XU's Kirk, Reuther experience the kills of victory

NEW ORLEANS -- Moira Kirk and Taylor Reuther produced 12 kills apiece Friday to help Xavier University of Louisiana's women's volleyball team defeat Tougaloo 25-17, 25-9, 25-11 and remain perfect in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.

The Gold Nuggets (13-4, 7-0) earned their second victory of the day at Dillard's Dent Hall and maintained their one-match lead in the GCAC over SUNO.

"After a loss last night (against Prairie View A&M) we set our goals to correct our mistakes," Xavier coach Christabell Hamilton said. "Today was a new day and a fresh attitude. And it's totally different when we play in conference."

It was the second time this season that Kirk and Reuther, both freshmen, reached 12 kills in the same match. Reuther had eight first-set kills and started a pair of 5-0 runs with kills. The three-time GCAC Player of the Week hit 400 in 25 attempts and had seven digs and three aces. Kirk hit .381 in 21 attempts -- she ended the second set with a kill -- and added four digs and two blocks.

Jeanay Butler had a season-high-tying four aces for Xavier for the second straight match, and Kerris Crier had her first four of the season -- all in a row to give the Nuggets a 21-9 lead in the third. Xavier served 15 aces and finished the day with 33.

Tougaloo's only lead of the 51-minute contest came when Dayane Souza opened the third set with her team's lone ace. The Nuggets responded with a 10-1 run which included two aces and a kill by Butler and two kills by Kirk.

Xavier hit .267 and got a team-high 12 digs -- eight in the first set -- from Chinedu Echebelem. Celeste Poe had seven digs and Joyy Joseph five.

"Our goal was to go 3-0 this weekend -- so far so good," Hamilton said. "It was a very good momentum shift compared to last night. Hopefully we'll finish strongly on Saturday."

Xavier will play Edward Waters at 10 a.m. Saturday at Dent Hall. The Nuggets defeated the Lady Tigers 25-12, 25-12, 25-10 on Sept.23.

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

Alabama State improves to 5-1 with 43-29 win over Texas Southern

HOUSTON, Texas -- A 21-point third-quarter keyed by special teams propelled Alabama State to a 43-29 win over Texas Southern in a wild Southwestern Athletic Conference shootout at Delmar Stadium in a rematch of last season's SWAC Championship Game. [Stats]

The Hornets (5-1 overall, 5-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) are off to their best start since the 2005 season and scored 30+ points for the fourth time this season, all victories.

"It's a huge win for us," head coach Reggie Barlow said. "There's so much parity in this league and we have other teams on the East that are winning and having success. It's going to come down to the wire. A team that has no losses or one loss is the team that has the best chance to go to the SWAC Championship."



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NCCU football coach Henry Frazier previews S.C. State game

G. Alan Inc. previews the 19th matchup between the Eagles of North Carolina Central University and the Bulldogs of South Carolina State University. NCCU enters the contest fresh after an off-week while the Bulldogs were upset last week in the Fish Bowl Classic against Norfolk State. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m., but tune in to Eagle Gameday built by Dayeco Construction Company beginning at 1:00 p.m. as play-by-play voice of the NCCU Sports Network Chris Hooks and Joe Simmons get fans revved up for NCCU Football.

SSU looks to get back on winning track

Savannah, Georgia -- Savannah State coach Steve Davenport doesn’t want to look backward — a direction his team was headed all too often a week ago.

But that was last week. Davenport and the Tigers are now looking ahead to building a new winning streak when they travel to Baltimore to meet Morgan State today at 1 p.m. at Hughes Stadium in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference showdown.

“You can’t live your life looking backward,” Davenport said. “There’s nothing we can do about the loss to Howard now. We just have to focus on Morgan State and handle our business with Morgan.”

SSU (1-4, 1-1 MEAC) played poorly at an inopportune time against Howard a week ago. The Tigers were playing their first game on campus in nearly two years while re-opening their renovated T.A. Wright Stadium. It was also their first home MEAC game.

Savannah State (1-4, 1-1 MEAC) at Morgan State (2-3, 1-1 MEAC)
When: Today, 1 p.m.
Where: Hughes Stadium, Baltimore, Md.
TV/radio: No TV/WHCJ 90.3 FM



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Mitchell, Southern Jaguars seek back-to-back victories

Baton Rouge, Louisiana - For the fourth time in Stump Mitchell's tenure at Southern, the Jaguars have a chance to do something they have yet to do under the second-year coach: win back-to-back football games. So far, the Jaguars have tried and failed on three different occasions.

SU (2-3, 2-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) gets its next opportunity hosting Prairie View (3-2, 3-1) Saturday at 6 p.m. inside A.W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge.

"There's a lot of things we haven't done. One being we haven't won two games in a row since I've been here," Mitchell said Monday, speaking to reporters on the SWAC's weekly coaches teleconference. "We can do that by winning this week."



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Alabama A&M football: Milton wants to make up for snafu

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - G'Alonzo Milton spent the offseason working on his speed. Good thing, too.

Eleven months ago, Milton, a starting wide receiver for Alabama A&M, endured the most embarrassing moment of his football career when he was chased down from behind against Mississippi Valley State.

Last November, with A&M inside its 10-yard line, Milton hauled in a pass from quarterback Justin Jones and was headed toward the end zone for what appeared to be an easy touchdown. Unfortunately, Michael Boykins chased him down 92 yards later and tackled him at the 2-yard line. Two plays later, Tony Green fumbled giving the ball back to the Delta Devils.

A&M went on to win the game 21-7, but Milton hasn't been able to shake that embarrassing moment.



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Tuskegee and Morehouse set for 76th Classic

COLUMBUS, GA - Two sets of Tigers are ready to hit the field this weekend, with bragging rights at stake. The Tuskegee Golden Tigers and Morehouse Maroon Tigers are ready to renew their rivalry at the 76th Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic at McClung Memorial Stadium.

Tuskegee (1-3, 1-1 SIAC) has struggled this season, a young team with several freshmen and sophomores seeing significant playing time. Morehouse (4-1, 2-0 SIAC) on the other hand is a veteran squad that has been racking up the wins.

The one place they haven't racked up the wins is against their arch-rival. Tuskegee is carrying a seven-game winning streak into Saturday's game, with 13 wins in the last 15 meetings between the two teams.

Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET on Saturday.

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XU Gold Nuggets set school record with 12th victory of season

XU head women's volleyball coach
Christabell Hamilton

NEW ORLEANS -- Taylor Reuther's nine kills, five digs and three aces Friday led Xavier University of Louisiana in a 25-8, 25-7, 20-25, 25-6 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's volleyball victory against Philander Smith at Dillard's Dent Hall.

The Gold Nuggets (12-4, 6-0) set a school record for victories in a season -- the 2010 team won 11 -- and assured themselves of a winning record in the GCAC for the first time in the program's four seasons. Xavier entered the year 5-17 in regular-season conference matches.

Reuther, who hit .000 in Xavier's previous two matches, played only in the first and fourth sets and hit .500 in 14 attempts. She served all her aces consecutively during the final set.

Kerris Crier had six kills, three blocks and hit .455 in 11 attempts for Xavier, and Moira Kirk continued her hot stretch by hitting .625 with five kills in eight attempts, three aces and four blocks. Kirk hit .480 in the Gold Nuggets' past seven matches and was errorless on attack in four of those contests.

Xavier hit .490 in its three winning sets, but a minus-.056 in the third set dropped the Nuggets to .264 for the match. The Nuggets served a season-best 18 aces, led by Jeanay Butler's season-high-tying four. Nine of the 11 Nuggets who served had at least one ace, and Morgan Stallings and Alexandria Rencher had two apiece.

Celeste Poe and Butler led Xavier with eight digs apiece. All 12 Nuggets played at least two sets, and Kirk and Crier were the only Nuggets to start in all four.

Philander Smith (1-10, 0-3), a first-year GCAC member, lost its seventh straight. But the Lady Panthers extended the match by scoring six of the final seven points in set three. Whitney McDaniel scored the final three points on kills.

Dillard is playing host to 12 matches involving six of the GCAC's eight teams Friday and Saturday. Xavier will play Tougaloo at 7 p.m. Friday, then close its weekend against Edward Waters in a 10 a.m. Saturday match.

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

Legion Field to get luxury suites in time for Magic City Classic

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama --- About 1,600 aluminum bleachers along Legion Field's north end zone are ripped out and will be replaced with luxury suites in time for the stadium's largest sporting event later this month.

Work is under way to install new covered seating just weeks before the Magic City Classic. The annual matchup between Alabama A&M and Alabama State universities draws 60,000 to 70,000 inside the stadium and thousands more outside. This year's game will be Oct. 29 at 2:30 p.m.

Mayor William Bell said the seating upgrade is part of an effort to make the 84-year old stadium palatable to tenants, including the Classic, the BBVA Compass Bowl and the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.

"Shortly after I came into office in 2010 we had meetings with representatives of ESPN, BBVA Compass, SWAC, UAB, Alabama A&M and Alabama State to discuss the condition of Legion Field and its appearance for the various events we had out there," Bell said. "We made a commitment at that time we would make the facility more friendly for hospitality."

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Florida A&M Homecoming Special

FAMU Ready to Face Howard - at Homecoming Game

Tallahassee, Florida -- Protecting home field has been the one thing that has been most consistent for the Florida A&M football team. They pulled out an exciting 28-22 victory over Ft. Valley State and exploded for a 34-7 win over the Deleware State Hornets.

Tomorrow, amidst the distractions of the homecoming festivities, the team's primary focus will be to keep things as routine as possible. Linebacker Demarius "D.J." Folsom, who had 6 tackles (3 solo, 1.5 TFL) and an interception in the previous contest, said that maintaining the normal regimen won't be as difficult as some would think. Especially for the seniors.

"Basically all we have to do is focus and stay discipline," Folsom said. "Every week the goal is to focus and execute and if we do that then everything else should and will handle itself."

Folsom also said that the emotions of this being his last homecoming as a member of the team will lead to an even greater effort from an individual standpoint. "My emotions are going to run really high," Folsom said. "I'm going to be high-wired, but overall I'm just going to have fun with it."

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Hampton Pirates to play host to Princeton

HAMPTON, VA – The Hampton University football team will return to Armstrong Stadium on Saturday, when the Pirates take on Princeton at 1 p.m. to celebrate Alumni Day and Military Appreciation Day.

The Pirates (2-2) are coming off their bye week, having last played on Sept. 22 – a 35-31 loss at Bethune-Cookman on ESPNU. Princeton (1-2) picked up its first win of the season this past Saturday, beating Ivy League foe Columbia 24-21.

The Pirates are 1-0 all-time against Princeton, having won the only previous meeting between the two schools 48-27 in 2007 in Princeton, N.J. Saturday’s contest will mark the Tigers’ first-ever trip to Armstrong Stadium. The Pirates are 2-1 all-time against schools in the Ivy League, including their 1-0 mark against Princeton. Hampton is 1-1 all-time against Columbia, but the two teams haven’t met since the 1907 season, when Columbia took a 1-0 win.



Hampton’s 42 points against Old Dominion on Sept. 17 were the most the Pirates scored in a game since beating North Carolina A&T 35-21 on Sept. 18, 2010. The last time Hampton cracked the 40-point mark was on Sept. 20, 2008, when the Pirates defeated North Carolina A&T 44-7. Hampton followed that with 31 points at Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 22.

Thanks in large part to its offensive performances at ODU and Bethune-Cookman, Hampton, guided by first-year offensive coordinator Willie Snead III, is second in the MEAC in both scoring offense (29.2 points per game) and total offense (397.0 yards per game).

For the season, senior quarterback David Legree (Brooklyn, N.Y.) is completing 61 percent of his passes (75-for-123) for 852 yards and five touchdowns so far this season. Legree is second in the MEAC in passing, averaging 213.0 yards per game, while also sitting seventh in the MEAC with 59.5 rushing yards per contest.



Sophomore running back Antwon Chisholm (Belle Glade, Fla.), the reigning MEAC Rookie of the Year, is averaging 4 6 yards per carry, and is currently second in the MEAC in rushing with an average of 76.2 rushing yards per game despite his struggles against Old Dominion.

Sophomore linebacker Delbert Tyler (Monroeville, Pa.) is currently third in the MEAC in tackles with 42, averaging 10.5 per game, while junior linebacker Lyndell Gibson (Virginia Beach, Va.), a Virginia Tech transfer, is fifth in the conference with 40 tackles, an average of 10.0 per game. Junior defensive back Justin Blake (Piscataway, N.J.) is eighth in the MEAC with 38 tackles, 9.5 per contest.

Senior defensive back James Butts (Norfolk, Va.) is tied for fifth in the MEAC with five passes defended so far this season. Sophomore defensive end Robert Copeland (Hampton, Va.) leads the MEAC in forced fumbles with two. He also has one recorded fumble, which places him seventh in the conference.

For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at hamptonpirates.

By Hampton University Sports Information
VISIT: HAMPTON UNIVERSITY
VISIT: HAMPTONPIRATES

Hampton Pirates Football Video Streaming Available

Hampton, Virginia -- Starting with Saturday’s contest against Princeton, Hampton University home football games can be viewed online via live video streaming.

To access video streaming, simply visit http://www.hamptonpirates.com/showcase and complete the sign-up instructions. A fee will be charged, and fans can choose to purchase single-game ($5.95) or season passes ($20).

Saturday’s contest against Princeton will kick off at 1 p.m.

For more information on Hampton University football, visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

Bowie State football team drops third in a row

Bowie, Maryland -- After opening the season at 3-0, the Bowie State University football team fell to 3-3 with a 49-20 loss to Fairmont State on Thursday night in Fairmont, W.Va. Bowie State scored the game's first points on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Andre Johnson (Surrattsville) to Keith Brown (Suitland) with 5 minutes, 59 seconds to go in the first quarter.

But 2 1/2 minutes later, Fairmont State began a barrage of 35 unanswered points on the first of two touchdown passes in the game by Logan Moore. Fairmont State scored three touchdowns in the final 6:41 of the second quarter and led 35-6 at halftime.



Johnson had a 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and Dominique Budd tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Reginald McIntyre with 1:13 to play in the fourth quarter for Bowie State's only points of the second half. The Bulldogs moved the ball well, amassing 401 yards of total offense, but committed three turnovers.

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Prairie View hits .405, hands Xavier first home loss

NEW ORLEANS -- Jasmine Houston and Christine Ruckman produced nine kills apiece Thursday, leading hot-hitting Prairie View A&M to a 25-17, 25-17, 25-14 women's volleyball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.

The Lady Panthers (4-13) had a .405 attack percentage -- .500 in the second set -- and earned their first road victory of the season in 12 attempts. They gave the Gold Nuggets (11-4) their first home loss in seven matches this year.

Prairie View, an NCAA Division I team, had a 40-20 advantage in kills. Maegan Coleman and Bruna Menezes had six kills apiece for the Lady Panthers, and Jasmine Wells had five. Skye Terrell and Breanna McNeil each served two aces, and Shanice Faison had nine digs.

Xavier, an NAIA team losing for the second time in 11 matches, got six kills from Taylor Reuther and five from Moira Kirk. Celeste Poe and Chinedu Echebelem each served two aces,

The Gold Nuggets never led after 8-7 in the first set, 4-3 in the second set and 7-6 in the third. Prairie View scored the final six points of the first set and had runs of 6-0 in the second set and 12-1 in the third. Houston and Arbuckle ended the match in the 65th minute with their block of a Kirk attack.

Xavier, in a stretch of five matches in four days, will play Friday at Dillard's Dent Hall against Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opponents Philander Smith at noon and Tougaloo at 7 p.m. The Gold Nuggets are 5-0 in the GCAC and hold a one-match lead over SUNO. Prairie View will travel to Baton Rouge, La., and play Jackson State at 11 a.m. Friday in Southern University's tournament.

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

NSU Spartans have a score to settle with DSU Hornets

Norfolk, VA -- History is on Hasan Craig's side. Delaware State's poor record and three straight blowout losses might normally have Norfolk State looking ahead to games against Hampton and Bethune-Cookman. Craig, a senior linebacker, has the team looking back instead.

In 2007, the Spartans went to Delaware State, where a win would have clinched NSU's first MEAC championship. Instead, the Hornets scored 25 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of a 28-21 win, ending the best chance Norfolk State has had at a MEAC championship.



"I remember being so happy and then, at the end of the game, so hurt," said Craig, who played with the team that year before redshirting his sophomore year due to injury. "Like someone ripped my heart out."

The Hornets tied the game on a 28-yard field goal on the final play of regulation, then won it by scoring a touchdown in overtime and stopping NSU on downs.

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Banged-up FVSU Wildcats look to bounce back

Fort Valley, Georgia -- The way the season is going would normally be enough to make a coach feel a bit less chipper than usual. Throw in allergies kicking up, and it’s not the best week for Fort Valley State head coach Donald Pittman. The Wildcats are 1-4 overall and 1-2 in the SIAC, and they aren’t in the best of health themselves.

“Nobody’s back as of yet,” Pittman said. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

Freshmen Cameron Pearson and Jahyrie Harris are battling it out at quarterback this week. Antonio Henton has been out since suffering a knee injury against Delta State in the second game. Then W.J. McAllister sat out last week after getting a head injury Sept. 22 at Benedict.  McAllister struggled in FVSU’s 16-11 loss at Clark Atlanta but made progress against Benedict just in time to get hurt.

Pearson had played a few snaps at quarterback, and Harris had been moved to the secondary before the season because of the logjam at quarterback. He returned to the offensive side about two weeks ago.



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At midseason, JCSU football shows potential

Charlotte, NC -- Johnson C. Smith football hasn’t been this close to respectable since the 2006 squad went 7-3. But the Golden Bulls still need some work to get there.

JCSU, 2-3 going into Saturday’s CIAA game at Shaw, is statistically better in nearly every category compared to the 2010 squad that went 2-8. The Golden Bulls average 26 points and 386.8 offensive yards per game with freshman quarterback Keahn Wallace leading the attack. The special teams have shown drastic improvement, especially with returner B.J. Trimble scoring on a punt and kick in the first five games.

Defensively, JCSU still a work in progress. The Golden Bulls have improved from last year’s 39.5 points allowed per game to 27, but give up a whopping 453.2 yards per outing. That’ll need to change over the second half of the season if JCSU is to creep closer to a break-even record for the first time under head coach Steve Aycock.




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Tuskegee-Morehouse Football Classic: It’s all about tradition

Columbus, Georgia -- The freshman walked into Tuskegee University football coach Willie Slater’s office and asked him a question about playing Morehouse College, “So, this is a big game, huh?”  Recalling the moment, Slater smiled and said when he first came to Tuskegee to coach in 2006 he didn’t realize the importance of the contest, either. “I do now,” Slater said. “It’s a big one.”

He said it won’t take long for his young players to learn that.

From the beginning of the season, players at Morehouse know the score. “You don’t want to look past any opponent, but people on campus keep reminding our players how important it is to beat Tuskegee,” Morehouse College football coach Rich Freeman said.

The two NCAA Division II teams first played each other in 1902 and the 76th annual Tuskegee-Morehouse Football Classic will be played Saturday at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium in Columbus.


Last year's classic was great! The 76th Classic will be better!

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Xavier Gold Nuggets beat University of New Orleans, set school record for home victories

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana -- Moira Kirk and Jeanay Butler led Xavier University of Louisiana with seven kills apiece Wednesday in a 25-18, 25-21, 25-12 women's volleyball victory against the University of New Orleans at The Barn.

The Gold Nuggets (11-3) tied a school record for victories in a season and set another XU season mark with their sixth home victory. Xavier has won 10 of its last 11 matches and is 6-0 at The Barn.

UNO (2-11), loser of seven straight, got seven kills from Jasmyne Walker and four aces from Tory Hearn.

Xavier trailed 10-7 in the first set before consecutive aces from Taylor Reuther and five UNO attack errors feuled a 10-3 run that put the Gold Nuggets ahead to stay. Reuther ended the set with another ace.

Xavier University of Louisiana's 2011 women's volleyball team
      Front row, from left: Kia Smith, Chinedu Echebelem, Joyy Joseph,
 Celeste Poe, Patrice Hightower and Alexandria Rencher.
      Back row, from left: Morgan Stallings, Kerris Crier, Iva Bobkova,
Moira Kirk, Jeanay Butler and Taylor Reuther.

(Click on photo to enlarge)

The Privateers scored eight consecutive points to reduce a 21-11 second-set deficit, but a Butler kill and blocks from Kerris Crier and Reuther helped Xavier close. The Gold Nuggets outhit UNO .476 to minus-.057 in the third set and rolled to a 19-7 advantage. A UNO attack error, the Privateers' 27th and their 46th overall, ended the match.

Kirk attacked errorlessly for the third time in five matches and is hitting .488 in 82 attempts during that span. Butler 's kills and.438 attack percentage were season highs.

Xavier outhit UNO .257 to minus-.027 for the match and had a 45-34 advantage in digs. Chinedu Echebelem led the Nuggets with nine digs, and Jessie Mouton had the same number for UNO.

Reuther, who won her third Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week award Monday, had season lows of five kills and a .000 attack percentage.

"We never let down," Xavier coach Christabell Hamilton said. "We made mistakes, but we kept the tempo of the match on our side. That's an important thing to do for a young team like ours with four freshmen starting. It also was also good to get all our players into the match. Because we're playing five times in four days, all of them need to be ready to play."

It was the first volleyball meeting between the schools. They'll meet again Oct. 25 at UNO. For Xavier, an NAIA member, it was the fourth victory in five attempts against NCAA Division I opponents this season. Xavier will play another D-I opponent, Prairie View A&M, at 5 p.m. Thursday at The Barn.

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

LIVE THURSDAY: Bowie State vs. Fairmont State via HERBFM.COM

BOWIE, Maryland -- Listen to a live internet audio stream of the Bowie State Bulldogs at Fairmont State Fighting Falcons football game this Thursday (October 6) beginning at 6:45 pm on www.HerbFM.com.

Join host Chris Heidel and BSU head coach Damon Wilson for the Bulldogs Pre-Game Show then stay tuned for game at 7 pm "live" from Fairmont State's Duvall-Rosier Field, Fairmont, West Virginia. Former Bulldogs player and current member of the Pittsburgh Steelers running back Isaac Redman will be the halftime guest.

Tell your friends to tune in at www.HerbFM.com for other scheduled BSU Bulldogs football games:

Oct 6th @ Fairmont State University Live at 7pm
Pre game show starts at 6:45 pm

Oct 14th @ Lincoln University of Pennsylvania Live at 8pm
Pre game show starts at 7:30pm

Oct 22nd @ Elizabeth City State University Live at 1pm
Pre Game show starts at 12:30pm

Oct 29th @ Shepherd University Live at 12noon
Pre Game show starts at 11:30am

VISIT: BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY
VISIT: BSUBULLDOGS
VISIT: herbFM Sports Radio

By Bowie State Sports Information & HerbFM.com

SU Jaguars eye chance at SWAC West lead with victory over Prairie View

Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Setting aside his whistle and practice plans for a moment, Stump Mitchell played the temporarily role of salesman Tuesday afternoon.

The second-year Southern football coach made an aggressive pitch to fans, encouraging them to get fired up for this week’s home game against Prairie View. Mitchell’s team has given them one good reason to buy a few tickets.

“It’s a special weekend because of the situation we find ourselves in,” Mitchell said.

Thanks to last week’s 28-21 win at Mississippi Valley State, the Jaguars (2-3, 2-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) trail Prairie View by only a half-game in the Western Division. Southern can leapfrog the Panthers (3-2, 3-1) into first place with a win this week. The teams meet at 6 p.m. Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.




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Frazier says North Carolina Central Eagles will either play well or get ‘smashed’ against South Carolina State Bulldogs

RALEIGH, N.C. - An article written in the Aug. 31 edition of the Star-Ledger in New Jersey referred to new North Carolina Central head football coach Henry Frazier III as "Dr. Fix It" and with good reason.

The former Bowie State quarterback has taken over three losing football programs and turned them into winners. Frazier's success in revitalizing a Prairie View A&M program which had won 21 of 216 games since 1980 prior to his arrival and leading them to the 2009 Southwestern Athletic Conference title earned him the Eddie Robinson Award as the nation's best Football Championship Subdivision head football coach.

Now Frazier looks to do the same at North Carolina Central which is now eligible to compete for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title. Saturday's homecoming matchup against a program he called the conference's "premier flagship team" in South Carolina State could serve as a barometer in determining where the Eagles stand in their rebuilding phase.



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FAMU football team looking past distractions

Tallahassee, Florida -- As Tuesday's practice wrapped up for the Florida A&M football team and the players headed into Galimore Fieldhouse, throngs of students began flocking to the Lawson Center nearby for a homecoming event.

Traffic on Wahnish Way outside Lawson Center was beginning to jam up — and it wasn't even midweek yet. By the time the Rattlers meet Howard on Saturday afternoon, lots of shows and concerts will have taken place. A lot of it will be on campus, within an eye shot of the players.

They insisted they won't be distracted, though. FAMU football coach Joe Taylor said they shouldn't be. He turned to a weekly itinerary that the players have had from day one and have abided by up to now. Homecoming and its trappings isn't the time to change.

"If you're not going to be a champion every day, you're not going to be a champion on game day," Taylor said. "To me it's a process and making sure you do the process."



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Pieri becomes GCAC all-time leader; Reuther wins third

Matt Pieri

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Matt Pieri became the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference's all-time leader with his ninth Runner of the Week award, and Taylor Reuther collected her third Player of the Week honor in women's volleyball.

The conference announced late Monday the honors, which cover competition from Sept. 26-Oct. 2.

Pieri, a junior from New Orleans and a graduate of Brother Martin High School, ran Xavier's fastest 8,000 meters — 26 minutes, 51.1 seconds — since Farris Gransberry set the school record of 25:54 in 1998. Pieri broke a tie with Spring Hill female Kate Imwalle for the conference mark. Pieri won the award once as a freshman, five times as a sophomore and three times this season.

Pieri placed 21st out of 98 runners Saturday in the Gulf Coast Stampede at Pensacola, Fla., and led the Gold Rush to fifth place out of 13 schools.

Taylor Reuther

Reuther, a freshman from Metairie, La., and a graduate of St. Mary's Dominican High School, is the first XU volleyball player to be GCAC Player of the Week three times. Reuther produced kill-dig double-doubles in both of the Gold Nuggets' matches, including 19 kills and a season-high 21 digs Saturday in a 24-26, 25-16, 25-12, 25-18 victory at defending GCAC Tournament champion Dillard. It was the first time in 29 tries that Xavier won on an opponent's floor after losing the first set.

Xavier's next cross country meet will be the University of Dallas Invitational at Irving, Texas, on Saturday morning. Xavier's volleyball team, winner of nine of its last 10 matches, will play NCAA Division I opponents at The Barn on consecutive days — 7 p.m. Wednesday against the University of New Orleans and 5 p.m. Thursday against Prairie View A&M. It will be Breast Cancer Night at the UNO match, with raffles for prizes and proceeds donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the global leader of the breast cancer movement.


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

Alabama A&M football: Cruz's courage inspired Bulldogs in Saturday's win

Huntsville, Alabama -- HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Right offensive tackle Alan Cruz went down with a knee injury midway through the second quarter Saturday night against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

When Alabama A&M took the field to start the third quarter, Cruz was back in the lineup and played rest of the game as the Bulldogs scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to claim a 28-27 victory.

A&M coach Anthony Jones praised Cruz Monday.

"That kid showed a lot of heart," Jones said. "He went in at halftime and got some treatment on it and came back and played the rest of the game. I don't know how bad he is. I asked him was he going and he said yes and he played well. His courage inspired a lot of people on that sideline."



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