Winston-Salem State Rams Crack AFCA Top 5

Winston Salem, North Carolina -- Winston-Salem State football players, Markus Lawrence, Jr., Kameron Smith and head coach, Connell Maynor all have been tabbed as CIAA Offensive Lineman, Quarterback and Coach of the Week respectively for their efforts versus UNC-Pembroke on Saturday afternoon in Pembroke, NC.

Markus Lawrence, Jr (6-4, 290, Jr, Charlotte, NC/Harding University HS) helped lead the Winston-Salem State offense to 435 yards of total offense and a punishing 278 rushing yards. This is the second times Lawrence, Jr has earned CIAA Offensive Lineman of the Week.

Kameron Smith (5-11, 180, R-Jr, Garner, NC/Garner Magnet HS) had a solid afternoon in leading the WSSU offense. Smith rushed 11 times for 23 yards, and finished 20 of 27 passing for 157 yards and three touchdowns in Winston-Salem State's 35-7 win over UNC-Pembroke. He connected with a season high 12 different receivers in the game.

Connell Maynor the #4 ranked Winston-Salem State Rams to a 35-7 win over UNC-Pembroke; capping off a 10-0 undefeated regular season. This is the Winston-Salem State University Rams’ first unbeaten regular season since 1978, when the head coach and current athletic director, William "Bill" Hayes led the Rams to the CIAA Crown.

Winston-Salem State will face off with CIAA Northern Division Champion, the Elizabeth City State University Vikings, Saturday, November 12th, in Durham, NC in the 2011 CIAA Football Championship Game. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The game will be televised "live" on Bounce TV.

2011 American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Poll – November 7, 2011

1.            Delta St. (Miss.) (27)	9-1
2.            Colorado St.-Pueblo	10-0
3.            Midwestern St. (Texas) (1)	9-0
4.            Winston-Salem St. (N.C.) (1)	10-0
5.            Nebraska-Kearney	9-1
6.            Washburn (Kan.)	9-1
7.            New Haven (Conn.)	9-1
8.            Kutztown (Pa.)	9-1
9.            Pittsburg St. (Kan.)	8-1
10.          Minnesota-Duluth	8-2
11.          Northwest Missouri St.	8-2
12.          Abilene Christian (Texas)	7-2
13.          North Alabama	7-2
14.          Humboldt St. (Calif.)	8-1
15.          St. Cloud State (Minn.)	8-2
16.          Albany St. (Ga.)	8-2
17.          Missouri Western St.	8-2
18.          California (Pa.)	8-2
19.          West Virginia Wesleyan	9-1
20.          Colorado School of Mines	8-2
21.          Bloomsburg (Pa.)	8-2
22.          Wayne St. (Mich.)	8-2
23.          Mars Hill (N.C.)	7-2
24.          Slippery Rock (Pa.)	8-2
25.          Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.)	7-2

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Courtesy Winston Salem State Athletics

GW Men's Hoops Dismantles D-II No. 8 Bowie State, 92-65

Washington, D.C. -- In its exhibition debut under new head coach Mike Lonergan, the George Washington men's basketball team eased by Bowie State, the nation's No. 8 ranked NCAA Division II team, 92-65 at Charles E. Smith Center Sunday evening.

The backcourt duo of senior Tony Taylor and junior Lasan Kromah combined for 35 points, 15 assists and seven steals to lead the Colonials past the Bulldogs in exhibition play for the second year in a row. GW posted an 82-64 win over BSU one year earlier.

Kromah, in his first live game action since the end of his rookie campaign in 2010, led all players with 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting and added six assists, while Taylor posted a near double-double with 12 points and nine assists along with a game-high five steals. Senior Aaron Ware also reached double-figures with 12 points, including 8-of-9 at the foul line, in 18 minutes off the bench.

GW set an up-tempo pace from the opening tip, raced out to a double-digit lead just over seven minutes into the contest and never looked back.

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NSU win pays dividends in Top 25 poll, player honors

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Two days after earning a share of the MEAC championship, the Norfolk State football team reaped the rewards. The Spartans jumped to No. 22 in The Sports Network/Fathead.com Top 25 poll on Monday, the highest ranking in the history of the program, while quarterback Chris Walley shared its national Offensive Player of the Week award.

Walley recorded a career-high five touchdowns - three in the air, two on the ground - in Norfolk State's 45-3 win over Savannah State, which clinched a share of the MEAC title, but not a playoff spot. He completed 20 of 25 passes for 271 yards and ran for 72 yards.

"I've always said that the quarterback gets too much credit when it goes well and too much blame when it doesn't," Walley said. Leading the MEAC with an average of 212.2 yards a game, he moved to fourth on NSU's all-time career passing yardage list. He has thrown 15 touchdowns against four interceptions.



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Urban Sports Poll: Winston-Salem State new No. 1 after Grambling upsets Jackson State

Arlington, Texas — Winston-Salem State becomes the fifth team to assume the top spot in the Urban Sports News Black College Poll with their 34-7 win over UNC-Pembroke and Jackson State’s 26-23 loss to Grambling.

The Rams finish the regular season with a 10-0 record and meet Elizabeth City State for the CIAA title on Saturday. Winston-Salem State finishes the season undefeated for the first time since 1978. The win also virtually assured the Rams of one of the six regional bids in their area to the NCAA DII playoffs.

“It's one of our goals — going undefeated in the regular season — but we still haven't done anything,” Coach Connell Maynor told the Winston-Salem Journal. “We haven't won the CIAA and we're not in the playoffs yet so we've got to continue to fight and get prepared. We have to continue to practice hard to get better.”

Winston-Salem State (10-0), Alabama State (7-2), Alabama A&M (7-2), Norfolk State (8-2), and Bethune-Cookman (6-3) hold the Top 5 USN spots for week ten. Jackson State (7-2), Albany State (8-2), Morehouse (8-2), FAMU (6-3), and Elizabeth City State (8-2) round out the next five spots in the USN Poll.



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Pough prepared for tougher N.C. A&T team

Orangburg, South Carolina -- It seems like ancient history to Buddy Pough now.

On Nov. 22, 2003, the fortunes of South Carolina State and North Carolina A&T took a precipitous turn. The Aggies had just clinched the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title, while the Bulldogs were looking for their third straight win in the long-running series.

S.C. State routed North Carolina A&T 49-9 that day in Charlotte and the two programs began to head in opposite directions. The Bulldogs have gone on to post a 67-23 record and win four MEAC titles while making three Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearances. The Aggies have had four head coaches combine for a 20-70 mark during that span.

Despite the recent history of dominance, Pough does not see it playing a major role in the outcome of Saturday's latest matchup at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

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Commodores on target in 102-62 exhibition win vs. Gold Rush

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Jeffery Taylor scored 17 points in 16 minutes, and seventh-ranked Vanderbilt shot exceptionally well to start both halves Monday in a 102-62 men's basketball exhibition victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.

Taylor, a second-team All-SEC guard/forward the past two seasons, scored 13 first-half points and finished 7-of-9 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the line with four rebounds and three assists.

Vanderbilt made 8-of-9 from the floor to start the game and 9-of-10 to start the second half. The Commodores led 58-32 at halftime, and they took their biggest lead, 87-43, on Kedren Johnson's two free throws with 10:16 remaining.

Johnson scored 16 points, John Jenkins 15 and Shelby Moats 15 for the Commodores, who will open their season at 9 p.m. Friday at home against Oregon. Thirteen of 14 Commodores scored, and none played more than 19 minutes.

Anthony Simmons and Wanto Joseph scored 11 points apiece for Xavier, ranked 21st in NAIA Division I, and Renard Smith scored nine, including two 3-pointers. Gil Mathieu, a sophomore walk-on playing for the first time this season, led the Gold Rush with five rebounds, all offensive.

Vanderbilt outshot Xavier 63.2 to 29.4 percent from the floor. The Commodores outrebounded the Gold Rush 41-20 and had a 12-4 advantage in made 3-pointers. Xavier was better at the line, however, making 28-of-35 free throws to Vanderbilt's 18-of-25. Joseph and Nick Haywood both made 6-fo-6 free throws for the Rush. Xavier committed 11 turnovers and gained 13.

XU junior Denzell Erves, announced earlier Monday as Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week, had eight points, four rebounds and two steals in a team-high 32 minutes.

It was the first time the Gold Rush allowed 100 points since a 103-53 exhibition loss at Texas on Nov. 6, 2006. Xavier has not allowed 100 points in the regular season since 1992-93.

The exhibition loss was Xavier's second on the road in three nights against an NCAA Division I opponent. The XU men will resume their regular-season schedule at 6 p.m. Friday against St. Thomas (Fla.) at The Barn.

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

CIAA, SIAC championship games set

Every year, there will be decisions and losses that will haunt head coaches throughout the winter. The game most likely to be on the mind for Jackson State head coach Rick Comegy is Saturday’s 26-23 loss at home to Grambling.

It will be a memorable game because the special teams for JSU (7-2, 5-2) were not special at all. Jackson State missed a field goal and its porous kick coverage set GSU (5-4, 4-3) up with short fields to work with all day. Then there was a fumbled punt by JSU freshman Antonio Sutton that helped put Grambling ahead for good.

“You are going to get those types of mistakes,” Comegy said. “It happens. We have to get better at executing plays late in the game.”

Indeed. A pass play gave Jackson State a first down on the Grambling 14 with just 14 seconds remaining and JSU trailing 26-23. With a timeout remaining Jackson State seemingly had enough time to run a play or two aiming for the end zone and the go-ahead touchdown, or at the very least set up an attempt at a field goal to send the game into overtime. JSU, however, mismanaged its opportunity and left the game and the timeout on the field.



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Ram Ramblings: WSSU's next task is CIAA title game

Connell Maynor

Pembroke, North Carolina -- I talked to coach Connell Maynor earlier today while driving back and I was wondering if his team gets a reward for finishing 10-0 in the regular season. Maynor didn’t hesitate and said no in so many words, echoing what he said after Saturday’s 34-7 win over UNC Pembroke. “We haven’t done anything yet,” Maynor said this morning.

Even though the Rams had just their third unbeaten season in school history they were back practicing on Sunday afternoon. Maynor and the coaches keep the practice short on Sundays and it’s more about working out the soreness from the game on Saturday night.

And if you think that Maynor will relax his 5 a.m. practice routine you don’t know him very well. “We’ll be going at 5 a.m. three days this week just like always,” Maynor said. One of the benefits of those 5 a.m. practices was how the players felt in the chilly conditions on Saturday.

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CIAA title game could be a hot ticket

Durham, North Carolina -- The CIAA's football championship game isn't going anywhere. In fact, for it to move from Durham County Stadium, one other thing would have to happen first, said commissioner Leon Kerry. "They are going to have to carry me out of there," Kerry said.

The CIAA played a football championship game from 1970 until 1973 and from 1981 to 1992. The game was resurrected in 2000, and it has turned into a money maker for the conference, Kerry said. Winston-Salem State will play Elizabeth City State at 1 p.m. Saturday in this season's title game in Durham, and Kerry is thrilled with the match-up.

"I think it's clear that the two best teams in the conference are there," he said. "And they are both ranked in the region, so that says a lot that both of them are playing for the title."

Kerry also is excited about the prospect of a sellout, and said he wouldn't be surprised to see the 12,000-seat stadium full, especially if the weather is nice. WSSU always has had one of the best traveling fan bases in the CIAA, and Elizabeth City State fans also have a strong reputation for following their teams.

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Alabama State 28, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 12: Hornets maintain SWAC East lead

PINE BLUFF, Ark. -- Tim Clark rushed for a career-high 106 yards and three touchdowns, and Alabama State spoiled Arkansas-Pine Bluff's homecoming game with a 28-12 win Saturday.

"Tim has that type of ability," ASU head coach Reggie Barlow said. "He's an elusive runner, protects well, and is a smart guy. He's one of our team leaders and I'm happy he played well today. He had a long run for us and those are the type plays we are going to need from these guys as we finish the season."



Devin Dominguez added 254 passing yards and a 51-yard touchdown pass to Nehemiah Henry for the Hornets (7-2, 7-1), who stayed in first place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference's East division.

"This week we were really focused and wanted to come back out and put a good game together," ASU head coach Reggie Barlow said. "I thought in all three phases we did some positive things and we were able to come away with a victory."




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Alcorn falls to Alabama A&M

LORMAN, Mississippi — The Alcorn State defense did its part to pull off a SWAC upset of Alabama A&M Saturday afternoon at Jack Spinks Marino Casem Stadium, but the offense gave away two turnovers for touchdowns and was unable to put up enough points to get the Braves the win.

“I thought we came out and fought like champions,” Braves’ head coach Melvin Spears said. “We just can’t afford to make the little mistakes we made.”

Alcorn jumped out to a 7-0 lead early, but Alabama A&M was able to take the lead by the end of the first quarter with a 49-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown and a 30-yard interception return for a score. The Braves fought back to tie, but the Bulldogs were too much for the Braves in the fourth quarter and added two touchdowns to win 28-14.

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Alabama A&M football: MAKE IT SEVEN

LORMAN, Mississippi - Alabama A&M football coach Anthony Jones may not have been looking ahead to Jackson State, but his team certainly was Saturday. The Bulldogs came out flat as a pancake against an Alcorn State team that had beaten the likes of Mississippi Valley State and Concordia-Selma.

Fortunately, Jones got their attention at halftime, and they escaped danger. Free safety Rico Porch and cornerback Clarence Morris came away with defensive touchdowns in the first quarter and quarterback Deaunte Mason, and running back Kaderius Lacey scored on short touchdown runs in the fourth quarter as A&M downed Alcorn State 28-14 at Spinks-Casem Stadium.

"We had an attitude adjustment at halftime," said Lacey, who finished with 158 yards rushing, including 144 in the second half. "We didn't play to the best of our ability in the first half. We know how bad we want it, and we didn't want to blow our season like that.

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Smalls carries TSU to 29-14 victory over Southern

Houston, Texas -- Riko Smalls threw for a career-high 365 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score to lead Texas Southern to a 29-14 victory over Southern in its home finale Saturday night at Delmar Stadium.

Smalls helped TSU (4-5, 2-5 Southwestern Athletic Conference) take a 15-0 lead in the second quarter with a touchdown pass to Richard Samuel and a touchdown run to go along with a two-point conversion rush.

Southern (3-6, 3-4) fought back, reducing the Tigers' advantage to 22-15 on J.P. Douglas' 24-yard touchdown pass to Michael Berry with 11:45 left in the third quarter.

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99-yard drive sinks Southern

HOUSTON, Texas — Moments earlier, they had scored swiftly and easily. They trailed Texas Southern by seven points in the third quarter. They had the Tigers pinned on their own 1-yard line. They had momentum. Then, almost as quickly, everything fell apart for Southern football team.

With a game-changing series that all but clinched a 29-15 victory on a cool, breezy Saturday night, Texas Southern changed everything.

In the finest game of his college career, TSU quarterback Riko Smalls capped a 10-play, 99-yard drive when he fired a 13-yard rope to receiver Joe Anderson, who made a sticky-fingered catch in the north end zone at rickety old Delmar Stadium.

Just like that, the Jaguars’ momentum was gone.

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SU-Texas Southern play final time at Delmar

HOUSTON — Southern’s football team played Texas Southern in rickety Delmar Stadium on Saturday for the second time in three years. In all likelihood, the Jaguars will never play there again.

Saturday’s game marked TSU’s final home game in Delmar, a 12,500-seat high school facility owned and supervised by the Houston Independent School District. Next fall, Texas Southern will move into an $85 million downtown stadium, which it will share with the MLS’ Houston Dynamo.

“This is bittersweet,” TSU Athletic Director Charles McClelland said. “This is a high school stadium, but it has served us well. We have a winning record here, and of course, we won a SWAC championship playing here. ... But we’re extremely excited to be moving into our new home.”

In doing so, Texas Southern leaves behind a high school facility that’s showing his age.

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Texas State beats Prairie View, 34-26

SAN MARCOS, Texas — Texas State snapped a two-game losing streak Saturday, defeating Prairie View A&M 34-26 in a back-and-forth contest. There were 157 combined plays, 755 total yards of offense and five lead changes. Both teams were perfect in the red zone — a combined 8 for 8 — and strong winds were a big factor all game.

"There was a 12th man out there today and he switched teams at times," said Texas State coach Dennis Franchione. "It was the wind. Every point was scored with the wind at your back, except one (play)."

That one play — Isaiah Battle's 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, giving the Bobcats a 24-19 lead — was Texas State's biggest turning point, according to Franchione.

Running back Tim Hawkins scored the game-winning touchdown for Texas State on a 4-yard run in the fourth quarter, and kicker Will Johnson connected on a 42-yard field goal on the following possession to seal the victory.

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Texas State outlasts Prairie View A&M, 34-26

San Marco, TX - With his team trailing for the first time in the game, Isaiah Battle returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown and reserve quarterback Tyler Arndt led lead two scoring drives in the fourth quarter as the Texas State football team rallied for a 34-26 victory over Prairie View A&M on Saturday at Bobcat Stadium.

“It was good to get back into the win column,” said Texas State head coach Dennis Franchione. “The kids fought hard and they had to fight hard. There was a 12th man out there today and he switched teams at times and that was the wind.”

Every point with the exception of Battle’s kickoff return was scored with the wind at each team’s back throughout the game.

Texas State looked to be in complete control early in the game as the Bobcats scored touchdowns on their first two possessions in the game. The first touchdown came after Josh Minde recovered a fumble to stop Prairie View A&M’s opening drive at Texas State’s 45-yard line.

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Tennessee State Aristocrat of Bands Recent Performances

TSU rallies with 13 points in fourth quarter to edge E. Illinois

CHARLESTON, Illinois -- Tennessee State scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, and Trabis Ward scored the game-winner with 1:49 left as the Tigers edged Eastern Illinois 18-17 on Saturday. Ward posted a career-high 142 yards rushing and also scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Eastern Illinois (2-8, 1-7 OVC) made it to midfield, but a fourth-and-5 pass bounced off the hands of receiver Von Wise. The Tigers (4-5, 3-3) stopped all five of the Panthers’ fourth-down plays in the game.

“Our offense grinded out a huge score, and our defense had a big stop on fourth down,” TSU Coach Rod Reed said. “I am extremely proud of these kids as they showed a lot of character.”

TSU put together a 15-play drive to make it a 17-12 game with 14:28 left on Ward’s 3-yard run. Ward had runs of 27 and 4 yards to start the winning touchdown drive, then quarterback Mike German lobbed a 29-yard pass to Billy Davis to move the ball to the EIU 17.



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Spoo Legacy Game Spoiled By TSU, 18-17

CHARLESTON, ILL. - The story book ending Eastern Illinois had hoped to send long time head coach Bob Spoo out with on Saturday afternoon was spoiled as the Panthers fell one point short in an 18-17 loss to Tennessee State.

Spoo coached his final game at O'Brien Field with more than 100 former players on hand to pay tribute to the Panthers all time leader in football wins. Spoo is in his 25th and final season as EIU's head coach having led the program to 144 wins and nine FCS playoff appearances. EIU fell to 2-8 on the year, 1-7 in the OVC. The Panthers will play the final game of Spoo's long career next Saturday at Southern Illinois. TSU improved to 4-5 overall, 3-3 in the OVC.

EIU held a 7-5 lead at the half as the Panthers defense had an inspired effort that included two inceptions of Tigers quarterback Mike German. Antonio Taylor and Pat Wertz both had their first career interceptions for EIU as TSU's only offensive score was a 51-yard field goal by Jamin Godfrey with six seconds left in the half.



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Lane Dragons end season with fourth win

COLUMBIA, South Carolina — This season has been up and down for the Lane Dragons, which is better than the previous two seasons when they failed to win a game. 2011 ended on the up-side when the Dragons defeated Benedict College 19-13 to go into the offseason on a positive note.

"It was definitely good to get a win today and end the season like that," said Lane head coach Derrick Burroughs. "But we've got work to do to get better for next season, especially on offense."

The Dragons scored all of their points in the first half. A safety and a 37-yard field goal by Ryan Bullock gave the Dragons a 5-0 lead in the first quarter.

Alan Ferguson ran a yard for a touchdown late in the second quarter, and Ferguson threw to William Golston for 19 yards for another touchdown 15 seconds later after the Dragons' defense recovered a fumble.

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Benedict closes season with 19-13 defeat

COLUMBIA, S.C. - There was no miracle finish for the 2011 Benedict College Tigers football team, as a last-second, last-ditch effort fell short and Lane College took a 19-13 victory Saturday in a NCAA Division II contest at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.

Trailing 19-0 at the half, Benedict rallied with a pair of touchdowns in the second half and got the ball with 1:01 left in the game and 77 yards away from a potential game-winning touchdown and extra point.

The Tigers picked up some big yardage, as quarterback Simeon Kelley rushed for gains of 12 and 20 yards, and then completed a 17-yard pass to Harlon Samuels for a first down at the 23-yard line. But then the Tigers stalled, with Kelley throwing an incomplete pass on first down, a delay of game penalty on second down pushed them back five yards, and Kelley was sacked on the next play.

He spiked the ball to stop the clock ...



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Albany State Headed to SIAC Title Game

COLUMBUS, Georgia -- One more win and the Albany State Golden Rams were in next week's SIAC title game. All the Rams had to do was beat their pesky rival Fort Valley State in the 22nd Annual Fountain City Classic. Pesky is an apt word for the Wildcats on Saturday at Columbus’ McClung Memorial Stadium.

Fort Valley State (2-5, 2-8) had nothing to lose in trying to ruin Albany State's season. The Wildcats played up to the part in the first half by taking a 14-10 lead at the break. However, Albany State returned to field in the second half calm and collected. The ASU offense came alive in the second half for a 38-29 win over Fort Valley State.

Freshman running back Adrian Alexander started the second half scoring onslaught with a 69 yard touchdown run in the first five minutes of the third quarter. Alexander led the Rams rushing attack with 110 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Wide receiver Darius Nelson moved the ASU lead to 23-14 with a short touchdown reception two minutes later in the quarter.

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Albany State pulls away from Fort Valley State

COLUMBUS, GA -- It took a while for No. 21 Albany State to get going in Saturday’s 22nd annual Fountain City Classic at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium, but for the Golden Rams, it was case of better late than never.

Overcoming an early 14-point deficit, Albany State scored 28 second-half points to take control and earn a 38-29 win over Fort Valley State that punched the Rams’ ticket to this week’s inaugural SIAC championship game in Atlanta.

“(Making it to the championship game) means a lot to me,” said Albany State senior quarterback Stanley Jennings, who was 12-for-25 for 286 yards and two touchdowns in the win. “We knew coming in (Fort Valley State) was going to give us a run for our money, and they did. But it was important for us to get to the championship game. Now we just have to have another good week of practice and go get it.”

Albany State -- which won the Eastern Division of the SIAC -- will take on Western Division champion Miles (6-4) for the SIAC title at Panther Stadium on the campus of Clark Atlanta. Kickoff for that game is set for 1 p.m.



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Tuskegee uses late fumble to beat Miles 27-25

TUSKEGEE, Alabama -- A Ryan Crespo 2-yard run in the fourth quarter gave Tuskegee the winning margin in a 27-25 victory over Miles College on Saturday. That play was set up when Miles quarterback David Thomas was sacked by Aaron Bennett and fumbled. Tuskegee returned the ball to the Miles 6-yard line.

Miles falls to 6-4 and 5-2 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference while Tuskegee improves to 4-5 and 4-3 with its homecoming victory. The game was the first meeting between new Miles coach Reggie Ruffin and his former boss, Tuskegee head coach Willie Slater.

Miles scored on a 16-yard run by Thomas later in the fourth quarter to make it 27-25, but Thomas' rush for a 2-point conversion failed.

Miles got the ball back with less than two minutes remaining and reached the Tuskegee 30-yard line, but the Golden Tigers kept the Golden Bears out of the end zone.



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Kentucky State wraps up season with loss to Morehouse

Frankfort, Kentucky - The Kentucky State football team wrapped up its season Saturday at Alumni Stadium with a tough 28-24 loss to Morehouse College. The loss was tough not only because it was Senior Day for the Thorobreds but because they took the lead 24-21 with 5:49 left in the game – after being down 21-7 at halftime – only to have the Tigers march down the field and score the game-winning touchdown in a little over three minutes.

KSU finishes 6-4, and while a winning record the year after going 3-8 might cause some to celebrate, coach Wayne Dickens said he was disappointed considering his team’s potential.



“That’s probably looking at the glass half full but as a coach, no, I’m not satisfied,” he said. “We had the ability and potential to be better. If we’re two games better, and those two games are Stillman and Miles, we’re lining up to play a championship game next week. “I’m unhappy with the way we finished but the record is what it is.”

The Thorobreds got off to a rough start in the first quarter as ...

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Xavier loses 73-61 to Western Kentucky in road exhibition

BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky — Derrick Gordon scored 17 points Saturday to lead Western Kentucky to a 73-61 men's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.

It was the third consecutive year that the Hilltoppers, an NCAA Division I member, beat the NAIA-member Gold Rush in an exhibition, but this was the closest of the three margins. Western Kentucky won by 53 points in 2009 and by 15 points in 2010.

T.J. Price scored 12 points for WKU, and Nigel Snipes and Kahlil McDonald had 11 apiece. Snipes grabbed 11 rebounds.

Wanto Joseph had 11 points, four rebounds and three assists and was Xavier's lone double-figure scorer. Kevin Miller had nine points and five rebounds, and Chris Iles and Renard Smith scored eight points apiece.

Xavier, ranked 21st in NAIA Division I, trailed 41-25 at halftime but outscored the Hilltoppers 36-32 in the second half. Iles made the second of two free throws with 3:28 remaining to cut WKU's margin to 63-56, but the Hilltoppers scored the next six points to clinch the victory.

WKU outshot Xavier 41.1 to 40 percent from the floor, committed 13 turnovers and gained 27. The Gold Rush had a 39-36 rebound advantage even though two of Xavier's tallest players, Denzell Erves and Anthony Simmons, fouled out. WKU outscored Xavier 23-16 in free throws.

The Hilltopers led 4-0 through the first 2:15, then the Gold Rush scored eight consecutive points — five by Erves and three by Miller — to take an 8-4 lead. WKU responded with a 9-0 run before Xavier took its final lead, 16-15, when Nick Haywood passed to Smith for a 3-pointer at 11:16.

WKU had a 10-0 run in the final 3:22 of the first half, then took its biggest lead, 45-27, on Price's basket in the paint with 17:33 remaining.

Xavier will stay on the road for a 7 p.m. Monday exhibition at seventh-ranked Vanderbilt.


GALLERY: Men's Basketball vs. Xavier
Box score

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

Bowie State Falls to Chowan, 38-35, in Season Finale

Bowie, Maryland - Late-game penalties killed Bowie State’s hopes for a comeback as the Chowan University Hawks from Murfreesboro, NC, edged the Bulldogs, 38-35, with a 31-yard field goal as time ran out at the Bowie stadium.

The kick by Ryan Murphy came with seven seconds left and marked the season finale for both teams. Chowan ended the season at 3-7 overall (2-5 vs. Central Interscholastic Athletics Association (CIAA)) and Bowie State wrapped up the year with a 4-6 overall record (3-4 vs. CIAA).

Bowie State scored first with 16 seconds left in the first quarter, when senior Delano Johnson returned a lateral pass 31 yards for the score. Chowan responded immediately, as Antjuan Randall returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards. Chowan would score 21 unanswered points to open a 28-7 lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, Chowan quarterback Kameron Stover found receiver Robert Holland in the end zone for their third touchdown combination of the game, this time from three yards out, extending the Chowan lead to 35-14.

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Bowie State comes back, but loses on last-second field goal

The Bowie State University football team made a furious comeback in the fourth quarter on Saturday against Chowan University, but Hawks' kicker Ryan Murphy hit a 31-yard field goal with seven seconds to play to lift Chowan to a 38-35 victory against the Bulldogs.

Bowie State finished its season with a 4-6 record, including a 3-4 mark in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, while Chowan went 3-7 and 2-5 in the league.

The Bulldogs trailed 28-14 at the end of the third quarter and fell behind 35-14 when Chowan scored a touchdown with 12 minutes, 32 seconds to play. Bowie State then scored three touchdowns in a span of just over six minutes to tie the score at 35-35.

Surrattsville High graduate Andre Johnson started the surge with a 30-yard touchdown run with 7:24 to play. Johnson hit Dominique Budd on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 5:18 to go, and then connected with Kevin James on a 2-yard scoring pass with 1:21 to play.



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ECSU Closes Out Regular Season with 39-14 win over Lincoln

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina - The Elizabeth City State University football team closed out the regular season slate with a 39-14 win over Lincoln University of Pennsylvania on Senior Day at Roebuck Stadium. With the win the Vikings extend their win streak to eight games, improving to 8-2 overall and 6-1 in CIAA play.

The Lions finish the regular season with a 2-5 mark in the CIAA and 2-8 overall.

Besides it being Senior Day, the occasion was made even more special when on his third carry of the afternoon Daronte McNeill picked up seven yards and subsequently became the Vikings' all-time leading rusher, passing the mark of 3,158 yard held previously by Aaron Murchinson. McNeill, who finished the day with 186 yards on 38 carries and two touchdowns, now stands at 3,332 yards in his career.

The Lion defense put up a valiant effort on Saturday, totaling 105 tackles as a team. Unfortunately for Lincoln their offense could not sustain drives to keep them off the field. ECSU dominated the time of possession with almost 40 minutes (38:45) to 20:19 for Lincoln. The Lions' average field position was their own 28 yard line.

The ECSU defense was pitching a convincing shutout 32-0 shutout until a touchdown pass from Doug Cook to Matthew Colston with 6:12 remaining in the game put the Lions on the scoreboard for the first time. When the Vikings' ensuing possession went 3-0 a bad snap on the punt attempt gave them Lincoln their best field position of the day at the ECSU 15 and two plays later Cook passed for a 2 yard score to Colston to make the score 32-14. Cook was sacked six times and picked off twice on the afternoon but ended up with a solid performance passing for 232 yards and two touchdowns.



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