Xavier Gold Rush win 4 titles and team scoring at HBCU National Championships

Xavier University of Louisiana Gold Rush win team scoring at HBCU National
Tennis Championships in College Park, Georgia

COLLEGE PARK, Georgia -- Xavier University of Louisiana, led by double winners Karan Salwan and Manav Chakma, won four men's finals and the team scoring Saturday at the HBCU National Tennis Championships.

All four victories by Xavier, a longtime NAIA member, occurred against NCAA Division I opponents

Salwan -- in his first XU tournament after transferring from Utah State -- defeated Bethune-Cookman's Alexander Chepik 7-5, 6-3 in the A-bracket singles final and teamed with Tushar Mandlekar to beat Florida A&M's Walner Espinoza and Courage Okungbowa 8-4 for the A-doubles title.

Chakma, in the B-singles consolation final, defeated Bethune-Cookman's Greg Almeida 8-1. Chakma and Adam Albrecht beat North Carolina Central's Gabriel Cucalon and Tamina Kienka 8-6 in the B-doubles final.

North Carolina Central was second to Xavier in the men's team scoring, and Florida A&M and Shaw tied for third.

"We won the team title by a pretty good margin," said Alan Green, in his 13th year as coach of Xavier's men and women. "Our point total almost doubled the second-place team."

Also contributing to the team title was three-time All-American Kyle Montrel, who reached the A-singles semifinals and the A-doubles semifinals with Kevin Chaouat.

"All the guys played well this weekend," Green said. "This looks to be a promising season for the Rush. Karan has made an immediate impact and looks to be a guy that can help lead us."

Xavier had no women's matches Saturday. Sha'Nel Bruins was a singles semifinalist in the C bracket.

"The Nuggets were low on numbers for this tournament, but we had some good individual performances on that side," Green said. "Sha'Nel Bruins stood out and had a really good tournament. This was a good tuneup for next weekend's regional."

Xavier will play host to the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional Championships beginning Friday. City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center will be the venue the first two days, with finals Sept. 27 at XU Tennis Center.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Musical Highlights of 2015 JSU-SU Boom Box Classic

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XU Nuggets earn 62nd straight win against GCAC opposition

NEW ORLEANS -- Senior middle blockers Claudia Haywood and Jodi Hill combined for 17 kills and a .519 hitting percentage Saturday, leading Xavier University of Louisiana to a 25-7, 25-9, 25-16 decision against Tougaloo that extended the Gold Nuggets' volleyball win streak against Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opponents to 62 matches.

The Gold Nuggets (7-4, 3-0 GCAC) extended their overall season win streak to five. Their GCAC streak includes 50 victories in the regular season.

Hill had six first-set kills, and Haywood had six in the final set. For the match, Haywood hit a season-best .615 with a season-high-tying nine kills and one error in 13 attacks, and Hill had eight kills and two errors in 14 attacks for a .429 percentage. Haywood and Kayla Jones served their first aces of the season.

"We did a good job with serve-receive and getting first-ball kills," XU coach Hannah Lawing said.

The Gold Nuggets hit a season-best .333 and had their best day defensively, limiting the Lady Bulldogs (5-8, 1-2) to minus-.179. Through three conference matches, Xavier is outhitting opponents .281 to minus-.071.

CeCe Williams and Ruby Hunt-Thompson had five kills apiece for Xavier, and Hunt-Thompson had three blocks. Darian Harris led the back row with six digs. Franziska Pirkl had 15 assists and Ralitsa Hadzhistoyanova had 10 -- the third consecutive match and the fourth time in five matches that both reached double figures. But handling the third-set setting was freshman walk-on Arielle Sears, who racked up six assists in her collegiate debut.

Xavier produced advantages of 38-11 in kills, 4-0 in aces and 33-21 in digs. Chassidy Harris had three kills for Tougaloo, which is 0-11 all-time against Xavier, and Obadiah Montgomery had three blocks. The teams will meet again Oct. 24 at Tougaloo, Miss.

Xavier's next match will start at 7 p.m. Tuesday against longtime GCAC and city rival Dillard (2-9, 1-0) at XU's Convocation Center. Admission is free.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Quarterback Austin Howard’s career effort leads parade of strong efforts in 50-31 win over Jackson State

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern was looking to jumpstart its passing game Saturday night against Jackson State, and it didn’t take long to make a statement.

Quarterback Austin Howard was sharp from the beginning as he led Southern to a huge halftime lead and an eventual 50-31 win over its SWAC rival at A.W. Mumford Stadium.

Howard had thrown for 245 yards in Southern’s first two games, but he eclipsed that mark in the first half alone. In fact, Howard’s first half total of 336 yards was already a career high and bettered his 291 yards that came against Alabama State last year.



Howard finished 21 of 32 for 395 yards with a touchdown and one interception.

“He’s been waiting on a breakout game, and he finally had it,” Southern coach Dawson Odums said. “I thought he managed the game well. He had the oCONne interception, but I’ll take that match up. Other than that I thought he played a complete game.”

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Xavier Nuggets beat 3 NCAA DI teams at LSU meet

First time since Sept. 22, 2012, that NAIA member XULA finishes ahead of
3 NCAA Division I teams in a women's cross country meet.

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Eight-of-10 from Xavier University of Louisiana produced career- or season-best times, and the Gold Nuggets finished ahead of three NCAA Division I teams Saturday at the LSU Invitational cross country meet.

Led by freshman Brianna Pace's career-best time of 21 minutes, 2.50 seconds for 5,000 meters, NAIA member Xavier scored 131 points to finish fourth out of eight women's teams. The Gold Nuggets finished ahead of NCAA DIs Alcorn State (fifth place, 154 points), Nicholls State (sixth, 176) and New Orleans (eighth, 184).

It was the first time since Sept. 22, 2012, that the Gold Nuggets finished ahead of three NCAA Division I teams in a meet.

Pace finished 28th out of 66 women and was the Nuggets' fastest runner for the third consecutive meet. Also finishing for Xavier were Zahri Jackson (31st, season-best 21:21.67), Dionysia Love (33rd, career-best 21:24.49), Brianna Simms (41st, 22:19.49), Hannah Finnegan (50th, season-best 23:15.11) and Kailey Williams (55th, career-best 24:33.11). Jackson made the most dramatic drop, running 65 seconds faster. Love dropped by nearly 53 seconds.

Three of Xavier's four men improved. Christopher August, the top Gold Rush finisher in all four meets this year, placed 20th out of 49 runners with a season-best 5K of 16:57.90. The other Rush finishers were Darrick Williams (41st, 19:47.13), Xaiver Latting (43rd, career-best 22:18.91) and Felipe Perrier (45th, career-best 23:19.16).

August's time was his second-fastest at Xavier and No. 15 on the Gold Rush 5K performance list of the past 13 seasons. "I expected to go even faster," August said, "but I had a little trouble with my calf the last 800 meters. But I was still happy to drop time and get under 17 minutes."

Southern Miss (18 points, five of the six fastest women) and LSU (18 points, seven of the nine fastest men) won team titles. Rebecca Ulrich (17:44.99) of Southern Miss was the fastest woman, and Dajour Braxton (15:20.65) of LSU was the fastest man.

It was Xavier's final competition before the Red River Athletic Conference Championships Nov. 6 at San Antonio, Texas. Coach Joseph Moses said his teams will not compete Oct. 9 in the Mississippi College/Watson Ford Invitational as originally scheduled. Instead they'll participate Oct. 10 in the 28th annual UNCF 5K Run/Walk for Education at 8:30 a.m. at the Audubon Park Riverview in New Orleans.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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HBCU Football Judgment Day Scoreboard - Week 3

Southern University vs. Talladega College
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SWAC
Alcorn State 55, Mississippi Valley State 14
Southern 50, Jackson State 31
Prairie View A&M 53, Alabama A&M 49
Grambling State 34, Alabama State 10
Texas Southern 24, Arkansas Pine Bluff 20

OVC
Jacksonville State 48, Tennessee State 13

MEAC
Hampton 37, Howard 19, AT&T Nations Football Classic
South Carolina State 36, Florida A&M 0 
Akron 52, Savannah State 9
Chowan 31, Delaware State 30
Marshall 45, Norfolk State 7
Bethune-Cookman 7, Lane 3
Morgan State 61, Virginia University Lynchburg 0
North Carolina A&T State 14, Elon 7
Florida International 39, North Carolina Central 14



PSAC
Clarion 59, Cheyney 6

CFSL
McMurray 40, Texas College 0
Oklahoma Panhandle State 40, Langston 35 

GLVC
 Quincy 42, Lincoln (Mo.) 37

MWC
West Virginia State 52, West Virginia Wesleyan 31

CIAA
Livingstone 40, Central International 0
Alderson Broaddus 28, Lincoln(Pa.) 24
Virginia State 14, Kentucky State 7
Chowan 31, Delaware State 30
West Georgia 57, Fayetteville State 27
Tuskegee 28, Winston-Salem State 13
Gardner-Webb 13, Virginia Union 9
Central Connecticut State 21, Bowie State 14
Morehouse 37. Johnson C. Smith 35
UNC Pembroke 15, Shaw 6

SIAC
Tuskegee 28, Winston-Salem State 13
Virginia State 14, Kentucky State 7
Fort Valley State 35, Clark Atlanta 13
Bethune - Cookman 7, Lane 3
West Alabama 13, Miles 10
Central State 24, Benedict 0
Morehouse 37. Johnson C. Smith 35
Albany State 21, Stillman 6

INDEPENDENTS
Southeastern U. 37, Concordia-Selma 7
Morgan State 61, Virginia University-Lynchburg 0


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Central State prepares for Saturday night showdown against Benedict College

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Marauders of Central State will try to climb above .500 on Saturday night when the team travels to South Carolina to take on Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponent Benedict College.

After dropping the season opener to Alderson-Broaddus, CSU rebounded nicely with a 49-12 thrashing of Clark-Atlanta last weekend to even the 2015 ledger to 1-1. Last weekend’s 49-point performance was the most points scored by a Marauder team since 2012. The win also snapped a nine-game road losing streak which dated back to the 2013 season.

While the offense hopes last week’s momentum carries over into Saturday night’s contest, the defense is looking forward to continuing its dominance. After two weeks, the Marauders are ranked third in the nation in takeaways. The CSU pass defense has come up with seven interceptions led by two picks each from Dashad Tucker and newcomer Clim Robbins. Linebacker Gervell Morgan, who leads the team in tackles with 17, preached preparation heading into this week’s game.

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Judgment Day: HBCU Football Schedule - Week 3 (Sept.17-19)

Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015
South Carolina State 36, Florida A&M 0  TV: ESPNU

Friday, Sept. 18, 2015
Hampton 37, Howard 19, AT&T Nations Football Classic, TV: ESPNU

Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015

SWAC
Mississippi Valley State at Alcorn State, 5 p.m.
Jackson State at Southern, 6 p.m., TV: ESPN3
Alabama A&M at Prairie View A&M, 7 p.m.
Grambling State at Alabama State, 7 p.m.
Texas Southern at Arkansas Pine Bluff, 7 p.m.

OVC
Tennessee State at Jacksonville State, 2 p.m., TV: ESPN3

MEAC
Savannah State at Akron, 12 Noon, TV: ESPN3
Chowan at Delaware State, 2 p.m.
Norfolk State at Marshall, 3:30 p.m.
Lane at Bethune-Cookman, 4 p.m.
Virginia University Lynchburg at Morgan State, 4 p.m,
North Carolina A&T State at Elon, 6 p.m. Elon FREE Streaming Video Starts at 5:50 p.m.
North Carolina Central at Florida International, 6 p.m.



PSAC
Cheyney at Clarion, 1 p.m.

CSFL
McMurray at Texas College, 3 p.m.
Langston at  Oklahoma Panhandle State, 3 p.m.

GLVC
Lincoln (Mo.) at Quincy, 2 p.m.

MWC
West Virginia State at West Virginia Wesleyan, 1 p.m.

CIAA
Central International at Livingstone, 1 p.m.
Alderson Broaddus at Lincoln(Pa.), 1 p.m.
Kentucky State at Virginia State, 2 p.m.
Chowan at Delaware State, 2 p.m.
Fayetteville State at West Georgia, 2 p.m.
Winston-Salem State at Tuskegee, 2 p.m. TV: ESPN3
Virginia Union at Gardner-Webb, 6 p.m.
Bowie State at Central Connecticut State, 7 p.m.
Johnson C. Smith at Morehouse, 7 p.m.
Shaw at UNC Pembroke, 7 p.m.

SIAC
Winston-Salem State at Tuskegee, 2 p.m. TV: ESPN3
Kentucky State at Virginia State, 2 p.m.
Fort Valley State at Clark Atlanta, 2 p.m.
Lane at Bethune - Cookman, 4 p.m,
West Alabama at Miles, 4 p.m,
Central State at Benedict, 6 p.m.
Johnson C. Smith at Morehouse, 7 p.m.
Stillman at Albany State, 7 p.m.

ALL GAMES TIMES STATED IN EASTERN TIME ZONE

Watford leads Hampton U. to 37-19 win vs. Howard at RFK Stadium

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Hampton’s 1,000th game will not go down in the record books as an undeniable blowout, a legendary comeback win or even a particularly pretty contest. But it will go down as a win, and that’s all coach Connell Maynor and the Pirates are concerned about.

Despite committing five turnovers and again struggling with penalties, Hampton took a quick lead and never trailed on its way to a 37-19 win against Howard in the Nation’s Football Classic before a crowd of 16,342 at RFK Stadium.



“We got off to a good start, but then were a little sloppy,” Maynor said. “We didn’t really know what to expect from Howard … but they beat us last year. We had to stay solid.”

The Pirates (2-1, 1-0 MEAC) appeared ready to name their score after the first quarter. They carved through the Bison defense on their first drive, capped by a 21-yard touchdown pass from David Watford to a very open Thomas Allen. They stopped a Howard drive when Jaston George picked off a Jamie Cunningham pass at Hampton’s 19-yard line. And they ended the quarter with a 15-play, 72-yard drive that ate up nearly eight minutes and culminated with a 9-yard scoring run by Watford.

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Game Day: Norfolk State

HUNTINGTON, West Virginia -- The Thundering Herd is concentrating on the two “F’s” as it takes the field against Norfolk State Saturday afternoon at Joan C. Edwards Stadium: focus and fundamentals. Both were lacking in the 21-10 loss to rival Ohio University seven days ago.

“Any time you have that many missed assignments, your team is not on the same page, you’re not playing together. We put ourselves in a hole early. I think five of the first six possessions we had were first-and-20 and first-and-25. We’ve just got to do a better job of being mentally locked in and with our technique just working the heck out of that in practice this week,” assessed senior offensive lineman Clint Van Horn.

The lack of mental focus was evident in the 16 penalties for over 150 yards last Saturday.

We had way too many penalties. Every time I looked up it was first down and 25, we gain eight then it’s second and 17,” said Doc Holliday. “I know we were prepared and I know the hotel was no different. We won eight straight games on the road and we were no different in the hotel or wherever we went. We just didn’t execute on offense.”

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Hampton Beats Howard in Nation's Football Classic

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In racking up almost 500 yards of total offense Friday night at historic RFK Stadium, the Hampton University football team defeated rival Howard 37-19 in the AT&T Nation's Football Classic and celebrated a milestone.

In what was the program's 1,000th all-time game, Hampton picked up its 550th win.

The Pirates (2-1, 1-0 MEAC) also snapped Howard's four-game winning streak in the series.


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Hampton amassed 460 total yards of offense in the game – a season-high 181 of which came on the ground. Four of the Pirates' five touchdowns on the night came on the ground – two of them from quarterback David Watford.

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Watford rushed 12 times for 58 yards, while also completing 22 of 36 passes for 279 yards and a score. He has nine touchdown passes in three games this season, and he has yet to be sacked.

Chris Dukes rushed 13 times for a team-best 70 yards and his first touchdown of the season.

Dwayne Garrett also had a rushing touchdown.

Twarn Mixson led the Pirates on the receiving end, catching six passes for 119 yards. Thomas Allen caught Watford's lone touchdown pass of the night.

After Howard failed to score on the game's opening drive, the Pirates went 87 yards in five plays, taking a 7-0 lead with 10:10 left in the first quarter after Watford hit Allen from 21 yards. Howard turned the ball over on the ensuing possession when Jamie Cunningham threw an interception to Jaston George.

From there, Hampton went on a 16-play, 72-yard drive that ate up nearly eight minutes before Watford scored on his first rushing touchdown of the season – a 9-yard scamper. The PAT failed, giving the Pirates a 13-0 lead with 16 seconds left in the first quarter.

Howard's first touchdown of the season came with 1:13 left in the half, when Aquinas Freeman rushed 35 yards for the score. The two-point conversion cut Hampton's lead to 13-8.

But Hampton got the ball back on its own 43-yard line and 1:05 on the clock, marching into field goal territory before Adam Brown connected on a 30-yarder as time expired in the half to send the Pirates into the locker room with a 16-8 lead.

The Pirates opened the second half by going 75 yards in 12 plays, taking a 23-8 lead after Dukes scored from four yards out.

But a Hampton turnover later in the third quarter set up Howard's next score – a 39-yard field goal from John Fleck that cut the Pirates' lead to 23-11 at the 6:05 mark.

Brendan Cole intercepted Cunningham in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, giving the Pirates the ball at Howard's 30-yard line. It took Hampton six plays to cash in on that turnover, and when Watford ran into the endzone from three yards out with 12:19 left, Hampton had a 30-11 lead.

After both teams punted on their respective possessions, Howard went on its most sustained drive of the night, taking 10 plays to go 83 yards before Cunningham threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Colvin with 8:10 remaining to cut the lead to 30-19 after the two-point conversion.


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But the Pirates answered on the ensuing drive; after a 9-play, 75-yard trek down the field, Garrett ran in from three yards out to give Hampton a 37-19 lead with 3:09 left to play.

Howard started the ensuing drive in Hampton territory, thanks to a lengthy return and a penalty, but Cunningham fumbled three plays later – with George recovering. Howard got the ball back after forcing a turnover on the next possession, but the Bison (0-3, 0-1 MEAC) could not convert and turned the ball over on downs.

Tyrone Ward led the Pirates defense with 10 tackles, 1.5 for loss, and a forced fumble. The Pirates forced three fumbles, recovering one, and had three interceptions on the night.

Keith McAfee had 3.0 tackles for loss and a sack, while also forcing a fumble.

George, Cole, and Dereon Carr had the Pirates' interceptions; Hampton came into the contest leading the MEAC in picks on defense.

The Pirates will be at Dick Price Stadium in Norfolk, Va. on Saturday, Sept. 26 for the State Farm Battle of the Bay against rival Norfolk State. For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

BOX SCORE

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Tennessee State Tigers Open OVC Play at No. 1 Jacksonville State Gamecocks

Tennessee State Game Notes | Jacksonville State Game Notes
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- Tennessee State will open Ohio Valley Conference this weekend with a trip to Jacksonville, Ala. The Tigers will face the top ranked team in FCS, Jacksonville State, on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

The game can be seen on ESPN3 with Kevin Ingram handling play-by-play duties and Bob Belvin providing analysis. Greg Pogue (play-by-play), Albert Dawson (analyst) and Gary Dawson (sideline) can be heard on WVOL 1470 AM. The pregame show will begin at 12:30 p.m.



TSU comes in with a 2-0 record, while JSU enters at 1-1. This marks the second 2-0 start in the Rod Reed era, as the Tigers began 7-0 in the 2012 season. The Gamecocks lone loss came last week as they dropped an overtime contest to No. 6 Auburn.

The meeting will be the 11th in the series with the Gamecocks holding an 8-2 advantage. The positive note for the Tigers heading into Burgess-Snow Field is both wins versus JSU have come in Jacksonville. The Big Blue earned wins on the road in 2006 and 2013.

The Gamecocks gained a 27-20 in last year’s meeting at Hale Stadium. JSU built a 27-6 lead late in the third quarter and had to withstand a charge from the Tigers who scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes bringing the score to 27-20. Jacksonville State’s Jermaine Hough intercepted a Mike German pass in the end zone with six seconds remaining in the game to seal the victory for the Gamecocks.

The game saw ten turnovers, six from TSU and four by JSU - each team fumbled twice. The Tigers outgained JSU through the air, 364 yards to 190 yards, while the Gamecocks won the battle on the ground outrushing the Tigers 213-43.

TSU is coming off a 35-25 win over Jackson State in the Southern Heritage Classic. The Tigers opened each half with a pair of touchdowns to build a 35-12 lead late in the third quarter. Patrick Smith was named the SHC Most Outstanding Player as he finished the evening with 107 yards on four receptions and a touchdown; Smith also averaged 16.0 yards on three punt returns.



Quarterback O’Shea Ackerman-Carter completed 15 passes on 26 attempts for 250 yards and three touchdowns. His performance led to being named STATS FCS National Freshman of the Week.

JSU opened the season with a 23-20 win at FCS No. 6 Chattanooga before falling at Auburn last week. Troymaine Pope is averaging 129.0 yards per game on the ground and 7.2 yards per carry as he has netted 258 yards on 36 carries. Eli Jenkins enters the game completing 63 percent (42-of-67) of his passes and averages 195 yards per game with two touchdowns and an interception.

On defense, four Gamecocks have amassed double-digit tackles, led by Brandon Bender with 14 - 12 solo. Darius Jackson, with 12 tackles, leads JSU with 4.5 tackles for loss.

Since 2012, Jacksonville State is the only OVC team to accrue more wins than the Tigers. JSU has 28 wins during that time period, while the Tigers have won 26 games.

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Southern and Jackson State renew their rivalry Saturday at Mumford Stadium

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- A buzz has been building around A.W. Mumford Stadium this week.

Yeah, it’s Southern’s season opener, and it has been 44 weeks since Jaguars fans have been able to see their team play on its home field.

But more than that, it’s Jackson State week. The longtime rivals — separated by a mere 175 miles yet joined by a mutual dislike — meet for the 58th time.



“I think the fans are what really make it a rivalry,” Jaguars coach Dawson Odums said. “They probably don’t have much good to say to each other, especially this time of year, but other than that I think it’s a fun atmosphere to play in. I think this is what college football is supposed to be about.

“I think the tradition of both schools, the history, the heritage and the close proximity of the two schools — I think that’s what creates a rivalry, and it’s not just dominant by one side or the other side. They’ve had some runs where they’ve won some games, and we’ve had some runs where we’ve won some games.”

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Gameday preview: Winston-Salam State at Tuskegee

THE GAME
When: 1:04 p.m. today
Where: Cleve L. Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium
Records: Tuskegee (2-0); Winston-Salem State (0-2)
On the air: TV – ESPN3; Radio – Tuskegee Sports Network
Twitter: @mgmsports @MyTUAthletics

FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY

1. Benchmark game: One of the few teams he hasn’t registered a win against, Tuskegee coach Willie Slater is 0-2 against Winston-Salem State. The Rams played in the 2012 Division II National Championship, a place the Golden Tigers hope to get this season. Slater said this game will be a measuring stick for his squad.

“They’re a very good football program. Their program is where we want to be. They’ve played for the national championship before, and we’d like to be in that position at some point,” Slater said. “It’s going to be a benchmark for us to be able to play on the same plane they’re playing on.”



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North Carolina Central vs. FIU Preview: Taking Care of Business

MIAMI, Florida -- Looking at the 2015 FIU home opener against North Carolina Central brings to mind the phrase, "taking care of business" or the song of the same name by BTO (Bachman-Turner Overdrive). As far as I know Fred Turner, the Turner in BTO, is no relation to FIU coach Ron Turner.

The reason "taking care of business" comes to mind is because if FIU does what it is supposed to do in Saturday's game then the Panthers will win and be 2-1 heading into its Conference USA opener at Louisiana Tech next Saturday.



First of all FIU cannot turn the ball over like it did last week at Indiana. Considering the Panthers and Eagles teams, turnovers are about the only thing that can keep NCC in Saturday's game. 

NCC is 1-1 and is the co-defending MEAC champion, but they have holes on their squad. The FIU offense should be able to exploit an inexperienced NCC defensive line with a combination of Alex Gardner and Anthon Samuel. NCC gives up 160 rushing yards per game. By running the ball effectively, FIU will give quarterback Alex McGough time to operate through the air and keep his jersey clean as well.

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XU's Salwan, Chakma to play for titles at HBCU National Tennis Championships

COLLEGE PARK, Georgia — Xavier University of Louisiana's men's tennis team will play for a pair of titles in singles Saturday and possibly two more in doubles at the HBCU National Championships.
    
XU newcomer Karan Salwan will meet Bethune-Cookman's Alexander Chepik at 9 a.m. EDT in the A-flight final. Salwan defeated North Carolina Central's Kert Kilumets 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals Friday and Bluefield State's Jacob Carey 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals. This is Salwan's first XU tournament after transferring from Utah State, where he was all-conference.

Chepik eliminated XU's Kyle Montrel 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in the semifinals. Montrel beat North Carolina A&T's Dre Jarmon 7-5, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.
    
The other Gold Rush finalist is Manav Chakma in the B-flight consolation bracket. Chakma defeated Howard's Myron Davis 8-2, North Carolina A&T's George Tojeda 8-1 and Tennessee State's Kyle Burton 8-5. Chakma will play Bethune-Cookman's Greg Almeida for the title at 9 a.m.
    
Salwan and Tushar Mandlekar reached the A-flight doubles semifinals with an 8-2 victory against A&T's Jarmon and John Wilson. The XU team will play Hampton's Luke Thompson and Matthew Foster-Estwick at 11 a.m.
    
Playing in the other half of that doubles bracket at 11 a.m. will be Montrel and Kevin Chaouat against Florida A&M's Walner Espinoza and Courage Okungbowa. Chaouat and Montrel defeated Bluefield State's Carey and Aziz Yuldashev 8-2 in the quarters.
    
Chakma and Adam Albrecht will meet Shaw's Guido Margiotta and Mauricio Gonzalez in the B-flight doubles semifinals. Chakma and Albrecht defeated Florida A&M's Heme Hasona and Jalen Evans 8-4 in the round of 16 and A&T's Tojeda and Brett Cobert 8-3 in the quarterfinals.
    
Sha'Nel Bruins had the best run for XU's women. She won three matches in the singles C-flight before losing 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals to FAMU's Arrice Robinson. Bruins defeated Bethune-Cookman's Ancia Fill 7-5, 7-5 in the quarterfinals.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Albany State looks to rebound against Stillman

ALBANY, Georgia — There’s good news and bad news for the Albany State football team.

The bad news is they’re 0-2.

The good news, depending on if you’re a glass half-full-type person, is that both games have been decided by less than two touchdowns. And in both games, the Rams seemed to be the biggest detriment to themselves.

As they host Stillman tonight at 7 p.m. at the Albany State University Coliseum and seek their first win of the season, head coach Dan Land is optimistic. After the heartbreaking loss to Tuskegee, he said he feels one of the biggest things they’ll have do is get out of their own way.

“I see we’re still beating ourselves,” he said. “We’re making mistakes and we’re giving up points that we shouldn’t give up,” he said. “We did it to ourselves and we’ve got to continue working and getting better at that…we didn’t play bad, we’ve just gotta play better.”

To do that, the Rams need to be sharper and focused from the opening kick. In both games, ASU allowed teams to return the opening kick inside their 20 yard line. From there Valdosta State and Tuskegee went on to score in the opening two minutes, forcing the Rams to play catchup.

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Notebook: Marshall QB battle changes nothing for Spartans

NORFOLK, Virginia  -- The quarterback shuffle at Marshall has not affected how Norfolk State has prepared for Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. game in Huntington, W.Va.

Thundering Herd coach Doc Holliday announced this week that he’ll use both junior Michael Birdsong, a transfer from James Madison who was intercepted twice in last week’s 21-10 loss at Ohio, and true freshman Chase Litton, who doesn’t have a college snap to his credit.

First-year NSU coach Latrell Scott, though, said the news didn’t alter his approach.

“They’re similar athletically,” said Scott, who was on JMU’s staff while Birdsong was there.

“I think they’re probably trying to create some consistency and some competition at the same time.”
While junior Greg Hankerson has won the competition to be NSU’s quarterback, the Spartans also seek consistency. Their offense has been lethargic at times and explosive in short bursts at others.
In last week’s rain-soaked 24-10 loss at Old Dominion, NSU took a 10-7 lead in the second quarter but failed to score in three trips into ODU territory in the second half.

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Bobby Bowden offers FAMU a Football foundation-building idea from 1981

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TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M’s 36-0 loss to South Carolina State on Thursday again exposed a few realities. At the top of the list is a gap in talent between the Rattlers and their first three opponents.

To be successful, the level of talent does not need to equal that of FAMU legends like Bob Hayes, Willie Gallimore, Ken Riley, Glen Edwards or Hewritt Dixon. In the era of ESPN and today’s integrated universities, players of that caliber receive offers from elite Division 1-FBS programs.

New Coach Alex Wood is the latest to take on the task of rebuilding. For all we know, he may have football smarts and leadership characteristics equal to legends such as Jake Gaither or Rudy Hubbard. That will be determined much later.

FAMU fans and alumni want to see wins. With a record of 10-25 over the past three years, the Athletics Department wants both that and the revenue provided by increased home attendance that comes with winning.

Milton Overton, Jr. has been Athletic Director for all of three months. He understood from the first day that a successful football program is the tide that lifts all boats within an entire athletic department.


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Jackson State’s Jairus Moll looking forward to Southern Game

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- When Harold Jackson returned two years ago to coach at his alma mater Jackson State, he began the process of identifying his personnel and almost immediately gravitated toward an undersized but talented wide receiver.

In many ways Jackson, a five-time All-Pro wide receiver who spent 16 years in the NFL with five teams, saw a lot of himself in wideout Jairus Moll and continues to sing the praises of the former West St. John standout.

“When I first set eyes on him on the practice field, he was the guy I picked out when I got here,” Jackson said. “I was a small guy that played in the league, and he’s a small guy. I thought he was a football player. He’s made a lot of plays for us. He’s a great receiver.”

Because of a season-ending injury that cost Moll his entire sophomore season, the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder gets his first opportunity to oppose Southern (1-1, 1-0 in SWAC) in Mumford Stadium when Jackson State (0-2, 0-0) visits Saturday for a 5 p.m. kickoff.



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GSU wants to ‘answer the call’ against Alabama State

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- For a program that rarely concerns itself with the past, Grambling is well aware of a 2014 loss that eventually led to the Tigers missing out on the Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division title.

Winners of seven straight games at the time, Grambling dropped a 37-23 home game to Alabama State late in the season. The loss trickled over into the Bayou Classic later that month where the Tigers came up short in the final seconds.

“They came down here last year and we didn’t answer the call,” Grambling offensive line coach Reggie Nelson said. “They started the losing streak, and that’s what I remember.”

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Alcorn prepares for tough matchup against Mississippi Valley

LORMAN, Mississippi -- Alcorn’s Southwestern Athletic Conference title defense is put to the test against Mississippi Valley Saturday in Lorman.

The Braves are coming off a win against Alabama State, where they showed their domineering strength to kick off their conference opener. The defense was able to contain the Hornets passing game only allowing 99 yards, but gave up 137 yards on the ground. The Braves hurt themselves with 15 penalties costing them 141 yards in the process.

Valley always presents a tough matchup for Alcorn so they’re not taking this game lightly. Playing a ranked team like Georgia Tech in his season opener prepared the Braves for tough games later in the season.

“We know we always got to be prepared and ready, because it’s always a battle. The Booker (Chambers) kid made a couple of nice plays Thursday night,” Alcorn coach Jay Hopson said during his SWAC teleconference reflecting on Valley’s game against Southern University.

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Xavier's Reuther, Pirkl earn GCAC Player of Week awards

NEW ORLEANS — For the third time in four weeks, Xavier University of Louisiana received two of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference's three weekly volleyball awards. Taylor Reuther is the Attacker of the Week, and Franziska Pirkl is the Setter of the Week for Sept. 7-13. The GCAC announced the awards Tuesday.
    
Reuther, a senior outside hitter from Metairie, La., and a graduate of St. Mary's Dominican High School, had 10 kills, 11 digs and hit .308 in her only match of the week, a three-set GCAC home victory (25-15, 25-14, 25-21) against Talladega. Reuther extended her school record with her 44th career double-double.
    
Pirkl, a senior setter from Munich, Germany, and a graduate of Theodolinden Gymnasium, had two kills, six digs and 16 assists against Talladega and three kills, six digs and 20 assists in a 25-15, 25-14, 25-15 GCAC road victory against Edward Waters. Pirkl, the GCAC leader in assists per set, helped Xavier extend its win streak against GCAC opponents to 61 matches. The Gold Nuggets' GCAC regular-season win streak is 50.
  
 Pirkl is the Setter of the Week for the second time this season. This is the first Attacker of the Week award for Reuther, who was GCAC Player of the Week six times from 2011-13 and redshirted in 2014.
    
Xavier (6-4, 2-0 GCAC) will play Tougaloo at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in a conference match at the Convocation Center. Admission is free.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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UAPB defensive end forces taunters to change tune

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- Jontrell Lockett has started two games for Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and in each one he's heard similar things coming from the opposing offensive line as he got into his stance at defensive end.

"Fifty-three, you're too small. You're too small," Lockett said of the comments directed toward him from South Carolina State and Morehouse College players. "I'm like, 'Just play ball. Watch and see.'"

Lockett has gotten the last laugh in his first two starts in a career that began in 2011.

Up next
ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF
VS. TEXAS SOUTHERN
WHEN 6 p.m. Saturday
WHERE Golden Lion Stadium, Pine Bluff
RECORDS UAPB 1-1; Texas Southern 1-1
RADIO KUAP-FM, 89.7, in Pine Bluff
INTERNET uapblionsroar.com

The 6-1, 295-pound senior had three sacks in a 29-27 overtime victory over Morehouse last week and one in a season-opening loss to South Carolina State. The senior from New Orleans also has forced 1 fumble and has 3 tackles for loss to go along with his 4 sackswhile bolstering one of UAPB's biggest points of emphasis.

UAPB ranked ninth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference last season with 20 total sacks, and Lockett's four sacks through two games this season would have ranked second for the Golden Lions for all of last season.

"We need that pass rush," Coach Monte Coleman said. "We need it bad."

Compilation of the highlights from UAPB vs. Morehouse. 9-12-15

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Pace, August repeat as GCAC XC Runners of Week

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana cross country standouts Brianna Pace and Christopher August were repeat winners Tuesday of Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Runner of the Week awards.
    
Pace won for the second consecutive week, and August did it a third straight time.
    
Pace, a freshman from Junction City, Kan., and a graduate of Junction City High School, ran 5,000 meters in 21 minutes, 49.3 seconds Saturday to finish 11th at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival. Pace finished ahead of 15 runners from NCAA Division I and led the Gold Nuggets to the team championship among non-NCAA Division I schools. Her time was nearly 10 seconds faster than previous best.
    
August, a junior from Spring, Texas, and a graduate of Klein Collins High School, placed 20th in the men's division at the Sugar Bowl meet with a 5K time of 18:09. August was the second NAIA finisher in the meet and the first from the three GCAC schools entered.
    
August is the fourth Gold Rush harrier to be named GCAC Runner of the Week three or more times in a season. Former teammate Kwame Jackson won the award a conference-record six times a year ago.
    
Xavier has earned 69 GCAC Runner of the Week awards, 40 by the Gold Rush, since the awards were instituted in 2008.
    
Both XU teams will compete Saturday in the LSU Invitational at Highland Road Park in Baton Rouge, La. Both collegiate races will be 5Ks, with the women staring at 8:05 a.m. and the men running at 9:15.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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