Odums, Williams need Bayou Classic victory

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana  --  Dawson Odums and Doug Williams chowed down on shrimp and oyster po-boys in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome Tuesday looking like a couple of men who didn’t know where their next meal was coming from.

Which, in Odums’ case is actually true, because the Southern interim coach’s future might be riding on the result of Saturday’s Bayou Classic, if it hasn’t already been decided.



Odums could even joke at Tuesday’s press conference promoting the event — saying that the thing he was most nervous about was driving SU Athletic Director William Broussard back to Baton Rouge safely.

Williams presumably has more job security.

But the second year of his second stint as Grambling’s coach has been a 1-9 nightmare, and according to Williams, at least one prominent alumnus is very restless: himself.

“People forget that I’m an alumnus, too,” he said. “This has been a tough year, one that nobody at Grambling is used to.

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Southern QB Dray Joseph gets his chance to shine in Bayou Classic

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana  --  Dray Joseph gets it.

He is a native of Edgard, a small town on the Mississippi River, less than an hour from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

He is a junior at Southern University, now the etched-in-stone starting quarterback after two seasons of flip-flopping roles and inconsistent play.

Bayou Classic

WHO: Southern vs. Grambling

WHEN: 1:30 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Mercedes-Benz
Superdome, New Orleans

TV: NBC

RADIO: WYNK-HD2-FM, 97.7

His dad, Greg, attended Grambling. When Dray Joseph was a kid, they went to the Bayou Classic together.

Sure, the game’s not what it used to be. Joseph knows that. He has seen the dwindling crowds and lived through three rotten seasons with the Jaguars, who take a 3-7 record into Saturday’s showdown against archrival Grambling (1-9).

Judging by the records, this is the worst Bayou Classic matchup since the game began in 1974.

But Joseph gets it. It’s still the Bayou Classic, and Southern hasn’t won it since 2007.

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2012 Harlon Hill Trophy Finalist: Derrick Washington of Tuskegee University

Big Plays Turn 89th Turkey Day Classic Tuskegee's Way

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- Tuskegee turned four big plays into 20 points and knocked down a potential game-tying two point conversion with two minutes left to defeat Alabama State 27-25 in the 89^th Turkey Day Classic.

The exciting game between the two rivals was the opening game for the Hornets in their new on-campus stadium, which featured a sellout crowd in the first game.

“This was a blessing to be a part of this game,” Head Coach Reggie Barlow said. “I have been a part of some really big time games with a nice atmosphere, but this one here was outstanding. Kudos to both sides that came and supported the teams. Unfortunately, it did not end the way the Hornets wanted it to end, but we are still proud of our guys, they fought back at the end but at the end we just did not make enough plays.”

Isaiah Crowell's one-yard run with 2:04 left capped a nine-play, 70- yard drive to bring the Hornets to within two points at 27-25. Greg Jenkins two point-conversion was tipped away from T.C. McWilliams in the back of the endzone and Tuskegee (10-1) came away with the victory.

“Just like most teams, everybody has that one play that you work on a whole bunch and it is your bread and butter,” Barlow said. “You may have some other plays, but this was a play we have been working on a bunch. With a play like that, when it is a one-shot deal, you want to give your quarterback a two-type option. If he can't throw it in the flat, you want him to be able to run it or bring the defense up to him and make the throw, but it didn't work out for us and they did a good job stopping it.”

After Bobby Wenzig's 35-yard field goal midway through the third quarter cut the Tigers lead to 16-12, Tuskegee's Derrick Washington took a pitch and ran toward the sideline before pulling up and throwing a halfback pass to Marquel Gardner. The play covered 57 yards and put the ball at ASU's 19. Two plays later Justin Nared hit Kaleep Williams from 16 yards out for a touchdown. Tuskegee went for two and William Buford was able to convert the conversion and gave Tuskegee the largest lead of the game at 24-12.

On the second play of the final quarter, Jenkins found Jarrett Neely from five yards out to cut the lead to 24-19 with plenty of time left.

After that score Tuskegee put together their best drive of the game. The 15-play, 56 yard drive culminated with Eduardo Murillo's 20 yard field goal that put the Tigers up 27-19. The drive took 8:59 off the clock and left ASU with 5:22 to work with leading up to their final score.

Tuskegee was able to turn its first three big plays into scores in the first half on their way to a 16-9 halftime lead. On Tuskegee's first possession, Justin Nared was able to turn a third-and-17 play into a 42-yard long completion to Marquel Gardner. It was a pass that was tipped up in the air and Gardner grabbed the ball while on his back before it could hit the ground. That set the Tigers up on ASU's 22 and Murillo ended the drive with his first field goal of the game from 22 yards out that gave Tuskegee at 3-0 lead.

Tuskegee's next big play was a 61-yard run from Mike Thornton that led to Washington's six yard score. TU's final play, which may have been their biggest, was a 40-yard touchdown pass from Nared to Gardner with only 31 seconds left in the half to give the Tigers their halftime lead.

ASU's first half scores came on a Crowell three-yard run and a Wenzig 23-yard field goal.

The Hornets finished the game with Crowell rushing for a game-high 118 yards to go along with two scores, and Jenkins finished with 106. It is the second time this season the Hornets boasted two 100-yard rushers in a game.


Jenkins had a solid game throwing the ball completing 20 of his 26 passes for one score and 147 yards. ASU finished the game with 375 yards of total offense.

ASU knew coming into the game they had to stop Washington who entered the game with 1,399 yards in the team's first 10 games. After averaging almost 140 yards per game, ASU held Washington to only 95 yards on 22 carries. Nared finished the game completing nine of his 16 passes for 161 yards and the two scores.

“We knew Washington was a really good running back, and even better in person,” Barlow said. “He is an elusive guy, he runs for power and they have a good scheme that fits his running style. He came out and they gave it to him and the goal was to contain this guy. I thought for the most part the guys did a decent job it is just those big plays that ended up getting us at the end.”

The Hornets finish the season at 7-4. It is the third consecutive season the Hornets have produced seven or more wins in a season.

“There is a lot of emotion, of course, after you lose a game,” Barlow said. “Sometimes you want to be mad and jump up and scream, but no one feels worse than those players. I know the fans really, really want to win, but at the end of the day no one feels like they do because they are the one's going through practices and of course they wanted to open up the stadium the right way. So it was a combination of when you face adversity like we all will, you have to find a way to overcome it. This is right down that line and they have to find a way to get past it, pull their heads up and continue to live life.”
Box Score

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

NEXT GAME, DEC. 1:. Tuskegee University vs. Elizabeth City State University in the Pioneer Bowl, Columbus, Georgia.  The Hornets season ends at 7-4.

ASU Hornets, TU Tigers prep for Turkey Day Classic

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  --  Rivals Tuskegee and Alabama State are putting the final touches on their game plans in preparation for their Thanksgiving meeting in the 89th Turkey Day Classic.

“I do know they have a very, very talented roster, said Alabama State’s defensive coordinator Cedric Thornton during a conference call last week.











TUSKEGEE U. (9-1, 2012 SIAC CHAMPS) vs. ALABAMA STATE (7-3, 7-2 SWAC)
TV: ESPNU
TIME: 4:00 PM ET

Thornton was filling in for Hornets head coach Reggie Barlow.

“A lot of people look at Tuskegee University and say ‘they’re a Division II school; you’re a Division I school.’ They’re a Division II school, but not in talent. On their roster they have a linebacker that’s a University of Florida transfer. They have a running back that’s a University of Missouri transfer, and an offensive lineman that’s an Arkansas State transfer.”

The Golden Tigers roster features freshman Quavon Taylor, a 6-foot linebacker who transferred in from the University of South Florida. Derrick Washington, a 6-foot running back who transferred in from Mizzou and Chris Tolbert, a 6-foot-5 lineman who transferred in from Arkanasas State.

“I do know that they have very good personnel,” said Willie Slater, coach of the Golden Tigers. “The two quarterbacks that they play, as with their defensive linemen, are pretty good. Plus the level of competition they’ve been playing in Division I is a bit higher than what we are used to in the SIAC.”

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WSSU’s Carrothers welcomes a challenge

Winston-Salem, North Carolina  --  Anthony Carrothers is small for a college quarterback — just 5-8 and 170 pounds — but he has a big appetite for winning.

Carrothers, a redshirt sophomore, could make his first start for No. 2 Winston-Salem State on Saturday, if senior Kam Smith can’t play against No. 15 Shippensburg in the second round of the Division II playoffs.

That might seem to be a daunting assignment for some players, but the confident Carrothers doesn’t shy away from challenges. Kickoff is set for noon at Bowman Gray Stadium.

“I tell people all the time he threw for 10,000 yards in high school, he won a championship as a true freshman at Grambling (State), and I don’t care how tall he is,” Coach Connell Maynor said. “He’s a winner, and he knows how to play quarterback. Winners know how to win, and they know how to get it done.

“That’s why he’s on this football team.”

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Tennessee State Softball Signs Five to National Letters of Intent

Top (l-r): Gearlds, Grace, Shoulders; (l-r): Stansberry and Woodard Courtesy: Tennessee State Athletics   NASHVILLE, Tennessee   -  Tennessee State head softball coach Jeff Dabney has announced the early signing of five high school seniors. The class of 2017 consists of Liz Stansbury from Palmyra, Mo., and four from Tennessee, Courtney Gearlds (Donelson), Alex Grace (Moss), Sydney Shoulders (Hartsville), and Lauren Woodard (Mt. Juliet).   "We were looking to get more athletic and build depth to create constant competition for positions," Dabney said. "We lose two of our better players to graduation and filling the void is going to be tough, so it was important that we brought in capable speed, power, and pitching to make sure the program continues to move forward with the most athletic kids possible."   Courtney Gearlds IF/OF, Donelson, Tenn., McGavock HS/Worth 95 Gearlds is a four-year member of the McGavock High School team under head coach Alana Thomas and was named team MVP in her past two seasons. She is a three-time All-District recipient and has named to the All-Mid State Third Team as a sophomore and junior.   She has also been a member of the volleyball team for all four years and earned All-District distinctions during her junior and senior campaigns. As a senior, she also claimed a spot on the All-Region team.   Gearlds played travel ball for Charlie Gravat and Ricky Ritchie as a member of Worth 95. Her team qualified and competed in Birmingham, Ala., at the 2012 16-U ASA national championships.   Gearlds plans to study Dental Hygiene with aspirations for a career as a dentist.   Coach Dabney on Gearlds "Courtney is a local kid from literally down the street at McClintock. Her initial impact she made with us was her speed. I like people who can run. She put a ball in play and took off and I was interested. She came to camp and showed her athleticism and I liked what I saw. We sat down and talked with her and found out she is my kind of kid. She is competitive, but a really sweet and down to earth person."   Alexandria (Alex) Grace UT, Moss, Tenn., Clay County HS/Diamond Stars   Grace is a four-year member of the softball team at Clay County High School under the tutelage of Richard Boswell and Randall Walker. She has been selected to the All-Conference and All-District teams in all three seasons heading into her senior year of play. Grace guided her team to three consecutive district championships.   As a freshman, she earned a letter in volleyball before joining the basketball squad as a junior and senior. In her first year with basketball, Clay County claimed the 2012 Tennessee State Championship.   Grace plays travel ball for the Diamond Stars and head coach Jerry Woodard. She is undecided in her potential major at TSU.   Coach Dabney on Grace "She is a good find and I feel she has a big upside. She is a raw prospect with all the physical tools to play at this level, but just not the experience. She is a five-foot-ten kid with the ability to play all nine positions and switch hit. I look forward to see where she ends up during her four-years here. She will come in and will be a hard worker and compete. It will be interesting to see how good of a player she becomes as she progresses through our system."   Sydney Shoulders IF, Hartsville, Tenn., Trousdale HS/Tennessee Xplosion Gold   Shoulders has competed for Cecelia Stricker and Trousdale County High School for the past three years. She has been named to the All-District team in all three of her seasons and selected to the district All-Tournament team in her sophomore and junior years.   Shoulders is also a three-year letter winner in basketball and earned the Offensive Award in each year with the team, as well as the defensive award as a junior. She claimed a spot on the district All-Tournament as a freshman and sophomore and named All-District as a junior.   She was a Wendy's High School Heisman finalist and belongs to the Beta Club and the Interact Club. She serves on the student council and is a part of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Future Business Leaders of America. Her travel team, the Tennessee Xplosion, coached by Brian Drake and Murk Thurman, qualified and competed in the ASA 16-Under national tournament in 2012.   Shoulders intends to major in Nursing at TSU. Coach Dabney on Shoulders "She is a local kid and it was a high priority for us to put a stranglehold on local talent. I don't want to have to constantly run to the west coast to get everybody for your team. She is an athletic kid that plays shortstop for her summer team, as well as some outfield. She has a good arm, runs well and has power at the plate. She is also a great student and great students are easy to coach, in my opinion. She is also competitor and I just love everything she does on the field."   Elisabeth (Liz) Stansbury Infield, Palmyra, Mo., Palmyra R-1 HS/Worth Prospects   Stansbury competed all four years for Palmyra R-1 High School and head coach Brian Wosman. She helped guide her squad to conference championships as a freshman and a senior, as well as four straight district championships. As a sophomore, her Palmyra team finished second at the state championships, before coming back the next year to become State Champions. Stansbury and her teammates returned to the state tournament in her season, completing her career with a fourth place finish.   From her sophomore to senior seasons, Stansbury was an All-Conference, All-District and All-Area selection. She was named to the All-Region team as a sophomore and a senior and was named to the Missouri All-State during her sophomore campaign.   Stansbury was selected as an All-Conference and All-District athlete for the discus as a member of three district championship track and field teams. She is in her fourth year as a member of the basketball team, which claimed a conference championship as a junior. She was also a member of the golf team as a sophomore.   Stansbury plays for Cathy Weathered and the Worth Prospects during the summer and stays active as a member of the Future Business Leaders of America, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and a member of the student council, where she has served as secretary and vice president. She is also a member of the National Honor Society, Society of Academic Achievment, FCCLA and is on the Principal Liaison Committee. Stansbury also volunteers at the Maple Lawn Nursing Home.   As an incoming freshman, she intends to major in Psychology.   Coach Dabney on Stansbury "She is a Coach (Samantha) Buckner find. Buckner is a picky recruiter and Liz showed those intangibles that kept bringing her back. She is a ball player and at the end of the day, that's what you are looking for. We got the chance to actually be around her when she came to camp, to see what she was like as a person and that just sealed it for me. Coach Buckner gets all the credit for finding her talent wise, but Liz sealed the deal with me, because it is important to find good people for the program. She is a winner and a smart kid that plays the game hard."   Lauren Woodard P/Utility, Mt. Juliet, Tenn., Mount Juliet HS/Nashville Nighthawks   Woodard is entering her fourth year as a member of Brad Rowlette's Mount Juliet HS squad. She hit .333 as a freshman, but was used more as a pitcher as a sophomore as she tallied a 29-7 record. Woodard was used in both capacities as she finished 17-6 in the circle and hit .369 with three homeruns and 41 rbi.   The lefty utility player was selected as Rookie of the Year in 2010 at MJHS. Woodard was named to the All-District team in her sophomore and junior seasons as she guided her squad to back-to-back Sub-State Championships and berths to the TSSAA State Tournament.   Woodard also competed in volleyball in high school as a junior and currently plays her travel softball with Larry Spears and the Nashville Nighthawks. During the 2012 summer, her Illusions 16-U team, coached by Tonia Trrussell Martin, competed in the ASA National Championships in Birmingham. She is also a member of Fellowship Christian Athletes and is active in the community with The Bridge Fellowship.   Woodward intends to major in Special Education and hopes to work with children with special needs.   Coach Dabney on Woodard "She is another local prospect, from Mt. Juliet HS. She brings a left handed bat with power potential and played first base, outfield and pitches. The ability to be versatile is important to a softball program. It also brings a different look to the pitching staff and you have to be different at the higher levels. You have to have pitching to compete and you have to have athletic kids to do special things on our field. Lauren brings all that to the table. She does have a lot of development left to go and has a great upside. We feel she hasn't even come close to reaching her full potential and look forward to watching her grow." "They are all great students, which is important to us as a program," Dabney continued. "They all bring different intangibles to our team, but the main thing is they all fit the perimeters we are looking for in all of our classes; the ability to do multiple things."

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Ram Ramblings: NCAA comes to WSSU but it's a good thing

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  Not only is Connell Maynor a very good football coach he’s been lucky over three seasons to not have a long list of injuries to key players.

That luck ran out on Nov. 10 when quarterback Kameron Smith, who now holds every passing record in school history, went down in the second half of the CIAA championship game against Elizabeth City State. Smith could still play on Saturday in the second-round of the Division II playoffs but I’m guessing that Anthony Carrothers will get the start instead.

Smith, who is 30-3 as a starter, came at just the right time when he transferred from the U.S. Navel Academy before the 2010 season. Smith came here after Maynor was hired and Smith, who is from Raleigh, turned out to be one of Maynor’s best recruits.

The NCAA came to Winston-Salem about a month ago but it didn’t come looking for violations. Instead, the NCAA came and did a nice story on Smith and the rise of the WSSU football program.



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Picture of Grambling's Robinson unveiled at ceremony

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  --  When Steve Skipper was 36 years old, he made his way to Grambling State University to look into the possibility of painting a portrait of Eddie G. Robinson. Unfortunately, he missed Robison by five minutes.

Seventeen years later, Skipper unveiled what is now the official Robinson family commemorative portrait of the legendary football coach on Monday night at the Eddie G. Robinson Museum on the university's campus.

"I have three sons and four daughters, and as they celebrate the gift that God gave me, I want them to be able to celebrate the greatness of Eddie G. Robinson," said Skipper, 53, a Homewood, Ala., native and president of Anointed Homes Art.

 

Doug Williams and James Harris brought Skipper to the attention of the Robinson family. Williams, the head coach of last season's SWAC championship Grambling football team who leads his team into this weekend's Bayou Classic, and Harris, senior personnel executive for the Detroit Lions, played for Robinson, the winningest coach in NCAA Division I football history. The family commissioned him to paint the coach's portrait.
 

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Arkansas-Pine Bluff: the ultimate road warriors

COACH GEORGE IVORY

SAN DIEGO, California  --  The Arkansas-Pine Bluff men’s basketball team just returned from a three-game tournament in Hawaii. On Tuesday the Golden Lions bused to Little Rock and took two flights to San Diego ahead of tonight’s 7:30 game at Viejas Arena against San Diego State.

They’ll spend Thanksgiving here, then fly to Spokane, Wash., for a Saturday night game at Washington State.
 

Home for two days, then a road trip to Arizona State and Oregon.
 

Home for two days, then a road trip to Michigan State and Air Force.
 

Home for the holidays, then a two-game tournament in El Paso, Texas.
 

By the time the Golden Lions have their first home date of the season at H.O. Clemmons Arena, against Mississippi Valley State on Jan. 2, they’ll have played 11 games in eight states and five time zones and travelled 20,272 miles, or roughly 4,600 short of circumnavigating the planet.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff coach George Ivory explains it like this: “I tell our guys, ‘This is a life experience, to travel and see the world, to play against these great teams and great coaches. A lot of people will only see them on TV. You get a chance to shake Coach (Steve) Fisher’s hand and play in these big arenas.’

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Milford Mill grad Chase Cormier signs with Grambling State

BALTIMORE, Maryland  --  Chase Cormier graduated last spring from Milford Mill with a legacy of championships and individual honors, but not a single Division I scholarship. But despite his surprising lack of college of options, the 6-foot, 170-pound point guard said he never worried about eventually landing an offer.

“I knew it was a matter of time,” Cormier said. “As soon as I made my announcement to go to prep school, I started getting phone calls from coaches.”

 

Cormier’s thoughts about recruiting were proven correct earlier this month when the Grambling State coaches scouted him at his Fishburne (Va.) Military Academy practice and offered him a scholarship. The former Millers star signed his letter of intent to play for the Tigers this week.
 

“It feels like a relief,” said Cormier, who was also recruited by Rider. “Division I, that’s always been my dream since the ninth grade. It’s an accomplishment.”

Former Millers coach Al Holley – now in his first year as Friends’ boys basketball coach – always thought Cormier was a DI talent. But it was just a matter of finding the right fit.
 

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NCAA PLAYOFFS: Red Raiders Hit the Road to Face No. 2 Winston-Salem State on Saturday at Noon

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students, parking fee is $10, live radio broadcast to air on WSYC-FM (and wsyc.org)

Live Coverage:
Listen: 88.7 FM (WSYC)

Gameday Central:
Shippensburg Game Notes (.pdf) [Wed.]
Winston-Salem Game Notes (.pdf)

In the Press:
WHAG-TV NBC 25: Chat With Mac

Websites:
WSSURAMS.COM
SHIPRAIDERS.COM

The No. 15 Shippensburg University football team will hit the road on the day after Thanksgiving for a long trip down Interstate 81 before facing No. 2 Winston-Salem State at noon Saturday in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Division II Football Championships from Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

TICKETS: Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for students. The gates to the stadium open at 11 a.m. while tailgating is permitted to start at 8 a.m. Tickets can be purchased through the Winston-Salem State University Ticket Office at 336-750-3220 or through Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.com.

PARKING: General parking is $10. Additional spaces must be purchased for tailgating purposes at the same cost. The East Lot has been identified for RV vehicles. Patrons must purchase four (4) individual parking spaces to accommodate RV vehicles. Additional spaces must be purchased for tailgating purposes at $10 per space. More parking information is detailed HERE.

HOTEL: The Sundance Plaza Hotel & Spa has reserved 25 fan rooms which includes a hot breakfast buffet at a rate of $99.99 plus tax. The hotel is only six miles from WSSU. Additional hotel information is available by contacting Sheila Small at (336) 723-2911 or by e-mail at shefay@yahoo.com.

LIVE COVERAGE:. A live radio broadcast of the game will be available on 88.7 FM in Shippensburg and can be accessed online at www.wsyc.org. No television coverage of the game is anticipated.

TWITTER UPDATES: We encourage all fans looking for updates on the game to follow the SU sports information Twitter account (@ShipURaiders) for frequent messages throughout the contest.

NCAA INFORMATION: Shippensburg (12-1) has earned a NCAA tournament berth for the third time in the last nine years and is making its fifth NCAA postseason appearance in school history (1981, 1991, 2004, 2009, 2012). SU's 58-20 victory over Bloomsburg last week was its first since a 34-33 overtime win at East Stroudsburg in 1991.



COURTESY SHIPPENSBURG UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

WSSU getting set to take on high-scoring Shippensburg

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  Second-ranked Winston-Salem State has talked all season about winning the Division II national championship.

The next step toward that goal can be taken Saturday at noon against 15th-ranked Shippensburg in a second-round game at Bowman Gray Stadium. The Rams had a first-round bye last week, just as they had last season, when they advanced to the semifinals before losing to Wayne State 21-14.

This time around, the Rams have more experience, more depth, and there shouldn’t be any surprises.

“The CIAA is over with now and we won that championship, and we are back to where we wanted to be — and that’s at home and the No. 1 seed in our region,” Coach Connell Maynor of the Rams said. “There are only good teams left, and there are only 16 left still playing. We have to be ready each and every week if we want to play on.”

The Rams used their bye week to heal from bumps and bruises. Quarterback Kam Smith hasn’t practiced much because of a sore shoulder, which forced him to miss the second half of the CIAA championship game on Nov. 10.

Anthony Carrothers has taken the reps in practice with the No. 1 offense this week but Maynor hasn’t ruled out Smith playing this week.

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Virginia State reassigns Faison

ETTRICK, Virginia  --  Virginia State has reassigned football coach Andrew Faison to other duties within the university, athletic director Peggy Davis announced Tuesday.

Faison went 58-53 over the course of 11 seasons with the Trojans.

"We thank [Faison] for his dedicated loyalty to Virginia State University and our student-athletes," Davis said.

Virginia State, picked to finish third in the CIAA Northern Division in 2012, finished at 4-6 overall and 3-4 in conference play.

Faison led the Trojans to a division title - and an appearance in the CIAA championship game - in 2010.

Virginia State, which lost 14-7 to Shaw in the 2010 conference title game, has not won a CIAA championship since 1996.

The Trojans opened the season 1-3 and suffered a 19-14 loss at archrival Virginia Union on Nov. 3.

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Bayou Classic needs attendance boost, Grambling's Doug Williams says

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana  --  Grambling Coach Doug Williams walked into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Tuesday and went down memory lane when he saw the scoreboard with 39th annual Bayou Classic in big bold letters. It also made him long for the good old days.

Williams, who was a quarterback at Grambling and then went on to a stellar NFL career, played in the first Bayou Classic in 1974 when it was contested in Tulane Stadium.

“To walk out at Tulane Stadium and there are 80,000 people in that stadium was a shock to me,’’ said Williams, who next year will celebrate his 25th anniversary of being the MVP of Super Bowl XXII where the Washington Redskins defeated the Denver Broncos, 42-10, in 1988. Williams was the first African-American quarterback to start a Super Bowl game.

So consider how Williams felt last year, when only 40,175 attended the Bayou Classic, the lowest count ever.

“Last year was a very big shock to me,’’ Williams said. “I am concerned. Hopefully, those concerns get worked out. I would hate to see this game return to a home-and-home situation. It’s been good for both schools and New Orleans for so many years. That would be the worst-case scenario. I think we have to find a way to get the attendance up and make sure the game stays in New Orleans.




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UMES Hawks take own title, win 2012 Hawk Classic

MILLSBORO, Delaware  -- After leading almost the entire tournament, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) got four critical strikes in game seven of the championship match to best the University of Central Missouri (UCM) 4-3 and claim their second ever Hawk Classic title.

UMES last won the Hawk Classic in 2010. They went on that year to have arguably the best season ever in women's collegiate bowling, winning the 2011 MEAC, NCAA and USBC Collegiate titles.

This year though is different than the others, new head coach Kristina Frahm was at the helm and juggled her lineup each day, going with who she thought had the hot hand. Today the Hawks started with a 4.5-1.5 loss to the same UCM team they topped on day two of the 2012 Eastern Shore Hawk Classic sponsored by Hammer Bowling. They came back though and topped Vanderbilt 4-3, setting up a rematch with the Jennies. It was hard fought, but in the end UMES came out on top getting one critical strike from Anggie Ramirez (Bogota, Colombia) in the ninth and three even bigger ones from T'nia Falbo (Greensburg, Pa.) in the tenth to secure the win.

"It was a tough match," said Frahm. "These girls are clutch and when it mattered and it came down to the wire they threw strikes and that is what helped us get this win."

In the championship match UMES inserted Valentina Collazos (Cali, Colombia) and Victoria Jones (Baltimore, Md.) into the line-up at the first and third positions respectively, a move they had made earlier against Vanderbilt. It seemed to work for the most part, but open frames and splits took their toll on the Hawks and they reinserted freshman Kristie Lopez (Ponce, Puerto Rico) back into the lead-off position for the final two games of the match. It worked.

The two teams split the first pair of games with UCM taking game one 225-183 and UMES winning game two 222-207. They carried the momentum through game three with a 190-180 win but the Jennies rebounded to get game four 236-214. UMES responded with a 226-189 win and UCM with a 207-192 win. During that sixth game Lopez was reinserted and her strikes propelled UMES onward.

In the final game the Hawks were cruising until the eighth frame when Jones split, leaving the 6-7-10, getting two on the spare attempt . That gave UCM the window they needed. They took a lead but UMES held close. Ramirez calmly struck in the ninth bettering the Jennies spare. It came down to the anchor spot and Falbo needed a pair. Her first ball carried all ten pins but the UCM anchor went Brooklyn, also collecting all ten pins. Falbo struck again, forcing the Jennies to do so as well, but they got only eight and the spare. Falbo needed just three pins for the win, but she got all ten anyway, finishing with the turkey just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.

"I am so proud of them," added Frahm. "It is our first full tournament of the year and to get the win and see the hard work pay off is great."

Following the match Ramirez was awarded the high game of the tournament award for her career best 279 from Saturday.

Central Missouri, Vanderbilt, Fairleigh Dickinson and Stephen F. Austin rounded out the top five finishers. Adelphi, Sam Houston State, Sacred Heart, Kutztown and Valparaiso finished six through 10 respectively. New Jersey City, Saint Francis (NY), Norfolk State, Monmouth, Howard, Delaware State, Hampton and Morgan State rounded out the field.

Natalie Jiminez and Mary Wells from UCM, Kimi Davidson from Sam Houston State, Danielle McEwan from FDU and Amanda Fry from Vanderbilt were named to the All-Tournament Team and received their awards from UMES Hall of Fame coach Sharon Brummell who was on hand for the final two days of the championship. UMES takes some time off, next stepping on the lanes December 1-2 in the second MEAC Northern Division meet in Baltimore, Md.


COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE SPORTS INFORMATION

Turkey Day Classic Buzz: Tuskegee at Alabama State

TURKEY DAY CLASSIC BUZZ --Tuskegee at Alabama State

WHAT: Tuskegee (9-1) at Alabama State (7-3)

WHEN: Thursday, 3 p.m.

WHERE: Alabama State's new stadium

TV: The game will be televised live on ESPNU

LINE: None

THIS GAME WILL DETERMINE: Technically, nothing. Tuskegee, the Southern Intercollegiate Conference champion, will go on to to the Pioneer Bowl on December 1st and Alabama State's season is over regardless of the outcome. But it's the 89^th annual meeting between the Division II Tuskegee and FCS Alabama State, making it a perfect kickoff to rivalry weekend. Tuskegee's lone loss came in a 7-6 game against Alabama A&M, the Hornets', arch-nemesis, in Week 1. Alabama State beat the Bulldogs by 18 in the Magic City Classic. Tuskegee has downed Miles and Stillman, which owns a victory against Concordia-Selma. So, if there were a state black college championship game, it'd be this. And all that's not to mention the fact, the Hornets are opening their new $62-million on-campus stadium to cap off their homecoming week with the oldest classic game in all of black college football.

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HU's Rose works toward next season, awaits sit-down with A.D.

HAMPTON, Virginia  --  Donovan Rose walked off the field at Morgan State last Saturday a winner for just the third time all season, a small consolation in as frustrating a year as he has experienced in football.

Yet when Hampton University's head coach reflected on the 2012 season, the message to his players came from one week earlier, after the Pirates lost yet another close game in which they contributed to their own downfall — at Delaware State.

"I told them: Remember this feeling, so you do what's necessary never to feel it again," Rose said. "When we do what we're supposed to do and play the type of football that you're coached and deliver, it's all going to take care of itself.

Hampton U. (3-7) concluded its worst season since going 2-9 in 1991, the final year of the Fred Freeman Era and when the athletic program was firmly planted in Division II and the CIAA.

The season figured to be a huge ...

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The CI: Shakeup in coaching ranks

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  --  It’s firing season for football coaches.

Virginia State fired head coach Andrew Faison after 11 seasons. Faison finished with a record of 58-53 but his Trojans struggled to challenge North Division heavyweights Elizabeth City State and Bowie State.

In the South Division, Livingstone has fired Elvin James, according to Football Scoop, a website that tracks coaches on the collegiate and professional levels. The site said the school was scheduled to name a replacement on Nov. 19.

Fayetteville State cut ties with Kenny Phillips earlier this month after 13 seasons. Phillips led the Broncos to their best stretch in school history, going 75-63 mark during his tenure with three CIAA championships and three appearances in the Division II playoffs. FSU has reassigned Phillips, who still has a year remaining on his contract, to other duties.

Programs and coaches with CIAA ties haven’t been immune from pink ...

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Forward progress at JCSU

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  --  After finishing above .500 and second in the CIAA South, Johnson C. Smith football has a definitive goal: Compete for the division title in 2013.

The Golden Bulls (6-4, 5-2 CIAA) have enough ingredients to at least improve on its 2012 record, which took a hit with upset losses to West Virginia State and Lincoln. They rebounded from a 2-4 record to win four straight to beat preseason expectations of the league’s coaches, who predicted a fifth-place finish in the six-team CIAA South.

JCSU coach Steve Aycock is looking to leverage the Golden Bulls’ consecutive winning seasons – which last happened in 1973 – as a selling point with recruits.

“We’ve had a few guys come in and visit with us that’s excited about what we’re doing,” he said. “We just hope people look at since we’ve taken over as head coach and brought the staff in that Johnson C. Smith is a team on the rise.”

Although Winston-Salem State is the undisputed king of the CIAA, JCSU returns enough personnel to perhaps contend for a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs or Pioneer Bowl.


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No revenge for Jackson State in UAPB rematch

JACKSON, Mississippi  --  When Jackson State players return to campus next Tuesday to begin preparations for Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the Dec. 8 SWAC championship game, there will be no talk of revenge.

UAPB (9-2, 8-1 SWAC) was the last team to beat the Tigers, gashing JSU (7-4, 7-2) for a season-high 319 yards on the ground in a 34-24 win in October.

JSU has won five straight since that loss on a soggy night in Arkansas.

“That was a game ago,” JSU coach Rick Comegy said. “This is a brand new ballgame. We can reflect back on things we did wrong, but I don’t think we need to reflect back in a way of revenge. That takes away from play.

“I think we just go to go in there and play solid football and do what we do best and not worry about any type of revenge,” Comegy said.

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Road trip tests Florida A&M Rattlers

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- The road that FAMU has traveled so far hasn’t been an easy one and it’s getting tougher with every stop that the men’s basketball team makes. The Rattlers’ next stop comes tonight at the University of Arkansas.

During the next 10 days, they’ll travel to Las Vegas for a tournament, then play at Jacksonville before coming home for a Dec. 1 game against Bethune-Cookman University at the Lawson Center.

Being away from home against teams from the Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC has presented some challenges, the biggest of them for coach Clemon Johnson being finding ways to keep his players’ confidence up. The Rattlers (0-3) go into every game as underdogs and, with the exception of a five-point loss to Houston, the games haven’t been close.

Things could have been much easier for the Rattlers against less powerful opponents, but with a financially strapped athletic department the financial guarantee take precedent.

“What I have to do is keep convincing those guys that this (playing against bigger programs) isn’t how it’s going to be for the entire year,” Johnson said Monday night before a team practice.



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FAMU MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE -2012

Date	Opponent	Location	Time (ET)	Results
Thu, Nov 01	Albany State (Exhibition)	Tallahassee, Fla.	7 p.m.
Fri, Nov 09	Houston	at Houston, Texas	12 p.m.	76 - 81 (L) Final STATS
Tue, Nov 13	Stetson	at DeLand, Fla.	7 p.m.	66 - 88 (L) Final STATS
Las Vegas Tournament
Sun, Nov 18	Arizona State	at Tempe, Ariz.	2 p.m.	70 - 97 (L) Final STATS
Tue, Nov 20	Arkansas	at Fayetteville, Ark.	TBA	- (L) (W) (T)
Fri, Nov 23	Longwood	at Las Vegas, Nev.	TBA
Sat, Nov 24	Presbyterian/Longwood/Cornell	at Las Vegas, Nev.	TBA
Thu, Nov 29	North Florida	at Jacksonville, Fla.	7 p.m.
Sat, Dec 01	Bethune-Cookman *	Tallahassee, Fla.	6 p.m.
Tue, Dec 04	Edward Waters College	Tallahassee, Fla.	7 p.m.
Sat, Dec 08	Allen University	Tallahassee, Fla.	4 p.m.
Sat, Dec 15	Clemson	at Clemson, S.C.	TBA
Tue, Dec 18	Texas Tech	at Lubbock, Texas	TBA
Sat, Dec 29	Georgia	at Athens, Ga	TBA

THE SHOW: Alabama A&M University at Auburn

Gaston-Loyd's late basket gives XU 46-45 victory against LSUS

 
NEW ORLEANS -- Whitney Gaston-Loyd's basket with 6.3 seconds remaining Monday lifted Xavier University of Louisiana to a 46-45 women's basketball victory against LSU-Shreveport at the Convocation Center.

Gaston-Loyd, with 13 points, was the only double-figure scorer for the Gold Nuggets (3-1), who are ranked 11th in NAIA Division I.

Xavier outscored the Lady Pilots (3-1), ranked 19th, 9-3 after Sharde Henry's free throw gave LSUS a 42-36 lead with 6:44 remaining. Gaston-Loyd scored the Nuggets' final four points, including a basket at 2:10 which gave them their first lead in more than 13 minutes.

Henry scored 15 points and Jenna Diakos 13 for LSUS, and Victoria Smith had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Henry missed a running 3-pointer from the right side with two seconds remaining, and Diakos, who grabbed the rebound, could not beat the buzzer with a final shot.

Danielle Tucker had eight points and a season-best nine rebounds for Xavier, and Carmen Holcombe had a season-high seven points, a career-high-tying two blocked shots and a career-best four steals.

LSUS outshot Xavier 37.8 to 30.8 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Nuggets 42-38. Xavier got 33 points from its bench and had a 20-5 advantage in points off turnovers.

Angelica Alexander's basket gave Xavier its largest lead, 19-8, at 9:58 of the first half. Smith tied the score at 22 with two free throws,, and Tucker's basket with three second remaining gave the Nuggets a 24-22 halftime advantage.

Smith's basket with 16:59 remaining gave LSUS its first lead, 28-27.

Xavier will play NAIA No. 14 Langston at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Xavier Classic at the Convocation Center. It will be the Nuggets' third consecutive game against a ranked opponent. The other games Thursday will match Wiley against Tuskegee at 3 p.m. and Texas College against Dillard at 5 p.m.


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

TSU Men's Basketball Knocks Off South Alabama, 68-57

ATLANTA, Georgia  -- The Tennessee State men's basketball team notched its first win of the season with a 68-57 victory over the Jaguars of South Alabama.

Junior guard Patrick Miller led the Tigers in points, assists and steals with 14, eight and four, respectively.

Miller also had five of TSU's 46 rebounds. The Tigers had 15 more rebounds than their opponents.

TSU won the tip and within three seconds Covington had his first points of the game. The bucket set the tone early for the Tigers, as they started the game on a 13-2 run.

During the run, guards Jay Harris and Patrick Miller combined for 11 of the team's points. Harris was 3-3 in the stretch with a three-pointer.

South Alabama's Mychal Ammons got the Jaguars within six at 16-10 with a strong drive in the lane. The layup was just two of his half-high nine points during the period.

The Tigers kept a large cushion through the next seven minutes, and eventually went up by nine when a missed three by Jordan Cyphers was tip-slammed home by Michael Green.

A layup from Kellen Thornton with 2:30 left in the first period gave the Tigers a 13-point lead- their biggest of the half.

Another layup from Thornton made the score 36-24 in favor of TSU heading into the break.

TSU shot 45 percent from the floor during the first half which was nearly 15 points higher than its season average.

USA came out strong to start the second period and went on an 11-2 run to cut the TSU lead to three. The Tigers were 0-6 from the field during the run.

With the lead down to just a couple, the Tigers came roaring back with a 13-4 run that was sparked by a pair of buckets from Robert Covington.

Covington finished the game with nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

After a bucket by South Alabama made the score 51-43, the TSU defense held pat and didn't allow the Jaguars to make a field goal for the next nine minutes.

During those nine minutes, DeShawn Dockery drained a three and Miller assisted Rhett on an alley-oop. Those scores, plus a handful of others, allowed TSU to extend its lead to as many as 21 with just minutes to go in the game.

USA ended the game on a 10-0 run, but it wasn't nearly enough, as TSU walked away with an eleven-point victory.

The Tigers will turn right around and play Georgia State tomorrow at 7 p.m. TSU then wraps up the week with a game against Monmouth on Wednesday at 11 a.m.
 

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION