TUSKEGEE, Alabama -- A Tuskegee University student who was shot to death at an unauthorized block party Friday night was a new father with a baby less than a month old, friends say.
The victim, 21-year-old Bobby "BJ" Smith of Atlanta, Georgia was shot in the back. He was rushed to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The party was taking place on East Church Street in Tuskegee between the parking lot of the Macon County Department of Human Resources and Deville Apartments.
"The Tuskegee University community is mourning the unfortunate loss of one of our own," said Tuskegee University President Gilbert L. Rochon. "We are all deeply affected by this terrible incident. Our prayers and condolences are with the [Smith] family..."
Smith was a senior finance major at Tuskegee and was an athlete on the tennis team.
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Sunday, September 29, 2013
Fort Valley State's Marquette King, top punter in the NFL
OAKLAND, California -- Former Fort Valley State University Wildcat Marquette King, currently playing punter for the Oakland Raiders, is the current league leader in the NFL for punt average.
Through the first three games of the regular season, King, in his second season and first year as the Raiders starting punter, is averaging 50.7 yards on 12 punts this season.
In his last game, a 37-21 loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, King averaged 52.5 yards on six punts and had a long of 66 yards. The Raiders play the Washington Redskins Sunday at home with a 4:25 p.m. kickoff time.
COURTESY SIAC.COM
Through the first three games of the regular season, King, in his second season and first year as the Raiders starting punter, is averaging 50.7 yards on 12 punts this season.
In his last game, a 37-21 loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, King averaged 52.5 yards on six punts and had a long of 66 yards. The Raiders play the Washington Redskins Sunday at home with a 4:25 p.m. kickoff time.
COURTESY SIAC.COM
Alabama A&M claims a 12-10 victory over Texas Southern
NORMAL, Alabama – It wasn't pretty and it wasn't the best way to win but it was a win as the Alabama A&M football team claimed 12-10 victory over the Tigers of Texas Southern Saturday evening.
Although Jaymason Lee started the game at quarterback it took Brandon Wells to win the contest as he scored the game winning run. Lee went nine of 23 for 90 yards while Wells finished two of three for 33 yards. Montaurius Smith caught seven balls for 52 yards to lead A&M in the receptions category. Running back Barrington Scott rushed the ball 22 times for 85 yards setting up Brandon Eldemire who carried the ball six times for 85 yards and a touchdown. Free safety A.J. Clark led the team in tackles with nine and a tackle for loss.
The scoring got started after Scott rushed the ball nine times allowing Eldemire to break free for a 64 yard strike for his longest of the year. A&M went up 6-0 after the extra point was missed by Jordan Puente.
The Tigers would get points on the board after a 14 play 69 yard drive that ended with a 35 yard field goal to end the first half with AAMU up 6-3.
The scoring didn't get started again until the fifth drive of the third quarter when Texas Southern scored a six-yard touchdown to give them a 10-6 lead at end of the third quarter.
With the contest on the line and the visitors up by four, head coach Anthony Jones decided he seen enough of Lee and put in Brandon Wells, broken finger and all, to give the Bulldogs another dimension on offense. Wells, with running ability, ran the ball for 13 yards on two carries and threw the ball for 33 yards on two of three passing to give AAMU their chance to win the game with an eight play 49 yard drive that saw Wells rush for a four yard TD to give A&M a 12-10 lead and eventually the win.
"Wells came in and did some things the right way and got us the go ahead touchdown," mentioned Jones.
"We won the game and our main objective was to score one more point than the other team. We achieved that objective, Thank God," said Jones. "We did some good things but we just didn't do enough. We threw the ball and got into point blank range but came up with nothing. What I'm hoping for better play by our team.
"We wanted to win the game and we did enough to do that," Jones recalled. We are not making proper decisions on offense or defense. We are missing check downs and blocks. We have to do better in all aspects of the game."
A&M will have their opportunity to do just that as Mississippi Valley visits "The Hill" on Saturday, Oct. 5 for Homecoming 2013. Game time is set at 1:00 p.m. at Louis Crews stadium.
Box Score
COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
NSU report | Spartans stick with just one QB this time
BALTIMORE, Maryland -- If Tyler Clark did enough Saturday to be handed the starting quarterback job at Norfolk State, that's not the way he wants it.He said he'd rather keep earning it.
Clark completed 18 of 28 passes for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns during NSU's 27-21 MEAC win at Morgan State, becoming the first Spartans quarterback to play a game from start to finish this season.
A former star at Grassfield High in Chesapeake, Clark has split time at the position with fellow sophomores Omari Timmons and Malik Stokes.
Coach Pete Adrian, with the exception of last week, hasn't even publicly named a starter before kickoff, hoping that the mystery would fuel competition.
And competition, apparently, is what Clark wants. Asked whether he thought he'd made a case for keeping the job Saturday, his answer came quickly.
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2 doubles teams, 1 singles player reach semifinals for XU
Flowers, a sophomore seeded fifth in singles, defeated Georgia Gwinnett's Luma Schwab 7-5, 6-3 and Auburn Montgomery's Chanel Cunningham 6-1, 6-3. Flowers will play Brenau's second-seeded Dominika Jasova in the semifinals at 9 a.m. Sunday.
Flowers and Kourtney Howell, the No. 1 doubles seed, advanced when Belhaven's Ainsley Wright and Elizabeth Chrestman retired with Xavier leading 5-0. Flowers and Howell will play their semifinal match against Georgia Gwinnett's Rocio Fernandez and Victoria Svennson after the singles semifinals.
All matches, four in the championship round, will be played Sunday at the XU Tennis Center.
Advancing in men's singles was the undeeded XU team of Jordan Harrell and Nikita Soifer. They beat Belhaven's Daniel Prado and Ignacio Osse 8-3 and Belhaven's Andre Almeida and Enrico Patriarca 8-6. Harrell and Soifer will play AUM's top-seeded Nicolas Pinones and Miguel Grifol after the singles semifinals.
All four singles semifinals in the main draw will begin at 9 a.m.
Both consolation singles champions were crowned. AUM's Maria Vargas defeated Belhaven's Mary Lichlyter 9-7 in the women's final, and XU freshman Tushar Mandlekar won the men's title after receiving default victories in the final two rounds.
Belhaven's long-standing policy of prohibiting intercollegiate competition on Sundays caused it to forfeit two semifinal matches -- one an all-Belhaven matchup -- in the men's consolation singles and another in men's doubles. Tournament officials denied a Belhaven request to complete the matches early next week by traveling to the site of its opponents.
Mandlekar won three times Saturday to reach the semifinals and dropped just one game. He beat Point's Anthony Tucker 8-0, William Carey's Emmanuel Lacko 8-0 and Belhaven's Tomas Ojeda 8-1.
Georgia Gwinnett's unseeded Erik Moberg upset AUM's top-seeded Pinones 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 1-0 (10-8) in the quarterfinals. The only seeded men's singles player remaining is AUM's No. 7 Grifol, who advanced after a 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-3) victory against Georgia Gwinnett's second-seeded Bruno Tiberti.
AUM's Jade Curtis, the No. 1 seed in women's singles, advanced after dropping one game in two victories. Curtis and Cunningham, seeded second in doubles, won twice.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
WSSU rolls past Virginia Union 55-15
RICHMOND, Virginia - Different season, more of the same for Winston-Salem State.
The Rams, the two-time defending CIAA champions, opened their conference season with another convincing win. This time, it was a 55-15 romp against Virginia Union in front of 2,000 at Hovey Field on Saturday afternoon.
The performance was vintage WSSU, jumping out to a big lead and coasting from there.
“We have to come out early and show people that we are the same Rams,” said Coach Connell Maynor of the Rams, whose team rolled up 509 yards and scored four touchdowns on their first five possessions. “We are going to fight for 60 minutes.”
It wasn’t much of a fight. The Panthers (0-4) were intent on crowding the line of scrimmage on defense —and quarterback Rudy Johnson of the Rams took advantage.
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The Rams, the two-time defending CIAA champions, opened their conference season with another convincing win. This time, it was a 55-15 romp against Virginia Union in front of 2,000 at Hovey Field on Saturday afternoon.
The performance was vintage WSSU, jumping out to a big lead and coasting from there.
“We have to come out early and show people that we are the same Rams,” said Coach Connell Maynor of the Rams, whose team rolled up 509 yards and scored four touchdowns on their first five possessions. “We are going to fight for 60 minutes.”
It wasn’t much of a fight. The Panthers (0-4) were intent on crowding the line of scrimmage on defense —and quarterback Rudy Johnson of the Rams took advantage.
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Tennessee State Tigers Sink CSU Marauders, 73-6
ST. LOUIS, Missouri –- The Tennessee State football team scored its most points in nearly 15 years and defeated the Marauders of Central State, 73-6, in Saturday’s Gateway Classic.
The Tigers tallied a season-high 539 yards in the rout, including 311 yards on the ground. TSU’s 539 yards were the most for the team since its 76-0 drubbing of UT Martin on Oct. 24, 1998.
CSU, meanwhile, only managed 180 yards, the second fewest yards TSU has allowed all year.
Tennessee State scored touchdowns on 10 of its 13 possessions and its longest drive lasted a mere 4:08.
TSU got on the scoreboard early, as a mishandled punt by CSU on its opening possession set up the Tiger offense at the Marauder four-yard line. Two plays later, Broughton found the end zone to put TSU up, 7-0.
The Marauders had more trouble on special teams during their next possession as Big Blue blocked a punt to give its offense great field position, this time at the CSU 41. It took TSU three plays to score a touchdown on its ensuing drive, and German ended it with a 31-yard pass to Wesley Samuels.
The Marauders had more trouble on special teams during their next possession as Big Blue blocked a punt to give its offense great field position, this time at the CSU 41. It took TSU three plays to score a touchdown on its ensuing drive, and German ended it with a 31-yard pass to Wesley Samuels.
TSU led 14-0 after just 5:21 of game time and would not look back.
The Tigers had a total of four touchdowns during the first quarter including a 20-yard run by Broughton and a 15-yard wide receiver reverse to Ryan Mitchell.
Broughton finished the day with 108 yards on 13 carries – all of which came in the first half.
Tennessee State averaged 11.8 yards per play during the game’s first 15 minutes and led 28-0.
CSU finally found the end zone on its first series of the second quarter as Michael Wilson capped off a 15-play drive with a touchdown. However, Steven Godblot III broke up the ensuing two-point conversion, making the score 28-6 in favor of the Tigers.
The Tigers marched right back down the field on their following possession and Mitchell scored his second touchdown of the game, this time via a 25-yard pass from German. German’s second touchdown put Big Blue ahead, 35-6, with 9:17 to go before halftime.
A perfectly executed naked bootleg on TSU’s next series had German rolling to his right and finding A.C. Leonard wide open for a 30-yard touchdown. Tennessee State faked a kick on the ensuing point after and Holt Claiborne completed a pass to Samuels for two points, making the score 43-6.
TSU drove 46 yards down the field on its last possession of the first half, but German fumbled the ball going into the end zone. CSU recovered and ran out the remaining 28 seconds and went into halftime trailing, 43-6.
Tennessee State had 289 yards of total offense during the first two quarters and held CSU to 106 – 87 of which came on the Marauders’ lone scoring drive.
German was a perfect 8-for-8 during the first half for 159 yards and three scores. German hit five different receivers during the first 30 minutes, but his favorite target was Leonard who hauled in three catches for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Ronald Butler came into the game at quarterback to start the third period and he orchestrated a 5-play, 53 yard drive that ended in a 30-yard touchdown to Mitchell. On the scoring play, Mitchell beat his man, but Butler’s pass was underthrown. Two CSU players touched the ball in the air, but Mitchell came down with it, making the score 50-6.
Mitchell had a career-day, scoring a personal-best two touchdowns. The junior finished the game with two catches for 63 yards.
After CSU was forced to punt, a 32-yard punt return by Weldon Garlington set up the Tennessee State attack at the Marauder 44-yard line. Eight plays later, Adam Davenport scored his first career touchdown off of a 14-yard pass from Butler. The play made the score 57-6 with 6:39 to play in the third quarter.
TSU got on the board again before the third quarter ended as Chris Sanders-McCollum scored his first career touchdown on a 2-yard pass in the back of the end zone with a pair of defenders draped all over him. Butler’s third touchdown of the period put TSU up 64-6 to begin the fourth.
Butler finished the day 5-of-8 for 69 yards and three touchdowns. Butler and German combined to complete 13-of-16 for 226 yards and six touchdowns
The two coaches agreed upon a 12-minute fourth quarter, but it didn’t slow down TSU.
The Tigers added nine points during the final period – a 63-yard rushing touchdown from Darion Hall and a safety.
With his nine points, Godfrey tied TSU legend and current coach Mike Jones for third on the school’s all-time scoring list with 258 career points.
TSU will return home and to conference play next weekend when the club squares off against Southeast Missouri on Sept. 28 at LP Field at 6 p.m.
COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
XU Gold Nuggets again put the clamp on Edward Waters
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| TAYLOR REUTHER |
Taylor Reuther's 13 kills, Jodi Hill's career-high eight kills and freshman Destiny Jackson's first three aces of her collegiate career helped the Gold Nuggets (11-7, 3-0) extend their win streak to five. Xavier has won 31 in a row against GCAC opponents since the start of the 2011 season.
Edward Waters' 28 points are the second-fewest allowed by Xavier. Seven of the Gold Nuggets' top 14 defensive performances have occurred against the Lady Tigers. Xavier allowed its fewest-ever points in a second set.
Xavier's hitting percentage is its second highest since resuming the program in 2010. Hill hit .667 -- the best this season by an XU player with a minimum 10 attempts -- Reuther hit .550, and Chinedu Echebelem successfully converted all six of her attacks.
Hill and Reuther had two kills apiece in a 7-0 run to start the match. Xavier had eight- and nine-point runs in the second set.
Latavia Graham led Edward Waters (5-11, 0-6) with four kills.
Xavier limited the Lady Tigers to an .027 attack percentage and had advantages of 40-14 in kills, 8-2 in aces and 41-22 in digs. Jodi Chatters led Xavier with nine digs, and Echebelem had eight.
Jackson, in her most extensive playing time of the season, served back-to-back aces in the second set and also produced two assists and five digs.
Xavier will stay on the road and play another GCAC match at Talladega at 2 p.m. Sunday. The Gold Nuggets' next home matches will be next Saturday at the Convocation Center -- 1 p.m. against GCAC and city rival Dillard, then 4 p.m. against St. Thomas (Texas).
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
Albany State loses conference opener to Miles
FAIRFIELD, Alabama — Saturday wasn’t the homecoming Albany State quarterback Frank Rivers was hoping for.
The Fairfield (Ala.) High School grad returned home for the first time in an Albany State uniform, but Rivers and the ASU offense struggled against Miles, which won Saturday’s SIAC opener for both teams, 22-14.
Rivers started the game with a TD on Albany State’s first possession but then the Rams went ice-cold on offense and didn’t score for the next 46 minutes until Rivers connected with Camilla native Jessie Atkins for his second TD of the day.
ASU (1-3, 0-1 SIAC) suffers a loss to Miles in its SIAC opener for the second year in a row, while the Bears (1-2, 1-0) were able to pick up their first win of the season. The Rams were blown out by Miles in 2012, and while Saturday’s game was much closer, it was still as devastating for an Albany State team that now has a near-impossible road ahead if it wants to return to the Division II playoffs.
Week 5: HBCU Football Schedule and ScoreCard Finals
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SATURDAY, September 28
OVC
Tennessee State 73, Central State (OH) 6 St. Louis Gateway Classic
SWAC
Alabama State 49, Alcorn State 30
Lamar 27, Grambling State 16
Jackson State 19, Southern 14
Prairie View A&M 56, Stephen F. Austin 48
Alabama A&M 12, Texas Southern 10
MEAC
North Carolina A&T 27, Howard 19 (Thursday) ESPN Highlights
» Norfolk State 27, Morgan State 21
South Carolina State 30, Hampton 6 Watch Replay
Delaware State 24, Savannah State 22
SIAC
Tuskegee 42, Lane 14
Fort Valley State 35, Benedict 30 at Augusta City Classic
Miles 22, Albany State 14
Stillman 26, Kentucky State 21
Morehouse 28, Edward Waters 14
CIAA
Winston-Salem State 55, Virginia Union 15
Saint Augustine's 29, Bowie State 7
Livingstone 35, Lincoln (Pa.) 7
Virginia State 19, Johnson C. Smith 17
Fayetteville State 31, Elizabeth City State 27 16th Down East Viking Football Classic
Chowan 29, Shaw 23
OTHER CONFERENCES & INDEPENDENTS
West Alabama 71, Corcordia-Selma 14 (Thursday)
Anderson-Broaddus 17, Virginia University-Lynchburg 14
East Stroudsburg 40, Cheyney 6
Fairmont State 56, West Virginia State 3
Texas College 36, Wayland Baptist 29
Pittsburg State 59, Lincoln (Mo.) 38
Morehouse 28, Edward Waters 14
Northwestern State (La.) 37, Langston 0
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Saturday, September 28, 2013
SCSU Bulldogs begin MEAC play looking for a championship
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- Andrew Carter was still waiting on his trophy Thursday.The South Carolina State defensive end was named the team’s MVP for the 12th annual Palmetto Capital City Classic last Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia. His two sacks and seven tackles against Benedict College was part of a physical, intimidating tone set by the defensive line in the 59-6 rout.
Organizers did not have a trophy available to present Carter for his performance. At Thursday’s Orangeburg Touchdown Club meeting, Classic committee member Willie Jeffries promised the senior Bulldog he would soon receive his hardware.
What would be even more rewarding for Carter is another Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship. After four non-conference games, he believes the Bulldogs (2-2) are now ready to accomplish that mission starting this afternoon at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium against Hampton (0-4).
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SSU, Delaware State square off in MEAC opener
SAVANNAH, Georgia -- “Thank God, it’s Delaware State.”“Thank God, it’s Savannah State.”
Coaches and players at Savannah State and Delaware State might not be saying this, but you get the feeling they can’t help but be relieved to see each other when they meet tonight at 6 at T.A. Wright Stadium in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener for both schools.
SSU (1-3) had mismatches with Georgia Southern, Troy and Miami during the first month of the season.
DSU (0-3) kicked off with Delaware, FCS No. 3 Towson and No. 1 North Dakota State.
It didn’t go well for either school. Savannah State was outscored 220-19 in its three meetings with FBS teams, including a 77-7 loss to the Hurricanes a week ago.
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Ram Ramblings: WSSU ready to play at historic Hovey Field
RICHMOND, Virginia -- Virginia Union has a special surprise for its fans and for Winston-Salem State in this afternoon’s game at historic Hovey Field. The Panthers will be dressed in brand-new all black uniforms with their traditional silver helmets. According to Jim Junot, the school’s sports information director, the uniforms arrived this week and they decided to break them out for the CIAA opener between the Panthers (0-3) and the Rams (2-1).
The Panthers have had trouble scoring points this season with quarterback, Shawheem Dowdy, committing 10 turnovers in three games. Dowdy, a transfer from Grambling State, has seven interceptions and three fumbles.
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XU Nuggets, Rush advance in South Regionals main draw
NEW ORLEANS -- Seven singles players and two doubles teams from Xavier University of Louisiana advanced Friday in the main draw of the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional Championships at the City Park/Pepsi and XU tennis centers.
Four Gold Nuggets, including third-seeded Kourtney Howell and fifth-seeded Brion Flowers, reached the women's singles round of 16. Three XU men, including fourth-seeded Kyle Montrel and sixth-seeded Nikita Soifer, advanced to the men's singles round of 16.
Howell defeated Belhaven's Ainsley Wright 6-0, 6-3. Flowers beat Brenau's Kelley Cohron 6-0, 6-2. The Nuggets' Amber Brown defeated Belhaven's Katie Campbell 6-0, 6-0, and Brandi Nelson beat Georgia Gwinnett's Rocio Fernandez 6-2, 6-4.
Montrel defeated Belhaven's Enrico Patriarca 6-2, 6-2 to extend his collegiate singles win streak to 10 dating to last season. Soifer beat Point's Andrew Hays 6-0, 6-1. Also advancing was Xavier's Kevin Chaouat, who defeated Loyola's David Mayhall 6-0, 6-2 and Point's Nate Moore 6-0, 6-0.
Howell and Flowers, top-seeded in women's doubles, defeated Belhaven's Abigail Watkins and Joy Bethea 8-0 to reach the quarterfinals. Montrel and Mandlekar, seeded fourth in men's doubles, reached the quarterfinals with an 8-2 victory against Belhaven's Lachlan Puyol and Jim Scott.
All No. 1 seeds advanced, including Auburn Montgomery's Jade Curtis in women's singles and Nicolas Pinones in men's singles. Pinones and Miguel Grifol, the No. 1 men's doubles seed, had a bye and will play at 11:15 a.m. Saturday in the round of 16.
All matches Saturday will be played at City Park, starting with men's and women's singles main-draw matches at 9 a.m. Semifinals and championship matches are scheduled for Sunday at the XU Tennis Center.
Results: Men Women
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
Friday, September 27, 2013
FAMU women's basketball adds size, inside presence
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The scenario played out so many times for the Florida A&M women’s basketball team last season: Jasmine Grice and Kimberly Sparkman scored in double digits, with only two or three of their teammates adding much of anything.
Down to the last game of the season in the MEAC tournament, it was Grice and Sparkman. And, most times, things went that way because the Rattlers didn’t have much help inside.
Well, it seems as if help is on the way.
Living up to head coach LeDawn Gibson’s promise to find help for Grice and Sparkman, while plugging the hole in the post, assistant coach Erik Rashad announced the signing of three post players Tuesday.
Junior college transfers Ann-Marie Harris and Adenike Dawodu, both of...
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WSSU to hit road to play Virginia Union in conference opener
But even he can’t find fault in how his Rams have improved after each one of their three games this season. They will get another chance to improve on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Virginia Union (WTOB 1380).
"I have liked the way we’ve gotten better from that first game against Pembroke,” said Maynor, whose Rams opened the season with a 25-21 loss to UNC Pembroke but have followed with two dominating wins. “We have found our footing on offense — and the defense has played well all season.”
The Rams are coming off an ...
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Lamar Football Closes Non-Conference Slate at Grambling State
Lamar Game Notes
BEAUMONT, Texas -- Coming off their second-straight home shutout, Lamar head coach Ray Woodard takes his Cardinal football team on the road one more time before the start of Southland Conference play. The Cardinals enter Saturday's contest against Grambling State (0-4) with a 2-2 (.500) overall record but looking for their first road win of the season, while the Tigers are looking for their first win of the season.
Lamar comes into the contest having played one of the more unique schedules to this point in the season. LU is 2-0 at home winning its games by a combined score of 128-0, but has come up short on the road. The Cardinals have played two non-Division I teams at home, but the road games have been against FBS opponents (Louisiana Tech and No. 11 Oklahoma State). Saturday's game against the Tigers will be Lamar's first against an FCS-level school.
The Tigers have stumbled out of the gate dropping their first four games of the season by a combined 170-74. Included in those results is an 0-2 start in conference play.
"Every week presents new challenges and our challenge this week is to win a game on the road," said Woodard. "That is something we did not do last year. This is going to be our first FCS opponent of the season. We've played two non-division I games, and we've played two FBS schools, but this is our first game against another FCS opponent. Our goals are to be in the playoffs and have an opportunity at a conference championship. To do that you have to win your FCS games, and a lot of times it can come down to wins on the road. I'm very excited about the opportunity in front of us,"
"At this point, 3-2 is the best we can be so that is definitely where we want to be. We came away from Louisiana Tech feeling like we did some good things, but not enough to win a game on the road. We want to take that next step on the road," added Woodard.
When the Cardinals step on the field at Eddie G. Robinson Stadium Saturday at 6 p.m. they will be bringing the Southland's top defense, and the league's best passing attack to the game. Lamar is holding opponents to less than 294 yards of total offense per game, including less than 130 yards passing. The Cardinals have already picked off seven passes just four games into the season.
Grambling State's offense has struggled at times during 2013 averaging less than 290 yards of total offense, and is seventh in the league averaging 193 yards per game through the air. One area where the Tigers haven't struggled has been on special teams. Grambling State leads the SWAC, and is one of the best in the nation in punt returns averaging nearly 15 yards per return.
"What concerns you as a coach about this game is the fact that Grambling's record is not indicative of how talented they are," said Woodard. "You watch the film and you can tell that they have some very talented players. It's going to happen for them. It's just a matter of time before they put it all together on the field and you hope it doesn't happen against you."
One of the reasons for the Lamar's strong passing attack this season has been the improved play of junior quarterback Caleb Berry. He is completing better than 60 percent of his passes on the season for 815 yards, and has thrown a league-best 11 touchdowns on the year. He also ranks 34th nationally in total offense (240 ypg).
In addition to Berry has been the play of freshman Kade Harrington at running back. The Kingwood native recorded a career-high 143 yards on seven carries against Bacone, and is currently the league's top rookie running back.
The Cardinals have also made a name for themselves this season by not making the careless errors. Lamar enters the week as the Southland's least penalized team being flagged less than five times a game.
Saturday's game will be Lamar's final non-conference game before the Cardinals open Southland Conference play. Lamar will get an extra week to prepare for its conference opener against Sam Houston State on Saturday, Oct. 12. The game against the Bearkats will be a 2 p.m. kick.
COURTESY LAMAR UNIVERSITY CARDINALS ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
Adidas donates new equipment to Concordia College-Selma football team
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| COACH DON LEE AND THE CONCORDIA HORNETS RECEIVES AN OUTPOURING OF LOVE IN THE FORM OF EQUIPMENT TO CONTINUE THEIR 2013 FOOTBALL SEASON. GO HORNETS!! |
“It’s just a miracle,” Concordia Trainer William Hall said of the boxes of Adidas gear that arrived on the college’s Selma, Ala., campus about 11 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26.
All 62 people on the bus — players, coaches and the bus driver — escaped unharmed when the vehicle blew two tires, igniting the gas tank and setting the bus on fire en route to Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 21. (See Reporter Online story, “Concordia, Selma, football team escapes burning bus.”)
To read more about the gift from Adidas, see the AL.com story “Outpouring of support for Concordia—Selma culminates in new equipment from Adidas.”
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Green Bay Packers donate equipment to help Selma's Concordia Univ. after bus fire
GREENBAY, Wisconsin -- The Green Bay Packers are stepping forward to assist Concordia University Wisconsin's sister School in Alabama by donating gently used game pants and socks after a tragic bus fire last weekend. One of Concordia College Alabama's team buses, carrying the football squad, blew up as the team was heading to their game last Saturday against Miles College.
Everyone on the bus got off safely before the explosion, but the team lost a majority of its equipment used on game days.
Rick Riehl, director of Donor Relations at Concordia University Wisconsin, heard about the fire and immediately called the Green Bay Packers organization to find out if they'd be willing to assist in any way.
"The Packers have never let me down," said Riehl. "I knew they would step up and help out our sister school in Alabama during this time of need," he added.
According to a Packers spokesperson, the more than 100 pieces of donated equipment by the organization went out this morning. The equipment is good match for Concordia College Alabama because the College's team colors are green and gold, the same colors as the Green Bay Packers.
Founded in 1881, Concordia University Wisconsin's main campus is located ...
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SELMA, Alabama -- A college football coach in Selma says several schools and businesses have helped his team rebuild after nearly all their equipment was destroyed in a fire.
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| THE BUS... (COURTESY CONCORDIA COLLEGE ATHLETICS) |
The Concordia College football team was on its way to a game against Miles College Saturday when their team bus blew a tire and caught on fire soon after. The tire blew out on Alabama Highway 219, north of Selma. The blaze started in the back of the bus on the driver's side, an East Perry volunteer firefighter told the newspaper.
Everyone escaped without injuries, said head coach, Don Lee. However, the team was only able to save about 10 helmets and Lee has said his squad lost about $70,000 in protective gear and camera equipment.
Several schools have stepped forward to donate or loan the team equipment after players went without protective gear during a practice session earlier this week, Lee told the Selma Times-Journal (http://bit.ly/194Mfkf ). Drivers passing the team's 5:30 a.m. practice session Monday honked their horns in support, he said.
Since the fire, Lee says well-wishers near and far have offered to lend the team a helping hand.
"We might look like a college football team before all this is over and done," he told the newspaper.
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Alabama A&M football outlook for Texas Southern
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Here's this week's "Mondays with Anthony," all you need to know and more about Alabama A&M football:
This week: Texas Southern (0-3, 0-2 in the SWAC) at Alabama A&M (1-3, 1-1 in the SWAC), 6 p.m., Louis Crews Stadium.
Last week: Alabama A&M lost at Prairie View A&M 28-26. The Bulldogs took a 12-0 lead - missing PATs after both touchdowns - but yielded 21 unanswered points in the third when the offense was unable to move on consecutive possessions. A&M had two possessions late in the fourth to move into field goal range but weren't able to cross midfield.
Saturday's standouts: Tailback Brandon Eldemire had runs of 57 and 61 yards, including a touchdown, and running mate Barrington Scott ground out 125 as the A&M running game finally showed signs of life. Unsung standouts were an offensive line that had its best game of the season. Quarterback Jaymason Lee (15-for-28, 224 yards, two TDs) had a good first start.
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This week: Texas Southern (0-3, 0-2 in the SWAC) at Alabama A&M (1-3, 1-1 in the SWAC), 6 p.m., Louis Crews Stadium.
Last week: Alabama A&M lost at Prairie View A&M 28-26. The Bulldogs took a 12-0 lead - missing PATs after both touchdowns - but yielded 21 unanswered points in the third when the offense was unable to move on consecutive possessions. A&M had two possessions late in the fourth to move into field goal range but weren't able to cross midfield.
Saturday's standouts: Tailback Brandon Eldemire had runs of 57 and 61 yards, including a touchdown, and running mate Barrington Scott ground out 125 as the A&M running game finally showed signs of life. Unsung standouts were an offensive line that had its best game of the season. Quarterback Jaymason Lee (15-for-28, 224 yards, two TDs) had a good first start.
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North Carolina A&T Aggies Get Humbling 27-19 Win Over Howard University Bison
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GREENSBORO, North Carolina – Having enough humility is not something the North Carolina A&T football team has to worry about heading into its conference matchup with S.C. State on Oct. 5 in Atlanta.
They will have plenty of it. The Aggies are off to their first 3-0 start in 12 years after defeating Howard 27-19 Thursday night in front of 16,011 fans at Aggie Stadium and in front of a national-television audience watching on ESPNU.
After looking like a dominant 3-0 team in a first half where they took a 27-7 lead, the Aggies showed there is still room for improvement, even for undefeated teams. The Bison scored the final 12 points of the game, the Aggies turned the ball over twice and had a punt blocked and for the first time in eight games, a team was able to rush for more than 100 yards on the Aggies defense.
“Tonight was an eye-opener for all of us,” said A&T head coach Rod Broadway. “We can’t turn the ball over like we did. “Our kicking game went south on us tonight. We’ve been pretty good kicking game wise, but we had a punt blocked. We dropped a punt (on a return). We shanked a punt. We just weren’t very sharp tonight.”
A&T held a 27-10 lead at halftime lead, but the second half opened with A&T freshman Dominic Frescura’s punt being blocked. The Bison took over at the A&T 22-yard line and three plays later quarterback Greg McGhee connected with Stewart Hartman for a 17-yard touchdown. John Fleck missed the extra point, which left the Aggies with a 27-16 lead.
The Aggies had to rely on their defense to keep the Bison from rallying. A&T ran just 24 plays for 75 yards in the second half. But Howard compiled just 18 yards over its next five possessions and turned the ball over once during that span. In the fourth quarter, the Bison was able to put together a 13-play, 45-yard drive that included an 18-yard run by Anthony Philyaw. Fleck closed out the drive with a 40-yard field goal to put the Bison down by one score, 27-19, with 8:08 to play. Howard had two more chances to cut into the Aggies lead, but D’Vonte Grant blocked a 32-yard field goal attempt by Fleck with 4:03 to play.
Howard’s final drive ended in four plays, giving the Aggies their first conference win of the season and their seventh straight win overall, dating back to last season.
“We’ll take it,” said Broadway. “We’re 3-0. When is the last time we’ve been 3-0 around here? Twelve years? So yeah, we’ll take it. It was a tough win. I knew coming in Howard was a good football team. We’re very fortunate to get a win. But we’re going to have to play better than we played tonight if we expect to beat a team, South Carolina State, who I think has been one of the premiere teams in our league over the last 10 years.”
In the first half, A&T did all the things a 3-0 team does to become 3-0. Freshman Michael Weaver blocked a Howard punt two minutes into the game to set up a 4-yard touchdown pass from Lewis Kindle to Devin Moore. Howard tied the game at 7 as a Kindle fumble led to a 6-play, 44-yard drive that ended with a 24-yard McGhee touchdown pass to David Wilson.
The Aggies scored the next 20 points by taking advantage of Howard miscues. After the Howard score, Fleck’s kickoff went out of bounds, giving the Aggies a short field they took advantage of as Kindle scored on an 8-yard touchdown run. A D’Vonte Graham interception led to a 1-yard Dominique Drake touchdown and a McGhee fumble followed by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave the Aggies the ball at the Howard 38. Junior wide receiver Desmond Lawrence took advantage by scoring on a 38-yard touchdown run to give the Aggies their 27-7 lead.
“I thought we had a pretty good rhythm going in the first half offensively,” said Broadway. “But our defense had to play 94 snaps tonight. That’s too many. We have to possess the ball a little bit more offensively and try to give our defense a break. We can’t continue to let those guys play almost 100 plays.”
Howard became the first team since Howard on Oct. 13, 2012, to rush for more than 100 yards on the Aggies defense. But A&T was still able to get the program’s first-ever win on ESPNU. The Aggies were 0-6 on the network coming into Thursday’s game. The Aggies still hasn’t surrendered a rushing touchdown in 30 straight quarters.
Grant led the Aggies defensively with 12 tackles and three tackles for loss. Senior safety Travis Crosby added 10 tackles. Lawrence led the Aggies on the offensive end with 48 yards receiving and 44 yards rushing. The Aggies and the Bulldogs renew their rivalry at the Georgia Dome on Oct. 5 with a scheduled 3:30 p.m., kickoff.
“We’re definitely going to remain humble this week,” said Lawrence. “The game tonight was a little close. We had some scary moments, so we know we got some work to do. We just have to keep improving.”
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COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
XU's regional seeds: 2 doubles teams, 4 singles players
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| Brion Flowers and Kourtney Howell Top Seeded Doubles Team |
The three-day event will be played at the XU Tennis Center and City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center. It is the second fall tournament for the Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush.
Howell and Flowers were 23-11 last season, including six victories against NCAA Division I opponents, were No. 3 in the ITA's postseason rankings of NAIA doubles teams and were selected All-America. They have a first-round bye and will play their round-of-16 match late Friday afternoon, probably at City Park.
Howell is seeded third and Flowers fifth in singles.
Also seeded from Xavier are No. 4 Kyle Montrel and No. 6 Nikita Soifer in men's singles and the doubles team of Montrel and Tushar Mandlekar, who are fourth. Montrel and Soifer were All-America last season.
The other top seeds are from Auburn Montgomery. Nicolas Pinones is No. 1 in men's singles and top-seeded in doubles with Miguel Grifol. Jade Curtis is top-seeded in women's doubles.
Curtis and Morgane Zowczak defeated Howell and Flowers in the doubles final of last year's South Regional.
The majority of Friday's matches will be played at City Park. But Gold Rush fans can watch XU's Adam Albrecht and Vincenzo Ciccone in 9 a.m. first-round matches on campus. Albrecht will play Point's Alonso Treviso, and Ciccone will face AUM's Josh Reason.
Sunday's finals will be played at Xavier.
Joining Xavier, AUM and Point in the eight-school event are Belhaven, Brenau, Georgia Gwinnett, Loyola and William Carey.
Main-draw champions in singles and doubles will qualify for the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships at Fort Myers, Fla., from Oct. 10-13.
tournament site: http://www.xula.edu/athletics/tennis
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
XULAATHLETICS
TSU Eyes Win Versus Central State in Gateway Classic
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Nashville, Tennessee – On Saturday, Sept. 28, the Tennessee State football team will play its last non-conference regular season game of the year when the squad travels to St. Louis, Missouri for a matchup with the Marauders of Central State.
In last weekend’s Ohio Valley Conference victory at Tennessee Tech, the TSU offense set season highs in total yards (438), passing yards (343) and points (41).
Ronald Butler started the game at quarterback and was 12-of-19 for 139 yards and threw his first career touchdown pass on TSU’s opening offensive possession. Michael German spelled the freshman in the second half and went 8-for-14 for 204 yards and three scores.
TSU’s pass catchers benefited from the improved quarterback play as junior tight end A.C. Leonard caught five passes for a career-high 122 yards and two touchdowns while freshman wide receiver
Lavatiae Kelly had six grabs for 95 yards and a score.
While the offense was the main story at Tech, the Big Blue defense performed at its usual level. TSU did not allow points during the second and third quarters and held the Golden Eagles to just 4.1 yards per play.
Samquan Evans paced the TSU defense, setting a personal-best with eight stops and added 2.5 tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble during the first half.
Senior safety David Van Dyke recorded an interception at Tech, his fourth in four games played. The Miami, Fla. native has recorded an interception in each of TSU’s first four contests. Van Dyke’s four picks tie him for the FCS lead with North Carolina Central’s freshman corner Michael Jones.
TSU ranks fifth nationally in takeaways with 12- eight of which have come off of interceptions.
Another key for TSU in the game at Central State will be the play of kicker Jamin Godfrey who enters the contest second in the nation in field goals made this season with nine. The senior from Englewood, Tenn. also has 249 career points and three points against the Marauders will move him into a tie with Charles Anthony for fourth place on the school’s all-time scoring list.
CSU of Division II comes into Saturday’s matchup looking for the team’s first win of the season after starting off 0-3. The Marauders lost to Morehouse College, 42-20, last weekend and have been outscored by opponents 122-46 this year.
TSU holds an all-time 25-5 advantage over Central State, but lost the teams’ last meeting in 1990. CSU suspended its football program in 1997, but brought it back in 2005.
Tennessee State is 3-0 in the Gateway Classic all-time but last played in the St. Louis game in 1970, a 21-3 victory over Parsons.
The last Division II opponent that the Tigers squared off against was Lane College in 1996. TSU won the game, 43-26.
Big Blue and the Marauders will kickoff at 2 p.m. on Saturday from the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri.
COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Coaches poll puts XU Nuggets on top for 4th straight year
NEW ORLEANS — Once again, Xavier University of Louisiana is the choice of Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball coaches to win the championship.The Gold Nuggets received 7-of-9 first place votes and 62 points in a preseason poll announced Thursday. SUNO was second with 53 points — the Lady Knights received one first-place vote — and Talladega was third with 49 points. The other first-place vote went to Tougaloo, in fourth place with 46 points.
It's the fourth straight year that Xavier is atop the coaches poll. It's the 11th time in 12 seasons that the Nuggets finished in the top two of the poll.
The Gold Nuggets have dominated the GCAC since the start of the 2009-10 season, winning 56-of-61 games against conference opponents — 48-4 in the regular season and 8-1 in the tournament. Xavier won regular-season championships in 2009-10, 2011-12 and 2012-13 — the GCAC did not crown a champion in 2010-11 because of unbalanced scheduling — and tournament championships in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12.
The Gold Nuggets were 24-6 overall in 2012-13 and 12-2 in the GCAC. Xavier will attempt to reach 20 victories for the 13th consecutive season, which would extend a school record, and for the 21st time in 22 seasons. The Gold Nuggets also will try to qualify for the NAIA Division I National Championship for the fifth consecutive year and the 18th time in 20 seasons.
The season — the 35th for the Nuggets in the Title IX era — will begin in early November, and 15th-year coach Bo Browder hopes to announce the schedule soon. The NAIA Division I Coaches' Preseason Top 25 will be announced Oct. 29.
Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Women's Basketball 2013-14 Preseason Coaches Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses)
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By Ed Cassiere, SID
XULAATHETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
FSU, Elizabeth City State coaches have 20-year history
ROCKY MOUNT, North Carolina -- Virginia State simply needed good players.The Trojans had fallen on hard times by 1993, and they needed talent.
In college football, obtaining good players – particularly in Division II – means thorough recruiting, and Virginia State assistant Waverly Tillar saw an area in which the team could improve. Ther
e were football players on the roster from Philadelphia and New Jersey, but none from New York, which also is within a day’s drive of Virginia State.
Lawrence Kershaw was a kid from Brooklyn who was looking for a new home.
He committed to Stony Brook University out of high school, but he wasn’t happy there. Kershaw sent film to a handful of schools and hoped to transfer to a better fit.
One of those tapes found its way to Tillar, who not only saw a potential starter on the Trojans’ offensive line but perhaps the beginning of a pipeline to the most populous city in the United States.
“We were hoping to establish a pipeline going to Virginia State to hopefully be able to get those kids (from New York),” Tillar said. “Of course, part of recruiting is you got to have a diverse mesh of players from different areas to put together a consistently winning program.”
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