Xavier wins, then loses in Wolf Pack Invitational

XAVIER GOLD NUGGETS

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana's women's volleyball team defeated Union (Tenn.) 25-18, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17, then lost 25-27, 23-25, 25-21, 25-21, 15-6 to Loyola on Friday in the Hampton Inn Wolf Pack Invitational at The Den.

Against Union, Taylor Reuther had 19 kills and Moira Kirk 11 for the Gold Nuggets (13-6). Franziska Pirkl had 39 assists, five aces and a career-best 15 digs, and Chinedu Echebelem had eight kills, three aces and 14 digs. Jodi Chatters had a career-high 11 digs.

Xavier's 55 kills against Union were its most in a match since reinstating volleyball in 2010.

Loyola (16-7) rallied from a 2-sets-to-0 deficit to end Xavier's school-record 11-match road winning streak. Loyola is 11-0 all-time against its city rival. It was the first time an XU-Loyola match lasted five sets.

Xavier's next match will start at 7 p.m. Thursday at The Barn against Tougaloo. Both teams are 6-0 in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. It will be Breast Cancer Awareness Night, and fans are encouraged to wear pink.

Box score

Box score

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

Lane Dragons seek homecoming victory

JACKSON, Tennessee -- Entering last week, coach Derrick Burroughs mentioned how badly he thought his Dragons needed a win against Point University. They got it, topping Point on the road 16-10.

Today’s opponent will be much tougher. A win over Miles College (6-1, 4-0 SIAC) would almost certainly be the most impressive in Burroughs’ three-year tenure at Lane.

The Dragons (3-4, 1-4 SIAC) host Miles at 2 p.m. The football team at Miles, which is located in Fairfield, Ala. outside Birmingham, has won six straight games.

None of Miles’ four SIAC wins has been close. The narrowest was a 28-7 victory over Clark Atlanta, a team Lane nearly beat but did not. Miles has also pummeled Albany State (41-6), Benedict (50-7), and Kentucky State (45-0).

Lane will need a top-notch performance to secure a win on its homecoming weekend.

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ECSU needs to focus on homecoming

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina  --  Homecoming at Elizabeth City State can offer plenty of distractions as parties, visiting friends and family and special events vie for the attention of the players.

Vikings coach Waverly Tillar appreciates the good-time atmosphere, but he has a directive for the team: Make sure today’s game with Chowan tops the priority list.

“I think a lot of them are mature enough to look past everything going on, but we reminded them of what is at stake with this game,” he said. “I told them the other day if they get caught up in the homecoming festivities that’s where they will find themselves on Nov. 10 — at home.”

Nov. 10, of course, is the date of the CIAA championship game. And with three conference games remaining, the Vikings (4-3 overall, 3-1 CIAA) still have every reason to believe they can be the Northern Division representative in the game for the second straight year.

Chowan (4-3, 3-1), enjoying its best season since it joined the conference, has its own aspirations to ...

 

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ECSU’s Tillar takes to air

Elizabeth City State football coach Waverly Tillar was craving more exposure for his program. ECSU’s radio station was looking to expand its sports programming. It seemed like the perfect marriage.

This season, Tillar and ECSU campus radio station WRVS FM 89.9 have teamed up for a weekly coach’s show. Each Thursday evening at 7 p.m., Randy Jones, who is also the voice of the Vikings on the station football broadcasts, sits down with Tillar at the Elizabeth City Applebee’s to discuss Vikings football.

The idea of a weekly radio show has been in the air around ECSU for several years, but only came to fruition this year after new production director Clay Mercer joined WRVS.

“He has some vision and wants to do a few things and bring in some new ideas,” Jones said. “They approached me about doing this every Thursday and I was with it. I thought the football team could try and get out there a little bit and get some exposure in the community.

“(Applebee’s) was all for it. Their corporate headquarters was into it and everything we’ve asked Applebee’s to do, they’ve done.”

 

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Scouting report: Morgan State at Howard football

Morgan State (3-3, 2-1 MEAC) at Howard (4-2, 3-1 MEAC)
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Greene Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.
Radio: 88.9 FM
Series: Morgan State leads 40-24-1

What’s at stake: Morgan dropped a homecoming heartbreaker last week, giving up a game winning touchdown with 25.6 seconds left. The 24-20 loss to North Carolina Central was the Bears’ first MEAC defeat. Saturday will mark Howard’s homecoming, and the Bears would love nothing more than to ruin it. But the Bison are also coming off a loss and will be out to get back on track in front of a excited crowd.

Key Matchup: Howard’s defense has been good all year, ranking fifth in total defense in the MEAC. But what sets the Bison apart is their ability to get to the quarterback. Howard has 17 sacks this season, good for third in the conference. Morgan has given up 16 sacks so far this season, so protecting the quarterback will be important if the Bears want to leave D.C. with a win.


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Bethune-Cookman wary of last-place Norfolk State

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  --  Last year, Bethune-Cookman turned its season around with a victory against eventual Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champ Norfolk State.

On Saturday, Norfolk State has a chance to turn its season around against B-CU (4-2, 0-3), which like the Spartans last year, is trying to remain undefeated in the conference.

 

B-CU meets Norfolk State at 4 p.m. Saturday at Municipal Stadium.

 

“Even though their record may not show it, this is still one of the toughest teams in the conference,'' B-CU coach Brian Jenkins said of the Spartans (2-5, 0-4), who have lost five games in a row and have virtually no chance to defend their MEAC title.

 

Norfolk State coach Pete Adrian issued similar words of warning last year before a physical B-CU team dominated the line of scrimmage to upset the Spartans 14-6 on national TV. The Wildcats, who were 1-2 in the conference going into the game, began a string of five consecutive MEAC victories to end the season.




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Stillman College looking to rebound against Fort Valley State

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama  --  In seven games this season, Stillman College has seen just about every type of outcome imaginable.

The Tigers have won close games.

They started out the season with a 28-27 victory on the road against Central State (Ohio) and defeated Benedict (S.C.) 24-19. They've lost in close games too, falling 31-26 to Shaw University (N.C.).

They've been blow out, getting the business end of a 31-0 game against Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) and they've put up a pair of double-digit victories themselves against Kentucky State and Lane College (Tenn.) .

Coach Teddy Keaton is hoping their gambit of experiences will help them to recover from last week's 16-0 defeat at the hands of Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe Tuskegee and pick up a victory when they host Fort Valley State (Ga.) Saturday in another key conference matchup.

Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at Stillman's Tigers' Stadium.

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WSSU Rams set sights on Livingstone Blue Bears' Powell

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  Winston-Salem State will see a different Livingstone team at 1:30 today at Bowman Gray Stadium.

The Blue Bears have long been the doormats of the CIAA, but this season, they at least have a semblance of an offense behind freshman quarterback Drew Powell. At 6-3 and close to 240 pounds, Powell is a load to bring down and has helped elevate the team with his strong arm.

"He's only a freshman, but he's playing like a junior or senior," Coach Connell Maynor of WSSU said of Powell. "He's got a good strong arm, and he spreads the ball around, and he's hard to bring down. If you go in there and just try to grab him, he's going to throw you off and embarrass you.

"He's a big guy, and you really have to wrap him up."

Nonetheless, Powell will have to contend with a WSSU defense playing its best football — the starting unit has allowed just three touchdowns over the last four games.



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Mississippi Valley no pushover

JACKSON, Mississippi  --  There might have been a time earlier this season that Jackson State players may have overlooked Mississippi Valley State.

You could forgive them for such thinking. After all, MVSU had won all of one game the previous two seasons under coach Karl Morgan. But as JSU (3-4, 3-2 SWAC) enters Saturday’s homecoming game against the Delta Devils, it does so knowing it can no longer dismiss the team from Itta Bena.

In one of the more surprising SWAC storylines this season, MVSU (3-4, 2-2) is in the hunt for an Eastern Division title thanks in large part to a defense ranked fourth nationally. Delta Devils defensive tackle Robert Simpson leads the SWAC in tackles for a loss and perhaps best epitomizes the ferocious, swarming style of play that has garnered MVSU’s defense quite a reputation.

More importantly, MVSU has won two straight games — its longest winning streak since winning three in a row in 2006.  Talk about a turnaround.




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Howard’s Greg McGhee relishes return to starting lineup after suspension

WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  As the Howard University football team’s Sept. 1 season opener against Morehouse crept closer, sophomore quarterback Greg McGhee went through practices, position meetings and film sessions as usual.

But instead of preparing for his 12th career start, McGhee was about to watch the Bison from the sideline for the first time. “Keep your head up,” he heard more than once before his three-game, NCAA-mandated withholding began. “Those three weeks will come and go faster than you know.”

At the time, McGhee — the 2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rookie of the year — wanted to believe them. Almost two months later, the quarterback still appreciates the sentiment, but now it also draws a slight chuckle.

“It was actually the longest four weeks ever because we had the bye in there, too,” McGhee said.

After a breakout campaign last fall, McGhee figured to enter this season as one of the most important pieces in Coach Gary Harrell’s rebuilding project at his alma mater. Instead, McGhee was one of 11 Howard football players who missed time as a result of an NCAA investigation into their improper use of textbook allowances.

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Coaching continuity a key to WSSU's prolific offense

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  -- There's a lot to be said for continuity in a football staff, and Winston-Salem State has it.

Coach Connell Maynor and assistants John Eder and Duane Taylor have known each other a long time, and their familiarity, and a shared philosophy, make things easier on game days.

WSSU has put more emphasis on its passing game this season — a change from last season, when the offense often relied on 1,800-yard tailback Nic Cooper.

"This year, teams are trying to take the running game away from us, so they are forcing our hand to throw the ball, and we don't mind doing that," said Maynor, who noted that St. Augustine's often had seven or eight defenders close to the line of scrimmage during last week's game.

The Rams can still run when they need to, and Maurice Lewis has become one of the CIAA's best running backs. But quarterback Kam Smith has a variety of receivers at his disposal and won't hesitate to throw.

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NCCU Beats Hampton on ESPNU To Remain a MEAC Leader

DURHAM, North Carolina – A near capacity crowd inside O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium and an ESPNU national television audience watched North Carolina Central University win its fourth game in a row with a 37-20 victory over Hampton University on Thursday night.

The Eagles remain unbeaten in the MEAC with a 4-0 record and improve their overall tally to 5-2. The win also ends NCCU’s eight-game losing skid against the Pirates, as the Eagles dropped Hampton for the first time since Sept. 24, 1983.

NCCU scored touchdowns in all three phases of the game – offense, defense and special teams. And the Eagles chipped in a field goal for good measure.

An overpowering NCCU defense forced four turnovers (two interceptions and two fumble recoveries) and tackled 12 Hampton ball-carriers behind the line of scrimmage, including eight quarterback sacks.

The defensive play of the night, which was featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10, was turned in by junior linebacker Tazmon Foster, who intercepted a pass and broke three tackles on the way to the end zone for an 80-yard touchdown. Foster added a fumble recovery and tied for the team lead with eight takedowns.

Fellow NCCU linebacker Ty Brown also recorded eight tackles, including 2.5 hits for a loss with a sack. Linebacker Matt Willison collected seven stops with a forced fumble, while safety Ryan Smith posted seven tackles with an interception and a fumble recovery.

A staunch defensive front was anchored by seniors Xavier Proctor, Stephen Young and John Drew. Proctor recorded six takedowns (five solo) with 3.5 hits for a loss with 2.5 sacks, Young added four stops with a pair of sacks, and Drew contributed four tackles with a takedown behind the line of scrimmage.

NCCU junior quarterback Jordan Reid threw for 193 yards and two touchdowns on 11-for-22 passing. He found senior receiver Geovonie Irvine four times for 99 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown connection that provided the Eagles with a 20-3 halftime advantage.

A 20-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Oleg Parent increased the lead to 23-3 midway through the third quarter.

However, Hampton made the game interesting with 17 unanswered points to trim the deficit to 23-20 on a 38-yard touchdown scamper by Pirates’ running back Jeremiah Schwartz, who finished the contest with 129 ground yards and a pair of scores.

On the ensuing kickoff, NCCU senior play-maker Arthur Goforth electrified the crowd of 9,648 with a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to slam the momentum back into the Eagles’ favor with 9:09 remaining in the contest.

A 20-yard touchdown pass from Reid to senior running back Gary Douglas sealed the victory.

Irvine’s four catches moves the senior into second on the NCCU career receptions list with 152 for 2,209 yards and 16 touchdowns.

NCCU hits the road for the sixth time this season next week at Bethune-Cookman. The Eagles and Wildcats currently share the lead in the conference standings. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. in Daytona Beach, Fla.  

Box Score

ESPNU Highlights
 



COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Where Shaw QB Stallons goes, his Bears follow

JAMES STALLONS

RALEIGH, North Carolina -- As Shaw concluded one of its worse seasons in 2011, coach Darrell Asberry could only wonder, “What if?”

Patrolling the sideline with clipboard was a 6-foot-6, 210-pound quarterback with a strong arm and Big Ten background. James Stallons signed with Wisconsin in 2007 and was part of the program for two years before transferring to Grand Rapids (Mich.) Community College. In 2010, he threw for 2,061 yards and 19 touchdowns against just four interceptions before switching to Shaw. Stallons was supposed to be on the field for the Bears last season, but eligibility issues kept him sidelined.

Asberry never got the chance to see his recruit after leaving for Texas Southern University. Stallons beat out last season’s starting quarterback Quinshon Odom to lead a Bears team intent on returning to its championship ways. Shaw has won four CIAA championships since reinstating football in 2003. It’s those titles that caught Stallons’ attention. 

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TSU Football to be on FCS Pacific Saturday

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  The Tigers first game on FOX College Sports will be this Saturday, Oct. 20 at Jacksonville State at 11 a.m. CST.

All DirecTV subscribers with the “Sports Package” will be able to see the game on Fox College Sports – Pacific (FCS Pacific) on Channel 623. DirecTV subscribers will be able to watch the DELAYED broadcast on Fox College Sports South (FSSO) on Channel 646.

Cable subscribers need to check their local listings for Fox College Sports – Pacific (FCS Pacific) for the LIVE broadcast. As a reminder, Fox College Sports may be part of the cable provider’s “Sports Tier”. Cable subscribers will be able to watch the DELAYED broadcast on Fox College Sports South (FSSO) at 10 pm CST/11 pm EST Saturday. Kevin Ingram, host of "The Wake Up Zone" on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, will handle play-by-play duties while and Bob Belvin, host of "The Team" on Sports Radio 540 The Fan in Clarksville, will provide analysis.

FCS is available on most major TV providers including AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. For complete TV provider information and availability log onto http://fcs.channelfinder.net/start.asp.

Follow TSU Athletics on Facebook.com/TSUTigers, Twitter @TSU_Tigers and YouTube.



COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Southern University ready for pivotal SWAC football game

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  Southern University interim football coach Dawson Odums said he knew Saturday’s game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff was big when he noticed the number of players filtering in and out of the football complex Sunday and Monday. The Jaguars (3-3, 2-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) play host to Pine Bluff (4-2, 3-1) in a game for first place in the West Division on Saturday at 6 p.m.

It’s quite a change from last month, when the Jaguars fell to 0-2 after a loss to lowly Mississippi Valley 6-0. The next day, Southern forced Stump Mitchell to step down as head coach and promoted Odums, the defensive coordinator.

Since then, Southern is 3-1 and finds itself in the thick of the SWAC race.

“I take my hat off to the staff and the young men who have rallied to get to this point,’’ Odums said. “This is the first time I’ve seen so many guys come up to do extra film work and get extra information. But winning does that. We’re excited about where we are and we’re excited about where the young men are with their focus.’’

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NCCU Eagles plan to focus on Hampton, not cameras

Hampton U. @ North Carolina Central

Thursday, Oct. 18

Time: 7:30 pm ET

Durham, N.C., O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium

TV: ESPNU

 

DURHAM, North Carolina — There are to be no extra compression sleeves, skull caps or anything else that isn’t normally worn when an N.C. Central football game is not on national television, Eagles coach Henry Frazier III said.

The music at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium won’t be any louder, either, Frazier said.

“We’re going to stay in character,” Frazier said. “When we stay in character in terms of working hard, respecting our teammates, then I expect us to go out and perform the way we’ve been performing.”

NCCU will be looking to hold onto a share of first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tonight when it hosts Hampton (7:30 p.m., ESPNU).

The Hampton game is the last of three in 12 days for NCCU (4-2, 3-0 MEAC).

Frazier believes his team physically is strong enough to hold up during that stretch, and he said the task of making sure the Eagles don’t get blinded by the bright lights of national TV exposure falls on the coaching staff.

 

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XU 37th in poll, awaits Saturday defense of GCAC title

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana collected three points Wednesday in the NAIA Women's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 poll. It's the second consecutive week and the fourth time in seven polls this season that the Gold Nuggets received points.

The XU women, who did not compete this past week, are 37th in the rankings. Three-time defending national champion Cal State San Marcos is No. 1 for the third consecutive week and the fifth time this season.

The Gold Nuggets will compete Saturday in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships at Clinton, Miss. They'll try to win the team championship for the seventh consecutive year. XU sophomore Zahri Jackson will attempt to repeat as individual champion.
    
The Gold Rush also have GCAC streaks. The XU men have won the last six team titles and produced the past three individual champions. Two of those runners — senior Matt Pieri (2010 champion) and sophomore Kwame Jackson (2011) — will run Saturday. Jackson is an older brother of Zahri Jackson.
    
The 5,000-meter women's race will start at 8 a.m., followed by the 8,000-meter men's race at 8:30. Choctaw Trails Cross Country Course — where Xavier competed October 5 in the Mississippi College/Watson Ford Invitational — is the GCAC Championships site for the second consecutive year and the sixth time in eight seasons. Team champions, plus the top five finishers not on those teams, will qualify for the NAIA National Championships at Vancouver, Wash., on Nov. 17.

NAIA Women's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Poll(first-place votes in parentheses) Rank Team Points Last 1 Cal State San Marcos (21) 652 1 2 British Columbia 629 2 3 College of Idaho (2) 607 tie-3 4 Olivet Nazarene 594 tie-3 5 Biola 574 5 6 Carroll (Mont.) 546 6 7 Northwest Christian 517 7 8 Westmont 512 8 9 Cornerstone 476 9 10 Dordt 457 10 11 Oklahoma Baptist 447 12 12 Aquinas 415 14 13 Lewis-Clark State 412 11 14 The Master's 401 13 15 Rocky Mountain 361 15 16 Concordia (Calif.) 323 16 17 St. Francis (Ill.) 305 20 18 Doane 282 tie-18 19 Milligan 249 tie-18 20 Illinois Tech 234 17 21 Eastern Oregon 225 RV 22 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 212 22 23 Concordia (Neb.) 183 23 24 Huntington (Ind.) 180 25 25 Taylor 144 24 Others receiving votes: Northwest 132, Indiana Wesleyan 76, Oregon Tech 69, Shawnee State 63, Saint Xavier 52, Baker 33, Spring Arbor 18, Southern Oregon 18, Trinity Christian 10, Texas Wesleyan 10, Lee (Tenn.) 6, Xavier 3.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Alabama Small College Football Preview - 10/17/2012

DOTHAN, Alabama -- The Jacksonville State Gamecocks have a chance to get back into contention for the Ohio Valley Conference title when they host league-leading Tennessee State at 11 a.m. (CT) Saturday, despite coming off their second league defeat.

The Gamecocks' 31-28 loss to Eastern Illinois dropped them into a tie with Murray State for fifth place in the OVC standings at 2-2 (3-3 overall). But JSU is only one game behind a trio of teams tied for second at 3-1 (Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee-Martin and Eastern Illinois) and 1 1/2 games out of first. Tennessee State (7-0, 3-0) is one of four FCS teams still undefeated.

So a victory by the Gamecocks would put them in the middle of a tight race for the OVC crown that could involve as many as seven teams. A loss, however, would leave JSU all but eliminated from championship contention.

The Gamecocks hold a 6-1 lead in this series, but none of the Tennessee State teams they beat were 7-0 and ranked No. 17 in the nation. The Tigers have not been undefeated this late into the season since the 1999 team went 11-0.

"They have some of the best players I have ever seen," JSU coach Jack Crowe said. "They are big up front and they can run the ball. Defensively, they are in the top three in the league in almost every category. It will be a challenge for us."

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Miles College to face tough passing attack against Lane Saturday

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- After pummeling Kentucky State 45-0 on the road last week, Miles College will seek to spoil its second homecoming in a row when it travels to Jackson, Tenn. Saturday to face Lane College in a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown.

Miles, the defending conference champions, held Thorobreds running back Justin Williams to 61 yards on 14 carries in its first shutout of the season. The Golden Bears (6-1, 4-0) will likely see an entirely different look when they take to the field to face the Dragons, who operate the conference's third-rated pass offense.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Lane Field.

"I told them," Miles coach Reginald Ruffin said, referring to his team's secondary. "They're going to earn their money's worth this week because of what Lane does."



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SIAC Battle Of The Bands: Albany State University vs. Morehouse College

The House Of Funk of Morehouse College showing you why HBCU Marching Bands do it better as they face off against the Marching Ram Show Band of Albany State University.

2012 SIAC Road To The Championship: Morehouse Maroon Tigers v. Albany State Golden Rams

Free student tickets ready next week for XU arena debut

An Oct. 12, 2012, photo of the nearly completed Convocation
 Academic Center at Xavier University of Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana students can pick up free tickets Oct. 22-26 at XU Student Services (room 305 of the University Center) for the season-opening basketball doubleheader in the new Convocation Academic Center.

Dennis Cousin, XU's athletics director, said Wednesday that students with a valid XU identification card can pick up one free ticket for the Nov. 3 games featuring Xavier's men against Morehouse at 1 p.m. and Xavier's women against Johnson & Wales (Fla.) at 3 p.m.

"These are first-come, first-served tickets," Cousin said. "We hope our students will take advantage of this opportunity to be part of something special as we move into our new arena. These five days will be the only opportunity for XU students to get a free ticket to the opening games."

Students and everyone else — including faculty, staff, alumni and fans — may purchase additional tickets for $10 each at The Barn and at the cashier's office on the third floor of Xavier South. Those tickets will go on sale Thursday.

Nov. 3 activities will include tailgating starting at 10 a.m. and a ribbon-cutting and blessing of the facility at 11:30. Former Gold Rush basketball players will be introduced at halftime of the men's game, and former Gold Nuggets basketball players will be introduced at halftime of the women's game.

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

The Xavier Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets compete in Division I of the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) as a member of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC). Xavier fields men's teams in basketball, cross country, tennis and track and field and women's teams in basketball, cross country, tennis, track and field and volleyball.

N.C. Central football ready for ESPNU's cameras

DURHAM, North Carolina  --  The stage is set, and North Carolina Central believes it is ready for prime-time.

In only its second year as a Division I-AA program, Central is eager to show an ESPNU national audience how much the program has improved when it hosts Hampton at 7:30 Thursday night.

“It’s awesome,” coach Henry Frazier III said. “We’re talking about developing our brand as an FCS program. What better opportunity is there than for over [73 million] households to have a chance to see what we’re doing as a program here at North Carolina Central?”  The Eagles (4-2 overall, 3-0 MEAC) already doubled their win total from last season and are tied with Bethune-Cookman atop the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings. The Eagles will try to end an eight-game losing streak against Hampton (1-4, 1-2) and extend their current three-game winning streak before next week’s showdown at B-C.

“[The team] just has to follow my lead,” he said. “I’m going to be consistent. Just take it one play, one quarter and one game at a time. I think if we bring the hammer for 60 minutes, good things will happen for us.”


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TSU Tigers continue conference road slate at JSU

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee State remained undefeated on the season (one of just four FCS teams perfect on the year) with a 40-28 road victory at Southeast Missouri last week. The Tigers take the record and a national ranking to Jacksonville State for a key matchup on Saturday. The game is part of the OVC Game of the Week TV package.

Tennessee State is now 7-0 and off to its best start since 1999, when the team was a perfect 11-0 in the regular season and ascended to No. 1 in the national polls. Entering this week the Tigers are ranked 17 in the Sports Network poll and 18th in the FCS Coaches poll. In its win over SEMO on Saturday, the Tigers never trailed by used several big plays when the game got close.

With SEMO driving late in the third quarter down just six points, sophomore Steven Godbolt III intercepted a pass (just the second time this season SEMO had been picked off) and returned it 62 yards to the Southeast 26-yard line. Five players later junior running back Trabis Ward scored his second of four touchdowns to push the Tigers to a 12-point advantage. Ward scored three of his touchdowns in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 267 yards (the fourth-most in the FCS this year) on 43 carries (the most by a player in the FCS this year). Ward now ranks sixth nationally in rushing (129.71 yards/game) and second in scoring (11.14 points/game).
 

The win was the first at Southeast Missouri for the Tigers since the 1999 season, breaking a five-game losing streak in Cape Girardeau. Despite allowing its most points of the season (28) to Southeast, TSU still ranks 13th nationally in scoring defense (16.43 points/game) and is the only OVC team in the Top 50 nationally in total defense (48th, 350.14 yards/game).

Jacksonville State is facing an important game, as a loss would give the team three OVC losses and pretty much eliminate them from OVC title contention. The Gamecocks committed five turnovers, missed three field goals and ran out of time to attempt a game-tying field goal in a 31-28 loss at Eastern Illinois on Saturday.
 

The Gamecocks were impressive on the ground, rushing for 290 yards as a team, 149 of those yards coming from Washaun Ealey, who had three rushing touchdowns; Ealey was the first player to rush for 100 yards against EIU this season. The JSU defense was also able to limit the potent Panther offensive attack, holding them to 381 total yards, nearly 140 yards less than their season average (which ranks second nationally). Jax State held Eastern without points for the first 21:15 of the game, 6:59 longer than any other opponent this season. Junior Rashad Smith led the team with 13 tackles, his second double-digit tackle output of the season.
 

As a team JSU ranks sixth nationally in third down conversion percentage (51.11%) and eighth in punt return yardage defense (2.67).
 

Jacksonville State has won six of the seven all-time meetings with TSU, including the last three. The last time Tennessee State won was in 2006, a 38-31 victory in Jacksonville. The teams did not play in 2007 or 2008. In 2008, TSU was 8-2 (5-1 OVC) and ranked 16th nationally when they played at JSU, only to lose 26-21 on a touchdown run by Calvin Middleton with 13 seconds to play. Last year the two teams closed out the season against each other win the Gamecocks winning 38-16 to claim a share of the OVC Championship. In that game JSU’s Coty Blanchard completed 14-of-18 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 38 yards and another score. Jax State rushed for 190 total yards while holding TSU to 87 total yards on the ground.The game is scheduled for 11 a.m. and will be available live on Fox College Sports. he game will also air delayed on FOX Sports South at 10 p.m. CT that night. Click the link to find Fox College Sports in your area, fcs.channelfinder.net/start.asp.

 

Tennessee State Game Notes .pdf
OVC Weekly Football Release.pdf
Coach Rod Reed Weekly Team Update




COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Who Is the Best in the FCS?

DWIGHT FLOYD
"The Editor"
SPORTSEDIT.ORG

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  It occurred to me that some of the fanatics trying to rank FCS teams may need some help. Well, here it is.

There are 13 conferences in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision and nine of them are represented in the top 20 of the Coaches Poll; 10 conferences in the top twenty-five. The Big Sky, Colonial Athletic Association, and Missouri Valley conference each has 4 teams represented in top 25; that’s 12 of the top 25 teams. Even the “prissy” Ivy League where you have to be super smart just to be accepted to one of the schools has a team that is ranked. Only the MEAC, SWAC and Pioneer conferences are not represented in the top 25. Who are the Towson Tigers and why at 5-1 are they better than the 6-0 Tennessee State Tigers? The Coaches Poll says they are better. So, are the teams represented in the polls the best?

SportsEdit.Org Fan Poll

It is not unusual for a team like those in the SWAC and MEAC to be underrated in the polls. Keep in mind that the year FAMU won the first 1-AA Championship they were among the last to be accepted into Division 1-AA football. Originally they were denied membership before those men making the decision changed their minds. If those men were so wrong about FAMU then why not now about some of the teams that are being overlooked?

 
 

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College Volleyball: Livingstone Blue Bears now 17-5

SALISBURY, North Carolina  --  Football season is winding down and basketball season is around the corner, but the buzz at Livingstone College these days is about the women's volleyball team.Under the direction of Head Coach Reggie Isley, the squad is 17-5 and among the leaders in the CIAA. And no matter how they fare the remainder of the season, they're guaranteed to finish with a better record than last year's 15-15 mark.

"I think we mesh a lot better this year," said sophomore Iman Isom, a libero and outside hitter from Laveen, Ariz. "We get along better as a team and we flow more on the court. Last year there was more competitiveness among the players, which took away from team cohesiveness."

Isley, in his seventh year as volleyball coach, said his squad is doing surprisingly well this season.

"After I lost three people I thought would return this year, I didn't think the team would do as well," Isley said. "I had to make a lot of adjustments and work with the players I had."

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