XU's Pieri, Mead are Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes

MATT PIERI

JAVON MEAD

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana men's cross country standouts Matt Pieri and Javon Mead have been named 2012 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes, the NAIA announced Friday.

The XU runners are among 203 men to receive that honor this season. It's the second consecutive year that Pieri has received it, and it's Mead's first time.

Student-athletes are nominated by their institution's head coach, must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved junior academic status to qualify for Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete.

Pieri is a senior from New Orleans and a graduate of Brother Martin High School. The pharmacy major is a two-time Gulf Coast Athletic Conference individual champion (2010, 2012) and the GCAC career record-holder with 13 runner of the week awards. Mead, a junior from Baton Rouge, La., and a graduate of Baton Rouge Magnet High School, is an accounting major and a three-time All-GCAC runner. He finished fifth Oct. 20 at the GCAC Championships.

Both Xavier teams will compete Saturday in the season-ending NAIA National Championships at Vancouver, Wash. The 5,000-meter women's race will begin at 10:30 a.m. PST (12:30 p.m. New Orleans time), followed by the men's 8,000-meter race at 11:45 a.m. PST. This will be Pieri's third appearance at nationals and Mead's second.


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

READ RELATED ARTICLES
11/19/2012: Live stats/William Carey at XU men's basketball, 7:30 p.m.

11/19/2012: Live stats/LSUS at XU women's basketball, 5:30 p.m.

Gold Rush are 6-0 after overtime victory against Wiley

Georgetown eliminates Nuggets in NAIA opening round

 Griffins give Gold Nuggets a rare home defeat

 Fakler leads Xavier at NAIA National Championships

It'll be a busy Saturday for 5 XU teams, 3 in postseason

Tennessee State women's basketball hosts Big 12 member Kansas State

GAME NOTES | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS

GAMEDAY
After nearly a week off, the Tennessee State University women's basketball team will return to the Gentry Center to host Big 12 member Kansas State in non-conference action on Tuesday, Nov. 20. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.

COVERAGE
TSU vs. Kansas State will be streamed live on www.OVCDigitalNetwork.com. The radio broadcast can be heard at TSURadio.com while live stats will be available to follow at tsutigers.com.

THE LADY TIGERS AT A GLANCE
The Lady Tigers are coming off a, 59-43, road loss to South Alabama last Monday. With the loss, TSU fell to 1-1 on the season. After just two games, senior Simone Hopes has emerged as the scoring leader for the Lady Tigers with an average of 11.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Chelsea Hudson is averaging 8.5 boards per outing.

As a team, TSU is averaging 47.5 points per outing while shooting 31.9 percent from the field and 0.83 percent from beyond the arc. TSU is currently shooting only 48.6 percent from the free-throw line while committing an average of 22.0 turnovers per game.

TSU averages 39.0 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 14.0 steals per game.

LAST TIME OUT
Tennessee State played South Alabama tough for most of the game but suffered through a scoring drought that ultimately led to the Lady Tigers falling to the Jaguars, 59-43, on the road. Alana Morris led TSU in scoring as none of the Lady Tigers scored in double-digits. Chelsea Hudson pulled down nine rebounds while Jasmin Shuler recorded five steals in the contest.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Kansas State is off to a 2-0 start this season. The Wildcats have home wins over Idaho State (62-54) and most recently Arkansas- Pine Bluff (89-55).

Against UAPB, K-State had five players to score in double-digits led by Brittany Chambers' 15 points. Brianna Craig tallied 13 followed by Ashia Woods, Haley Texada and Ashlynn Knoll who each chipped in 10 each.

After two games, the Wildcats average 75.5 points and 36.0 rebounds per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field. Chambers leads the team with 18.5 ppg while Texada (10.5 ppg) and Craig (10.0 ppg) round out the top three scorers for K-State. Woods is the team's leading rebounder with 8.5 caroms per outing.

TSU vs. KANSAS STATE
Tennessee State and Kansas State will meet for only the second time in the program's history. Kansas State leads the series, 1-0. Kansas State claimed the only meeting between the two teams, 72-58, during the 1999-2000 season.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Tennessee State will remain on the road for a three-game swing in Montana. The Lady Tigers will face Idaho and Montana in the Lady Griz Classic (Nov. 30-Dec.1) before matching up with Montana State on Dec. 3. TSU will then have a nearly a two week break before hosting Cleveland State on Dec. 16 in the Gentry Center.

 

 

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VISIT: TSUTIGERS.COM

VISIT: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY

Virginia Union’s Dave Robbins excelled with a hard-nosed style

COACH DAVE ROBBINS
2012 NATIONAL COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY (1978-2008)
NCAA D-II National Championships: 1980, 1992, 2005

KANSAS CITY, Missouri  --  Dave Robbins never thought he’d be a pioneer. But when he was hired as Virginia Union’s head basketball coach in 1978, that’s exactly what he became.

Now, about 34 years and three NCAA Division II championships later, that fact is an undeniable part of the legacy of Robbins, the first white coach in the history of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which is composed of historically black colleges and universities.

“Until people started writing about it, I had no idea I was the first white coach in the conference,” said Robbins, who took part in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sunday. “I didn’t know, and it didn’t matter.”

Indeed. Robbins employed a hard-nosed style — the same one he used as a high school coach before he got the college job — to guide Virginia Union to a 713-194 record, 14 CIAA championships and 21 NCAA tournament appearances in 30 seasons as the coach.

But Robbins insists he didn’t have this much success — or even make the transition — on his own. He credits scores of assistants and players, and singles out former star Keith Valentine — whom Robbins guided to a state championship in high school — for helping to grease the skids with Virginia Union’s players, at least initially.

“He, probably more than anyone else, (helped),” Robbins said. “The word was, he told people ‘You’re not going to like this guy’s ways, but if you listen to him, we’ll win.’ ”

And win they did. In 1980, with Valentine and Robbins on board, Virginia Union captured its first D-II national championship.

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If not for FAMU, we would all be poorer

University leads the way in civil rights, professional programs, sports, history and more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  If there had been no University of Chicago or University of California-Berkeley, maybe the nation would have fewer Nobel Prizes. If there had been no University of Pennsylvania or M.I.T., maybe the nation would have fewer titans of business.

But if there had been no Florida A&M University, the city of Tallahassee, the state of Florida and the nation would have been a poorer place in many ways. Because over the course of its 125 years, FAMU has been one of the nation’s leading producers of opportunity for black citizens — which has benefited us all.

FAMU was a place blacks could get a college education in the days before integration. It has been a university where blacks learned the professional skills that created a more diverse workforce. It’s been a university that helped everyone to share in the American dream.

“In a very significant way, the existence of FAMU provided the opportunity to say, ‘How wonderful could we be when everybody has the ability to compete and live equally,’ ” said Frederick Humphries, the FAMU president from 1985 to 2001. “Without a FAMU, the wherewithal in terms of human resources to make a more productive, more diverse society would not have been possible.”


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Bethune-Cookman will take on Coastal Carolina in NCAA FCS playoffs first round

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  --  Bethune-Cookman got what it wanted Sunday when the NCAA Football Championship Series selection committee awarded the 9-2 MEAC champs with a first-round home game to open the playoffs.

B-CU will host Coastal Carolina (7-4) next Saturday at Daytona Beach Memorial Stadium at 2 p.m. All first-round games will be streamed live on ESPN3.

"We're happy and excited to be lining up against a team like Coastal Carolina," said B-CU head coach Brian Jenkins of the Chanticleers, who are the 15th-highest scoring team in the FCS at 35.16 points per game. B-CU averages 30.15 and ranks 34th of the 121 FCS schools.

"We need to be consistent, operate our scheme and continue to play good, sound defense like we have all season."

This is the second time in three seasons that B-CU is hosting a playoff game.

"It speaks volumes for the direction we are headed in," Jenkins said.

"Coastal Carolina is a well-coached team, and I'm sure they will be prepared for this game," said Jenkins. "They play at a high level and are very talented. It's going to be a tough and exciting game."

 

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Florida Classic skips a beat without FAMU's famous marching band

ORLANDO, Florida - The absence of FAMU's famous marching band had a bigger impact on Saturday's Florida Classic football game than many had expected.

Even before fans stepped into the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, they knew the crowd would be small. Parking — compared to previous years at least — was a breeze.

One glance at the stands and it was obvious that half the crowd had skipped this year's game, likely because FAMU's Marching 100, suspended because of a hazing that killed drum major Robert Champion last fall, would not be performing. The high-energy battle between the Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman University bands at halftime is the Classic's main attraction.

But the missing band hurt more than just attendance, the tally for which came in at 32,317 people — about half the 60,218 fans who came to Orlando last November for what has been the nation's largest football game between two historically black colleges.

The game wasn't as lively, alumni and others said. When Bethune-Cookman's team scored a touchdown, the Marching Wildcats energized the crowd with music. But FAMU had no band to root for it.



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Week 12, HBCU Scorecard

OVC
Tennessee-Martin 35, Tennessee State University 26

MEAC
Bethune-Cookman 21, Florida A&M 16  (Florida Classic)
North Carolina A&T 22, North Carolina Central 16
Hampton 27, Morgan State 17
Howard 41, Delaware State 34
South Carolina State 27, Savannah State 13

SWAC
Auburn 51, Alabama A&M 7
Mississippi Valley State 34, Texas Southern 3
Jackson State 37, Alcorn State 11
Arkansas - Pine Bluff 42, Prairie View A&M  41

OTHER
Kentucky State 17, Central State (Ohio) 6
Edward Waters 24, Virginia University of Lynchburg  21 (Homecoming)

NCAA Division II Playoffs
Lenoir-Rhyne 21, Fort Valley State 6
West Alabama 41, Miles College 7

NCCU Eagles’ turnovers seal win by NCA&T Aggies

DURHAM — N.C. Central fumbled six times and lost three of those during Saturday’s game against rival N.C. A&T, and the Aggies took advantage with a 22-16 overtime win at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

A&T had the first possession in the extra session and scored on a 5-yard run by Mike Mayhew.

The Aggies missed the extra point, leaving NCCU with a chance to seal the win with a touchdown and point-after kick.

But the carelessness with the ball that cursed the Eagles resurfaced on third and 1.

NCCU reserve center Zachary Giles, who played at Hillside, snapped the ball over the head of quarterback Jordan Reid. NCCU running back Arthur Goforth recovered the ball on the Eagles’ 42.

On fourth down, Reid’s pass to Decona Roberts fell incomplete to end the game, crushing Goforth’s spirit.

“Last time touching the field,” Goforth said. “I’m going to miss it.”




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Georgetown eliminates XU Nuggets in NAIA opening round

GEORGETOWN, Kentucky — Allyson Wilbourn had 18 kills Saturday to lead Georgetown (Ky.) to 23-25, 25-16, 25-15, 25-20 victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the 2012 NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round.

The Tigers (34-4), ranked 13th, will advance to the NAIA National Championship Final Site at Sioux City, Iowa, Nov. 27-Dec. 1. Xavier, in its fifth year of intercollegiate volleyball, finished 22-8 and lost in the opening round for the second consecutive season.

Wilbourn, who hit .545 with no errors in 33 attacks, was one of three Tigers with double-figure kills. Caraline Maher had 14, and Kathryn Smith had 11 with a .474 hitting percentage.

Taylor Reuther had 13 kills, two aces, eight digs and three assists for Xavier. Chinedu Echebelem had eight kills, eight digs and two blocks, and Moira Kirk had seven kills, five blocks and a career-high-tying nine digs. Patrice Smith and Claudia Haywood had six kills apiece. Franziska Pirkl had 38 assists and 14 digs, and Jodi Chatters had 12 digs.

Georgetown outhit Xavier .333 to .137 — .390 to .131 in the final three sets — and had advantages of 64-46 in kills and 74-62 in digs.

Reuther, Echebelem, Smith and Haywood each had kills during a 10-4 run which gave the Gold Nuggets a 19-13 first-set lead. Smith ended the set with a kill.

Georgetown improved to 16-1 at home this season and ended the Nuggets' six-match win streak. It was the third time in 43 matches since the start of 2011 that Xavier lost after winning the first set.

Box score

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

UAPB Golden Lions Hold-Off PV Panthers

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas  --  Pine Bluff, AR- It was senior day for the Golden Lion football team, as they hosted the Panthers of Prairie View A&M University. This was also the day head coach Monte Coleman received his first SWAC Western Division trophy as a head coach.

Spirits were high as the Golden Lions struck first when senior Quarterback William Dunn found Ladarius Eckwood on a five yard touchdown pass four minutes into the ballgame. Then the track meet began.

Prairie View would answer right back Courtney Brown found the end zone from five yards out to cap a nine play, 55 yard drive.

The Golden Lions would score two more touchdowns in the first quarter, first on a seven yard jaunt by Justin Billings; then Ben Anderson would find Desmond Beverly on 24 yard pitch and catch to close out the first quarter 21-7.

But the Panthers would not be out done, as they marched 55 yards on 10 plays to find glory one more time, but the extra point was missed by Chris Barrick; that would prove to be costly later on in the ballgame.




Anderson would find Beverly once again, this time on 10 yard touchdown reception to push the score to 28- 13, in favor of the Golden Lions. Prairie View would answer back with two scores to pull within one. But Anderson would strike again, this time he found Alton Taylor on a five yard swing pass to go up 35-27 just before the half.

The Panthers came out of the half on their opening possession and drive 62 yards to make it a 35-34 ballgame. Anderson would score on a 19 yard run late in the third quarter to give UAPB a 42-34 lead.

Prairie View would find the end zone one more time to give the ball game its final score 42-41.

Defensively, the Golden Lions were led by senior linebacker Bill Ross who had 12 tackles, five solo and seven assisted. The Golden Lions had three others players with double-digit tackles as well. Xavier Lofton had 11, Ryan Shaw and Jarvis Webb each had 10, respectively. Buck Buchanan Award nominee, Brandon Thurmond, had another sack on the day brining his NCAA leading total to 16.5.

The Golden Lions will have a small break for the Thanksgiving holiday, then it's back to work as they prepare to face the Tigers of Jackson State in the SWAC championship game on December, 8^th, at historic Legion Field in Birmingham, AL. Kick-off is set for 12:00 pm.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Fakler leads Xavier at NAIA National Championships

Catherine Fakler

VANCOUVER, Washington  -- Catherine Fakler ran 5,000 meters in 20 minutes, 12 seconds Saturday to record Xavier University of Louisiana's fastest time ever at the NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championships.

Fakler, a sophomore, placed 191st out of 320 runners and set XU women's records at nationals for highest finish and most runners beaten. Her time is the 21st fastest in XU women's history.

Freshman David Holobowicz was Xavier's top finisher in the men's race. He ran 8,000 meters in 28:21 to place 275th out of 309 runners.

Xavier finished 31st out of 32 women's teams and 31st out of 31 men's teams. This was the fourth appearance at nationals in five years for both the Gold Nuggets and the Gold Rush.

Xavier's other finishers in the women's race were Hali Yarmush (249th, 20:53), Zahri Jackson (286th, 21:43), Hannah Finnegan (289th, 21:45), Donyé Coleman (302nd, 22:16) and Briana Simms (316th, 22:50). The other XU men's finishers were Kwame Jackson (287th, 28:42), Aaron Yarmush (288th, 28:43), Emmanuel Detiege (304th, career-best 30:04) and Javon Mead (307th, 30:42).

XU's Matt Pieri, a two-time Gulf Coast Athletic Conference individual champion, was injured and did not compete.

British Columbia scored 98 points to end the three-year reign of Cal State San Marcos as women's team champion. College of Idaho's Hillary Holt was the individual champion in 17:00, 20 seconds faster than runner-up Sharon Ronoh of Lindsey Wilson. St. Francis (Ill.) won the men's team championship with 138 points, and John Gilbertson of The Master's was the fastest male in 23:56, 10 seconds better than second-place Greg Montgomery of College of Idaho.

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

FAMU has long history of sports championship

For most of the years that FAMU has participated in college athletics, its teams have brought home championships on the regional and national level.

Arguably the biggest victories came in football, including a stunning win over the University of Miami and winning the first NCAA Division I-AA championship.

But FAMU has countless trophies and hundreds of athletes who have taken home championship rings in other sports.

There might be enough to fill a book, but here are some of the highlights that illustrate just how well the Rattlers have done in bringing winning teams to The Hill:

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Schwartz boosts Hampton past Morgan State in Season Finale, 27-17

BALTIMORE, Maryland  --  Jeremiah Schwartz and Hampton capped the 2012 season with a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory Saturday afternoon at Morgan State. The Bears finished the season with six consecutive losses, all by a combined total of 31 points.

The Bears fall to a 3-8 overall record and finished 2-6 in the conference.

Schwartz, the MEAC's leading rusher, had a workmanlike effort for the Pirates by gaining a game-high 113 yards on 29 carries, including a pair of touchdowns.

The Pirates needed about every one of Schwartz's yards, because Hampton's passing game had all kinds of trouble against the Bears' defense.

Morgan State recorded a season-high eight sacks and racked up three interceptions, while holding the HU's quarterback duo of Travis Champion and Brian Swain to a combined 4 of 18 passing for just 42 yards.

Travis “Juice” Davidson watched from the sideline through most of the first half, but went to work after halftime.

Trailing 14-7, Davidson recorded 56 yards on just six carries in one quarter of work and had a 20-yard run to help setup a 35-yard field goal by Earvin Gonzalez that trimmed the Pirates lead to 20-17 at the end of the third quarter.

Davidson finished the day with 12 carries for 81 yards and became Morgan State's No. 9 leading rusher in school history with 1,690 yards for his career.

The Bears defense forced Hampton to punt on its next drive, and MSU took over deep in its own territory, but was held to a 3-and-out.

Hampton took advantage by chewing up the clock on the ground. On 4^th and 2, quarterback Brian Swain took the snap and faked a handoff to the fullback and pitched to the ball Christopher Dukes who raced 16 yards for a touchdown. Taurean Durham's extra point gave Hampton the 27-17 lead to all but seal the Bears longest losing streak since 1996.

A 2-yard run by Brian Mann made it 7-7 with 12:49 to go in the second quarter. It was Mann's third career touchdown and it marked the Bears first touchdown in eight quarters.

Morgan State collected three penalties late in the second quarter to help setup a 4-yard plunge for Schwartz's first TD of the day to give the Pirates a 14-7 advantage at halftime.

Robert Council completed a 33-yard play-action pass to Chris Flowers who was wide open in the endzone to knot the ball game at 14-14 with 9:38 to go in the third quarter.

Council completed 12 of 28 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.

The Pirates responded with a 10 play, 51-yard drive that consumed just over 4 minutes. Schwartz scored from one-yard out. The ensuing point after attempt failed. Hampton led 20-14 at the 5:26 mark of the third quarter.

Bear Notes
The game originally was scheduled to be played at Yankee Stadium but was shifted back to Baltimore after problems from Hurricane Sandy.

Travis Davidson completes his collegiate career as the No. 9 leading rusher in Morgan State school history

Elandon Roberts recorded a season-high 19 tackles with a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss … the true freshman linebacker is currently on the Jerry Rice Watch List

Senior DL Bakari Smith recorded a career-high 12 tackles with a forced fumble

Morgan State posted 312 yards of total offense, while Hampton finished with 273

RB Brian Mann had 13 carries for 30 yards

Joe Rankin collected his fifth interception of the season and the 10^th of his career

The Bears had 12 penalties for 130 yards

The Bears defensive unit finished the season with 14 interceptions.


COURTESY MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Howard Comes From Behind To Capture Second Place

Washington, DC -- Howard University erupted for 35 unanswered point in the second half to come from behind and defeat Delaware State, 41-34 in a thrilling, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game at Greene Stadium.

With the win, the Bison (7-4, 6-2 in the MEAC) capture second place in the conference. Delaware State was tied with Howard coming into the game as was North Carolina Central, which lost to North Carolina A&T.

The two teams had a feeling out process to start the game before the Hornets (6-5, 5-3 in the MEAC) drew first blood with a 32-yard field goal at the 4:36 mark of the first quarter. The Bison were unable to get untracked, so the Hornets made good of the opportunity with their highly efficient offense. Quarterback Nick Elko engineered a nine-play, 70-yard drive that was capped off with an 18-yard pass to Justin Wilson.

Howard was able to finally get something going when John Fleck nailed a 41-yard field goal to make it 10-3. But Elko came right back when he finished off a drive with 3-yard toss to Wilson to give Delaware State a 17-3 halftime lead.

The Hornets upped the margin to 24-3 when Nick Williams returned a pass 79 yards for a TD.



Then Howard woke up and began to change the flow of the game. First Terrence Leffall capped off a short dive with a 9-yard run to get to within 24-10 at the 10-minute mark

Following a Delaware State turnover, the Bison cashed in again, going 22 yards in three plays. McGhee connected with Matthew Colvin from 20 yards to narrow the deficit to 24-17 at 8:12 of the third quarter.

Howard got the ball back and scored again on an 18-yard McGhee to Stewart Hartman touchdown pass, tying the score at 24-all, going into the fourth quarter.

McGhee gave the Bison their first lead of the game when he engineered an 11-play, 80-yard drive that was finished off with a three-yard run by Leffall.

On the Hornets' ensuing possession, Howard scored again when senior All-American linebacker Keith Pough returned a fumble 36 yards for a TD to up the margin to 38-24 to start the fourth quarter.

"We made some adjustments at halftime," explained Howard second year head coach Gary Harrell, a strong candidate for MEAC Coach of the Year. "We wanted to make sure that we got Greg McGhee back into the form that we saw from him last week. Terrence Leffall did a great job of running hard for us and our defense did a good job of bending but not breaking. Our tempo in the second half created problems for Delaware State and they couldn't adjust to Leffall on the ground and McGhee and his plays with his arm and his running."

Leffall managed only 38 yards on 12 carries but in the second half, he amassed 215 yards and two TDs. McGhee was equally effective. After completing only 4 of 7 for 38 yards, the talented sophomore completed 14 of 21 for 141 yards and two TDs to go along with his 58 yards rushing in the second half.

"The offensive line did an outstanding job today as they have all season," said Leffall, who played in only eight games this season but still managed to gain more than 1,000 yards. "We came out in the second half and played with more energy. Once we got the momentum, things changed. This is a big win for this program." Leffall's totals placed him in second place all time for rushing yards in a game to Harvey Reed (260 in 1987).

Added McGhee, "I had to tell the team at halftime to keep their heads up and keep fighting. "We knew we had to correct the things we were doing in the first half and play with more energy."

The Hornets forced a turnover on Howard's next possession and Elko and Travis Tarpley made quick work of the opportunity when they teamed up for a three-yard TD pass with plenty of time left.

Howard temporarily stopped the Hornets' momentum with a 37-yard Fleck field goal to make it a two-possession game at 41-31 with 4:18 left on the clock.

The Hornets were able to put together a 72-yard drive, but the Howard defense held and forced a 20-yard Mitchell Ward field goal at the 2:02 mark

Then came another of a series of game-changing plays when Delaware State recovered an onside kick at the Howard 42-yard line with time still left on the clock. But the Hornets hopes of a game-tying TD was thwarted when Howard cornerback Ademola Olatunji picked off an Elko pass, allowing the Bison to run out the clock and finish with the most victories since the 1998 season.

The Bison, who were picked to finish eighth in the pre-season, recorded their best record since the 1998 season.

"In year one, we wanted to be competitive and in Year Two and Three to be contending for a MEAC championship," said Harrell. "We want to keep climbing. Not winning the championship this season is a disappointment. We just have to keep recruiting and continue to build this program."

GAME NOTES: The Bison piled up a season-high 526 yards of total offense…the 347 yards rushing marked the first time this season that Howard has reached that plateau…Colvin, one of two freshman starting receivers, grabbed a career-high six catches for 60 yards and his first career TD…Keith Pough had his best game in several weeks, recording 12 tackles and returning a fumble 36 yards for the first TD of his career…Damon Greshman Chisholm continues to show why he is the top candidate for MEAC Rookie of the Year…the freshman from Covington, GA, had four tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and a recovered fumble.

COURTESY HOWARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SC State End Season With Win Over Savannah State Tigers

ORANGEBURG, SC  --  The South Carolina State Bulldogs (5-6 overall, 4-4 MEAC) close out the regular season with a, 27-13 victory over Savannah State (1-10, 0-8 MEAC) Saturday at Dawson Stadium/Jeffries Field.

South Carolina State saluted and honored 17 seniors who played their final home game against Savannah State on the day.
    

Red-shirt junior quarterback Richard Cue (6-1, 180) finished with 214 yards pass throwing 14-of-33-2 for two touchdowns in the victory. Freshman Tamarrick Hemingway (6-5, 210) led the receiving corps with five catches for 81 yards.
 

       

The Bulldogs defense was spearheaded by senior linebacker Cortney Ingram (5-10, 190) with 10 tackles to close out his career. Sophomore's Andrew Carter (6-1, 240) and Justin Hughes (6-1, 220) each added 10 tackles, two sacks, and two tackles for loss on the day.
       

"First I would like to thank those seniors who played their heart out for SC State, this football team, and our coaches and me," said SC State head coach Buddy Pough. "We when thru some things this year that we are not accustomed to, but we made it thru the storm."

  

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Tennessee StateTigers comeback falls just short at UT Martin, 35-26

MARTIN, Tennessee  --  A three touchdown fourth quarter got Tennessee State back into the game at UT Martin, but the Tigers comeback just fell short in the final game of the season as they lost to the Skyhawks 35-26 on Saturday.

Trailing 28-6 heading into the fourth quarter, TSU (8-3, 4-3 OVC) scored touchdowns on its first three possessions of the quarter and was a two-point conversion away from tying the game.

It all started when Vernon Frett blocked a 44-yard field goal that was returned to the TSU 38 by Greg Barksdale. Michael German hit A.C. Leonard on the next play for a touchdown to cut the Skyhawks lead to 15.

German finished with career-highs with 28 completions, 44 attempts and 355 yards, along with three touchdowns.

TSU turned UT Martin (8-3, 6-2 OVC) over on downs when they couldn't convert a fourth-and-27 on the TSU 34. The Tigers took advantage going 66 yards on seven plays in just 1:36. Joe Bowens caught a German pass from four yards out as UTM led 28-20 with 6:42 remaining.

The Tiger defense force a three-and-out to put the ball right back in the hands of its red hot offense. German extended the eventual scoring drive running for 10 yards on a fourth-and-four. Leonard grabbed his second score of the game from German in the right side of the end zone from four yards out.

Leonard had seven catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the season with 51 catches for a team best 733 yards and six touchdowns.



With TSU needing to go for two trailing 28-26 with two minutes left, German was sacked. UTM recovered the onside kick and had the ball at the TSU 41 with 1:55 left and the Tigers only have one timeout remaining. The Skyhawks had an illegal block penalty and a run out-of-bounds to stop the clock twice. It came down to a fourth-and-two with just over a minute left.

The Skyhawks elected to go for it and it paid off as quarterback Derek Carr threw a 33-yard touchdown to Quentin Sims, their third scoring hookup of the game, to put the Tigers away 35-26.

Carr finished 21-for-40 with three touchdowns and an interception. Sims had eight catches for a game best 176 yards and three scores.

The Tigers first possession of the game ended with a 10-yard Jamin Godfrey punt that was shanked to the left, out of bounds at the Martin 32-yard line. The Skyhawks scored the very next play as quarterback Derek Carr hooked up with Quentin Sims for the 7-0 lead.
Carr and Sims had similar results less than four minutes later as the senior connected for a 50-yard score as Sims streaked up the right sideline for the two touchdown advantage midway through the first quarter.

On its third possession, the Tigers finally got the offense rolling as three straight third down conversions resulted in a 29-yard field goal from Godfrey. Trabis Ward had two of the third down conversions rushing for 20 yards on a third-and-seven at the UTM 43 and for nine yards on a third-and-eight at the UTM 21. Ward had 106 yards on 24 carries.

With 8:01 remaining in the first half, Jason McNair extended the Skyhawks lead to 21-3 with a 75-yard punt return.

TSU responded with three straight completions to Travis James for 32 total yards, before a Leonard six-yard reception ended with a fumble caused by Julius McNair at the UTM 18.

James had a game-high nine catches for 139 yards.

UTM turned the ball over on its next possession as Ronn Vinson caught a floater from Carr at the UTM 43 and returned it 18 yards. The Tigers couldn't punch it in the end zone and settled for another Godfrey field goal, this one from 22 yards out to go into the locker room down 21-6.

German found James in the middle of the field for a 68-yard reception down to the UTM 17 on the first play of the second half. The drive ended on a missed Godfrey field goal from the 29-yard line that was wide left.

A German interception late in the third quarter gave the Skyhawks a short field at the TSU 36 and set up their fourth touchdown on the day, a one-yard run from D.J. McNeil, to put UTM up 28-6 with 2:47 left in the third quarter.

Martin converted a fourth-and-two with a 33-yard touchdown from Carr to Sims, their third TD's of the game.

The eight wins for Tennessee State are the most since finishing 8-4 during the 2008 season. The last time TSU won more than eight games in an 11 game regular season was 1999.




GAME NOTES:
 Travis James ends his career with 1,698 receiving yards, fifth most all-time in TSU history. He finished the season with a team best 55 catches for 730 yards ... Trabis Ward had 309 carries for 1,422 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns on the season ... German threw for 2,751 yards as a sophomore, the fourth most in a single season for the Tigers. Brian Ransom, Shannon Harris and Leon Murray are the only QB's to throw for more yards in a single-season. He now has 4,640 yards in his career, sixth best in school history.




COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Griffins give Gold Nuggets a rare home defeat

The 2012-13 Xavier University of Louisiana women's basketball team.
(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

ROSTER
 COACHES 

NEW ORLEANS -- Cydney Tibbits scored 21 points Saturday to lead Westminster (Utah) to a 62-50 victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in a matchup of a ranked NAIA Division I women's basketball teams.

The Griffins (4-1), ranked fifth, gave the No. 11 Gold Nuggets (2-1) their first loss in three games in their new Convocation Center. Xavier entered with 124 victories in its past 132 home games and an active home streak of 12 straight.

Westminster has won four in a row.

Tibbits, who played all 40 minutes, was 7-of-10 from the floor, made 2-of-3 3-pointers and 5-of-5 free throws. She grabbed a game-high seven rebounds and had three assists.

Nicole Yazzie had 11 points, five rebounds and six assists for the Griffins, who outshot the Gold Nuggets 52.5 to 39.2 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 32-20. Both teams shot free throws well, but Westminster made 13-of-15 to Xavier's 7-of-8.

Andraquay Quinnine and Whitney Gaston-Loyd scored 12 points apiece for Xavier, and Danielle Tucker had 10. SiMon Franklin, who scored a career-best 18 points Tuesday against Spring Hill, had six points and was 3-of-12 from the floor.

Yazzie's 3-pointer at 15:41 of the first half put Westminster ahead to stay at 5-4. The Griffins built the lead to 26-10 before Xavier cut the margin to 29-24 at halftime.

But Westminster scored the first seven points of the second half, led 47-29 after Amy Krommenhoek's basket, then scored the game's final nine points after Carmen Holcombe's two free throws at 1:54 reduced the lead to 53-50.

Tucker's basket at 18:03 of the first half gave Xavier its only lead, 4-2.

Westminster committed 23 turnovers, eight more than Xavier, but was credited with assists on all 21 of its field goals.

Xavier, in a stretch of three consecutive games against ranked opponents, will play NAIA No. 19 LSU-Shreveport at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Convocation Center.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUSIANA
XULAATHLETICS

XU Gold Rush are 6-0 after overtime victory against Wiley

 

The 2012-13 Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball team.

(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

ROSTER 

COACHES

 

NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Simmons scored 18 points and grabbed a career-high-tying 13 rebounds Saturday to lead NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of Louisiana to an 82-77 men's basketball victory in overtime against Wiley at the Convocation Center.

The Gold Rush are 6-0 for the fourth time in six seasons, including five victories on their first-year home court.

Simmons, a two-time All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference forward, recorded his first double-double of the season and the seventh of his career. Teammate Denzell Erves had his fourth double-double of the season -- 16 points and 11 rebounds -- the 11th of his career.

Wanto Joseph had 17 points, a career-high eight rebounds and five assists for Xavier, and Nick Haywood -- scoreless for the first 29 minutes -- finished with 11 points.

Karlos Gary scored 15 points for Wiley (4-1), and Tayler Jacobs had 12 points and nine assists.

The Wildcats spent just 18 seconds with the lead -- after Gary's 3-point play at 2:56 of overtime gave them a 75-73 lead. Xavier outscored Wiley 5-0 in the final 1:08, and Haywood passed to Erves for a basket with put Xavier ahead to stay, 79-77, with 35 seconds remaining.

Vanderis Christie's basket for Wiley with 52 seconds remaining tied the score at 72 and forced overtime.

Xavier, winning for the 13th consecutiove time at home, outshot Wiley 45.3 to 40.3 percent from the floor and had a 46-36 rebound advantage. It was more of the same for the Gold Rush and Wildcats; nine of their last 11 meetings have been decided by six points or fewer, including three overtime decisions. Xavier has defeated Wiley 13 consecutive times at home since 1986.

Xavier made 21-of-31 first-half free throws and finished 29-of-44. Wiley made 13-of-26 free throws.

Xavier will play William Carey at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Convocation Center.

Box score

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

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11/17/2012: Gold Rush are 6-0 after overtime victory against Wiley
11/17/2012: Georgetown eliminates Nuggets in NAIA opening round
11/17/2012: Griffins give Gold Nuggets a rare home defeat
11/17/2012: Fakler leads Xavier at NAIA National Championships
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Mississippi Valley Delta Devils close out season with best SWAC record since 2006

HOUSTON, Texas  --  A Mississippi Valley State season that began with a disappointing loss to Concordia College has turned into one to remember – in a good way.

The Delta Devils used its stingy defense and rejuvenated offense to defeat Texas Southern 34-3 at BBVA Compass Stadium to close out the 2012 season.

The win gives Valley (5-6, 5-4 SWAC) its best conference finish since 2006 when the Delta Devils also went 5-4 under Willie Totten. It also marked MVSU’s first three-game win streak since 2006 when they defeated Texas Southern, Prairie View and Alcorn State in a three-game span.

“I’m proud of our team,” said MVSU head coach. “It’s great that our seniors get to close out their career with a victory.”

MVSU wasted no time Saturday showing the Tigers (2-9, 2-7 SWAC) what they had to offer. Julian Stafford returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a score to give the Delta Devils an early 7-0 lead. But that wouldn’t get the last time TSU would hear from the sophomore standout.

He scored the game’s final TD on an 89-yard strike from Garrick Jones which gave the Delta Devils a demanding 34-7 lead.

Stafford finished the day with five catches for 160 yards and a TD. The Memphis native had a career-high 282 all-purpose yards.

While Stafford was the star of the MVSU, it was junior college transfer Kevin Eugene making a name for himself on defense.

The junior safety scored two second quarter TDs – the first on a 31-yard interception return and the final one on a 100-yard fumble return after TSU had drove to MVSU’s 2-yard line.

Eugene had two of Valley’s three interceptions.

His two defensive scores along with a 5-yard TD run by quarterback Garrick Jones gave the Delta Devils a commanding 27-3 halftime lead.

Then Stafford’s 89-yard TD catch with 7:54 left in the third quarter gashed TSU’s hopes of a comeback.
The win marked the second straight victory over the Tigers for MVSU.

Valley’s third-ranked FCS defense lived up to its reputation Saturday as well, sacking TSU quarterbacks six times and picking off three passes.

Keven Woods led MVSU’s defense with 10 tackles (2.5 for loss), 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Jeremy Langston added eight tackles (2 for loss) and a sack while Robert Simpson, who leads the FCS in tackles for loss, had six tackles (2 for loss) and 1.5 sacks.

Rico Shaw (1 sack), Marquez Floyd (0.5 sacks) and Javaris Fritz (0.5 sacks) also got to the quarterback.
MVSU senior cornerback Daanjeral Johnson had an interception.

The Delta Devils forced TSU to punt eight times throughout the game and limited to just 241 total yards. MVSU finished with 469 yards of total offense.

MVSU running back Brandon Stansell closed out his career with another remarkable game on the ground. He rushed for 102 yards on 14 carries while quarterback Garrick Jones added 89 and a TD on the ground.

Jones finished 10-of-21 through the air for 148 yards and a TD with a pair of interceptions.


COURTESY MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

UWA Wins Playoff Opener Over Miles, 41-7

LIVINGSTON, Ala. – Gary Johnston rushed for 154 yards and West Alabama rolled up 578 yards of total offense on the way to a 41-7 NCAA Division II Football First Round Playoff victory over Miles College Saturday at Tiger Stadium.

The Tigers, who also limited Miles to 30 points below its season average, improved to 9-3 overall and travel to Valdosta State for a second-round matchup against the Blazers on Saturday. This will be UWA's second trip to Valdosta State this season. The Tigers posted a 39-28 victory over VSU on Sept. 22. Miles ended its season at 8-3.

“We executed well all day long and our defense played extremely well after the first drive,” UWA head coach Will Hall said. “That's kind of been our M.O. all year that people have something schemed against us and then Coach (Robert) Henry gets them to the sidelines and makes the adjustments that make us the defense we are.

“Offensively we have hit our stride over the last few weeks and have been extremely efficient,” Hall said. “We are built for 60 minutes. We are not a throw it 65 times a game team. We are 60-minute team that's going to pound you as the game wears on, but we did start fast today and that was good to see.”

Johnston, a junior from Gulf Shores, Ala., picked up his 154 yards and three rushing touchdowns on 22 carries while also completing 10-of-15 passes for 90 yards.

Freshman running back George Michael Rowe of Prattville, Ala., contributed 84 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries for the Tigers. Both of Rowe's scoring runs came in the fourth quarter from 16 and nine yards.

“Another great effort by Gary today. I don't know if he got tacked by the first guy all day,” Hall said. “That's something we talk about with our skills guys. If you are good player you don't get tackled by the first guy.”

West Alabama struck first when Kyle Caldwell found Malik Lofton on a 40-yard touchdown pass to cap a nine-play, 87-yard drive on its first possession. Johnston put UWA up 14-0 on a 31-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter. Johnston's run came on a fourth-down conversion attempt by the Tigers.

“Our offensive line and receivers did a great job all day,” Johnston said. “If we can just make one person miss then it puts us in a good situation as runners.”

Miles threatened for the first time midway through the second period, but the drive stalled at the UWA 15 yard line, forcing a 32-yard field goal try. Ryan Jones blocked Patton Chambers attempt to end the threat. The blocked field goal was the fifth by the Tigers this season.

“Coach Henry just told us to slow down. We were already in the right position, but we were over pursuing and they were hitting cutbacks for a few big plays,” safety Otha Foster said. “Our defense has been good at keeping people from scoring all year.”

West Alabama, who leads the nation in pass defense and came into the game fourth in the land in total defense, limited two Miles quarterbacks to just 8-of-20 passing for 104 yards. The Tigers recorded four tackles for loss and a sack.

“We had some penalties that stoned some drives and we were in the red zone three or four times and didn't get in,” Miles head coach Reginald Ruffin said. “Those are points and the name of the game is the one who has the most points at the end of the game wins.”

West Alabama made it 21-0 with 5:04 to play in the first half when Johnston rambled in from 3 yards out to cap a 10-play, 78-yard drive following the blocked field goal.

The Tigers missed an opportunity to stretch the lead on the final play of the first half, but Ryne Smith's 42-yard field goal attempt was blocked, ending his NCAA-record field goals made streak at 24.

West Alabama marched 77 yards on 13 plays to open the second half. Johnston's third rushing touchdown of the game, this one from the 1-yard line, gave the Tigers a 27-0 lead after the extra point sailed wide left.

Miles avoided the shutout when Denzel Veale scampered in from 5 yards out after a pass interference penalty on fourth down kept the Miles drive alive at the UWA 2 yard line. Veale's score capped an 11-play, 78-yards drive that took 3:38 to play.

“West Alabama did a great job of keeping us out of the end zone. We had our shots,” Ruffin said. “Defensively, we couldn't do anything to stop the quarterback (Johnston). We knew he was a good player and that they had a good core of receivers and a good offensive line.”

Lofton had five receptions for 82 yards to pace UWA receivers. Marcus Brown and Curt Amacker had four catches each. Javae Swindle rushed for 72 yards on just five carries for the Tigers.

Foster finished with seven total tackles, including one for a loss. Jones and Deon Lacey had five each.

Floyd Graves led Golden Bear rushers with 69 yards on 10 carries. Tyrrell Kinder recorded nine tackles to lead Miles.


COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF WEST ALABAMA ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Lenoir-Rhyne wins first postseason game since 1962, tops Fort Valley State

HICKORY, North Carolina  –  The Lenoir-Rhyne Football Team (9-2) advanced to the second round of the 2012 NCAA Division II Playoffs with a 21-6 victory over Fort Valley State (8-4) Saturday afternoon at Moretz Stadium.

L-R, winners of eight straight games, moves on to face Carson-Newman (8-2) next Saturday at Noon in Jefferson City, Tenn.

The two South Atlantic Conference squads faced off on September 15 with the Eagles prevailing by a 47-23 score at home. L-R has not lost since the setback to Carson-Newman.

L-R sophomore fullback Isaiah Whitaker (Salisbury, N.C.) rushed for a game-high 117 yards with two scores to lead the Bears in their first postseason appearance in 50 years.

Junior defensive back Michael Green (Kingsland, Ga.) added a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown as L-R won its first postseason game since a 20-7 win over Northern State (S.D.) at home on December 1, 1962. The 1962 squad would eventually fall in the NAIA National Championship game.

Whitaker's 57-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter proved to be the lone score in the first half for either squad.

Whitaker's second score of the contest, a one-yard run, was set up by a 99-yard kickoff return by sophomore halfback Jarrod Spears (Bunnlevel, N.C.) to start the second half.

The Bears pushed the advantage to 21-0 on Green's interception return for a score with three minutes remaining in the third quarter before the Wildcats finally got on the board in the final stanza.

Fort Valley State quarterback Antonio Henton (Fort Valley, Ga.) found wideout Stephen Stroman (Lithonia, Ga.) for an 11-yard touchdown reception with 9:57 remaining in the contest. Henton finished with 242 yards passing in the losing effort.

Lenoir-Rhyne, which rushed for 243 yards in the game, held Fort Valley State on downs in the Wildcats' final drive of the contest and possessed the ball for the last five minutes to take the win.

Senior linebacker Demetrius Green (Cedartown, Ga.) led the defense with a game-high 12 tackles as the Bears held the Wildcats without a score four times in the red zone.

Lenoir-Rhyne also won its 12th straight game at home and picked up its most wins in the regular season since an 11-1 mark during the 1962 campaign.

Box Score

COURTESY LENOIR RHYNE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Auburn 51, Alabama A&M 7

AUBURN, Alabama  --  An Auburn offense that has struggled most of the season had its best game of the year Saturday in a 51-7 win over Alabama A&M on Senior Night in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Tre Mason led the onslaught with 181 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries, and senior Onterio McCalebb also went over the 100-yard mark and scored twice on 15 rushes.

True freshman quarterback Jonathan Wallace finished 10-of-18 for 171 yards and a touchdown.

Trent Fisher even got in on the scoring, intercepting a pass and returning it 60 yards for a touchdown to cap the scoring for the Tigers with 2:38 remaining.

Auburn (3-8) will look for its first SEC win of the season in its final game next week at No. 4 Alabama.

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Jackson State routs Alcorn, earns spot in SWAC title game

LORMAN, Mississippi — The Soul Bowl returned to the Alcorn State campus Saturday, but Jackson State maintained its dominance in the series.

JSU scored 14 points off Alcorn turnovers to start the second half and rolled to a 37-11 victory over the Braves Saturday at Spinks-Casem Stadium. On a day that started with Alcorn trumpeting the series’ return to the Braves’ campus after an 18-year run in Jackson, it ended with the Tigers walking out Eastern Division champions and on their way to the SWAC championship game for the first time since 2008.

“I’m happy for the kids and Jackson State and our administration,” JSU coach Rick Comegy said. “We didn’t play as well in the first half as we did the second half, but I’m glad they responded and came out and got the win.”

JSU junior running back Tommy Gooden was named the game’s overall MVP after rushing for two touchdowns and 68 yards. Fellow running mate Rakeem Sims earned offensive MVP honors after running for a game-high 152 yards and one touchdown. Joseph LeBeau, who led JSU with eight tackles, including 3 for a loss and two sacks, was the defensive MVP.



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Florida A&M University Makes Progress with Anti-Hazing

TALLAHASSEE, Florida - The Rattler News Service has an in depth conversation with FAMU President Dr. Larry Robinson about changes on campus since the death of drum major Robert Champion last November. Dr. Robinson gives insight on when positions such as the special assistant to the president for anti-hazing will be filled and other measures that have been taken to study and change hazing - behavior that begins in many high school bands. He also discusses he Marching 100 future.

 

Bethune-Cookman rallies for 21-16 win over FAMU in Florida Classic

ORLANDO, Florida  --  Florida A&M (4-7, 4-4 MEAC) flirted with a big upset of rival Bethune-Cookman (9-2, 8-0 MEAC) during the annual Florida Classic at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

The Rattlers earned a 10-7 halftime advantage, but the Wildcats took control of the contest in the second half.

B-CU eventually scored a 21-16 win over FAMU. The Wildcats, who have already clinched the Mid-Eastern Atlantic title and are ranked No. 24 in the latest FCS Top 25 poll, were heavy favorites in the contest. They didn't look the part until the pivotal second half.

Wildcat Isidore Jackson rushed for a 34-yard touchdown and Sven Hurd hit the extra point, giving Bethune Cookman a 14-10 lead with 3:13 left in the third quarter.

The Wildcats tacked on another big touchdown in the fourth quarter. Andronicus Lovette rush for 1 yard touchdown. Hurd hit the extra point to give B-CU a comfortable 21-10 lead.

FAMU didn't give up. Damien Fleming passed to Dewayne Harvey for a 37-yard touchdown. B-CU blocked the ensuing extra point to make the score 21-16 with 8:04 left in the game.

B-CU's defense held on for the win.

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