FAMU brings playmakers to 2012 Atlanta Classic

Photo Courtesy: FAMU Sports Information

ATLANTA, Georgia  -  The Florida A&M Rattlers enter Saturday's Atlanta Classic against the Southern Jaguars wondering which players will be the gamechangers for them. In last year's Classic, Rattlers quarterback Damien Fleming entered the game in the third quarter and led them on a 21-point rally to beat Southern 38-33.

Fleming is now the starting quarterback for the Rattlers. Rattlers head coach Joe Taylor knew that he had a game changer on his hands, according to an interview with St. Claire Murraine of Tallahasee.com:

"At that time I thought the team needed a shot in the arm, a change because we were struggling. It was a difficult situation for him. In fact, all of the staff looked at me like, ‘Are you sure?' I knew it was a big decision, but I had been evaluating this kid in practice and he was getting better and better."

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FVSU Looks to Keep Streak Alive

ALBANY, Georgia - The Fort Valley State Wildcats are rocking and rolling with two straight conference wins. The Cats now stand at 3-1 on the season looking to continue the streak this weekend.

 Saturday night, the Benedict Tigers were the latest victim of Coach Donald Pittman and the blue and gold. Fort Valley emerged from the Cat fight, 33-10 and they say they want to keep the pressure on in the Valley.

Back to back SIAC special teams player of the week, Justin Rosenbaum says, moral is high for the Wildcats. "We have a lot of chemistry. This is the best team that we've had since I've been here and we feel pretty good" says the senior Michigan native says. "We feel pretty confident that will continue to make progress and be more consistent throughout the season."

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Rant Sports NCAAB Conference Preview: MEAC

Another year of college basketball is quickly approaching and in preparation, Rant Sports’ College Basketball Network Manager Paul Seaver will be breaking down and predicting the outcomes of each conference across the country.

WASHINGTON, D.C.  -  Today, we take a look at the MEAC:

Unless you follow college basketball closely, you may have overlooked the fact that two of the NCAA Tournament’s most historic upsets have come at the hands of teams from the MEAC.

Back in 2001, it was 15th-seeded Hampton who upended Iowa State in the Round of 64, while just last spring 15th-seeded Norfolk State got the best of second-seeded Missouri.

Looking ahead to the 2012-13 season, there is one team out of this conference that truly sticks out.

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St. Augustine's building a CIAA winner

RALEIGH, North Carolina  -  St. Augustine’s has not built itself as a silver spoon football program.  The campus, nestled in downtown Raleigh, reintroduced football in 2002, and it has taken a decade’s worth of work to emerge as a contender in an ever-competitive CIAA Conference.

Coach Michael Costa’s team is putting a quality team on the field despite the lack of amenities often found at lower divisions of football and even some high schools.

“It does take time, but if you’re patient and try to do things the right way, there’s a whole lot of models we can follow,” said Costa, whose Falcons will play Elizabeth City State at 4 p.m. Saturday in the 15th annual Down East Viking Football Classic at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex. “It can’t happen overnight. A lot of things take time.”

The obstacles are big and small. Instead of meeting in a fieldhouse, the Falcons often use classrooms to break down film and discuss gameplans.

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XU's Zahri Jackson wins second GCAC weekly award this year

ZAHRI JACKSON

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Zahri Jackson is the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Runner of the Week in women's cross country for Sept. 17-23. It's the second time in three weeks that Jackson won the award, and it's her seventh time in two seasons.

Jackson, a sophomore from Kingwood, Texas, and a graduate of Kingwood Park High School, recorded the fastest women's 5,000-meter time in the GCAC this season, 19 minutes, 53.23 seconds, on Saturday in the ASCIS Embry-Riddle Classic at Daytona Beach, Fla. She finished sixth out of 108 runners, and the time ranks 11th on XU's all-time list. Jackson has seven top-10 finishes in 11 collegiate meets.

Jackson led the Gold Nuggets to their highest finish, second place, since November 2003 in a meet of 10 or more schools. Xavier finished behind NAIA No. 20 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) and was 3-0 against NCAA Division I opponents, including Seton Hall of the Big East Conference.

Jackson has won seven GCAC weekly awards, one less than Spring Hill's Kate Imwalle, the GCAC career record holder.

Neither Xavier team will compete this week. The next meet for the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will be the Mississippi College/Watson Ford Invitational at Clinton, Miss., on Oct. 5. The women's 6K will start at 4:30 p.m., and the men's 8K will start at 5:15 p.m.

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

Entering heart of MEAC slate, B-CU tries to fix mistakes

Bethune Cookman at Hampton

WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday
RECORDS: B-CU 2-2, 1-0 MEAC; Hampton 0-3, 0-1 MEAC
RADIO: WELE (1380-AM

DAYTONA BEACH -- Last year, Bethune-Cookman coach Brian Jenkins turned a critical eye on himself and his program after the Wildcats suffered a 22-3 loss at North Carolina A&T.

B-CU went on to win its final six games of the season.

Consecutive losses to Miami and Tennessee State the past two weeks has Jenkins searching for answers once again.

But while the recovery last year was too late for the 'Cats to get back into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference race after they had suffered two MEAC losses, this year B-CU (2-2, 1-0) is still very much in control of its own fate.

“We're still looking forward to the rest of our season,'' said senior safety D.J. Howard, “because although we wanted to win the Tennessee State game, it wasn't a conference game, so we're still in line to win the conference and make the playoffs.''

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Gold Nuggets rally from 7 down in 4th set to defeat SUNO

NEW ORLEANS — Chinedu Echebelem had 10 kills and 11 digs Monday, and freshman reserve Patrice Smith scored five points during a fourth-set rally which gave Xavier University of Louisiana a 25-23, 25-21, 19-25, 25-22 women's volleyball victory against SUNO at The Castle.
    

The Gold Nuggets (8-4 overall, 2-0 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) won their third in a row and extended their school-record road win streak to eight. They snapped the school-record nine-match win streak of the Lady Knights (9-3, 1-1).
    

SUNO led 12-5 in the fourth set before Xavier rallied with two kills and three blocks from Smith and three Taylor Reuther kills. Moira Kirk's ace tied the set at 17, and the Nuggets went ahead to stay on the next rally on an errant SUNO set. Xavier scored its final two points on SUNO attack errors and moved to match point after Kirk and Alexandria Rencher blocked a Christal Hollins attack.
    

Reuther had nine kills, eight digs and two aces, and Kirk and Claudia Haywood had eight kills and six blocks apiece. Kirk served two aces, hit .538 — the third consecutive match that she topped .500 — and had a career-high nine digs.
    

Zipporah Washington had 18 kills and 13 digs for SUNO, and Hollins had 13 kills and 11 digs.
    

"We had key players come in late in the match and give us a boost," XU coach Christabell Hamilton. "Patrice Smith was one of them. Alex Rencher also did a great job at setter when Franziska Pirkl got hurt and left the match. Alex had a bad start but calmed down and kept her composure."
    

SUNO outhit Xavier .159 to .129 and had advantages of 56-40 in kills and 69-63 in digs. But the Lady Knights committed 58 errors, 17 more than the Gold Nuggets.
    

Xavier trailed 13-11 in the opening set before taking control with a 7-1 run which included two Kirk kills and one ace apiece from Pirkl and Reuther. Echebelem's ace put the Nuggets ahead to stay at 22-21 in the second set, and Reuther closed with a kill.
    

The Gold Nuggets are 16-0 against GCAC opponents during Hamilton's two seasons as coach, including 12 regular-season victories.
    

Xavier, which has played 10 of its 12 matches on the road, will travel for GCAC matches at 7 p.m. Thursday at Fisk and 1 p.m. Saturday at Philander Smith. The next home match will start at 6 p.m. Oct. 5 against Edward Waters at The Barn.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

    

THE SHOW: BOOMBOX CLASSIC - JSU Sonic Boom of the South vs. SU Human Jukebox Marching Band

SU seeks better discipline

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  - Since Southern’s coaching change brought a new atmosphere to practices, the two words used most in describing it have been “discipline” and “military-like.”

That sure didn’t show on Saturday.

For all of interim coach Dawson Odums’ emphasis on discipline, the Jaguars were remarkably undisciplined in their 28-21 victory against Jackson State.

They were penalized 14 times for 136 yards — numbers that were hard for Odums to stomach. At more than 10 penalties and 85 yards per game, SU is the third-worst team in the conference in that category and had several that could have cost it the game this weekend.

The Jaguars helped along the Tigers’ second touchdown drive in the fourth quarter with a personal foul that moved them to the SU 26, and an illegal block penalty on a kickoff cost Southern 20 yards when it needed to run off the final four minutes of game clock to win the game.

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Jackson State faces Prairie View A&M Saturday

JACKSON, Mississippi — A season that began with talk of a SWAC championship has turned into a tale of survival.

After losing 28-21 to previously winless Southern University, Jackson State football coach Rick Comegy called for changes in hopes of saving a season that started with championship aspirations. Yes, the Tigers (1-3) are just 1-1 in SWAC play with seven games to go, starting with Saturday's home game against winless Prairie View A&M.

But as JSU enters the meat of its conference schedule it does so with far more questions than answers.

Comegy said personnel changes are coming but, perhaps more importantly, an attitude adjustment is needed for the Tigers, who have looked sluggish and over-matched early on in all three of their losses. None was more alarming than last week's disastrous start.

In that game, Southern returned the game's opening kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown. It was an early blow that seemed to floor JSU as the Tigers fell behind 28-0 in the third quarter. It was a lack of fight that most irked Comegy.

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SWAC Preview: Mike Davis prefers challenge of winning at Texas Southern to ‘torture’ of a year off

HOUSTON, Texas  -  Only once since grade school has Mike Davis not spent the winter either playing basketball or teaching it. Cut by the Milwaukee Bucks in training camp before the 1983 NBA season, Davis opted to put his basketball career on hold a few months in order to finish his degree.

"That was like torture," Davis said. "I've been around basketball all my life. That experience taught me I can't be doing nothing during basketball season."

Memories of that miserable winter fueled Davis' efforts to find a new coaching gig this offseason after UAB fired him in March. Even though he'll receive $625,000 from UAB this year because he had one season left on his contract, the 52-year-old Alabama native insists he'd have coached a high school or junior high team before he took a full year off from basketball.

Texas Southern spared Davis from a return to the youth ranks in August when athletic director Dr. Charles McClelland hired him as the school's interim coach. It surprised many in basketball circles that a SWAC school could land a man who led UAB to four straight 20-win seasons and took Indiana to the 2002 national title game, but Davis found the job attractive for many reasons.

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TSU's Merkel Six Strokes Off Lead at SIUE

Kelly Merkel
Freshman
Hometown: Columbia, Tennessee
High School: Columbia Central High School
(Courtesy: Sam Jordan / TSU Athletics)

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Kelly Merkel led the Tennessee State women's golf team on day one of the SIUE Doubletree Intercollegiate. The freshman shot a 12-over 84 on the Par-72, 6,025 yard course at Sunset Hills Country Club in Edwardsville, Ill. on a beautiful 76 degree day.

Merkel recorded ten pars on the day and is tied for ninth with four other golfers. The Columbia, Tenn. product is six strokes behind co-leaders Savanna Schubert of Lipscomb and Cassie Rushing from Southern Illinois, who are at 6-over.

Amelia Dap recorded a birdie on the par-4 eighth hole on her way to a 92 on Monday. Dap is 14 strokes off the lead heading into the final day of competition

.

Sarah Needleman is tied for 57th with Evansville's Kelly Lamarche after carding a 97.

The final round is scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.

SIUE Doubletree Intercollegiate-Day 1 Results

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU Nuggets beat Big East team, place second in Florida meet

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Xavier University of Louisiana got top-10 finishes from Zahri Jackson and Catherine Fakler and placed second out of 12 women's teams Saturday in the ASICS Embry-Riddle Classic cross country meet.
    
It's the Gold Nuggets' highest finish in a meet of 10 or more schools since November 2003. Jackson broke 20 minutes for 5,000 meters for the fourth time at Xavier, placing sixth in 19:53.23. Fakler was 10th in 20:15.88. Xavier scored 70 points — NAIA No. 20 Embry-Riddle won with 47 — and the Gold Nuggets beat all three NCAA Division I opponents, including Seton Hall of the Big East Conference.
    
Xavier's men placed fifth out of 13 teams and fourth out of 12 collegiate teams. Senior Matt Pieri led the Gold Rush, running 8,000 meters in 27:49.81 to finish seventh. It was Pieri's 15th career top-10. Kwame Jackson, Zahri's older brother, was 10th in 28:26.71.
    
Both Gold Nuggets freshmen ran 5K season bests — Briana Simms placed 13th in 20:23.06, and Hannah Finnegan was 29th in 21:19.12. Hali Yarmush was 14th in 20:24.22, Donyé Coleman was 50th in 22:25.13, and Paige Rochelle was 79th in 25:20.23.
    
On the Gold Nuggets' all-time 5K list, Jackson's time ranks 11th, Fakler's 17th and Simms' 21st.
    
David Holobowicz placed 25th for the XU men in 29:38.51. Aaron Yarmush was 50th in 31:25.60, Emmanuel Detiege was 61st in 32:19.28 and Charles Shaw was 74th in 32:59.77.
    
Embry-Riddle's 15th-ranked men won that team title by 47 points over runner-up Seton Hall. The Eagles' Evans Kirwa, the reigning NAIA National Runner of the Week, won the race by more than a minute — 25:25.02 to teammate Vincent Bett's 26:30.57 — and earned his second victory of the season. Embry-Riddle's Ellie Staker won the women's race in 18:43.12.
    
Xavier will not race this weekend. The Rush and Nuggets will compete next Oct. 5 in the Mississippi College/Watson Ford Invitational at Clinton, Miss.

Results:  Men    Women

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

Brown wins opener, but rough start for XU in UNO tourney

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Amber Brown rallied for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 victory Friday against McNeese State's Lara Pujol in the Big Easy Tennis Classic at the University of New Orleans.
    

It was the lone XU victory on a day when two seeded Gold Rush players and two seeded Gold Nuggets lost their opening matches. Three XU singles players began their collegiate careers with losses.
    

"Our focus today was to just compete and get the first-match jitters out of the way," said 10th-year XU coach Alan Green. "We will be fine."
    

Brown, the Nuggets' No. 3 women's singles player this past season, came back against the Cowgirls' No. 2 player of a year ago. The victory occurred in the round of 16 in the second flight.
    

"I'm looking for good things from Amber Brown this season," Green said of the junior from Decatur, Ga., who five months ago won three consecutive singles matches to help the Gold Nuggets win an NAIA unaffiliated group tournament and receive an automatic bid to nationals.
    

Jennifer Dien of Southern Illinois eliminated Brown in the quarterfinals, 6-2, 7-6 (7-1).
    

The only other XU player to win a set was junior Amir Rahbar, who lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to UNO's Vinay Kamineni in the round of 16 in the second flight of men's singles.
    

In other XU matches:
    

•  Nikita Soifer, seeded fourth in the men's singles first flight, lost his collegiate debut 6-2, 6-1 to UNO's Abdelrahman Zaki.
    

•  Second-seeded Viktor Svoboda lost 6-4, 6-1 to South Alabama's Blake Gregor in the quarterfinals of the men's singles second flight.
    

•  Kourtney Howell, a second-team NAIA All-American this past season, lost 6-3, 6-2 to Troy's Lyubov Gorleeve in the round of 16 of the women's singles first flight. Howell was seeded fourth. Freshman teammate Brion Flowers lost 6-0, 6-0 to Troy's Karoline Grymel in the quarterfinals.
    

•  The Gold Nuggets were 0-4 in the women's singles third flight. Nicole DeLoach, seeded sixth, lost 6-0, 6-0 to Troy's Anja Cosovic. Jordyn Goody lost 6-2, 7-5 to Lamar's Kanda Borgononi. Vashni Balleste lost 6-3, 6-1 to Cosovic in Balleste's collegiate debut. And Olivia West, a sophomore transfer from Centenary (La.), lost her XU debut in a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) decision against Nicholls State's Emma Pitre.
    

•  The Gold Nuggets lost twice in the women's doubles round of 32. Troy's Cosovic and Brooke Durden defeated Howell and Flowers 8-1, and Anita Lee and Ariadna Cairo Baza of Southern Illinois beat West and Goody 8-1.
    

The tournament will continue Saturday and conclude Sunday at UNO's University Tennis Center. Many of the XU men and women will play consolation matches.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

Offense, Big Plays Power Chowan over Shaw

DURHAM, North Carolina  -  The Chowan University football team picked up their first CIAA win of the 2012 season after a 49-35 victory over Shaw University on Saturday afternoon. Chowan improves to 2-2 on the season, and Shaw falls to 1-3.

The Hawk's offense was dominate on Saturday, fueled by Cameron Stover's 220 passing yards in the contest.  He connected with six different receivers, while completing 17-28 pass attempts. Tim Hanson was unstoppable in the win, rushing for 195 yards and three touchdowns.

The Shaw Bears struck first in the game with a 30 yard field goal with 13:47 remaining in the first quarter.  The Hawks quickly answered back after JR Williams caught a 51 yard pass from Cameron Stover to make the score 6-3.  The point after attempt from Alex Noboa was good, allowing the Hawks to take a 7-3 lead with 7:15 left in the first quarter.

Shaw tacked on another three points with 4:41 remaining in the quarter off a 20 yard field goal by George Mulumba to make the score 7-6.

The start of the second quarter was a little shaky, after Stover's pass for Damian Ellis was intercepted by Shaw's Darnell Evans.  The Hawks fought back, with Brandon Whitaker snagging James Stallons' pass to get the ball back for the Hawks.    Tim Hanson's seven yard rush gave the Hawks the 13-6 lead.  The ten yard touchdown drive took just two plays and was completed in 34 seconds.  Noboa once again made good on the point after attempt.

The Hawks defense continued to hold down the Bears, forcing Shaw to settle for another field goal.  Mulumba kicked a 33 yard field goal, his third of the half, with 8:30 left in the half to inch the score to 14-9.

The Hawks fumbled just seven seconds later, allowing the Bears to take over possession.  Shaw took advantage of the miscue and James Stallons connected with Ta'Juan Brown for a 41 yard touchdown pass.  The point after attempt from Mulumba was good, giving the Bears a 16-14 lead.

The Bears threatened again as Darius Moffett intercepted a pass from Ryan Nolan (who took over for Stover) on the 28 yard line with 6:55 left in the half.  Chowan quickly answered back as Chris Morris intercepted a screen pass and took over deep in Shaw territory.  Ryan Nolan ran for three yards to score for Chowan with 5:30 on the clock.  Noboa made good on the field goal attempt giving the Hawks a 21-16 edge over Shaw.

The Bears answered back on the next possession after Stallons threw a 14 yard touchdown pass to Marcus Hinson and a good point after attempt from Mulumba.  The Shaw defense prevented Chowan from scoring, maintaining a 23-21 point lead heading into halftime.

The Hawks turned on the offense after halftime.  Just a minute and a half into the third quarter, Chowan's David Fulton picked Stallon's pass and ran for a 58 yard touchdown to open up the half.  Noboa made good on the point after attempt allowing Chowan to take a 28-23 lead.

  With a drive starting at 8:35 in the third quarter Stover through a 16 yard pass to Antjuan Randall for a first down.  Tim Hanson rushed for the next three plays for a total of 16 yards, leading to a five yard rush by Ryan Nolan and a 19 yard rush again from Hanson to score the touchdown for Chowan.  Noboa made good on the point after attempt giving Chowan a 35-23 lead.

On the next possession, Shaw's Marquise Grizzle ran for 33 yards to give Shaw the first down.  Stallons' then threw a 51 yard pass to Deangelo Ruffin, allowing Marquise Grizzle to rush for four yards, scoring a touchdown for the Bears.  With 4:38 on the clock, and the score 35-29 in favor of the Hawks, Chowan's Aeon Blake came up with the big play blocking Mulumba's point after attempt.

Chowan failed to score in their next possession, turning the ball back over to the Bears.  With seconds left in the third quarter, Stallons threw a 42 yard touchdown pass to Marucs Hickson to tie the game 35-35.  With Shaw in the driver's seat to take the lead, Stephen Guelff missed the point after attempt, and the game would remain tied going into the fourth quarter.

JR Williams returned Mulumba's kickoff for 15 yards setting up the Hawks for a series of big plays.  Williams caught a 14 yard pass from Stover to get the first down for Chowan.  Hanson followed up the play with a 68 yard rush leading to a touchdown to give CU a 41-35 lead.  Noboa's consistency shown through making good on the point after attempt to make the score 42-35.

The Hawks' weren't satisfied with the seven point lead.  With 6:23 remaining in the game, Antjuan Randall started the Hawks' drive with a 13 yard rush to get the first down.  Hanson rushed for five yards leading to an eight yard pass from Stover to Damian Ellis.  Stover connected with Elliot Smalls for a 13 yard touchdown pass.  Noboa made good on the point after attempt giving Chowan a 49-35 lead with 3:16 left to play.

The defense was able to keep Shaw off the board for the remainder of the game.  Chris Morris, Devahn Murphy, and David Fulton led the defense on Saturday collecting six tackles each.  Morris and Fulton each had an interception in the win, along with James and Brandon Whitaker.  The defense also collected four sacks in the victory.

With the win the Hawks also move to 2-3 in the five year series against Shaw.  Chowan returns home to take on the Fayetteville State University Broncos on Saturday September 29^th.  Kick-off is set for 6:00 v  pm.

Alabama A&M football: STILL GROOVING

HOUSTON, Texas - Deaunte Mason was the quarterback on the All-Southwestern Athletic Conference preseason team. He has certainly played like it over the last two games.

A week after accounting for six touchdowns in a 42-30 win over Prairie View, Mason accounted for five more Saturday as Alabama A&M dominated Texas Southern in a 42-13 victory at BBVA Compass Stadium.

Mason completed 17-of-24 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns and ran for three more as the Bulldogs improved to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in league play. The 4-0 start is A&M's best since 1966.

"It was a great team effort today," said Mason, who has completed 39-of-53 passes for 510 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in his last two games. "I want to give it up to my coaches and my teammates for making it easy for me."

Texas Southern fell to 1-3 overall and 1-2 in league play with its third straight loss.

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SAINT AUGUSTINE'S CRUISES TO IMPRESSIVE 38-22 VICTORY OVER BOWIE STATE

DURHAM, N.C. – Saint Augustine's University jumped out to a 29-0 lead at halftime, and cruised to an impressive 38-22 CIAA football victory over Bowie State on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012, at Durham County Stadium.

The Falcons improved to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the CIAA in a contest between league contenders. The Bulldogs dropped to 3-1 and 0-1 in their first loss of the season.

Teddy Bacote led the Falcons with 21 for 36 passing for 317 yards and two touchdowns. Jermaine Jones caught four passes for 120 yards and one score, and Tyron Laughinghouse had six receptions for 79 yards and one touchdown. Laughinghouse also returned a kick return for a touchdown. Brian Richards grabbed six passes for 87 yards, and Roderick Davenport scored two rushing touchdowns.

Defensively, the Falcons were led by the duo of Dante Devouse and Chaz Robinson with each player collecting five tackles. Javarous Faulk finished with 2.5 sacks, and Bryan Jones and Derrick Manning each picked off a pass.

For Bowie State, Tyrae Reid completed 11 of 26 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns. Khari Lee caught five passes for 110 yards and a score and Douglas McNeil, III had three catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. Bekwele Amadi of the Bulldogs led both teams with 11 tackles.

The contest was expected to be close between two top CIAA teams, but the Falcons jumped on the Bulldogs from the outset. They scored on their first two possessions for a 14-0 lead and never looked back.

The Falcons couldn't have asked for a better start. Bacote found Jermaine Jones on the first play of the game for a long pass inside the Bulldogs territory. Jones finished the drive with a 30-yard catch from Bacote to give the Falcons the early lead. Michael Lima kicked the extra point for a 7-0 Falcons lead.

The Falcons struck again on their next possession. Roderick Davenport capped a 12-play, 62-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run. Lima kicked the point after to stretch the margin to 14-0.

The Bulldogs started to gain some momentum in the second quarter, but missed an opportunity to score early on a failed 36-yard field goal attempt. On the following possession, the Bulldogs were in Falcons' territory, but they turned the ball over on downs.

The Falcons attacked immediately. Richards broke out of the arms of two tacklers for a 22-yard reception in Bowie territory. A couple of plays later, Richards caught a 20-yard pass from Bacote at the Bulldogs' 5. Laughinghouse finished off the drive with a leaping five-yard grab over a defender for the Falcons' third touchdown of the half. Richards scored on a fake field goal attempt for the two-point conversion to give the Falcons a 22-0 lead.

The Falcons weren't through yet. Bryan Jones intercepted a pass to give the Falcons possession with a little over two minutes in the first half. A 23-yard pass from Bacote to Richards put the Falcons in scoring position at the Bulldogs' 29. A 25-yard pass from Bacote to Laughinghouse put the ball at the two. Davenport ended the drive with a short run for his second touchdown of the game. Lima kicked the extra point for a commanding 29-0 lead which the Falcons took into halftime.

The Bulldogs began the third quarter with a scoring drive of their own. A pass interference penalty on the Falcons gave the Bulldogs great field position which they capitalized on. Phillip Quarrie scored from two yards out, and Mario Diaz-Aviles kicked the extra point to cut the Falcons lead to 29-7.

Just when the Bulldogs were gaining momentum, Laughinghouse returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards to midfield. A personal foul penalty on the Bulldogs but the ball on their side of the field, but Reggie Uwandi intercepted Bacote to save a Falcon score.

The Bulldogs attacked immediately with a 41-yard pass from Reid to McNeil to put the ball inside Falcon 20. The drive turned up empty, however, when the Bulldogs missed a 38-yard field goal.

The Bulldogs didn't give up, however. Reid threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Lee on the first play of the fourth quarter. Diaz-Aviles made the extra point to slice the Falcons lead to 29-14. But in the blink of an eye, Laughinghouse returned the kickoff 93 yards for a score to break the Bulldogs' backs. Lima connected on the extra point for a 36-14 lead.

The Falcons padded their lead to 38-14 on the Bulldogs' next possession when the ball sailed over the punter's head out of the end zone.

The Bulldogs also recorded a safety in the fourth quarter when the ball sailed over Alexander Tucker's head on fourth down. Tucker kicked the ball out of the end zone, which gave the Bulldogs two points and cut the Falcons lead to 38-16. The Bulldogs finished the scoring on Reid's six-yard pass to McNeil late in the game.

The next opponent for Bowie State doesn't get easier with the defending CIAA and NCAA Region champions of Winston-Salem State coming to town for a 1 pm contest next Saturday (9/29) in Bulldogs Stadium.

COURTESY BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

How about that? Southern defeats Jackson State

JACKSON, Mississippi — Dawson Odums left his postgame news conference, turned left toward his locker room and nearly ran straight into Jackson State coach Rick Comegy.

Comegy offered a smile, a handshake and congratulations.

“You got them going,” Comegy said.

In his first game as Southern’s interim head coach, Odums led the Jaguars to a 28-21 win in front of 20,713 at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, snapping a three-game losing streak against the Tigers and reviving a team that had looked lifeless nine days before.

Chalk it up to whatever you want — a stunning loss to Mississippi Valley State, the dismissal of head coach Stump Mitchell, a refocusing effort in practice, quarterbacks coach Chad Germany calling the plays — but Southern (1-2, 1-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) is back on the right track.

That much was clear with 30 seconds remaining, when Southern was able to let the clock run out and escape from a tense fourth quarter. With the outcome sealed, Odums’ players dumped water on him in celebration, and the contingent of Jaguars fans — which included Mitchell, who watched the game from the stands — enjoyed a cathartic release that was sure to last long into the Mississippi night.

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Wallace, J.C. Smith start quickly in CIAA play

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -  Johnson C. Smith won its second straight game with a 28-21 victory against Virginia State at McGirt Field in the CIAA opener for both teams.

J.C. Smith (2-2, 1-0) racked up 471 yards on offense and sophomore quarterback Keahn Wallace passed for three touchdowns and ran for another.

“It’s a big game. Playing in the CIAA now is going to be a challenge, a dogfight,” Golden Bulls coach Steve Aycock said. “Our week’s preparation leads over to good play on the weekend, so we’re excited about it. We (can) rip off these next few and give ourselves a chance.”

Smith gave itself chances early on its first three possessions to take a commanding lead. Wallace opened with a 1-yard touchdown run on the Golden Bulls’ first drive, followed by scoring passes of 5 yards to Chris Patterson and a 33 to Matthew Jeffries for a 21-0 first quarter lead.

“(Offensive coordinator) Steve Shipp put in great predicaments and gave me great calls to excel,” said Wallace, who connected on 31 of 43 passes for 338 yards.  “All we did was take advantage. If we someone we like, we’re checking (to a different play). All we did was keep ourselves going.”

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This time comeback falls short for Bethune-Cookman in 21-14 loss

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- In its first two games, Bethune-Cookman was able to spot its opponent a two- or three-touchdown lead before getting it together on both sides of the ball and rallying to victory.

The Wildcats looked like they would do it again Saturday.

But this time Tennessee State dominated on both the offensive and defensive lines and held B-CU scoreless in the second half to hand the Wildcats a 21-14 loss in front of 9,461 fans in their home opener Saturday at Municipal Stadium.

“We had some opportunities, we just didn't capitalize on them,'' said B-CU coach Brian Jenkins, whose squad lost its second straight game to fall to 2-2.

“Tennessee State stayed the course, and my hat's off to (TSU coach) Rod Reed and his staff. They were resilient. They were relentless.

B-CU fell behind 21-0 in the first half, just like it did against Alabama State in the season-opener. Then it got back into the game with two quick touchdowns in the final two minutes of the half. But the 'Cats moved past the Tigers' 42-yard line just once in the second half. On that occasion they failed to convert on fourth-and-three at the TSU 14 midway through the third quarter.

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TSU Improves to 4-0

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. — A.C. Leonard set the tone by catching an 80-yard pass on the second play from scrimmage.

Fellow sophomore Daniel Fitzpatrick intercepted a pass to set up one touchdown and scored another on a blocked kick return as Tennessee State held off Bethune-Cookman 21-14 Saturday at Municipal Stadium.

“Our kids perservered,” said Tigers coach Rod Reed, whose team improved to 4-0. “We have a lot of kids from the state of Florida. We have a lot of guys who know a lot of guys on their team. Both teams wanted to win this football game.”

Tennessee State dominated on both lines and held Bethune-Cookman (2-2) scoreless in the second half after the Wildcats scored twice in the final two minutes of the first half.

“We had some opportunities, we just didn’t capitalize on them,’’ said Wildcats coach Brian Jenkins. “Tennessee State stayed the course, and my hat’s off to Rod Reed and his staff. They were resilient. They were relentless.

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DSU Hornets fall short against FAMU Rattlers

DOVER, Delaware — There was one play in the third quarter that seemed to symbolize Delaware State’s frustrations against Florida A&M.

Rattlers quarterback Damien Fleming had a Delaware State player wrapped firmly around his right ankle as he unleashed a pass high into the air that turned into a 38-yard completion to Dewayne Harvey.

Florida A&M just seemed to be one big play and one big step ahead of DSU as the Rattlers held on for a 24-22 victory over the Hornets in their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener at Alumni Stadium on Saturday night.

“For the last three weeks we’ve been talking about how to get away from moral victories,” Delaware State coach Kermit Blount said. “Moral victories are good, but we want some Ws. We’ve got a little work to do to get it right … but we’ll get it right.”

Delaware State (1-3 overall, 0-1 MEAC) pulled to within two points of FAMU after Nagee Jackson scored on a 5-yard run with 6:39 remaining. The Hornets went for the 2-point conversion and quarterback Nick Elko found tight end Jahmel Bashir with a quick pass to the right, but he was shoved out of bounds just shy of the goal line.

The Hornets never got the ball again as Florida A&M (2-2, 2-0) got four key first downs on its final possession to successfully run out the clock. High school bands from Smyrna, Dover, DE and Flowers from Springdale, Maryland join Delaware State band in Halftime performance Vs. FAMU Football.

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In the Stone for Livingstone College

Lincoln Lions' Cook throws career-high 463 yards in 48-44 loss to Livingstone College

SALISBURY, North Carolina  -   Doug Cook (Dania Beach, Fla./University School of Nova SE University) threw for a career-high 463 yards and five touchdowns, but the Lincoln University football team couldn't rally from a 10-point deficit in the final five minutes as the Lions dropped a tough 48-44 decision to Livingstone College at Alumni Memorial Stadium in a CIAA contest on Saturday afternoon.

It didn't take long for the Lions (0-4 overall, 0-1 CIAA), who amassed 547 total yards of offense, to get on the scoreboard as Cook, who was 39-of-70 passing, completed a 70-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Falucon to give Lincoln a 7-0 lead with 13:09 remaining in the first quarter.

The Blue Bears (1-3 overall, 1-0 CIAA), who finished with 490 total yards, scored 28 unanswered points to grab a 28-7 advantage, but the Lions trimmed the margin to 28-14 when Kester Lewis (Bowie, Md./Grady HS) caught a 1-yard pass from Cook with 5:03 left in the first half.

A Kyle Jaski (Escondido, Calif./Kenwood HS) 22-yard field goal right before half cut the Livingstone advantage to 35-17.

In the second half, the Lions, who were battling key injuries offensively and defensively, went to work on the Blue Bears defense as Lincoln scored 21 unanswered points to grab a 38-35 lead.
 

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Week 4, HBCU Football Scorecard

OVC
Tennessee State 21, Bethune-Cookman 14

MEAC
Ohio 44, Norfolk State 10
Texas A&M 70, South Carolina State 14
North Carolina Central 45, Savannah State 33
Florida A&M 24, Delaware State 22

SWAC
Alabama A&M 42, Texas Southern 13
Southern 28, Jackson State 21
Arkansas Pine Bluff 24, Alabama State 21 (Thursday)
Arkansas State 56, Alcorn State 0
Northwestern State 45, Mississippi Valley State 14
North Dakato State 66, Prairie View A&M 7

SIAC
Lane 37, Morehouse 34 O.T.
Miles 41, Albany State (Ga.) 6
Stillman 27, Kentucky State 8
Fort Valley State 33, Benedict 10
Concordia-Selma 22, Clark-Atlanta 17

CIAA
Livingstone 48, Lincoln (Pa.) 44
Johnson C. Smith 28, Virginia State 21
Winston-Salem State 35, Virginia Union 6
Chowan 49, Shaw 35
Elizabeth City State 20, Fayetteville State 13
Saint Augustine's 36, Bowie State 22

OTHERS
North Carolina-Pembroke 30, Virginia University of Lynchburg 7
Pittsburg State 59, Lincoln (MO) 17
Lamar 31, Langston (OK) 0
Saint Joseph's (IN) 42, Central State (Ohio) 36
Concord (WV) 23, West Virginia State 16
E. Stroudsburg 59, Cheyney 27

Stillman drives Ford to 27-8 win against Kentucky State

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama --- It looked like a routine crossing route.
Matched up against Kentucky State freshman Eric Rawls, Stillman senior Damian Ford created just enough space across the middle to get open and maybe move the chains for an early first down.

But Ford, whose developed a penchant for turning the ordinary into the extraordinary during his career as a Tiger, turned it into a 60-yard touchdown reception to get his team on the board first in a 27-8 victory in its Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener.

"Obviously, that's what we want to get--- the big plays and we want execution," Stillman coach Teddy Keaton said. "I thought Damian did a good job. You want to go to your go-to receiver and we went to him and he made a big play for us."

Quarterback Josh Straughan went to ...

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