Rams say they will redshirt QB Carrothers

Winston Salem, NC - Quarterback Anthony Carrothers, a high-profile transfer at Winston-Salem State, will be redshirted this season. Coach Connell Maynor said on Wednesday that Carrothers, who started last season for Grambling State as a freshman before transferring to WSSU, will sit out this season and will have three seasons of eligibility.

"I'm always going to make decisions based on what's good for the team," Maynor said. "I think its best that Anthony redshirts."

The play of backup Jamie DeGeare, a fifth-year senior, helped Maynor make the decision to redshirt Carrothers. DeGeare came on in relief Saturday night in a 67-16 win over Virginia Union and threw two touchdown passes. This is DeGeare's final season; starter Kameron Smith, a redshirt junior, has one more season of eligibility.

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Alabama State aims to change fortunes vs. GSU

Montgomery, AL -Listening to Alabama State coach Reggie Barlow could lead you to believe Grambling was the team taking the field Saturday in Montgomery, Ala., that had been in last December's SWAC title game.

In actuality, Texas Southern ended the Tigers' season in November and clinched the Western Division, then dismissed the Hornets for the championship. Barlow still sees Grambling and coach Doug Williams, returning to the program after a seven-season hiatus, as one of the kings of the SWAC castle he and his team are trying to storm.

"If you wanna be the best and you wanna be tops in the conference, you always have to go by who's the big-time program and who's had the success," Barlow said. "Grambling's name speaks for itself.

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FAMU's New Baseball Coach Hopes to Take MEAC

 Head Baseball Coach Willie Brown

Tallahassee, FL - With just a few months under his belt, the newly acquired Florida A&M baseball coach, Willie Brown, is ready to get his team on track and bring the Rattler nation a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title.

"I am just excited. Yesterday was my first day of really getting to teach, and see what I have to work with," Brown said. "I almost got chills putting on a Florida A&M University uniform again. It was just so surreal."

After months of searching for a new coach, Athletic Director Derek Horne announced that Brown would become the next coach of the Rattler baseball team.

Brown resigned as Maclay High School's baseball coach at the end of last season. He coached ten years the Maruders, four years as the team's head coach.

Brown attended FAMU, and was a star player from 1989 to 1992. Brown led the Rattlers in home runs with seven his sophomore year in just 27 games and five his junior season. He also led in total at bats with 169, as well as total hits, with 48 in 48 games.

The Florida Marlins then drafted him as a junior. He spent four years in the minor leagues.

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DSU ready to dream big against UD on Saturday

Dover, DE - Kermit Blount knows what it's like to have the proverbial rug pulled out from under him. The new coach at Delaware State University was the coach at Division II Winston-Salem State two years ago as the school was nearing the end of a five-year plan to make the transition from Division II to Division I-AA, or the Football Championship Subdivision.

Everything seemed in place, and the team was eagerly anticipating the move into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. It already had increased the scholarships from 38 under Division II rules to 55. It was playing a full FCS schedule.

Then, just before that season started, the school called an audible and announced that it was going back to Division II. Blount and the players were devastated. The Rams went 1-10 that season, and Blount was asked to resign when it was over.

"It certainly hurt the players, and I found that I became more of a father figure than a coach because they relied on me to help guide them," Blount said.

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Game not meaningless for Southern, Jackson State

Baton Rouge, LA - Looking for unique circumstances? Saturday night, go ahead and take a peek inside A.W. Mumford Stadium. It’ll be a virtual treasure trove.

Sure, Southern and Jackson State - two old archrivals, two of the brand names in black college football - have faced each other 55 times. But they’ve never played in a game quite like this one.

This summer, Southwestern Athletic Conference presidents and commissioners voted to ban SU and JSU from their league’s championship game - after the NCAA made both teams ineligible for postseason play because of their continued poor showings on the Academic Progress Rate. Three months before the season began, the Tigers and Jaguars already knew they’d wind up ringless, no matter how well they played.

So go ahead. When Southern (1-1, 1-0) hosts Jackson State (2-0, 0-0) at 6 p.m. Saturday, feel free to call it the “IneligiBowl.”

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SU pass defense to get test

Baton Rouge, LA - Although Southern’s pass defense has been relatively solid through two games - opposing quarterbacks have completed only 45 percent of their throws - second-year coach Stump Mitchell said he’s still looking for more big plays from his secondary.

More to the point: When the Jaguars (1-1, 1-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) face Jackson State (2-0, 0-0) at 6 p.m. Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium, Mitchell would love to see some interceptions. During a 21-6 victory over Alabama A&M last week, SU had 11 pass breakups, but no interceptions.

The Jaguars are, in fact, still searching for their first takeaway this season.

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Alabama A&M: Bulldogs, Golden Tigers both looking for wins

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Alabama A&M and Tuskegee will both be looking to break into win column Saturday when the two teams collide in the second annual Louis Crews Classic.

The Bulldogs are 0-2 after losing to Hampton and Southern, while the Golden Tigers are 0-1 after losing their home opener Saturday to Langston. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Louis Crews Stadium.

"Tuskegee is going to bring a good football team in here," A&M coach Anthony Jones said. "They lost their opener, so they're going to be desperate and fired up about the opportunity to play us. "We've got to be ready to play or we're not going to like the outcome."

A&M leads the all-time series ...

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Pough turns his attention to offense as SCSU prepares for IU Hoosiers

Orangeburg, SC - Buddy Pough was more than relieved Monday to arrive for his weekly press conference still undefeated in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.

Just two days after an emotional 26-18 victory over Bethune-Cookman, the South Carolina State head football coach still marveled over how his team pulled it out in Daytona Beach despite continued difficulties on offense.

"It feels like that we dodged a gigantic bullet that way in the fact that Bethune was really, really good and after having seen them, I thought they were better than I thought they were when I saw them on TV," he said. "The difference was that we were fortunate in some of the things that we have that we created some stuff that I didn't realize that we could even create ourselves. Our defense can run and strike you and make a lot of plays and the fact we were able to keep them off-guard that way made the difference."




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Starmount softball pitcher commits to Chowan

Boonville, NC - Starmount senior Courtney Groce, who has been the Rams’ main softball pitcher since her freshman season, has made a verbal commitment to join Chowan University’s program in 2012.

Chowan competes at the NCAA Division II level as a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). The school is located in Murfreesboro. Chowan softball is coming off a 34-19 record this past spring and advanced to the CIAA championship game.

Groce has been an integral part of Starmount’s recent run of success, which included conference tournament championships in 2009 and 2010. The Rams played in the 2010 state championship series in Raleigh, finishing fourth overall.

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Xavier's Jackson siblings run away with conference awards

Zahri Jackson

Kwame Jackson

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana cross country siblings Zahri and Kwame Jackson are the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Runners of the Week for Sept. 5-11.

The Jacksons are freshmen from Kingwood, Texas — a Houston suburb — and graduates of Kingwood Park High School.

Zahri Jackson is the first XU female harrier to win the GCAC award in consecutive weeks. She set a school record of 19 minutes, 15.18 seconds for 5,000 meters Saturday in the Four Points by Sheraton Loyola Wolfpack Invitational at Metairie, La. Jackson placed third overall and was the first collegiate finisher.

Kwame Jackson placed fourth in the men's division of the Loyola meet and was the No. 2 collegiate finisher. His 5K time of 16:12.13 is the fastest by an XU male since the record was set in 2000. He has top-10 finishes in both his collegiate meets.

Both XU teams will compete Friday evening in the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational at Lafayette, La.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

NCCU Football Visits Pro Football Hall of Fame

WSSU's Maynor maintains stance on lopsided win

Winston Salem, NC - Coach Connell Maynor of Winston-Salem State said Monday he hasn't heard any backlash about his team's 67-16 victory over Virginia Union.

He remained unapologetic for allowing backup quarterback Jamie DeGeare, a fifth-year senior, to continue to throw in the fourth quarter, which started with the Rams leading 54-3.

"The game kind of got away from us in the third quarter with those two kickoff fumbles that we turned into touchdowns," Maynor said. "And I put my (second string) guys in during the fourth quarter, and they were just playing football."

Instead of keeping the ball on the ground and running ...
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Tuesday Morning Quarterback: Just Shut-Up and Play!

This wasn't a great weekend for out-of-conference games by our HBCUs. I'm not going to talk about it -- on to week three games.



My football cap off to the MEAC commissioner's office for implementation of "instant replay" for ESPNU televised football games. Getting the calls right is more important than the 1-2 minute delay in action. If you had an opportunity to watch the FAMU vs. Hampton or South Carolina State vs. Bethune-Cookman games, you know exacting what I am talking about. Did I mention that most of the televised games are on the ESPN3 website, and can be viewed at your leisure.

ESPN3 did not cut away to commercial breaks during the half-time shows for SCSU and B-CU Marching Bands. Here's the LINK to the replay page on the ESPN3 site. Really good stuff!



Howard's Jay Walker is doing a great job as an ESPNU commentator on the HBCU games...

It appears Langston University Lions are the real deal after knocking off both Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Tuskegee on their home fields on consecutive Saturdays. LU is a NAIA Division I member of the Central States Football League, located in Langston, Oklahoma, and has a first year interim head coach in Mickey Joseph. Coach Mickey played his college ball at the University of Nebraska as a quarterback and was the offensive line coach for the Lions, prior to being elevated.

Who has the best marching band this season? FAMU? Southern? Jackson State? Bethune-Cookman? Tennessee State? North Carolina Central? Grambling? No doubt, Florida A&M is at the top of the list, but that freshman class of musicians (the crabs) at Jackson State is simply outstanding. By the end of the season--expect to see the Sonic Boom and the Human Jukebox battle the FAMU Marching 100 for marching band supremacy. The dark horse in this 22 band race is North Carolina Central University Marching Sound Machine, with its exceptional musicality, originality, blend and balance of woodwinds and brass, and so forth. Eagle pride --amplified!

Check out Morehouse Band... the Maroon Tigers took Howard University to school in the Nations Football Classic...



Albany State has a sweet out-of-conference schedule: Wingate, a Division II playoff team was blown out by the Golden Rams by 21 points last week. Undefeated Valdosta State will be making a visit to the Rams this Saturday with more than bragging rights at stake for both programs. Time for ASU to just shut-up and play championship football and K-O the Blazers.

Dang! That South Carolina State defense played a whale of a game at B-CU. Now, if Buddy can get that offense tuned-up, the Bulldogs have the potential of going the distance.



Now, to last week football scoreboard...

CIAA
Carson Newman 56, Fayetteville State 7
New Haven 50, Saint Augustine's 14
Bowie State 31, Benedict 14
Virginia State 17, West Virginia State 14
Elizabeth City State 49, Livingstone 7
Winston Salem State 67, Virginia Union 16
UNC-Pembroke 49, Chowan 38
Delaware State 31, Shaw 27



SIAC
Brevard 38, Johnson C. Smith 35
Langston 33, Tuskegee 19
Kentucky State 43, Lincoln (Pa.) 27
Clark Atlanta 21, Lane 3
Miles 13, Concordia-Selma 6
Howard 30, Morehouse 27
Samford 48, Stillman 6
Delta State 27, Fort Valley State 7
Albany State 49, Wingate 28

SWAC
Murray State 39, Mississippi Valley 0
Eastern Michigan 14, Alabama State 7
Louisiana-Monroe 35, Grambling State 7
Prairie View A&M 37, Texas Southern 34
Southern 21, Alabama A&M 6
Jackson State 35, Tennessee State 29
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 27, Alcorn State 20

MEAC
North Carolina Central 42, Central State (Ohio)
Hampton 23, Florida A&M 17
West Virginia 55, Norfolk State 12
Delaware State 31, Shaw 27
Southeastern Louisiana 63, Savannah State 6
Bowling Green 58, Morgan State 13
South Carolina State 26, Bethune-Cookman 18
Appalachian State 58, North Carolina A&T 6
Howard 30, Morehouse 27

Other HBCUs
Edward Waters 29, Virginia University-Lynchburg 21
Arkansas-Monticello 41, Texas College 0
Slippery Rock 30, Cheyney 0
Washburn 66, Lincoln -Missouri 26



North Carolina A&T State University Blue & Gold Marching Machine Band

-beepbeep

FAMU's Taylor looking to make some changes

Tallahassee, FL - Coach Joe Taylor saw enough on the film of FAMU loss in its first conference game that he might "try something different" with the offense, while this week's practice will focus on the basics.

At the same time, the Rattlers will have to finish the season without linebacker Alvis Graham, who suffered a knee injury in the 23-17 loss to Hampton University on Thursday night. Graham was hurt in the first quarter of the game that snapped a seven-game win streak for the Rattlers.

Javen Harris, a transfer from Central Florida who was recently cleared to join the team, would practice in Graham's spot as FAMU prepares to face South Florida on Saturday, Taylor said. They'll be going into the game with a 1-1 record, the same mark they had at this point last season before finishing strong enough to win a share of the MEAC title.

The loss to Hampton also was the first setback in five starts for redshirt sophomore ...

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S.C. State defense redeems itself with victory over B-CU

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Safety Dominique Ellis was willing to take the heat.

As a senior leader in the S.C. State secondary, Ellis took full responsibility for last week's 21-6 loss to Central Michigan. In the contest, the 23rd-ranked Bulldogs gave up two critical long touchdown passes in the first half.

"The defense - we lost that game for us," he said. "I'll say it. Everybody will say it's on everybody. But we gave up two deep balls. If you think about it. If we change those two plays, we're in the game in the fourth."

Facing a 24th-ranked Bethune-Cookman team which put up 63 points and 500 total yards of offense a week earlier, Ellis and the defense were determined to redeem themselves. With two of the Bulldogs' four interceptions, including a game-clinching 55-yard tourchdown pick in the 26-18 victory, Ellis seemingly more than made amends.

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B-CU Wildcats shake off loss, focus on performing well in next games

DAYTONA BEACH, FL -- After South Carolina State's 26-18 win over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, tears welled up in Bulldogs coach Buddy Pough's eyes as he stood with his team in front of Municipal Stadium's visiting bleachers listening to the band play the school's alma mater.

On the other side of the field, some B-CU players were ready to walk away when senior linebacker Ryan Lewis reminded them that they too must stand in front of their fans for the Wildcats band to play the alma mater.

"It's showing respect to our school, our alumni and our founder," Lewis said. "Win, lose or draw, we finish the game with the school alma mater. That's how we finish games. I let the guys know we still had to do that, regardless."

Lewis knew his teammates weren't trying to show any disrespect. They just weren't sure exactly what to do in such a situation. Since Brian Jenkins became head coach before last season, losing has been that rare.

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XU Jacksons, Fakler have times of their lives at Loyola meet

Catherine Fakler

METAIRIE, La. — Zahri Jackson was in record form again. Catherine Fakler and Kwame Jackson weren't far behind.

All three Xavier University of Louisiana freshmen produced memorable performances Saturday in the Four Points by Sheraton Loyola Wolfpack Invitational at Lafreniere Park.

Zahri Jackson broke her second XU women's record in as many meets. She ran 5,000 meters in 19 minutes, 15.18 seconds to break the previous mark by nearly 11 seconds. She placed third out of 71 runners and was the first collegiate finisher.

Fakler was fifth overall and third among collegians in a career-best 19:48.50. Her time is the fifth fastest in XU history. Like her teammate, Fakler recorded her second top-10 finish in as many meets.

Ebony Harding set the previous XU mark of 19:26 in 2009 as a senior. Before Saturday, Harding was the only XU female to run a 5K in less than 20 minutes, and Harding recorded the eight fastest times.

Kwame, left, and Zahri Jackson

Kwame Jackson, Zahri's older brother, also recorded his second top-10 in as many meets. He produced a personal best in the men's race. running the 5K in 16:12.13 to finish fourth out of 56 and No. 2 among collegians. His 5K is the fastest by an XU male since Farris Gransberry set the record of 15:46.80 in 2000.

Both Xavier teams produced upper-division finishes for the second straight meet. The Gold Nuggets scored 63 points to finish second out of eight college teams, and the Gold Rush scored 64 points to place third out of seven.

Xavier's good times were not limited to the Jacksons and Fakler. Sophomore Donyé Coleman ran her fastest collegiate 5K and placed 18th in 20:45.78. Anna D'Souza was 21st in 21:00.99, her fastest since the 2008 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference meet her freshman year. In the men's race Ray Walston was seventh with a career-best 16:27.76, about 45 seconds faster than his time in this race a year ago.

City rival Loyola won both team titles. Former Canadian collegiate runner Sarah Skotty (17:35.17) was the fastest female finisher for the second straight year, and former LSU runner Patrick Gavin led the men in 14:56.39. Mississippi College's Tino Gonzales was the fastest male collegian and third overall in 16:09.02.

The next meet for both XU teams will be the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational at Lafayette, La., on Friday evening.

Results:  Men    Women

Xavier Women's Cross Country Best 5,000-Meter times
No. Time Name Class Location Date

1. 19:15.18 Zahri Jackson Freshman Loyola Wolfpack Invitational, Metairie, La. Sept. 10, 2011

2. 19:26 Ebony Harding Senior Gulf Coast Stampede, Pensacola, Fla. Oct. 3, 2009

3. 19:41.33 Ebony Harding Senior Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships, Clinton, Miss. Nov. 7, 2009

4. 19:47.14 Ebony Harding Senior Southern Miss Invitational, Hattiesburg, Miss. Sept. 4, 2009

5. 19:48.50 Catherine Fakler Freshman Loyola Wolfpack Invitational, Metairie, La. Sept. 10, 2011

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

Florida A&M vs. Hampton Fumble - It's still loose!

Next up for ODU: The Hampton Pirates

Before reviewing Old Dominion’s 40-17 victory over Georgia State at the nearly empty Georgia Dome – honestly, was anybody there? – it’s time to look ahead.

ODU hosts Hampton University this coming Saturday and the Pirates are off to a 2-0 start. The Pirates have a pair of victories over some A&M schools: Alabama A&M and Florida A&M.

ODU coach Bobby Wilder says the difference in Hampton from a year ago comes at the quarterback spot where David Legree is off to a hot and fast start.

“Legree has an NFL arm and that concerns us,” Wilder said. The Monarchs host Hampton at 6 p.m. at Foreman Field on Saturday, Sept. 17.

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VSU Trojans come from behind to defeat West Virginia St., 17-14

Petersburg, VA - The Trojans of Virginia State University (1-1), scored 14 points in the third quarter to take a come from behind lead and win the game 17-14, against the (0-2) Yellow Jackets of West Virginia State University. Junior wide receiver, Corey Young caught a 28 yard TD pass to put VSU ahead.

VSU’s offense woke up late but rallied in the second half to gain some yardage and several first downs to seal a 17-14 victory on the road against WVSU. The Trojans accumulated 277 of total offense (211 passing, 66 rushing) and had 14 first downs. Senior running back, Antwain Lyde rushed for a team high 80 yards and averaged 4 yards a carry. Lyde also caught 4 passes for 53 yards out of the Trojan backfield. Junior quarterback, Jarred Battle passed for 211 yards, completing 19 of 32 pass attempts.



Five Trojans caught passes from Battle. Junior wide receiver, Alan Anderson’s led with 6 catches for 61 yards. Corey Young caught Battle’s longest pass of the game, a 28 yard touchdown score with 45 seconds left in the third quarter. That touchdown was the first for VSU’s offense this season and was key this game, as it was the last points ...

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Kentucky State Stays Perfect, Beats Lincoln 43-27

Frankfort, KY – In a highly anticipated home opener, the Kentucky State University Thorobreds galloped past the Lincoln University Lions with a score of 43-27.

Lincoln won the coin toss and deferred to the second half and the Thorobreds elected to receive the opening kick. During the opening drive, quarterback, Jerrel Noland threw his first interception of the season resulting in a 39 yard touchdown for Lincoln.

In retaliation, KSU senior defensive back, Keith Massey, returned a kick for 79 yards and freshman kicker, Cade Berryman assisted in tying the game 7-7, making the PAT.

Kentucky State closed the first half with Noland making two 1 yard rushing touchdowns, combined with a rushing touchdown by Andrew Ramsey, giving the Breds a 28-14 lead at halftime.

Kentucky State added nine points in the third quarter that extended the Thorobreds’ lead to 37-20. In the fourth quarter, Berryman nailed a 43-yard field goal with 7:30 to play, giving the Breds a 20-point lead (40-20), but Lincoln marched down the field and scored on a 24-yard pass from Cook to Garlin Gardner, bringing the score to 40-27, in favor of the Breds. With 2:02 to play in the game, Berryman made a 39-yard field goal to bring the score to its final 43-27.

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Southern tops Alabama A&M

Baton Rouge, LA - Dray Joseph believed he was a better quarterback. He felt it.

In the days after Joseph and the Southern football team lost an ugly season opener, Joseph said he focused on his playbook and trusted his instincts. He also prayed.

Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium, hours before the Jaguars began Southwestern Athletic Conference play with a stunning 21-6 victory over Alabama A&M, the sophomore quarterback wrote a biblical verse, Mark 9:23, on one of his taped wrists. Everything is possible for one who believes.




Saturday night, Joseph believed in himself, and his teammates believed in each other.

It certainly showed.

In a virtuoso performance that stunned almost as many Southern fans as it did the visiting team, the Jaguars ripped apart Alabama A&M’s secondary for 332 passing yards ...

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Southern notes: Jaguars end skid at 7 games

If you believe Southern football coach Stump Mitchell, the results of Saturday’s 21-6 victory over Alabama A&M were not surprising at all. Not to him. “No,” the second-year coach said. “Last week was shocking.”

Mitchell was referring to last week’s season-opening 33-7 loss at Tennessee State, during which the Jaguars were often manhandled at the line of scrimmage.

At the time, it dropped Mitchell’s record to 2-10 at Southern. It also extended the team’s losing streak to seven games, including a six-game slide to end last year.

“It was only a one-game losing streak for this team,” Mitchell said. “But for me, it was seven or eight, or whatever it was. It was too long.”

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QB Mason takes road less traveled

Huntsville, AL - At the end of every summer workout and practice in the grueling heat, Alabama A&M quarterback Deaunte Mason and his teammates closed with this: “SWAC Champs.”

For Mason, and his teammates, that is the ultimate goal. Instilling this motto, as Mason characterizes it, made A&M shake off the feeling of a 3-8 season in 2010. The 21-year-old Mason’s journey to Huntsville, Ala., was a road he didn’t expect to travel.

Named Tennessee’s Mr. Football for Class 3A in 2008, Mason passed for 2,375 yards, rushed for 1,052 yards and scored 35 touchdowns as a senior at Pearl-Cohn High School, in Nashville, Tenn. His strong senior season garnered a scholarship from the University of Kentucky.

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SU defense gets rid of bad taste

Baton Rouge, LA - It was a collaborative effort Saturday night as Southern University vanquished its seven-game losing streak with a 21-6 win over Southwestern Athletic Conference rival Alabama A&M.

The Southern offense scored two pacesetting touchdowns in the first 7 minutes, and the Jaguars defense responded with just as much heart.

A week earlier, Southern’s defense surrendered more than 300 yards on the ground as it was manhandled by Tennessee State’s physical offensive line. But the defense showed its resiliency and held the Bulldogs to just 60 yards on the ground.




“We wanted to control the clock, and keep (Alabama A&M) off the field some,” Southern coach Stump Mitchell said of the Jaguars’ approach. “Last week, Tennessee State was just much bigger than us.”


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UAPB Golden Lions rally to take a 27-20 victory over Alcorn State

PINE BLUFF, Ark.- After falling behind 20-10 going into intermission the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff football team (1-1, 1-0 SWAC) knew they would have to put together a solid second half in order to capture a win over the Alcorn State Braves (0-2, 0-2 SWAC).

The Golden Lions did just that rallying with 17 unanswered points in the games' final two quarters capturing a thrilling come from behind victory over Alcorn State on Saturday night.



The spark UAPB needed came in the form of a dominating running game that found new life in the second half. In all Arkansas-Pine Bluff rushed for 238 rushing yards on 47 attempts led by Adrian Moore's 130 yard rushing performance.

“Moore, Jones, and Jenkins played outstanding tonight, said UAPB head coach Monte Coleman. “And our defense was able to rise to the challenge that we set before them at halftime.”

The Golden Lions defense continued to apply pressure to Alcorn State's Brandon Bridge in the second half keeping the quick, agile sophomore on the run the majority of the evening.



“Bridge is an amazing athlete,” said Coleman. “He actually got my vote for Preseason Player of the Year. We told our guys that in order to be successful against him pressure would be the key and we were able to generate that pressure with consistency in the second half.”


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Up 12-10 at the half, NSU fails to stop WVU onslaught

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Norfolk State's football team turned in a memorable performance against No. 19 West Virginia on Saturday. Unfortunately for the Spartans, only the first 30 minutes will be worth remembering.

After building a remarkable 12-10 halftime lead before 51,911 fans at Milan Puskar Stadium, NSU disappeared in the second half, allowing the Mountaineers to score on all seven of their possessions and roll to a 55-12 win. Also forgettable were the Spartans' 19 penalties for 177 yards, each a record for a WVU opponent.

NSU coach Pete Adrian, a WVU alumnus, called the game "a tale of two cities," but the match-up between the Spartans (1-1) and the Big East's Mountaineers (2-0) was hardly a classic.

"We outplayed them in the first half, there's no question about that," Adrian said. "You can sugarcoat it anyway you want - we did. And we got murdered in the second half."



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WV Mountaineers wear down Spartans en route to 55-12 win

MORGANTOWN — It was a tale of two halves. In most instances, it’s a bit of a cliché, not to mention misused, but in the case of No. 19 West Virginia and its battle with Norfolk State Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium, it certainly fits.

The first half was a bumbling mess, where time and time again the Mountaineers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and trailed the FCS Spartans 12-10. It had all the makings of Appy State-Michigan a few years ago.

The second half, the Mountaineers scored on all seven of their possessions and ended up with what was expected all along, a 55-12 drubbing of Norfolk State.

“Obviously, I’m not pleased with first half, but I was pleased with the second half,” said West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen, who showed no signs that he was pleased about anything. “We are a young football team and inexperienced. I don’t know if we’re trying too hard or if it was a coaching error. Either way, I’m proud of the way we came out in the second half. We got a lot of good snaps, and hopefully, it will make us a better team.”

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Elizabeth City State routs Livingstone for the DEVFC victory

Rocky Mount, NC - Elizabeth City State University came into its game Saturday night expecting to win.

Starting running back Daronte McNeill felt it before the game, and coach Waverly Tillar saw it as the first half progressed. A victory was far from certain when the Vikings walked into the locker room at halftime ahead by only seven points.

Before the second half kicked off, Tillar reminded his team of three things: What they want, why they were there and where they are going.



After three touchdowns in the third quarter and two more in the fourth, the Vikings finally are headed back in the direction they wanted to go with a 49-7 victory against Livingstone College in the 14th annual Down East Viking Football Classic at Rocky Mount Sports Complex.

“Coming in, they probably had the game won already in their minds,” Tillar said. “It wasn’t like that. You have to play one snap at a time, 11 people at a time. You have to play the entire game. At the half, I got their minds straight and told them what to do.”


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