Southern back into school mode

VIDEO: Countdown on for Southern football

Classes started Monday at Southern, and to that end the Jaguars started their school-week schedule Sunday. As they will weekly all season, SU had a brief practice Sunday and did not practice Monday. SU coach Pete Richardson and staff made the change to light Sunday workouts/no Monday practices early in the 2004 season because of heavy class/practice conflicts on Mondays.

The practice schedule allows SU coaches to have Mondays to break down game film and better plan the key weekday practices — Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This week, with Sunday’s hour-long workout in the books, SU will practice two hours Tuesday through Friday afternoons and again Saturday morning. During game weeks, SU will have two-hour workouts Tuesday through Thursday and an hour walkthrough on Friday and then go one-and-a-half hours Sunday to recover from a Saturday game.

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Southern's Line Leaders

SU offensive tackles having fun while doing job

Here’s Southern senior right tackle Myles Williams. He’s got his shoulder pads and helmet in one hand. He’s got a host of sleepy teammates, trying to shake the double whammy of the early hour and the grind of being deep into the long week of two-a-days, walking past him to get their gear in the frigid bellows of the F.G. Clark Activity Center.

And so Williams bellows out, Monday Night Football style, “Are You Ready for Some Football?” This is the guy quarterback Bryant Lee calls, “Big Cheesy.” Williams, for his part, has a few choice nicknames to fire right back at Lee. In no way will Williams, a four-year starter, kowtow to the pretty-boy status of the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s preseason offensive player of the year.

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PVAMU quarterback Spivey receives 6th year of eligibility

Prairie View A&M quarterback Mark Spivey went 5-1 as a starter last season.

Prairie View A&M quarterback Mark Spivey has been granted a medical hardship waiver by the NCAA, giving him a sixth year of eligibility. Spivey, a Westfield product, missed the 2004 season and most of the 2005 campaign with shoulder injuries, but posted the best performance of his collegiate career last season, going 5-1 as a starter and leading the Panthers to their first winning season since 1976.

“He’s the leader of our offense, and he’s looking very sharp in practice,” coach Henry Frazier III said. “I’m expecting him to pick up where he left off last year."

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FAMU RT Okeafor returns from injury

Robert Okeafor walked off FAMU's football practice field Monday feeling that for the first time since last season he's accomplished something. "I felt like I was very much a contributor," he said. "The offensive line was in synch and the chemistry was there. It was like getting back to work."

Okeafor indeed is back to work at right tackle for the Rattlers. He returned to contact workout Monday for the first time since sustaining a torn meniscus in his left knee last season.

"It's like a kid in a candy store," he said. "I get back out there and get a chance to hit again. "I've been itching for awhile since I've gotten a chance to hit somebody so it's good to finally get that itch scratched and get a little contact under my belt."

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FAMU DB Beach trying to reclaim eligibility

Defensive back Jason Beach might not be playing another season at FAMU after all. Coach Joe Taylor hedged on saying with certainty that Beach won't be back, but he said enough to indicate that Beach won't get another season with the Rattlers. "I'm not too optimistic to be honest with you," Taylor said following Monday's practice, which Beach didn't attend.

"He has gotten what he came here for," Taylor said. "He has gotten his degree." Beach, who graduated with honors last December, was hoping to regain time that he missed during the 2004 season. That year, he left school to be with family members who were affected by Hurricane Dennis.

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MEAC volleyball kicks off

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The 2008 MEAC volleyball season will kick off Labor Day weekend with a flurry of nonconference games. The defending champions Florida A&M, will begin its season at the Florida State Invitational against Bowling Green and Stetson.

UMES will start at the Virginia Tech Hokie Invite at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30. They will face Virginia Tech, Coastal Carolina and Winston-Salem State. Conference play will begin Oct. 3 when the northern and southern teams will face each other.

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JSU tigers ready to roar

Touted TE Frost back from injury

JACKSON – Jackson State fans talk about Marcel Frost like he's some kind of mythical creature come to life. Like something they've heard about forever but have never actually seen. They know the Ohio State transfer has played in front of national audiences in places like Michigan Stadium and against Notre Dame in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. They've seen the imposing 6-foot-5, 255-pound frame. The soft hands, quick feet and fiery temperament of the tight end have been documented.

But, except for 10 catches in 2006, Tigers fans haven't witnessed the potential so many talk about. I feel like I have something to prove to everybody," Frost said. "I want to show everybody that it's not just hype and that I really can play.

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Time (finally) to mark calendars on long-delayed Robinson Museum project

GRAMBLING — Key dates for the long-delayed Eddie Robinson Museum are being talked about in terms of months, instead of years. For a project now nearly a decade in the making, that's a remarkable achievement in itself. "We're hoping to have a groundbreaking some time in the fall, and we'll get the ball rolling," said Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, whose office would oversee the project. "We're making great progress."

At Grambling State from 1941-97, Robinson retired as the winningest football coach in college history with 408 wins — leading the Tigers to 17 Southwestern Athletic Conference titles over the years. He passed away in April 2007 at age 88, as the state moved to approve a plan to house a museum in his honor in the former women's gym on the Grambling campus.

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Vikings' Jackson suffers sprained MCL

ESPN.com reported that Minnesota Vikings and former Alabama State quarterback Tarvaris Jackson suffered a sprained medial collateral knee ligament during the Vikings' 23-15 preseason victory over the Ravens on Saturday. The MCL injury could keep Jackson out of the Vikings' preseason game next Saturday against the Steelers but the injury isn't considered serious enough to sideline him for the start of the regular season.



It's possible Vikings coach Brad Childress could keep him out of the Vikings' final two preseason games to ensure Jackson is healthy for the regular-season opener against the Packers.

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B-CU Wildcats excited about QB Souverain

Cornerbacks Antonio and Antwuan Cox are amongst the five speediest players on the BCU roster that includes Souverain as the third fastest.

DAYTONA BEACH -- McKinson Souverain sounded a bit like Mark McGwire speaking before a congressional committee. "I don't really like to talk about the past," he said. That includes four-fifths of his college football career, which has been largely forgettable. It is the one year he has remaining that he and his coach, Bethune-Cookman's Alvin Wyatt, are excited about. "We feel good about this kid, real good," Wyatt said of his senior quarterback.

Souverain transferred to B-CU before last season (from Fresno City College/FAU) and spent the year backing up senior Jimmie Russell. He passed for 402 yards and a touchdown with three interceptions and ran for 98 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown run in the season's final game against Florida A&M. Having never directed an option offense before, Souverain had to learn how to run the "Wyattbone." Now he's ready.

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Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Ready To Roll

BCU head football coach Alvin C. "Shine" Wyatt, Sr., sports back- to- back 5-6 records with the Wildcats.

DAYTONA - Alvin Wyatt clearly enjoys being flashy. Bethune-Cookman's football coach has maybe the most distinctive sideline wardrobe in the game. Shirts opened to mid-chest, gaudy jewelry dangling from his neck, sunglasses, pointed shoes with a glossy shine. And when he's away from the football field, he sometimes can be found driving around Daytona Beach in his luxury sedan. It's simply part of his lore, the way he's always been, the way he'll always be.

Yet Wyatt also has a simple side, the one that is the backbone of his football program. For nearly three decades, the Bronson Residential Complex - the Bethune dorm that houses most football players, wedged between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the team's practice field - has been his year-round home. He eats alongside the students, shares a bathroom with them, rides the same elevators, walks the same hallways. His reason? Officially, it's to save money, since he isn't exactly one of football's higher-paid coaches. Deep down, though, he simply doesn't want to be anywhere else.

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Florida A&M Rattler faithful celebrate fan day

Children squeezed between their parents to get an up-close view of the 2008 FAMU football team's autograph session at Sunday's Fan Appreciation Day. Longtime Rattler supporters filled chairs in the food court at Governor's Square Mall. FAMU fans even watched on the upper level, where curious spectators mingled and peered over the rails to get a glimpse of the Marching 100.

FAMU Marching 100 Alumni Band (2008) - Songs: Sing, Sing, Sing; and S.O.S.


The entire band wasn't there but the performance was just as rousing as any that the band is known for. They seemed to captivate the audience with a rendition of "Sing, Sing, Sing," a tune that director Julian White says the band will perform Sept. 7 at a Miami Dolphins game. The estimated 400 fans that showed up also got a chance to meet other athletes and coaching staff from FAMU. For more than an hour after the band played its final tune, fans waited in lines to meet the players and get their autographs.

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NCCU Eagles' young defense prepares for tough schedule

DURHAM -- N.C. Central has been used to moving the football and putting up points for the past four years, and the Eagles should be just as good at it this year. Although Mose Rison's club will face a much tougher schedule than did last season's 6-4 team, with seven returning starters including proven quarterback Stadford Brown, the offense should be in very good shape. And new defensive coordinator Jake Cabell's biggest challenge is simply to make sure his less experienced unit isn't on the field very much.

The first test is just 13 days away, as the Eagles will open their season on Aug. 31 at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium against former CIAA rival Fayetteville State. "We get to work against a very good, proven offense every day in practice," said Cabell, a one-time star at Nebraska who will also be position coach for the Eagles' defensive backs. "We want to have them on the field as much as possible, so our motto is 'Get the ball back.'"

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Defense starts, offense finishes in UAPB scrimmage

University of Arkansas Pine Bluff head football coach Monte Coleman.

The Arkansas-Pine Bluff offense apparently didn’t get the message that head coach Monte Coleman’s first scrimmage at the school started at 6:15 p.m. The Golden Lion defense set the tone by only giving up one touchdown in the first half. Then the offense responded to a short field for most of the second half, taking the Saturday scrimmage 37-6.

“It was probably jitters, and I had jitters, too,” Coleman said. “I walked on the field, and it felt like the Super Bowl. My stomach was turning, so it was probably jitters.”

The defense gained confidence right from the start. Junior transfer Larry Jenkins intercepted Jonathan Moore on the first play of the scrimmage and returned the ball 35 yards for the touchdown.

“That’s something that we have not done since I’ve been here and that’s score on defense,” Coleman said.

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UAPB Report: Lions have bad luck with WRs

In less than two weeks, the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions went from looking for a secondary receiver to complement senior Bruce Peters to looking for a secondary receiver, period. Senior Ryan Watley was lost for the season last week after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in practice. Then Tuesday, the NCAA informed Golden Lions offensive coordinator / academic liaison Jonathan Cannon that freshman wideout Gionni Harris would be ineligible for the 2008 season.

Harris, who helped lead Fayetteville to the Class 7 A state title in 2007, was considered one of the Golden Lions' quicker receiving prospects. Coach Monte Coleman said one of the test scores used to admit Harris to the university came from an exam not taken on one of the national testing days. Harris can remain as a student at UAPB and can have four years of eligibility starting next season if he meets the school's academic requirements.

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Some Question Funding for Grambling Band Appearance

The University of Nevada has found what it hopes will be just the right draw to pack Mackay Stadium for its football season opener (University of Nevada vs. Grambling State University) - the world class Grambling Marching Band. The Grambling State Band is known as the best band in the land. It's a highly polished, highly entertaining experience on game day. And officials at UNR expect them to draw a crowd of 25,000 to Mackay Stadium for the game.

But here's the catch. They don't play for free. Unlike most marching bands who finance their own travel, Grambling State demands travel expenses to appear and they get it. Rumors are that that pricetag is anywhere from $30,000 to $150,000. And UNR is footing the bill which would probably not be causing heartburn if UNR's own band program weren't on the budget chopping block.

Grambling State University Marching Tiger Band


"I can't tell you the exact amount, but I can tell you that this cost a lot. We started working on this two years ago and to us it's great to have them on the schedule. But this money is money we raised though private doneos and corporate donations. It's not money that could go to anything else. It's not like we could reassign it to the band here or anywhere else. It was raised specifically for this show," says Assistant Athletic Director for UNR Rory Hickok. He's coordinated the trip and has set up the performance at the Peppermill as well as the game's halftime.

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A&M offense lights up night

Atkins tosses five touchdowns in Maroon victory

Held in check for much of training camp, Alabama A&M's offense finally exploded Saturday night during its third preseason scrimmage.Quarterback Kevin Atkins threw for 316 yards and five touchdowns as the Maroon clobbered the White 58-6 on Fan Day at Louis Crews Stadium. The Maroon team was made up of first- and second-teamers, while the White team consisted of primarily third-teamers.

"We turned it on tonight," said Atkins, who was 12-of-22 with a pair of interceptions. "We've got a lot of big-play ability. I'm feeling a lot more comfortable. Things are starting to slow down for me and I'm getting a complete grasp of the entire offense. "We made a couple of mistakes. I take the blame for both interceptions. I take the blame for both interceptions.

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Junior QB from Hawaii making waves at Mississippi Valley

Willie Totten believes Ryan Burciaga will give Mississippi Valley State an offensive jolt this season. The Delta Devils need all the help they can get after finishing last in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in total offense, seventh in scoring and ninth in passing en route to a 3-8 record in 2007.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder from Honolulu, Hawaii, took over as the No. 1 quarterback during spring practice with his improved play and appears to have nailed down the starting nod for Valley's season opener Aug. 30 at home against Texas College. "I told Ryan at the end of spring that it was his job to lose, and by the looks of things so far, he has no plans on giving up the No. 1 spot," said Totten, who is in his seventh season as the MVSU head coach.

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Extreme makeover for Savannah State athletics

The horse is catching up to the cart at Savannah State University. When SSU jumped into NCAA Division I - college athletics' highest level - in 2002, the Tigers lacked an extensive feasibility study, adequate facilities and financial resources. These days, the historically black college is a whirlwind of activity. Progress, something SSU athletes and alumni crave, is evident in renovations to T.A. Wright Stadium (football) and Wilcox-Wiley gymnasium (volleyball). The improvements don't end there.



SSU has created the Tiger Club for boosters, an attempt to secure the necessary funds for scholarships to recruit the best student-athletes possible. SSU also has developed licensing and corporate marketing programs. Even the walls are talking inside Tiger Arena (basketball) thanks to the addition of colorful action photographs featuring biographies of former athletes. The athletics upgrades, part of the vision of school president Earl Yarbrough, vice president for administration Claud Flythe and athletics director Bart Bellairs, are long-awaited steps toward fielding teams that can be competitive in all sports.

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SCSU Bulldog D dominates on 'Meet the Players Day'

SCSU receiver Oliver 'Tre' Young.



















The close to 250 fans who took part in South Carolina State’s “Meet the Players Day” at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium Saturday witnessed a scrimmage dominated by the defense.

“I thought defensively, we did better than we did offensively,” S.C. State head football coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough said. “Offensively, I thought today we were very medium. I think it had maybe something to do with the fact that our defense is starting to really kind of keep a grip of us and do some things to kind of shut us down. Whether or not we can attribute all of that to our defense, I don’t know. It might be the fact that offense just didn’t have it today. But, I think it was mostly because our defense played better.”

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JSU Tigers feed off junior Jamison's high energy

Former Alabama A&M quarterback Kelcy Luke can probably still hear the taunts from 2007. Where you at Kelcy? Here I come Kelcy! Where you going Kelcy? Surprise, surprise, Jackson State linebacker Marcus Jamison was the one doing the talking. He's always the one talking. "I like to stay crunk and stay hyped," Jamison said. "Football is not a quiet game. When everybody's involved, it's a whole lot easier. Everybody talking and just in that mode."

Jamison seems to live in that mode. Ask coaches and teammates about the 6-foot-1, 235-pound junior and the adjectives start to fly - intense, a high motor, motivator. If Jamison isn't talking, something's wrong. "That's the guy that gets me," said linebacker Marcellus Speaks, the undisputed leader of the defense. "I kind of get in that mode too."

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Freshmen fare well for SU Jaguars

SU quarterback Bryant Lee, the SWAC’s preseason offensive player of the year.

The ho-hum part of Southern’s substantial scrimmage Saturday morning was the first-stringers did well. The sizzle is in how freshmen Jerry Joseph and LaQuinton Evans keep coming on. Joseph, a running back from Ville Platte High, scored twice, including a 19-yard grab in which he put a hand on the turf to steady himself and then turned on the speed to slash through the defense.

And Evans, a wide receiver from Mansfield High, had three grabs for 75 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown. Together, they scored three of SU’s five touchdowns at A.W. Mumford Stadium. Their performances continued an important preseason camp trend, as SU trotted out a crop of newcomers who have added a depth lacking in recent years and brought in significant talent and drive.

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Southern's first team sets tone early

Southern Jaguars head football coach Pete Richardson

Kendrick Smith set the tone for Southern’s scrimmage Saturday by taking a screen pass to the right, slipping between the blocks nicely set up ahead of him and speeding away for an 80-yard gain. What’s the tone? The first stringers who have grown together over the years and helped SU to a bounce-back 8-3 record a year ago are ahead of the second stringers.

As the Jaguars went more than 120 plays Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium, the first teams worked exclusively against their second-team counterparts. The first-team offense, even with center Ramon Chinyoung (groin), fullback Alvin Fosselman (hamstring) and running back Brian Threat (hamstring) out and Smith (hand) limited to two touches, looked smooth working against the second-team defense.

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ASU QB race is still tight

Junior linebacker John Hogan, an all-SWAC player as a freshman, has been kicked off the team

A little over a week ago, Alabama State head coach Reggie Barlow said he wanted to name a starting quarterback at least two weeks before the Hornets' first game at Florida A&M. Saturday was Barlow's self-imposed deadline. He's going to blow it. Following a solid week of practices from both Anthony Speight and Reid Herchenbach, Barlow said the race was still too close to call, and he gave himself a few extra days to come to a decision.

"Hopefully, this week we can get the guy," he said. "What I was really hoping for is for one of those guys to step up and just blow it away, make himself the clear choice. That hasn't happened. They've both played well -- really well. It's been a tight, competitive race." If a little flash is what Barlow was looking for, Herchenbach obliged on Saturday.

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FAMU Rattlers' defense has its way

FAMU's offense hampers battle for starting QB; freshman Derrick Shaw emerges at quarterback

Quarterback Eddie Battles' struggles were glaringly obvious against a defense that was very disruptive. The defensive pressures were enough to overshadow what seemed like a battle brewing for the back-up quarterback role. But while the offense couldn't do much during FAMU's first scrimmage Saturday, coach Joe Taylor said he didn't see much that was unexpected. More than anything else, he was upbeat about the progress he saw on defense.
























"This first scrimmage is mainly to try to find the personnel: who's willing to fly around and who is willing to make some contact," Taylor said, praising the defense that forced turnovers and interceptions.

"That gives you a sigh of relief because you wouldn't want it the other way around. Usually this is what happens. I told them usually this is how it works out." Taylor said changes in personnel and schemes are likely after he reviews each player's performance on film.

Photo Gallery: FAMU Football Scrimmage

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