Louisiana Tech not overlooking Grambling State

Ruston, LA - You have to wonder how Jerry Moore's mailman feels around Christmas time. The Appalachian State head football coach must be flooded with gifts and cards from coaches of top FBS (former Division-I) programs across the country.

Because of the Mountaineers' upset of No. 5-ranked University of Michigan at the "Big House" in 2007, FBS coaches no longer have to contrive a speech to get their teams motivated to play FCS (former Division I-AA) schools.

In his first foray into head coaching, Louisiana Tech's Sonny Dykes has looked to benefit from Moore's feat. Louisiana Tech and Grambling State University will meet for the first time in the Port City Classic at Independence Stadium tonight.

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NSU finds plenty to smile about despite loss to Rutgers

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - This game against Rutgers played out much differently for Norfolk State than the one in 2007. But the Spartans wouldn't mind if the rest of this year went similarly to that season. The Spartans lost their season opener to Rutgers 31-0 Thursday night, but a closely contested first half sent NSU home with a pocket full of positives and clear similarities to the 2007 group the Spartans are looking to emulate.

That team, like this one, was built around defense and broke in a new group of receivers. It rebounded from a 59-0 loss to Rutgers to come within a win short of a MEAC championship, the closest the Spartans have been. Bettering that mark is NSU's main mission. After one game, the Spartans remain optimistic.

"I'm proud of how we played," said receiver Victor Hairston, who led the offense with five catches for 82 yards. "If we can play like this, we'll do really well in the MEAC."




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Jackson State's QB welcomes 2nd chance to live his 'dream'

QB welcomes 2nd chance to live his 'dream'

As the starting quarterback for a college football team, Casey Therriault is living his dream. The Jackson State junior is running a new, pass-happy offense, hoping to help the program rebound from a miserable season. Some two years ago, though, Therriault, 21, was living a nightmare.

He was behind bars after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter for his involvement in a 2008 bar fight that left a man dead. He struggled to stay sane and had thoughts of never returning to the football field.

JSU notebook: Wilson to call plays on sideline

Jackson State offensive coordinator Earnest Wilson decided this week that he'll call plays from the sideline instead of the press box, where many coordinators choose to make play calls. Wilson and an assistant coach will signal in plays and formations for the team's new Air Raid offense. Calling plays from the sideline is something Wilson is used to doing.

Wilson worked for Hal Mumme, the Air Raid offense creator, for four years at New Mexico State. Wilson and Mumme stood next to each other on the sideline calling and signaling in plays.

Youth showing at ILB positions

Jackson State plans to start an inside linebacker Saturday who has never played a college snap. Not only that, but the two backups at the position have never taken a snap in a Division I college game either. Concerned? "Not really," senior outside linebacker Ryan Rich said. "We've got seniors in supporting roles."

According to JSU's latest depth chart, redshirt freshman Todd Wilcher will draw the start against Delta State at one of the two inside linebacker positions.

Juco transfer Rollins proves jack of all trades

Renty Rollins has a new job. Yes, another one. Rollins, a transfer from an Arizona junior college, entered Jackson State's fall camp as a tight end. Three weeks later, with the season opener against Delta State days away, he's so much more than that.

Over the past few days, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound junior has started snapping on extra points and field goals during practice. His duties don't end there. He'll probably snap punts, too. And he'll play some slot receiver, also. So that's ... snapper, snapper, receiver and tight end.

Hard to get fix on DSU's offense

Linebacker Ryan Rich calls it "a mystery." Defensive coordinator Darin Hayes says it's "a guessing game." Both are talking about Delta State's offense. The Statesmen have a new offensive coordinator - never a good thing for an opposing defense in the season opener.

"You got to kind of prepare for everything," Hayes said. "You've got to be able to expect anything." Rich said the defense is doing just that, practicing to face any scheme Saturday, when the Statesmen travel to Jackson for a 4 p.m. matchup with JSU.

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Ferrell brothers reunite on FAMU football field

Their days as teammates were done. Jonathan Ferrell was certain of that as he watched his younger brother, Willie, head off to the University of Mississippi to continue his football career.

But even before he played a down for Ole Miss, Willie had a change of heart and returned to Tallahassee where he and Jonathan helped FAMU High win a state championship in 2006. That year, Jonathan went to Florida A&M. Willie decided to join him but it wasn't until this season that the brothers finally reunited on the football field.

Both have had issues with academics, which they say are behind them now. Willie, a top prospect coming out of high school, is still trying to earn a starting position at linebacker. Jonathan is doing the same at safety. They couldn't be happier, though. After all, they're playing football together again for the same team.

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HOWARD VS. HOLY CROSS - FOOTBALL GAME NOTES

Complete Game Notes

THE GAME
This is a non-conference, FCS matchup between the Bison of Howard University from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Crusaders of Holy Cross from the Patriot League. This is the season opener for both teams.

THE COACHES
Howard University is coached by Carey Bailey (University of Tennessee, ‘92), who is in his fourth season. Holy Cross is coached by Tom Gilmore (Pennsylvania, ’86), who is in his seventh season at the helm.

THE SERIES
This is the first meeting between the two institutions.

MEDIA
The game will be video streamed live over Crusader Vision for a fee of $8.95. Details on how to purchase the game can be obtained by visiting www. GoHolyCross.com. The game can also be heard over the Internet free of charge by also going to the website.

New leaders at Holy Cross

Practice is over on this hot August evening, and Holy Cross’s trio of quarterbacks walks across the field. They’ve been told that someone wants to ask them some questions, and they already know the subject matter. Dominic Randolph, the most prolific passer in Holy Cross history, is gone. These three are left. And as they move as a group to another session of inquiries about pressure, expectations, and big shoes, they do what they’ve done all offseason.

They laugh. “Within the team and the organization, it’s just jokes,’’ senior Ryan Taggart said. “Anything outside of that, the student body, the fans, I think that’s different. I think they’re lost; you know: ‘What’s happening?’ “I think on the team, everyone thinks it’s kind of ridiculous. It’s football. It’s the way it is. People leave.’’

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Citadel Bulldog Football Hosts Chowan to Open Season

Charleston, S.C. – The Citadel Football team will open the 2010 season against Chowan University on Saturday, Sept. 4 at Johnson Hagood Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Saturday's matchup will be the first meeting between the Bulldogs and the Hawks. The game will be the Bulldogs’ season-opener, while the Hawks opened their season at Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday, Aug. 28. The meeting marks the first time the Bulldogs will play a current opponent from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). The Citadel will be looking to break a three-game losing streak that includes a homecoming loss to Wofford at Johnson Hagood Stadium on Nov. 7, 2009.

The Bulldogs are led by seniors Cortez Allen and Alex Sellars. Allen was named to the All-SoCon preseason team for the second consecutive year. The senior defensive back was named to the first team in 2010 after starting all 11 games last season and finishing second on the team with 57 tackles. Sellars was named as the preseason second team tight end after finishing the 2009 season as a first team media selection and a second team coaches selection.

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UMES Hawks Host Lid-Lifter to Commence 2010 Season

PRINCESS ANNE, MD - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's and women's cross country teams kick off their 2010 campaign 10:30 a.m. this Saturday at the UMES Cross Country Course/Golf Driving Range with the Lid-Lifter Invitational.

Returning on the men's side is senior Peter Sang (Kapsabet, Kenya), who finished fifth overall in last year's MEAC Championships with a time of 26:16.39. Two other male MEAC 2009 medal-winners return for the Hawks in senior Amon Kiprotich (Kapsabet, Kenya) and junior Shadrack Maritim (Kericho, Kenya).

Kiprotich ran a 26:28.61 in the championships, which was good for sixth place, while Maritim took a 10th place finishing time of 27:07.86. The Lady Hawks will be led this season by senior Eunice Jones (Lanham, Md.), who finished fifth overall in the 2009 MEAC Championships with a time of 18:51.24.

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Central Arkansas 47, Elizabeth City State Vikings 20

Conway, AR - University of Central Arkansas wide receiver Kenneth Robey, a cameo guy at best last season, became a star Thursday night. Robey, a 5-foot-9 receiver who had no career receptions, caught nine passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns in putting the Bears on the upside in a real roller-coaster ride of a 47-20 victory over Elizabeth City State before 9,121 at First Security Field at Estes Stadium.

Robey caught touchdown passes from both starting quarterback Nathan Dick and backup Wynrick Smothers. Nathan Dick rolled up Nathan Brown-type statistics the first half, completing 21 of 26 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns in leading UCA to a 27-14 lead at the half. He finished 26 of 35 for 351 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 32 more yards.

Robey caught passes of 10 and 63 yards from Dick and nine on a rollout pass from Smothers, who set up a key touchdown with a 16-yard run. Nine different receivers caught passes for the Bears.

Last Week: Inside the Game - JCSU vs. ECSU



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Central Michigan gives new coach Dan Enos 33-0 win in football opener against Hampton University

MOUNT PLEASANT, MI -- The Dan Enos coaching era at Central Michigan University began with a bang. Solid play by special teams got it going as the Chippewas built a large early lead and cruised to a 33-0 win against Hampton on Thursday night in front of 17,311 fans at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The opening-game shutout was the first by CMU since 1979, when the Chippewas beat Western Michigan 10-0 in the school's first Mid-American Conference championship season. It also marked Hampton's first shutout since 1984, a 44-0 loss to Tennessee St.

"Obviously, we won, and that was the goal the entire season," Enos said. "Special teams, we challenged the kids all week that we should make a difference. We really hammered that home, and we thought we made a huge impact with their play today."

Special teams came into play on the Pirates' second drive when redshirt freshman long snapper Vincent Harper snapped the ball over the head of punter Jordan Stovall and into the end zone for a CMU safety. On the ensuing kickoff, Central Michigan sophomore wide receiver and kick returner Cody Wilson raced 81 yards to the Hampton 4-yard line. A face mask penalty advanced the ball to the 2.

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NCCU Eagles overwhelm JCSU Golden Bulls in season-opener

DURHAM, N.C. -- It had been 44 years since N.C. Central hosted a Thursday night game. It’s not likely the Eagles will wait that long again, considering the overwhelming performance they summoned under lights against Johnson C. Smith in their season-opener.

Relying on a sturdy offensive line and a thumping defense, the Eagles hammered the Golden Bulls in a 59-0 rout at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium before an announced crowd of 9,257. From the first drive, they controlled the game with a mix of power running and short yardage passing, handing coach Mose Rison his first season-opening victory in four seasons as head coach.

A five-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Keon Williams to fullback Justin Manning with nine minutes remaining in the first half stamped the Eagles’ dominance and essentially put the contest out of reach.





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Norfolk State makes a game of it against Rutgers

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Norfolk State opened its season with a loss Thursday night, but the 31-0 defeat at Rutgers Stadium goes down as more success than setback. In its previous visit to Rutgers in 2007, Norfolk State lost 59-0 and the game was over at halftime. In visit No. 2, the Spartans could have led at the midway point. The Scarlet Knights eventually took over in the second half, using the physical inside running of 6-foot-0, 215-pound Joe Martinek to wear out NSU’s defense.

Martinek’s 6-yard touchdown with 7:55 left in the third quarter put the Scarlet Knights up 14-0 and effectively ended Norfolk State’s challenge. The Spartans had defensive players suffer an injury or cramps on four straight plays and five total during the drive, a seven-play, 75-yard stretch to open the second half.

“The first half went well; we just didn’t have enough in the tank to finish everything off,” linebacker Corwin Hammond said. “Everyone was cramping. I was cramping. My defensive teammates were cramping. I thought that’s when things went downhill.”



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Norfolk State University athletic director Marty Miller

PISCATAWAY, N.J.- Norfolk State trailed just 6-0 to Rutgers at halftime - an effort that had to be considered a moral victory. That made it two wins for the Spartans on Thursday. Athletic director Marty Miller said he considers games against FBS teams a victory for the athletic program as well."They get a chance to see how much work they need to do to reach that level," Miller said. "It motivates them."

The game was NSU's third against a top-level opponent in the past four years. The Spartans have scheduled West Virginia for next season and Miller said he hopes to make a similar opponent an annual ritual. "We're trying to play at least one of these a year," Miller said. "I'm trying to get through 2015."

Norfolk State's bottom line benefits as well. The Spartans were paid $325,000.

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Miami Hurricanes open season in dominating fashion against Florida A&M

The Miami Hurricanes snacked on some Rattlers in their season opener, filling up fast and furiously en route to a 45-0 victory Thursday night over Florida A&M at Sun Life Stadium. They now await the main course -- the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes nine days away in Columbus, Ohio. "Great victory for us to start the season," UM coach Randy Shannon said, thrilled with the crowd of 53,674. "Enjoy the night."

The Canes promised not to overlook FAMU in anticipation of their first meeting with the Buckeyes since losing a controversial national title game in the Fiesta Bowl that ended the 2002 season. Judging by their performance, they kept their promise.

Using speed, strength, an early no-huddle offense led by a new-and-improved Jacory Harris and the sure hands of gifted receiver Leonard Hankerson, No. 13 UM bullied Florida A&M up and down the field. By the end of the first half, the Canes led 35-0 against the Rattlers, a member of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA).




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TU Golden Tigers ready to begin run for fifth straight SIAC

With 15 starters returning from a 10-2 team that won its fourth straight Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) football title in 2010 by posting an 8-1 conference record, even Tuskegee University head coach Willie Slater is optimistic.

Normally one to downplay his team’s possibilities, Slater seems more comfortable in the favorite’s role where his fellow SIAC coaches has installed the Golden Tigers for the upcoming season. Slater has mellowed somewhat in agreeing Tuskegee should be pretty good this year with 57 lettermen on hand, including six of the front seven on defense, three wide receivers and a pair of quarterbacks who shared starting duties in 2009.

It all begins Saturday, September 4, when Benedict Tigers come to Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium on the TU campus for the Golden Tigers season opener. Kickoff is the traditional 1 p.m.

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UAPB Golden Lions and UTEP Miners kickoff 2010 campaign at the Sun Bowl

The UTEP football team opens its 93rd season at home Sept. 4 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. While UTEP hasn’t won a home opener since 2007, they are 3-3 in season openers during the coach Mike Price era. The Miners come off a 2009 season in which they were 4-8 overall and 3-5 in Conference USA. UTEP has never faced the Golden Lions before. The Miners who play in the Football Bowl Subdivision don’t have to look too far to know that playing a team in a lower division can still be a challenge.

“New Mexico State beat us a couple of years ago and beat Pine Bluff by only three points so I’m the most concerned with us,” said Price. “I want to see us play to our best against every team and play the best we can every time we come out. Its just different colored uniforms, it doesn’t matter if its Pine Bluff or Fayetteville (University of Arkansas) you have to play the best you can.”



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Bad break means A&T needs new QB

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- On the practice field, the red jersey is a red light. The red jersey means hands off. The red jersey means no contact. The red jersey is no guarantee. Lewis Kindle, the sophomore projected as N.C. A&T's starting quarterback, wore a red jersey when he tore up a knee in the waning days of a hot August training camp.And so the Aggies start the second season of coach Alonzo Lee's rebuilding project Saturday with a quarterback who has never handled a snap in a college game.

Terrence Webb, a redshirt sophomore, played sparingly and made two tackles in four games as a defensive back last year. Now he's the quarterback. "We're going with the best athlete on our team," Lee said. "In the weight room, in practice, in everything we do, Terrence Webb is pound-for-pound the best athlete on our team."

The Aggies were counting on Kindle, who played in four games as a freshman last year and started the last two. He came to camp bigger, stronger and more confident.

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After win, ASU to use bye week to fine tune

ALBANY, GA — Ah ... the bye week. It’s the point in the football season where coaches can re-assess their strategy, focus on fixing mistakes and get extra time to prepare for the next game. But when it comes after only one game, is it a positive or a negative? Albany State has a bye this week, but it falls after a 42-12 road win against Kentucky State in the season opener this past Saturday.

The only question is, will the bye benefit the Rams because it’s an early chance to focus on what the team needs to work on, or will it stop their momentum? According to head coach Mike White, it’s a little bit of both.

“It doesn’t stop your momentum, but it is really early in the season, so it’s almost like camp (all over again),” White said. “We gotta get back to the basics and work on what we did in camp and what didn’t go so well in our first game. It gives us time to get those things straightened out.”

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FAMU Rattlers Steps Up Its Marketing Game

What a difference a new season makes...

The Bears, Tigers, Bulldogs and Pirates have made it to the big screen-- that is the FAMU Jumbotron-- with their own personalized marketing clips. This is part of a home game series package of animations featuring the FAMU Rattler vs. its opponents, produced on behalf of the Florida A&M University Rattler Boosters.

Produced by Derek Ham Production + Design, the Rattler clips are on the high definition cutting edge in creativity and with the underline message that the Rattlers are ready to dominate its MEAC foes. The basketball and Rattler Strike clips will definitely become a FAMU fan favorite

Back away from your computer and big screen TV this weekend and go to a stadium and watch your local HBCU teams. I'm planning an evening trip to check out Bowie State vs. Morgan State in Baltimore this weekend. Go Rattlers!

Fayetteville State expects offense to shine against UNCP

At the end of nearly every practice, Fayetteville State's football team engages in an intense and telling 11-on-11 drill: first-team offense versus first-team defense. And for much of the past month, it's been the offensive playmakers stealing the show.

That's left Broncos coach Kenny Phillips with two mindset choices. On his glass-half-empty days, Phillips departs practice scratching his head and wondering whether his defense is too young, too inexperienced and too mistake-prone to deliver a second consecutive CIAA championship.

But more often, Phillips' optimism takes over and he chooses to feel great excitement about the upgrades made to the offense. Richard Medlin, the Broncos' top tailback in 2009, is back and better than ever.Up front, FSU has a pair of veteran All-CIAA linemen in Dillon Kestner and Larry McDonald.



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FAMU: Honoring the late Dr. William Patrick Foster

The memorial service for Dr. William P. Foster scheduled for Friday, September 3, at 6 p.m. has been moved from Lee Hall Auditorium to the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium.

The public viewing scheduled for Friday, September 3, from noon to 6 p.m. has also been moved to the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium.

Foster served as the band’s director from 1946 until his retirement in 1998. He is credited with revolutionizing marching band techniques and reshaping the world’s concept of the collegiate marching band. Foster brought more than 30 new techniques to the band that have now become standard operating procedures for high school and college bands nationwide.

Foster’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday, September 4, at 11 a.m. in Lee Hall Auditorium on FAMU’s campus and will be preceded by a public concert of tribute at 10 a.m. as performed by the FAMU Department of Music. A public viewing is also scheduled for Saturday, September 4, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in Lee Hall Auditorium. To accommodate the overflow of attendees, a live broadcast of Foster’s funeral will be in the Grand Ballroom.

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to be made to the “William P. and Mary Ann Foster Endowed Scholarship Fund” at FAMU in support of FAMU band scholarships.

Footage from the Today Show 1999 Tribute to Dr. William P Foster

Preview: Georgia Tech vs. South Carolina State

Toe meets leather this Saturday at one o'clock in Boddy Dodd Stadium as the 2010 edition of the Yellow Jackets defend their ACC title in Paul Johnson's third campaign as head coach at Tech. The Jackets play host to the South Carolina State Bulldogs, a team coming off their own conference championship and an impressive 10-2 season that ended with an FCS playoff loss at Appalachian State.

This will be the first time Tech has ever played an historically black college or university, either home or away, and while an FCS team, South Carolina State features several key players with significant ability & experience. Although the Bulldogs lose fourteen starters off last year's squad, they return an all-conference quarterback and their entire offensive line along with four quality linebackers, one an All-American. A closer look at South Carolina State:

Offense:
Coach Buddy Pough runs a spread offense similar to what Urban Meyer runs at Florida. Pough's key offensive weapon is quarterback Malcolm Long, the 2009 MEAC offensive player of the year and a 2010 Payton Award (best FCS player) watch list member. A hulking QB at 6'3" and 260 pounds, Long stylistically will remind Jacket fans of a young Daunte Culpepper with his size and ability to both run when necessary and throw the ball accurately. Long's first choice will be to throw, mind you, but he can run the ball effectively when called upon.



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NSU is in it to win it against Rutgers

TONIGHT'S GAMES BY COMPUTER ON ESPN 3 (http://espn.go.com/espn3/index)

07:30 PM FOOTBALL NCAAF Norfolk State vs. Rutgers (Exclusive)
07:30 PM FOOTBALL NCAAF Florida A&M vs. #13 Miami (Exclusive)

NORFOLK, VA - It's too bad talking points don't go up on the scoreboard. Norfolk State might have been a favorite tonight. Heading into the team's 7:30 p.m. season opener at Rutgers, the Spartans are talking a good game, expressing belief that they're capable of beating the odds. They might be the only ones thinking that way.

"Even the students don't think we can win," senior offensive lineman Markeece Preston said. "They're buying into the whole I-A, I-AA thing. They think we'll get crushed."

The NSU student body has its reasons. Las Vegas doesn't set point spreads between teams at the different levels because it expects the teams to be so mismatched. When Appalachian State beat top-division Michigan in 2007, it was considered among the most shocking results ever.

"No one thought David would beat Goliath...

Rattlers battle Hurricanes in Sunshine State showdown

TONIGHT'S GAMES BY COMPUTER ON ESPN 3 (http://espn.go.com/espn3/index)

07:30 PM FOOTBALL NCAAF Norfolk State vs. Rutgers (Exclusive)
07:30 PM FOOTBALL NCAAF Florida A&M vs. #13 Miami (Exclusive)

The 13th-ranked Miami-Florida Hurricanes appear to be one of the best teams in the ACC heading into the 2010 season, and they will have a chance to show off their skill in Thursday's opener against the Florida A&M Rattlers.

Florida A&M, which plays its football at the Football Championship Subdivision level, was recently predicted to finish second in the MEAC standings this season behind only defending conference champ South Carolina State. The Rattlers placed five players on the league's Preseason All-Conference First Team and three on the Second Team, so there is significant talent for coach Joe Taylor to work with. Taylor has posted over 200 career victories and is a well-respected member of the coaching fraternity, but his team is a significant underdog entering this opener.



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WSSU ready for rivalry game against NC A&T

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — With just 33 miles separating Winston-Salem State from North Carolina A&T, the two HBCU schools have had a long-standing rivalry for 49 years. To win the fifth annual I-40 Showdown has implications reaching further than just a "W." in the record books. Fifth-year senior linebacker, Juan Corders said that it is all about the bragging rights which brings the entire community into this rivalry.

"Bragging rights... bragging rights living a whole year to the next game. That's what the whole community loves: the rivalry; that's all they remember is the rivalry," said Corders. Winston-Salem State Head Coach Connell Maynor knows all too well about the rivalry. In 1987 as the starting quarterback for the Rams, he won a CIAA championship.




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After a few false starts, Howard's Keith Pough is ready to shine

For many football players, the history of the game stretches only as far back as when they first started playing. Not so for Howard linebacker Keith Pough. Pough studies players who never made a "SportsCenter" highlight, such as Jim Brown, or ones whose careers ended while he was still a toddler, such as Lawrence Taylor.

"I can't say I'm a historian of the game, but I love the game so," Pough said. "I love to watch those that came before me and who have put in so much work. I feel like I'm doing them an injustice playing the game and not being at my full potential."

Nevertheless, circumstances have prevented Pough from realizing the full extent of his talents at Howard. Entering his third season, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound redshirt sophomore has yet to play an entire season.



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