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Jiles (6-1, 240) said he chose the school over UMass and Idaho.
“When I took my visit up there, it just felt like home,” Jiles said. “They showed me a lot of love, and, ever since they offered me, they were the school that was on me the most heavy.”
DALLAS, Texas -- The Cowboys added cornerback Ayodeji Olatoye on Wednesday to fill their entire practice squad roster. Olatoye was an undrafted rookie out of North Carolina A&T State University (by way of Colorado) last year. He spent time with the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs since. Possessing a good body frame at 6-1, 195 pounds, Olatoye recorded eight total tackles and had one pass defended as a member of the Chiefs this preseason.
Thomas was an undrafted rookie out South Carolina State that spent last season on the Green Bay Packers practice squad. During his final year at SCS, the young inside linebacker was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Year after recording 115 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and one interception. He recorded eight tackles and a sack in four preseason games with the Packers this year.
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- After a week where the league went 2-9, with both wins over FCS teams, everyone in the league is in action again this week…including the first conference game of the season. Six schools (including the Cajuns) have their home openers this week. Three schools are on the road playing Power Five schools. And one is at home against an SEC team. Beside what’s going on at Cajun Field on Saturday, here what’s happening.
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M AT TEXAS STATE—Saturday, 6pm, ESPN3–The Panthers opened with a SWAC win over Texas Southern last week and that’s a good start for PVAMU. They’ll have a much tougher time against the Bobcats in the TXST home opener. Dennis Franchione’s club is very happy not to be playing Florida State again. The running game was abysmal for the Bobcats a week ago. That has to get better, and this week it should.
MON TGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State has played its first game under head coach Brian Jenkins, but doesn’t have much time to dissect Sunday’s 24-14 loss to Tennessee State.
ASU (0-1) turned the ball over four times in its last five possessions as the Hornets let a 14-3 halftime lead slip away.
During Monday’s SWAC coaches teleconference, Jenkins said he was proud of his team but not satisfied with the loss.
“We made some mistakes and turned the ball over,” Jenkins said. “When you do that against a great team like Tennessee State, you’ll come out on the losing end every time. I don’t like to lose.”
Jenkins said the main thing he learned from Sunday’s game is that he has a group of players that won’t make excuses.
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- There’s nothing quite like a football team making history.
The South Carolina State football team has the chance to do that twice in the span of one week.
The Bulldogs took a season-opening 35-7 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday in front of a nationwide audience on ESPN and ESPNNews.
This Saturday, head coach Buddy Pough and the Bulldogs have the opportunity to beat the No. 1-ranked team in FCS (Football Championship Series) rankings when they play host to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers from Conway.
To top it all off, with the MEAC conference opener with Florida A&M University set for Thursday night, Sept. 17, at Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium, the SCSU squad has the chance to win three games in a span of just 12 days.
Coastal Carolina didn’t enter the first week of the season atop the FCS poll. But once the four teams ranked above them took season-opening losses, the Chants leapfrogged to the top spot. CCU is coming off a hard-fought win, 38-35, at Furman University in Greenville.
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Third down is a money down in the game of football.
On offense, conversions sustain drives. On defense, a stop gets the unit off the field and gives the ball back to the offense.
Against Middle Tennessee State, Jackson State’s offense and defense came up broke on those money downs, which is something it’ll need to improve upon against Tennessee State on Saturday.
The Tigers converted on just 29 percent of its third downs in 2014, which ranked 109th of 121 FCS teams. For reference, Alcorn State led the SWAC and was 19th in the FCS with a 44 percent conversion rate.
JSU’s percentage dipped below its 2014 numbers against the Blue Raiders. The Tigers picked up just four conversions on 16 third downs, good for 25 percent.
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- Coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough on playing true Freshman in the season opener and how they match up against their next opponent, Coastal Carolina.
GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Conventional wisdom says Carolina ought to have its way in its first-ever football matchup with N.C. A&T in Chapel Hill Saturday night.
The Tar Heels play at a higher level of competition (which goes by the eminently un-catchy label, the Football Bowl Subdivision).
A&T plays a rung below that, in the also awkwardly named Football Championship Subdivision (who comes up with this stuff?).
The Tar Heels should be well-motivated coming off a season-opening loss against South Carolina in a game they should have won if not for boneheaded coaching. (Is South Carolina starting to get better than North Carolina at everything these days?)
I have a split allegiance: A&T is a hometown school where ...
HARTLEY, Delaware – Following a full schedule of games spanning September 3 – 6, the 2014 Conaway Cup Runners Up have taken the top spots in the first week of the Division I FCS and Division II/NAIA HSRN Football Polls.
In the Division I FCS poll, the Aggies of North Carolina A&T begin the season ranked #1 following a season opening 61-7 victory over former CIAA rival Shaw University. A&T just edged MEAC-SWAC Challenge victor S.C. State by three points. Alcorn State, Tennessee State and North Carolina Central round out the FCS top five.
In Division II, Tuskegee topped a group that includes five teams that didn’t make the final top ten last year. The Golden Tigers shut out Clark Atlanta, 26-0, to begin their season at home in the friendly confines of Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium. Four CIAA teams, Virginia Union, Virginia State, Livingstone and Winston-Salem State) complete the top five which includes Division II and NAIA competitors.
Division I FCS
School (First Place Votes) Record Pts Last Yr
1 North Carolina A&T Aggies (5) 1-0 105 2
2 South Carolina State (4) 1-0 102 5
3 Alcorn State Braves (3) ` 0-1 93 1
4 Tennessee State Tigers 1-0 77 10
5 North Carolina Central Eagles (1) 1-0 71 8
6T Prairie View A&M Panthers 1-0 43 NR
6T Hampton Pirates 1-0 43 NR
8 Southern Jaguars 0-1 41 4
9 Bethune Cookman Wildcats 0-1 35 3
10 Alabama State Hornets 0-1 25 9
Division II/NAIA
School (First Place Votes) Record Pts Last Yr
1 Tuskegee Golden Tigers (7) 1-0 113 2
2 Virginia Union Panthers 1-0 64 NR
3 Virginia State Trojans (1) 0-1 57 NR
4 Livingstone Blue Bears (1) 1-0 62 NR
5T Bowie State Bulldogs (1) 1-0 53 8
5T Winston-Salem State Rams (1) 0-1 53 3
5T Elizabeth City State Vikings (1) 0-0 53 NR
8 Albany State Golden Rams 0-1 40 4
9 Morehouse Maroon Tigers 1-0 44 10
10T Lane Dragons 1-0 15 NR
10T Chowan Hawks 1-0 15 NR
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NEW ORLEANS — For the second consecutive week, Xavier University of Louisiana's Darian Harris is the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Defender of the Week in women's volleyball.
Harris, a senior from Gretna, La., and a graduate of McGehee School, had 78 digs and averaged 4.59 digs per set during four matches at the Mariner Invitational at Brunswick, Ga. Harris had 30 digs, one less than her career high, in a five-set victory Saturday against Bryan. Against Martin Methodist earlier that day, she served the final six points of a 7-0 run to close the second set and ended with an ace.
It's the second straight year that Harris is the back-row leader of Xavier's defense. Harris has a team-best 146 digs through nine matches, and Xavier ranks 19th in the NAIA and No. 1 in the GCAC through Monday with 17.52 digs per set.
Xavier (5-4, 1-0 GCAC) will play Edward Waters at 6 p.m. EDT Friday in a GCAC match at Jacksonville, Fla. The Gold Nuggets' next home match will start at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 19 against the GCAC's Tougaloo.
NEW ORLEANS — Brianna Pace and Christopher August, fastest finishers for Xavier University of Louisiana at Friday's Southern Miss Invitational cross country meet, are the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Runners of the Week for Aug. 31-Sept. 6.
Pace, a freshman from Junction City, Kan., and a graduate of Junction City High School, received the GCAC honor for the first time. August, a junior from Spring, Texas, and a graduate of Klein Collins High School, earned the award for the second consecutive week and the second time in his career.
Pace ran 5,000 meters in 21 minutes, 58 seconds to place 11th out of 28 women. She led the Gold Nuggets to a second-place finish in team scoring. Xavier, an NAIA school, finished ahead of NCAA Division I member Louisiana-Monroe, which placed fourth.
August scored his second consecutive top-10 finish and the eighth of his career. He ran the 5K in 17:15 to place seventh out of 21 men.
Xavier will compete Saturday morning in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival at Lafreniere Park in Metairie, La., a suburb of New Orleans. The women's 5K will start at 7:50, and the men's 5K will start at 8:25. It will Xavier's third meet of the season.
NEW ORLEANS — Taylor Reuther's 10 kills and 11 digs and Kayla Jones' 11 third-set digs carried Xavier University of Louisiana to a 25-15, 25-14, 25-21 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball victory against Talladega at the Convocation Center.
It was the GCAC opener for both teams. The Gold Nuggets (5-4) have won 60 in a row against GCAC opponents, 49 in the regular season.
Reuther, a three-time first-team All-GCAC player, produced her second consecutive double-double and third of the season. Jones produced all her digs after replacing Darian Harris as libero to begin the final set. It was the first time this season that Jones reached double figures.
Claudia Haywood had six kills and a season-high five blocks for Xavier, and CeCe Williams had five kills, two blocks and a career-high five assists.
Carla Novaes, who shared GCAC Preseason Player of the Year honors with Haywood, had nine kills, nine digs and two blocks for Talladega (0-6). Gabrielle Bailey served two aces.
Xavier seized first-set momentum with a 9-2 run which gave it a 14-8 lead. The Gold Nuggets closed the second set with a 10-4 run and closed the match with a 13-4 run after trailing 17-12 in the third. A Talladega attack error put Xavier ahead to stay, 21-20, in the third.
Xavier hit a season-high .240 — .269 in the final two sets — and limited the Lady Tornadoes to minus-.054 hitting. The Gold Nuggets had advantages of 37-18 in kills, 46-32 in digs and 6-3 in blocks.
Xavier will play GCAC opponent Edward Waters at 6 p.m. EDT Friday in Jacksonville, Fla. The next XU home match will start at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 19 against the GCAC's Tougaloo.
NOTES Xavier is 9-0 all-time against Talladega. They'll meet again Oct. 17 at Talladega, Ala. . . . The Gold Nuggets have won 59 in a row and 65 of their last 67 matches against HBCUs . . . It was the first time that the Gold Nuggets played on Labor Day. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
NORFOLK, Virginia – Hampton’s Twarn Mixson was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Offensive Player of the Week, the conference announced today. South Carolina State’s Javon Hargrave was named Defensive Player of the Week.
N.C. Central’s Nigel Macauley earned Rookie of the Week honors while teammate Clevonne Davis was selected as the Offensive Lineman of the Week. North Carolina A&T State’s Caleb Gabriel and Howard’s John Fleck were selected as Co-Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively.
Mixson (WR, 5-10, 166, r-Jr., Charlotte, N.C.) recorded seven receptions for 135 yards with four touchdowns in the Pirates’ 35-20 win over Kentucky State. He tied a school single-game record with four touchdowns in the home opener.
Hargrave (DL, 6-2, 300, Sr., Salisbury, N.C.) collected seven tackles, with six solo, against Arkansas Pine-Bluff.Hetallied 4.5 tackles for a loss of 16 yards and 2.5 sacks, along with two quarterback hurries, and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player in the 11th Annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney.
Macauley (PK, 5-11, 195, Fr., Fayetteville, N.C.) accounted for 16 points with three field goals, including a long of 44 yards, in his first collegiate game against Saint Augustine’s. He also booted seven extra point attempts to help the team to a 72-0 victory.
Davis (OG, 6-2, 305, Sr, Miramar, Fla.) graded out at 99-percent of his blocking assignments, with seven pancake blocks, and without allowing a sack or committing a penalty in the Eagles’ home opening win over Saint Augustine’s. His efforts helped pave the way for the Eagles to amass 447 yards of total offense and 72 points for the victory.
Fleck (P/PK, 6-2, 205, Sr., Indianapolis, Ind.) averaged 45.5 yards on eight punts, including an 83-yard effort that set a new school record, against Appalachian State. He also had a 50 yarder, with two inside the Appalachian State 20-yard line.
Gabriel (KOR, 5-9, 165, So., Raleigh, N.C.) returned a kickoff 92 yards, in the second half, for his first career kickoff return touchdown in the win over Shaw. Other Top Performers
Darius Banks (HAM) finished the game with 80 return yards, on three attempts, against Kentucky State.
Colby Blanton (FAMU) posted 395 yards on ten punt attempts (39.5 avg.) with a long of 51 yards against South Florida. He also scored FAMU’s only points, his first collegiate points, on a 21-yard field goal.
Quinn Billerman (NCCU) threw three touchdowns and accounted for 11 yards of total offense in the Eagles’ home opening win over Saint Augustine’s.
Akil Blount (FAMU) collected 11 tackles, five solo, with one for a loss of 13 yards and one breakup.
Reggie Hunter (NCCU) posted a team-high seven tackles, six solo, with 2.5 for a loss of three yards against Saint Augustine’s.
Malik Golson (DSU) caught seven passes for 74 yards, with a long of 27, against Liberty.
Mike Jones (NCCU) broke a 46-year old school single-game record with 145 punt return yards on five attempts, including a long return of 48 yards, against Saint Augustine’s.
Denzel Keyes (NCAT) caught a career-high six receptions for 119 yards with two touchdowns in the Aggies’ victory over Shaw.
Brandon Parker (NCAT) received a 92-percent grade on assignments, with two pancake blocks, as he led the Aggies’ offensive line that piled up 413 yards of total offense in a win over Shaw.
Gabriel Sherrod (DSU) blocked a 42-yard field goal attempt and collected 3.5 tackles for a loss of 15 yards against Liberty. He recorded seven tackles, with five solo, in the season opener.
DeAndre Sangster (NSU) had a career-high 101 receiving yards on six catches with one touchdown against Rutgers.
Keevon Thompson (NCAT) rushed for 84 yards on 15 carries in the season opening win over Shaw.
Michael Young (HAM) graded out at 95-percent of his assignments and tallied three pancake blocks as he aided the Pirates rack up 400 yards of total offense against Kentucky State.
Caleb York (SCSU) finished with 11-of-20 for 123 yards passing and rushed for 20 yards on four carries with one touchdown against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Neither Southern nor Mississippi Valley State has a moment to waste as they prepare for their Southwestern Athletic Conference opener Thursday night in Itta Bena, Mississippi.
Both teams spent Sunday breaking down film of their lopsided season-opening losses a day earlier — the Jaguars lost at Louisiana Tech 62-15, and the Delta Devils lost at New Mexico 66-0 — before plunging back into practice Monday.
“Thank goodness for Labor Day,” Valley coach Ricky Comegy said Monday during the weekly SWAC coaches teleconference. “Since we don’t have classes today, we’re going to get as much done as we can.”
Comegy was a few minutes late for his turn on the conference call. He said he lost track of time during a staff meeting as the Devils accelerated their preparation. Under the circumstances, he could be forgiven for mistakenly referring to Southern’s opening opponent as Georgia Tech.
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Prairie View A&M quarterback Trey Green and defensive end Ahkeem Barton, Southern wide receiver Willie Quinn and Jackson State defensive back Derrick Bobo have been recognized by the Southwestern Athletic Conference as football players of the week for their outstanding performance in competition during Sept. 3-6.
Offensive Player of the Week – GreenGreen accounted for three total touchdowns and 248 yards of offense in the Panthers’ 38-11 win over Texas Southern. The redshirt junior threw for 167 yards and a score, and he added 81 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground. Green's week 1 output surpassed all of his offensive production from the 2014 season.
Defensive Player of the Week – BartonBarton was a large part of Prairie View’s defensive play versus Texas Southern, as the sophomore notched five tackles (2.5 TFL) and also collected two sacks for the Panthers defense, which held Texas Southern to 291 total yards of offense in a winning effort. With his efforts, Barton has already tied his 2014 total output in the sack department.
Special Teams Player of the Week – QuinnQuinn racked up 197 return yards, including a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, in Southern’s loss versus Louisiana Tech. For Quinn, it was second kick return score of his career, and fifth overall return for a touchdown. It is also the longest return for Quinn in his career, surpassing a 98-yard return touchdown he notched in the 2013 season.
Newcomer of the Week – BoboBobo made six stops – all solo – in Jackson State’s loss to Middle Tennessee State. For the redshirt junior, it was his first in-game action of his collegiate career after missing last year due to injury.
BERKELEY, California -- If you didn't come to see one of the best bands in the HBCU system, then you were probably reminded that blowouts were only acceptable back in high school or "pop warner" football. In the first quarter alone, the Cal Bears scored five touchdowns and forced two interceptions.
The Bears recorded a school record for the amount of points scored in the first half. In their season opener, Cal demolished the Grambing State Tigers 73-14. In front of a sellout crowd, the Bears continue their tradition of winning season openers. They've won 12 of their last 14 home openers. The 73 points scored is the second highest total in the teams "modern era" history.
"At the end of the day, Grambling State has got some good players, there's no doubt about that," said Cal's head coach Sonny Dykes. "At the same time, you have to be able to put in perspective, we've talked to our team about that. Understanding the competition is going to do nothing but get better, and we've talked about that."
Yesterday's competition was amongst the marching bands only. Bears quarterback Jared Goff threw three touchdowns for 309 yards in the first half. The defense returned ...
Joe Bullard has been the Voice of the Marching 100 since 1975.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Longtime radio host and voice of FAMU's Marching 100, Joe Bullard, has lost his wife to cancer.
Carolyn Bullard died Sunday evening at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. She had been battling cancer.
Joe Bullard is known for closing out his radio broadcasts on WHBX-FM 96.1 JAMZ each day by saying: "God never meant for us to face the tough times alone. That's why he gave us each other. Take it from me, worry about nothing, pray about anything and thank the man above for everything."
We convey our deepest condolences to Joe, the Bullard family, friends and the FAMU community.
CHESTNUT HILL, Massachusetts -- With the victory over Maine in the rear view mirror, it's time for Boston College to turn the page and begin the process of preparing for their next opponent. On the field, there will be adjustments to make and skills to coach up. Next Saturday's game is an important step in the road to bowl eligibility and in the development of young college football athletes.
The Howard Bison are coming to town, the second consecutive FCS team on the BC schedule. Since BC already defeated Maine, a win or loss won't impact the five remaining games on the rest of the schedule BC will need to obtain bowl eligibility.
Howard is a tremendous institution. A historically black university (HBCU), it sits in the heart of the nation's capital in Washington, DC. It's a top-150 university according to U.S. News and World Report, and its place in American history was secured by its role through in the Civil Rights Movement.
On the athletics fields, Howard is a small sports school, competing in the HBCU-comprised Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, having won five Black College National Championships. The "Showtime" Marching Band has been a staple for over 140 years, and their performances rank among the best any of us could ever see.
NORFOLK, Virginia – Former Norfolk State defensive back Keenan Lambert was claimed off waivers Sunday by the Oakland Raiders and added to the team's 53-man roster for opening day, giving NSU a pair of active NFL players heading into the regular season.
Lambert was released Saturday by the Seattle Seahawks, the team that signed him as an undrafted free agent in the spring. Barely 24 hours later, Lambert was a member of the Raiders, who open the 2015 regular season next Sunday against Cincinnati.
Lambert was limited to just two preseason games with the Seahawks due to an injury, but saved his best performance for last. Lambert had a team-high seven tackles Thursday in Seattle's win over – of all teams – the Raiders.
Lambert was a first-team All-MEAC player for the Spartans as a redshirt senior last fall, helping NSU rank No. 2 nationally in total defense among FCS teams. Lambert started 40 games and played in 47 over his four years on the field in an NSU uniform, amassing 206 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and eight interceptions.
Lambert gives the Spartans two former players on opening-day NFL rosters. In addition, another former Spartan defensive back, Don Carey, will again be on the opening-day roster for the Detroit Lions. This will be Carey's fifth season with the Lions, whom he joined in 2011 after playing the 2010 season with Jacksonville. Carey was a sixth-round draft choice of Cleveland in the 2009 NFL draft, but never played for the Browns. He has 147 tackles and three interceptions in his NFL career.
Coincidentally, both Lambert and Carey play safety and both are products of Norfolk high schools. Lambert attended Maury High and Carey went to Booker T. Washington.
Also Sunday, former NSU linebacker Lynden Trail was placed on the injured reserve list of the Houston Texans, according to media reports. Houston signed Trail in April as a free-agent and played in three preseason games with the team. Trail missed the Texans' preseason finale due to a quadriceps injury.
Matt Michalec, Asst. AD/Communications NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Tennessee State used a furious fourth quarter comeback to claim a 24-14 victory over Alabama State in the 17th John Merritt Classic. A crowd of 20,055 showed up to Nissan Stadium for the Sunday night game.
Tennessee State (1-0) exploded on both sides of the ball as they outscored the Hornets 21-0 in the final stanza. The defense helped by forcing four fumbles and a three-and-out, giving the offense opportunities and great field position.
The Tigers broke through for its first touchdown of the game on the third play of the fourth quarter as O’Shay Ackerman-Carter hit Patrick Smith across the middle for a 19-yard touchdown. It was the first career touchdown for both players and brought TSU to within four points of ASU at 14-10 with 14:22 remaining in the contest.
The Tigers would get the ball back less than a minute later as defensive end Latrelle Lee forced the first fumble of the quarter. TSU would need just three plays to travel 36 yards and took its first lead of the game 17-14 on a 12-yard run by running back Tom Smith.
The Big Blue defense needed just 1:32 to hand the ball back over to the offense as safety Javon Brandon caused another turnover. The Tigers ate some time off the clock as they extended the lead to 24-14 as running back Telvin Hooks crossed the goal line from five yards out with 6:15 remaining on the clock.
The Tigers would limit the Hornets to just seven more plays over three possessions to secure the victory.
TSU would move the ball in the first half, only to come up short, scoring three points over the first 30 minutes. On the opening drive, the Tigers held to ball for ten plays, but was forced to punt.
Alabama State (0-1) wasted no time with its first possession as Daniel Duhart went over the top to Joshua Davis for an 82-yard touchdown pass.
Davis broke free over the middle of the field as Duhart hit him in stride. It was clear sailing for the sophomore wide out as the two TSU defenders ran into each other.
TSU tried to respond on the following drive, but had to start on its own three yard line after a fumble on the kickoff. The Tigers covered 75 yards on 16 plays, taking off 6:45 from the clock, but came up empty as Lane Clark missed a 39-yard field goal wide right.
Clark would redeem himself as he connected on a 31-yard field goal with one second remaining before halftime.
The Tigers trailed at halftime 7-3, despite controlling the ball for 21 minutes opposed to two seconds shy of nine minutes for ASU. During that time the Tigers ran 46 plays for 182 yards, while holding the Hornets to 142 yards on 21 plays.
After the big scoring play by ASU, the Big Blue defense allowed just 60 yards on 20 plays for an average of three yards per play.
In the third quarter, ASU received another bog play to set up its second score of the game. Duhart found Lawrence Oliver over the middle for a 52-yard pass play. Two plays later, the Hornets would find the end zone as Duhart called his own number from a yard out to extend the ASU lead to 14-3.
On the game, the Hornets totaled 314 yards, but amassed 134 on the two big pass plays. The Tiger defense would hold ASU to 180 yards on 54 plays for the remainder of the game, good for 3.6 yards per play.
TSU finished with 330 yards on 81 plays. Ackerman-Carter was 20-37 for 188 yards with an interception and a touchdown. He also carried the ball nine times for 38 yards and was named Offensive MVP for his efforts.
Sophomore safety Javon Brandon was named Defensive MVP for the classic as he totaled six tackles, one for loss, and forced a fumble, while recovering another.
Patrick Smith led all Tiger receivers with six catches for 64 yards.
The Tigers will travel to Memphis on Saturday, Sept. 12 to face Jackson State in the Southern Heritage Classic.
Notes:
Official attendance for the game was 20,055, which was the largest for the John Merritt Classic since 25,209 were in attendance when TSU took on Southern in 2011. It is 11th time in the event’s 17-year history that attendance has been more than 20,000.
TSU improves to 7-19 when trailing at the half under Head Coach Rod Reed and 5-21 when trailing after the third quarter under Reed.
The Tigers move to 5-1 in season openers under Head Coach Rod Reed.
TSU avenges last year’s 27-21 loss to the Hornets and moves to 11-2 versus Alabama State in the all-time series.
TSU has gone 3-0 versus ASU in the John Merritt Classic and 12-5 overall in the John Merritt Classic.
TSU improves to 392-141-19 versus HBCUs and 15-4 in the Rod Reed era.
TSU won the coin flip and elected to receive the opening kickoff.
TSU legend Ed “Too Tall” Jones was honored during the coin toss and halftime of the game.
The temperature was 88 degrees at kickoff.
Official kickoff was 6:02 p.m.
TSU converted a fourth-down conversion on the opening drive. TSU went 12-for-23 on fourth-down conversions last season.
With 2:30 left in the second quarter, TSU gave up its first sack of the season. The Tigers’ offensive line had gone 216 pass plays without yielding a sack dating back to last season.
The first sack of the season for TSU was recorded by sophomore defensive end Latrelle Lee in the third quarter. TSU finished the 2014 season fourth among FCS teams with 3.58 sacks per game.
TSU Head Coach Rod Reed
“This is a different team, and I liked what I saw from it tonight. We had some adversity early on, but we came in at halftime and made some adjustments. We didn’t panic as a staff, our players didn’t panic.”
TSU Offensive Coordinator Jeff Parker
“We just continued to stay with our game plan. The guys just made the adjustments at halftime. They gave us both a three-man front and a four-man front, and we made the adjustment and did a great job.”
-- On the fourth quarter comeback
“He did a great job. He held the ball a little long a couple of times, but he did an excellent job. He did as well as we expected.”
-- On freshman quarterback O’Shay Ackerman-Carter
TSU Defensive Coordinator Osita Alaribe
“I thought we started off slow. We gave up the big play at the beginning and settled down a little bit. Then we gave up another big play, but other than that, I thought the guys played well. A lot of these guys are playing in their first college football game today. I thought they persevered through the adversity that we faced with those two plays.”
-- On how the defense played
TSU red-shirt senior running back Tom Smith
“I think we came out pretty slow today, and we got together at the end of the game and came together as a team.”
-- On the offensive’s performance
“It’s a load off our shoulders. We had to show the world what we are about and we had to get it together. Now that we know we can play and beat anybody, we are ready for any challenge.”
-- On winning the first game of the season
TSU junior defensive tackle Rodney Edwards“We started off slow and didn’t have a pass rush at first, but we figured it out and were able to get back there.”
-- On the defensive line
“We needed it. We needed the first win, and it’s great to get revenge from last year.”
-- On winning the season opener
“It feels like home. I’ve been playing here for three years, so I’m used to playing here, but it’s fun out there.”
-- On playing at Nissan Stadium
COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
ORLANDO, Florida -- South Carolina State, after a slow start, exploded for 28 second-half points for a 35-7 win over the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff in the 11th annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge at The Orlando Citrus Bowl Sunday in a contest that was delayed almost two hours due to weather conditions.
The contest was the season opener for the Bulldogs, representing the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, and the Golden Lions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, who were meeting for the first time in their history.
The victory for Coach Buddy Pough’s team was the third in as many appearances in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, a game sponsored by Disney and ESPN, which broadcast the contest live. In its two previous trips to the event, S.C. State defeated Alabama State 27-14 in the inaugural contest at Birmingham in 2005, and earned a 35-31 victory over Grambling in 2009, after the event was moved to its present site – Orlando.
The Bulldogs, who after winning the toss deferred to the second half, stopped UAPB and took ...
DELTONA, Florida -- Deltona senior Jamari M. Jiles made some news last week when he committed to North Carolina Central.
