NCCU becomes a football team with which to reckon

DURHAM, North Carolina  -- Its a new day in N.C. Central football.

Picked to finish No. 8 among 11 teams, the Eagles are tied atop the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference after a dominating performance Saturday over defending MEAC co-champion South Carolina State.

Don’t let the 48-35 score fool you.

NCCU (2-0, 3-3) gave up 14 quick points off turnovers, and another 14 came late in the game with the outcome decided.

The Eagles’ defense really allowed only a touchdown when it counted, and their offense scored the most points given up by an SCSU team that shut out nationally ranked N.C. A&T the previous week.

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JSU coach: 'If you got thin skin, you're in trouble'

JACKSON, Mississippi  -- Jackson State coach Harold Jackson said he's been in the game for a long time that "if you got thin skin, you're in trouble." 

"If things ain't going right, hey, everybody has got something to say about it," said Jackson in Monday's weekly press conference. "But we just got to keep plugging along, keep working, and we'll get out of this hump."

It was in response to the negativity building in the fanbase after the Tigers (3-4, 1-3 SWAC) dropped their homecoming game to their former coach Rick Comegy (who was fired last December) and his Mississippi Valley State squad, a team JSU hadn't lost to since 1994 — until Saturday.

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Improvement still wanted at Albany State

ALBANY — As Albany State head football coach Mike White and a group of assistants handed out postgame meal bags late Saturday night, the longtime coach wasn’t ready to concede that his team had arrived followed a 33-0 thumping of Lane College.

It was the Rams’ best game of the season. Defensively, they pitched their second consecutive shutout and allowed just 180 yards, 62 of which came on a deep pass play late when the game was out of reach.

Meanwhile on offense, ASU rolled up 486 yards, including 290 through the air.

“Nah, we’re still trying to get it,” White told a reporter. “I’ll know more when we start to get some consistency. If the offense comes out and does that again, and the defense plays that way as well, I’ll tell you more next week.”

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Pough, South Carolina State Bulldogs will be haunted by 48-35 loss to N.C. Central

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- The shocked facial expression of South Carolina State Coach Buddy Pough Saturday afternoon was the look of someone who might just have experienced an unpleasant paranormal moment.

In this case, North Carolina Central may as well have been one of those creepy entities from “Ghost Adventures.”


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All week long, Pough acknowledged he was worried about the possibility of the Eagles giving his South Carolina State team, riding high with a three-game winning streak, all it could handle at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

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College football gets plenty of unwanted publicity this week: Five takeaways from week seven of season

HEAD COACH BRODERICK FOBBS

THE BAYOU CLASSIC JUST MAY BE THIS SEASON

NEW ORLEANS -- Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen is the early leader for national coach of the year honors and deservedly so. But I respectfully submit Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs as a viable candidate.

The Tigers, in utter turmoil and chaos in 2013, are the only team in the SWAC with an unbeaten conference record after Saturday's stunning upset over 24th ranked (FCS) Alcorn State. Fobbs, an Eddie Robinson disciple in his first year at the Grambling helm, has completely turned around this team, which is relying on the same players from last year's 1-11 squad.

It's not so much that his team has won four in a row, leads the SWAC West and has turned around its record on the field. It's that he's come into a situation many saw as ...

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Grambling players following in Fobbs' footsteps

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  -- Seconds after Grambling won its fourth straight game Saturday over Alcorn State, the Tiger players rushed the field with their helmets pumping in the humid air.

The celebration was short-lived.

After singing the alma mater, Grambling players quickly filed off the field, up the shoot and into the locker room where it was business as usual. The team prayed, gave out the game ball to quarterback Johnathan Williams and off the players went.

It was just another display of a routine sense of discipline, and first-year head coach Broderick Fobbs is the man to thank for that.

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Stillman defeats Benedict, 48-36, behind 700 offensive yards and huge day for quarterback Straughan

COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- Stillman's league-leading offense flexed its muscles again with 700 yards of total offense in a 48-36 win over Benedict Saturday afternoon.

The win keeps Stillman in first place in the SIAC, moving the Tigers to 4-2 (3-0).

Stillman quarterback Josh Straughan, reigning SIAC Offensive Player of the Week, had an especially impressive afternoon going 27-for-40 for 488 yards. His favorite target of the afternoon was Reese Sturgis with 148 yards on 10 receptions.

Three Staughan passes --to ...



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Developing a ‘culture’ the key to growth of LeVelle Moton’s North Carolina Central program

DURHAM, North Carolina -- This summer was a busy one for North Carolina Central head coach LeVelle Moton, and all things considered it’s understandable as to why.

In 2013-14, Moton led his alma mater to 28 wins and the MEAC’s regular season and tournament titles, earning the program’s first Division I NCAA tournament appearance. Among the things on Moton’s plate this summer were his receiving the key to the city of Durham, where he grew up, and releasing a book entitled “The Worst Times are the Best Times.”

Yet the task of getting Moton to write the book was a difficult one for former Raleigh News and Observer sportswriter Edward G. Robinson III. Robinson worked hard to convince Moton, who, over the years, has spoken at a number of events around the Triangle area [Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill], to write a book about his life. It took some convincing, but ultimately Robinson’s persistence paid off and the two worked together on the project.



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Homecoming 2014: Miles College Golden Bears

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Miles dominates first half on way to 22-12 win over Central State

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FAIRFIELD, Alabama -- The Miles Golden Bearstook control early with two touchdown passes by quarterback Demetric Price and never looked back in a 22-12 over Central State at home Saturday afternoon.

Price finished the game with 150 yards on 26 attempts, connecting with his go-to receiver Antonio Pitts for 111 yards.

The game improved Miles to 3-3 overall and to 2-1 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings. An announced 10,045 was in attendance at Sloan-Alumni Stadium.

Prince connected with Pitts for two touchdown passes in the first quarter -- a 59-yarder at the 14:14 mark and a 16-yarder at 6:58.

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Stillman wins, remains perfect SIAC play

COLUMBIA, South Carolina | The Stillman football team remained undefeated in SIAC play as it defeated the Benedict Tigers 48-36 at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium in Columbia, S.C.

Stillman (4-2, 3-0) opened the game quickly, building an early 14-0 lead. Tiger signal caller Josh Straughan found junior receiver Devonta Gilmore for a 44-yard touchdown play before connecting with junior tight end Devon Mackey for a 44-yard score.

In the second quarter, Straughan connected with senior receiver Reese Sturgis for an 8-yard scoring play, giving Stillman a 20-0 lead. Benedict answered with 14 points in the second quarter — seven coming on the ground and seven coming through the air.

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Jackson State University Homecoming 2014: Sounds & Sights

TSU rally falls short vs. Jacksonville State

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  Tennessee State's offense has improved recently but not enough to overcome the flurry of turnovers the No. 25 Tigers committed in Saturday's 27-20 loss to No. 8 Jacksonville State.

Even after committing a school record six turnovers, TSU still had a chance to tie the score with 16 seconds left.

But quarterback Mike German threw his fourth interception, which was caught by cornerback Jermaine Hough in the Jacksonville State end zone.

"We had gotten down and knew we had to throw the ball, and we were trying to make something happen," German said.

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Division II champ gives XU's Abbes her first singles loss

SUMTER, South Carolina -- Nour Abbes finally lost a singles match for Xavier University of Louisiana. Not surprisingly, it happened against an opponent with a longer win streak.

NCAA Division II champion Valentine Confalonieri of Lynn University used a first-set service break and three more in the second to defeat NAIA champion Abbes 6-4, 6-2 in the "Super Bowl" women's final of the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships at Palmetto Tennis Center.

Abbes, a sophomore, entered the match with a 30-0 career record. Confalonieri, a junior, earned her 36th consecutive singles victory, repeated as "Super Bowl' champion and, as a result of Sunday's victory, earned a wild card into next month's USTA/ITA Intercollegiate Indoor Championships.

Abbes served first, and the players were on serve until Confalonieri broke Abbes in the seventh game. The players exchanged service breaks in the first two games of the second set, but Abbes collected no more.

"She was a good player -- one of the best I have faced at Xavier -- and she deserved the win," Abbes said of Confalonieri, "but I didn't make it harder on her to claim the title. I made a lot of mistakes."

Coach Alan Green had praise for both.

"Nour lost to a great player," Green said. "Confalonieri was just too steady and never let Nour get comfortable. Nour had some good moments, but not enough of them. Confalonieri had an impressive forehand and showed why she's put together a long win streak.

"But -- that takes nothing away from what Nour accomplished here in four days. She was Xavier's first NAIA singles champion in this tournament. Nour has had a great run and is still a formidable player. I'm looking forward to her continued improvement and more great tennis."

Abbes and teammates will compete next Oct. 24-25 in the Big Easy Classic at the University of New Orleans, then begin dual-match play in late January or early February.

"It was a very good week overall, and I'm very happy with what I accomplished," Abbes said. "When I got here, I just took it one match at a time, and I'm happy I got this far. Now I just have to focus on what's coming next and try to enjoy the NAIA title."

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Fayetteville State women's basketball team predicted to win CIAA division

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina -- The Fayetteville State men and women's basketball teams were picked Thursday to occupy exactly the same spots where they finished last season in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's preseason poll.

The FSU women, who finished tied for first with Shaw in the CIAA Southern Division a year ago, were projected to win the title this season over the Bears. The pick was based in large part on six returning players, including preseason All-CIAA pick Deja Middleton, who helped the Broncos reach the tournament finals.



"Everybody brings their best every night in the (Southern) division, because they want to get to Saturday night (for CIAA Tournament finals),'' FSU coach Eva Patterson-Heath said. "It's very, very competitive. It's difficult to maintain (success) simply because everyone's goals are the same. Everyone wants to win.''

Middleton, a senior center, is a two-time CIAA Defensive Player of the Year who averaged 13.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.8 block shots last season.

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Virginia State beats ECSU to stay unbeaten in CIAA

ETTRICK, Virginia -- Sophomore running back Kavon Bellamy records a career-high 139 yards rushing; including a game-high three rushing touchdowns to help lift the Virginia State University football team past Elizabeth City State University on Saturday afternoon, 41-14. VSU is on a four-game win streak.

With the victory, the Trojans improve to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association; while the Vikings drop to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the CIAA.

Virginia State opened the game taking the ball 62 yards in 10 plays to record its first score off a nine-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Tarian Ayres to junior wide out Javion Smallwood, taking the 6-0 lead. The Trojans defense held the ECSU offense to only six plays on its first drive.



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Lulu Perry enrolls at Langston University

RUSTON, Louisiana --  Former Benton and Lady Techsters standout Lulu Perry was searching for a place to continue her collegiate career when she recently received a call from Tech’s former director of basketball operations Ronnie Barney.



Now at Langston University, located in tiny Langston, Oklahoma, Barney offered the former Louisiana Miss Basketball a place to land. It didn’t hurt that former USC head coach, U.S. Olympian, WNBA head coach and collegiate superstar Cheryl Miller was the Lady Lions’ incoming coach.

“When (Barney) mentioned that Cheryl Miller was the coach, I was shocked,” Perry said. “I follow women’s basketball and when that name was mentioned, I automatically knew who it was. She and I talk every day.”

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Quick hits from Grambling's win over Alcorn State

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Grambling earned its fourth-straight win Saturday with a 28-21 victory over No. 24 Alcorn State. The Tigers did it with a mix of early offense and late defense that helped maintain a perfect record in the SWAC.

Grambling is now the lone undefeated team left in the SWAC. The day began with two before Alcorn took its first conference loss of the season.

Here are some quick hits from the win.

Game ball goes to: Quarterback Johnathan Williams ran for two touchdowns and added a 26-yard score through the air to lead the Tigers' offense. Making his second straight start, Williams kept Alcorn State off balance with the zone-read as he produced several long gains. When the Braves brought extra defenders to slow down Williams on the ground, he dissected the secondary with his arm.

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In the FCS Huddle: It's changed quickly

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (SportsNetwork.com)  -- The witching hour has come early for too many of the teams in last year's FCS playoff field.

And Halloween is still two and a half weeks away.

At the midway point of the season for many teams, one-third of last year's first-ever 24-team playoff field already lacks strong-enough resumes for at- large bids, and the early conference results suggest a lot must change - too much probably - for the teams to secure an automatic bid.

In mid-October, the chances of last year's teams returning to the 2014 field appear to be:

Likely qualifiers: Bethune-Cookman, Coastal Carolina, Eastern Washington, Fordham, Jacksonville State, McNeese State, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota State and Southeastern Louisiana

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WSSU routs J.C. Smith

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Winston-Salem State ran roughshod over another CIAA opponent with another convincing victory Saturday afternoon.

WSSU rolled over Johnson C. Smith 37-0 at soggy Memorial Stadium. The Rams led 30-0 at halftime and after the rain hit in the second half cruised to their 27th straight win against a CIAA team.

The Rams, ranked No. 15 in the AFCA Division II coaches’ poll, improved to 5-1 and 3-0 in the CIAA heading into next weekend’s homecoming game against St. Augustine’s.

“It’s not for me, it’s for the kids,” Kienus Boulware said of his first shutout as a head coach.

Not even an one-hour weather delay between the ...

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Fleming leads Florida A&M Rattlers to first victory, 24-14

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Coach Earl Holmes pinned his hopes for ending a two-year-long home losing streak on two quarterbacks, but starter Damien Fleming made it his personal showcase by leading the Rattlers victory over Savannah State on Saturday night.

A collective sigh of relieve seemed to over Bragg Stadium from the 9,868 fans as the Rattlers snapped their losing streak to pick up their first win of the season.

Fleming started the day rotating with back-up Carson Royal, but his day was done after he threw a second-quarter interception.

The Tigers had a better day with their back up Tino Smith, who engineered a 12-play drive to cut it to a 21-14 game with just over 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter.



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FAMU remembers 'Bullet Bob' Hayes

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Fans attending Saturday's game between FAMU and Savannah State were reminded of the greatest Rattler ever during halftime ceremonies that highlighted the achievements of Bob Hayes on the tracks and football field.

The recognition hailed Hayes on the 50th anniversary of his winning two gold medals in the 1964 Olympics at Tokyo and became the fastest man on the planet at the time. Hayes was such a dominant force in track and field that he was better known as "Bullet Bob" throughout his career.

VIDEO: Bob Hayes, 1964 Olympics
VIDEO: The Complete Tokyo 1964 Olympics Film | Olympic History 
Bob Hayes won two Gold Medals in Olympic and World Record fashion: 100m (starting at 24:46) and 400m Relay (starting at 54:30)).  

Hayes took his speed to the NFL as a receiver and had such an impact on the game that he made the man-to-man defense obsolete, forcing teams to adopt the now popular zone defense.

Hayes was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2009 ...

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Jordan, Brihm lead Bethune-Cookman to 49-12 rout of Howard

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — The third quarter has been a thorn in Bethune-Cookman’s side this season.

Coming into Saturday’s homecoming game, the Wildcats had been outscored 41-8 in the third period. And when Howard’s Robert Mercer returned the second-half kickoff 74 yards to set up a touchdown, it appeared the pattern would continue.

But Anthony Jordan followed up with a 79-yard touchdown run on first down, and the Wildcats went on to crush Howard 49-12 before a near-capacity crowd of 10,247 at Municipal Stadium.

“We got punched in the mouth there,” B-CU coach Brian Jenkins said. “They came out with a big return off of our guys’ lackadaisical play. Then, they got it in the end zone a couple of plays later. But I tell our guys it’s not that you get punched in the mouth, it’s how you respond. And they responded.”

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Week 7: HBCU Football ScoreCard & Feature Bands

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Football Saturday, October 11, 2014

OVC
Jacksonville State 27, Tennessee State 20 Watch Replay 

SWAC
Southern 35, Alabama A&M 34
Mississippi Valley State 27, Jackson State 23
Grambling State 28, Alcorn State 21
Prairie View A&M 34, Alabama State 24

MEAC
North Carolina Central 48, South Carolina State 35
Delaware State 13, Norfolk State 10 OT
Bethune-Cookman 49, Howard 12
Florida A&M 24, Savannah State 14
North Carolina A&T 31, Hampton 14 (Thursday) Highlights  » Watch Replay 

SIAC
Clark Atlanta 41, College of Faith 0
Limestone 47, Paine 30 
Stillman 48, Benedict 36
Fort Valley State 36, Kentucky State 21
Miles 22, Central State (Ohio) 12
Tuskegee 49, Morehouse 0
Albany State 33, Lane 0


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CIAA
Fayetteville State 27, Shaw 26
Virginia Union 78, Lincoln (Pa.) 13 
Saint Augustine's 31,  Livingstone 30
Virginia State 41, Elizabeth City State 14
Winston-Salem State 37, Johnson C. Smith 0
Bowie State 39, Chowan 11

OTHER CONFERENCES
Wesley 54, Concordia-Selma 0
Atlanta Sports Academy at Virginia University Lynchburg (Cancelled)
West Virginia Wesleyan 25, West Virginia State 22
Webber International 70,  Edward Waters 14
Saint Joseph's (IN) 28, Lincoln (MO) 20
Bacone 47, Texas College 6 
Langston 28, Oklahoma Baptist 21
East Stroudsburg 49, Cheyney 21

NCCU flips the script on S.C. State

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — The deck stacked against them, the N.C. Central Eagles dealt last year’s co-champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference a taste of their own medicine during a 48-35 road win at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium on Saturday.

S.C. State had been getting low-scoring wins by running for 210 yards a game and doing an even better job of keep other teams from gaining much ground, limiting the opposition to 138 rushing yards per game.

The Eagles didn’t care about any of that.

“I felt as a rushing offense, we had to make a statement,” NCCU running back Andre Clarke said.

The 290 rushing yards NCCU generated against ...

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