edwards 20 career receptions for 290 yards against A&M.


ENEMY LINES: PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
Prairie View’s bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for its passing game.

The Panthers (2-1 overall; 1-1 in the SWAC) have no touchdown passes versus five picks so far in ’07, and were held scoreless in their most recent game — a 12-2 loss to Southern.

“We are throwing the ball around, but we are still a work in progress,” said Prairie View coach Henry Frazier. “It’s a combination of protecting quarterback, and getting that chemistry down.”

The Panthers, ranked No. 10 after Week 3 in the Sheridan Broadcasting Network poll, sit at the bottom of the SWAC with four offensive touchdowns so far in 2007, but rank No. 7 overall with 259 yards a game.

Versatile Prairie View quarterback Chris Gibson’s 60 rushing yards a night have made him the No. 6 rusher in the SWAC. (Only four running backs have more touchdowns.) But Gibson’s 104 passing yards a game rank at the bottom among starters in the SWAC, and only one quarterback has a worse completion percentage.

Frazier admits that Prairie View recognizes the challenge ahead against a remade GSU defense. Grambling knocked A&M off a league-leading pace for offensive yards and points in a 25-point win last week.

“Watching Grambling’s defense, that was very impressive,” said Frazier, who is 0-3 against GSU. “We’ve got our work cut for us this week.”

Longtime ex-Grambling assistant Heishma Northern leads a rapidly improving Prairie View defense ranked No. 3 in the 10-team league for yards and touchdowns surrendered. No SWAC unit has been better in the red zone so far this season, as the Panthers have allowed just 11 points per game.

Grambling, however, has averaged 51 points a game over the past five wins at the State Fair Classic.

SWAC ATTACK
DOUBLE THE FUN
Two surprising teams, Southern and Alabama State, meet in a battle of undefeated teams on Saturday.

“You say ‘surprising,’ but look at our league,” said Jaguars coach Pete Richardson. “We have a couple of teams with experience coming back. Other teams are going through a transition because of injury.”

Richardson, coming off a pair of first-ever losing seasons in Baton Rouge, heads a maturing and finally healthy team.

He recognizes the challenge ahead of him: Both are at 4-0 overall, with Southern at 2-0 and first-year coach Reggie Barlow’s ASU at 3-0 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play.

“Alabama State has a very young, energetic coach,” Richardson said. “They are buying into his system. The more they play, the more confidence they receive.”

JSU JUST ROLLING
Jackson State cruised to an easy 50-16 victory over Mississippi Valley, before an announced crowd of 11,700 at Rice-Totten Stadium. That’s now 13 straight for JSU.

State Fair Classic: Grambling State (2-1, 2-0) at Prairie View (2-1, 1-1)

By BOBBI ROQUEMORE, The Dallas Morning News

Grambling State (2-1, 2-0) at Prairie View (2-1, 1-1)

6 p.m. today, Cotton Bowl

No line

Grambling owns rivalry
The Grambling State Tigers won their 19th consecutive game over the Prairie View A&M Panthers, 53-7, at the 2006 State Fair Classic. Grambling has scored 50 or more points in each of the last four meetings and leads the all-time series, 44-13.

Prairie View, however, is an improving team finally capable of freeing itself from Grambling's grip. Prairie View has allowed just 33 points this season. LB Zach East has been a beast on defense with a team-high 34 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.

QB Chris Gibson is the leading rusher with 182 yards on 6.1 yards per carry. DB Val Ford is an alert special teams player who, after recovering two blocked punts, turned them into touchdowns in Prairie View's 22-7 victory over North Carolina A&T on Sept. 8.

Grambling, meanwhile, is coming off a 31-6 win against defending SWAC champion Alabama A&M on Sept. 22. QB Brandon Landers completed 22 of 32 passes for 235 yards and two touchdown passes. WR Clyde Edwards has four touchdown receptions in three games. Muhammad Karim (Lincoln) starts at RG and John Scroggins (Wilmer-Hutchins) starts at DE.

Grambling State wins if ...
QB Brandon Landers can stymie Prairie View's defense early. Grambling has scored an average of 14.7 points in the first half this season. Prairie View will have trouble keeping up in a high-scoring game.

Prairie View wins if ...
Every unit – offense, defense and special teams – contributes with at least one big play to force Grambling to take notice. The combination of pride and power can carry a team a long way.

BC-U 'Cats eye elusive MEAC win

By SEAN KERNAN, Daytona Beach News Journal

DAYTONA BEACH -- When the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats opened the 2007 football season, winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference was the team's goal.

Today, heading into the fifth game of the season and third in the MEAC, the Wildcats are still in search of their first conference victory.

Conference wins also eluded the Wildcats last season, when B-CU went 3-5 in league play and dropped its last three MEAC encounters. In fact, the Wildcats have lost seven of the eight MEAC games they've played since the end of September 2006. The slide began with a 28-14 setback to Morgan State, today's homecoming opponent.

That's right -- homecoming -- in September. Today's 4 p.m. kickoff at Municipal Stadium marks one of the earliest homecomings in B-CU's history. And the Wildcats (2-2 overall, 0-2 in MEAC) could use all the help they can from a partisan crowd expected to top 12,000 because things just haven't gone well of late.

But the way for the Wildcats to turn things around is rather simple, according to head coach Alvin Wyatt.

"Big plays (against your team) and fumbles -- those things you can't have," Wyatt said this week. "You have those things, you're going to lose football games. I'll tell you, if we eliminated our turnovers, we're undefeated. I can't get out there and catch the football. That's something that we're going to have to make up in our minds that we're going to do. We have to stay on track and catch those pitches."

BC-U QB Jimmie Russell

The Wildcats have lost just four fumbles and thrown one interception this season, but their turnovers have resulted in outright or easy touchdowns in narrow losses to South Carolina State and Norfolk State.

The costly fumbles have come on pitches from quarterback Jimmie Russell, but Wyatt says the problem is the A-backs have not remained on the proper track for the blind pitches from the senior quarterback. Wyatt has had the A-backs review older game films showing past performers at that position run the proper track for the pitch.

When it comes to stopping the big play today, the Wildcats might have their hands full containing Morgan State running back Chad Simpson, who is third in the nation and first in conference with an average of 175 rushing yards per game.

"I know how quick he is," Wyatt said. "I know how he can hurt you."

But Wyatt, who has seen his defense play too soft against the run in conference games to date, doesn't care if Simpson gets his yardage just as long as the Wildcats keep the Bears out of the end zone.

"I don't care if they run for a thousand yards as long as they don't get into the end zone," Wyatt said.

B-CU gets a defensive boost today with the return of senior linebacker Rodney Hughes, who has been sidelined while he recovers from a hand injury.

"We got our leader back. We have our impact player in our defense," Wyatt said in reference to Hughes' return. "He's the guy. It does allow us to be able to do different things with him back."

Morgan State, although it is No. 1 in the conference in rushing offense and rushing defense, has problems of its own. The Bears have been doing a quarterback shuffle between Mario Melton and Byron Selby because of their inconsistent play.

"It's been like a rock 'n' roll concert," said Morgan State coach Donald Hill-Eley. "It's been tough getting them to have any consistency. You bring one of them out to sing the lead and later you have to bring in the backup singer to sing the lead."

Morgan State at Bethune-Cookman

WHAT: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game

WHERE: Municipal Stadium

KICKOFF: 4 p.m.

RADIO: WELE 1380-AM

RECORDS: Morgan State 1-3 (0-1 in MEAC); B-CU 2-2 (0-2)

SERIES: B-CU leads 16-5 PLAYMAKERS: Morgan State: RB Chad Simpson (first in the MEAC and third nationally in FCS Division with average of 175 rushing yards per game), QB Mario Melton, QB Byron Selby, LB Jerrell Guyton (second in MEAC with average of 10 tackles per game). B-CU: QB Jimmie Russell (seventh in MEAC rushing at 84 yards per game); MLB Ronnie McCullough (9.7 tackles per game, fourth best in conference), FS Bobbie Williams (averages 8 tackles per game, 10th in conference), KR Corey Council (averages 30.1 yards per return, second in conference).

STORYLINE: B-CU has lost its last five Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference games dating back to last season and seven of its last eight conference games. The Wildcats have quietly gone from a MEAC power to a team struggling for an identity in a conference that for the most part has a lot of parity. Morgan State was on the verge of a huge win last week before succumbing 24-17 in overtime to three-time defending MEAC champion Hampton. The Bears have dropped four of their last five conference games. The reality is both teams are looking for something that hasn't come easily of late for them -- a conference victory.

DID YOU KNOW?: Before transferring from South Florida to Morgan State, running back Chad Simpson considered joining the Wildcats.

MEAC Officials suspended for calls against B-CU

By BRENT WORONOFF, Daytona Beach News-Journal

DAYTONA BEACH -- Three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football officials were suspended for one game for making inaccurate calls during last week's Bethune-Cookman game at Norfolk State, the conference announced Friday.

"We regret that there were officiating errors during this game," MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas said in a statement released by the conference office. "Ultimately, officials have a responsibility to help protect the integrity of the game and let the teams and coaches decide the outcome on the field."

The statement said the inaccurate calls included "three offensive plays for blocking below the waist, as well as two pass-interference calls, one on offense and one on defense."

The conference did not release the names of the suspended officials.

B-CU President Trudie Kibbe Reed asked the conference to evaluate the matter earlier in the week, and Wildcats coach Alvin Wyatt sent the conference office a tape of the plays in question, according to the MEAC release.

Norfolk State rallied from a 21-10 halftime deficit to defeat B-CU 38-31 last Saturday. The Spartans scored the winning touchdown with 36 seconds left in the game.

"I'm happy and excited," Wyatt said of the conference's decision. "It's something I can read to my players to get them back in the right frame of mind."

BC-U Head Coach Alvin Wyatt asks game officials to make the correct calls on the field versus Norfolk State. MEAC Commissioner says Wyatt was RIGHT, officials WRONG.

The Wildcats play their homecoming game against Morgan State today at 4 p.m. at Municipal Stadium.

"This took a lot out of us," Wyatt said. "It just drained me emotionally, as well as our team, because we knew we did everything we could to have success in the football game and to win the football game.

"This does change the outcome of the game in our minds now. Our hearts tell us regardless of the score, these rulings tell us we won the football game."

In a MEAC media teleconference on Tuesday, Wyatt said the officials misinterpreted a rule that allows an offensive back to make a block below the waist.

Photo: BC-U alignment that was deemed illegal by game officials in game with Norfolk State.

On Friday, Wyatt said the same official to whom he complained about the blocking calls called pass interference against B-CU late in the game. That penalty, which was one of the inaccurate calls cited in the conference release, negated Antwane Cox's interception in the end zone that would have given the Wildcats the ball back leading 31-23 with about four minutes left.

"They had the ball on the (B-CU) 14-yard line and the penalty is supposed to be half the distance," Wyatt said. "But they got the ball on the 2."

Norfolk went on to score a touchdown and tie the game at 31 with a 2-point conversion. The Spartans scored the winning TD after B-CU threw an interception.

Wyatt said the Wildcats would never have been passing in that situation if Cox's interception had not been overturned.

"With the unfavorable position we were put in, we could not win the football game," Wyatt said. "Now everyone knows what happened in the ball game.

"Dr. Trudie Kibbe Reed fought the battle for us. We put it in her hands. Our kids now feel that justice has been served."

OF NOTE: Thomas clarified a comment he made earlier in the week. Thomas said Friday, "MEAC head coaches should not communicate with officials during the week."