Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm 2008

PVAMU Alma Mater

FAMU Marching 100 - Homecoming 2008 Show

MEAC's big boys up last as A&T seeks a strong finish

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- A winning season and conference championship are out of reach, and the coach has been fired. Yet, as they enter their final two football games of 2008, the N.C. A&T Aggies swear the search for significance isn't as tough as finding Sasquatch in Summerfield. "Florida A&M and South Carolina State: the big boys," interim coach George Ragsdale said. "And we're a big boy. We've got to get our place back."

Simply beating the Rattlers and Bulldogs won't immediately return A&T (3-7, 1-5 MEAC) to that status, but it might be a start. And at least the Aggies are done with travel for the year, having driven to the ends of the MEAC -- Delaware State and Bethune-Cookman -- during the past three weeks. Those journeys added up to approximately 1,934 round-trip miles, the rough equivalent of taking the bus one way from Greensboro to Moab, Utah. So what exactly is in it for the Aggies in the two games and one bye week to come?

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Comments by Hampton Pirates' coach annoy WSSU Rams

The rivalry that existed between Winston-Salem State and Hampton when both played in the CIAA is back in full swing. It was evident Saturday, after WSSU spoiled Hampton's homecoming with a 35-30 victory. Jerry Holmes, in his first season as the Pirates' coach, had a few choice words that didn't sit well with some of the Rams' coaches and players.

"Any time we have that much talent, there's no way they should beat us," Holmes said after the game. "We've got speed, we've got guys up front -- there's no way. There's no way they should have beat us." Hampton also has 10 transfers from Bowl Subdivision teams to WSSU's two, but WSSU had a 100-yard return for a touchdown by David Irizarry after Hampton missed a field-goal attempt. Coach Kermit Blount of the Rams said he didn't take what Holmes said personally.

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Barack Obama elected 44th president

‘Change has come to America,’ first African-American leader tells country

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Barack Obama, a 47-year-old first-term senator from Illinois, shattered more than 200 years of history Tuesday night by winning election as the first African-American president of the United States. A crowd of 125,000 people jammed Grant Park in Chicago, where Obama addressed the nation for the first time as its president-elect at midnight ET. Hundreds of thousands more — Mayor Richard Daley said he would not be surprised if a million Chicagoans jammed the streets — watched on a large television screen outside the park.

“If there is anyone out there who doubts that America is a place where anything is possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,” Obama declared. “Young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled, Americans have sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of red states and blue states,” he said. “We have been and always will be the United States of America.



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Southern’s depth in secondary bodes well for ’09

Their starting left corner back missed last week’s home finale, and their starting free safety is on the shelf for good. But the Southern Jaguars’ black-and-blue secondary may have uncovered something over the last two months: silver lining. So many reserves have played in the secondary this season that their transition to starting roles might not be as rough next fall.

“I think it just shows the depth we have on our football team,” SU coach Pete Richardson said. “I think our assistants do an outstanding job of preparation and keeping the young ones focused — to make sure they’re focused on what they have to do. Anything can happen. When they got an opportunity to play, I think they stepped up and did that.”

Indeed. A pulled groin muscle forced left corner Mike Williams to sit out Saturday’s 31-24 double-overtime victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

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Attendance: 10354 (35%) @ Mumford Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA (Capacity: 28,400).

Backup powers TSU past Tech

No. 25 Tigers roll to remain in OVC race

After being derailed last week, Tennessee State settled back into the driver's seat of the Ohio Valley Conference by clobbering Tennessee Tech Saturday night 41-14. Not only did the No. 25 Tigers bounce back from a tough-to-stomach loss to Southeast Missouri, they did it with a backup quarterback making his first start. Dominic Grooms, a transfer from Missouri, stepped in for injured Antonio Heffner and in front of a homecoming crowd of 24,361, led the offense to its best performance of the year, according to Coach James Webster.

"This was as good of a game as we've played because we had no turnovers,'' Webster said. "If we don't turn the football over, we win." If TSU (7-2, 4-1 OVC) wins its remaining three games, it will win the conference championship and earn an automatic berth to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. The Tigers have defeated the other two teams with one conference loss, UT Martin and Eastern Kentucky.

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Attendance: 24,361 (35%) @ LP Field, Nashville, TN (Capacity: 68,798) vs. Tennessee Tech.

B-CU defense steps up

DAYTONA BEACH -- The bread and butter for Bethune-Cookman this season has been its rushing offense -- tops in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and 10th-best in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. But on Saturday at Municipal Stadium, the offense -- while it did produce enough points to hang a 24-14 defeat on North Carolina A&T -- had to let the defense take the most bows.

"I guess it was our turn," sophomore linebacker Josh Smiley said. "The offense has picked us up in some games, so maybe today we helped the offense and made their job a little easier." And how! Consider that B-CU defenders permitted the Aggies only eight first downs, only 2.9 yards per rushing attempt, only 163 total yards (103 rushing, 60 passing), only 47 offensive plays (22 less than B-CU), only 24 minutes of possession (about 11 less than B-CU), only two third-down conversions and only one "earned" touchdown.

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SSU QB has sprained shoulder

X-rays taken Monday afternoon of Savannah State starting quarterback Kurvin Curry's right (throwing) shoulder revealed no major damage, coach Robby Wells said. Curry, a 6-foot, 198-pound freshman from Hartwell, separated his right shoulder when he was tackled during a running play with 14 minutes, 50 seconds remaining in the second quarter of the Tigers' Homecoming game against Concordia-Selma.

"Nothing is broken. He's got a slight sprain," Wells said. "(The doctors and trainers) are telling me that he's going to be at least 80-85 percent this weekend. We're going to get him out there and let him do the mental reps in practice and just see how he progresses. I'll make a game-time decision."

SSU (4-5) will travel to Camden County on Saturday to play Edward Waters (2-7) at 5 p.m. at Gilman Stadium in Kingsland. If Curry is unable to start....

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S.C. State holds on for 23-17 victory over Delaware State

DOVER, Del. -– South Carolina State got a late last-minute stand from its defense to overcome two second-half turnovers and an overall lackluster performer to grab a 23-17 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win over Delaware State Saturday at Alumni Stadium. The game was broadcast on a taped-delay basis on ESPNU Saturday night at 10:30 p.m.

With the victory, the Bulldogs remained perfect in the MEAC at 5-0 and improved their overall record to 7-2. Coach Buddy Pough’s team remained in first place in the league race and kept alive its hopes for S.C. State’s first outright conference crown since 1994. The win gave Pough, who is in his seventh season, 54 career victories, tying him with the late Bill Davis for second place on the S.C. State all-time football win list.

Sophomore quarterback Malcolm Long completed 18 of 30 attempts for 246 yards and two touchdowns with one interception for the Bulldogs. He had scoring tosses of six yards and 48 yards, both to tight end Octavius Darby, who finished with four catches for 97 yards.

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Attendance: 3,012 (43%) @ Alumni Stadium, Dover, DE (Capacity: 7,000).


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WSSU Dunston scores three touchdowns as coach ties…

HAMPTON, Va. - Winston-Salem built a 25-point third-quarter lead and then held off Hampton for a 35-30 victory on Saturday. Jarrett Dunston scored three touchdowns and the Rams (2-6) nearly tripled their scoring average of 12 points to give coach Kermit Blount his 89th win, tying him for most in school history. The Pirates (5-3) lost their second straight game.

David Irizarry returned a missed 50-yard field goal attempt 100 yards for a 14-3 first-quarter lead, then sealed the win with a fourth-quarter interception of Herb Bynes, who threw for 348 yards and two touchdowns. Those two touchdowns, both to Justin Brown, came less than five minutes apart in the fourth quarter as Hampton cut a 25-point deficit to 35-30.

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Attendance: 14,877 (87.5%) @Armstrong Stadium, Hampton, VA (Capacity: 17,000).

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NSU snaps its losing streak with 49-12 win over Howard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - After six weeks of futility, Norfolk State finally found a reason to celebrate, overwhelming Howard 49-12 on Saturday at Greene Stadium. Not only did the Spartans win their first game since Sept. 13, they halted a more miserable streak in producing their first victory over the Bison on the road since 1983.

Plenty of green and gold lined the visitors' bleachers on an unseasonably warm afternoon, and those fans enjoyed every kind of Spartans highlight imaginable. NSU (3-6, 2-4) scored on offense, defense and twice on special teams in breaking a five-game losing streak. The 49 points were the most by NSU this season. I'm going to keep this uniform on until next week," said revved-up Spartans quarterback Dennis Brown, who produced one touchdown with his legs and another with his arm. "We're a better team than our record shows. Now all we have to do is come out and run the table."

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Attendance: 2,086 (21%) at Wm. H. Greene Stadium, Washington, D.C. (Capacity: 10,000).

Rattlers show their youth, but also show their future

Photo Galleries:
FAMU Homecoming game
FAMU Homecoming: first half
FAMU Homecoming Pregame
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Just before leaving Bragg Stadium during the third quarter, Eddie Jackson spoke a few words that he might be repeating a few times this week. Used to be that Jackson had to explain a lot about athletics at FAMU when he was sports information director. Somewhere someone would ask him what happened on FAMU's homecoming. "I think over the next couple years," Jackson said. "you're going to see a great Rattler football team."

Morgan State Bears offensive line could not be stopped by the Rattlers defense--even with the Bears 2nd and 3rd String QBs playing the majority of the second half, spoiling FAMU's Homecoming with a 13-10 victory.

Quite a few folks might have gone home with the same feeling, sir. Watching FAMU play from behind then falling 13-10 wasn't what the 16,205 fans came to see. They sure weren't expecting to see James Meade kick a 39-yard field goal then leave just 12 seconds for FAMU to do something. But it's what they got on a night when the youth of the Rattlers showed. They had their opportunities.

If only they could have stood up.

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Attendance: 16,205 (63.5%) @ Bragg Memorial Stadium, Tallahassee, FL (Capacity: 25,500).

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Taylors getting accustomed to life in Rattler Country

Beverly Taylor wasn't properly dressed when she showed up at one of the early FAMU meet-and-greet events with her husband, head coach Joe Taylor. Nope, she wasn't wearing orange and green. A few folks politely let her know she has an obligation to show a little more Rattler pride in her attire. She came away "Rattlertized," she said. "Their passion, their love for the school, their eagerness to help — they are taking pride in the school," she said. "They wear their orange and green proudly. I don't care where it is, they let it be known that 'I'm a Rattler.'"

Today FAMU's first lady of football gets her first taste of homecoming, which she's come to realize is like none of the others that she's seen in six previous moves with her husband. The gathering at her home won't be as huge as some she's hosted for up to 150 family and friends. Many of the regulars couldn't get flights or find hotel rooms.

In the midst of all the preparations, Beverly Taylor is juggling her normal life — involvement at her church, teaching a middle school class, and of course, being the one to calm the coach's nerves as he takes his team through a pivotal stretch of games in pursuit of the MEAC title.

VIEW TODAY'S HOMECOMING GAME ON FAMCAST, CLICK HERE: http://www.famu.edu/famcast/famusports

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Savannah State athletics on the rise

It's homecoming week at Savannah State. For years... The athletic programs have floundered in mediocrity. But with new leadership from President Dr. Earl Yarbrough and athletic director Bart Bellairs... There is hope for the future. "There have been some amazing things happen," said Bellairs. "The transformation of this campus is just beautiful."

The Savannah State athletic department is trying to pull itself out of the hole that was created by years of neglect. If nothing else, Bellairs can feel the excitement of growth. "Our football staff works tremendously hard at getting good. The players are feeling it, the campus is feeling it."

Basketball is just around the corner and Coach Horace Broadnax had helped the team gain respectability. "We're very excited. We just signed a deal with Georgetown that we'll go to Georgetown in men's basketball and they will come back in here the following year," said Bellairs. "Our women's team is already playing a huge schedule, they've got Georgia Tech coming in. We're hoping that everyone will get behind Savannah State athletics as we try to improve our competition and we have our quest to win championships."

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'Cats take over WSSU homecoming

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- It took a little more than nine minutes for Bethune-Cookman to turn a tightly contested Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game against Winston-Salem State into a blowout. B-CU delivered the knock-out punch in the fourth quarter, and the result was a 27-6 victory at Bowman-Gray Stadium on Saturday. The Wildcats left town with the added satisfaction of knowing they put a serious damper on WSSU's homecoming celebration.

"We really wanted to flip the script, and that's just what we did," B-CU coach Alvin Wyatt said. "Last year, we were 2-4 and we lost to them and fell to 2-5. This year, we come in and beat them, and now we're 5-2 for the first time in three years. "We made some adjustments with our blocking schemes, and that helped open things up when we ran the option (in the second half)."

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Coach Rags starts N.C. A&T four-game season with a bang

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- George Ragsdale walked onto the field early Saturday wearing a floppy rain hat and a rumpled look. He looked like he'd been doing it all his life, and he had in a sense. Ragsdale looked like he was part of the furniture at Aggie Stadium. The soft rain shrouded the field like gauze, making for a gloomy ambience for the first game of the rest of the season for N.C. A&T. Ragsdale was smiling.

A&T held off Howard 21-20 Saturday afternoon to win its first conference game in three years and set off a wild celebration among players and fans and one happy interim coach. "Coach Rags didn't play a down," he said. "Not one down did coach Ragsdale play. What I did was try to motivate and encourage them to play every down."

He meant the players and the fans and the alumni and everyone else who walked into the stadium unsure of what was about to happen. As it turned out, they needed everybody and every down to win the kind of game A&T has been losing for the past three seasons. The game came at the end of a long week for the Aggies and at the beginning of what Ragsdale and the athletics community here declared the beginning of a brand-new, four-game season. Lee Fobbs, the third-year head coach at A&T, was fired Monday morning after the worst era in school history. He was fired after six straight losses, a losing streak that gave him a three-year record of 2-28 that demoralized the team and its fans.

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TSU can't pull out another close one

Tigers fall in OT at SE Missouri

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Tennessee State's penchant for living dangerously proved costly Saturday afternoon. The Tigers were knocked from their status as the last team in the Ohio Valley Conference without a league loss Saturday, falling 27-20 to Southeast Missouri State in overtime. The Redhawks rallied from a 14-point deficit, answered TSU's go-ahead field goal with 29 seconds to play, then scored on the first series in overtime.

"We just had too many missed opportunities today," TSU Coach James Webster said. "We should have been able to put them away. "Interceptions hurt us. They really did. We would be moving the ball and have an interception." Senior Antonio Heffner, the OVC's leading passer, threw three interceptions while completing 14 of 22 passes for 233 yards for the Tigers, who came into the game ranked No. 19 in three different Football Championship Series polls.

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Record crowd 69,113 watches win, AAMU 17, ASU 16

Photo Gallery:
ASU loses the Magic City Classic

AAMU Bulldogs' Jones savors 4th-straight Magic City Classic triumph

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Even Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones was impressed with the crowd at Saturday's 67th annual Magic City Classic. An announced crowd of 69,113 piled into Legion Field to watch A&M outlast Alabama State 17-16. When I heard the crowd of 69,000 and some change, it blew me away," Jones said. "Both teams are in down years (but) the people in Birmingham know, the people at Alabama State know (and) the people at Alabama A&M know. They know when you line up at the Magic City Classic something magical is going to happen.

"And, if you miss it ... somebody is going to do something they haven't done all year long and for someone to have to tell you about it isn't the same. You can't beat this. It's great to be a part of this. Next year, you're going to have people scaling the wall in Spider-Man suits on trying to get in." Jones became the first Alabama A&M coach since the legendary Louis Crews to win four straight Magic City Classics. Crews' Bulldogs won four straight from 1972-75. "I had no idea," Jones said. "Any time your name can be mentioned with Louis Crews, it's humbling. It's just another example of how blessed I am.

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Prairie View erases deficit, beats Southern 24-23

Photo Gallery: PVAMU 24, SU 23

After watching his offense scuffle in the first half against Southern, Prairie View A&M coach Henry Frazier III told running back Donald Babers that it was up to him to carry the load in the second half. Babers rushed for 102 of his game-high 116 yards in the second half, quarterback Mark Spivey threw for a touchdown and ran for another and linebacker Zach East returned an interception for a score to help the Panthers turn a 14-point deficit into a 24-23 victory in front of a crowd of 19,514 at Reliant Stadium.

With Babers as the primary catalyst, Prairie View outscored Southern 21-6 in the second half. “Coach told me that he was going to put the team on my back, and I was up for the challenge,” Babers said. The Panthers improved to 7-1, their best start since 1964. More importantly, they improved to 4-1 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play, keeping alive their hopes of winning the West Division title and advancing on to the SWAC championship game.

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UAPB Coleman finally gets to celebrate

PINE BLUFF, AR — Arkansas-Pine Bluff Coach Monte Coleman is an emotional guy, and he had trouble holding it in Saturday. Coleman earned his first victory as a head coach as UAPB beat Lincoln University of Missouri 42-0 before a homecoming crowd of 14,852 at Golden Lion Stadium in Pine Bluff. UAPB (1-7) had 394 yards of total offense and held Lincoln (2-6 ), an NCAA Division II school from Jefferson City, Mo., to seven first downs and 181 yards of offense.

“I’m not looking at their record or what division they’re in. We got beat early on by some Division II schools. It’s all relative,” Coleman said. “We needed a victory, and we came out and got us a victory.” Martell Mallett had 146 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns on 15 carries to lead UAPB. Mickey Dean, Jeremy Morrow and Kenneth Esaw also had rushing touchdowns. The sixth touchdown of the day, doubling UAPB’s total from the entire season, came on a 91-yard interception return by James Harrell with 59 seconds left.

UAPB M4 - "Grateful" 10/24/2008 BOTB


UAPB M4 - "A Heart Is A House For Love" 10/24/2008 BOTB



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Southern University Human Jukebox Half-Time Show vs. PVAMU Marching Storm 10/25/08

Missed chances, turnovers prove costly in NSU Spartans’ loss

Photo Galleries:
FAMU defeats Norfolk State
FAMU Pregame

NORFOLK, VA - Norfolk State found another way to lose Saturday when a field goal in the final four seconds cost the Spartans moments after they thrilled the homecoming crowd at Price Stadium by rallying for a tie. The 31-28 Florida A&M win sent the Spartans to their fifth consecutive loss. "For a while we were clicking," said NSU receiver Dario Walker, a line repeated by just about every Spartan. "But we just keep coming up short every week. "

Just when NSU looked finished, Dennis Brown overcame a 4th-and-7 by completing his longest pass of the day from 37 yards out to Walker, who made a diving catch in the left corner of the end zone with 35 seconds left. After the extra point the game was tied at 28. Florida A&M had all its timeouts and Curtis Pulley, the transfer quarterback from Kentucky, whose ability to escape the blitz had stymied NSU much of the afternoon.

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Get ready Rattler fans: It's homecoming week at FAMU

TAKING CONTROL: Bulldogs take over first place in the MEAC

Travil Jamison was in his own world in the South Carolina State locker room during halftime of Saturday’s Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference showdown with Hampton. Held to zero yards in a scoreless first half, Jamison kept to himself as he gathered his thoughts in hopes of putting together a more productive second half.

When Jamison returned to the Oliver C. Dawson Stadium field, he entered a “zone” which propelled him to the best game of his college career and the Bulldogs into the driver’s seat of the MEAC title race. His career-best four touchdowns and 151 rushing yards – all in the second half – helped turn a scoreless game at halftime into a decisive 35-13 victory over the Pirates.

“Obviously, he had a really good game,” said an ecstatic S.C. State head football coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough. “This guy has always been right on the edge of being a real good guy for us.”
























Travil Jamison runs ball again Benedict College earlier in season.

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Week Nine: MEAC/SWAC Football Results

Florida A&M Rattlers 31, Norfolk State Spartans 28

The Joe Taylor two-headed Rattler experiment is over at the expense of the Norfolk State Spartans. Starter Eddie Battle gave the Spartans homecoming crowd hope, with two interceptions thrown and a fumble in completing 3 of 7 passes for 10 yards in the first quarter action. With the Spartans leading 14-0, in steps QB Curtis Pulley to get the Rattlers focused with his running and passing. Pulley completed 13 of 27 passes for 252 yards and 3 touchdowns, and ran for another 101 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries.

RB Philip Sylvester had 16 carries for 105 yards, with a 44 yard touchdown run in the third quarter that gave FAMU a 21-14 lead. Rattler receiver Kevin Elliott had seven catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns (16 and 25 yards). Isaac West hauled in a fourth quarter bomb of 60 yards from Pulley to give the Rattlers a 28-21 lead that the Spartans would match with a Dennis Brown 37 yard pass completion to Dario Walker for a touchdown to tie the game again, with .35 seconds remaining.

FAMU's Pulley then drove the Rattlers 67 yards in 5 plays (.31 seconds) to set up Rattlers kicker Trevor Scott for the game winner from the 26 yard line.

Spartans 1-A transfer QB Dennis Brown ( UConn.) and Miami (FL) Booker T. Washington H.S., had a magnificent game completing 22/37 for 192 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Brown lead the NSU rushing attack with 131 yards on 16 carries for one touchdown.

The FAMU defense has shown little improvement--allowing Norfolk State to score with 35 seconds remaining in the game with a blown coverage on a 37 yard touchdown pass and allowing the Spartans to be successful on 3 of 4 fourth down plays. The inspired 2-6 Spartans were able to gain 371 yards and control the clock for 29 minutes against the Rattlers.

The Rattlers FAMCAST system failed again! As advertised, the game was not broadcasted at the appointed 1:00 p.m. and video was not received until the second half. Audio was picked up with about three minutes remaining in the 1st quarter. For a first class university, this streaming video/audio system sucks and is not representative of the fine work that this university can produce. No excuses--this needs to be fixed as this signal is being sent globally and fans expect to be able to tune in.

Charge a fee if you must--but develop a first class, reliable and dependable FAMCAST system that fans can enjoy watching--all of the Rattlers sports and other events.

Final Observations....The Rattlers need to stop playing to the level of their competition in the MEAC or they may be sitting at home with a 10-2 record come time for the 2008 FCS (1-AA) playoffs. Eddie Battle should remain on the bench as Curtis Pulley is the superior QB and is getting the job done. Battle is a good kid, but he does not have the running talents of Pulley, who is to valuable for FAMU's success to be platooned. Overall, the FAMU defense sucks and needs a complete makeover.

Attendance: 13,889 (46%) at Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk, VA (Capacity: 30,000).

Morgan State Bears 20, Delaware State Hornets 3

The Bears did the entire MEAC a favor by blasting the Hornets at Hughes Stadium before 6,312 Bear fans to drop DSU out of the MEAC race with a 3-4, 3-2 record. The Hornets self-destructed with 31 yards passing, 87 yards rushing, and four turnovers for the entire game. What happen to all those celebrated Division I transfers that were going to make the Delaware State Hornets Kings of the MEAC?

We will find out how good the Bears really are next week as they are scheduled as the homecoming opponent for the fast charging FAMU Rattlers. The Bears are returning to glory with a 5-3, 3-1 MEAC record.

Attendance: 6312 (63%) at Hughes Stadium, Baltimore, MD (Capacity: 10,000).

South Carolina State University 35, Hampton University 13

S.C. State's Buddy Pough now has a clear path to the MEAC championship and FCS Playoffs. Hampton got hammered by the Bulldogs power running game on Saturday afternoon. No need to over analyze the why's and how's, as 316 yards on the ground speaks volumes about the prowess of the Bulldogs running game.

Will Ford did his thing, gaining 182 yards on 25 carries for one touchdown. But, the surprise of the day was Travil Jamison who exploded for four touchdowns on 10 carries, for 152 yards. We had rain, but SCSU brought thunder and lightning to the Pirates.

The Pirates didn't give themselves a chance getting whistled for 13 penalties for 154 yards. RB LaMarcus Coker was held scoreless on 22 rushes for 109 yards, but caught a 10 yard pass for touchdown from QB Herbert Bynes. Bynes also hit Damon McDaniel on a beautiful 43-yard touchdown pass and completed 27/40 for 272 yards for two touchdowns.

The Pirates season and playoff dreams may be over if Coach Holmes cannot motivate his defense to stop the run.

Attendance: 17,159 (78%) at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, Orangeburg, S.C. (Capacity: 22,000).

North Carolina A&T Aggies 21, Howard University Bison 20

North Carolina A&T (3-6, 1-4) drop kicked head coach Lee Fobbs, Jr. on Monday. And with his assistant coach George Ragsdale in the driver seat, the Aggies kicked the Howard Bison (1-6, 0-4) under the bus to end a six game losing streak. With the Aggies headed in a new direction, one has to ask the question--what direction is Howard headed with only one win this season against the Savannah State Tigers? What has Coach Carey Bailey done for the Bison lately, as he was 4-7 in his first season with the Bison and currently 1-6, 0-4 MEAC?

This victory is the first conference win for the Aggies since October 2005. Michael Ferguson scored two touchdowns to lead the Aggies offense and North Carolina A&T defense recovered a Bison fumble in the last minute to preserve the win. This is the second week that the Bison offense has self-destructed in the final minutes of a game they could have won.

Bethune Cookman Wildcats 27, Winston Salem State Rams 6

The Wildcats are 5-2, 3-2 MEAC and can end the season with 7-8 wins. Winston Salem (1-6, 1-4) is reason #1 the MEAC should move to a seven game North/South divisional format.

Attendance: 12,121 ( 67%) at Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston Salem, N.C. (Capacity: 18,000).

Alabama A&M Bulldogs 17, Alabama State Hornets 16

The Bulldogs move to 4-5, 3-1 SWAC and ASU falls to 1-6, 1-3 SWAC in the annual Magic City Classic affair. It really didn't matter what the records were for this Alabama rivarly, as 69, 113 attended this game, making the Magic City Classic the #1 ranked HBCU/FCS/Division I-AA game in attendance.

Attendance: 69,113 (86%) at Legion Field, Birmingham, AL (Capacity: 80,391).

Texas Southern 30, Alcorn State University 29

University of Arkansas Pine Bluff 42, Lincoln (Mo) 0

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks 27, Tennessee State Tigers 20 (OT)

Jackson State 29, Mississippi Valley State 27

Prairie View A&M 24, Southern 23

Idle: Grambling, Savannah State (I-AA Indep.) and N.C. Central (I-AA Indep.).