Plenty of good happening at SU, in SWAC

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

In the wake of Southern’s first loss of this football season and Monday’s unprompted inflammatory remarks from Jackson State coach Rick Comegy, here’s a good time to talk about what’s good at Southern U.

Pete Richardson. There hasn’t been a week that’s gone by when, in evaluating the coaching matchups for a Saturday game, the edge hasn’t gone to Southern.

The man has been good, steady, honest, decent. He’s a winner. He’s a treasure, for Southern and for Baton Rouge. This is the final year of his contract, and he’s shown all season why he is who he is. Almost weekly, a Southwestern Athletic Conference coach says so, including Comegy on Monday.

He’s 62, in great health, and he’s as loyal as always.

“I want to be at Southern,” Richardson said Monday.

Southern’s offensive line. The Jaguars were doing amazing with six guys taking all the snaps. Saturday, center Demarcus Stewart went down with a calf injury and further complicated matters.

How are they doing what they’re doing? Heart, guts and good coaching from Damon Nivens.

Wide receiver Gerard Landry. The way the senior co-captain scored SU’s final touchdown in a 33-28 loss to Alabama A&M said it all Saturday. On a fourth-and-long, he had to fight to hold his position to even make a catch on the first down, then he had to get through two guys at the goal line. He’s been determined all season.

Defensive end Vince Lands. Top-notch scholar, athlete. All heart. Relentless.
Strong safety Glenn Bell. Inspirational leader. Fiery, yet eloquent. When he says he’d play defensive end if you asked him, believe it.

Quarterback Bryant Lee. A winner in high school and a winner in college. Still learning. The joy in college football is right here in Lee: It’s fun watching the sophomore grow up before our eyes.

Running back Darren Coates. Richardson called the senior, who battled academic issues that sidelined him for two years and then worked his way up the depth chart, the team’s MVP. The guy stuck with it to get where he is. That’s what it’s all about.

Free safety Jarmaul George. The other co-captain came back to Southern, gave this place another chance last season, and is doing everything he said he’d do. Here’s a guy who really grew up and matured. It’s fun to watch guys like Lee while they’re growing. It’s fun to watch guys like George when they’re all grown up.

Defensive tackles Dwayne Charles and Joseph Selders. Smart guys. Personable guys. Hard-working guys.

Linebacker Gary Chatman. Unfazed by missing two seasons of football. Getting better by the game.

Southern’s fans and the people around campus. Warm, friendly, passionate.
SWAC fans, coaches, players and bands. The SWAC is special, and the people make it so. Kids trying to grow up and better themselves. Coaches and teachers who help them do so. Great stuff, daily.

Certainly, there is more good.

Southern University Jaguars Human Jukebox Marching Band

Prairie View coach blasts officials

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Southwestern Athletic Conference Interim Commissioner Duer Sharp said Prairie View coach Henry Frazier III will likely face discipline from the conference after Frazier on Monday morning used the conference’s media teleconference to blast officiating.

“Either they’re cheating or they’re incompetent,” Frazier said of SWAC referees. “Either way you look at it, they have to go.”

When Sharp got on the teleconference later in the morning, Sharp said Frazier had crossed the line.

“It affects what we do, professionally, when we hear a coach say the referees don’t seem competent or are cheating,” Sharp said. “That was probably the most disappointing thing I heard. That’s just something we won’t tolerate here.”

Sharp said Monday afternoon he had talked with Frazier. Sharp said he was sending a letter to Prairie View, and Sharp said Prairie View could appeal any disciplinary action.

“It’s disappointing he used this forum to make those comments,” Sharp said. “It goes against the code of conduct.”

Prairie View won 17-7 at Alcorn State on Saturday.

In that game, Prairie View was called for nine penalties for 78 yards and Alcorn was flagged five times for 30 yards.

Frazier said calls were made in error against Prairie View throughout the game and that on Alcorn’s only score, Nate Hughes’ 70-yard punt return in the second quarter, Alcorn was guilty of clipping twice but not called for either one.

“The referees have to get coached up,” Frazier said. “They’re going to cost people jobs.”

Photo: Prairie View Head Football Coach Henry Frazier

Frazier, who said he also had issue with the statistics kept by Alcorn at the game, said he had forwarded the tape to the conference office and had informed SWAC interim coordinator of officials Harold Mitchell Sr. that he had problems with the way the game was called.


Sharp confirmed Frazier had taken those steps.
“I’ve had several apologies (from the conference office). It’s just the first time I’ve said something,” Frazier said of previous complaints during his four seasons at the school.

Sharp said he has not gotten complaints from Frazier this season until this weekend.

“I’ve never heard from Coach Frazier. &hellip That surprises me,” Sharp said.

Frazier said, in his time at Prairie View, his staff had counted 64 calls against his team in which a flag flew in behind a breakaway play.

“We’re going to put a highlight tape together,” Frazier said.

Frazier said Prairie View (3-2) may be getting penalized excessively because the program’s long history of losing.

“A lot of times people can’t believe we’re a good football team,” Frazier said.

Prairie View has been penalized 53 times for 499 yards this season. Of 10 SWAC teams, only Jackson State, with 53 penalties for 578 yards, has had more yardage stepped off than PV.

“It’s been like that all season long,” Frazier said. “It’s getting frustrating, because it’s on film.”

Sharp said his office routinely reviews officiating and regularly gets input from coaches.

“If you do make bad calls on a consistent basis, you won’t work in this league,” Sharp said.

Jackson State coach Comegy reprimanded

Photo: JSU Head Coach Rick Comegy

Jackson State’s band, the Sonic Boom of the South, will not be at the game Saturday, according to Jackson State. The band has “temporarily halted performances until allegations of hazing have been investigated,” Jackson State said in a release.
By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

The Southwestern Athletic Conference on Wednesday reprimanded Jackson State coach Rick Comegy for his comments Monday during the league’s weekly football teleconference.

A news release issued by the SWAC office said the reprimand does not include a suspension, but that “future incidents could result in a fine and/or suspension from athletic competition.”

Comegy, on Monday, termed the environment at Southern‘s A.W. Mumford Stadium as “hostile” and said many of his team’s fans “are not taking their families” to the football game.

Southern and Jackson State play here at 6 p.m. Saturday.

On Tuesday, Tony Clayton, a member of the Southern University Board of Supervisors, said he called SWAC interim Commissioner Duer Sharp and asked for Comegy’s comments to be investigated and action taken against Comegy, including a suspension.

“For this particular situation, SWAC policy has determined that a public reprimand is the appropriate course of action,” Sharp said in the statement.

Wednesday’s statement from the conference office said Comegy had “apologized for his comments to Southern University and the City of Baton Rouge.”

Jackson State on Tuesday issued a statement from President Ronald Mason Jr. regretting “any misunderstanding caused.”

Comegy, in his second year at Jackson State, has never coached a game in Mumford Stadium.

Monday, when asked to make a standard introductory statement discussing the upcoming game by the conference’s mediator, SWAC spokesperson William Bright Jr., Comegy talked about what he had been “hearing” about “a somewhat hostile” situation at Mumford Stadium and that Jackson State fans would not come to the game as families.

“I hear a lot of horror stories about going to Southern,” Comegy was quoted as saying in The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger. “They say it’s a real critical situation. I hear we’re not taking our families and kids and stuff like that.”

Comegy declined to give specific examples.

Because of computer difficulties (affecting all of the SWAC’s Web site), the audio from the teleconference has yet to be available on the Internet, Bright said.

Comegy and SU coach Pete Richardson spoke Tuesday.

“I had a chance to talk to him, and sometimes you make statements that come out,” Richardson said. “It’s a situation he made and he’s probably going to regret. I’ll just leave it at that.

“I think it’s going to be a great football game. I don’t want that to distract both sides coming down to see the game. Our administration has done a number of things to make our place safe, and we figure it is safe. Some incidents happened in the past that really weren’t associated with the game itself. I’m quite sure he’ll understand the tradition of the rivalry of this football game.”
Richardson said he was not overly upset by the comments.

“For an individual who hasn’t really been to our stadium to make a statement, you kind of get angry at times,” Richardson said. “But if I listened to everything people say, I’d be angry all the time.”

Meanwhile, Jackson State’s band, the Sonic Boom of the South, will not be at the game Saturday, according to Jackson State.

The band has “temporarily halted performances until allegations of hazing have been investigated,” Jackson State said in a release.

The Sonic Boom and Southern’s Human Jukebox have been known to play for more than an hour after games to the delight of fans.

Coach’s honors
Richardson named wide receiver Gerard Landry (10 catches for 98 yards and one TD), linebacker Corey Ray (seven tackles in his second game) and Anthony Wells (punt block, two tackles) as his offensive, defensive and special teams players of the week for the A&M game.

Who’s the new No. 28?
SU spokesman Kevin Manns presented James Verrett with a No. 28 game jersey, with Verrett’s name on the back before Wednesday’s news luncheon.

Verrett is in his final week of work for WAFB-TV, having been with Channel 9 for 15 years. Verrett is moving to Atlanta to work as the Atlanta Hawks courtside reporter for FSN South and SportSouth.

Basketball starts Friday
The SU men’s basketball team will have “Early Night Madness” — the team’s first practice of the season — at 7:01 p.m. Friday in Seymour Gym.

The event is staged by the school’s student government association. The team will be introduced, go through some drills and then scrimmage.

J-State coach calls Southern campus ‘hostile’

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Jackson State University coach Rick Comegy said many of his team’s fans would not be traveling to Southern for the game Saturday because he had heard the atmosphere in and around A.W. Mumford Stadium is “hostile.”

“A lot of people are not taking their families,” Comegy said.

SU (5-1, 3-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) hosts Jackson State (3-2, 3-0) at 6 p.m. Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.

Comegy, in his second season at Jackson State, has never been to a game at Mumford Stadium.

“My understanding is, it’s always been a hostile situation when we get down there,” said Comegy, who declined to detail any specific incident.

Jackson State has played at Mumford Stadium just once this decade, in 2005. Three other games were at the Superdome in New Orleans.

“I’m quite sure there’s not going to be anything happening,” SU coach Pete Richardson said.

Gunfire marred two previous Jackson State games at Southern.

In the third quarter of the 1996 game, a Southern University police officer fired a shot into the air to break up a brawl outside the stadium between the stadium and the tennis courts. The game was halted in the third quarter, with players, coaches and officials hitting the ground.

During the third quarter of the 1990 game, a 20-year-old man was shot in the West stands after an altercation stemming from a dice game. That sent that side of the stadium into bedlam.

In each of the last two seasons, Southern has had a shooting incident outside the stadium.

In September last season, at a private parking lot across the street from Mumford Stadium, 59-year-old Freddie Jackson was shot and killed. Mississippi Valley State was the visiting team for the season opener.

And in 2005, at the homecoming game with Alabama A&M, shots were fired into a crowd of tailgaters south of the stadium. Bullets struck three, including a female Southern student.

The shooting was the result of two feuding groups crossing paths on campus, Southern University police said.

None of the instances involved one school’s fans acting out against the other school’s fans.

In the wake of last season’s shooting, Southern has taken steps to try to avoid any further problems.

The general area in which both shootings occurred, south of the stadium, has been closed to tailgaters, and blue tarps cover the fencing so that no loitering occurs. Also, game times this season have been moved to 7 p.m. from 6 p.m.

“They’re very welcome,” Southern Athletic Director Greg LaFleur said of Jackson State fans. “We welcome all of our visiting teams.”

LaFleur said perhaps the only problem visiting fans could have is with parking.

“If you’re not familiar with Southern, it can be difficult, because all the parking near the stadium is reserved,” LaFleur said.

Also, there are limited roads into campus, making traffic flow difficult for big games. Saturday’s homecoming game with Alabama A&M was sold out, and cars were still flowing over the Harding Boulevard ramp as late as halftime. That game drew a sellout crowd of 24,600.

“We’re excited about having Jackson State come, because they have a huge following,” Richardson said.

The game has traditionally been one of the biggest draws in either black college football or Football Championship Subdivision football. Games at Jackson State’s Memorial Stadium traditionally draw 50,000 to 60,000.

“It shows the excitement and passion of SWAC football to the utmost,” Comegy said. “It shows what the SWAC can do. &hellip It should be setting up for an exciting game. I’m looking forward to the challenge. It’ll be great.”

Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band

FAMU Offense suffers setback

By Heath A. Smith, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Mental mistakes, poor execution cost FAMU against WSSU.

Starting left guard Anthony Collins said Saturday's performance against Winston-Salem State was the worst by Florida A&M's offense this season.

It's hard to argue with the redshirt sophomore, and not because he's 6-3 and weighs more than 350 pounds.

Any time your offense hand-delivers two touchdowns to the opposing team, it is not a good day.

Freshman running back Philip Sylvester's fumble on the 1-yard-line set up W-SS's first touchdown, and a bad snap from starting center Kwame Akkabela set up another touchdown drive for the Rams.

Photo: FAMU's Leon Camel (16) watches as a fumble by Philip Sylvester ends up in the hands of Winston-Salem State University's Jamaine Mack (22) in the first quarter of their game in the Circle City Classic at the FAMU 1 yard line.

“As an offense, I feel like we had our worst game as far as mental mistakes,” Collins said at FAMU's weekly press conference Tuesday. “Every play it was like something. We just have to come out stronger and play with more energy.

“We gave them two touchdowns last week. Without those fumbles that led to touchdowns, I think we win that game last week.”

Life is difficult enough just trying to work in a new starting quarterback in Leon Camel. FAMU coach Rubin Carter doesn't need his offense to make things any harder on itself than it already is.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” Carter said. “We spot a team 14 points and you try and play catchup. We have to play for a full game and not just a half.

“We have to get out of this mode and format of playing two teams. We just need to play the opponent and not ourselves as well.”

The Rattlers did come back to tie the game in the second half - a quality Collins said the offense seems to demonstrate often when behind.

“We seem to always play better when we are behind,” Collins said. “It's like we feel a sense of urgency like we have to come back. We focus more.”

In the future, however, Camel would just prefer that the offense play like it was behind instead of actually having to play from behind.

“We gave them two turnovers inside the red zone, which gave them 14 points,” Camel said.” You take away those 14 points we win the game.

“They came out and played hard, but it is not like they beat us. We slightly beat ourselves. We just plan to build on what we did heading into South Carolina State.”

Hyped

Collins said one of the things he likes about his new starting quarterback is the energy he plays with in games.

Apparently Camel may have played with a little too much energy Saturday, which may have resulted in some of his errant passes.

Camel completed just 12 of 31 passes against W-SS.

“The first couple of series, I had a little jitters,” Camel said. “I wasn't nervous, it was just jitters. I threw the ball into the ground a couple times.”

Photo: FAMU wide receiver Willie Hayward (3) can't hold on to a third-down pass at the two-yard line as Winston-Salem State University's Marcus Coates (27) defends on the Rattlers' last drive in the fourth quarter of their Circle City Classic.

Familiarity

It probably shouldn't have been a surprise that Camel's main target Saturday was senior receiver Willie Hayward.

Camel completed seven of his 12 passes to Hayward Saturday for 117 of his 158 passing yards.

Camel said the two walked on to the team together and used to hook up with each other on the practice squad.

Camel delivers big hit

The guys in the white shirts are usually off-limits to defensive players at Florida A&M's practices. That doesn't mean the guys in the green shirts are off-limits to the guys in the white shirts, however.

Camel made the hit of practice, and perhaps the season, on freshman defensive tackle Bryan Peoples near the end of Wednesday's practice.

Camel, who stands 5-foot-6 and weighs 170 pounds, knocked the 6-foot-3, 255-pound Peoples off his feet on the play that drew cheers from the offense and shock from the defense.

“I just wanted to get a rise out of everybody,” Camel said. “Practice was lengthy today and everybody was ready to go. The hit just lifted up practice.

“It was a crack for me. Either I was supposed to lead the ball carrier up the field or crack the defensive end so I just did what coach asked me to do.”

Carter doesn't want his starting quarterback injuring himself, but he doesn't mind a seeing a good hit either.

“He did a good job,” Carter said about Camel's block. "Leon is a tough guy. He is dedicated to his position and showing leadership. That's football. Sometimes the quarterback gets hit. This time he got to do the hitting.”

Photo: FAMU wide receiver Adrian Smith (87) has a long pass bounce off of him as Winston-Salem State University's Alex Chandler (19) watches in the second quarter

Gotcha

Senior long snapper Doug Peeler will be the first to tell you that he has a lot of free time on his hands during practice.

Wednesday, Peeler used a little of his spare time to play a friendly prank on redshirt-freshman left tackle Christopher Sands.

Somehow, without Sands realizing it, Peeler spelled the word “Fat” on the back of Sands' jersey during practice.

Sands practiced unaware that he was a victim of the prank for about 30 minutes until one of the team trainers removed the tape. Peeler confessed to pulling the prank on his buddy after practice.

“It was fun and I would do it again,” Peeler said.

Last year receiver Javares Knight was a victim of a prank when he was led to believe that he was getting his scholarship taking away.

“It's football,” Carter said. “It brings a little levity, but at the same time we are serious about the game of football. I want the players to keep their spirits up.

“We're at the halfway point in the season and it's important that the players have the right attitude going into each and every game.”

MSU Bears host Homecoming against rival Howard U on Saturday

MSU Sports Information

MORGAN STATE “BEARS” (3-3, 2-1 MEAC)
HOWARD “BISON” (2-3, 0-2 MEAC)
GAME #7 – Morgan State Homecoming
Saturday, October 13, 2007 • 1:00 p.m.
Hughes Stadium (Capacity 10,000) • Baltimore, Md.
RADIO: Morgan State Radio Network WEAA - 88.9 FM: Rob Long (play-by-play) & Kelvin Bridgers (color).
INTERNET: www.MorganStateBears.com; www.howard-bison.com
INTERNET COVERAGE: Live Audio and Live Stats

Setting the Scene

• Morgan State held off North Carolina A&T in the end 22-17 at Hughes Stadium. The Bears were once again led by All-MEAC RB Chad Simpson who posted a game-best 181 yards on 33 carries, including a 46-yard touchdown dash late in the 4th quarter to help the Bears notch the victory. QBs Byron Selby and Mario Melton combined for 13-of-23 passes for 130 yards. MSU’s defensive unit held the Aggies to 138 rushing yards and was led by LB Jarrel Guyton who recorded a team-high 10 tackles. MSU will attempt to extend its winning streak to three against Howard when the teams hit the gridiron Saturday for the “Battle of the Beltway” matchup.

• Howard is coming off a 41-14 blowout victory against non-confernece foe Cheney University. The Bison put up 439 yards of total offense and held Cheney’s ground attack to 76 yards. Howard QB Brian Johnson led the Bison by accounting for three touchdowns (2 passing & 1 running), while RB Terry Perry finished with 18 carries for 77 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, DB Randall Means collected a team-high 11 tackles (2 solo) and Endor Cooper finished with 8 tackles and a fumble recovery. With the win the Bison improved to 2-3 overall and will enter Saturday afternoon’s contest seeking their first conference win of the season (0-2 MEAC). Saturday’s contest will mark the 70th meeting between Morgan State and Howard.

• Carey Bailey is entering his first season as Head Football Coach at Howard. Bailey, a Morgantown, W.V. native, has 15 years of coaching experience and a proven track record, especially in recruiting and leading winning teams. His most recent position as the University of Minnesota’s defensive line coach, exemplifies his expertise as the Gophers led the nation in turnover margin (+1.33 per game). That figure represents the highest turnover margin of any Big Ten school since 1998 and the first for Minnesota since 1989.

• The Bison have one of the top quartebacks in the conference. Brian Johnson (Sr./6-0/190/Gardenia, Calif./LA Southwest CC) has completed 85-of-139 passes for 972 yards and 11 touchdowns and ranks 3rd in the MEAC in passing. Johnson connected on 12-of-19 passes and threw two touchdowns and an interception during Howard’s 41-14 blowout victory last Saturday against Cheney University ... he also ran for 68 yards and a touchdown and was sacked twice.

• SEE CHAD RUN … INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS - Chad Simpson entered the Towson game just needing 63 yards to reach 1,000 yards in his Morgan State career…he ended up rushing for 195 yards! The All-MEAC running back rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns in the season-opener vs. Savannah State and has increased his career total to 1,774 yards following a game-high 181 yards versus North Carolina A&T ... he now sits 274 yards behind Lloyd McCleave (1975-78) who ranks #5 in the Bears rushing annals. Simpson has been selected as the MEAC Offensive Player of the Week twice, most recently after gaining 181 yards on 33 carries against North Carolina A&T last Saturday.

N.C. A&T's plight a familiar one for Lavan

Photo: DSU Head Football Coach Al Lavan

By KRISTIAN POPE, The News Journal

Struggling Aggies remind DSU coach of early years with Hornets

DOVER -- Al Lavan saw the symptoms of a bad football team when he watched video last weekend.

Delaware State's football coach said he saw games lost despite players trying their best. He saw an athletic group that lacked talent to compete week after week in an evenly matched conference like the MEAC.

Lavan said he can't help being reminded of his Hornets in 2004, his first season at DSU, whenever he sees video of his next opponent, North Carolina A&T.

The winless Aggies, who host DSU on Saturday at Aggie Stadium in Greensboro, N.C., have lost all 17 games under second-year coach Lee Fobbs.

Lavan took over in 2004, one season after the Hornets finished 1-10. He said there are a lot of similarities in the Hornets of old and the Aggies of today.

"Our first year, we needed better players, but what we really needed was confidence," Lavan said. "That's what coach Fobbs needs. And it's the hardest thing to get."

Lavan started the 2004 season 0-4 but finished 4-7. His first victory was against nationally ranked Hampton, similar to the scenario that Fobbs faces against the No. 17 Hornets.

"Really, wins and losses don't indicate anything," Lavan said. "That year, we had to keep showing our players how they were getting better. It's not always strictly a matter of effort."

Fobbs, who played at Grambling under Eddie Robinson, was hired from Texas A&M after the 2005 season where he served as running backs coach.

Despite his pedigree, Fobbs has been subject to heavy scrutiny at A&T, a university with loud and demanding alumni.

Fobbs said, despite the lack of wins, he is sticking to his long-term plan of recruiting high school athletes and playing them now. He said his overall assessment of the program and its needs has gone unchanged.

"If you believe in something, you have to keep teaching it," Fobbs said. "If you don't, then you really didn't believe in it in the first place."

The Aggies' 0-11 season in 2006, and subsequent calls for his removal, even prompted Fobbs to add a unique supplement to his 2007 team media guide.

Under the words, "Stay positive," Fobbs wrote a message to fans and alumni, asking them to forget the winless season and for added patience in the upcoming year.

"I believe we're taking the right route with regard to our building progress," Fobbs said Tuesday. "We have the right attitude and that's important. It's taking longer than we thought, but we're still happy to be out there."

But it hasn't gotten any easier. Besides the team's 0-6 record, the Aggies have lost by hefty margins, such as a combined score of 109-34 in two losses against Hampton and Norfolk State. Fobbs' team ranks last in total defense (372.2), turnover margin (minus-5), rushing defense (208.8) and is next-to-last in total offense (282).

It's not all bad. Junior running back Michael Ferguson is ninth in the nation in rushing with 124.5 yards per game. Within the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Ferguson is behind only Chad Simpson of Morgan State, the country's fifth-ranked rusher.

Lavan, as he is reminded of his own struggles in his debut season, has tried to share the potential pitfall this game presents. The Hornets are 3-0 to start the league season for the first time since 1993 and are tied for their highest-ever national ranking.

"What you have to do is play them like they're the best in the conference," DSU sophomore defensive lineman Tyron Hurst said. "Everyone from here is the top team. If you look at it like that, you won't be upset."

DSU at N.C. A&T, 1:30 p.m. Saturday

Pough says SCSU will "hold the course"

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

There was no panic in South Carolina State head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough’s voice during his weekly press conference.

Following Saturday’s double-overtime loss to Norfolk State, he did not announce any wholesale changes in light of the Bulldogs finding themselves in the same predicament as last year in facing a "win or go home" scenario in each of their remaining six games.

Instead, Pough took a cue from President George Bush by stating he plans to "hold the course" as he believes the program, despite its current place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings, is still going in a championship direction.

"I believe in what we’re doing," he said. "I just think we’ve got to get better at it."

"The one good thing I can tell you is that is we’ve just started to really get a good solid group of guys in here I think can carry us for a while," he continued. "I know the very last thing we want to here is wait until next year. But I can tell you that this time we will at least be a solid team for years to come.

"We’re not building a team for today. We’re building a team for the times and I think this team will be good for some time."

Photo: SCSU Head Coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough.

To that end, SCSU (2-3, 1-1) held an impromptu practice session Sunday, much of it spent correcting 19 missed assignments committed by the offense during the 20-13 setback. Many of those miscues committed in the "Red Zone" were related to the various changes made on the offensive line with newer, younger starters and a lack of execution, something Pough took full responsibility for during his weekly press conference.


"Norfolk beat us," he said. "I could put it on all kinds of stuff. We didn’t play well, but I didn’t think we played all that poorly. We made some mistakes, but we had a chance to win the football game every kind of way there was but didn’t quite get it done. So, it’s on me and that’s what I do here. The only thing I can tell you is that we’ll work to get better next week and see what happens."

Entering Saturday’s home game against equally-struggling Florida A&M (2-3, 1-2) ranked last in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in scoring offense (12.6 points per game) and pass efficiency (82.6 rating) and next to last in passing offense (116 yards per game). Along with injuries which will keep out for a second straight week running back Travil Jamison (groin) and wide receiver Terrance Smith (knee), SCSU was unable to stretch a Spartan defense which often crowded the line of scrimmage with 6-8 players.

Pough said the Bulldogs have to show more consistency throwing the football and he hopes to still use freshman Malcolm Long (who was 1 of 2 passing for 39 yards and an interception) in spot duty alongside Cleveland McCoy.

"We’ve got to get him the experience of being in a football game so that we don’t get into next season with a totally new game who hasn’t taken any reps at all," Pough said. "So it’s important that we get him a few series a game - one in the first half and one in the second half. If things are going good, then we’ll probably play him either a third series. If things really go good, then we’d like to play him for a quarter. But, we haven’t got to that point yet. Most of the situations have been where we’ve been kind of behind the eight ball and haven’t been able to free-wheel as much as we’d like. But the first opportunity we get to play him a good length of time, we will."

The offense is not the only area where execution has been a problem for SCSU. Place-kicker Stephen Grantham has missed 9-15 field goals this season and had his fourth blocked kick of the season during overtime.

Despite the numbers, Pough downplayed the Florence native’s difficulties and was confident he could turn things around.

"He’s struggling from time to time, but that’s part of it," Pough said. "Kids miss field goals. You heard of Bobby Bowden? You heard of Wide Right? You know it happens. The best thing I can tell you is that these kids don’t try to miss them. They do the very best they can to make them. It’s tough sometimes under the microscope when that things all on you. But, we’ll be alright. We’ll get better."
Pough also defended his secondary and their coverage on the halfback option throw from Daryl Jones to Jamar Johnson in the second-overtime which proved to be the game-winner.

"The play in overtime was a play that could possibly hurt a young, overaggressive guy," he said. "The guy that got hurt in that situation had three great plays in that game. He had balls knocked down. He was in one-on-one coverage a lot and they’ve got some pretty good receivers. We were in zone at that time and they fooled him and our free safety couldn’t get over to help.

"It happens. You want to do good and sometimes people turn the fact that you want to do good so bad that you’ll be a little bit overaggressive against you and that happens."

Getting those areas up to par with a Bulldog defense which has allowed an average of 13.3 points per game in non-Football Bowl Subdivision games is important if SCSU is to make a second-half run.

"One of the things you do in a situation such as this is you focus on the next task at hand," Pough said. "You create the situation of being able to continue to fight for a conference championship and we think we can. I think as long we’ve got breath left in our body, as long as our guys are the kind of people that they are, we’re going to always give a solid effort, a full effort, to achieve what’s best at that particular task that we’re approaching at that time. It’s not very hard with the type of kids that we have to motivate them.

"Let me tell you something. The one thing I can tell you is that we played as hard as we could play on Saturday. Now we might not have done some things right, He may have made some mistakes and that kind of stuff. But I guarantee you, you won’t hear anybody say that those kids didn’t give a good effort. That’s all you can ask for and they’ll do it again this week."

BULLDOG NOTES: A decision is pending on whether to redshirt BANDIT Marshall McFadden, out since the first half of the Bethune-Cookman team. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs hope to slowly bring back offensive tackle Nygel Pearson, who’s missed over a month with a broken hand and will most likely wear a cast...Saturday’s game against Florida A&M is "Youth Day" with youngsters will be charged at a special rate. It’s also being aired nationally on tape delay by ESPNU (Channel 160 on Digital Time Warner Cable) starting at 10 p.m. SCSU is a perfect 12-0 in games aired nationally on cable and 6-0 when aired by either ESPN2 or ESPNU, which has aired five of the Bulldogs’ contest since its inception in 2005.

Championship quality: FAMU coach praises SCSU

Photo: FAMU Coach Rubin Carter

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

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A reporter received a quick response from Florida A&M head football coach Rubin Carter to his question regarding the offensive woes of Saturday's opponent South Carolina State.

"Don't mean a thing," said Carter during Tuesday's teleconference. "A wounded animal fights back, man, and that's exactly what I see with that team right now. They've had some injuries, some nicks and also other types of situations going on with them. But they're going to come out and they're going to fight. They have a lot of pride too and that's the one thing and not just with South Carolina State, but one thing about our conference. It's competition week in and week out."

Not only does Carter still see a championship-quality squad in the Bulldogs, but also a mirror image of his Rattlers. Both teams enter Saturday's contest sporting similar records, having played the majority of their games on the road and seen their rosters riddled by injury.

Nevertheless, Carter expects to see the Bulldogs' team which has won the last four meetings in the series since Oliver "Buddy" Pough's arrival and not the one ranked last in the conference in passing efficiency and scoring offense.

"I don't why they have been struggling," he said. "I know in the preseason, the pick was South Carolina State being on top and I don't discount that at all. They are a good football team and I know they've had some situations with players being nicked and bruised and all those other things.

"On the defensive front, their defensive line is one of the best in the conference and the offensive center (Raymond 'Duck' Harrison), he's one of the best players. He's going to be a challenge for our defensive line, our interior guys, because he'll knock your head off. They've been competing at a high level. But for whatever the reason, injuries, transition with personnel, those things do occur and it's tough to replace good players."

FAMU has also struggled with developing team continuity with a new starting quarterback and several young starters on the defensive line. In the 27-23 loss to Winston-Salem State this past Saturday at the Circle City Classic at Indianapolis, Ind., the Rattlers hurt themselves with two first-half fumbles which were turned into touchdowns and gave up 296 rushing yards.

"It was a difficult game for us," Carter said. "We didn't start out real well. We shot ourselves in the foot early in the game and spotted Winston-Salem (State) two touchdowns with turnovers down in the 'Red Zone' area and those are the types of things you can't do versus any football team. But they're a good team. They came out and I thought they executed a lot better than we did and we have to be able to be better in that area."

This was also the first game FAMU played since the abrupt departure of starting quarterback Albert Chester II. The preseason All-MEAC first-team selection and four-year starter left the team just days following the team's 18-17 victory over Tennessee State in the 19th annual Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic - a game in which Chester was pulled in the first half for senior Leon Camel.


FAMU's starting QB Leon Camel hands off ball to Freshman RB Phillip Syvester.

Chester later told The Famuan in an Oct. 5 article that health issues, including a entrapped nerve, which caused numbness, tingling and weaknesses around the arm area, were the primary reasons for his decision. He and his father, former FAMU quarterback Albert Chester Sr., also alluded in the same article to "ongoing problems" with the coaching staff stemming from a lack of communication.

Carter acknowledged those issues during the teleconference, but insisted he has an open door policy with all of his players.

"Most of the players feel comfortable with coming in and sitting down and talking and discussing what's going on with them in situations and then others don't feel comfortable about doing it," he said. "It all depends on the personality of the young man. I would have liked to have seen it occur, come in and have a conversation prior to being in a situation where you're taken out of a game and having to be replaced by another player. That creates more conflict than anything else."

At the same time, Carter is confident the Rattlers will rally behind the 5-6, 170-pound Camel, who's 21 of 54 passing for 271 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

"We have to become a football team - that's what it's all about and every player understands that on our team," he said. "We've gone through adversity before as a program and this year is no different. But the team has to come together and understand this is what it's all about. One player doesn't make the entire squad. It takes the entire team. They have to rally around the offensive side of the ball and support Leon and his effort and everybody really understanding their role and performing at a high level."

Camel does have experience against SCSU, completing 5 of 6 passes for 39 yards in last year's 28-21 loss in Tallahassee. Carter also pointed out that even when Chester was the starter, Camel took most of the snaps during practice due as Chester was often absent or late due to the classroom commitments of his major pharmacy.

"I think it will help him a great deal," Carter said about Camel. "Number one, he's played against them before and he's gotten more action than that actually last year. He played in several games where he was productive and his mobility is one of his assets and that's what he's capable of doing very well which is escaping rushes and that type. We want to get him to settle in, to understand what we want from him. I think Leon is starting to get a thorough understanding of the offense and also the different people that's around him, particularly Willie Hayward (who had seven catches for 117 yards against Winston-Salem State), who's back with us.

"The young man has a tremendous amount of pride. He's an undersized player, but he has the heart of a lion."

Although linebacker Michael McMillan did earn MEAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after tallying 12 solo tackles and two sacks against Winston-Salem State, Carter is very concerned about a run defense which has allowed 184 yards per game on the ground.

The last thing he wants to see is the Bulldogs' offense experience a revival of the "explosiveness" it's shown in the previous two meetings.

"We've been on the road for three weeks now...and now we're going into the 'Doghouse' down in Orangeburg where Coach (Oliver "Buddy") Pough always has his teams prepared. They've had some tough games that they've been playing in. I know they've been nicked and bruised similar to ourselves with some of our defensive people have injuries. But they'll come out there and fight. Coach Pough always does a great job in getting his team prepared for competition. So we know we'll have our work cut out for us, but we'll put together our best gameplan going in and keep our players up and help them to understand that we're midway through the season and we have to finish strong."

RATTLERS vs. BULLDOGS

WHO: Florida A&M (2-3, 1-2) at South Carolina State (2-3, 1-1)

WHEN: 2 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Oliver C. Dawson Stadium

TV: ESPNU (Channel 160 on Digital Time Warner Cable; Channel 609 on DirecTV and Channel 148 on The Dish Network)

RADIO: WQKI 93.1 FM (Orangeburg)

45th Battle of the Bay: HU vs. NSU

by NSU Sports Information

NORFOLK, Va. – For the fourth time since 2001, State Farm will be the principal sponsor of the Battle of the Bay football game as the Norfolk State University Spartans (4-1 overall, 3-0 MEAC) host the Hampton University Pirates (4-1, 3-1) on Saturday, Oct. 13, at William “Dick” Price Stadium. Kickoff is 2 p.m. for what is considered one of Hampton Roads’ biggest entertainment and sports events.

The week's activities begin on Thursday, Oct. 11 when State Farm hosts a media luncheon featuring Norfolk State head coach Pete Adrian, Hampton Head Coach Joe Taylor and players from both teams.

On Friday, State Farm and the Norfolk State University Athletics Foundation will co-host the "State Farm Battle of the Bay After Work Mixer” at Grand Affairs in Virginia Beach, Va. Alumni, university administrators, faculty, staff and supporters of both institutions are expected to attend the event and music will be provided by the Fuzz Band. The Norfolk, Va.- based band has opened for platinum-selling artists such as Outkast, Jill Scott, Morris Day and The Time and Alicia Keys. The Fuzz Band has also performed at fundraisers for dignitaries and entertainers, including Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, NBA star Allen Iverson and former NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Smith.

As a result of State Farm's partnership with the NSU Athletics Department, State Farm will also participate in NSU's Parent Weekend set for Oct. 11-12. State Farm will donate 50 Million Pound Challenge kits to participants of the 2k run/walk on the NSU campus.

The football game on Saturday is the 45th meeting between the schools in what has been one of college football’s most intense and enduring rivalries. NSU leads the series 22-21-1, although the Spartans have not defeated the Pirates since 2001. In addition to the fierce, hard-hitting action between the teams, fans will also be treated to the pageantry and precision of the NSU Spartan Legion Marching Band, featuring the Hot Ice Dancers; and the Hampton Marching Force and the Ebony Fire Dance Team.

“The Battle of the Bay is a football classic between two long-time rivals and it has delighted fans for many years,” said Bill Whitney, vice president of State Farm Insurance. “State Farm Insurance is proud to sponsor the game, because it is more than a competition. The event highlights the educational and athletic excellence of Norfolk State and Hampton Universities.”

The end of the game will not mean the end of the day’s events. After the game, spectators will be invited on the Dick Price Stadium field to stage the largest Cupid Shuffle in Hampton Roads – and perhaps the world. A raffle will be held and registered participants will have a chance to win cash prizes totaling $1,000.

“Norfolk State University Athletics is extremely pleased with the support we receive from State Farm," said Craig Cotton, associate athletics director for external operations. “State Farm's sponsorship of the Battle of the Bay and its involvement as a Team Spartan Corporate Partner indicate the company's commitment to supporting organizations and events that benefit and serve the community.”

MEAC voters pick Hampton University

DSU's Roy Bright (#45) named MEAC Pre-Season Player of the Year.

By MARTY O'BRIEN, Daily Press

The men's team returns all five starters as coach Kevin Nickelberry heads into his second season.

Hampton University enters the 2007-08 men's basketball season as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference favorite. The Pirates were picked first in a poll of conference coaches and sports information directors released on Tuesday, with two-time defending regular season champion Delaware State second.

"I think, if anything, this is a rubber stamp of the progress we've made here," Pirates' coach Kevin Nickelberry said. "This shows that the program is heading in the direction I want it to go with respect to academics, recruiting and development of players.

"There's no way I thought this would happen after only one year. But the reality is, we still have to go out and win games."

Nickelberry guided the Pirates to a 15-16 record and third-place finish in his first season as the Pirates' coach. All five starters return from that team, including guard Rashad West, who won the MEAC scoring title last season with a 17.8 average.

West, a 6-foot-1 senior, was the lone Hampton player voted to the preseason all-conference team. Delaware State forward Roy Bright, who averaged 15.3 points last season, was selected the men's preseason Player of the Year.

Nickelberry said Tuesday that he signed point guard Jordan Brooks of C.H. Flowers High in Springdale, Md. just prior to the school year. Nickelberry said that Brooks might start at the point this season because signee Chris Tolson of Laurel High did not qualify academically.

Like Tolson, Brooks earned a spot on the Washington Post All-Met third team last season. Brooks averaged more than 20 points per game in leading Flowers to the Maryland 4-A South regional final. He also started at point guard on the D.C. Assault AAU team that featured Kansas State signee Mike Beasley, the top recruit nationally last year.

"Jordan is one of those little guys (5-foot-7) who makes it hard for people to get the ball up court and who knows how to get the ball to people," Nickelberry said. "We were lucky to be able to get him to replace Chris Tolson."

Kwame Morgan, a first team Washington Post All-Met selection, also will sit out this season because he did not qualify. He averaged 27.5 points last season for Maryland 3-A semifinalist Largo.

They are the first players to sit out for any reason during Nickelberry's tenure. All of Hampton's players and recruits were academically eligible both semesters last season.

MEAC coaches picked Hampton's women's team to finish fifth. Defending regular season champion Coppin State is the women's preseason favorite.

Below is the predicted order of finish for the MEAC.

MEN

1-Hampton, 2-Delaware State, 3-North Carolina A&T, 4-Morgan State, 5-Florida A&M, 6-Bethune-Cookman, 7-South Carolina State, 8-Coppin State, 9-Norfolk State, 10-Howard, 11-Maryland-Eastern Shore.

WOMEN

1-Coppin State, 2-Delaware State, 3-Morgan State, 4-North Carolina A&T, 5-Hampton, 6-Florida A&M, 7-Maryland-Eastern Shore, 8-Howard, 9-South Carolina State, 10-Norfolk State, 11-Bethune-Cookman.

Faith in himself: Hampton U Charles Robinson

By MARTY O'BRIEN , Daily Press

Junior linebacker (#58) Charles Robinson's prayers are being answered as he stars for Hampton University.

HAMPTON — Truman Capote had a point about answered prayers causing more pain than unanswered ones. Take Charles Robinson's game-changing interception return for a touchdown in Hampton University's win over Princeton on Saturday.

Robinson prayed for such a moment to atone for blowing a pass-coverage assignment a week earlier in the Pirates' loss to Delaware State.

But as he ran after intercepting the ball last Saturday, his biggest concern was making all 80 yards to the Princeton end zone.

"Eighty yards is a long way to run and I started cramping in my calves and my hamstrings," said Robinson, a 6-foot-4, 212-pound junior who starts at outside linebacker. "Before the game I had said, 'God if your glory can be shown on this field today, let it be shown.'

"My prayer was answered. I let it be shown that it was by kneeling in the end zone in prayer."

Robinson's score early in the third quarter opened the gates to a flood of HU points. The Pirates rallied from a 27-14 deficit to beat the Tigers 48-27.

But the toll on his legs resulted in something unusual, something you probably won't see in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference showdown on Saturday between the Pirates (4-1, 3-1 MEAC) and Norfolk State (4-1, 3-0). Robinson had to sit out a few plays.

"We have packages where linebackers will play 30 or 40 downs a game, but Charles might play 70 plays because he wants to be in on every down," HU defensive coordinator Jerry Holmes said. "I like that about Charles.

"He is very disciplined, one of those guys you can trust out on the field. You can count on him to be in position all of the time."

Which made it all the more stunning when Robinson broke from the Delaware State tight end he was covering to chase the quarterback.

Robinson admits that he guessed Hornets quarterback Vashon Winton was scrambling to run the ball on a play in the fourth quarter with the score tied at 17.

Robinson was wrong and the Hornets scored what proved to be the winning touchdown in a 24-17 victory.

"(Winton) just dumped it over the top to (Jeff Postell) for a touchdown," Robinson said. "That left a bitter taste in my mouth the entire week."

In a team meeting several days later, he promised to play his assignments as close to perfectly as possible.

He was second on the team in tackles at Princeton with 11, but the interception was the most evidence that he was good to his word.

"Charles was right where he was supposed to be," Holmes said. "He rerouted his (receiver) then headed for the flat. The ball was tipped (by HU tackle Kevin Burke) and Charles was right where he was supposed to be.

"He picked off one in the same identical situation last year at Florida A&M and ran for a (45-yard) touchdown."

And just like in the Princeton game, he knelt in the end zone. Part of that reaction is that end zone celebrations are unusual for him.

He says that Coach Mike Smith taught him a lesson at Hampton High that Coach Joe Taylor reiterated at HU.

"They both have won so much that when you score or win a game, they tell you to act like you've been there before," said Robinson, a Daily Press All-Star while at Hampton High.

But Robinson would kneel regardless, because of his faith. He regularly attends Cornerstone Assembly of God in Hampton and says he hopes to serve in some capacity as a youth minister following graduation.

The occasional football setback is too small a matter to shake Robinson's faith. He believes that in sports and in life, redemption is a prayer away.

"I was talking to some of the players in my role as (the football team's) president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes," he said. "I told them that some people will ask 'Where was God?' after a tragedy or something traumatic.

"God will answer: 'Where were you? I've given you the power. All you have to do is open your mouth and pray to me and I'll be there for you.' "

The Robinson file
NAME: Charles Robinson.

SCHOOL: Hampton University.

POSITION: Outside linebacker.

NOTEWORTHY: The 6-foot-4, 212-pound junior is third on the Pirates this season with 29 tackles. ... Returned an interception 80 yards for a TD last week in HU's 48-27 win over Princeton. ... Returned an interception 45 yards for a TD last year in a 59-7 win at Florida A&M. ... Is president of the football team's Fellowship of Christian Athletes. ... Earned all-state and Peninsula District defensive player of the year honors while at Hampton High. ... Helped convince his first cousin, freshman tailback Dennis Mathis, to play for HU.

Lady Rattlers takes easy win over Norfolk State

Photo: Coach Tony Trifonov provides instructions to volleyball team at last week game.

by FAMU Sports Information

FAMU goes to 2-0 in MEAC in win over Norfolk State

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida A&M Volleyball team picked up their second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win of the season in a 3-0 romp of Norfolk State, Thursday evening at the Gaither Athletic Center in Tallahassee.

FAMU (4-5, 2-0 MEAC) made easy work of the Spartans winning game one, 30-12, and putting them away in games two and three winning 30-19.

Iva Lakic finished with a game high 13 kills, to lead the Lady Rattlers, while Jovana Blazeski added 10. Zaira Manzo led FAMU in assists with 34 and Blazeski finished with 14 digs.

NSU (4-12, 1-1 MEAC) was paced by Chantel Cherry with eight kills and 12 digs, followed by Heather Quinn with six. Solange Honore led the team in assist with 18.

The Lady Rattlers extended their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win streak to 93 matches.

The Lady Rattlers will travel to the Triad region this weekend, visiting Greensboro, N.C. on Saturday, Oct 6 taking North Carolina A&T and then will travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. on Sunday, Oct 7 taking on Winston-Salem State.

FAMU Volleyball Gallery

FAMU Lady Volleyball MEAC record wins -- 93 consecutive matches and growing...

Florida A&M University Incomparable Marching 100

Brothers keep FAMU's Akkebala pushing

Photo: #51, Kwame Akkebala, 6-4/255, Center, Soph, Jones HS, Orlando, FL , prepares for each game with a team prayer.

By St. Clair Murraine, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

A few times each week, Kwame Akkebala gets a phone call from his brothers. Sometimes it's a "How are you doing" kind of conversation, but most times big brother Kwan wants to get into Akkebala's head.

He wants to be sure Akkebala, an offensive center, isn't slacking in his assignment with the FAMU football team. It doesn't change when they get together, either.

"I go home now and he will go jogging with me," Akkebala said. "He pushes me. He makes sure I get my work in."

But Kwan, a former player at FAMU, isn't the only one who Akkebala hears from. Kwan and the oldest of the three brothers, Kwakou, have been the father figures in Akkebala's life for some time, especially after their mother's suicide three years ago.

A year after his mother's death, Akkebala's world took another topsy-turvy spin when his father succumbed to cancer. Akkebala, now 19, was 16 at the time. Just recently he lost his grandfather.

Football became his reprieve as he copes with the losses. He keeps on playing because of the strength he drew from his parents, Akkebala said.

"When my mother passed, my father was there and because we went through that it was easier the second time with my father," he said. "The main thing they always taught us is making sure we kept our heads up; stay unified. They taught us well so we were able to bounce back."

His brothers have not been more than a phone call away for the sophomore from Orlando Jones High School. But there are times when he wants to go it alone. It's something he has to get used to, Akkebala said.

"I get what I need myself," he said. "I see it both as a strength and a weakness because, yes, you shouldn't have to ask anybody, but that third time you should ask for help. That's just something I have to learn and I know I need to."

When he isn't looking for support from his brothers, he gets it from the coaches at FAMU. Coach Rubin Carter said he and his staff have become father-figures of sorts for Akkebala.

"It's important for him to have the feeling of a family atmosphere with people who will support him to help him achieve his goal," Carter said.

Akkebala is a model student-athlete, Carter said. He came to FAMU with all sorts of academic accolades, having taken college courses while he was in high school. Academics remains a priority, said Akkebala, who is majoring in engineering.

"I don't have to worry about Kwame being out late at night," Carter said. "His character is not in question; I know exactly where he's going to be. He's going to be on time for everything."

Akkebala's role with the Rattlers has changed since he joined the team as a defensive lineman. He started this season at offensive center, replacing injured Steve Brazzle.

While he's played on the offensive line in high school, he's adjusted quickly to the faster pace in college. He's gradually finding his niche at center, he said.

"I've got to have mental toughness because you have to react and see everything on the field," he said. "I've got to be able to look back at the quarterback and make sure he is getting his ball. It takes a lot of everything."

Circle City Classic: Dome showcase has launched stars

Photo: FAMU Rattlers expects a tight game with WSSU Rams in the 2007 Circle City Classic.

Colts' Mathis vividly recalls game

By Jeff Rabjohns, Indy Star

The key moment in turning the Circle City Classic into a reality came in the early 1980s, when legendary Grambling coach Eddie Robinson agreed to bring his team here.
Robinson, on his way to breaking Bear Bryant's coaching victories record, had star power and gave the game instant credibility.

Robinson, who finished with 408 wins, had one stipulation: Grambling got to pick its opponent for the inaugural Classic in 1984.

"They picked Mississippi Valley State," recalled Classic executive George Pillow. "I guess they thought they'd come up here, beat them, collect their payday and go home. But Mississippi Valley beat them.

"Mississippi Valley? I'd never heard of the school."

Robinson's decision brought one of the greatest football players in history to Indianapolis before he was famous. Mississippi Valley stunned Grambling 48-36 behind 174 yards receiving and two touchdowns from Jerry Rice.

The Classic will be played at the RCA Dome for the final time Saturday, closing a run of 24 consecutive falls of hosting a contest between two historically black colleges. The game moves to Lucas Oil Stadium next season, and might showcase future NFL stars there as well.

Its run at the Dome certainly did.

Jerry Rice, Steve McNair, Hugh Douglas, Erik Williams and Robert Mathis, who helped the Colts win the Super Bowl in February, are just some of the players the Classic brought to the Dome.

"It lets you know there's a rich heritage, nothing to take for granted," Mathis said this week. "It lets you know there are a lot of guys who paved the way for us."

Rice, who holds every major NFL receiving record, put on a show in the inaugural game. Grambling was within 41-36 when he caught a 63-yard touchdown pass for the final score.

In the 1991 Classic, a freshman quarterback named Steve McNair threw for 433 yards and three touchdowns in his fifth college game. He completed 23-of-36 passes as Alcorn State beat Howard 46-27.

McNair, now with Baltimore, played for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans from 1995-2005.

Williams, from Central State in Wilberforce, Ohio, played tackle for 11 years in the NFL, starting for the Cowboys during their dominant run in the 1990s. He went to four Pro Bowls while blocking for Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman.

Douglas, also from Central State, was the 1995 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and was a three-time Pro Bowler. He helped shut down Alabama State 34-13 in 1992.

"You go down through the list, and it's not so much what we think, it's what has been proven," said James Bell, who coached Jackson State and is now at Taylor University. "Those guys have gone on to the pros. That tells you something about the players in the Classic. It's factual evidence.

"It's a good opportunity for guys to showcase their talents."

Mathis certainly did that. He had four sacks and caused a fumble that was returned for a touchdown in Alabama A&M's 27-11 victory over Southern in 2002. Mathis' big day came on the home field of the Colts, and in the fifth round of the 2003 draft, they picked him.

"It was very exciting to get that chance to participate in a game outside of your region, to play in front of a different crowd," Mathis said. "It was a very big deal. When we first saw in the schedule, we were counting down the days."

Quickslants: Mississippi Valley at Grambling

By Nick Deriso, The News Star

PASSION OF THE TIGERS
First-year Grambling coach Rod Broadway said he noticed something in Prairie View last week that his own team lacked.
“We’ve got to play with passion,” Broadway said.

The Panthers kept pace with GSU late in the game before finally falling by three points in the State Fair Classic.

“We’ve got to play at a faster speed than what we played last weekend,” Broadway said. “We’ve got protect the football. I didn’t like the way we played last weekend. (Prairie View) played hard, and they played fast. We’ve got to get back to doing that this weekend against Valley.”

TIP OF THE HAT
Grambling’s offensive guys recognize that teammates on the other side of the ball helped rescue them in a sputtering effort in Dallas.

Having the league’s best run stoppers to fall back on, senior receiver Clyde Edwards said, could make GSU all the more dangerous.

“I don’t think these SWAC teams have seen many defenses like ours,” he said. “That defense is going to be special.”

RUN FOR THE BORDER
Even as Grambling has regained some consistency in its rushing attack, there remains this startling stat: Freshman Cornelius Walker, this week’s SWAC newcomer of the week, has scored GSU’s lone rushing touchdown this season.

“We’re still one guy away from breaking one of those big runs,” Broadway said. “Once we can get our running backs scoring some touchdowns, I think it will improve us as a football team. We’re getting pretty good yardage, but we’re not making those big plays.”

Walker punched in from the 2 against Alabama A&M on Sept. 22, finishing a seven-play, 77-yard drive to put Grambling up 17-3. A&M eventually fell 31-6.

ENEMY LINES: MISSISSIPPI VALLEY
Mississippi Valley, which hasn’t had a bye week since Willie Totten returned to coach at his alma mater, got some much-needed rest last week.

After all, the Delta Devils (2-2 overall; 1-2 in SWAC) had just fallen against Alabama A&M and cross-state conference rival Jackson State.

“We’ve been playing straight through,” Totten said, “so that was something different for this team. We needed the break after those two devastating losses.”

Valley was leading Jackson 13-6 in the second quarter, but collapsed later in an eventual 50-16 shellacking. The Devils narrowed A&M’s lead to three points at the half but ultimately fell 45-14.

“If we can minimize our mistakes,” Totten said, “if we can put two halves together, that would be key for us. That’s something we’ve been concentrating on this week.”

Valley used the extra time to prepare for Grambling, which enters Saturday’s game with at 3-1 with a 3-0 league mark, but also to do some soul searching.

“It gave us an opportunity to go back and regroup, and to look at some things that we are doing,” Totten said. “We looked at the players we’ve been playing. Some, we thought were ready, and some of them aren’t.”

Valley’s pass and total offense had slipped to the bottom of the SWAC, as has its pass and total defense. That led to a sweeping bye-week revamp that began with a change at quarterback.

Paul Roberts (440 passing yards, four TDs and no picks) will be replaced by former juco passer Semaj Williams, who has been 3-for-8 for 26 yards, no scores and an interception in two relief appearances for Valley.

Totten was just getting started. He also reshuffled the offensive line, switched receivers, moved defensive linemen and linebackers around, and shifted safeties.

“They know that we are not getting the job done in the second half,” Totten said. “They know we played everybody tough in the first half, but we’ve got to put a second half together.”

Ronald Brewer is Valley’s leading rusher, with 86 yards a game and two touchdowns on the year. Its top receiver is tight end Abner Brown, with 172 yards and a score in 2007.

SWAC ATTACK
A&M’S LEE WAY
Alabama A&M will make a point this week of trying to stop Southern’s talented quarterback Bryant Lee.

“He’s scary,” said A&M coach Anthony Jones. “He’s completing the ball at a high percentage rate. He’s making really good decisions. And he’s athletic enough that, if he doesn’t like what he sees, he can get out of there.”

Lee has a SWAC-best completion average and is second in passing yards and TDs. Only Prairie View’s Chris Gibson has more rushing yards among league quarterbacks.

RENEWED CONFIDENCE
Prairie View was bolstered by its showing against Grambling, coach Henry Frazier said.

“After that ballgame, I’ve never seen so many alumni in the locker room,” said Frazier, who fell by the smallest margin in Grambling’s two-decades old streak of wins. “You can see the pride coming back.”

That newfound confidence will come in handy as the Panthers face an Alcorn program that Frazier has never beaten.

Keeping it simple makes JSU defense hard to handle

By David Brandt, Clarion Ledger

It's been said before by football coaches that strategy on the field is much like chess, with teams making adjustments based on the opponent's previous move.

But you won't hear Jackson State defensive coordinator Darrin Hayes make that claim. To him, chess is way too complicated to be compared to football.

"With my defense, I want them to be thinking more checkers and less chess," Hayes said. "Football's not that hard of a game on defense. You have some base formations and rules, but from there you rely on your athleticism and instincts."

And with that strategy in mind, Hayes and head coach Rick Comegy have built a defense that's simple, allowing players to fly around the football field with wild abandon. So far it's worked - JSU (2-2 overall, 2-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) is giving up just 16.5 points per game and a SWAC-low 229.5 total yards per game.

The Tigers host Alabama State (4-1, 3-1) at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Defensive ends Daniel Brooks and Marcus Benard, along with linebacker Marcus Jamison, most typify the "hit first, think later" approach. Benard - a junior college transfer from Michigan - has been particularly effective, with 24 tackles, including 5 1/2 for a loss and a team-high three sacks.

"When I came to Jackson State, I told the coaches that I might look like a lunatic out on the field," Benard said. "But at the same time - I know what I'm doing. You've got to be a little nasty to play the defensive line."

Balancing the ruthlessness of the guys up front is the secondary, which is having a very impressive bounce-back season after struggling in 2006.

All four starters in the secondary - Domonique Johnson, LaBrose Hedgemon, Keith Camp and Malcolm Palmer - have at least one interception through four games. But unlike Benard, they've done most of their damage with patience and precision.

"I think patience just comes more with playing the secondary," Hayes said. "Those guys have been great at holding their positions and picking their spots to gamble. But they're keeping it simple. They stay in a few base formations and make sure their receivers aren't getting any big plays."

Stuck between those two extremes is junior linebacker Marcellus Speaks, who has quickly emerged as the leader of the defense. He leads the Tigers with 32 tackles, including seven for a loss, and is also charged with calling out formations and making sure everybody is in the right position.

"I've really been pleased with the way Speaks has embraced the leadership role on defense," Comegy said. "With Speaks in the middle, it moves everybody to their natural positions and makes us a much better defensive team."

Speaks said his personality is basically a mixture of the entire defense. On one play, he might need to calm down the defensive line and then yell at the secondary on the very next play to provide a spark.

"I like the way our guys are playing," Speaks said. "The emotional guys are up front and it gets a little more conservative as you move to the back. But everybody understands their role and we have a balance of attitudes. We'll need that if we want a SWAC championship."

JSU Strength coach has Hornet past

By David Brandt, Clarion Ledger

THE JSU GAME
What: vs. Alabama State
When: Saturday, 3 p.m.
Radio: WOAD (1300 AM); WYFS (105.9FM)

Jackson State strength and conditioning coach Derek Scott is usually an energetic guy anyway.

Mix in a game with his alma mater Alabama State, who the Tigers host Saturday, and you get that same energy multiplied by two.

"I haven't been able to sleep any this week," Scott said. "I have played this game over in my head a thousand times. Even the weekend we played Valley, I had a dream about this game, but I had to stay focused."

Scott arrived at JSU in June after serving the past 11 years as strength and conditioning coach at Alabama State, where he played.

"This game has been marked on my calendar since the day I left," Scott said. "I can't really explain how I feel. It's kinda like an out of body experience, but at the same time I'm excited. I'm taking it kinda personal this week because those are my old stomping grounds. That's where I got my start, but my loyalty and love is at Jackson State."

Scott is one of two JSU assistants with ties to the Hornets. Offensive line coach Bruce Johnson spent four years at Alabama State before coming to JSU in 2006.

"It's going to be a good competitive game, but when it's all said and done, you're going to see the Tigers growling," Scott said.

OH SO SPECIAL

JSU has been splendid on returns so far this season, leading the SWAC in both kickoff and punt returns.

The Tigers are averaging 30.5 yards per kickoff return (1 TD) and 18.6 yards per punt return (1 TD).

"We have put in a whole lot of work on the field and a whole lot of time in meetings on that," said JSU coach Rick Comegy.

OPEN WIDE

Jackson State will play Saturday without tight end Cedric Dixon, who had a tooth pulled last week.

"That tooth is still bothering him so we aren't going to take any chances," Comegy said.

SU offensive linemen not getting much of a break

Photo: Southern offensive lineman Rafael Louis leads the way for running back Darren Coates against Alabama State on Saturday.

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Southern’s offense has been on the field for 372 plays in five games this season.

Six offensive linemen have been on the field for those plays.

Plus, there are three more games remaining, starting with Saturday’s homecoming game with Alabama A&M, before the No. 25 Jaguars get an open Saturday. SU has practiced since Aug. 2.

“Somebody has to be looking over them,” Southern coach Pete Richardson said.

Four linemen have yet to have a break: left tackle Trent Thomas, a former tight end; left guard Rafael Louis, a former tackle; center Demarcus Stewart, a former right guard who moved back to his old spot; and right tackle Myles Williams.

Senior right guard Reuben Oliver has, on occasion, been spelled by redshirt freshman Rodrell Stewart.

“At this point, they’ve logged a lot of practice time,” Richardson said. “A lot of them are tired. We haven’t had an off date. A lot of them are hurting. We realize that. I have to respect that.”

“I respect their heart,” first-year offensive line coach Damon Nivens said. “They’re playing through it. &hellip I tell them, ‘We play for 60 minutes and you have to stick together.’”

The Jaguars lost six veteran linemen to grades since the spring. Plus, true freshman Brian Bridges did not clear after initially practicing.

“We had low numbers, so we knew, in the summer, we had to work twice as hard — put in extra work after we put in the original conditioning work,” Louis said.

Saturday, in a 21-2 victory over Alabama State, Demarcus Stewart took a helmet to his thigh. Thomas had a bruise to his lower back.

“They came back in the second half and said, ‘Coach, I’m ready to go,’” Nivens said.

Despite not having depth up front, SU has substantially bettered its running game and has both the second-best rushing offense (176.2 yards per game) and total offense (408.4 ypg) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

“Every game, we’re getting better and better and better and in better shape,” Louis said.

SU has outscored the opposition 65-18 in the second half.

“I’m proud of our team, because we were counting on certain people but we’ve had people step in and we’re improving each week,” Williams said.

“We’re hanging in. We’re making each other better. With not having depth, we’re going through all the reps and it’s preparing us for games. We’re a second-half team, because we have the endurance.”

Southern has backups, but all of those are first-year players and the Jaguars have yet to be in a blowout where those players could be inserted.

“They’re still learning,” Nivens said. “They’re getting better every week. They’re going to be the future.”

Richardson said his staff has done well to scheme practices to keep linemen fresh.

“They’re finding a way to get through, and we’ve been blessed from that aspect,” Richardson said.

Luke is a force
A&M QB Kelcy Luke has thrown 14 touchdown passes this season, and two more will already tie his career-best total of 16 from last season.

“They’re playing with a lot of confidence. A lot of that is led by their quarterback Luke,” Richardson said.

An Auburn transfer who started since 2004, Luke has thrown for 5,519 yards and 50 TDs and run for 1,328 yards and another 18 TDs. He entered the season as the school’s career leader in yards, completions and attempts.

“Kelcy is the anchor,” A&M coach Anthony Jones said. “He’s leading them, and everybody follows his lead.”

Landry keeps going
Southern senior wide receiver Gerard Landry kept his run of a touchdown catch in every game going this season with a 23-yarder with 3:08 left in a 21-2 win over Alabama State on Saturday.

Landry had four catches for 54 yards, but the day wasn’t easy. He had his arm in a sling during the week and missed practices while getting rehab after injuring his left shoulder the week before.

“I was telling people I was going to play, but in my mind, it wasn’t looking good, because it was hurting very bad,” Landry said. “When game time came, I got it warmed up, and I was ready to go. I didn’t feel it during the game, but after the game I iced it up a little bit. It was hurting.”

Licea kicks it
A&M sophomore kicker Jeremy Licea went 1-for-3 in the regular season a year ago. The one make was a 20-yarder to beat Grambling 30-27 in overtime. He didn’t have an attempt in the final eight games.

But after getting a field-try blocked in the SWAC Championship Game, Licea made his final three of that game and has been good on all five tries — from 42, 37, 37, 36 and 25 — and is already 24-for-25 on PATs this season.