Morehouse Wins; Carter Sets Career Rushing Mark

ALL-AMERICAN DAVID CARTER
MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
(COURTESY MOREHOUSE COLLEGE ATHLETICS)

WAYCROSS, Georgia – On the way to becoming the all-time leading rusher in Morehouse history, running back David Carter rushed for 208 yards and three touchdowns, powering the Maroon Tigers to a 39-18 lead over the Edward Waters College Tigers.

Carter, now with 3,848 yards, surpassed the previous career rushing record of 3,669 yards by John David Washington (2002-2005), in the second quarter.
In a game, marred by driving rain and two long lightning delays, the Maroon Tigers kept the ball on the ground, punishing the EWC defense with six rushing touchdowns. Of Morehouse's 444 yard, 414 came on the ground.

Sophomore running back Shelton Hamilton had a career day, rushing for 113 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Donnay Ragland also got into the running game, scoring two one-yard touchdowns. His back-to-back quarterback sneaks, at the start of the second quarter, put Morehouse ahead, 27-7.

Richard Sanders and Latavius Watts paced the Morehouse defense with eight tackles apiece.

Antoine Easterling and Justin Oliver each picked off a pass. Oliver returned his interception for 50 yards.

The Maroon Tigers moved to 1-1 and will bus it to Ohio, next week, to meet Winston-Salem State, in the Cleveland Classic, at Browns Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. CDT.

COURTESY MOREHOUSE COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

VUU's Jerrell Washington Rushes for Four TDs in 31-14 Win

BREVARD, North Carolina  -  Virginia Union University's Jerrell Washington became the first VUU player to rush for four touchdowns in a single game since Andre Braxton turned the trick in 2000 as VUU downed Brevard College 31-14 on Saturday, September 8, in Brevard, N.C.

Washington had 179 yards on 20 carries, including an 81-yard scamper. As a team, VUU rushed for 354 yards.

VUU's Andre Kates started the game with a bang as he returned the opening kickoff 87 yards, taking the ball from his own three-yard line to the Brevard 10. Washington scored the first of his four touchdowns three plays later.

Brevard pulled to within 7-6 on a 10-yard run by Jerome Ollis, but the Ben Noboa's extra point sailed wide right.

VUU increased the lead to 14-6 when Washington ran 81 yards for another touchdown.

Virginia Union's Stephen Velasquez scored the eventual winning points when he hit a 37-yard field goal with 2:06 left in the first half.

VUU led 17-14 at the half.

Virginia Union owned the second half against Brevard, scoring 14 unanswered points and holding the Brevard offense 0-for-4 in third down situations.

The win raised VUU's record to 2-0 on the season. Brevard dropped to 0-2.

Virginia Union travels to Fayetteville, N.C., to meet Fayetteville State University at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 15. The game will be broadcast live on WFTH (1590 AM) in Richmond, Va., and live on the internet at www.vuusports.com.

Box Score  

COURTESY VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

North Texas Mean Green Crushes Texas Southern 34-7

DENTON, Texas - Last week the University of North Texas Mean Green football team opened their season up in Baton Rouge against the #3 ranked LSU Tigers. The 41-14 final score in favor of LSU was not indicative of the hard-fought game the Mean Green played (particularly on defense), but it also wasn’t surprising given the difference in expectations for the teams. The Mean Green came into the game against Texas Southern looking to exact revenge on some Tigers and earn their first win in a home opener since 2006. Luckily for the raucous crowd at Apogee Stadium, that’s exactly what they did.

The first thing that stood out about the 34-7 shellacking the Mean Green laid down was that the defense came here to play and shut down the Texas Southern Tigers. UNT’s defense allowed just 16 yards of total offense in the first half with most of that coming on a 9 yard catch late in the second. For most of the first half ,the Tigers were hovering in the -5 to -10 yard range for total offense and had only 3 first downs to UNT’s 12.

Texas Southern wanted to pass the ball, but didn’t have the time or open receivers to do so, as they averaged only 4 yards per catch in the game. The Mean Green defense sacked the Tigers QBs 4 times and held their ball carriers to 1.2 yards per rush.

Linebacker Aaron Bellazin and safety Marcus Trice were two of the many instrumental players on defense, with each making plays big plays when they were needed the most. Trice, a transfer from the University of Oklahoma, was playing in his first game in 20 months. He had 4 tackles, a pick and was consistently causing the Tigers trouble all over the field.




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James Madison Dukes rolls over Alcorn State 42-3

HARRISONBURG, Virginia - Wet turf led to a sloppy, yet dominating, performance for the Dukes. Despite a final score of 42-3, the football team looked uncoordinated in a game that was high on penalties as well as points.

Heavy rain early in the afternoon delayed the game to around 7:05 p.m., an hour later than scheduled. Redshirt senior quarterback Justin Thorpe led the Dukes to the endzone in about two minutes, only to throw an interception right into the hands of an Alcorn State University defensive back Brandon Thompson.

Although the Braves didn’t capitalize on the Dukes’ mistake, Thorpe readjusted on the next drive, rushing for 22 yards to bring JMU to the four-yard line. Redshirt junior Dae’Quan Scott rushed the ball into the endzone for his first of two touchdowns.

Scott, who was on his way to a career-high game with eight carries for 107 yards didn’t return for the second half. Instead, redshirt junior Jordan Anderson took over and rushed for 12 yards, enough to break 1,000 rushing yards total in his career.



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Storms end game early, but Old Dominion Monarchs roll over Hampton Pirates

HAMPTON, Virginia - The only thing that could stop Old Dominion’s football team Saturday night was a bolt of lightning. Looking every bit the part of the nation’s fifth-ranked Football Championship Subdivision team, ODU crushed Hampton University 45-7 in a game called because of weather with 9:23 to play.

Game officials halted the contest after lightning struck close to Armstrong Stadium around 9 p.m. Both teams were sent to their locker rooms and the stadium was cleared of fans.

Initially, the plan was to resume play an hour or so later. But Hampton officials approached ODU coach Bobby Wilder about 9:30 and asked, for the safety of the fans and players, if he would agree to call the game.

“I thought it was a good decision,” Wilder said.



Quarterback Taylor Heinicke completed 20 of 32 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed 11 times for 55 yards to lead the Monarchs, No. 5 in the FCS Coaches’ Poll.

It was its second offensive onslaught in as many games for ODU, which opened last Saturday with a 57-23 victory over Duquesne.

The Monarchs didn’t match the 723 offensive yards they amassed against the Dukes – they had 350 yards. But the lopsided nature of the game, and the thunderstorms, had as much to do with slowing down ODU’s offense as did the Pirates.

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Delaware Hens outgained, but come up with victory vs. DSU

NEWARK, Delaware – The University of Delaware continued its dominance of Delaware State, grabbing an early 21-point lead and prevailing 38-14 in a nonconference football game interrupted by thunderstorms at Delaware Stadium today.

Ricky Tunstall got the 15th-ranked Blue Hens (2-0) started with a 91-yard interception return for a touchdown to open the scoring.



Blue Hen senior linebacker Paul Worrilow had a career-high 18 tackles and earned the Nate Beasley Award as the game’s outstanding player. Worrilow was the only starter for either team from a Delaware high school. He is a Concord High graduate.

The late Beasley started his college career at Delaware State before transferring to Delaware and becoming one of the Blue Hens’ leading all-time rushers. He also long championed the need for a UD-DSU game.

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Rutgers defense dominates in 26-0 win over Howard

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey - Howard had one chance to put some pressure on Rutgers and threw it away. The Bison of the Howard (1-1) of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference dropped a 26-0 decision to their Big East Conference foe Saturday, but they left High Point Solutions Stadium wondering what might have been had they cashed in early on a Scarlet Knights' mistake.

Cornerback Julien David intercepted a Gary Nova pass on the opening series, giving Howard a first down at the Rutgers 30. A facemask penalty and a pass interference call eventually gave the Bison a first and goal at the 2.

That's when things went south. After William Parker carried for a yard, Justin Duncan was dropped for a 2-yard loss on a run and then Parker fumbled a third-down pitch and defensive tackle Scott Vallone recovered.

:"We got no points at all," Howard coach Gary Harrell said. "They get on the scoreboard first (the next series) and then they come back in the second quarter and scored on a blocked punt for a touchdown. We had some breakdowns in all phases of the game."

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Rutgers takes care of business with 26-0 win over Howard

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey - There was a lot more nit-picking to be done than there was praise to be handed out over Rutgers’ less-than-inspiring victory Saturday, but that was fine with Scott Vallone.

The way the senior defensive tackle figures it, why not play your best game when it matters most?

For now, that’s Thursday’s Big East opener at South Florida.

It wasn’t Saturday against Howard — clearly — when Rutgers (2-0) recorded a methodical and mistake-strewn 26-0 victory before a crowd of 50,855 at High Point Solutions Stadium.

“I don’t think we played our best football or close to what we’re capable of,” Vallone said. “So what better time to do that than Thursday night on ESPN against South Florida?”

That’s one way to look at what happened Saturday, when Rutgers’ defense dominated again, the offense struggled again and penalties continued to be an issue.

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Liberty Denied Win Against Norfolk State

LYNCHBURG, Virginia  -  For the second week in a row, the outcome of Liberty's game was decided in the closing seconds. This time, the Flames fell just a yard short of extending their game against No. 24 Norfolk State.

With just over three minutes left to play in the game, the Flames were able to drive to the Norfolk State one-yard line. However, the Spartans' Keenan Lambert was able to keep fullback Nicky Fualaau from catching a ball in the end zone, thus securing a 31-24 win for the visitors in Liberty's 2012 home opener.

For the first time since the 2003 season, the Flames open a season with an 0-2 record after the loss, Saturday night, at Williams Stadium. The win ups Norfolk State's season mark to 2-0.

WSET.com - ABC13

Norfolk State outscored the Flames, 24-7, in the second half and outgained Liberty, 212-93, during the final 30 minutes. The decisive second half also saw two special teams touchdowns and a fumble recovery for a score.

Norfolk State's defense held strong on the game's opening drive, forcing the Flames to punt after a three-and-out series. However, it was a mishap by the Spartans' special teams that gave the Flames the ball right back.

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Liberty-Norfolk State Sunday wrap

The degree of difficulty on reporting last night’s Liberty-Norfolk State game was about a 9.4. The only thing that could have made it harder was overtime, which would have occurred had it not been for a heady defensive play by Norfolk State defensive back Keenan Lambert, who knocked a potential game-tying pass away from Flames fullback Nicky Fualaau.

There was a lot going on and a lot to process in a very short amount of time. I left the interview room at 10:55 and had to crank out a ton of copy in about 40 minutes, so it probably wasn’t my best work. After a night to sleep on it, here are some random thoughts and musings:

* I love that most of Liberty’s games are on ESPN3.com so I can go back and watch replays of key plays from the night before. When All-American guard Malcolm Boyd went down in a heap in the first quarter, it was impossible to see from the press box. All you saw was the end of the play and Boyd not getting up. Checked out the ESPN3 replay of the FSN telecast from last night and they showed the critical angle of the injury. Boyd was blocking Norfolk State linebacker Terrence Pugh when Deon King got rolled into Boyd from behind, snapping his right leg. The video replay isn’t for the squeamish. The key angle showed Boyd’s lower leg at a 90-degree ankle from the rest of his body. We’ll get an official word on Tuesday at the press conference on Boyd’s injury, but I can’t imagine the prognosis will be good.



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No. 20 TCU routs Grambling State

FORT WORTH, Texas - Casey Pachall threw for 201 yards and three scores on a perfect 9-for-9 passing as No. 20 TCU opened its season with a 56-0 pasting of Grambling State on Saturday at Amon Carter Stadium.

Backup quarterback Trevone Boykin went 8-for-8 through the air for 75 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for 57 yards and a touchdown on five carries for TCU (1-0), which played its inaugural game as a member of the Big 12 Conference.

Waymon James rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown on five carries, while Josh Boyce led the receiving corps with four catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Brandon Carter contributed a touchdown catch.

David Bush added a receiving score and Deante' Gray returned five punts for 160 yards and a touchdown in his first college game. TCU head coach Gary Patterson earned his 110th victory, becoming the program's all-time winningest coach.

"I guess if you were going to script a first ball game, this is the way we would do it." Patterson said. "We got a chance to play a lot of players. The one thing we have to work on is organization, especially with the No. 2 offense. We had to call some timeouts, but other than that it was what you wanted to start off with."



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FSU Rolls on wet, wild night over Savannah State

TALLAHASSEE, Florida - Now the season can really begin. With the 55-0 demolition of the helpless Savannah State Tigers on Saturday night, the No. 6 Florida State football team can officially turn its attention, for real, to the 2012 schedule.

It was so bad on Saturday night that most FSU starters were pulled after a 35-0 first quarter and the second half featured a running clock – which is typically is only used in high school football blowouts – right up until the game was called due to lightning with 8:59 left in the third quarter.

“Well, that’s a first,” Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher said. “I’ve never had that occur in my career.” Not many college coaches have experienced anything like what happened at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night.



The Seminoles came into the game as 70-point favorites, the highest known line in the history of college football. And while they didn’t get to that number – thanks to the final 24 minutes being canceled – they proved early and often that this was every bit the mismatch experts expected it to be.

“I don’t want to ever disrespect anybody,” Fisher said. “I thought Savannah played extremely hard … I think we tried to manage it. We threw it, controlled throw it. Put them in situations, ran the football. We wanted to run it anyway, and let the quarterbacks manage third downs and second-and-longs.




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Week 2: HBCU Scorecard

SWAC
Texas Christian 56, Grambling State 0
North Texas 34, Texas Southern 7
James Madison 42, Alcorn State 3
Alabama State 29, Mississippi Valley State 7
Alabama A&M 14, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 10
Tennessee State 38, Jackson State 12 (Southern Heritage Classic)
Lamar 31, Prairie View A&M 0
Southern (Open)

MEAC
Rutgers 26, Howard 0
Delaware 38, Delaware State 14
Buffalo 56, Morgan State 34
#6Florida State 55, Savannah State 0
#5Oklahoma 69, Florida A&M  13
North Carolina A&T 77, West Virginia State  0
Bethune-Cookman 27, South Carolina State 14
Elon 34, North Carolina Central 14
Norfolk State 31, Liberty 24
Old Dominion 45, Hampton  7



SIAC
Bowie State 28, Benedict  14 (Thursday) 
Tuskegee 35, Johnson C. Smith 17 at Atlanta, GA 
Valdosta State 62, Fort Valley State 14
Kentucky Wesleyan 13, Kentucky State 6
Ouachita Baptist 31, Stillman 0
Morehouse 38,  Edward Waters 19
Wingate 37, Albany State 9
Miles 28, Shaw 15
Clark-Atlanta 20, Lane 17

CIAA
Catawba 49, Livingstone 17
New Haven 24, Saint Augustine's 21
Virginia Military 24, Chowan 17
Delta State 26, Elizabeth City State 7
Virginia Union 31, Brevard 14
North Carolina-Pembroke 31, Fayetteville State 21
West Liberty State 14, Virgina State 13
Winston Salem State  30, Concord 22
Wofford 82, Lincoln (Pa.) 0

OTHERS
Northern Iowa 59, Central State (Ohio) 0
Truman State 42, Lincoln (Mo.) 12
Indiana (Pa.) 56,  Cheyney 0
Southern Arkansas 56, Texas College 0


PVAMU Marching Storm performance at Lamar University 9/8/12.

Alabama A&M football: Defense turns back UAPB in SWAC opener

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas - Alabama A&M's defense turned back Arkansas-Pine Bluff at virtually every turn, while its offense scored just enough to help the Bulldogs eke out their second win in as many games Saturday night.

Brawnski Towns' defensive unit held the Golden Lions to three points despite five trips inside their 16-yard line and Kaderius Lacey scored a pair of touchdowns as A&M hung on for a 14-10 victory before an announced crowd of 9,500 at Golden Lions Stadium in the Southwestern Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

"Our defense played huge and kept them out of the end zone time after time after time," A&M coach Anthony Jones said. "We had some success on offense when we needed to and then was able to run out the clock at the end. It was a great team win for us."

A&M improved to 2-0 for the first since 2009. The Bulldogs are 1-0 in league play. UAPB fell to 1-1 and 0-1.

Things didn't look good for A&M early on. The Golden Lions got on the board first on their first possession of the game when C.J. Branch scored on a 1-yard run and Tyler Strickland kicked the extra point to give UAPB a 7-0 lead less than six minutes into the game.

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Buffalo Bulls blow past Morgan State Bears

BUFFALO, New York  -  For the fourth time in four seasons the feel-good game on the University at Buffalo football schedule sent positive vibes surging throughout UB Stadium.

Running back Bo Oliver plowed through the defense like he had commandeered a John Deere tractor. You know, one of the really big ones.

Quarterback Alex Zordich and top wideout Alex Neutz made like Montana and Rice or, if you prefer, Willy and Roosevelt.

Backup QB Joe Licata, the former Williamsville South star, threw a TD pass on his first collegiate attempt.



Backup running back James Potts rolled 49 yards to a TD on his second collegiate carry (and then injured himself in the celebration).

And UB rolled up the most points in its FBS history to tantalize a crowd of 15,570 with a 56-34 stroll over Morgan State, which had plenty of ammo but couldn't guard the fort.

"It's been 295 days since the Akron win," said coach Jeff Quinn, referencing UB's last victory. "I told these guys that we wanted to really head out of there tonight feeling good about all three phases of our team. There are some things offensively that were just tremendous accomplishments. ... (But) we got to get better at stopping the run."

UB records fell like the rains that drenched Western New York earlier Saturday. Oliver went for 238 yards and two touchdowns to break the single-game FBS mark of 235 he set last year. And he also had about 70 yards worth of runs negated by penalties.

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ELON 34, NCCU 14: Rising Phoenix leave Eagles in ashes

ELON, North Carolina — N.C. Central on Saturday night looked like it switched places with the Division II team it handled in its season opener. The Eagles just couldn’t get going and fell to Elon 34-14.

The score wasn’t necessarily indicative of the way Elon dominated the game.

“We stunk it up,” NCCU coach Henry Frazier III said. Frazier in particular was talking about the way NCCU’s offense performed, gaining a grand total of 27 rushing yards and 83 passing yards. But the Eagles as a unit just didn’t bring it, either, Frazier said.

“There were a lot of opportunities out here to make plays out here tonight, and we just didn’t,” Frazier said. “Elon seemed to be a step faster than us to all the loose balls, to just the intensity-level plays, and they made those plays.”

Elon in Week 1 got clobbered 62-0 by North Carolina, a Football Bowl Subdivision team. NCCU started the season with a 54-31 win over Fayetteville State, a Division II program.

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Bethune-Cookman rallies past South Carolina State for big MEAC win

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina - In its first game, Bethune-Cookman overcame a 21-0 deficit to defeat Alabama State 38-28. On Saturday, The Wildcats followed the same formula to upend Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference power South Carolina State 27-14 in Orangeburg, S.C.

After falling behind 14-0 early, B-CU (2-0, 1-0) scored 27 unanswered points, shutting down the Bulldogs (1-1, 0-1) in the final three quarters.

It was B-CU coach Brian Jenkins' second straight win in Orangeburg. In his first season at B-CU two years ago, the Wildcats ended the Bulldogs' 21-game MEAC winning streak with a 14-0 victory.

B-CU quarterback Brock Waters provided a spark off the bench for the second consecutive week. But this time starter Jackie Wilson returned late in the third quarter and led the Wildcats to their final score.

Dion Hanks had two interceptions, including a pick in the Wildcats' end zone with 1:55 left to all but clinch the victory. South Carolina State turned the ball over four times.

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A&T sets program points record in 77-0 win over West Virginia State

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  -  N.C. A&T set a school single-game scoring record Saturday night and demolished West Virginia State 77-0 in a nonconference mismatch.

The Aggies had 10 rushing touchdowns, running for 313 yards. Six players rushed for touchdowns. Dominique Drake scored three times while Mike Mayhew and Lewis Kindle each scored twice. Ricky Phillips returned an interception 19 yards for one of the Aggies' 11 touchdowns.

After a season-opening loss to Coastal Carolina, A&T toyed with the Division II Yellow Jackets (1-1). Drake, Kindle and Mayhew each rushed for a touchdown in the first quarter. They did so again in the second period. It was 42-0 at halftime.

The Aggies scored four more touchdowns in the third quarter.

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A&T Runs Away From WVSU

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  -  They tried not to do it. They certainly didn't want to do it. But in the end, they did it. The men of the North Carolina A&T football team embarrassed West Virginia State Saturday night at Aggie Stadium. The Aggies tied a school record with 11 touchdowns, and they set a school record for single-game points in a 77-0 home opener win.

Seven different Aggies, including five different running backs, scored for A&T on Saturday. Running back Dominique Drake scored a career-high three touchdowns and running back Mike Mayhew and quarterback Lewis Kindle scored twice in the blowout.

It was the Aggies (1-1) first shutout since beating N.C. Central 25-0 on Aug. 31, 2003. In a twist of irony, the head football coach for the Eagles that day was Rod Broadway.

"It got out of hand," said Broadway, who is now the head man at North Carolina A&T. "But they helped us. They threw some interceptions, they turned the ball over and they got a punt blocked. They just made a lot of mistakes that made it look this way. But I'm not going to apologize for beating them. It's not my responsibility to stop us."

A&T was merciful. The Aggies led 70-0 going into fourth quarter thanks to a 28-yard touchdown run by Chauncey Burgess. Redshirt freshman Dequan Swann opened the fourth quarter by blocking Cory Broughton's punt to give the Aggies the ball at the WVSU 2-yard line. Instead of going for the scoring record at that moment, the Aggies coaching staff had backup quarterback Kwashaun Quick take four straight knees to give the Yellow Jackets the ball back on downs.

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No. 21 Ouachita Baptist thumps Stillman, 31-0

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama | A potent running attack and strong defensive performance by No. 21 Ouachita Baptist led to a 31-0 rout of Stillman College on Saturday.

Stillman’s defense proved unable to keep the Ouachita offense, which scored 55 points last week on Northwestern Oklahoma State, from the end zone, as the visiting Tigers scored three touchdowns on the ground and Chris Rycraw was able to run for 94 yards and two of the scores on 23 carries.

“I think if you look at it in a double picture, it wasn’t that we had a problem stopping it, it’s just that they executed well,” Stillman coach Teddy Keaton said. “We couldn’t execute at the rate that they were executing. They were nickel- and dime-ing, but it wasn’t any explosive runs or anything like that. They just made plays when they needed to make plays. That’s what the No. 21 team in the country is supposed to do.”

Stillman’s defense played better against the pass than it did against the run, with one notable exception: Ouachita’s Brett Reece, who had nine receptions for 114 yards and scored on a 24-yard catch. However, it wasn’t as if Reece was being left open. Often, he fought off double coverage or strong Stillman efforts to prevent him from making a catch.

“It was the back-shoulder throws. The quarterback made some good ...

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WSSU holds off Concord 30-22

ATHENS, West Virginia -- Eighth-ranked Winston-Salem State survived the weather and pesky Concord on Saturday afternoon.

The Rams came away with a rain-plagued 30-22 victory thanks to a defense that put a lot of pressure on quarterback Zack Grossi and an offense that did just enough. The Rams improved to 2-0 and will play their final nonconference game Saturday against Morehouse in Cleveland.

"We knew this wouldn't be easy," coach Connell Maynor of WSSU said. "This was a playoff-caliber team we played and we knew it was going to be like a playoff game. There was rough weather and some wind, and it's a case where you just have to be solid in everything you do."

The Rams were especially solid in the fourth quarter as they clung to a 14-7 lead. The first big play of the quarter was turned in by running back Brandon McDonald — who earlier in the game threw a touchdown pass to Jamal Williams on a halfback option.

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Mistakes doom Mountain Lions

ATHENS — A very good football team will capitalize on key injuries and multiple mistakes by their opponent. That’s what the Rams of Winston-Salem State University did Saturday afternoon on Concord University’s home field, taking a 30-22 road win over the Mountain Lions in a game that was drenched by rain midway through.

"We were able to weather the storm,” said Rams head coach Connell Maynor."
Concord (1-1) had nine penalties for 108 yards, achieved just 11 first downs, and had to punt nine times against the Rams (2-0), ranked eighth nationally in last week’s Division II poll.

The starting right guard for the Mountain Lions, Cody Parker, could not play due to a stress fracture in his foot suffered earlier in the week. Cornerback-kick returner Riyadh Richardson left in the first quarter with a hurt ankle. Running back Andrew Gondor limped off after four rushes for seven yards.

And Concord had 19 yards rushing, not counting a loss of 32 when punter Brad Cox had to track down a high snap in his own end zone, resulting in a safety.



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XU Nuggets defeat MC for 2-0 start in Belhaven Tournament

JACKSON, Miss. — Taylor Reuther had 14 kills and 10 digs Friday, and Xavier University of Louisiana climbed out of a third-set hole to earn a 25-20, 25-22, 28-26 women's volleyball victory against Mississippi College in the Belhaven Tournament.

It was the third consecutive victory for the Gold Nuggets (3-2) and their second of the day in this event. It's the first time in the program's five-year history that Xavier was 2-0 in one day against non-conference opponents.

Reuther, a sophomore, produced her third consecutive double-double and, for the first time in her Xavier career, had two in one day. Teammate Chinedu Echebelem barely missed her third double-double of the season, finishing with 11 kills and nine digs.

Box score

The Gold Nuggets built nine-point leads and held off late Mississippi College rallies in each of the first two sets. Then the Lady Choctaws (3-3) seized the momentum in the third set, scoring the first nine points and leading 16-4 after five XU attack errors and a combined seven kills from Rachel Janssen and Rachel Farmer.

But Xavier rallied to close the match, getting a combined 10 kills from Reuther and Echebelem and four aces from freshman setter Franziska Pirkl in a stretch of six serves. Pirkl's serving was part of an 8-0 run which closed MC's lead to 18-17. The Nuggets took their first lead at 23-22 on an Echebelem ace, then they squandered three match points before Echebelem clinched with consecutive kills.

Xavier scored eight points on blocks to compensate for a second set in which the Nuggets had more attack errors (12) than kills (11). Freshman Claudia Haywood produced one solo block and six assists and had two blocks in the final four rallies after MC reduced Xavier's 18-9 lead to 22-21.

Pirkl finished with five aces, the most by a Nugget in a match this season. Freshmen produced half of Xavier's 48 digs, with Darian Harris leading that class with eight.

Sarah Farmer had nine kills and Holly Tupper 18 digs for Mississippi College, an NCAA Division III member.

Xavier and Belhaven, the only teams to go 2-0 Friday, will meet in the final match of the tournament at 4 p.m. Saturday. Xavier will play Rust at noon.

NOTES: XU statistical leaders for the day included Reuther with 24 kills and 24 digs and Pirkl with seven aces and 44 assists . . . Xavier is 4-0 all-time against Mississippi College, but this was the teams' first meeting since 2003, the Nuggets' first season . . . The Nuggets are 12-1 in neutral-site matches since Christabell Hamilton became XU coach in 2011 . . . It's the first time since 2004 that the Nuggets won twice in a regular-season tournament and the first time that the Nuggets won their first two matches of a regular-season tourney.

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

Xavier cross country preseason information

NEW ORLEANS  -  Xavier University of Louisiana's men's and women's cross country teams will open the 2012 season Saturday morning in the Loyola Wolfpack Invitational at Lafreniere Park in Metairie, La. It will be XU's only local appearance of the season. Click the following links to read season preview information on both teams.

 

Women: www.xula.edu/athletics/wcc/preview

Men: www.xula.edu/athletics/mcc/preview

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

UNI Panthers Set For Home Opener Against Central State

#7/#8 University of Northern Iowa vs. Central State (Ohio)
Game #2: Sat. Sept. 8, 2012 6:00 p.m. (Central)
Cedar Falls, Iowa (UNI-Dome)
Television: KWWL (Ch. 7.3) Cedar Falls Utilities (Ch. 15)
Radio: Panther Sports Network

UNI Football Notes

The Game

The University of Northern Iowa Panthers will host their home opener for the 2012 season against the Central State Marauders. The Panthers will enter the game at No.7 in the FCS Coaches Poll. This is the 114th season of football for the UNI Panthers.

The Series

The home opener for the Panthers and the Marauders will mark the first time in both programs' history that the teams have met. The Panthers have not played a team from the NCAA Division II since 2007 when they defeated Minnesota State-Mankato 41-14.

The Coaches

Head coach Mark Farley is entering his 12th season with a mark of 99-40. He has guided the Panthers to a record of 60-20 for an impressive .750 winning percentage in MVFC play. He has led the team to seven conference championships, seven playoff appearances, 10 top-25 final rankings, three national semifinal appearances and one national title game appearance.

Ester James Junior, III is current head coach of Central State University. He is a former American professional football player who was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 1981 NFL Draft, playing in 13 NFL seasons from 1981-1993 for the Cardinals, the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Seattle Seahawks.

The Program

• The Panthers currently have an all-time record of 620-384-47.
  
• The Panthers have been present in 16 playoffs, seven semifinals and one championship game.
  
• UNI has been ranked in the Top 25 in 94 consecutive polls, dating back to Nov. 15, 2004. The Panthers are five weeks shy of setting an all-time Missouri Valley Football Conference record for consecutive weeks in the polls.
  
• UNI had seven players participating in NFL camps during the 2012 preseason including, Brandon Keith, Ryan Mahaffey, Chad Rinehart, Austin Howard, L.J. Fort, Austin Wells and Brad Meester.

Looking Forward

This will be the second week in a row that the Panthers have never met their opponent. This will also serve as the first time UNI has met a team from the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Central State Marauders

The Central State Marauders finished the season 1-10 overall with a 0.091 winning percentage. They finished 0-3 at home, 1-5 on the road and 0-2 at neutral sites. Their one win came against conference foe Kentucky Wesleyan College on Oct. 29 when they won 36-0.

Full House

The game against Wisconsin is the largest crowd (79,568) that the Panthers have played in front of in the program's history. The next largest crowd the Panthers have played against was 70,585 against Iowa in 2005 and 2009.

Starting The Season

Jenks, Okla. native and redshirt freshman quarterback Sawyer Kollmorgen has been named the starter for the Panthers. Kollmorgen will become the fifth freshman to start at quarterback in UNI history. The last time a UNI freshman quarterback started against an FBS opponent, the Panthers defeated Ball State, 42-39. Tom Petrie started against Ball State on Sept. 22, 2001, and guided the Panthers to a victory in that game. The last time a UNI freshman quarterback started a season opener came when Tom Petrie opened up the 2001 season with a 34-14 victory over Wayne State (Mich.) on Aug. 30, 2001.

First Quarter Showdown

Only one team during the 2011 season was able to keep Wisconsin from scoring a touchdown in the first quarter. Illinois and Wisconsin went scoreless in the first quarter of their match-up last season. The Panthers held the Badgers to a mere three points during the first quarter.

Big Boot

Senior punter Kyle Bernard opened his season with a thunderous 51-yard punt in the first quarter and a 50-yard punt in the third quarter. During the 2011 season he finished the season with nine 50-plus yard punts.

Among the Few

Ohio and Illinois were the only two teams during the 2011 season to keep Wisconsin under the 14-point mark at halftime. The Panthers limited the Badgers to only two field goals and a late second quarter touchdown.

First time for Everything

Chad Owens scored his first receiving touchdown in his collegiate career against Wisconsin. He notched a rushing touchdown during the 2011 season.

Career High

Wilmot Wellington finished the game with 15 tackles and a new career high. His previous career high tackles was against Wofford last season with 12.

Competing Hard

In 2009, the Panthers were narrowly defeated by No. 21 Iowa 17-16. This game will serve as the second closest deficit by the Panthers against a ranked FBS opponent.

Big Time Receptions

The game against Wisconsin counts as David Johnson's first career multi-reception touchdown game. It was his fifth multiple touchdown game in his career.

MVFC Player of the Week

The Panthers garnered two MVFC honors after the first week of play with Sawyer Kollmorgen being named the MVFC Newcomer of the Week and Garrett Scott being named the MVFC Defensive Player of the Week. Kollmorgen opened his freshman campaign against a strong

Wisconsin defense and finished with 18-of-34 completed passes, 265 yards and three touchdowns. Scott helped the UNI Panthers keep the Wisconsin Badgers fewer than 30 points for only the third time in the last year. He notched 15 tackles against the high powered Badger offense including six solo and nine assisted.

National Attention

The Panthers are already gaining national attention after their performance against Wisconsin. Sawyer Kollmorgen was chosen as part of The Sports Network FCS National Player of the Week. He was chosen as the Co-Freshman of the week for his stellar outing against Wisconsin.

Getting in the Game

Forty-seven different Panthers made their season debut against the Badgers last Saturday. Among the group that saw action in the game were 10 freshmen.

Racking up the Points

Junior kicker Tyler Sievertsen has scored at least three points (field goals or extra points) in 14 consecutive games. He finished second inthe FCS in field goal percentage at 90 percent last season.

Game Recap

The Panthers put on a second half show for the 79, 568 crowd at Camp Randall this past Saturday as UNI rallied from a 19-point deficit against Wisconsin, but were narrowly defeated 21-26 on the last UNI drive. Redshirt freshman quarterback Sawyer Kollmorgen caught his rhythm late in the third quarter and ended up completing 18-34 passes for 265 yards.

Opening Day

UNI is 57-50-7 all-time in season openers and 14-9 in the last 21 years. UNI is 6-5 in season openers under head coach Mark Farley. The last time UNI opened the season with a road win came in 2006, when the Panthers defeated Drake. The last time UNI opened the season with a road win over an FBS opponent came in 1998, when the Panthers tallied a 13-10 win at Eastern Michigan.

Home Sweet Dome

UNI is 183-45-1 in the UNI-Dome. The Panthers have gone undefeated at home in a season eight times since 1990. Prior to 1998, the Panthers had two consecutive winning seasons in the Dome. The Panthers have posted four perfect seasons at home under head coach Mark Farley. The Panthers are 73-13 in home Missouri Valley Football Conference games.

2011 Inside the Dome

The Panthers finished the 2011 season with a 6-0 record inside the Dome, including a decisive win against Wofford in the FCS playoffs.

Mr. 2000

Senior running back Carlos Anderson currently has 1,941 total rushing yards that span over his exciting career as a Panther. Anderson is just 59 yards shy of hitting the 2,000 mark and only 456 yards shy of being on the Panther's All-Time Career Rushing Top-10 list.

Punting for the Top

Senior punter Kyle Bernard is currently sitting on a 41.6 yard career average and 5,837 yards total. That puts him in second place in the UNI Football Career Punting All-Time Top-10 under Clay Netusil who was the Panther punter from 1984-1986.

Defense Counts

UNI is 70-5 in the Mark Farley era (2001-present) when holding the opposition to 20 points or less.

The 2012 Panther Defense - Returning Starters

Chris Jepsen recorded 27 total tackles including nine solo tackles and 18 assisted tackles during 2011. Garrett Scott finished the 2011 season with 105 total tackles including 55 solo tackles, 50 assisted tackles, four interceptions and nine pass breakups. Wilmot Wellington finished his 2011 campaign with 59 total tackles, three pass breakups and one fumble recovery. Varmah Sonie finished the 2011 season with 17 punt returns for 147 yards and a total of 177 all-purpose yards. He completed the season with 70 total tackles including 37 solo tackles and 33 assisted tackles. He had three interceptions and seven pass breakups. J.J. Swain recorded 69 total tackles including 45 solo tackles and 24 assisted tackles, three tackles for loss of yards, three interceptions and three pass breakups.

Offensive Threat

UNI is 65-3 in the Mark Farley years when scoring 30 or more points in a game.

The 2012 Panther Offense - Returning Starters

Terrell Sinkfield recorded 28 receptions for 464 yards and six touchdowns during 2011. His longest reception was for 40 yards against MSU and SSU. Carlos Anderson accumulated 77 carries for 410 yards and four receptions for 33 yards during his 2011 campaign. His longest rush was for 57 yards against South Dakota State. He returned 24 kicks for 555 yards and recorded 1,003 all-purpose yards. David Johnson finished the 2011 season with 179 carries for 822 yards and nine touchdowns and 33 receptions for 422 yards and three touchdowns.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS

ODU, Hampton resume '757' football rivalry

HAMPTON, Virginia - It was a natural, born of geography and the area's obsession with football. An ambitious start-up and an established college program separated by just 13 miles. It made too much sense for Hampton and Old Dominion not to play each other.

But as HU and the Monarchs prepare for their third meeting, 6 p.m. Saturday at Armstrong Stadium, the landscape has changed.

ODU is in its final year in the Football Championship Subdivision, on its way to Conference USA and the Bowl Subdivision. Meanwhile, HU remains firmly entrenched as a signature program in the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference.



"I like the game," ODU coach Bobby Wilder said. "I think it's a good football game. I've said from the first day I was hired, playing Hampton, playing Norfolk State, that's exciting to me. It's changed a little bit now that we're making the transition to the FBS, because I don't see how we'll be able to play on a regular basis.

"I'm hoping we can still at some point be able to schedule these games and play these games. I think it's good for the area. I think there's some excitement to it. I know we're excited to play Hampton and I get the impression they're excited to play us."

Hampton-ODU has become a quasi-rivalry, fueled by familiarity and location. Both rosters are heavy with local players. Recruiting sometimes overlaps.

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Howard Coach stresses mental edge

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey - Howard squeezed out a close win last weekend in its season opener against Morehouse. Freshman quarterback Jamie Cunningham led a 30-29 victory en route to being named MEAC Rookie of the Week. But the Rutgers football team is not Morehouse, and Howard head coach Gary Harrell knows that.

“We know it’s going to be a situation where they’re bigger, supposedly stronger,” he said. “I just think it’s going to be mind over matter. We just have to be mentally into the game.”

On paper, the Scarlet Knights have a clear advantage, the most glaring difference being the subdivision. Rutgers is a BCS school while Howard is an FCS school. Although BCS schools are traditionally more powerful than FCS schools, Knights head coach Kyle Flood sees the two subdivisions mixing as a positive.

“You get one more Saturday experience for the fan base in your area,” Flood said. “I think it gives the FCS opponent a great opportunity to showcase their program.”



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Rutgers closing in on sellout for home opener Saturday against Howard

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey - Rutgers' prospects for its first home crowd of 50,000-plus in two years is moving closer to a reality, with a school official saying just 4,000 seats remain for Saturday's home opener against Howard at High Point Solutions Stadium.

The crowd is expected to be bolstered by a strong showing from the students, with nearly 10,000 students claiming tickets.

High Point Solutions Stadium has a capacity of 52.454, but the last home crowd to top 50,000 was on Sept. 25, 2010 against North Carolina, when the attendance was 52,038. It was announced as a sellout.

The game against Howard, a MEAC school that plays at the FCS level, is the team's only home game this month.

Rutgers averaged 43,761 for its seven home games last season compared to an average of 46,195 during 2010.

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ROAD TRIP SATURDAY: HBCU FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

SWAC
Grambling State @ #17Texas Christian 7pm
Texas Southern @ North Texas 7pm (ESPN3)
Alcorn State @ James Madison 6pm
Mississippi Valley @ Alabama State 7pm
Alabama A&M @ Arkansas-Pine Bluff 7pm
Jackson State @ Tennessee State at Memphis, TN 7pm
Prairie View A&M @ Lamar 8pm
Southern (Open)

MEAC
Howard @ Rutgers 3:30pm (GAMEPLAN/ESPN3)
Delaware State @ Delaware 3:30pm (NBC Sports Network)
Morgan State @ Buffalo  6pm
Savannah State @ #6Florida State 6pm (ESPN3)
Florida A&M @ #5Oklahoma 7pm
West Virginia State @ North Carolina A&T 6pm
Bethune-Cookman @ South Carolina State 6pm (ESPN3)
North Carolina Central @ Elon 7pm
Norfolk State @ Liberty 7pm (GAMEPLAN/ESPN3)
Old Dominion @ Hampton  6pm



SIAC
Bowie State 28 @ Benedict  14 (CBS Sports Network) Thursday 
Johnson C. Smith @ Tuskegee at Atlanta, GA  7:30 pm
Fort Valley State @ Valdosta State  7 pm
Kentucky Wesleyan @ Kentucky State7 pm
Ouachita Baptist @ Stillman  6 pm
Morehouse @ Edward Waters  3 pm
Albany State @ Wingate  1:30 pm
Miles @ Shaw  1 pm
Clark-Atlanta @ Lane 3pm

CIAA
Livingstone @ Catawba  12:00 noon
New Haven @ Saint Augustine's  1:30 pm
Chowan @ Virginia Military 1:30 pm
Delta State @ Elizabeth City State  6 pm
Virginia Union @ Brevard  6 pm
Fayetteville State @ North Carolina-Pembroke 6 pm
West Liberty State @ Virgina State  4pm
Winston Salem State @ Concord  1pm
Lincoln (Pa.) @ Wofford  7pm

OTHERS
Central State (Ohio) @ Northern Iowa  7 pm
Lincoln (Mo.) @ Truman State 8 pm
Indiana (Pa.) @ Cheyney  1pm
Southern Arkansas @ Texas College



ALL TIMES SHOWN ARE 'Eastern Time'

SIAC champion Miles seeks to make turnaround the norm

FAIRFIELD, Alabama -- Perhaps no one symbolized Miles' dramatic turnaround in 2011 more than quarterback David Thomas.

In his first season as a starter, Thomas passed for 2,088 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 489 yards and 11 touchdowns, leading the Golden Bears to their first SIAC championship since 1985 and their first bowl game appearance.

"I did well," Thomas said modestly. "It took a lot of hard work. I thank the coaching staff and my teammates for hanging in there with me."

Thomas' performance wasn't overlooked. As the senior from Opelika embarks on the 2012 season, he does so as the first-team quarterback on the preseason All-SIAC team. For Thomas, that just means even more work.