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ETTRICK, Virginia -- Cal U will be trying to keep a trend of opening-day success going Saturday when the Vulcans kick off the football season at Virginia State.
The Vulcans have won 11 of their last 14 season openers, including a 33-24 victory over the Trojans at Cal U last season.
Fourth-year head coach Mike Kellar has his team's sights set on snapping another streak, that of three straight third-place finishes in the PSAC West standings.
For the Vulcans (8-2 last season) to have success, they will lean heavily on a defense that finished fifth in the nation in rushing yards allowed a year ago. That defense returns six starters, including junior All-America candidate Jordan Bowman (DB) and Jawan Turner (DT).
Cal could have its hands ful with a Virginia State team that qualified for the NCAA playoffs for the first time in school history a year ago while winning its first CIAA championship since 1996.
MURFREESBORO, Tennessee -- The MTSU football season kicks off in less than 48 hours and whether you ask players or coaches, they are locked in on Jackson State.
“All our focus is on Jackson State this weekend,” head coach Rick Stockstill said emphatically. “Don’t ask me about Alabama.”
Even if Stockstill didn’t say a word about the team’s focus, it’s not hard to see where these players stand ahead of Saturday’s matchup.
Throughout the preseason, battles have raged on at the quarterback, wide receiver and cornerback positions to name a few.
The starters are set and the players are finally ready to take the field at Floyd Stadium once again.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- After months of practice and questions, Carson Royal is ready to show what Florida A&M can do on the gridiron.
Royal, a redshirt junior who earlier in the week was named FAMU’s starting quarterback, said he’s eager to get some game-time action after waiting behind four-year starter Damien Fleming for three years.
Royal holds the keys to FAMU’s new offense and his first test will be a challenge — the Rattlers open the season Saturday against FB53S opponent South Florida in Tampa.
“I’m just ready,” he said. “Mentally, physically… I’m really just ready to get out there and play.”
CLEVELAND, Mississippi – The No. 14 Delta State University football team outscored Fort Valley State 39-7 in the first half en route to a 48-7 victory in the season-opener for both teams on Thursday, Sept. 3 at Parker Field-McCool Stadium. DSU earned its 450th all-time win in the rout.
Inside the Matchup:
Score: Delta State 48, Fort Valley State 7
Records: Delta State (1-0), Fort Valley State (0-1)
Date: Thursday Sept. 3, 2015 | 6:00 p.m. (CST) Kickoff
Location: Parker Field-McCool Stadium | Cleveland, Miss.
Series: Delta State leads the series 3-2
Quoting Cooley:
"I was really pleased with our demeanor today. I felt like, starting yesterday, we understood that it was time and started locking in the way the way we like to lock in and I thought we were focused when we came out, which was the key to it. "I think we've got a pretty mature group. They're excited about getting a win, but they know we've made a lot of mistakes tonight and we've got to go get them corrected tomorrow because we're going to play a very tough opponent next weekend."
How it Happened:
The Statesmen scored on their first five drives. DSU opened the scoring when Tyler Sullivan found Collin Floyd for a 58-yard touchdown pass with 10:52 remaining in the first quarter.
Sullivan scored the next two touchdowns on the ground, finding the end zone from 34 and two yards out.
Following Sullivan's first touchdown, Vince Sciorrotta knocked home a 38-yard field goal to give DSU an 18-0 advantage.
The Wildcats made the score 25-7 with an Otis Brown four yard touchdown run with 11:29 remaining in the first half.
Following a 75-yard touchdown pass from Justin Leavy to Jarvis York on a fake punt, Sullivan closed the first half scoring with a 59-yard pass to Patrick Bethley.
DSU outgained the Wildcats 346-232 in the first half. Sullivan was 12-of-17 for 214 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the opening 30 minutes.
Sullivan struck again in the third quarter, as he found Leavy from 60 yards out with 13:23 left in the third quarter.
DSU closed out the scoring on a safety with 1:18 remaining.
The Numbers:
DSU finished with 475 total yards, while the Wildcats finished with 353. The Statesmen, who finished with 101 rushing yards, held FVSU to 94.
Sullivan led the way with 42 yards rushing. Eddie McCadney finished with 35.
Jalen White led the Wildcat rushing attack with 34 yards.
Sullivan finished 16-of-25 for 293 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. FVSU signal-caller Otis Brown was 17-of-27 for 218 yards with an interception.
Patrick Bethley had five catches for 87 yards and a touchdown to lead the Statesmen.
With his third PAT of the contest Sciorrotta became DSU's all-time leader with 113 in his career. He finished with five PATs on the night for 115.
DSU is now 7-1 versus non-conference opponents under Todd Cooley.
The Statesmen claimed the 450 in school history. DSU now sports a 450-374-23 record in 85 seasons.
Up Next:
The Statesmen travel to Commerce, Texas for a non-conference contest with Texas A&M Commerce. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT. The game will be carried live on the Statesmen Sports Network beginning at 6 p.m.
COURTESY DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
FAIRMONT, West Virginia -- Yellow Jacket fans could finally let loose a sigh of relief followed by a loud cheer Thursday night.
The WVSU football team had won its opening game.
Third-year Head Coach Jon Anderson looked on as his squad put together an extremely solid effort on both sides of the ball to score a convincing 59-34 victory over host Fairmont State under the lights on a warm and humid evening.
Young players proved they have matured, new players showed they have some game, and new offensive coordinator John Pennington's attack proved to be both exciting and effective.
And, oh yeah, the already strong defense recorded two safeties and ran back a botched Fairmont extra point kick for two points. In other word, there was a little bit of everything for Yellow Jacket fans.
All of it good.
The Yellow Jackets ended up with 509 total yards of offense, 279 on the ground. Besides scoring six points the defense recorded 11 tackles for a loss totaling 43 yards and five sacks for 30 more negative yards.
They did not turn the ball over at all and allowed only one sack for a 1-yard loss.
The Falcons had won the last five meetings between the programs but it did not take long for the Jackets to show everyone there are more differences between this team and last year's than their new uniforms.
After taking the opening kickoff the Yellow Jackets drove 79 yards on nine plays with Tevin Brown topping the drive off with a 17-yard touchdown run at the 11:42 mark.
The two-point conversion attempt failed but a few minutes later WVSU senior linebacker Rudy Favard picked up the two points for the Jackets on a safety.
The Jackets drove 55 yards on the ensuing possession with Tyrone Barber going in from the 1-yard line for the score.
A 13 yard pass from D'von Dorsey to Chase Henderson with 28 seconds remaining gave WVSU a 22-0 lead after the opening period.
Just how big was that opening quarter to the Yellow Jackets?
The 22 points equaled last year's season high total – for an entire game.
The defense added another safety to make it 24-0, Anthony Herrera hit a 38-yard field goal, freshman Tyrone Barber broke free for a 46-yard touchdown run, and Herrera showed that even the WVSU kicking game is looking solid this year by hitting from 45-yards out to make the score 37-7 at halftime.
The last time WVSU scored that many points in a half was in the opening game of 2008 when the Jackets went on to win their first five games and reach as high as #21 in the national rankings before finishing 7-3.
After kicking off and stopping the Falcons to start the second half the Jackets scored on their opening possession when Akil Washington caught a perfectly placed 37-yard pass from Matt Kinnick to run the score to 44-7.
The teams traded scores with the WVSU touchdowns coming on a 5-yard run by Barber and one from 17-yards out by Kelvit Barrett as the third quarter came to an end with the Yellow Jackets leading 57-21.
The Falcons pulled to within 57-27 but Stevin Gomez picked up the missed extra point kick at the two yard line and ran it back 98 yards for two points to make it 59-27.
Fairmont State added one last touchdown with 3:41 to play to bring the final to 59-34.
ATLANTA, Georgia -- The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defeated the Alcorn State Braves 69-6 to kick off their 2015 campaign. Justin Thomas ran for a score and threw for a score as the option offense was in mid-season form against the Braves. The Jackets were able to rush for 476 yards in the game. Marcus Marshall ripped off TD runs of 49 yards and 64 yards as he led Tech with 184 yards on the ground.
It didn’t take long for the Georgia Tech option game to find its rhythm in the first quarter Thursday against Alcorn State. In fact, the running game was so good it led the Yellow Jackets to a record-setting first 15 minutes of action.
Tech scored four of its five touchdowns on the ground in the first quarter, setting a modern-day record for points in a quarter while opening a 34-0 lead. The previous record of 32 points vs. Chattanooga in 1985 was surpassed with the Jackets doing what they do the best — run the football.
Quarterback Justin Thomas scored on a 13-yard run less than three minutes into the game, capping a five-play, 63-yard drive — all on the ground. Tech followed with a 6-play, 29-yard drive that featured the hard running of B-Back Patrick Skov, who gained 16 yards and bulled into the end zone from the 3 for the Jackets’ second score.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Alex Wood is handling his first game week at Florida A&M the same way he’s handled just about everything that’s come his way since he was announced as the Rattlers’ head football coach in December.
When asked, Wood isn’t shy about letting people know what he thinks about his team. Since Wood’s first news conference, on Dec. 23, he’s let FAMU fans know the Ratters are a work in progress.
Wednesday, during a meeting of the 220 Quarterback Club at New Times Country Buffet on Monroe Street, Wood let 50 FAMU enthusiasts know there is progress being made.
“We’re excited about opening the season,” he said. “It’s been a short time, but at the same time, it’s been a long road. We’ve been taking full advantage of that, trying to get prepared.”
PEMBROKE, North Carolina — Winston-Salem State opened its season with a thud against upstart UNC Pembroke.
The Braves’ defense stood tall the entire way in a 17-7 win over the Rams, who lost just their fifth regular-season game in the last six seasons. It was also the second time in the last three seasons the Rams, who were ranked in several top 25 preseason Division II polls, fell short at Grace Johnson Stadium.
“I don’t know what it is about this place but these guys seem to have our number,” said Coach Kienus Boulware of the Rams. “(UNC Pembroke) fought hard and they probably had some revenge on their minds from when we beat them last year in Winston.”
This time around the Rams, who started redshirt freshman Rod Tinsley at quarterback, had some flashes of good play but nothing consistent. The Rams scored on their first possession as Tinsley directed the offense smoothly and hit tight end Anthony Rook with a 12-yard touchdown pass.
CIAA Winston-Salem State at UNC Pembroke, 7 p.m. LIVE VIDEO
MEC West Virginia State at Fairmont State, 7 p.m.
SWAC
Alcorn State at #16 Georgia Tech, 7:30 p.m., TV: ESPN3
Saturday, September 5, 2015
MEAC
Norfolk State at Rutgers, 12 Noon TV: ESPNN Howard at Appalachian State, 3:30 p.m. TV: ESPN3
Morgan State at Air Force, 3:30 p.m.
Savannah State at Colorado State, 4 p.m.
Bethune-Cookman at Miami (Fla.), 6 p.m. TV: ESPN3
Shaw at North Carolina A&T, 6 p.m.
Saint Augustine's at North Carolina Central, 6 p.m.
Kentucky State at Hampton, 6 p.m.
Delaware State at Liberty, 7 p.m. TV: ESPN3 Florida A&M at South Florida, 7 p.m. TV: ESPN3 Sunday, September 6, 2015
Arkansas - Pine Bluff vs. South Carolina State, 3:30 p.m., Orlando, FL, Florida Citrus Bowl, MEAC/SWAC CHALLENGE, TV: ESPN Alabama State at Tennessee State 7:00 p.m., Nashville, NISSAN STADIUM, John Merritt Classic Saturday, September 5, 2015 SWAC Grambling State at California, 5 p.m. TV: PAC12
Alabama A&M at Cincinnati, 7 p.m. TV: ESPN3
Jackson State at Middle Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Southern at Louisiana Tech, 7 p.m.
Mississippi Valley at New Mexico, 7 p.m.
Prairie ViewA&M at Texas Southern, 9 p.m., Labor Day Classic
CIAA Bowie State atMerrimack. 1 p.m., LIVE VIDEO
Brevard at Virginia Union, 1 p.m.
Lincoln (Pa.) at Cheyney, 1 p.m., Annual Battle of the Firsts TV: ESPN3
California (Pa.) at Virginia State, 1 p.m.
Livingstone at Benedict, 4:30 p.m. Palmetto Capitol City Classic,TV: ASPIRE
Wingate at Johnson C. Smith, 6 p.m.
Shaw at North Carolina A&T, 6 p.m.
Chowan at Fayetteville State, 6 p.m.
Virginia-Lynchburg at Elizabeth City State, 6 p.m.
Saint Augustine's at North Carolina Central, 6 p.m.
SIAC Central State at Alderson Broaddus, 12 Noon
Clark Atlanta at Tuskegee, 1 p.m.
Lane at Concordia-Selma, 3 p.m. Livingstone at Benedict, 4:30 p.m., Palmetto Capitol City Classic TV: ASPIRE
Stillman at West Alabama, 6 p.m.
North Alabama vs. Miles, 6 p.m., Labor Day Golden Classic, Legion Field, Birmingham, AL
Kentucky State at Hampton, 6 p.m. Edward Waters at Morehouse, 7 p.m. Valdosta State at Albany State, 7 p.m.
NORFOLK, Virginia -- Change is the word at Norfolk State. They have a new head coach, a new offensive scheme, a new quarterback and new starters on defense. The Spartans are thinking change is good.
Latrell Scott is the new head coach, taking over for the retired Pete Adrian. He is hoping to improve on last year's (4-8,4-4) record.
NSU will be severely tested early. They open on the road against three FBS schools. This Saturday it's Rutgers, then ODU and Marshall.
Greg Hankerson has transferred in from Florida Atlantic as the new quarterback. He is a dual threat kind of quarterback.
On defense, the Spartans ranked in the top 5 nationally last year. They have to replace six starters, but have plenty of experience nonetheless.
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- The bull’s-eye that’s figuratively attached to Southern’s defensive backfield has gotten more eye-catching.
Any Jaguars opponent, especially the first one — Louisiana Tech on Saturday night in Ruston, La. — figures to look at the relative experience of the players in the three layers of Southern’s defense and decide the secondary is the one to take aim at first.
The six starting linemen and linebackers averaged more than 10 starts last season, if you fudge the numbers and factor in the 13 games linebacker Daniel Brown started in his last season — two years ago before he was ineligible last season.
The five starters in the secondary averaged fewer than seven starts last season even before nickelback Rhaheim Ledbetter was subtracted from the equation earlier this week after being declared academically ineligible. Jamal Jenkins will make his first career start in Ledbetter’s place, meaning the unit that’s expected to start Saturday averaged fewer than five starts last season.
BOWIE, Maryland -- When he was in middle school, running track was the last thing on DeAndre Watson's mind. Nowaday for the junior at Bowie State, it's usually at the forefront.
Watson, a former soccer player, made it his goal to compete in the Penn Relays in Philadelphia -- the oldest track and field competition in the country -- during his freshman year at Bowie High School.
Considering his considerable athletic gifts, it didn't take long for Watson to fall in love with the idea of using his speed competitively.
"I always knew I was fast," he said.
Bowie High track and field coach Rich Andrulonis had grown aware of Watson's speed by the time Watson joined the school's team in his junior year. Watson credits Andrulonis for teaching him the basics -- i.e. improving his form and perfecting handoffs during relays.
MOBILE, Alabama – The Spring Hill College (SHC) volleyball team began its NCAA Division II and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) era with a bang in 2014 by building an impressive 26-7 overall record and an undefeated 17-0 mark in conference play. Head coach Peggy Martin enters her 7th season at Spring Hill with another strong line up for 2015. "Moving into our second year in the NCAA and the SIAC, I don't see us changing our strategies or tactics," she says. "We will compete at the same high level every time we take the court."
The Badger starting line will undergo some tweaks this season as Spring Hill lost four starting players, but Martin is confident that the players stepping into the roles will be ready for the challenge. "Our starting line-up is still evolving and could change weekly," she says. "But there is strong competition on the floor." Senior setter Mallory Raulerson from McGill-Toolen Catholic High School in Mobile has settled into the setter position while fellow senior Virginia Hicks of Salt Lake City, Utah, will be on the right side with sophomore Katelyn Bobinger from McGill-Toolen providing her relief.
ALBANY, Georgia — The Albany State Rams know that a return trip to the SIAC Championship Game won’t be an easy one and will likely have some bumps in the road. As they navigate the season with a new coach and a new quarterback, they’ll rely on their one constant — the defense.
After the first scrimmage last May, interim head coach Dan Land said he doesn’t want to make any drastic changes on that side of the ball and for good reason. As a team, the Rams held opponents to 173 total points and 17.3 points a game and 254.9 total yards of offense last year.
“We’re not trying to recreate the wheel here. All we did was took exactly what we had, that we know we’re good at, and just change some things that would best benefit us on defense and on offense,” Land said after the Dirty Blue Defense’s spring scrimmage win. “Normally on offense, we would do more offensive sets and on defense, what we’re doing now is more zone defense…making the quarterback read more.”
DURHAM, North Carolina -- With a continued focus on improving fan experience, North Carolina Central University partnered with Seating Solutions to install new chair-back seats in a prime season ticket section of O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium, home of the NCCU Eagles football team.
"I am so excited about our new stadium seats," said NCCU Director of Athletics Dr. Ingrid Wicker-McCree. "This is a part of our continuing efforts to enhance the NCCU fan experience. As we continue to upgrade our facilities we want to show our fans that we appreciate their support of our student-athletes and coaches, and we are dedicated to ensuring they have the best game day experience."
Fans have the opportunity to reserve a chair-back seat by purchasing a three-year Eagle Seat License (ESL). For more details about the ESL, visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com.
The original goal set by the Department of Athletics was to sell 400 ESLs. As of Sept. 1, 476 ESLs had been sold.
ESLs and season tickets are still available. For ticket information, call the NCCU Ticket Office at 919-530-5170 or visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com.
The NCCU football team opens the 2015 season at home inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium on Sept. 5 versus Saint Augustine's University at 6:00 p.m. in the sixth annual Prince Hall Shriners Diabetes Football Classic.
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
DURHAM, North Carolina -- North Carolina Central University baseball head coach Jim Koerner has announced two additions to the coaching staff, A.J. Battisto and Neal Henry.
Koerner says he is looking forward to the impact the new assistant coaches can have on the program.
"We are very excited to have both Neal Henry and A.J. Battisto as a part of our coaching staff," Koerner said. "Not only do they both bring great baseball experience to our program but they are both first class individuals. In making these hires I wanted to ensure there was an emphasis on the teaching and player development aspects of coaching, and I believe we have accomplished that.
"Coach Battisto will handle the pitching coach responsibilities as well as being involved with our recruiting efforts, while Coach Henry will primarily be working with the outfielders while handling the bulk of our recruiting coordination responsibilities."
Battisto joins NCCU from the University of New Orleans where he was an assistant coach beginning in August 2014. During his time there he worked as a pitching and catching coach responsible for coaching techniques, skills and continual arm care, and also served as the head recruiting coordinator.
Prior to coaching at New Orleans, Battisto was a professional baseball player in the Miami Marlins organization from 2007 to 2013. He was drafted in the 30th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft, and was named to the 2008 Minor League All-Star game and was Team Pitcher of the Year that season in Low-A. He progressed as high as Triple-A in the 2013 season.
Battisto is a graduate of Georgia Southern University, and is currently pursuing a master's degree in secondary education.
Henry comes to NCCU after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Palm Beach State College beginning in August 2013. Along with being the recruiting coordinator, he coached catchers and hitters and served as the third base coach.
Before coaching at Palm Beach State College, Henry was the head coach at Starkville Academy in Starkville, Mississippi from 2009 to 2013. He was able to lead that team to the championship series of the Mississippi Private School AAA Division 2 conference during his time there, and was named AAA South Baseball Coach of the Year in 2012. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Madison Ridgeland Academy in Madison, Mississippi in November 2008.
"I am also pleased to announce that Troy Marrow will be staying on as part of the Eagle family as a student assistant coach," Koerner said. "This has been something that we have talked about since I came to campus four years ago, when Troy was just a sophomore. Troy has all the qualities and attributes that will make for a very successful coaching career. He will be assisting me with the infielders as well as helping with the hitters and base running.
"Along with the return of Corey Gross for his fourth year, I believe we have all the pieces in place to help our student-athletes reach their personal and team goals."
HAMPTON, Virginia — The bottom line to Hampton University's 2014 season was 3-9, the program's third consecutive losing record. There were many culprits, from red-zone inefficiency to breakdowns on special teams.
But one issue stood out more than the others.
"We weren't very good on defense last year," said Pirates coach Connell Maynor, whose team opens against Kentucky State on Saturday at Armstrong Stadium. "That's no secret."
How bad? HU gave up 31 points and 397 total yards per game — 10th and ninth, respectively, in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The opposition completed 63 percent of its passes and converted 47 percent of its third-down chances. And the Pirates lost three games in which they scored at least four touchdowns.
Looking back, you can see the reasons. In Maynor's first season, and with new defensive coordinator Kenny Phillips, the Pirates switched from a 4-3 alignment to a 3-4. Then, four weeks into the season, Phillips had to leave with health issues
MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- The Alabama State offense has been a ground-oriented attack the past two seasons.
In 2013, Isaiah Crowell rushed for 1,121 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 6.6 yards per carry as the Hornets led the SWAC in rushing (231.5 yards/game).
Last season, Malcolm Cyrus rushed for 1,662 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 6.2 yards a carry for the SWAC’s second-best rushing offense (227.8 yards/game).
There will once again be a new look in the Hornets backfield this season, but this time junior Khalid Thomas takes the starring role. The Tallahassee native posted 545 rushing yards and five touchdowns for ASU last season.
Thomas said he looks to make the most out of his opportunity this year.
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico -- There's been plenty leading up to it, but the 2015 football season for The University of New Mexico finally gets under way at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday night when the Lobos will take on the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils from Itta Bena, Miss. at Branch Field at University Stadium.
While most folks associated as fans of the Lobos might not know too much about Mississippi Valley State other than that one pretty famous wide receiver who won a bunch of Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers named Jerry Rice, the coaching staff has certainly been prepping, but there are still some unknowns with the first time opponent.
In speaking of MVSU and head coach Rick Comegy, Davie said, "Last year was his first year at Mississippi Valley State and he had a lot of success at Jackson State. He won the SWAC title his last year at Jackson State. He has his whole coaching staff together, which took him about a year. They are going to line up and throw the heck out of the ball."
In that regard, MVSU might be the FCS equivalent offensively of what UNM might see from future opponents in the non-conference season in Tulsa, Arizona State and New Mexico State. The Delta Devils scored just 17.7 points per game last year, but with new coordinators in place, that is the first stat the team in green is looking to change. Of course, for a UNM defense that went from 43 points allowed vs. non-ranked teams in 2013 to just 28.5 against unranked teams in 2014, a bit of the unknown should be a good test.
"I'm looking for them to run a lot of empty set, no back things. It'll be a good test. With two new coordinators we think we know what they are going to do but we really don't know," said Davie.
With this the first of seven home games, Davie does like how the table is set for his team. The team still has momentum from last year's thriller against Wyoming to close out the campaign, a 36-30 barnburner that UNM won with a goalline stand. It all leads up to the start of year four. Davie is happy to be there.
"I feel pretty good," said Bob Davie to a large media contingent at his weekly press luncheon. "Because the plan has gone as well as I had hoped it would go, so now it's fun to just go play."
COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- When Terry Sims was named the new coach at Bethune-Cookman University, he didn’t need to be introduced to his new team nor taken on a tour of the Daytona Beach campus.
Sims knew just about everything he needed to about the Wildcats.
“It has helped tremendously,” said Sims, a B-CU assistant the previous five seasons. “I understand the program, this university, our kids. It makes things a lot easier to go through our day-to-day business because of the familiarity.”
Sims was named the 11th coach in program history just five days after Brian Jenkins left to take over at Alabama State.
In five seasons with the Wildcats, Jenkins won at least a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title four times — including the past three. CONTINUE READING
ATLANTA, Georgia -- Alcorn State can not be overlooked; fortunately for the Yellow Jackets, they know it. The teams will trade blows in the early going before Tech takes control with its relentless ground game.
The defensive line will be Virginia Tech’s biggest asset. “For once I hope they got it right”. How did the Yellow Jackets distinguish themselves from the Wolfpack, and why did you believe they provided you with the best fit at the next level? Previous year we saw Tony Zenon, Deon Hill, B.J. Bostic, Charles Perkins, Dennis Andrews and Broderick Snoddy. “We’ve been in the ACC Championship game three of the seven years we’ve been there”.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will welcome the Alcorn State Braves to Bobby Dodd Stadium for the first game of the season. Georgia Tech was just 79th in the FBS in total defense, giving up 411.3 yards per game. Now, after reaching the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game and winning the Orange Bowl, the Yellow Jackets are faced with much higher expectations. Whichever players are most physical and securely block their cornerback assignments best will see the field the most this season, so look for which wideouts best fight to the whistle on Thursday.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Three and a half weeks of a rigorous fall camp are over for Florida A&M, and now the fun part starts, as the Rattlers prep for the showdown Saturday with the University of South Florida.
Saturday also marks a new era for the Rattler program, as Alex Wood begins his first season as head coach. On Monday, Wood announced that Carson Royal will start at quarterback, and also said that after a scrimmage like approach to practice on Saturday, other starters were announced.
One similarity he has noticed is that the Bulls and FAMU boast Florida heavy rosters, and he expects a similar style of play come Saturday. He added as much as he is excited to see where his team stands, he's more excited to just play some football.
"I've been in football since 1962. I was excited that day, and I'm excited today," said Wood on Tuesday during his weekly press conference.
1. North Carolina A&T (6-2 MEAC, 9-3 overall in 2014)
The Aggies, 1 of 5 teams – yes, five – to share last season’s MEAC title, return RB Tarik Cohen (1,340 yards, 15 TDs), the league’s preseason Player of the Year. Senior CB Tony McRae said the team doesn’t wear the rings it earned from a shared title. “We don’t call that a championship,” he said. “A championship is one winner.”
2. South Carolina State (6-2, 8-4)
The Bulldogs return nine players from an offense that put up 26.6 points per game last season. S.C. State coach Buddy Pugh has a 105-47 record in 13 years at the school, making him one of the MEAC’s longest-serving and most consistent coaches in terms of wins.
3. Bethune-Cookman (6-2, 9-3)
The Wildcats, outright winners of three of the past five MEAC titles, have a new coach in former assistant Terry Sims. Former head coach Brian Jenkins resigned in December after he was alleged to have violated several NCAA rules, including those involving improper benefits to players, practice time limits and bullying.
HAMPTON, Virginia -- Remember Jaylian Williamson? The Hampton University quarterback lit up Old Dominion for 407 passing yards and three touchdowns last season, then added 385 yards a week later against William & Mary, then disappeared after a clash with coach Connell Maynor.
Remember QB Jerrell Antoine? He was MEAC Rookie of the Week three times last season but disappeared because there’s a new/old guy back in town.
Remember David Watford? He set a University of Virginia record with 427 passes in a sophomore season (2013), then disappeared when the Cavaliers looked at his 15 interceptions and the team’s 2-10 record and decided there was a cause and effect.
He’s back where it all started, in Hampton.
“It’s a wonderful thing to be able to come home to be around my family, my friends, people I grew up around,” Watford said. “To be able to play in front of my home crowd in my home city – there’s no better feeling.”
BERKELEY, California -- California opens the 2015 season with its first-ever meeting against Grambling State, which is just seven miles away from Louisiana Tech where Cal head coach Sonny Dykes coached before coming to Berkeley.
The Golden Bears have won 11 of their last 13 home openers, dating back to 2002. Last season, Cal topped Sacramento State, 55-14, in the home opener. Since 2002, the Bears are 9-4 in season openers after last year’s 31-24 victory at Northwestern. In 120 seasons, Cal is 74-42-4 all-time in season openers.
Saturday’s tilt with Grambling State marks the eighth time that Cal will face an FCS opponent. The Bears are 8-0 against FCS teams, with the most recent game last year’s 55-14 victory over Sacramento State.
California Golden Bears vs Grambling State Tigers
Saturday, Sept. 5 | 2:00 pm PT
Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium | Berkeley, CA
TV: Pac-12 Networks - Roxy Bernstein (Play by Play), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Drea Avant (Sideline)
Radio: KGO 810 AM – Joe Starkey (Play by Play), Dave Barr (Analyst), Todd McKim (Sideline)
The 2015 Cal team features players who accounted for over 80 percent of its offense in the following categories in 2014 – passing (99.7%), total offense (99.3%), rushing (98.4%), all-purpose (89.7%), total touchdowns (88.5%) and receiving (84.6%).
Cal enters the 2015 season with its most experienced group under Dykes. The Bears’ roster lists 34 players who made a combined 228 starts last year (Offense 16/111, Defense 17/105, Specialists 1/12). Those figures are a marked improvement from 2014 when Cal entered the year with 28 players having made 164 starts (Offense 17/97; Defense 10/65; Specialists 1/12) in 2013. In 2012, Cal had 14 players who started 120 times the previous season (Offense 7/55; Defense 6/53; Specialists 1/12).
Cal received a single vote in the 2015 AP Top 25 preseason poll. The Bears last garnered top-25 consideration following their 4-1 start last season.
Cal finished the 2014 season with an overall record of 5-7 for a four-win turnaround from 2013 which was its best since the 2002 squad went 7-5 overall after the 2001 club finished 1-10.
National honors candidate junior quarterback Jared Goff is a Heisman Trophy contender and has been named to nearly every watch list for college football’s top player and quarterback awards. Goff is the nation’s second-leading returning passer after ranking fifth in nationally in passing touchdowns (35), passing yards (3,973) and passing yards per game (331.1) last season. He is already the holder of 19 school records.
Senior Trevor Davis is a second-team preseason All-American as a kick returner and on the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award honoring the nation’s most versatile player. Davis equaled NCAA and Pac-12 records in 2014 when he became the 20th player in FBS history and the third in the Pac-12 to bring back two kick returns in a single game on consecutive kick returns at Washington State.
Seven of the eight Cal players who recorded at least 20 catches in 2014 are returning, led by junior wide receiver Kenny Lawler who posted a team-best 54 receptions a year ago. Senior wide receiver Bryce Treggs was right behind with 52 catches. The others on the list are Stephen Anderson (46), Daniel Lasco (33), Maurice Harris (25), Trevor Davis (24) and Darius Powe (20).
ETTRICK, Virginia -- Cal U will be trying to keep a trend of opening-day success going Saturday when the Vulcans kick off the football season at Virginia State. 
