Virginia State Trojans Cruise Past Tusculum College

GREENEVILLE, Tennessee  -- The Virginia State University Trojans used a strong ground attack and solid defense to defeat the Pioneers of Tusculum College 40-13 in Greeneville, Tennessee. The Trojans rushed for a total of 363 yards on 66 touches. Offensively it was the Trojans rushing game that fueled them pass the Pioneers. "We have two very talented backs that need to touch the football. The offensive line did a tremendous job opening the holes and the rest is history," exclaimed Head Coach Byron Thweatt. 

Aside from the Trojans earning their first win of the season to establish a 1-1 overall record, today marked the first win for head Coach Byron Thweatt as both a Trojan and Head Coach. "It's a tremendous feeling. I have great bunch of guys. I'm proud to be their coach.  We always harp on family and today our family got a much needed win," expressed Thweatt.

The Trojans success offensively was pioneered by the running back tag team duo of Junior Kavon Bellamy (Hampton,VA) and Sophomore Trent Cannon (Hampton, VA).
 

"Last week we felt that we didn't establish the run. So coming into this week there was a big emphasis on showing our identity and winning the line of scrimmage, stated Bellamy."
 

CIAA Preseason team pick Kavon Bellamy rushed for 187 yards on 25 carries. Trenton Cannon rushed for 152 yards on 28 carries and 2 Touchdowns. 

The Pioneers won the coin toss and deferred the ball to the Trojans to start the game on offense. On their opening drive the Trojans scored their first touchdown off of a 1 yard run by junior quarterback Tarian Ayres (Dillwyn, Va). The Trojan Defense held the Pioneers to 5 plays for 75 yards before being forced to punt on 4th and 13. On the very next VSU drive sophomore runningback Trent Cannon rushed for a 26 yard touchdown, which marked his very first touchdown as a Trojan. Cannon revisited the end zone on a 18 yard rush with 39 seconds remaining in the 1st quarter to stretch the Trojans lead 21-0.  

"It was great scoring my first touchdowns of the season and as a Trojan. We are going to build off of this win and get another one next weekend," expressed sophomore runningback Trent Cannon. 

The Score remained 21-0 well into the 2nd quarter until junior safety Bryce Bradley (Richmond, VA) picked off the pass from Tusculum quarterback Lancaster at the goal line and scampered 100 yards for his first pick six of his career. 
 

With 9 seconds remaining in the first half, 3rd & 4 on the VSU 10 yard line the Pioneers charge a timeout. After the timeout the Pioneers score their first touchdown of the game off of a 10 yard pass.
 

At the conclusion of the first half the Trojans lead the Pioneers 28 - 7. The Trojans were 7-7 (100%) on third-down conversions to end the first half. The Trojans really gained confidence early and laid  the pressure on the Pioneer defense heavy in the first half.  

Late in the third quarter sophomore safety Martel Peden forced a safety on the Pioneer offense to extend the Trojans lead to 30-7 for what would've been a scoreless third quarter for both teams.
 

Tusculum scored early in the 4th quarter off of a 1 yard run to chip away at the Trojan lead making it a 30 - 13 contest. The Trojans marched down the field for a 57 yard drive, but were faced with a 4th and 14 and sent sophomore kicker Mathew Hillquist on to the field to attempt a field goal. The field goal by Hillquist extended the Trojan lead 33- 13. Third play into their second drive of the 4th quarter the Pioneers throw a pass that's intercepted by Bradley and rushed for 54 yard touchdown. Bradley's second pick 6 of the game extended the Trojans lead 40- 13 and would seal the deal for the Trojans with only 2:20 remaining on the game clock.  

Junior widereceiver Willie Stubblefield (Highland Springs, VA) led the Trojans with 52 yards on 3 receptions. Senior widereceiver Jaivon Smallwood (Virginia Beach, VA) contributed 20 yards on 2 receptions. 

Defensively the Trojans came up big today as well. Using the bend don't break approach the defense stopped Tusculum on three drives in the red zone.  All three stops resulted in forced turnovers. One fumble recovery and two pick sixes. Junior cornerback Trevon Byron (Virginia Beach, VA) lead the Trojans defensively with 7 solo tackles and 12 tackles total. Junior linebacker Geo Feggins (South Hill, VA) accounted for 2 solo tackles and 12 total. Sophomore linebacker Brandon Lynch (Norfolk, VA) added 10 tackles. Senior safety Dontrell Jones (Hampton, Va) and Senior cornerback Darion Thomas (Virginia Beach, VA) each contributed 7 tackles. Defensively the Trojans were a well oiled machine.  

Next week the Trojans will be back in action at Rogers Stadium as they face the Kentucky State University at 2 p.m for the annual Military Appreciation game. Coach Thweatt and the Trojans have conveyed that they're still in the business of strictly handling business, and that they will continue to concentrate and approach each opponent one game at a time.

 
For more information on VSU Trojans Football, follow Trojans Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports, or call 804-524-5030. 

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B-CU rallies for 56-53 win at Grambling State

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Bethune-Cookman, which was held scoreless until the 7-minute mark of the second quarter, rallied to win 56-53 at Grambling State on Saturday.

The Wildcats (1-1) scored two late touchdowns in a span of 1:44 as Terry Sims earned his first victory as B-CU coach. Grambling State dropped to 0-2.

“We told the team it was going to be a heavyweight fight,’’ Sims said. “We came out swinging. I’m proud of these guys. I’m more excited for our team about our first win.

“Both teams had some young players. We had some mistakes, and some penalties. … The wide receivers did what we’ve been looking for them to do all year.”

Quentin Williams threw for three fourth-quarter touchdowns for the Wildcats.

Running back Anthony Jordan’s 41-yard touchdown put B-CU up 56-46 with 1:48 to play.

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Nuggets win team scoring at Allstate Sugar Bowl meet

XULA women's cross country wins team scoring at Allstate Sugar Bowl meet
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METAIRIE, Louisiana — Xavier University of Louisiana's women's cross country team won a team title Saturday in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival at Lafreniere Park.
    
The Gold Nuggets, led by freshman Brianna Pace, scored 17 points to easily win the non-NCAA Division I championship over four teams, including three city rivals. Meet host Loyola was second with 58 points, followed by Spring Hill with 62, Dillard with 111 and SUNO with 112.
    
Pace finished 11th out of 59 runners in a race which included NCAA Division I's LSU and Mississippi Valley State. She ran 5,000 meters in a season-best 21 minutes, 49.3 seconds and finished ahead of 15 runners from DI.

Results:  Men    Women
    
The Gold Nuggets won a team title in this meet for the second consecutive year. The XU women have won 23 team championships during Joseph Moses' 11 seasons as head coach.
    
In the men's division, Xavier scored 68 points to place third out of five non-DI teams. Spring Hill won with 45 points, and Loyola was second with 52. Xavier finished ahead of SUNO (76) and Dillard (94) and gained significant separation against the Bleu Devils, who lost by three points to the Gold Rush in the Big Easy Opener Aug. 28.
    
Christopher August ran the 5K in 18:09 to place 20th out of 53 runners. He has been the first Gold Rush finisher in all three meets this season. Teammate Brent Kitto was 21st in 18:14.1.
    
Also finishing for the XU women were Briana Simms (17th, 22:16.4), Zahri Jackson (18th, 22:36.9), Dionysia Love (19th, 22:40.8), Hannah Finnegan (24th, 23:44.8), Kailey Williams (32nd, 25:07.4) and Clarke Allen (40th, 27:19.8). Jackson's and Simms' times were season bests for them.
    
The other Gold Rush runners were Darrick Williams (30th, 19:43.5), Xaiver Latting (49th, season-best 23:28.7) and Felipe Perrier (50th, season-best 23:40.5).
    
The appearance of Xavier, SUNO and Dillard — all longtime Gulf Coast Athletic Conference rivals — likely will be the only time that this many GCAC members compete against each other this season. The GCAC is not an NAIA automatic-qualifying conference in cross country in 2015, and Xavier and Dillard will compete in November for berths to nationals as affiliate members of the Red River Athletic Conference.
    
The victories Saturday against SUNO and Dillard improved Xavier's men to 78-0 against GCAC opponents since the start of the 2007 season and Xavier's women to 39-0 against the GCAC since the start of the 2010 season.
    
LSU had both individual winners — Morgan Schuetz (19:40.6) in the women's race and Braxton Dajour (16:11.0) in the men's. Both LSU teams produced perfect scores in winning the DI team titles.
    
Xavier's next competition will be next Saturday (Sept. 19) in the LSU Invitational at Highland Road Park in Baton Rouge, La.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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from THE EDITOR Dwight Floyd: Rattlers See Glimpse of Potential (Volleyball)

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- No one likes to lose and there is a limit to the amount of adversity one should have to face. With just enough players on the team to practice 6 on 6 and a barely two weeks of practice with the full team, Coach Antonio Trifonov must be happy with the recent progress his team is making. Though the team has yet to win a match there has been marked improvement since the beginning of the season and in the final game of a match against the number 19 ranked Florida State University Seminoles there were signs of what is to come when the team is able to put it all together.

One of the bad habits the Rattlers must overcome this season is getting off to a slow start. In most of its losses the Rattlers fell behind at the beginning of the set and became competitive as the game played on. In the final game of the Saturday morning match in Al Lawson Center against FSU that wasn’t the case. Throughout the competition the Rattlers matched the Seminoles point for point.

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Alabama State Hornets fall hard to defending SWAC champs

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State found out what championship football is all about during its home opener against defending SWAC champion Alcorn State.

Alabama State quarterback Ellis Richardson finished with 105 yards of total offense in his first career start but it wasn’t enough as the Hornets took a 31-14 loss to the Braves at ASU Stadium.

Alabama State (0-2, 0-1 SWAC) had no answers for Alcorn’s short passing game, which helped Alcorn move the ball against a struggling Hornets defense.

“I got to do a better job getting our team ready,” Hornets head coach Brian Jenkins said. “This loss all falls on me. Alcorn made some great adjustments. We’re going to keep working on what we need to fix.”

Richardson led the Hornets to touchdowns on their first two possessions, capping off the first with a 38-yard touchdown run to give ASU a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. Richardson then led a 76-yard drive, capped off by a seven-yard touchdown run by Khalid Thomas.



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WSSU Rams Fall 31-3 To #14 Valdosta State

POWDER SPRINGS, Georgia -- The Winston-Salem State University Rams opened the scoring but couldn't hold back the #14 Valdosta State Blazers, as they would fall 31-3 in the Cobb County Clash, played at Cantrell Stadium in Powder Springs, GA.

With the loss Winston-Salem State falls to 0-2, While #14 Valdosta State improves to 2-0. It is the first time the WSSU Rams have started the season 0-2 since 2009.

WSSU, for the second consecutive week, was the first team to be able to put points on the scoreboard. The Rams were able to take their second possession of the game and march 42 yards in 13 plays, and would finish the drive off with a 43 yard field goal from Will Johnson, to give WSSU a 3-0 lead.

Valdosta State would answer back in the second quarter, with two touchdown drives, and would take a 14-3 lead into halftime.

The Blazers would find the endzone once more in the third quarter, and would finally blow the game open in the fourth with 10 more points, to take the matchup 31-3.

Valdosta State outgained the Rams 359 to 178 yards on the evening, and WSSU also committed a game high eight penalties for 80 yards.

Rod Tinsley Jr finished the night passing going nine of 24 for 46 yards.

Tyree Massey led the WSSU rushing attack with 25 rushes for 110 yards, while Bronson Greene had seven carries for 24 yards.   Malik Moseley finished with four carries for 22 yards.

Brandon Ojikutu had two catches for 14 yards, while Anthony Rook also had two catches for 10 yards. Trey Foggie had one catch for 14 yards, and Malik Mosely, William Belcher, Kenny Patterson and Tyree Massey each had one catch.

Defensively, WSSU was led by Kailan Chavis who finished with seven tackles (five solo) and one pass breakup, while Phillip Williamson finished with six tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble and one pass breakup. Xavier Gregory and Jarell Bright each had five tackles with Bright also picking up a tackle for a loss. Jayron Rankin, Michael Bloomfield and Jaitavius Jackson each had four tackles with Bloomfield also picking up a tackle for a loss and a sack of 11 yards and Jackson picking up a tackle for a loss. Six different Rams had two tackles each, and six Rams finished with one tackle a piece.

WSSU will continue its out of out conference schedule next week, when the Rams travel to Tuskegee, AL to face the Golden Tigers of Tuskegee University. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00pm EST.

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Duke Shuts Out N.C. Central 55-0 in Home Opener

DURHAM, North Carolina -- Duke opened its 2015 home football schedule with a dominant 55-0 victory over N.C. Central on the newly-dedicated Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.

The Blue Devils, off to a 2-0 start, have outscored their opponents 92-7 in two games. Redshirt junior quarterback Thomas Sirk paced the offense with 315 yards passing, 86 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Duke held the Eagles to 1-of-13 on third downs and to just eight first downs on the night.

Shaquille Powell and Shaun Wilson shared rushing duties, combining for 128 yards on 33 carries. Wilson added an 89-yard touchdown reception on a swing pass from Sirk in the third quarter. The reception is the third longest in Duke history and put Wilson at a career-high 102 yards receiving for the night.

Jeremy Cash paced the outstanding defensive effort with six tackles, including five solo, while Breon Borders had five stops. N.C. Central finished with only 186 yards of offense and 54 on the ground.

Highlighted by two long completions from Sirk and 52 yards rushing by Powell, Duke amassed 320 yards of offense in the first half. Sirk, who ran and threw for a touchdown in the opening 30 minutes, accounted for 223 of the yards, throwing for 174 and rushing for another 49.

Defensively, Duke held the Eagles to just 69 yards of offense and only 10 yards on the ground in the opening half. N.C. Central managed just three first downs in the opening 30 minutes and went 1-for-8 on third-down opportunities.

Duke’s first touchdown on the newly-dedicated Brooks Field came midway through the first quarter on a 24-yard strike from Sirk to Powell. Wilson anchored the drive with 24 yards on five carries, including a four-yard rush to put Duke inside the 30-yard line.

After getting off a slow start offensively in the first quarter, the Blue Devils started firing on all cylinders in the second period. Duke finished with 212 yards of offense and scored 17 unanswered points en route to the 24-0 lead at the half.

Duke cruised through the second half, putting 31 unanswered points on the board for the 55-0 shutout victory. The Blue Devils’ 92 points through two games are the most in program history, surpassing the 1950 team’s 90.

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HBCU Football Judgment Day Scoreboard - Week 2

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 September 10-13, 2015

SWAC
Southern 50, Mississippi Valley State 13  
Texas Southern 63, Bacone College 0
Alcorn State 31, Alabama State 14
Bethune-Cookman 56, Grambling State 46
Tennessee State 35, Jackson State 25, Southern Heritage Classic
Texas State 63, Prairie View 24
Arkansas Pine Bluff 29, Morehouse 27  3 O.T.

OVC
Tennessee State 35, Jackson State 25, Southern Heritage Classic

MEAC
Bethune-Cookman 56, Grambling State 53
Richmond 31, Hampton 28
Boston College 76, Howard 0
Samford 58, Florida A&M 21
Kent State 45, Delaware State 13
North Carolina 53, North Carolina Â&T 14
Duke 55, North Carolina Central 0
#1Coastal Carolina 41, South Carolina State 14
Old Dominion 24, Norfolk State 10
Illinois State 67, Morgan State 14


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CIAA
Virginia Union 42, Saint Augustine's 7
Virginia State 40, Tusculum 13
Lincoln (Pa.) 28, North Carolina Weslayan 17
Livingstone 48, Virginia-Lynchburg 19
Bowie State 35, Brevard 21
Johnson C. Smith 38, Kentucky State 14
Campbell 35, Chowan 3
Elizabeth City 55, Benedict 0
UNC Pembroke 14, Fayetteville State 10
Wingate 30, Shaw 16
Valdosta State 31, Winston-Salem State 3

PSAC
Gannon 44, Cheyney 6

CFSL
East Texas Baptist 56, Texas College 14
Langston 33, Bethany College 14



GLVC
Saint Francis (Ill.) 13, Lincoln (Mo.) 10

MWC
Urbana (Ohio) 30, West Virginia State 23

The Sun Conference
Kennesaw State 58, Edward Waters 7

SIAC
Central State (Ohio) 49, Clark-Atlanta 12
Johnson C. Smith 38, Kentucky State 14
Stillman 18, Concordia-Selma 15
Tuskegee 27, Albany State 14  2nd Annual White Water Classic
Fort Valley State 50, Lane 38
West Georgia 33, Miles 7
Elizabeth City 55, Benedict 0
Arkansas Pine Bluff 29, Morehouse 27  3 O.T.

Tennessee State Claims Southern Heritage Classic Over Jackson State, 35-25

MEMPHIS, Tennessee -- The Tigers opened both halves with a flurry as they secured a 35-25 win over Jackson State in the 26th Southern Heritage Classic. A crowd of 48,335 witnessed the fourth consecutive win for Tennessee State over JSU at the Liberty Bowl. It was the largest crowd to watch the classic since 2008. TSU improved to 2-0 on the season as JSU fell to 0-2.

Tennessee State won the coin toss and chose to receive the ball first. The decision payed off as O’Shay Ackerman-Carter teamed up with Patrick Smith on a 64-yard scoring play on the second play from scrimmage giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead just 53 second into the game.


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On a second-and-three from the TSU 36, Ackerman-Carter faked a hand-off and dumped a pass over the middle to Smith who caught the ball at his own 48 and outraced the defense to the end zone. The duo teamed up for their second touchdown in as many weeks.

Jackson State responded by going on a 10 play, 75 yard drive, which resulted in a Robert Johnson 1-yard plunge into the end zone. JSU kicker Ryan Deising slipped while attempting the point after making the score 7-6 in favor of TSU.

On the second possession of the game, Ackerman-Carter found a hole in the Jackson State line and rushed for seven yards. The redshirt-quarterback would stay down and had to leave the game due to injury.

For the second consecutive year, junior Ronald Butler entered the game for an injured quarterback. In last year’s SHC, Butler appeared after Mike German went down in the second quarter.

On his first play, a third and 18, Butler hit Patrick Smith down the left seam for 50 yards to the JSU 22. The ball was moved to the seven after a personal foul setting up a touchdown run by Telvin Hooks on the next play giving the Tigers a 14-6 lead.

Ackerman-Carter returned after taking a series off and later drove the offense down the field for a score with seven seconds remaining before halftime. The Jacksonville, Fla. native found a leaping Joshawn Bowens from 10-yards out to make the score 21-9 at the break.

In the second half, Patrick Smith made his presence felt on special teams. After the defense stopped the JSU offense on the first series of the second half, Smith received a punt in Jackson State territory and returned it 28 yards to the Tigers 15.

TSU put the ball in the hands of Hooks who carried three straight times with the final being a two-yard scoring run. The Big Blue increased its lead to 28-9 with 12:25 remaining in the third quarter.

With the score 28-12, Ackerman-Carter connected on his third touchdown of the night as he hit Chris Sanders-McCollum. The junior wide out broke free from a tackle and scampered down the left sideline for a 64-yard touchdown and a 35-12 lead.

Patrick Smith finished the night with 155 all-purpose yards and was named the Southern Heritage Classic Most Valuable Player.

Ackerman-Carter completed 15 passes on 26 attempts for 250 yards and three touchdowns.

The TSU running game totaled 127 yards on 32 carries. Hooks led the charge with 68 yards on 14 attempts, averaging 4.9 yards per carry, and two scores. Tom Smith averaged 3.7 yards on 11 attempts for 45 yards.

The Tigers will begin Ohio Valley Conference play at Jacksonville State on Saturday, Sept. 19. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN3.


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Game Notes:
Tennessee State moves to 27-20 in the all-time series versus Jackson State ... TSU improves to 15-11 in the Southern Heritage Classic ... TSU has now won four in a row over Jackson State with JSU’s last win over the Tigers coming in 2011 ... Saturday’s game marked the 36th meeting between the two schools and 26th annual Southern Heritage Classic ... Joe Bowens caught a touchdown with seven seconds left in the first half… It was his first touchdown since Nov. 17, 2012 in the season finale at UT Martin ... The official attendance for the game was 48,335, which is the highest attendance for the Southern Heritage Classic since 2008 when 50,794 fans were in attendance ... TSU begins the season 2-0 for the second time in Head Coach Rod Reed’s six-year tenure … The Tigers began the 2012 season with a 7-0 record before finishing the season at 8-3 ... TSU won the coin toss and chose to receive the kickoff in the first half ... Kickoff was at 6:06 p.m. ... The temperature was 73 degrees and skies were clear at time of kickoff.

TSU Head Coach Rod Reed
“Our team showed a lot of grit. We got out to a fast start and we came into halftime and made some adjustments. We had a good third quarter, but in the fourth quarter, we got a little lackadaisical. We let them back in the football game, but I thought our kids showed a lot of character being able to close it out.”

On his team’s performance
“We have a bunch of really good receivers. Isaiah Jeffries-Freeman, Chris Sanders-McCollum, Patrick Smith. There are some guys that aren’t playing that much right now that we feel really good about. O’Shay (Ackerman-Carter) does a great job of finding them, so it’s pretty much pick your poison. We knew Patrick had big-play ability, and what a stage for him to show up tonight. He showed his hometown crowd what kind of player that he really is. They knew about him. He led Whitehaven to a state championship a couple years ago and hopefully he can continue to make big plays for us.”

On the play of Memphis native Patrick Smith

TSU Wide Receivers Coach Mashack
“We saw last week with their secondary and how they played that we would have some opportunities. We knew this week that this would be a week of big plays for us just because of the way they play coverage.”

On the play of the wide receivers

“As a whole, I thought we did a great job. We started faster than we did last week. We were able to take advantage of some of those big plays early and we were able to keep it going. All in all, the hardest thing to do is win, so we’ll take it any way we can get it, and we have a big one next week with Jacksonville State.”

On the offense as a whole

TSU Defensive End Ebenezer Ogundeko
“I feel like the D line played pretty decent tonight. Jackson State tried to use the two backs in the backfield to chip us off sometimes, but Latrelle Lee and Gabe Terry and the rest of the defensive line did really well.”

On the play of the defensive line

TSU Wide Receiver Patrick Smith
“It was nice to come out here and play well against Jackson State. It’s my first season back after two years of not playing, and then I’m in front of my home crowd with my family in the stands. I have a lot of friends, a lot of teammates on the opposite side for Jackson State, so it felt good to play in this game and play like I did.”

On playing in his hometown

O’Shay Ackerman-Carter
“We started off great. I feel like we found a rhythm early on and were able to finish some drives. We just need to keep fighting.”

On the offense

“He’s a senior. He keeps me calm in the huddle, and when all else fails, I find Big Joe and he gets it done.”

On the play of senior tight end Joe Bowens



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Ed Hardin: North Carolina makes A&T’s first trip to Chapel Hill one to forget

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina -- A bridge too far, N.C. A&T’s trip to Carolina was a short journey with a bad ending.

Bigger and deeper and with last week’s loss still ringing in its ears, UNC exposed the Aggies early and throughout in a 53-14 shelling at soggy Kenan Stadium.

A&T made a harrowing ride from Greensboro to play Carolina for the first time in its history. The Aggies brought the band and a couple thousand fans, most of them driving blindly across Alamance County overpasses in a deluge that stopped traffic and turned a one-hour drive into a nightmare.

And then the game began.

The Heels were seething from their loss to South Carolina last week, a game that ended with fans and media and even players questioning the coaching staff’s refusal to run the ball. UNC came into the A&T game with a road-grader mentality.

The Aggies were in the way, and they were bowled over.

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Top-ranked Coastal Carolina controls game in 41-14 win at SCSU

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- Top-ranked FCS division team Coastal Carolina played the part on Saturday night, looking every bit as good as advertised in a 41-14 win against S.C. State in front of 12,023 fans inside Oliver C. Dawson Bulldog Stadium.

Nearly everything the Chanticleers (2-0) did from the opening kickoff worked in their favor, spoiling the home opener for the Bulldogs (1-1), who have to make a quick turnaround to host Florida A&M this Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.



Coastal built a 32-0 lead by halftime, making themselves right at home from the start.

“We went out and got knocked around pretty good,” S.C. State head coach Buddy Pough said. “Coastal played very, very well and we didn’t.

“It was a tough first half and from there on out, we were in survival mode. They were what we expected. They were as good as last year, but it’s their execution that makes them different from a lot of teams.”

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Hill leads Gold Nuggets to GCAC road victory

JACKSONVILLE, Florida  — Jodi Hill produced a season-high 11 kills and a career-high-tying four aces Friday, leading Xavier University of Louisiana to a 25-15, 25-14, 25-15 volleyball victory against Edward Waters.

     

The Gold Nuggets (6-4, 2-0 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) won their fourth in a row overall and extended their win streak against GCAC opponents to 61. Their GCAC regular-season win streak is 50.

     

Hill hit a season-best .733 with zero errors in 15 attempts. She entered the match hitting .191.

    

"I just tried to go out and have fun and keep swinging," Hill said.

     

Patricia Young Yen had seven kills for Xavier, and CeCe Williams, Claudia Haywoodand Ruby Hunt-Thompson had six kills apiece. Darian Harris, Franziska Pirkl and Jada Broussard had six digs apiece. 

Pirkl had 20 assists, and Ralitsa Hadzhistoyanova had 10.

     

Larisa Pereira had six kills for Edward Waters (3-5, 0-2).

     

Xavier's next match will start at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at its Convocation Center against GCAC opponent Tougaloo.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Judgment Day: HBCU Football Schedule - Week 2 (Sept.10-12)

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Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015
Final Score: Southern 50, Mississippi Valley State 13   TV: ESPNU

Friday, Sept. 11, 2015
Final Score: Texas Southern 63, Bacone College 0

Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015

SWAC
Alcorn State at Alabama State, 7 p.m.
Bethune-Cookman at Grambling State, 7 p.m.
Tennessee State vs. Jackson State, Memphis Liberty Bowl, Southern Heritage Classic, 7 p.m. TV:  FOX SportSouth
Prairie View at Texas State, 7 p.m. TV: ESPN3
Morehouse at Arkansas Pine Bluff, 7 p.m.

OVC
Tennessee State vs. Jackson State, Memphis Liberty Bowl, Southern Heritage Classic, 7 p.m.  TV:  FOX SportSouth



MEAC
Richmond at Hampton, 12 Noon
Howard at Boston College, 1 p.m.  TV: ESPN3
Florida A&M at Samford, 3 p.m. TV: ESPN3
Delaware State at Kent State, 6 p.m. TV: ESPN3
North Carolina Â&T at North Carolina, 6 p.m. TV: ESPN3
North Carolina Central at Duke, 6 p.m. TV: ESPN3
#1Coastal Carolina at South Carolina State  6 p.m.
Norfolk State at Old Dominion, 7 p.m.  TV: American Sports Network
Bethune-Cookman at Grambling State, 7 p.m.
Morgan State at Illinois State, 7:30 p.m.,  TV: ESPN3

CIAA
Virginia Union at Saint Augustine's, 1 p.m.
Virginia State at Tusculum, 1 p.m.
Lincoln (Pa.) at North Carolina Weslayan, 1 p.m.
Livingstone at Virginia-Lynchburg, 1 p.m.
Bowie State at Brevard, 1 p.m.
Johnson C. Smith at Kentucky State, 3 p.m.
Chowan at Campbell, 6 p.m.  TV: Big South Network
Elizabeth City at Benedict, 6 p.m.
UNC Pembroke at Fayetteville State, 6 p.m.
Wingate at Shaw, 6 p.m.
Valdosta State at Winston-Salem State, 6 p.m., Cobb County Clash, Powder Springs, GA



PSAC
Cheyney at Gannon,  12 Noon

CSFL
East Texas Baptist at Texas College, 2 p.m.
Langston at Bethany College, 7 p.m.

GLVC
Saint Francis (Ill.) at Lincoln (Mo.), 2 p.m.,  LIVE VIDEO/AUDIO

MWC
Urbana (Ohio) at West Virginia State, 1 p.m.

The Sun Conference
Edward Waters at Kennesaw State, 4 p.m.

SIAC
Central State (Ohio) at Clark-Atlanta, 2 p.m.
Johnson C. Smith at Kentucky State, 2 p.m.
Concordia-Selma at Stillman, 4 p.m.
Albany State vs. Tuskegee, 5 p.m.,  2nd Annual White Water Classic, Phenix City, AL
Lane at Fort Valley State, 6 p.m.
Miles at West Georgia, 6 p.m.
Elizabeth City State at Benedict, 6 p.m.
Morehouse at Arkansas Pine Bluff, 7 p.m.

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Texas Southern erupt for 63 points in a shutout win over Bacone

HOUSTON, Texas -- Texas Southern's Johnathan Bowen rushed for 99 yards while scoring three touchdowns as the Texas Southern Tigers broke into the winners column on Friday defeating Bacone College 63-0 at BBVA Compass Stadium.

Bowen also threw for 163 yards and three touchdowns as the Tigers amassed 447 yards of total offense en route to the largest margin of victory under head coach Darrell Asberry.

"I'm very pleased with the way we played tonight," said Asberry. "Tonight was a great opportunity for us to get back to winning ways and we were able to do just that. We've had a solid week of practice and I'm proud of the way we stayed focused and disciplined."

Demetrius Johnson had a team high six stops including five solo tackles. Defensively TSU held Bacone to just 126 yards of total offense. Texas Southern also held the Warriors to a 3-of-13 showing on third downs.

The Tigers will be back in action on next Saturday as they travel to Pine Bluff, Arkansas to face UAPB.

"We have a lot to build on," said TSU senior wide receiver Malik Cross. "We have a very resilient team and we know how to fight through adversity. It's still really early in the season and right now we're taking it one game at a time."

Texas Southern improves to 1-1 on the season while Bacone drops to 0-2 after being outscored 129-6 over the course of the first two weeks of the 2015 football season.

BOX SCORE

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Ram Ramblings: WSSU has 'big' game coming up on Saturday

POWDER SPRINGS, Georgia -- Coach Kienus Boulware came out of his shell just for a few minutes earlier this week when we talked about the Rams next game.

In a break from the norm Boulware actually said Saturday’s game against 14th-ranked Valdosta State is a big one. He said it could make or break their season and when he said it I knew exactly what he meant.

If the Rams lose on Saturday in Powder Springs, Georgia they will be 0-2 and even if they won the rest of their games including the CIAA championship game a 9-2 record won’t be good enough to make the playoffs. You only have to go back to last season when the Rams finished 9-2 and missed the playoffs.

Saturday’s game with Valdosta State will be the final one in a two-game series. WSSU and Valdosta State agreed to the neutral site location for two years with the programs splitting the profits each year.

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Livingstone travels to Lynchburg to battle VUL Dragons

LYCHBURG, Virginia -- Livingstone College’s Blue Bears travel to Lynchburg, Va., this weekend for what could be a challenging game.

No, the Virginia University of  Lynchburg Dragons, shouldn’t be a problem for the Blue Bears, 1-0, after pounding Benedict, 49-6, in the Sept. 5 opener.

The challenge could be focus, as today’s 1 p.m. game turns out to be little more than a scrimmage. The NCAA declared this summer that VUL is one of 34 teams on a list of non-countable programs. In other word, today’s game will not affect Livingstone’s won-loss record, nor with the statistics count for the Blue Bears’ yardage totals.

Elizabeth City State, like Livingstone, a member of the CIAA, found this out last week as the Vikings creamed VUL, 71-0. ECSU jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter and outgained the Dragons for the game, 627 yards to 62. However, the CIAA website still has the Vikings record at 0-0.

So why make the trip to Lynchburg? In Livingstone’s defense, the game against VUL counted last season, a 60-12 victory in Salisbury. Livingstone is simply fulfilling its contractual obligation by returning the game this season. The NCAA decided to crack down on the non-counters and it is unfortunate that the Blue Bears won’t be 2-0 after today.

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White Water Classic: Albany State meets Tuskegee in early-season matchup

ALBANY, Georgia — While Albany State head football coach Dan Land will say that every game on the schedule is big, he admitted that today’s game against Tuskegee is one of the biggest.

The Rams will travel to Phenix City, Ala. today to compete in second annual White Water Classic against a team that defeated them twice last year, including in the SIAC championship game.

The game will begin at 5 p.m. today at Garrett-Harrison Stadium.

Land said the will be one of the biggest of the young season because in order to become conference champs and earn a berth into the national playoffs, they’ll most likely have to go through Tuskegee.

Quarterback Caleb Edmonds admits losing to the Tigers twice last year “still stings,” but the Rams are back and in a position to avenge those loses. He feels the big men up front gives them an edge.

“Our strength is our offensive line,” he said. “They did a great job on Saturday, we’ve got a great running back. Really, I just gotta manage the game. We’ve got a lot of guys around me that make my job easier. So as long as I manage the game, I think we’ll be all right.”

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Coastal Carolina -- South Carolina State Matchup Preview

No. 1/3 Coastal Carolina (1-0) at South Carolina State (1-0)
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, Orangeburg
TV/Online: None
Radio: WSEA-FM 100.3
Weather Forecast: 76 degrees and cloudy with a 20-percent chance of rain
Series History: Coastal Carolina leads 4-0

Last Meeting
Coastal Carolina has never lost to South Carolina State and handled business rather convincingly last September with a 30-3 win at Brooks Stadium.

The Chanticleers jumped out to a 16-point lead in the first quarter, including a 29-yard fumble return for touchdown by defensive end Roderick Holder, and never looked back.

The Chants held the Bulldogs to 370 offensive yards, and offensively running back De’Angelo Henderson had a career-best 171 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 20 carries.

Chanticleers Breakdown
It’s been an interesting week for the Chants …

After holding off Furman, 38-35, in its season opener last Saturday night in Greenville, Coastal Carolina moved up to No. 1 in the FCS Coaches poll and No. 3 in the STATS media poll.

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SC State Takes on Top-Ranked Coastal Carolina

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina — The South Carolina State Bulldogs will face their toughest  non-conference opponent of the season when they take on #1 ranked Coastal Carolina Saturday (Sept. 11) at Oliver. C. Dawson Stadium.

SC State Game Notes    
  
Coastal Carolina Footbal Game Notes (at South Carolina State) 

Bulldog Radio Network

ESPN Columbia 1230 AM (Columbia)
Old Skool 102.9 FM (Orangeburg)
WSSB 90.3 (Orangeburg)

INTERNET
ESPNColumbia.com (Listen Live)
ESPN Columbia 1230 AM mobile app
To listen to the game live call 1-641-552-5120.

Chanticleer Sports Network: LISTEN HERE

Chanticleer Sports Network Affiliates:
Myrtle Beach: 100.3 FM The Team
Florence/Pee Dee: 100.1 FM The Fan
Rock Hill/Charlotte: 104.1 FM
  
South Carolina State Press Conference Highlights
Sept.  8, 2015
Coastal Carolina at South Carolina State
Head Coach Buddy Pough



Opening Statement

"As, regards to Coastal Carolina, we are probably go against one of the best teams in our division Saturday. We will have a task on our hand but it helps we are playing home in front our fans."

How do you rate your teams play against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Orlando?

"We got off to a slow start early on. Our offense had a few costly turnovers, which made the score 7-0 at halftime. Somehow we got things going in the second-half and managed to put some points on the scoreboard. We have to do a better job of taking care of the football and capitalizing off our opponents mistakes."

How would you evaluate your teams overall effort after the slow start against UAPB?

"Our defense played really well against UAPB, but you have to realize it's only the first game so we have to work on a few things to get better. When you talk about our defense you think of the Javon Hargrave, Chris Pauling and the list goes on. We played thirteen (13) freshmen and four straight out of high school in our season-opener on offense and defense."

Anything stands out after the first game?

"You see some things that really excite you at times on both sides of the ball, and then you see something gets under your skin. We really have a chance to be a good solid offensive football team, something we have been lacking in the past. "

Head coach Joe Moglia

Opening Statement

"As regards to South Carolina State, we know we have our work cut out for us. Another game on the road, but we have to be able to handle that. So, the keys for us are making sure the stuff that we really need to improve on with defense, we do that. We always need to make sure we have ball security and certainly our guys know that. "

What are the concerns with the defense that you really feel like you need to emphasis?

"I think we are going a much better job at tackling, but we lost out a little bit. I think we had around 10 missed tackles, which I was disappointed in that. I have talked about compounding and I think we have to break a bad compounding habit to start a good compounding habit. I think we need to do a better job with executing our calls. We have to play our defenses better, we have to play our techniques better, we have to tackle better."

After assessing this, is this what you wanted to see out of this group after the first game?

""Yes, it is. We have 3 guys that are playing seriously where the responsibility is on their shoulders for the first time. I thought they did a good solid job. I think the guys that went in as backups did a good solid job. I think Sam Ekwonike had his best game ever and Voghens played well as well. I said I was concerned going into the game, especially with the offensive line, but I was very pleased. I am not worried about them anymore. On special teams, I worry that every one of our specialists are new in regards to starting at those jobs. I think they did well. From a defensive perspective, there are a lot of things we are doing differently than we have done in the past and we have different guys with different positions. I was excited about seeing that come together, although it hasn't yet, I know it will.

On being ranked #1

"I want to take a moment though, while we are at the number 1 ranking to say what I said to the team yesterday. We have talked about the preseason stuff, and we are flattered by all of it, but all that means is that teams are going to come after you more, you are going to have a target on your back. Our guys that are good, people are going after them. They know that, we know that. That's part of being good. Even though it's early in the season, and even though it happened to way it happened, there was a reason why we are ranked where we are. There are 70,000 college football players in this country, probably 10,000 or so, coaches. 99% of them will never in their entire career at the college level, will never ever be able to say they were part of a nationally number 1 ranked team. We have had a chance to say that twice. I am proud of that. I believe Coastal is proud of that. Hopefully the entire strand is proud of that."

Question for Alex Ross: "You talked a little bit about the offensive line and just what you saw from those guys on Saturday and you were pretty giddy about that and what they were able to showcase. Can you elaborate a little on that?"

"Yes watching film I was really excited with what they did, their first game especially those 4 guys that stepped in and had not played last year a whole lot. They came in and did a very good job. They kept me protected and they allowed me to step up in the pocket and make throws down the field and check the ball down to Deangelo. I am excited about what they're doing and once you start playing games, that's when you start seeing the growth so, now that the season has started and now that they are actually out there and watching the film, I really think they are going to start growing that much more."

Question for Leroy Cummings: "What is your take as to what the defense needs to work on?" 

"The main thing that we need to work on right now is our approach to tackling. We were missing some tackles against Furman, so right now we need to work on our approach. Not actually the actual tackling part, but being able to get in position to make the play and continuing to do better in our positions to be able to do better things."

South Carolina State returns to action on Thursday (Sept. 17) when they open MEAC play against conference foe Florida A&M on national television. The game will be televised live on ESPNU and ESPN3 at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.

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NSU Continue FBS Road Swing with Intra-City Tilt at ODU

Game Notes  |  Live Stats  |  NSU-ODU National TV Coverage  |  NSU Athletics Twitter  |  NSU Football Twitter

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Norfolk State (0-1) continues its three-game road swing against FBS teams to start the 2015 season this Saturday across town against intra-city foe Old Dominion (1-0). The contest kicks off at 7 p.m. from ODU's S.B. Ballard Stadium. The Norfolk schools will be meeting for the third time, wrapping up a home-and-home series that included a last-second ODU win at NSU's Dick Price Stadium in 2013.       

TELEVISION
American Sports Network (ASN) will broadcast the game Saturday with Jeff McCarragher handling play-by-play duties and Ken Dunek serving as color analyst. McCarragher served as the play-by-play announcer for NSU football in 2005. Locally, the game can be seen on MyTVZ channels (2 and 502 on Cox Cable, 11 and 511 on Verizon Fios, 2 and 9 on Charter Cable, and 33 over the air). It is also available on DirecTV and DISH Network channel 33. For a complete listing of nationwide TV outlets carrying the game, see the link at the top of the page.

RADIO
WGH Star 1310 AM is in its second season as the flagship network for NSU football and basketball games. Ross Gordon will handle the play-by-play duties, with Terrell Ducre' serving as the color analyst. The game can also be heard online at www.star1310.com. 

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
NSU opened the 2015 season and the Latrell Scott era with a 63-13 loss to Rutgers of the Big Ten last Saturday in Piscataway, N.J. The Spartans trailed just 21-13 at the half thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Greg Hankerson Jr., but Rutgers outscored the Spartans 42-0 in the second half to pull away for the win.

Hankerson, the Florida Atlantic transfer making his Spartan debut, completed 18 of 28 passes for 199 yards and those two touchdowns.DeAndre Sangster, seeing his first action since 2013, had six catches for a career-high 101 yards for the Spartans. Torian Hendersonalso caught a 29-yard TD pass from Hankerson late in the first half.

Rutgers outgained the Spartans 539-196. Rutgers held NSU to negative-3 rushing yards.

Deon King had a game-high 12 tackles and a pass breakup to lead the Spartan defense.
                
SCOUTING THE MONARCHS
Old Dominion twice rallied from 14-point deficits to win its season-opener on the road, 38-34, at Eastern Michigan last Saturday. ODU's first and only lead came on running back Ray Lawry's 45-yard touchdown run with 1:57 left to play. Defensive end Tim Ward sealed the win for the Monarchs with an interception in the final minute of play.

Lawry earned Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week honors by rushing for 223 yards and four scores, both of which led all FBS players nationally in week 1. Redshirt freshman Shuler Bentley, making his first career start for ODU, passed for 184 yards and one TD.

ODU's defense yielded 444 yards to EMU, but did force three turnovers and register three sacks.

THE SERIES
• This will be the third meeting all-time between ODU and NSU. The Monarchs lead, 2-0.
• ODU beat NSU 35-18 in the first round of the Division I FCS playoffs on Nov. 26, 2011, in the squads' first-ever meeting. The game was played at S.B. Ballard Stadium at ODU.
• In the first game of the current home-and-home series, ODU topped the Spartans 27-24 on Jarod Brown's 24-yard field goal on the final play of the game on Oct. 26, 2013 at NSU's Dick Price Stadium.

NSU-ODU TIES
NSU has three former ODU players on its roster:
• RB Gerard Johnson was ODU's No. 2 rusher in 2014, and ran for 865 yards in two seasons as a Monarch.
• CB Sandy Chapman, like Johnson, also transferred to NSU from ODU prior to this year. Chapman played in 20 games with four starts over the last two years for ODU.
• DB Brad Bradley redshirted at ODU in 2011 before transferring to NSU. He sat out the 2012 season since ODU was an FCS team when he transferred to the Spartans, meaning he did not qualify to play immediately at NSU. Bradley is a fifth-year senior for the Spartans and a backup safety.

QUICK HITS FROM RUTGERS
A few notes from last Saturday's loss to Rutgers:
• The 13 points NSU scored are its most ever against an FBS opponent. The Spartans did not score in their three previous trips to Rutgers.
• The 63 points NSU allowed are the most ever scored against NSU by an FBS school.
• TE Torian Henderson, a redshirt senior, scored a TD on his first career reception, a 29-yarder in the second quarter.
• Five true freshmen played: DL Walter Brantley (five tackles, TFL) and Cornelius Tyler (one tackle), WR/KR Marcus Taylor (62 all-purpose yards), P Bo Lomax (33.1-yard avg.), and OL Wes Jones. Brantley was the only true freshman to start on offense or defense.
• Three redshirt freshmen played in their first career games: DB Aaron Chandler (one tackle), DL Hadji Gaylord (one tackle) and OLBJames Byers (three tackles).

Matt Michalec, Asst. AD/Communications
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