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HOUSTON, TX — In a news conference leading up to Sunday's Labor Day Classic, Prairie View A&M coach Henry Frazier III said that a lot of questions would be answered in the season opener against Texas Southern.
When the smoke cleared Sunday, the answers were crystal clear. • Panthers quarterback K.J. Black wasn’t ready to play because of a knee injury, • The Tigers should be a force in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, • And, yes, the Prairie View defense is as stingy as ever.
With Black on the sidelines with a knee injury, the Panthers' heralded defense recorded four interceptions-including one that was returned for a touchdown — and a safety to help the defending SWAC champions hold off a feisty TSU squad for a 16-14 victory before a crowd of 22,062 at Reliant Stadium.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — For the second straight year, the heated rivalry between Lincoln and Cheyney universities took center stage on the football field.
The only difference from last year’s clash — the first following a 53-year hiatus — was that this time the Lions were making their historic Division II debut. Everything else about Lincoln’s defensive-minded 12-0 triumph Sunday at Northeast High School in Philadelphia was all too familiar.
The Lions made more than their share of mistakes, only managed to find the end zone once and were generally displeased with the margin of victory. But the Lincoln defense never allowed the hard-luck Wolves to build any kind of momentum. The Lions actually scored as many points (six) on defense as on offense thanks to three safeties.
When the stern conductor in the movie Drumline told band members ``halftime is game time,'' that was only partly fiction. The film was a loose tribute to Dr. William P. Foster, the man who changed the world of college marching bands when he introduced dance and pop music to the Florida A&M University ``Marching 100.''
Foster died Aug. 28 at age 91.
Now, generations of South Floridians -- those who have marched and played and in some cases followed in Foster's footsteps as college high school band directors -- are sharing precious memories of Foster and the many ways he helped shaped their lives and their careers.
When FAMU, one of the nation's most prestigious historically black universities, descended on South Florida Thursday night for its annual football matchup with the University of Miami, UM officials knew they could expect a packed house at Sun Life Stadium.
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"The Brothers of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity Inc. at the Homegoing Celebration of The Sir Dr. William Patrick Foster."
Orlando, FL - With a national television audience looking along, Southern University kicked off its regular season Sunday with an explosive fourth quarter win under new coach Stump Mitchell against Delaware State. A fourth quarter rally with back-to-back-to-back touchdowns gave Southern the lead and win. The score of Mitchell's first game was Southern, 37; Delaware State, 27.
The Jaguars faced Delaware State in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Fla., that aired on ESPN. Freshman quarterback Dray Joseph picked up his first collegiate touchdown with 8 minutes to play in the game to bring the score to 23 to 27 with Delaware State still leading at that point.
Salisbury, N.C. - For the second time in three years, St. Augustine's surprised Catawba College in the Indians' home opener at Shuford Stadium. The Falcons won behind two touchdown passes by Joaquin Green and a defense which held firm late. It all added up to a victory for the Falcons in their season-opener.
Walter Sanders clinched the win with a 23-yard scoring run on fourth down and inches with 2:04 left. Green, the 2009 CIAA offensive rookie of the year, was efficient at quarterback. He completed 14 of 22 passes for 202 yards. He tossed touchdown passes to Jone' Harris and Jamain Smith, whose 25-yard catch with 9:05 remaining in the fourth quarter gave the Falcons a 14-10 lead which they would keep for good.
WORCESTER, MA — Sure, Ryan Taggart was excited before Holy Cross' season opener, but that was probably the third-best adjective he'd use to describe his pregame emotions. “Nervous and anxious were 1 and 2,” he said.
Taggart, who is succeeding record-setting quarterback Dominic Randolph, made his starting debut yesterday and, as it turned out, the senior didn't have too much to worry about. He completed 17 of 29 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Crusaders to a 38-7 victory over Howard University at Fitton Field.
“Overall, he had a good day,” Holy Cross coach Tom Gilmore said. “We did make some mistakes, and he was a little off on a couple of plays, but hey, first-game jitters. When he settled down, he was starting to hit the throws a lot better.”
NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College Wolves (1-0) took off to a 28-point first quarter lead and steadily pulled further away in a 55-0 rout of Livingstone College (0-2) at Setzler Field to open the season Saturday. The Wolves' first four drives all ended in touchdowns, leaving no doubt in the final result of the game. Quarterback Bryan Ehrlich (San Antonio, Texas) completed 6-of-9 passes for 108 yards and four touchdowns in his first collegiate start.
Senior wide receiver David Pressley (Anderson, S.C.) caught touchdown passes of two and 27 yards, while Edward Gilliard (Summerville, S.C.) caught a 39-yard touchdown and Cameron Winchester (Gilbert, S.C.) caught a 30-yarder.
In the midst of the offensive fireworks, senior defensive end Derrell Kinard (Boiling Springs, S.C.) put on a show of his own. While applying pressure to the Livingstone quarterback, Kinard made a spectacular one-handed interception and scampered 27 yards into the endzone.
TUSKEGEE, AL -- As far as season openers go, Tuskegee head coach Willie Slater thought this one was pretty typical. It was exciting, it was hard-fought and it left a lot of room for improvement. later brushed off some stretches of sloppy play the Golden Tigers displayed in a 34-18 home win against Benedict College on Saturday.
"We played like it was the first game," Slater said. "We played with good effort. We committed a lot of penalties, but all those mistakes are coachable. We turned the ball over, but I don't think they were crucial turnovers because we were ahead."
Nykeem Barton made all of his 37 rushing yards count by scoring three touchdowns. Josh Harris was 14-of-23 passing for 247 yards with a touchdown. Benedict's Renando Rose led all rushers with 72 yards. Tuskegee defeats Benedict
PEMBROKE, N.C. - A dejected Kenny Phillips left the postgame interview, holding the stat sheet like it was contaminated. He shook his head, handed the paper to a team official and summed up his team's performance in the 2nd annual Two Rivers Classic.
"Can you throw this in the trash?" he said.
Indeed, Fayetteville State would like to forget last night's implosion as soon as possible. With an eleventh-hour change at quarterback, the Broncos' offense was lost in a 39-0 loss to UNC-Pembroke at Grace P. Johnson Stadium. In front of a UNCP record crowd of 6,429, FSU was steamrolled. The latest installment of this budding rivalry deflated from a blockbuster to a straight-to-DVD film before it even began. On Friday, the Broncos learned they'd be without star transfer quarterback Robert Benjamin.
El Paso, TX - UTEP has been rather inconsistent in its openers under Mike Price, but there has been a common thread in those seven games -- when the Miners outclass their opponent, they muddle through.
A Donald Buckram-less UTEP certainly didn't outclass the FCS's Arkansas-Pine Bluff as badly as it hoped Saturday, but the Miners' superior talent and numbers finally wore down the feisty Golden Lions for a 31-10 victory. Price improved to 4-3 in openers in front of 30,029 fans and UTEP came away with a list of things to fix.
"It was a good way we won it. It was a little bit frustrating at times, a lot of opportunities blown, particularly the first half. But we stuck together and that's good," Price said. "It was a good win because we're not fat and sassy. We've got a lot of work to do and the kids know that." The new 4-3 defense, after giving up an embarrassing 80-yard touchdown drive to UAPB to start the game....
LORMAN, MS — The Alcorn State defense prides itself on being an aggressive bunch with a nose for the football and a reputation on wreaking havoc. And that was never more the case than in the Braves’ 50-27 victory over Langston Saturday. The Alcorn defense scored three defensive touchdowns, recorded a safety, and set the offense up inside the 5-yard line after turnovers on two other occasions.
“Defensive coordinator Zach Shay does an awesome job with instilling that attitude,” Alcorn head coach Earnest Collins said. “We call it BIA, Best in America, at hustle. It’s not about athletic ability, but 100 percent about hustle. He preaches that every day.” And Alcorn State needed every one of those defensive scores, as the Braves offense sputtered for a majority of the game.
Many of the problems that hindered Morgan State's offense last season carried over Saturday in its season opener against Division II Bowie State.
The defense, however, showed vast improvement, forcing five turnovers, and paved the way for a 14-7 victory before an announced 7,419 at Hughes Stadium. The Bears will have little time to savor the win as they must get ready to play Saturday at Maryland for the first time in program history.
"We have a lot of new faces on the defense," coach Donald Hill-Eley "They played well together against a team that had a game to play before us. They looked sharp. Our defense had some three-and-outs and we held them until we could get something going on offense."
STATESBORO, GA - The triple option returned to Georgia Southern on Saturday night. A lot of optimism for the Eagles came back after a game at Paulson Stadium as well. GSU pleased its fan base in at least three ways. They moved the ball methodically, played defense with relentlessness and couldn't have been better in special teams.
The result was an overwhelming 48-3 victory over neighboring Savannah State in the season opener for both teams. "The option is back," a speaker over the stadium public address system proclaimed after GSU's first offensive play. "I'm just glad they were happy at the end of the game," GSU first-year coach Jeff Monken said.
Alabama State put its confidence in Devin Dominguez by naming the junior as the starting quarterback earlier this week. Dominguez validated that decision Saturday night, passing for 261 yards and three touchdowns to lead ASU to a 34-6 win over Mississippi Valley State.
"I'm not going to lie, I felt a little jittery when I was thinking about it before the game," Dominguez said. "But once you get on the field, it's football. The game takes over and you just have fun."
ASU coach Reggie Barlow gave his new quarterback high marks on his first start. As with any first start, there is room for improvement, but the Hornets liked what they saw. "Devin has a lot of talent," Barlow said. "He's calm and he made some good decisions and some good throws. He's got a couple of things to clear up with tempo and the clock, but all in all, he did well."
Raleigh, NC - Shaw quarterbacks combined for six touchdown passes as Shaw handily defeated visiting Virginia Union 57-27.
Starting quarterback Kevin Atkins (right) threw for 212 yards and four touchdowns on the evening, while Quinshon Odom came in with the second team in the fourth quarter and added 103 yards and two touchdowns of his own – one a 60-yard bomb that was pulled in by Tyrone Craig in the endzone.
While the Shaw defense gave up some big plays at key moments, including a 25-yard touchdown pass from Panther quarterback Aris McGlone-English to Andre Winston as the clock hit zero at the end of the first half, they also managed to hold Virginia Union scoreless in the first and third quarters.
Tigers' new quarterback sparks long-awaited offensive resurgence
Jackson, MS - Casey Therriault took the snap. He stepped right, left, backpedaled, moved forward. Jackson State's new quarterback eluded one would-be sack, then another - all the while keeping his eyes peeled in search of an open receiver.In what became a pattern Saturday during Jackson State's 32-17 win over Delta State, Therriault found that open man.
"He's a special quarterback," Jackson State coach Rick Comegy said. "I'm not going to sit up here and call him average. He's special."
Therriault threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Tigers to their first season-opening victory since 2006. In front of an announced crowd of 12,655 at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, Therriault helped...
The Rod Reed coaching era started with a bang for Tennessee State and never let up. After redshirt freshman Ray Weatherspoon exploded untouched on the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown the Tigers roared to 27-14 route over Alabama A&M in the John Merritt Classic at LP Field before a crowd of 22,607.
It made for a jubilant debut for Reed, the former defensive coordinator who took over the head coaching job after James Webster resigned after TSU posted a 4-7 record last season. Reed was doused with a bucket of Gatorade by his players in the final seconds of the game.
After redshirt freshman Ray Weatherspoon exploded untouched on the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown the Tigers roared to 27-14 route over Alabama A&M in the John Merritt Classic at LP Field before a crowd of 22,607. It made for a jubilant debut for Reed, the former defensive coordinator who...
DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- Brian Jenkins' first game as Bethune-Cookman's head coach could not have played out any better had it been choreographed. Fans squeezed shoulder-to-shoulder in the home-side grandstands at Municipal Stadium to watch Jenkins' debut Saturday and were treated to B-CU rolling up 635 yards in beating undermanned Edward Waters 70-10.
It was the most points the Wildcats have ever scored in a coach's first game. And for the most part Jenkins was satisfied. "It was our first win and hopefully a sign of more to come, but we still have a lot of work to do," he said.
Jenkins chewed out his team late in the game when he felt like his players were losing their poise, and he was unhappy with his team's seven penalties, especially a personal foul and a delay-of-game call. But those are things that probably won't be remembered in the long run.
With their hands waving in the air, hundreds of Bethune-Cookman University Marching Wildcats shake their hips in unison and repeatedly chant "How low can you go?" as they shimmy closer and closer to the ground.
In just two weeks, about 320 band students, including dancers and flag corps, have learned routines and dozens of songs leading up to their first performance Saturday at Municipal Stadium, where the football team plays Edward Waters College.
"We move at a fast pace," said Donovan Wells, director of bands at Bethune-Cookman University. For about 80 freshmen who play instruments, they first had to pass an audition. Once accepted earlier this year, they received 26 songs to learn before practice started Aug. 16. In all, the band members learn about 55 songs they perform throughout the season.
FORT VALLEY, GA — Morehouse took advantage of a variety of Fort Valley State mistakes and made the Wildcats’ defense work extra in downing FVSU 47-34 on Saturday night at Wildcat Stadium. FVSU fell to 1-1 while Morehouse improved to 2-0, the same for both in SIAC play. The Wildcats play Savannah State on Saturday at Henderson Stadium in Macon.
Morehouse avenged last year’s 36-13 loss by coming out strong, making FVSU pay for mistakes and then holding off the Wildcats’ rallies throughout the night. The Maroon Tigers won 38-35 at FVSU in 2008.
LOUISVILLE, KY – Kentucky State’s football team evened its overall and SIAC record at 1-1 with a 27-14 victory over Lane College Saturday in the Thoroughbred Classic. The game was played at Central High School. Lane (0-2, 0-2) had the first score of the game and led 8-6 in the first quarter, but it was all KSU after that as the Thorobreds took a 27-8 halftime lead.
K-State quarterback Jerrell Noland was 15-for-19 passing with four touchdown passes and no interceptions. His first touchdown pass was 11 yards to Shannon Frieson with 5:34 left in the first quarter. That tied the game at 6-6, with Lane having scored three minutes earlier on a 9-yard run by Marcus Woods.
Chris Spalding’s point-after kick was blocked, and Lane’s Travis Terry returned it for a safety, putting Lane ahead 8-6.
Louisiana Tech and Grambling State hooked up for what was billed as a historic, inaugural meeting on Saturday night in Shreveport’s Independence Stadium, but what they found out about themselves in Tech’s 20-6 victory might be of more immediate importance.
Despite winning their season opener, the Bulldogs have a long way to go if they are to contend for a WAC title. A multitude of penalties and a lack of offensive consistency kept Tech coach Sonny Dykes’ team from the dominant performance their fans expected against the FCS Tigers.
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The fifth-annual I-40 Showdown between the Rams of Winston-Salem State University and the Aggies of North Carolina A&T State University would come down to a drive dominated by a player with virtually no knowledge of the long-standing rivalry. Redshirt sophomore Kameron Smith, a transfer from the U.S. Naval Academy, accounted for 65 yards and the game-winning touchdown on the Rams final drive en route to propelling WSSU to a 21-14 victory over the rival Aggies on Saturday evening in Greensboro, N.C.
The contest would prove to be a matchup of two staunch defenses as both the Rams and Aggies used a physical style that generated a total of eight fumbles and two interceptions and held the two powerful offenses to a combined 464 total yards.
Asheton Jordon rushed for 129 yards on 18 carries for South Carolina State.
Atlanta, GA - The time came quickly in Georgia Tech’s season when coach Paul Johnson began to wonder about his offseason hiring of defensive coordinator Al Groh.
Specifically, as South Carolina State drove 58 yards in 17 plays to a field goal and 53 yards in 11 plays only to miss a field goal while burning a combined 11 minutes and 27 seconds on the Bulldogs’ first two possessions Saturday, “I was hoping [Groh] could go out there and tackle somebody,” Johnson said.
The head coach was kidding. In reality, he had faith in Groh...
Joshua Nesbitt and his coach were able to joke about it after Saturday’s game because a 41-10 win over South Carolina State was good medicine for a bad passing attack. Nesbitt was fabulous running the ball against South Carolina State, rushing 16 times for 130 yards and tying a career high with three rushing touchdowns.
Throwing the ball? Humor seemed to be in vogue after Georgia Tech’s starting quarterback completed just one of his six passes for 6 yards with an interception.
Joshua Nesbitt lived up to his Heisman Trophy credentials against South Carolina State, rushing for two of his three touchdowns on 4th and 3 conversions enroute to amassing 130 yards on the ground against the Bulldogs' defense. His efforts, along with a rash of mistakes, proved to be S.C. State's undoing in a 41-10 loss before 51,668 fans which included a strong contingent of Bulldog fans who filled portions of the lower stands near the visiting end zone and upper deck.
Moral victories are not something South Carolina State head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough uses as a measuring stick for his program.
Yet he had to acknowledge how much better the Bulldogs fared in Saturday's 41-10 loss at 16th-ranked Georgia Tech compared to his fellow Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference members. This past Thursday, Hampton, Florida A&M and Norfolk State were all shut out by Division I foes and the combined margin of defeat was 119-0. "Well it says that at least we can score......."
Saint Paul's College football coach Willard Bailey has returned to active duty, apparently for one final season, following a summer health incident that created the widespread impression that Bailey and the school had parted company.
Bailey, the winningest football coach in CIAA history, said the incident, about which he declined to elaborate, startled him so thoroughly that he "dropped everything" to seek medical evaluation. During this period, he handed the reins of the program to defensive coordinator Kevin Grisby and offensive coordinator Hubie Bryant.
"I wanted to make sure that if I didn't come back, the program would be in great shape," he said. But tests performed in July at Norfolk's Sentara Hospital, Bailey said, exposed the scare as "just a false alarm."
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NEXT GAME: University of North Carolina - Pembroke at Saint Paul's College, September 11, 1:00 p.m.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- The gap is about as wide as the Grand Canyon. While Bethune-Cookman was picked to finish eighth out of nine teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference by the MEAC's coaches and sports information directors, Wildcats fans are generally expecting big things this season.
The reason for such disparate expectations is the same -- a new head coach. While the other coaches and SIDs seem to believe it will take time for the Wildcats to adjust to coach Brian Jenkins' system, optimistic B-CU fans are anticipating immediate improvement over last year's 5-6 (overall) and 4-4 (MEAC) marks.
"Everyone seems so impressed by how the kids have bought into what Coach Jenkins...
