Morgan State QB Seth Higgins poised to practice, but Robert Council could remain starter

BALTIMORE, Maryland  -- As soon as it would seem that junior Robert Council has established himself as starting quarterback of the Morgan State football team, Council may get some competition from the former starter.

Junior Seth Higgins, who sat out the Bears' past two games after spraining his right (throwing) shoulder in a 34-22 victory over North Carolina Central on Oct. 19, has been cleared to return to practice Tuesday, coach Donald Hill-Eley said during the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's weekly conference call.

“He should be returning to practice today,” Hill-Eley said. “That was the last news that we had gotten. We’ll see when we get out there. Those things change from day to day.”

With Higgins (Edgewood) as the starter, Morgan State (3-6, 3-2 MEAC) went 2-2. Higgins has completed 52.9 percent of his passes (37-of-70) for team highs in yards (452) and touchdowns (five), and has carried the ball 57 times for 282 yards and four scores.

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SU, Coke partner to host I-10 Bayou Hoops Challenge

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- Southern men's basketball and Coca-Cola have partnered to present the Interstate-10 Hoops Challenge refreshed by Coke Zero on Nov. 13 when the Jaguars welcome American Athletic Conference member Tulane to the F.G. Clark Center for its 2013-14 home opener.

Southern, through its partnership with Coca-Cola, will offer free admission to attend the Nov. 13 season opener to fans who bring one empty Coca-Cola product can or plastic bottle per person to the game (examples include Coca-Cola, Powerade, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, or Dasani).

Cumulus Media is also offering free tickets for fans to sit in the Q106.5 Coke Zero Zone for tuning in to KQXL, WEMX and WXOK and responding to promos beginning on November 4.

Southern, which won the SWAC tournament title last season and nearly upset No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the NCAA tournament, is slated to finish second in the league this season and features preseason player of the year honoree Malcolm Miller.

Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and fans are encouraged to arrive early to secure admission.

Coca-Cola will also provide recycling bins to collect the empty cans and bottles which will be exchanged  by the SU Student Athlete Advisory Council for coins to help raise funds for charities as part of the SWAC/SAAC Coin Drive, which Southern won in 2013.

Fans who are interested in purchasing $10 tickets to sit in the reserve (gold) seats can call the SU ticket office at 225-771-3171.  Those fans will be eligible for a halftime drawing for a 2013 Bayou Classic package which includes four tickets to the game, a two-night hotel stay in New Orleans, wristbands to the Coaches Luncheon, Battle of the Bands reception, and Saturday Night Afterparty at the Hyatt, provided a minimum of 200 people buy tickets in the reserve section.

COURTESY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

XU will play Voorhees in GCAC Tournament quarterfinals

THREE-PEAT: The XU women's volleyball won its third consecutive Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship by defeating Dillard 25-18, 25-18, 25-22 Wednesday at the Convocation Center. The Nuggets enter the postseason with a 22-7 overall record (which includes an 11-0 conference mark).

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NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's women's volleyball team will begin its quest for a third consecutive Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament championship at noon Thursday against Voorhees in the quarterfinals.

Philander Smith's Mims Gym in Little Rock, Ark., is the tournament site for the second consecutive year.
    
The nine GCAC teams were seeded by divisional finish. Xavier (23-7) is the No. 1 team in the West, and Voorhees (2-19) is No. 4 in East. The Gold Nuggets defeated Voorhees 25-14, 25-9, 25-8 on Sept. 14 at XU to begin a school-record 17-match win streak which is still active.

Voorhees, a first-year GCAC member, lost all 11 of its conference matches.

Xavier clinched its third consecutive GCAC regular-season championship on Wednesday with a straight-sets victory at home against Dillard. The Nuggets have won 40 in a row against GCAC opponents; that streak began in 2011.
    
The Xavier-Voorhees winner will play Philander Smith or Talladega at noon Friday in the semifinals. The championship match will start at 11 a.m. Saturday. The tournament is single-elimination this year after many seasons with a double-elimination format.
    
In the other Thursday matches, Dillard will play Tougaloo in the first round at 10 a.m. That winner will play Fisk, top-seeded in the East, in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. The other quarterfinals are Philander Smith vs. Talladega at 2 p.m. and SUNO vs. Edward Waters at 4 p.m.

GCAC Tournament at Philander Smith's Mims Gym, Little Rock, Ark.

First Round — Thursday, Nov. 7
Dillard (No. 4 West) vs. Tougaloo (No. 5 West), 10 a.m.

Quarterfinals — Thursday, Nov. 7
Xavier (No. 1 West) vs. Voorhees (No. 4 East), noon
Philander Smith (No. 3 West) vs. Talladega (No. 2 East), 2 p.m.
SUNO (No. 2 West) vs. Edward Waters (No. 3 East), 4 p.m.
Fisk (No. 1 East) vs. Dillard-Tougaloo winner, 6 p.m.

Semifinals — Friday, Nov. 8
Xavier-Voorhees winner vs. Philander Smith-Talladega winner, noon
SUNO-Edward Waters winner vs. Fisk-Dillard-Tougaloo winner, 2 p.m.

Championship — Saturday, Nov. 9
Semifinal winners, 11 a.m.

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

Tennessee State Tigers Top Lemoyne-Owen Magicians, 69-68

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  A free throw with 1.2 seconds left by Jaleel Queary proved to be the difference in the Tennessee State men’s basketball team’s, 69-68, exhibition victory over Lemoyne-Owen on Monday night.

The scoring went back and forth for the last seven minutes of the contest with neither team going up by more than one basket. Lemoyne-Owen pulled ahead by one at, 68-67, with a jumper at the one-minute mark.

 

Queary hit the back end of a pair of free throws on TSU’s next possessionL to tie the game and the Tigers forced a stop on defense to setup one final shot with 6.9 seconds remaining.

Final Box

Patrick Miller drove the ball down the floor, faked a shot and dished it to Queary underneath the basket. The JUCO transfer went up for the shot and was fouled with 1.7 left. Queary made the front end, but the Magicians pulled down the miss on his second attempt.

 

Miller broke up the ensuing inbound pass and the Tigers hung on for the narrow, one-point win.

 

Miller paced the Tigers with 27 points on 8-of-15 shooting including a 11-for-13 mark from the charity stripe. The Chicago, Ill. native also had a game-high five assists and added four boards.

 

Forward Michael Green got the Tigers’ offense going, draining the team’s first two hoops with one-handed floaters in the lane. TSU scored the game’s first eight points before the Magicians broke through with a pair of buckets to trim the lead to 8-4.

 

Lemoyne-Owen kept hanging around and even tied the game at 16 with 11 minutes to go before halftime. The 9-0 Magician run prompted head coach Travis Williams to burn a timeout to regroup.

 

His team responded with a 9-2 stretch that was led by five points from Green, including the Tigers’ only three pointer of the period at the 10:09 mark.

 

Green finished the game with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and added three rebounds.

 

A highlight reel moment for the Tigers came with 4:33 left to play before halftime, as Miller stole the ball near his own three-point line and flipped the ball to Jay Harris. Harris took a few dribbles and then threw the ball up in the air where M.J. Rhett caught it near the rim and slammed it down with two hands. The jam put the Tigers up, 30-24.

 

Harris missed a three-pointer at the buzzer and TSU went into the locker room clinging to a, 36-32, lead.

The Tigers were 1-of-14 from three point land during the first 20 minutes, but held the Magicians to a 0-for-7 line from deep.

 

Miller led all scorers at the break with 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting. The senior made 8-of-9 from the charity stripe and added a pair of rebounds and steals.

 

The Magicians opened the second half on an 11-4 run to take the lead at 43-40. The string was punctuated by a fast-break dunk from LO’s Victor Shell with just over 15 minutes to play.

 

The Tigers finally retook the lead when Harris nailed a jumper at the 11:52 mark to put his team up by one. The advantage didn’t last long as Lemoyne-Owen nailed a three the next time down the floor to make the score, 48-46.

 

The Magicians saw their lead swell to six when Jean Mathieu poured in a triple with just under 10 to go.

 

TSU rebounded, however, as Jaleel Queary was intentionally fouled and Jordan Gaither made both freebies. The Tigers got the ball following the shots and Miller found Kennedy Eubanks wide open off of the inbound for a strong two-handed dunk. The slam brought the Tiger faithful to their feet and put Tennessee State ahead, 55-54, with a little over seven minutes left in the game.

 

The game see-sawed from that point, setting up the thrilling finish.

 

TSU was outshot 37.5 percent to 39 percent and outrebounded 41-38, but the Tigers forced three more turnovers and made plays when they had to.

 

Rhett was TSU’s second leading scorer with 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting. The redshirt junior had seven points from the charity stripe and had four rebounds.

 

Eubanks led the Tigers with eight boards.

 

The Tigers will start regular season play on Friday night at the University of Hawai’i for the three-game Rainbow Classic.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Jackson State coaches scouted final 2 opponents at one time

JACKSON, Mississippi  -- The players had the weekend off.

 

The coaching staff? They’re the ones who had the homework.

 

While Jackson State had a bye Saturday, its last two opponents of the regular season – Alabama A&M and Alcorn State – went head to head.

 

So Rick Comegy and his staff traveled to Lorman to not only scout Alabama A&M, which they play in Hunstville on Saturday at 1 p.m., during their bye week also to get a look at Alcorn State, who the Tigers host Nov. 16.

 

A takeaway for Jackson State — don’t let the Bulldogs climb back.

 

The Tigers don’t want to repeat what happened to the Braves (7-3, 5-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference), who blew their chances for a SWAC title. They allowed Alabama A&M (3-6, 3-4) to comeback from a 15-0 deficit and fell in a 19-18 upset.

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The Editor: FAMU's Earl Holmes is Just Getting Started

Dwight Floyd
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TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  With the hiring of Earl Holmes as the next FAMU head football coach last year there was a lot of hype and excitement. He is after all home grown, a graduate of FAMU DRS and Florida A&M University, and an outstanding former NFL player. We all got behind him because we wanted him to succeed. By giving the right kind of support we can still help, but in all ways necessary he’ll have to lead the Rattlers from one of their lowest points in history to meeting the expectations that Florida A&M history requires. Thus, the legacy begins.

After recently reading Coaching Against the Wind, a book by retired FAMU administrator and Professor Eddie Jackson, I am reminded that the all-time FAMU winningest Coach Alonzo S. Jake Gaither inherited a winning program. Not enough people are aware of the legacy of William “Big Bill” Bell. Too many of us would like to think that Jake Gaither and Rudy Hubbard were the only FAMU coaches to distinguish themselves as national champions.

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Claflin Lady Panthers, SCSU Bulldogs take wins in Garden City Classic

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- S.C. State head basketball coach Murray Garvin smiled following Monday’s game against Claflin.

While part of the reason was because he knew he no longer had to put aside having lunch with his coaching counterpart and Claflin head coach Rickey Jackson, the other part may have had something to do with the Bulldogs 67-57 win over the Panthers.

Neither team’s offense shot particularly well in the opening period, but it was South Carolina State that made the most of their opportunities from the field. Led by Jalen White, who scored nine of his 11 points in the first 20 minutes of play, the Bulldogs entered the locker room with a 27-25 lead at the half.

“Jalen White found out that he was starting in the point guard spot two hours before we played,” Garvin said. “Shaquille Mitchell was our starter going into the exhibition game and Shaq got diagnosed with symptoms of strep throat at around 3 o’clock today. So, for Jalen to come in as a true freshman and give us the lift that he did, I commend him for that. He’s worked hard since he’s been here.”

Claflin ended the first half of play shooting 10-33 from the field and 3-20 from behind the 3-point line. Still, the Panthers found themselves in striking distance heading into the second half.

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S.C. State, Claflin teams meet tonight for ‘bragging rights’

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- From a win-loss standpoint, tonight’s basketball doubleheader at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center will not count as it’s considered an exhibition contest.

For neighbors South Carolina State and Claflin University, the Garden City Classic offers much more from a pride standpoint.

With three of the four participants coming off losing seasons and both the Panthers and Lady Panthers with new head coaches (Deonta’ McChester for the women, Ricky Jackson for the men), a victory would provide a positive boost heading into a new season.

“Anytime you have South Carolina State and Clafin in anything, it doesn’t matter whether it’s an exhibition or a regular-season game,” S.C. State men’s basketball coach Murray Garvin said. “It’s bragging rights in the community.”

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Preseason poll: NSU has MEAC's top team, player

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Norfolk State interim basketball coach Robert Jones isn't putting much stock in the target that's about to be painted onto his team.

But if the Spartans return to the NCAA tournament, they'll have to do it as MEAC favorites.

NSU was picked to finish first in a poll of league coaches and sports information directors expected to be released today. Senior guard Pendarvis Williams was named preseason Player of the Year.

Jones, in his first season on the job after six years as an assistant under former Spartans coach Anthony Evans, said that while being recognized is nice, preseason polls generally have little value.

"At least it shows that we have some talent," said Jones, who returns 11 letter winners from a squad that went 21-12 (16-0 in the MEAC) last season.

"Just because you're picked No. 1 doesn't mean you're going to finish No. 1.Of course, you strive for that."

Williams, a 6-foot-6 Philadelphia native, led the team and finished fourth in the MEAC with 14.3 points per game to earn the league's Player of the Year award last season.

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TSU Tigers to Begin Season With Exhibition on Monday

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- On Monday night, the Tennessee State men’s basketball team will take on Lemoyne-Owen in an exhibition game in preparation of its season opener on Nov. 8. The Tigers will tipoff against the Magicians at 7 p.m. in the Gentry Center before traveling to the University of Hawai’i to take part in the Rainbow Classic.

Coming off a stellar first season at the helm of the Tennessee State men’s basketball program Travis Williams is looking to build the Tigers into a consistent OVC threat year in and year out.

 

The Tigers are coming off an 18-15 season finishing third in the OVC East division with an 11-5 conference record.

 

Williams’ undeniable team leader will be All-OVC point guard Patrick Miller who will now be the Tigers most experienced player on a young team.

 

“When you look at a point guard that’s usually the most important position on the court and to have that caliber of player returning his senior year is going to be a tremendous asset for our team,” Williams said of his veteran floor general.

 

The senior point guard is a potential OVC player of the year candidate who returns to the reigns of an offense that will rely on a lot of newcomers to shoulder heavy production losses. Miller averaged 14.8 points, 5.9 assists per game as well as recording a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Chicago native’s junior season will go down as one of the best for a point guard at TSU after Miller set the single season assist mark with 195.

 

Miller’s record breaking junior season earned him a spot on the All-OVC first team. The 6-1 guard enters the season as just one of two holdovers from the ’12-’13 All-OVC first and second teams and the only member of the first team to return.

 

Coach Williams is now asking his savvy point guard to focus even more attention to another aspect of his game.

 

“He’s been able to show a lot of leadership in helping the younger guys along but I think he’s welcoming the challenge,” said Williams on Miller’s vocal role on this year’s team. “I want him to have more of a voice this year to develop the makeup of this team. He’s been thrust into that role and I think he’s looking forward to that challenge.”

 

The supporting cast around Miller will be a more youthful unit than the senior is used to with the loss of All-OVC second team members Robert Covington and Kellen Thornton as well as Jordan Cyphers and Tashan Frederick to graduation. Overall the Tigers will be replacing 62.2% of their scoring and 44.5 points per game.

 

Coach Travis Williams will turn to both a combination of veteran talent and youthful newcomers to pace the 2013-14 Tigers team.

 

Junior M.J. Rhett will pace the Tigers in the post after a strong sophomore campaign averaging 5.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Rhett’s most impressive performances came at the beginning of 2013, recording back-to-back double-doubles in wins over OVC rivals Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State. The performances earned Rhett the accolade of OVC player of the week for Jan. 7.

 

Seniors Michael Green and Chaed Wiellian will join Rhett in the frontcourt. Both served in reserve roles off the bench backing up the solid performing Thornton and Covington. The two are in line for more playing time this season filling the void left by the former Tigers.

 

Green averaged 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds a game off the bench for TSU a year ago.

 

The guard position will have welcomed depth for Coach Williams’ team with Miller, junior Jay Harris, sophomore Jordan Gaither and the return of Jacquan Nobles. Harris spent last year as a reserve playing behind Miller. During Harris’ sophomore season the Philadelphia native averaged 3.2 points, 1.1 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game.  Harris was a key defender off the bench for the Tigers a season ago.

 

Nobles rejoins the TSU roster after spending the past two seasons away from basketball.  The 6-3 guard began his career for Tennessee State in 2009 earning a spot on the OVC All-Newcomer team that season after averaging 11.2 points per game while shooting 44% from the field. During his second season in Nashville Nobles led the team with 59 three pointers made while averaging 7.5 points per game.

 

Williams will also welcome his first full recruiting class after being named the head coach in 2012. The class includes four freshman and two JUCO transfers.

 

The freshman class is highlighted by the addition of Ugo Mmonu a wiry 6-7 combo guard from Decatur, Ga.

 

“I think he’s an incredible talent his best basketball is ahead of him. He has incredible versatility with the ability to play inside-and-out from multiple positions,” Williams said of the newcomer.

 

Mmonu is joined by fellow freshmen Jamonte Green, Jaylen Reid and Rhyan Townes.

 

Reid is a 6-7 forward who can also play the small forward position and should battle for minutes in the post.

 

Green and Townes will provide viable depth in the backcourt while gaining valuable experience learning from Miller.

 

Kennedy Eubanks and Jaleel Queary round out the recruiting class and will add experience to both the frontcourt (Eubanks) and backcourt (Queary).

 

All of this year’s Tiger team will try to build off of last season’s success in hopes of winning the OVC and clinching a berth in the NCAA Tournament. TSU will begin its quest of achieving those goals on Monday night at 7 p.m.

 

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Football Part of Planning at LeMoyne-Owen College

MEMPHIS, Tennessee -- The new $13.5 million four-story residence hall at LeMoyne-Owen College that formally opened Friday, Oct. 18, is the latest symbol of growth on the campus of the city’s only historically black college since 2006.

The next indication of that growth could be a football team.

“I have just received the football feasibility study that we are taking a look at,” said LeMoyne-Owen College president Johnnie Watson. “At some point, the board will say yea or nay to that. That’s probably the next thing.”

The idea of a Magicians football team surfaced in 2010 with a feasibility study beginning as well as some efforts to build support for such a team among alumni.

The school has a number of men’s and women’s sports programs but the school is best known for its men’s and women’s basketball teams. And the basketball teams have been an important part of the school’s legacy since Watson was a student there in the late 1950s.

Watson graduated from the college in 1960 and is the first alumni to serve as president of the college in the Soulsville section of South Memphis.

“Probably 50 years ago. That was before I even attended college,” Watson said of the old football program. “Some people want it to return. But certainly we are going to have to look at the economics.”

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Ram Ramblings: Rams dream season nearly came to a crashing halt

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Senior defensive lineman Jermaine Kesler of Winston-Salem State was having a serious flashback to Oct. 30, 2010 at Durham County Stadium.

It was that day when Shaw got a late interception of Kam Smith and went on to a 31-27 win over the Rams. That was the last time the Rams lost to a CIAA opponent, but the scene looked very familiar on Saturday to WSSU’s fans and to Kesler.
                    
This time it was Darnell Evans, who is one of the most talented players in the CIAA, who nearly ruined WSSU’s season. Evans, a senior safety, intercepted a floating deep pass by Rudy Johnson after wide receiver Kenny Patterson had fallen down. Evans then went 88 yards untouched for a touchdown with a little more than eight minutes left in the game.

The Bears had a 24-21 lead and for the first time since 2010 the Rams trailed late in a CIAA game.

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Second-Half Comeback Lifts St. Aug Past Johnson C. Smith on Senior Day

RALEIGH, North Carolina  -- Cyril Davis (R-Fr./Orangeburg, SC) came off the bench in the second half to throw two touchdown passes and Brian Richards (R-Sr./Waldorf, MD) caught six passes for 153 yards and a touchdown as Saint Augustine's University downed Johnson C. Smith University 13-6 in a CIAA football contest at John H. Baker Stadium on Saturday, November 2, 2013. The contest was designated as Senior Day.

"It's Senior Day, and you want to play well," St. Aug Head Coach Michael Costa said. "You want the seniors to go out on a good note. The seniors stepped in and did what they needed to do."

Chris Roberts (R-Soph./Albany, Ga.) recorded 3.5 sacks for the Falcons, who snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 4-5 overall and 3-3 in the CIAA. The Golden Bulls fell to 4-5 overall and 2-5 in the CIAA after dropping their fourth consecutive game. The Falcons have beaten the Golden Bulls three consecutive times at home.

Davis, playing his first career game, sparked the offense of the Falcons, who trailed 6-0 at halftime. The Falcons took a 7-6 lead in the third quarter on a 65-yard pass from Davis to Chris Dalton (Sr./Statesville, NC) and Michael Lima's (R-Jr./Miami, FL) extra point. On the touchdown play, Dalton turned a short pass into a long run with no defenders in sight to put the Falcons ahead.

The Golden Bulls threatened to re-gain the lead in the fourth quarter. They droved inside the Falcons' 20-yard line, but the Falcons pushed them back to SAU 44-yard line where the Golden Bulls were forced to punt.

The Falcons stretched the lead to 13-6 with 3:25 left on an 89-yard pass from Davis to Richards on their next possession. Davis scrambled to his left to avoid pressure and found a wide-open Richards downfield. Richards caught the pass in stride and ran untouched down the left sideline for the score. The play was the longest this season and one of the longest in school history for the Falcons.

The Golden Bulls drove past midfield on their final possession, but the drive stalled at the Falcons' 48-yard line. Facing fourth down and one, the Golden Bulls were penalized for a false start. On the next play, Kharea Roseboro (R-Jr./Statesville, NC) stopped Kyle Gregg for no gain with a vicious hit on a pass play to give the Falcons possession on downs. Lined up in victory formation, the Falcons ran out the clock for the victory.

Davis threw for 187 yards on 6 of 13 passing for the Falcons and was not sacked. He also threw two interceptions in addition to his two touchdown passes, but his calming presence uplifted the Falcons in the second half.

"He did a good job," Costa said. "Once he starts working more with the first team and gets his timing down, I'm pretty sure he will do even better."

Dalton had three receptions for 91 yards and a score for the Falcons. JJShawn Pinkston (R-Sr./Mooresville, NC) added 46 rushing yards on eight carries.

The Falcons' defense, ranked among the CIAA's best, stymied the Golden Bulls offensive attack until the St. Aug offense got on track. CIAA tackles leader Chaz Robinson (Sr./Hampton, Va.) recorded a game-high nine tackles for the Falcons, who held the Golden Bulls to 73 rushing yards. The Golden Bulls scored 35 or more points in seven of eight games entering Saturday's contest. The Falcons finished with four sacks and picked off three passes – including one each by Jordan Griffin (So./Middletown, DE), Brandon Taylor (Fr./Opelika, AL) and John'ta Cooper (Jr./Cairo, GA).

"I think we played one of the best defensive games we've played in a long time," Costa said.

For the Golden Bulls, Gregg rushed 13 times for 69 yards and Fred Scott caught seven passes for 59 yards. Andrew Alexander competed 13 of 20 passes for 131 yards including a 38-yard scoring pass to LeAnder Barney in the first quarter for the early lead. But Alexander was intercepted once and sacked four times. Keahn Wallace entered for Alexander in the second half and completed 9 of 16 passes but the Falcons intercepted him twice. On defense, the trio of Austin Jacques, Leon Minto and Anthony Allen each finished with five tackles for the Golden Bulls.

Before the contest, 19 football seniors were honored along with nine band seniors. The football seniors were Au'Darius Blackwood (Mooresville, NC), Dalton, Jadarius Dean (Milledgeville, GA), Dante Devouse (Phenix, AL), Javarous Faulk (Macon, GA), Javon Harley (Newark, DE), Bryan Jones (Warner Robins, GA), Jermaine Jones (Wilmington, NC), Newton Miller III (York, PA), Ronald Moore (Greensboro, NC), Alex Munro (Ashburn, VA), Shonquez Nelson (Lake City, SC), Rodricaus Peters (Decatur, GA), Pinkston, Herman Reaves (Miami, FL), Richards, Robinson, Roseboro and Tucker.

The Falcons conclude the regular season against crosstown rival Shaw University at Durham County Stadium in Durham, NC, on Saturday, November 9, 2013. Game time is 1 p.m.

"We have to be ready," Costa said. "It's a rivalry. It's all about us being ready."

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FVSU rolls over Morehouse

FORT VALLEY, Georgia  --  It took Fort Valley State nine games to play like head coach Donald Pittman expected.

Pittman has been preaching glass-full optimism all season, that it was a matter of time before the Wildcats clicked on offense. That time came Saturday night.

Quarterback Malcolm Eady ran and passed the Wildcats up and down the field en route to a 46-19 win over Morehouse at Wildcat Stadium.

Those on hand saw FVSU (4-5, 3-0 SIAC) deal the knockout punch in the second quarter and never let Morehouse (2-7, 0-4) start a rally.

“I would think we’d get rolling faster,” Pittman said. “We didn’t get into sync until later on, but that’s fine.”

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Big first quarter lifts Lane Dragons over KSU Thorobreds

JACKSON, Tennessee  -- Lane head coach Derrick Burroughs has been publicly critical of his team’s defense this year.

Saturday, that same defense gave up 450 yards of offense and four touchdowns.

But it also recovered two fumbles in the first quarter and forced two timely interceptions, one late in the game, to help the Dragons knock off visiting Kentucky State on senior day at Lane Field, 38-28.
“The first half, I tell you what, I was proud of them,” Burroughs said. “We showed little remnants of that old defense, but I was proud of the guys.

“I have been very critical, but I don’t want to be critical in a situation like this. They’ve done everything they could do.”

With just over five minutes remaining, Lane held a 31-21 lead over the Thorobr
eds with Kentucky State driving the ball deep into Lane territory.

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Xavier Gold Nuggets build big lead, defeat Langston in opener

The 2013-14 Xavier University of Louisiana women's basketball team.

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GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas -- Sophomore guard Whitney Gathright scored a career-best 19 points

It was the season opener for both teams.

Gathright, from New Orleans and a former John Curtis Christian School standout, was 5-of-8 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the line in 31 minutes. She scored 11 second-half points and finished with four assists and three steals. Gathright and Danielle Tucker made two 3-pointers apiece, all in the first half.

Paige Gauthier had 16 points, four assists and four steals for the Gold Nuggets, and Tucker had 12 points and seven rebounds. Gauthier scored 14 in the second half.

Lynette Holmes, a transfer from the University of Arizona, and Alex Adekunle scored 19 points apiece for Langston, and Amber Kinlaw had 10. Holmes scored 15 in the second half.

Xavier trailed 11-6 through the first six minutes, then Tucker and Gathright combined for 18 points to rally the Nuggets and give them a 32-25 halftime lead. Freshman Taylor Norman made two free throws to give Xavier its biggest lead, 53-33, with 8:20 remaining.

Three times Langston cut Xavier's lead to four points, all in the final 90 seconds, but did not draw closer. The Lionesses committed four turnovers in the final 2½ minutes.

Xavier outshot Langston 44 to 35.5 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Lionesses 43-36. Chelsea Broussard and Emoni Harvey also grabbed seven rebounds for the Nuggets. Harvey, a sophomore guard, more than doubled her previous career best of three rebounds.

Xavier extended its regular-season win streak to 13 games.

Xavier's next game will be its home opener at 4 p.m. Saturday against Spring Hill at the Convocation Center. That game will follow a 2 p.m. matchup between the XU men and Albany State.

Saturday to lead NAIA No. 15 Xavier University of Louisiana to a 69-63 women's basketball victory against Langston.

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

Road to the Honda: Edward Waters College

Council's two-minute drill leads Morgan State to 30-27 win over Hampton

BALTIMORE, Maryland  -- After watching a 16-point halftime lead be replaced by a 27-23 fourth quarter deficit against Hampton on Saturday, Morgan State quarterback Robert Council didn't panic when met with a fourth-and-13 from his own 37-yard line.

Instead, with less than three minutes to play, Council completed a 36-yard pass to Antonio Jefferson, extending the Bears' drive. A few plays later, Council's 7-yard touchdown pass to Nate Ingram with 26 seconds remaining gave Morgan a 30-27 lead that the defense held, securing a key Mid-Eastern Conference win before an announced 5,789 at Hughes Stadium.

"We had to score," Ingram said. "In order to win that game, we got to get seven points."

And Council, in just his third start this season, said he was well-prepared for what ought to have been a pressure-packed drive.

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Langston Edges Oklahoma Panhandle State, 20-19

GOODWELL, Oklahoma -- Freshman quarterback Mark Wright continued his dominant play, and the Langston Lions came back from a 13 point 4^th quarter deficit to defeat Panhandle State 20-19.  Panhandle State jumped out to a 10-0 first quarter lead as the Lions special team woes continued.  Punter David DeHarde had his punt blocked in the first quarter, which Panhandle State recovered in the endzone.

Wright would be the difference maker in the game again, as he completed 19-29 passes for 254 yards.  He also added 135 yards on the ground, including two touchdowns.  A 37-yard scoring run by Wright in the second quarter helped stop the bleeding, but the Aggies came down to score just 2 minutes later to take a 16-6 lead into halftime.

The 3^rd quarter was quiet in terms of scoring.  The Aggies would add a field goal to increase their lead to 19-6 entering the fourth quarter.  The Lions offense then came alive, as Wright found receiver Sheldon Augustine for a 33-yard touchdown pass.  Wright would later score on a crucial quarterback sneak on 4^th down, and DeHarde added the extra point to give the Lions the lead 20-19 with roughly 8 minutes remaining in the game.  The Aggies threatened with under a minute left, but failed to convert a 4^th and 10 to keep their drive alive at midfield.

The Lions defense played steadily all game, and held the Aggies on critical drives in the second half.  The Lions forced 3 turnovers and added 3 sacks.  Middle linebacker John Hunter led the defense with 12 tackles, including 3 tackles for loss.  The Lions secondary was active as well, breaking up 5 passes.

Game Notes:  Oklahoma Panhandle State recently moved to NCAA Division II…At^th to take on Bacone.
tendance at Carl Wooten Field was 978…This gives Langston a 4-game winning streak…The Lions will play in Muskogee on November 9

COURTESY LANGSTON UNIVERSITY LIONS SPORTS INFORMATION

Tuskegee balanced offensive effort puts away Central State

TUSKEGEE, Alabama  -- In a game that Tuskegee never trailed in, the Golden Tigers cruised to a 31-point victory over Central State in the 90th Annual Homecoming game.  The 41-10 victory is the sixth consecutive win for Tuskegee, and sets up another matchup between TU and Miles for the SIAC West Division Championship next Saturday at Cleve L. Abbott Stadium.  The Golden Tigers had 417 yards of offense and 27 first downs for the game.

In spite of the great offensive effort by TU, not a single offensive player finished with even 75 yards individually for the contest.  The running game once again establishd a pattern of whoever the coaching staff felt was hot at the moment, as six Tuskegee players ran for a minimum of 20 yards on the afternoon  A total of 279 yards were gained against the Marauders.

"I thought they did a good job," said Tuskegee coach Willie Slater.  "They did a great job maintaining pass protection, and we were able to rely on the run whenever we needed it.  They are only getting better, and the linemen continue to improve every single week."

Montgomery native Rashard Burkette started for the fourth consecutive week, and Slater's mastery of the two quarterback system showed up in the stats.  Both the Sidney Lanier graduate and junior Justin Nared threw for 60 yards and a touchdown apiece, as they combined to complete six of their 18 passing attempts.

The Tuskegee defense had an outstanding effort, and was led by Reginald Woods.  He had game highs in solo and total tackles (with eight and ten, respectively), while also picking up one of four team interceptions to go with 2.5 sacks and four tackles for a loss.  The Marauders finished the game with 232 total yards, and just 57 of those yards were through the air.  They also had two lost fumbles to add with the four interceptions.

Miles College held up their end of the billing later in the day, as they were able to comeback from three scores down to take the lead for good over Stillman College in Tuscaloosa to earn a 31-30 victory.  Slater said that he expects a hard-fought battle, as games played over the course of the last two seasons have proved.

"It will be a tough game,"  Slater said.  "They always play us tough, and we always manage to have a battle with them.  We know that we have to play at our very best."

But, for this weekend, Coach Slater will look back at the Homecoming celebration and marvel at the strong showing of support.

"There's nothing like a TU Homecoming," Slater said.  "It's hard to believe how many people show up to it each and every year, and I really believe that it has grown.  I can't wait to see what it looks like next year."

Box Score




BY: Michael Stewart, Sports Information Director, Tuskegee University
COURTESY TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Miles scores three times in fourth quarter to beat Stillman

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama  --  Closing out a game in the fourth quarter is critical in college football.

The Stillman Tigers didn’t do it in a 31-30 loss to the Miles Golden Bears on Saturday night.

 

The Tigers (5-4, 4-3 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) controlled the tempo for the first 30 minutes of play but eased up on the gas pedal, allowing the Golden Bears (5-3, 5-1) to score 21 unanswered points in the last 15 minutes of the game.

 

“We got exposed on the defensive end, and I am very disappointed that we gave up those points,” Stillman coach Teddy Keaton said.

 

Miles sealed the win when wide receiver Antonio Pitts caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Demetrice Price with 17.9 seconds remaining.

 

Price finished 23 of 42 passing for 270 yards and two touchdowns.

 

Tigers quarterback Torrance Moise was sacked by defensive end Braysean Jones on the game’s final play.

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GSU Stadium officially renamed to honor Eddie Robinson

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- An hour before Grambling State University’s homecoming kickoff, hundreds of alumni, students and sports legends gathered around Gate 2 of Robinson Stadium as the stadium built 30 years ago in honor of the late coach was renamed the Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.

According to Grambling president Frank G. Pogue, Robinson was still alive when the stadium was built, and the university couldn’t honor him by putting his full name on the historic building where he won most of his football games, including No. 408.



“He was not deceased, and there is a state policy about that,” said Pogue. “He has certainly been deceased long enough, that it had to be changed.”

The idea of renaming the stadium has been in conversation for years, even before Pogue’s tenure, the president said, and the idea was brought to Pogue’s attention just days after he was named president of the institution.

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XU unbeaten in GCAC for third straight regular season

Xavier University of Louisiana's 2013 women's volleyball team
ROSTER
COACHES
(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana won 25-17, 23-25, 25-19, 25-14 at Dillard on Saturday to conclude a third consecutive unbeaten regular season in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's volleyball.

The Gold Nuggets (23-7, 12-0) concluded the regular season with 17 consecutive victories and defeated the Lady Bleu Devils (10-7, 7-5) for the second time in four days. The Nuggets matched their season record for victories set in 2011.

Moira Kirk led Xavier, hitting .619 with 15 kills and two errors in 21 attacks. She also had two blocks. Taylor Reuther had nine kills, hit .389 and served two aces, and Jodi Chatters had 14 digs. Franziska Pirkl and Alexandria Rencher had 16 assists apiece.

Carolyn Baker and Mercades Chevis had 12 kills apiece for Dillard. Chevis had 14 digs, three blocks and two aces.

Dillard's second-set victory snapped Xavier's consecutive-set win streak at 18.

Xavier has a 34-match win streak in the GCAC regular season and has won 40 straight matches, including tournaments, against conference opponents.

Both Xavier and Dillard will compete Thursday in the GCAC Tournament at Little Rock, Ark. The Nuggets will attempt to win the tourney for the third consecutive year. The tournament champion will receive at automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship and play a first-round match Nov. 23.

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

Williams rolls lucky seven: GSU jr. leads Tigers back to win column

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — A man named Williams at quarterback helped rescue Grambling’s somber and chaotic season.

And no, it wasn’t legendary quarterback Doug Williams, nor his son D.J. Williams.

Junior Johnathan Williams, who started in place of a banged up D.J. Williams, totaled seven touchdowns — five passing and two rushing — in a masterful performance to help secure the first victory of the season in a 47-40 win over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday.

Grambling, which snapped an 18-game losing streak to NCAA opponents and a 15-game SWAC losing streak, both dating back to 2011, held on in a wild back-and-forth shootout with former players and alumni in the stands for homecoming.

“I need to thank the man upstairs. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, though,” said Williams, who finished with 316 total yards and accounted for every Grambling score. “It was a must-win situation. I just had to lay it all out on the field.”

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GSU President Pogue: University's challenges reflect state of higher education

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  -- The recent boycott by our student athletes brought national, and international, attention to the piney woods of Grambling State University.

There was initial shock that a school with our football pedigree could ever forfeit a game, as we did recently when we did not have enough football players to field a team against Jackson State University. I have been saying this for a long time, to anyone who would listen, but the student protest brought to light the fact that our finances are stretched so thin that the basics are no longer guaranteed.

Drastic budget cuts in recent years have pushed many of the nation’s historically black colleges and universities [HBCUs] to the financial brink. Yes, we have reduced athletic budgets, we are buying fewer uniforms, our football teams ride buses instead of flying and we have many more cutbacks. Frankly, that is a small part of our pain. We have furloughed faculty and staff, asked faculty to take on larger teaching loads, trimmed academic degree offerings and delayed building repairs.

And still, we are left with serious needs across our campuses.

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