Coach's fund-raising saves season for FAMU golf team

The return of the team means that the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will have a championship tournament this year and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- When Marvin Green set out to raise money for FAMU's golf team, two things were on his mind – longevity of the program and an opportunity for his players to compete for a full season.

"FAMU's golf has been around for 60 years and we want to be around for 60 more years," Green said Thursday. "We want to be considered a viable and important part of our athletic program. We just want to be something that the whole community is proud of."

Green said that he has raised $30,000, which will cover the cost of a 10-tournament schedule and avert suspension of the program. The Rattlers will play their first event on Sept. 26 in the Hall of Fame Tournament, a major for HBCUs that is sponsored by the 100 Black Men of Atlanta.

FAMU announced suspension its golf team in June in a cost-saving move by athletics director Kellen Winslow. Green's effort guarantees that they won't miss this season after all.

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Battle of the Bands: Elon University Marching Phoenix vs. North Carolina A&T State University Blue & Gold Marching Machine

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Published on Sep 14, 2014
Courtesy of the North Carolina A&T BGMM Media Team...

Special thanks to the Elon University family for the wonderful hospitality they extended to us during the game, to include inviting us to perform second during halftime. This is the least we could do to show our appreciation for such a class act... Thomas L. Jones, Jr.

Camera: 4x Canon 5D mkII, Canon C100
Audio: Sennheiser MKH-8000 series mics, Sound Devices 788T recorder, camera audio

XU's Jackson, Kitto finish 1-2 at Southern Miss Invitational

Kwame Jackson (17:30.8 for 5K), Brent Kitto (17:32.8) and Christopher August
(17:42.5) placed 1-2-4 at Southern Miss Invitational cross country meet.

MOSELLE, Mississippi -- Xavier University of Louisiana's Kwame Jackson edged teammate Brent Kitto by two seconds Saturday to win the men's individual title at the Southern Miss Invitational cross country meet.

XU's women, led by Catherine Fakler's fourth-place finish, placed second out of five teams and scored better than NCAA Division I opponents Alcorn State and Southern. Xavier is an NAIA member.

Jackson ran 5,000 meters in 17 minutes, 30.8 seconds to earn his second victory in three meets this season and his fifth victory for Xavier. Jackson, a senior, has 16 top-10 finishes and 11 top-5s in 22 collegiate meets.

Kitto earned his second runner-up finish of the season and his third straight top-4. He ran four seconds ahead of third-place Darien Hennington of Alcorn State.

It's the second time in three meets that Jackson and Kitto were the two fastest overall finishers.

Xavier's Christopher August was fourth in 17:42.5 and claimed his third top-10 of the season.

Fakler ran her 5K in 19:48.2. It was her 17th top-10 finish and 14th top-5 in 23 collegiate meets.

Briana Simms was the Gold Nuggets' second-fastest runner. She was 13th in 21:56.2.

Rebecca Ulrich of Southern Miss won in 19:06.6 and led the Golden Eagles to the team title with 21 points. Xavier was second with 62 points, followed by Alcorn State with 66, Southern with 84 and SUNO with 142.

Xavier's men did not qualify for team scoring.

Other XU finishers were Emmanuel Detiege (15th place, 19:33.9) in the men's race and Hannah Finnegan (15th, 22:13.2), Hali Yarmush (16th, 22:24.5), Carlee Calais (19th, 23:10.7), Reeka Belton (20th, 23:14.6), Ashley Flournoy (21st, 23:26.2) and Zahri Jackson (28th, 25:48.1) in the women's.

Next meet for both XU teams will be the LSU Invitational at Highland Road Park in Baton Rouge, La., next Saturday. The women will race at 8:05 a.m., followed by the men at 9:15. Distance for both will be 5K.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

https://twitter.com/xulagold
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In the FCS Huddle: Moving out of the shadows

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania  --  Others receiving votes.

For much of the week, those words sound important yet not so important at the same time.

But on Saturdays, some of the others receiving votes in The Sports Network FCS Top 25 force people to take notice of their teams.

They are not just "other" teams.

Some will make it into the Top 25 either sooner or later. Definitely sooner if they continue their impressive starts to the season.

North Carolina A&T stands a one-point loss against No. 5 Coastal Carolina away from being 3-0. Saturday's road win over Elon underscored how the Aggies might be better than their No. 40 ranking. Coach Rod Broadway has a dandy playmaker in sophomore running back Tarik Cohen.

Just a hunch, but Montana and Coastal Carolina probably have inflated national rankings at No. 4 and 5, respectively. Bethune-Cookman will move up from No. 13, but the Wildcats struggled past Grambling State and probably are ranked too high as well.

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2014 South Carolina State University Marching 101

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Jackson State hopes to fix offensive woes before SWAC play

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State's much-talked-about offense was silenced by Tennessee State in Saturday's 35-7 loss.

With that, the first item on JSU's agenda this week is 1) Intense film study.

There has to be an explanation why Jackson State (2-1) struggled to get more than three plays in a series. The first thought that came to coach Harold Jackson after the loss was quarterback protection.

Sophomore LaMontiez Ivy has been sacked nine times after three games this season; seven came in Saturday's rout.

"We just switched up our blocking protection, and it started working for us, but it was a little too late," Ivy said.


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Memorial for Jonathan Ferrell held on anniversary of shooting

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Georgia Ferrell believes in the power of prayer, and when it comes to seeing justice for her slain son Jonathan, more than anything, she wants to see the man responsible pay for what he did.

Ferrell and three of her sons — Jonathan's brothers — traveled to Powerhouse Church of God in Christ on Sunday for an afternoon of songs and prayer in honor of Johnathan, a former Florida A&M football player who was 24 when he was shot and killed exactly one year ago Sunday by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Randall Kerrick while attempting to seek help after a car crash in northeast Charlotte, N.C.

Kerrick was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of voluntary manslaughter in January.

Sunday's memorial service also included a small panel discussion on gun violence, parental involvement in a child's life and what a person should do when confronted by a police officer. About 50 people were in attendance for the two-hour service, and Ferrell was presented with flowers before she spoke to the congregation.

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Sight & Sounds of Southern Heritage Classic 2014

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Fourth Quarter Comeback Secured First Win for the CAU Panthers

ATLANTA, Georgia -- Down 17-0 at the end of the third quarter, the Clark Atlanta University (CAU) Panthers mounted a colossal comeback scoring 20 points in the fourth to hold off Lane College for the 20-17 win in their HOME opener at Panther Stadium Saturday.

In a relatively quiet first half for both teams, Lane (0-2, 0-0) struck first with a 45-yard field goal at the 3:34 mark to take a slim 3-0 lead into halftime. With two passing touchdowns in the third quarter, one for 42 yards and the other for 24 yards, the Dragons seemed to be on cruise control. However, the Panthers (1-1, 0-0) found an answer by converting an interception and a fumble recovery into scoring drives. On the first possession of the fourth, Clark Atlanta's Joshua Tate captured one of his two interceptions that set up the Panthers' first scoring drive. After a 41-yard run and third down conversion by sophomore Montavious Taylor, Shaquan Mitchell's five-yard touchdown run put CAU on the board at 12:29.

Lane's next drive resulted in a fumble recovery by Clark Atlanta's Marquis Abernathy who returned it 32 yards for a touchdown that closed the gap to four points, 17-13. With a rush of momentum, the Panthers kept up the defensive pressure and forced the Dragons to punt on a three-and-two after senior linebacker Bre'nard Williams stopped the quarterback's rushing attack for a one-yard loss. On CAU's ensueing drive, Mitchell's second rushing touchdown on a 55-yard drive with 2:52 remaining gave the Panthers their first lead, 20-17, that they would never relinquish. Tate's second pick that he returned for 90 yards deminished Lane's hope for a final scoring drive and sealed the win for Clark Atlanta.

Williams and Tate led a ferocious CAU defense with a game-high 11 and 7 tackles, respectively, that stalled Lane's offense in the final 15 minutes of the game. With nine solo tackles, Williams also recorded one sack, one pass breakup and six tackles for a loss of 78 yards. As a team, CAU and Lane finished with 45 tackles while Clark Atlanta also had five pass breakups and four sacks.

Offensively, the Panthers managed 286 total yards with 237 in a balanced ground attack led by a trio of backs:Travious Blair (67 yards), Mitchell (62 yards) and Taylor (54 yards). For the Dragons, Roderick McKee connected on 18-of-30 passes for a game-high 278 passing yards.

Next, the Panthers will travel to Fort Valley State University to take on the Wildcats Saturday, Sept. 20th, in a 6 p.m., battle, before hosting West Georgia in their second HOME game at Panther Stadium Saturday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m.

Box Score 

COURTESY CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Concordia-Selma Scores 27 Points in Fourth to Defeat Point

SELMA, Alabama --  Concordia College Alabama scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter to rally past Point University for a 27-14 win Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

The win was the first at Concordia for head coach Stanley Conner and the first for the Hornets in nearly a calendar year.

“We really needed a win,” Conner said. “This program needed a shot in the arm.”

The defense and special teams ignited the come-from-behind win with three game changing plays in the fourth quarter. With Point up 14-0 and seemingly in control, Concordia’s Johnathan Drake recovered a fumble at the Point 1-yard line to set up a Matthew Roswer touchdown run.

After a 71-yard touchdown throw from Haratio Keller to Dontae Parker tied the game at 14, Deon Johnson returned a Point punt 65-yards for a score to give Concordia its first lead of the day.

Just a few minutes later, with Point driving for a potential game-tying score, Drake intercepted a pass and ran it back 55 yards for a touchdown to put the game away.

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Livingstone Blue Bears Snatch Win Out of Paine Lion Den

AUGUSTA, Georgia --  Livingstone College comes out on top once again for the second road game of the season under the direction of Head Coach Daryl Williams. Junior Quarterback Drew Powell ran for 92 yards and counted for 5 touchdowns, 2 in the air and 3 on the ground, while Sophomore Kendall Robinson, Junior Hildon Bush, Junior Jalen Hendricks and Senior Justin Forte all accounted for a touchdown each,  jointly pushing the Blue Bears into another victory over Paine College scoring 48-45. The Paine College Lions did not give up easy as they went down for a hard fight Saturday (Sept. 13) inside Laney Football Stadium.

The Blue Bears kept the lead considerably far-off the entire first three quarters of the game. The first quarter was lead 20-7 sealing off the Lion's defense. The second quarter the Lions added in three points from kicker Wisdom Nzidee making it 27-10.

The Lions tried to gain momentum by scoring another touchdown bringing the score gap in to 27-17 at halftime, but little did they know the Blue Bears would come back and set the tone.

Third quarter, Bush returned a 42 yard interception back for a touchdown to add 7 points with the extra point kick byLeonardo Manzo, to bring the score to 34-17. Also in the third quarter, Powell rushed for a 3 yard touchdown to add to Lions deficit of 41-17, but the Lions would answer back with a 49 yard reception for touchdown by Jabari Menafee to end the quarter with the Blue Bears on top 41-24.

Fourth quarter was the turning point of the game. Powell tried to put the final dagger in the Lions with a 68 yard run for a touchdown to bring the Blue Bears up tremendously 48-24, but the Lions were not done yet. The Lions took their last stance in the fourth quarter by racking up 3 passing touchdowns but not converting on 2 out of 3 extra points that would be the difference maker and the deciding factor for the final ending. The Blue Bears held on strong and brought home another win of 48-45.
 
Livingstone College will be back in action Saturday (Sept. 20), hosting the first home game of the season against The University of Virginia- Lynchburg at 1:00 PM.

ECSU Vikings Run Past Tusculum Pioneers 18-10

COURTESY ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS 

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina -- The Elizabeth City State University Vikings overcame a halftime deficit and a rain delay to capture a 18-10 win over Tusculum College Saturday afternoon at Roebuck Stadium.

The Vikings are the only team in the CIAA to have beaten the Pioneers, both victories coming at Roebuck Stadium (2009, 2014). Tusculum has now lost 18 straight road games and sports a 7-2 record against CIAA opponents.

The two teams played under sunny skies for the first half but during the halftime show the skies opened up with a heavy downpour. Trailing 10-9 entering the second half, the Vikings had the first possession of the third quarter but only ran one play from scrimmage before the game was called due to lightning.

A forty minute rain delay and a quick warmup later, the teams resumed play with the Viking facing 2nd and six at their own 29 yard line.

On Tusculum's second drive of the second half, the Viking defense came up with its first momentum shift of the game. Maliek Wright got his second pick in as many weeks returning the interception to the Tusculum 39 yard line.

ECSU capitalized on the turnover when Jeff Flores connected on a field goal from 33 yards out to give the Vikings a 12-10 lead with 2:26 left in the third.

The Viking defense then forced a three and then went on to control the ball for the next nine minutes, with a 19 play, 70 yard drive that ended with a 2 yard touchdown by Petey Boone (PAT failed) and a 18-10 lead.

The Pioneers got only as far as the ECSU 46 on their ensuing drive and the game ended with the Vikings pitching a second half shutout.

Stephen Williams led the defensive charge with 10 tackles (8 solo) while Kendal Sellers added 8 tackles including 2 sacks for a loss of 10 yards.

Battling the elements of the second half affected both teams' offensive production as the Vikings finished with 293 yards of offense to 287 for the Pioneers.

The Pioneers' opening drive yielded the first score of the game with a 16 play, 81 yard drive ended with a 4 yard TD run by Fernando Smith at the 9:45 mark. The ECSU offense struggled in the opening quarter as Tusculum held the ball for over eleven of the first quarter's opening minutes.

The Vikings finally got on the scoreboard when Malcolm Cherry blocked a punt attempt through the back of the TC end zone for a safety. On the ensuing free kick Lovie Banks-Rose returned the kickoff 62 yard for a score and a 9-7 lead with 2:06 left in the half.

Tusculum rallied to retake the lead as the half expired with a 28 yard field goal by Jose Esparza.

Just the opposite were ECSU's fortunes in the second half as the Vikings won the time of possession edge with their ground game for just over 21 minutes to only eight and a half minutes for Tusculum.

ECSU (1-1) will return to action on Saturday, September 20 at the 17th Annual Down East Viking Football Classic. Game time is scheduled for 4pm at the Rocky Mount Athletic Complex. Follow on Twitter @ECSUVikings and visit www.ecsuvikings.com.

Final Stats

COURTESY ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Texas Southern tops Central State, improves to 3-0

NASSAU, Bahamas -- Daveonn Porter ran for two touchdowns and Texas Southern beat Central State 30-16 Saturday.

Porter scored on runs of 26 and 5 yards, and gained 89 yards on 18 carries, as TSU moved to 3-0 this season. Jamal Small added 108 yards on 13 carries, and went 17 of 31 for 186 yards and two TDs, for the Tigers.

Central State (1-1) scored first on John Adams' 32-yard field goal, capping a 10-play, 64-yard first quarter drive. But Small connected with Fred Plummer for 26 yards for a score, then found Malik Cross from six yards to lead 13-3 at half.

Porter's first TD made it 20-3 early in the third. But Central State scored twice - the latter a 25-yard interception return by Christian Wilson - to cut it to 20-16.

CONTINUE READING

Morgan State starts slow, finishes strong in 28-3 win over Bowie State

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- After starting fast but finishing poorly in its first two games, the Morgan State football team flipped the script Saturday.

The Bears overcame a lethargic start, woke up their sleeping offense and scored all four of the game's touchdowns in the second half to knock off visiting Bowie State, 28-3, before an announced 4,238 at Hughes Stadium.

Morgan State was happy to win its first game of the season, but Bears first-year coach Lee Hull said the team can ill afford slow starts.

"Offensively, we made mistakes and had penalties that in the last two games we did not have," Hull said of a game played in wet and chilly conditions. "I don't know if the guys underestimated them, but all week long, I told them that they had to come here with guns blazing and that it was going to be a dogfight if we left them in the game. The good thing is, the second half, we came out, made some adjustments and we ended up scoring. I thought they did a good job of focusing offensively and defensively."

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Alcorn State Cruise to Victory Against Louisiana College 52-10

LORMAN, Mississippi -- Despite a slow start, the Alcorn State University Braves rallied back from an early deficit to defeat Louisiana College 52-10.

Although most spectators looked at the Braves opponent as the lesser team, Alcorn quarterback John Gibbs Jr. said that no team is to be taken lightly. "It wasn't hard to get motivated for this game, " said Gibbs. "We treat every game as if it's a big game. No team is lesser than another team."

Haiden McCraney nailed a 35-yard field goal to cut the lead to 10-3 for the Braves first score of the game. Shortly after the field goal, the Braves defense came alive when Damon Watkins intercepted a pass and returned it deep into Louisiana College territory. The pick set up a five-yard rushing touchdown by Anthony Williams III to tie the game at 10-10.

Coach Hopson applauded the stiff defense the Braves displayed throughout the game. "I was really pleased with the way our defense played today," said Hopson.

Anthony Williams, Jr. showcased his skills on special teams returning a punt for 82 yards to give the Braves their first lead of the game 17-10 at the 9:28 mark in the second quarter. The Braves struck again on a two-yard touchdown by Arron Baker to increase the lead to 24-10.



Gibbs then passed to Jordan Payne for a 34-yard touchdown to end the half with a 31-10 lead.
The momentum continued for the Braves in the second half when Gibbs connected with Payne for his second touchdown of the day to increase the Braves lead to 38-10 in the third quarter. Gibbs then tucked the pigskin himself and rushed for a touchdown, making the score 45-10.
Lenorris Footman added another score for the Braves in the closing quarter, putting them up 52-10.

The Braves totaled 275 rushing and accumulated 464 yards of total offense. Gibbs was 18-of-31 for 189 yards and threw two touchdowns. Williams, Jr. finished the game averaging 37.3 yards on punt returns and one touchdown while Jordan Payne reeled in four catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns.

Next week the Braves hit the road for their first SWAC contest of the season against in-state foe Mississippi Valley State. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m on Saturday.

Box Score

COURTESY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

5,500 people turn out for first White Water Classic in Phenix City

PHENIX CITY, Alabama  -- Hours before the kickoff between Tuskegee University and Albany State University for the first White Water Classic, Phenix City Mayor Eddie Lowe said he liked what he saw with tailgaters near Garrett-Harrison Stadium.

"I'm hoping that everybody continues to come in," the mayor said just before noon Saturday. "This is something that's big for us that we can build on."

The 3 p.m. game between the two historically black colleges returned college football to Phenix City for the first time in 25 years. The Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the NCAA Division III national championship game, was played at the stadium from 1973-89.

Lowe and city officials garnered support to pay Tuskegee $100,000 to move its home game to the renovated stadium. With events for children and adults, the city had a total budget of $150,000 to host the Division II football game. The stadium crowd was estimated at 5,500 as Tuskegee defeated Albany State 20-12.

Dan and Lewis Alexander were among the early tailgaters who arrived in the lot for campers. The Phenix City brothers parked their huge camper when the gates opened Friday, spent the night at home and returned to fire up the barbecue grill with ribs early Saturday.

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Tuskegee 20, Albany State 12: Lacey leads Golden Tigers

PHENIX CITY, Alabama -- Sparked by quarterback Kevin Lacey, Tuskegee exploded for 17 points in the third quarter and held on for a 20-12 victory and a much-needed Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over Albany State at Garrett-Harrison Stadium on Saturday.

Lacey, a Wetumpka native, used his arm and legs to spark the Golden Tigers' offense. After a lightning delay midway through the second quarter, the Tuskegee offense found life and scored all 20 of its points on four consecutive possessions.

The win snapped Tuskegee's three-game losing streak dating back to last season.

"We just wanted to get this one out of the way. We hadn't won since last year, so winning this game means a lot to kick-start the season," Lacey said. "The first win in conference play, that's the first step to getting a ring.

"Winning this game is a big step toward our goals."

Lacey went 6-for-12 passing for 137 yards and a touchdown and added 19 yards on the ground. His ability to extend plays with his feet led to big pass plays.



  CONTINUE READING

TSU Tigers dominates Jackson State in Southern Heritage Classic

MEMPHIS, Tennessee -- A fast start propelled the Tennessee State football team to a, 35-7, victory over Jackson State in the 25th annual Southern Heritage Classic in front of 46,914 spectators. 

The TSU offense played its finest football of the young season in the first half, totaling all of its 35 points.

Tom Smith, who was named the game’s Offensive MVP, anchored an offense that racked up 189 yards in the first 30 minutes. The junior transfer totaled 48 yards on only seven carries and scored twice - once to start the game from two-yards out and had the final score of the half from 13 yards away.

Sophomore quarterback Ronald Butler took over for Mike German with 13 minutes left in the second quarter and he quickly found Dantwaun O’Neal on crossing pattern for a 13-yard touchdown to give Tennessee State a 28-0 lead.

The TSU defense was strong as well during the first two periods, only allowing 21 yards of total offense, 0.7 yards per play and one first down.

Senior cornerback De’Ante Saunders had two interceptions in the first half and ran the first one back 45 yards for a touchdown when TSU was up by just two scores.

Tennessee State was content to sit on its lead in the second half and only managed 135 yards and did not score again.

Jackson State, meanwhile, finally found the end zone once with 2:44 left in the third quarter with a four-yard touchdown run.

The TSU defense held JSU to minus-one yard rushing, a one-for-16 line on third down tries and recorded seven sacks.

NOTES: Butler’s 45-yard pass to Chris Sanders-McCollum in the third quarter was the longest pass of the season for TSU… TSU’s 21-point first quarter tied for the largest output this season with the second period against Edward Waters… German was injured on TSU’s first possession of the second quarter following a roughing the passer penalty on JSU… Butler’s score in the second period was his first since Nov. 30 of last season at Butler… TSU’s 35 first half points were the most against an FCS opponent since the Tigers put up 41 against Southeast Missouri in 2011… Butler completed his first four passes of the contest for 33 yards and a touchdown… Sanders-McCollum broke his career record for receiving yards that he set last week with 102… Kicker Cameron Carter was 0-for-1 on field goal attempts, but 5-of-5 on extra points… Jackson State’s No. 93 Cornelius Henderson was ejected with 7:57 left in the game due to a flagrant foul… TSU committed 10 penalties for 112 yards…




COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Eligibility struggles return for Southern before Northwestern State cruises to 51-27 win

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- Southern’s chronic eligibility issues dealt the Jaguars secondary a 1-2-3 punch just before kickoff Saturday night in A.W. Mumford Stadium.

Northwestern State quarterback Zach Adkins was even harder on the defensive backfield, setting school records with 30 completions for the game and 19 consecutive, as well as tying a school record with four touchdown passes.

Adkins, a senior who passed for 331 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-point victory against the Jaguars last season, had just five incompletions as he passed for 230 yards in Northwestern State’s 51-27 victory.

“He was on fire tonight,” Demons coach Jay Thomas said. “He’s usually very, very consistent anyway, but he was really on tonight.”

Southern (1-2) begins defense of its Southwestern Athletic Conference championship when it visits Prairie View on Saturday. The Demons (1-2) next visit Louisiana Tech.

Starting cornerbacks Kevin King and D’Andre Woodland and starting safety Dionte McDuffy were dressed and ready to start before being told just minutes before kickoff that they couldn’t play. King had gone to midfield as a game captain to participate in the pregame coin toss before being pulled.

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McGhee Leads Howard To Win Over Morehouse

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Greg McGhee accounted for all the Howard scoring, rushing for three touchdowns and passing for two more as the Bison defeated Morehouse, 35-17 in the AT&T Nation's Football Classic at RFK Stadium before 13,178.  The 6-3, 208-pound senior from Pittsburgh, Pa, rushed 98 yards, scoring on runs of 1-yard twice, and a 17-yard scamper late that all but put the game away.  He also completed 16 of 30 for 149 yards and TD passes to Justin Chaney and Robert Mercer.  For his efforts, he was named the game MVP for the third time in four years.

The Maroon Tigers (1-1) got on the board first when Monqavious Johnson capped off an eight-play, 65-yard drive on a 16-yard strike to Lake McGuffie with a little over five minutes off the clock in the first quarter.  Morehouse failed on the PAT kick, but led 6-0.

Johnson, a sophomore who accounted for 338 of his team's 392 yards, was a thorn in the side of  the Bison's defense all day.

Morehouse's score apparently woke up Howard (1-2) and their leader, McGhee began to take over the game.  The four-year starter, took advantage of a short field and used five plays to get the Bison on board, scoring on a one-yard quarterback sneak to give his team the lead for good at 7-6.

Then early in the second quarter, McGhee drove his team 74 yards in eight plays, using short passes to running back Aquanius Freeman to move the ball effectively.  He finished off the drive with his first TD pass of the season, a four-yard toss to Chaney for his first career TD.

The Maroon Tigers would not go away and responded with a 14-play drive that ate up over eight minutes off the clock.  But the Bison defense clamped down in the Red Zone and forced Morehouse to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Alexis Gonzales. The 14-9 score would stand at halftime.

In the second half, it was all McGhee.  First he finished off a short drive with another one-yard plunge to make it, 21-9.  He then capped off another drive, this time from 17 yards out to expand the lead to 28-9 with 1:50 left in the third quarter.

The last Bison score came courtesy of a play by the special teams.  The Morehouse punt returner muffed a punt and gave Howard possession at Maroon Tiger 22-yard line.  It took the southpaw four plays before he found Mercer from 17 yards for the score.  For Mercer, a walk-on from the track tea, it was his first career TD.
The Maroon Tigers closed out the scoring when Johnson dashed six yards with a little under nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

From there, the Howard defense put the game away and posted its first win of the season.

Freeman, a 5-10 red-shirt junior from New Orleans, missed most of last season with a high ankle sprain.  But he played a huge role in the game plan, rushing for 72 yards on 12 carries while grabbing four passes for 43 yards.
                 
William Parker, who splits time at the running back position, proved to be a big contributor on special teams, returning three kickoffs for 100 yards to give his team excellent field position.
                 
Punter John Fleck also had another solid day, averaging almost 42 yards per punt and knocking three of his attempts inside the 20-yard line.
                 
The defense surrendered almost 400 yards of total offense, but it was able to come up with big stops when it needed to.  Godspower Offor, Khari Brown and Devin Rollins and their mates combined to effectively stop Morehouse runners and apply pressure on Johnson.
                 
The Bison have a huge test next week when it plays its MEAC opener against a much-improved Morgan State team in the New York Urban League Classic at MetLife Stadium.
                   

Bethune-Cookman scores twice in 4th quarter, tops Grambling 36-23

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Danny Dillard said he felt nervous playing in his first college football game — three years after he finished a stellar career at Venice High School.

By the time he got the ball at the Grambling State 5-yard line with 6:12 left in the game, the nerves were long gone. Dillard barreled into the end zone for the go-ahead score and Bethune-Cookman went on to win its home opener 36-23 in front of 9,423 fans on Saturday at Municipal Stadium.

“When I got the ball, it was time to get into the end zone,” said Dillard, who redshirted at Miami in 2012 and sat out last season. “I just kept pushing.

“I was a little nervous at the beginning, but to get back into it, it felt good.”

In a game that was touch and go for most of the afternoon, the 13th-ranked Wildcats (2-0) felt very good about escaping with a victory for the second straight time this season.



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UNCP vs. Fayetteville State: Rain delays Two Rivers Classic

PEMBROKE, North Carolina — The rivalry between The University of North Carolina at Pembroke and Fayetteville State was no match for Mother Nature on Saturday.

Heavy rains across the region left the football field at Grace P. Johnson Stadium covered in water and forced the teams to postpone the annual Two Rivers Classic until today at noon. The postponement was announced an hour before the game’s scheduled start time.

Sunday’s admission prices will not change but parking will be free in all general lots, with tailgating beginning at 9:30 a.m.

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D-II Fort Valley State downs Savannah State, 42-28

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- It didn’t start well for Savannah State, and it didn’t end well, either.

Fort Valley State pretty much had its way with the Tigers in the second half and rolled to a 42-28 win Saturday night at T.A. Wright Stadium before 3,516 disappointed fans.

It was the third straight loss for Savannah State this season, and 12th straight dating back to last season when the Tigers went 1-11, the lone win coming against Fort Valley.

In that victory, Savannah State had to rally with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for a 27-20 win. There was no rally this year as the Wildcats, perhaps still remembering the pain of that loss, never let up.

The tone of the game was set at the very beginning.

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Winston-Salem State falls to Valdosta State Blazers

POWDER SPRINGS — Valdosta State’s trip to McEachern’s Walter Cantrell Stadium proved beneficial in a number of ways for the No. 23 Blazers who beat No. 12 Winston-Salem State 22-17 on Saturday in front of an announced crowd of 2,519.

The game, a rematch of the 2012 NCAA Division II national championship won by Valdosta State, started slowly after neither team scored in the first quarter.



That changed 3 seconds into the second period when Valdosta State quarterback Jake Medlock capped an eight-play, 61-yard with a 1-yard touchdown run, and Kenny Murphy’s 2-point conversion gave the Blazers an 8-0 lead.

Winston-Salem State answered when Terry Ross’ 52-yard interception return trimmed the deficit to 8-7.

Cedric O’Neal’s 3-yard run capped a 10-play, 70-yard Blazers’ drive and Valdosta State took a 15-7 lead into halftime.

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NSU gets first TD, not much else in loss at W&M

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia -- Norfolk State coach Pete Adrian rattled off the litany of things that went wrong Saturday.

But he wasn’t about to ignore what went right.

Steve Cluley passed for 166 yards and a touchdown and No. 19 William & Mary scored in a variety of ways in a 29-14 non-conference win over Adrian’s steadily improving Spartans at Zable Stadium.



The Tribe forced two turnovers and scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams in handing NSU (0-3) its ninth loss in 10 games, dating to last season.

Adrian counted the miscues aloud before changing course.

“We certainly played extremely well, and I think we’re getting better,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any question about that.”

Mikal Abdul-Saboor rushed for 66 yards for William & Mary (2-1), which won despite being outgained 322 yards to 234.

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