SCSU hoops kicks off season with ‘Bulldog Madness’

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- South Carolina State men’s and women’s basketball will kick start the 2014-15 seasons with “Bulldog Madness” at 9:37 p.m. Friday at Dukes Gymnasium.

The free event is sponsored by the Department of Athletics and will feature an array of activities, including a 3-point shootout, the men’s dunk contest and guest appearances by the pep band and the S.C. State cheerleaders. Music will be provided by DJ Panda P with door prizes and giveaways available for all in attendance.

The men’s basketball team was picked 12th in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference preseason poll and will open the season on the road with a three-game West Coast swing with stops at the University of Washington (Nov. 14), University of San Francisco (Nov. 16) and defending Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season champion Virginia (Nov. 18).

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Special Teams Comes Up Big in UAPB's 38-37 Win Over Texas Southern

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HOUSTON, Texas -- The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Special Teams came up big as they blocked a Texas Southern University's Eric Medina 37-yard field goal with four seconds left in the game to give the Golden Lions a 38-37 win over the Tigers.

With the win, UAPB goes to 1-2 in homecoming games this season as they have played in their third straight homecoming game. The Golden Lions will play in their final homecoming game of the season as they will host Prairie View A&M at Golden Lion Stadium, Saturday, November 1

In an old fashion heavy weight boxing match both teams combined for over 1,096 yards of total offense as UAPB finished the contest with 514 yards of total offense, where TSU finished the contest with 582.

Brian Handley led the Golden Lions offensive attack as he rushed for 193 yards on 19 carries with two TDs in the contest.

Ben Anderson was finished the contest with 288 yards passing as he complete 12 passes in 23 attempts with one three TDs and one interceptions, while Willie Young finished the contest with 142 yards receiving on three receptions with two TDs.

Daveonn Porter led the TSU ground attack with 187 yards on 18 carries with one TD. While Home Causey passes for 333 yards by completing 27 passes in 35 attempts with one three TDs and one interception.

Steve Carpenter led the TSU receivers with 91 yards on seven receptions with his longest reception being for 32 yards.

Defensively UAPB was led by Willie Duncan with 11 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss, whereas Darveon Trahan led TSU in tackles with nine and one pass breakup.

In the first quarter of this heavy weight match ended in a 10-10 tie as Strickland nailed a 26-yard field goal with 6:31 left on the clock, followed by a C.J. Branch 34-yard TD reception from Ben Anderson. TSU lit up the scoreboard at the 6:06 mark on a 41-yard pass to Porter from Causey, followed by an Eric Medina 42-yard field goal at the 1:02 mark to close out the first quarter.

In the second quarter, UAPB won the round as Handley rushed for two TDs as he scored from 17 yards out, followed by a Strickland 43-yard field goal, while Causey passed for his second TD of the game for TSU to Malik Cross from 17-yards out.

After the completion of the first half UAPB took a 26-17 lead into the break as this was the first time the Golden Lions led in a contest since the second game of the season against Concordia College in their home opener.

In the third quarter, TSU won the run as they scored two TDs to take a 31-26 lead as Jimmy Potepa scored from two-yards out and Porter scoring his second TD of the game from one-yard out.

UAPB took a 32-31 lead as Young scored from 60-yards out with 7:76 mark of the fourth. On the ensuing drive, TSU made the score 37-32 as Larry Clark scored from 16-yards out on a pass from Causey with 2:31 left in game.

Anderson would find Young again on a go route with 2:15 left in the game as young scored from 69-yards out to give the Golden Lions a 38-37 lead.

After three straight road contests, the Golden Lions will return to the comforts of Golden Lion Stadium as they will host Mississippi Valley State on Saturday, November 1 in a 2 p.m. start their first of three home games slated for the month of November.

With the win, UAPB goes to 2-5 and 1-4 in conference play, whereas TSU goes to 5-3 and 3-3 in conference play.

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North Carolina A&T Aggies Take Over First-Place, Win GHOE

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Homecoming wins always have a little extra weight to them. The alumni, student body and administration all walk out of the stadium with their chest poked out before partaking in a few more tailgates and the fun and festivities scheduled for the evening.

North Carolina A&T’s 40-21 homecoming win over Florida A&M Saturday afternoon at Aggie Stadium had a little more meaning than just giving the alumni something to be proud of, however. The win put the Aggies (7-2, 4-1 MEAC) in sole possession of first place in the MEAC with three games remaining on the Aggies’ schedule.

North Carolina A&T holds a half game lead over Bethune-Cookman, S.C. State, Norfolk State, Morgan State and N.C. Central. The Aggies also improved to 4-0 in homecoming games under head coach Rod Broadway. The Rattlers (2-6, 2-2 MEAC) have now lost three straight to A&T.

“Homecoming is different; look at the crowd and the atmosphere,” said Broadway. “You can feel it around here. It’s the Greatest Homecoming On Earth, and it is big. At (historically black colleges and universities) homecoming is always big, and it was a conference game. It took us to seven wins. I think this is the third year in a row we’ve had seven wins. That means we’re getting a little bit better every year.”



As the Aggies enter what will be a tough fight for the conference crown, they received some good news on Saturday when junior quarterback Kwashaun Quick walked out on the field as the starter. In his first game back after missing three weeks with a knee injury, Quick threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns on 16-for-26 passing.

“I was ready to get back out there,” said Quick. “It was eating me alive not to be out there with the boys. I’m back now and it’s time to move forward and get better from here.”

All three of his TD passes went to sophomore Denzel Keyes who used his 6-foot-4 frame against the smaller FAMU defensive backs to be effective most of the game before using his smarts for what may have been the biggest play of the afternoon.

With the Aggies leading 20-14 in the third quarter, the Aggies decided to take advantage of something they noticed throughout the first half. The FAMU defensive backs were keying on Quick’s movements. Whenever Quick motioned to throw, the Rattlers came forward to stop the short pass or run.

On a 2nd-and-4 from the Aggies 27-yard line, Keyes was scheduled to run an out pattern, but when he saw the corner come up on the Quick throwing motion, he continued to run downfield. Quick spotted Keyes running free down the sideline and connected with the Aggies forward from the men’s basketball team for a 73-yard touchdown and a 27-14 lead.

Keyes finished the day with a career-high 129 yards receiving on five catches.

“My hat goes off to Denzel Keyes, he had some big plays for us,” said Broadway. “That’s where we are developing as a football team. We are getting some pretty good athletes in here now. We are still about 14 short, but once we get 14 more we are going to improve a little bit. We have a few weapons we can go to right now.”

Keyes was not finished. He used his height to go over the top of 6-foot Devonte Johnson to end the third quarter with a 21-yard touchdown reception to give A&T a 33-14 lead after the extra point was blocked.

“He is 6-4. He is a basketball player, a football player and he can make those plays,” said Broadway.

Senior kicker Jose Garcia-Camacho helped the Aggies put the game away as his ensuing kickoff was perfectly placed at the FAMU 24 where no Rattlers were standing. Marlowe Wood swooped in and dove on the live ball to give A&T a 1st-and-10. Desmond Lawrence followed with a 21-yard gain on a reverse. Sophomore Tarik Cohen closed out the drive with a 3-yard TD run to open the fourth quarter.

“We try to tune it out and focus on the game…get our mind right,” said Quick about playing on homecoming. “(The fans) are here to watch us play and we’re here to give them a show. We preach about staying focused all the time. We can’t lose what homecoming is about. It’s about the fans and the alumni coming back, and it’s about us trying to win a football game.”

The Aggies may have had a few homecoming jitters to start. The Rattlers took their opening drive 75 yards on 11 plays as Lemond Bruice scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Damien Fleming. But the Aggies responded with 17 unanswered and led 20-14 at the half.

“We got a couple of guys banged up but to win this game during homecoming is big to the city, community and everybody else benefits from this, so we are extremely happy to have won this game.”

The Aggies will take a week off from competition before playing their home finale against one of the MEAC championship contenders, Morgan State, in two weeks (Nov. 8, 1 p.m.) at Aggie Stadium.

BOX SCORE (.pdf)

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Week 9: HBCU ScoreCard

N.C. A&T Blue and Gold Marching Machine starting at 1:00 minute mark.


SATURDAY, October 25, 2014

MEAC
North Carolina A&T 40, Florida A&M 21
South Carolina State 20, Bethune-Cookman 14
North Carolina Central 42, Savannah State 14
Hampton 23,  Delaware State 0
Villanova 48, Morgan State 28

SWAC
Alcorn State 77, Prairie View A&M 48
Arkansas Pine Bluff 38, Texas Southern 37
Alabama A&M  37, Alabama State 36   Watch Replay    73rd Magic City Classic
Southern 42, Jackson State 28

OVC
Eastern Illinois 28, Tennessee State 3  Watch Replay 

CIAA
Shaw 35, Johnson C. Smith 34
Bowie State 20, Virginia Union 17 O.T.
Elizabeth City State 49, Chowan 33
Winston-Salem State 34, Livingstone 17
Fayetteville State 49, Saint Augustine's 14
Virginia State 63, Lincoln (Pa.) 7

SIAC
Tuskegee 38, Kentucky State 9
Central State 41, Stillman 14
Fort Valley State 23,  Paine 10
Miles 51, Lane 0
Albany State 33, Clark Atlanta 0
Benedict 33, Morehouse 15

OTHER CONFERENCES
Shippensburg 34, Cheyney 13
Wesley College 75, Virginia University Lynchburg 12
Warner 17, Concordia-Selma 12
Virginia -Wise 16, West Virginia State 13
Edward Waters 47, Apprentice School 21
Indianapolis 52, Lincoln (Mo.) 14
Langston (Open)


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Southern gets early jump at Jackson State, cruises to 42-28 win

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Southern and Jackson State both came out of open dates trying to set the tone for a strong finish.

The Jaguars accomplished just what they wanted, but the Tigers continued sputtering the way they had entering the open date.

Southern jumped to an early 27-0 lead and coasted to a 42-28 victory Saturday night in Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Jaguars won their third straight to improve to 5-3 and 4-1 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They begin a three-game homestand when they face Alabama State next Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.

JSU, the defending SWAC East Division champion, continued its downward spiral under first-year coach Harold Jackson, falling to 3-5 and 1-4.

“We’ve all been ready to get back on the field against an opponent,” Southern defensive end Arthur Miley said. “We were tired of going against each other for a couple of weeks. We knew we had to take momentum away early.”

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Boombox Classic 2014: Southern Human Jukebox vs. Jackson State Sonic Boom

FAMU Marching 100 marches in NCA&T Homecoming Parade

Bethune-Cookman has tough MEAC test at South Carolina State

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough was not exactly oozing with confidence when discussing Saturday’s game with Bethune-Cookman earlier this week.

As the 14th-ranked Wildcats have been getting stronger and stronger since Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play began, S.C. State has battled a rash of injuries and is coming off a 48-35 MEAC loss to North Carolina Central two weeks ago.

 

Pough had hoped his players would heal during the bye week but by midweek, he wasn’t sure if either starting quarterback Adrian Kollock or backup TeDarrius Wiley would be ready or if true freshman Calvin Giles-McClary, who threw for 136 yards and two touchdowns against N.C. Central in relief, will have to make his first start.

 

“We were in pretty bad shape health-wise, and ...

 

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Game preview: Alabama State vs. Alabama A&M

WATCH GAME: ESPN3, TIME: 3:30 PM ET

FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY

1 No need for speeches: There won't be any problem getting players ready to play in the Magic City Classic, ASU coach Reggie Barlow said. "There is always going to be a handful where you need to find your creative, motivational tactics," he said, "but if you watch the film and don't pay attention to the record, you'll see these (Alabama A&M) guys are playing hard and running to the ball and have playmakers. And, then, this is the Classic. Who needs motivation for that?"

2 Revamping the offense: The Hornet offense may look a little different this week after some changes by offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss. "Coach and (his staff) came up with something (in the) running game, which I really like," Barlow said. "There are some things I'm really excited about. I think the knowledgeable fan will be able to see it and go, 'Wow, that's new.' And people who like D-line play will see there are one or two new wrinkles. Everybody does that coming off a bye week."

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Jackson State, Southern play for first time since SWAC title

JACKSON, Mississippi -- It's hard to forget the last meeting between Jackson State and Southern.

The 34-27 double overtime loss to Southern in last year's Southwestern Athletic Conference championship was a heartbreaker, making it the second straight time the Tigers fell short of a ring.

And in similar fashion.

But when the Tigers (3-4, 1-3 SWAC) and Jaguars (4-3, 3-1) return to the gridiron today at 6 p.m., in Veterans Memorial Stadium, the game won't look like a rematch of that title game.

Instead, it's an opportunity for the Tigers to find the track back to being that very 2013 team — title contenders.

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Soifer leads the way for Xavier in Big Easy Classic

Nikita Soifer

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana senior Nikita Soifer advanced in the main draws of men's singles and doubles Friday during the opening day of the Big Easy Tennis Classic at the University of New Orleans.

Soifer, a two-time NAIA All-American, defeated Louisiana-Lafayette's Will Huyton 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the flight-1 semifinals. Soifer will play UNO's Tino Kranz at 9 a.m. Saturday, with the final scheduled for 2 p.m.

Soifer and Tushar Mandlekar defeated Southern Mississippi's Wen-Po Tseng and Tarun Surat 8-5 to reach the doubles quarterfinals, where they'll play UNO's Christoffer Appelgren and Luis Albuquerque at 8 a.m. Saturday.

All other XU players were eliminated from the main draw, with a few still alive in the consolation brackets.

"It was a decent day for us in this well-rounded (NCAA) D1 tournament," XU coach Alan Green said. "We had our moments out there and competed well with the mid-majors.

"I was particularly pleased with Nikita Soifer. He didn't play well in regionals last month, but in this tournament he is playing better. I'm looking for big things from him this year."

Xavier won 7-of-12 men's matches. Of the Gold Nuggets' nine matches, the lone victory came from redshirt freshman Dasia Harris in a 6-1, 6-0 decision against Loyola's Lauren Rosales in the flight-3 singles consolation quarterfinals. Harris awaits the winner of a match between XU's Sha'Nel Bruins and West Virginia's Yvon Martinez.

Still alive for Xavier in the men's flight-3 singles consolation bracket are Vincenzo Ciccone, a 6-2, 6-0 winner against Jackson State's Marko Milosavljevic, and Adam Albrecht, who beat Loyola's Anthony Zaleski 6-1, 6-0. Ciccone and Albrecht will play quarterfinal matches at 8 a.m. -- Ciccone against Troy's Austin Racine and Albrecht against Jackson State's Richie Agarwal.

XU sophomore Nour Abbes -- the NAIA women's singles champion and "Super Bowl" runner-up at the USTA / ITA National Small College Championships -- was not entered in this event.

This is Xavier's final competition of the fall semester. The tournament is scheduled to conclude Saturday.

Results:  Men    Women

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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Dwight Floyd Commentary: Bragg Memorial Stadium Doesn’t Look So Bad When It’s Full

Dwight Floyd
Commentary

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- Lately there has been a lot of talk about FAMU’s Bragg Memorial Stadium and the athletic field house. It has been a constant topic of conversation among Rattler fans and supporters about how run down and unattractive it is.

Within the archives of the State of Florida library there is a picture of Coach Alonzo Jake Gaither standing in the mist of new bleachers that was constructed in the 1950’s. FAMU wouldn’t see that kind of overhaul again for almost another 30 years when Bragg became the stadium that Rudy Hubbard built.

Before FAMU won a Division 1-AA championship, and before FAMU beat ...

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Fobbs' mentality serves Grambling's culture well

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- If a student were to take a class at Grambling State University, the last person they'd want marking up their papers is head football coach Broderick Fobbs.

The first-year coach is a stingy grader, to say the least, which is further proof that he expects top-notch quality from his players in order to place a successful product on the field.

After Grambling's first spring game under Fobbs, he gave his team a C+ grade. Then after a 28-21 win over Alcorn State, the Tigers' biggest since 2011 when they won the SWAC title over Alabama A&M, Fobbs nonchalantly gave out a B- grade.

The former Carroll High School product took it even a step further this past weekend after a 63-39 beatdown of Arkansas-Pine Bluff resulted in a 'B-/C+'

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Southern football vs. Jackson State game capsule

What: Southern (4-3, 3-1 SWAC) vs. Jackson St. (3-4, 1-3 SWAC)
When/Where: Saturday at 6 p.m. at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi.
Television: CST
Radio: WYNK 97.7

Coaches: Southern- Dawson Odums, (2nd season as head coach, interim in 2012, 16-13). Jackson St.- Harold Jackson, (1st season as head coach, 3-4).

Southern: The Jaguars had their first bye week of the season last Saturday, getting a break after an exceptional start to SWAC play.



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Magic City Classic 2014: 5 Storylines of the game

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - For Alabama State (4-3), the SWAC preseason favorite, the season hasn't exactly gone according to script with losses in its last two games.

For Alabama A&M (2-5), under first-year coach James Spady and his entertaining pistol offense, there has been noticeable improvement but not a lot to show for it. And a winning season seems to be out of the question unless it can turn around its season starting Saturday.

While the season has been a letdown, the winner of the 73rd annual Magic City Classic at Legion Field almost gets a get-out-of-jail card with its fan base. Let's look at the top storylines entering the weekend:

CAN ALABAMA STATE GET BACK ON CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE?

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Week 9: HBCU Football Schedule

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SATURDAY, October 25, 2014

MEAC
Florida A&M at North Carolina A&T, 1 PM, Homecoming
Bethune-Cookman at South Carolina State, 1:30 PM
Savannah State at North Carolina Central, 2 PM
Hampton at Delaware State, 2 PM
Morgan State at Villanova, 3:30 PM

SWAC
Alcorn State at Prairie View A&M, 2 PM
Arkansas Pine Bluff at Texas Southern, 3 PM
Alabama State vs. Alabama A&M, 3:30  73rd Magic City Classic, Birmingham, AL, TV: ESPN3
Southern at Jackson State, 7 PM

OVC
Tennessee State at Eastern Illinois, 2:30 PM, TV: ESPN3

CIAA
Johnson C. Smith at Shaw, 1 PM, Homecoming
Bowie State at Virginia Union, 1 PM
Chowan at Elizabeth City State, 1:30 PM, Homecoming
Livingstone at Winston-Salem State, 1:30 PM
Fayetteville State at Saint Augustine's, 2 PM, Homecoming
Lincoln (Pa.) at Virginia State, 2 PM, Homecoming

SIAC
Kentucky State at Tuskegee, 1 PM
Stillman at Central State, 1:30 PM
Paine at Fort Valley State, 2 PM
Miles at Lane, 2 PM
Clark Atlanta at Albany State, 2 PM
Morehouse at Benedict, 2 PM

OTHER CONFERENCES
Cheyney at Shippensburg, 12 Noon
Wesley College at Virginia University Lynchburg, 1 PM Homecoming
Concordia-Selma at Warner, 1 PM
Virginia -Wise at West Virginia State, 2 PM
Apprentice School at Edward Waters, 3 PM
Southwest Assemblies of God at Langston, 3 PM
Lincoln (Mo.) at Indianapolis, 6 PM


ALWAYS WATCH IN 720p HD, WIDE SCREEN

ALL GAMES TIMES ARE SHOWN IN EASTERN TIME ZONE

Jackson wins 6th GCAC Runner of Week award of 2014

Xavier University of Louisiana's Kwame Jackson, center, with Gulf Coast Athletic
Conference Commissioner  Steve Martin, left, and GCAC President Kiki Barnes,
the athletics director at Dillard University.

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Kwame Jackson, who won his third Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's cross country individual championship on Saturday, was named Runner of the Week for Oct. 13-19.

Jackson, a senior from Kingwood, Texas, and a graduate of Kingwood Park High School, became the first GCAC harrier to win three individual titles. He repeated as league champion, running 8,000 meters at City Park in 29 minutes, 3.16 seconds and winning by nearly 42 seconds. He led the Gold Rush to a ninth consecutive GCAC men's team championship.

Jackson set a GCAC record with his sixth weekly award of the season and extended his career record to 15.

The XU men and women will conclude the season Nov. 22 in the NAIA National Championship at Lawrence, Kansas.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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TSU to Travel to EIU for an OVC Matchup

WATCH LIVE | LISTEN LIVE | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- On Saturday, the Tennessee State football team will travel to Eastern Illinois for an Ohio Valley Conference matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

Scouting TSU
The Tigers (4-4, 1-3 OVC) are coming off of a, 21-16, loss at home to UT Main, the most current entry in their three-game losing streak. It is currently the longest slide for the team since a four-game stretch in 2011.

Scouting EIU
The Panthers (2-5, 2-1 OVC) just crushed Southeast Missouri, 52-13, for their second win of the season. The Eastern Illinois defense forced five turnovers in the victory, including four interceptions.

Three Keys to the Game

Win the Turnover Battle
Over the last three games, the TSU offense has given the ball away nine times while the defense has just four takeaways (all against Jacksonville State). Both stats have contributed to the rough patch as the Tigers are 11-1 in the last two seasons when they come out positive in turnover margin. When they have the same or less takeaways than its opponents, Big Blue is just 3-7. It may seem simple, but TSU needs to take better care of the ball against the Panthers to give itself a shot at more scoring drives.

Contain Whitlow
EIU’s junior quarterback Jalen Whitlow has been the most productive quarterback in the OVC this season, averaging 258.7 yards per game. TSU fans will remember last year’s EIU QB Jimmy Garoppolo who also led the OVC in total yards. The Panthers’ current signal-caller is more mobile than his predecessor and is second in the league in rushing yards per contest (79.7). The Univ. of Kentucky transfer’s eight scores on the ground are also tops in the conference. TSU leads the nation in passing defense (129.8 y/g), but the unit must also focus on Whitlow’s running ability if the Tigers are to stop their slide.

Maintain Status Quo on Defense
In addition to being the best in pass defense, the Tigers’ D is also third in total defense (251.3 y/g) and eighth in scoring (16.3 p/g). Even in a losing effort last week, Big Blue held the Skyhawks to just 210 yards – 67 through the air. TSU has been dominant on defense the past three seasons, but EIU has gained 567 and 553 yards in the two meetings during that span. The Tigers need to have a short memory and play like they are accustomed to shut down the high-flying Panther attack this time around.

EIU holds a 10-7 edge in the series and won twice last season, the latter of which ended TSU’s season in the FCS Playoffs.

Saturday marks EIU’s homecoming and fans can catch all the action on ESPN3 at 1:30 p.m.

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Expectations change for Livingstone; Blue Bears eye second CIAA championship

SALISBURY, North Carolina -- Livingstone basketball coach James Stinson is philosophical about expectations.

Earning the school’s first CIAA championship, like his Blue Bears did last season, brings presumptions just like being the league’s worst team. In 11 seasons at Livingstone, he’s been in both situations.

“When we were on the bottom we had a target on our back because no one wanted to lose to us,” Stinson said. “It’s the same thing so we just prepare every day. It does get tougher because people are bringing their ‘A’ game and then the CIAA from top to bottom is going to be tough each night.”

League coaches expect Livingstone to be the CIAA’s best, voting the Blue Bears No. 1 in preseason polling. Making it happen, though, will be more difficult after losing the heart of last year’s 21-9 squad. Seven players return, including four who started games last year, with 6-4 forward Eric Mayo leading the incumbents with 19. The returnees combined for 22.2 points per game, but their experience gives the Blue Bears a starting point to compete in the CIAA South.

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Sims finds a home at WSSU

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Even though quarterback Phillip Sims of Winston-Salem State has been on campus for nearly 14 months some find it hard to believe that he’s even there at all.

The way Sims arrived at WSSU isn’t all that complicated.

“Well, some of the assistant coaches called, and I answered my phone,” Sims said this week during an extended interview at the Bowman Gray Stadium Fieldhouse.

Sims, a Parade All-America in high school in Chesapeake, Va., is one of the most high-profile recruits to land at WSSU. After playing a part in Alabama’s run to the national championship as a redshirt freshman in 2011, he transferred to Virginia, where he started half the games for the Cavaliers in 2012.



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Savannah State at NCCU: Young Tigers wary of tough Eagles

DURHAM, North Carolina — Size matters.

In the game of football, the bigger the players are, the harder they fall on opponents who are not as genetically gifted.

Yet strength is at least equally important with respect to smaller players possessing the power to leverage their will against larger opponents.

Second-year Savannah State coach Earnest Wilson III will tell you that he’s got some talent on his team. But the Tigers are young. And they’re not very strong.

Yet the freshmen actually have been more productive than the Tigers’ upperclassmen — the rookies just have to get stronger, Wilson said.

“Their strength is just now beginning to come. They’re beginning to find out how to work out in a Division I setting,” Wilson said.

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A win in Greensboro would put Rattlers near top of MEAC

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- A two-win streak over teams with a combined 1-14 record is one thing, but Florida A&M head coach Earl Holmes knows taking down one of the top teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference could change the narrative of the Rattlers’ entire season.

The Rattlers (2-5, 2-1 in the MEAC) will take on the North Carolina A&T Aggies (6-2, 3-1) Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. Florida A&M is coming off two straight wins for the first time in Holmes’ tenure as head coach, and a third straight win would put FAMU near the top of the MEAC.



It would also help erase an 0-5 start that had Holmes shifting coaching personnel around and contemplating a quarterback change.

“We’re a young team,” Holmes said.

“The sooner the young guys can ...

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Healing underway, winning returns at rejuvenated Grambling

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — In the months since he became head football coach at his alma mater, Broderick Fobbs has had several conversations with his predecessors. He talks occasionally with former coach Doug Williams. He has touched base with Rod Broadway. And of course, there's one other.

"I've talked with Coach Robinson," Fobbs says, "when no one else is around."

Grambling's new coach laughs. But then he points at the portrait of the late Eddie Robinson, which dominates one wall in his office, and reiterates:

"Normally, it's right here at this desk when I'm looking at that picture. One thing's for certain, he's definitely loud and clear. … He's definitely present here — and we're excited to have him with us."

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Across the Line: Les East on Southern

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State and Southern meet for the first time since the 2013 SWAC championship game last December.

But much has changed on both sides since then.

The Jaguars (4-3, 3-1 SWAC) are without the quarterback-wide receiver duo of Dray Joseph and Lee Doss who produced the game-winning touchdown for the title victory.

The Tigers (3-4, 1-3 SWAC) also feature a new lineup, with a few returners from that championship game. For JSU, this game is hopefully a fresh start after a disappointing first half of the season. They're looking to rebound after being upset by Mississippi Valley State and its former head coach Rick Comegy 27-23.

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Alabama A&M’s Spady quickly learns Classic’s importance

BIRMINGHAM – Alabama A&M first-year head coach James Spady already knows enough about the Magic City Classic to know it can make or break a coach’s resume.

Spady, the former tight ends/co-offensive line coach at Nevada (2010-13) and offensive coordinator at Grambling State (2007-09), will be roaming the sidelines for the first time as the A&M boss Saturday when the Bulldogs (2-5, 1-3) entertain Alabama State (4-3, 3-2) in the 73rd annual Magic City Classic at Legion Field.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., and the game will be televised by ESPN3 and ESPNU on a delayed basis later that evening.

“I’ve been coaching for 22 years, but I already know there is no game like this one,” Spady said. “It’s just off the charts. I think as players and as coaches, it’s an honor and privilege to play in a game of this magnitude.

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