13th-ranked Tuskegee Golden Tigers Host Miles on Saturday

TUSKEGEE, Alabama | The first nine weeks of the season, including four weeks against SIAC West Division opponents, have set the stage for Homecoming Weekend on the Tuskegee University campus.
 
After winning eight of their first nine games, the 13th-ranked Golden Tigers now face their biggest challenge of the 2015 season as they face Miles College (5-4, 4-0 West) on Saturday afternoon. The winner of the match-up between the two teams advances to play in the SIAC Championship Game to be played in Montgomery on November 14 against the winner from the East Division.
 
Kickoff is set for 1 pm at Cleve L. Abbott Memorial Stadium, and will be carried by the Tuskegee University Sports Network (both radio and web) and HSRN.
 
Tuskegee (8-1, 7-0 SIAC, 4-0 West) and Miles have met the last five years with the winner advancing to the SIAC Championship Game, and the two teams were predicted to be right where they are in the preseason by a vote of the coaches. The only unexpected occurrence on Saturday is the weather, with a 70 percent chance of rain and a slight chance of a storm.
 
The two teams have combined to outscore the other four teams in the West Division by a total of 289 to 101, and are ranked among the best in the SIAC. The two have also faced two other common opponents entering the contest on Saturday. Tuskegee won both games against Albany State and Morehouse, while Miles lost to Albany State.
 
The Golden Tigers struggled offensively on Saturday against Central State, although Dennis Norfleet was able to gain 106 yards on the ground. They are still ranked as the top scoring offense in the conference at 31.1 points per game and average a conference-leading 331.6 yards per game on offense. Defensively, the Golden Tigers lead the conference in scoring at 14.7 points per game and in total defense at 251.4 yards per game. Tuskegee also currently leads the country in defensive touchdowns with seven, scoring last week on a 20-yard interception return by Jewell Ratliff.
 
Meanwhile, Miles comes in after winning their last two games by a combined score of 74-17, including defeating Stillman 37-7 last Thursday night giving the Golden Bears two extra days of rest. They lead the conference with 155 first downs and a third down percentage .395. They also lead the conference in red zone offense at .840, just ahead of Tuskegee.
 
The match-up will feature a lot of talent on the field with the two teams combining to win 12 SIAC Player of the Week awards this season.
 
Tuskegee has won 24 of their last 25 games against SIAC competition, with their last loss coming on November 9, 2013 against Miles (41-36) – a game that sent Miles to the SIAC Championship Game.
 
Gates will open at 9 am on Saturday morning, with the Homecoming Parade set to start at the same time. The pregame festivities will start at 12:30 pm, with the game kicking off at 1 pm.
 
For more information on Tuskegee University athletics, follow us on Twitter @MyTUAthletics and like us on Facebook.

 COURTESY TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Benedict Athletic Director Willie Washington Takes Medical Leave Of Absence

WILLIE WASHINGTON

COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- Willie Washington, Benedict College's Director of Athletics, has taken a medical leave of absence.

During his absence, Fred Watson, the Associate Athletic Director, has been appointed to serve as the interim Athletic Director, by President Dr. David H. Swinton.

Coach Watson will continue to serve as the Head Men Basketball Coach.

The Benedict college family asks for prayers for a speedy recovery for Mr. Washington.

COURTESY BENEDICT COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

MURRELL COLUMN: Before we go any further, can we please address mental illness?

PORT ARTHUR, Texas -- Remember at the beginning of the high school football season I wrote that I was trying to redirect my mind from the tragedy and confusion of the shooting of a TV reporter and cameraman (and one more person) in Virginia? Remember when I said Ricky Williams, Brandon Marshall and Metta World Peace came to mind when it comes to athletes battling mental illness?

Here we are 10 weeks later, and what has happened?

Shooting deaths at Delta State University, Umpqua Community College, Northern Arizona University, Texas Southern University, Tennessee State University and Winston-Salem State University. Not to mention Wednesday’s stabbing deaths of four at the University of California, Merced, that led to the police shooting and killing the suspect. Or the homecoming parade incident at Oklahoma State University in which a woman is charged with crashing into and killing four spectators.

That’s eight campuses, coast to coast. All in 10 weeks.

What’s worse: In some cases, it’s been reported students were not properly alerted to the tragedy in a timely manner. That’s a whole other column in itself I could write.

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GameDay preview: Alabama State at Jackson State

THE GAME

When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, Jackson, Miss.
Records: ASU (4-4, 4-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference), JSU (3-5, 3-3)
On the air: TV — none; Radio — WQKS-FM 100.5, WKXK-FM 96.7, WKXN-FM 95.7, WJAM-FM 96.3
Twitter: @MGMsports

FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY

1. Last chance: ASU senior receiver Ephraim Henderson has a last chance to succeed on a special place for any Mississippian. Henderson is from Brookhaven, about 30 minutes from Jackson, and has never won at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. He lost his final high school game there for a state championship and lost there two years ago with the Hornets. Henderson has 19 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown this year. “It will be nice to go back and try to get a W,” Henderson said. “That would be a great feeling, a great way to go out.” Henderson said he’ll have 35-40 friends and family at the game. “I’m pretty sure he’s going to have an exceptional game,” ASU coach Brian Jenkins said. “He’s a guy who has done everything we’ve asked, and it’s always good to see a young man go home and show how hard he’s been working.”



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SWAC’s top offense, defense square off

LORMAN, Mississippi -- After Lenorris Footman stepped in for an injured John Gibbs Jr., scored six rushing touchdowns, outrushed Southern and broke a school rushing record, Alcorn looks to carry the momentum over into Saturday’s home game against Prairie View A&M.

The game between the Braves (5-2, 4-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) and the Panthers (6-2, 5-1) puts the conference’s top scoring offensive and defensive teams against each other for an exciting game of X’s and O’s.

“We have an excellent team coming to town. It’s a conference game so it’s going to be a tough hard fought 60 minute battle,” said Alcorn coach Jay Hopson.



Prairie View averages 45 points a game and also leads the SWAC in total offense. It has 3,439 yards and has scored 44 touchdowns. The Panthers accumulated most of their yards in the air and are smart with their passes, having only thrown three interceptions all season.

In addition to the high-scoring offense, the Panthers have converted almost 50 percent of their third downs and are around 70 percent when going for it on fourth down.

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NSU hoops report | Sluggish scrimmage stresses coach's point

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Norfolk State's so-called "secret scrimmage" on Saturday didn't teach Spartans coach Robert Jones anything about his team.

But he hopes his players figured out something about themselves.

In an unofficial, two-point home loss to Division II Virginia Union, NSU started slowly and played catch-up before falling short.

Jones, who begins his third season as head coach when the Spartans visit South Carolina on Nov. 14, said the performance hammered home a point he's made throughout the preseason.

"I didn't learn anything," Jones said, being careful not to name Saturday's opponent as he honored the college game's clandestine preseason protocol. "I think they had a big lesson they learned. It's something that we've been preaching to them in practice about playing with a consistent level of intensity."

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Sims, B-CU look to stay in title hunt with win over Morgan State

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Terry Sims might be in his first season as the head coach at Bethune-Cookman, but when it comes to leading the Wildcats against Morgan State he has some seasoning.

When the Bears visited Daytona Beach for the teams’ game two years ago, then B-CU coach Brian Jenkins was ejected early in the second quarter.

Sims replaced him at the helm and guided the Wildcats to a 24-13 win.

“We have a great staff, so it was not a hard transition for me to step in that day, and we did what we had to do,” Sims said at his weekly press conference Wednesday.

What the Wildcats have to do in this year’s game against Morgan, slated for 4 p.m. Saturday at Municipal Stadium, is keep right on rolling if they hope to win a conference title.

B-CU (7-2, 5-1 in the MEAC) entered into the FCS Coaches’ Poll at 25th this week, and by closing out the season with a pair of wins, could punch a ticket to December’s Celebration Bowl in Atlanta against the SWAC champ.

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Morgan State football comes out of bye trying to slow Bethune-Cookman

MORGAN STATE (3-4) @ BETHUNE- COOKMAN (7-2)
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Site: Municipal Stadium, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Radio: 88.9 FM
Series: Bethune-Cookman leads 19-8

What's at stake: A bye gave the Bears a free weekend, but with a 3-2 record in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, they still find themselves trailing four programs in the standings. One of those teams is Saturday's opponent, the Wildcats. Since a surprising 24-14 loss to North Carolina A&T on Oct. 17, Bethune-Cookman (5-1 in the conference) has won two straight and is in the hunt for either a share of the league title or the outright championship for the fourth consecutive year. Although the Wildcats have won the last three games in this series, today's meeting will be the first between the programs since Nov. 3, 2012 when Bethune-Cookman scored a 24-13 victory at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore. Morgan State is looking to avoid its first three-game skid in the MEAC during coach Lee Hull's two-year tenure.

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North Carolina A&T Aggies Face Challenging MEAC Florida Schools

Bethune-Cookman (11-15, 8-0 MEAC)/Florida A&M at North Carolina A&T (7-11, 5-3 MEAC)

Date: Nov. 6/8, 2015
Time: 7 p.m./3 p.m.
Facility: Moore Gymnasium

The Story: It is another big weekend at Moore Gymnasium for North Carolina A&T volleyball, winners of four straight at home. The Aggies will celebrate Senior Day prior to the match against Bethune-Cookman as seniors Ashley Johnson, Aleena McDaniel and Brooke Stamnes will be honored. In addition, the Aggies invite the top two teams in the MEAC southern division into Moore. The Aggies currently stand as the No. 3 seed coming out of the south, but if all goes N.C. A&T’s way, the second seed in the Nov. 20-22 MEAC tournament could be a possibility. If the Aggies win against Bethune-Cookman it will exceed their longest winning streak since making Moore Gymnasium their permanent home in 2012. The Aggies have not won five in a row at home since 2003.

About Bethune-Cookman: The Wildcats are good. They have defeated Florida A&M in three sets twice and only two southern division teams have taken a set off of the Cats. But B-CU did lose to Howard in five and N.C. A&T is one of the two teams to take a set off of the Wildcats in Daytona Beach. Delicia Pierre leads all southern division hitters in kills and kills per game (3.39). Pierre is coming off a 12-kill performance in which she made only two attack errors and had a .500 hitting percentage. The Wildcats are one of the most accurate hitting teams in the conference, ranking second behind Maryland Eastern Shore with a .198 percentage. Rakaya Neely leads the conference with a .323 hitting percentage.

About Florida A&M: The Rattlers face N.C. Central before traveling down to Greensboro for the Aggies home finale on Sunday. The Rattlers enter the weekend 6-19 overall and 6-2 in the southern division. The Rattlers have lost their last two matches, but they beat N.C. Central in three sets in Tallahassee. The Rattlers eased to a three-set win over the Aggies in Tallahassee, but the Aggies have been much tougher on the Rattlers at Moore Gymnasium, taking a set off the Rattlers in Moore last season. The Rattlers posted a .378 hitting percentage. Deija Martin was superb in the match, making only one attack error on 14 attempts as she tallied 11 kills. Pamela Soriano had a double-double with 11 kills and 17 digs.

News & Notes

A Long Time: The Aggies have not defeated Florida A&M since 1998, a 3-0 win at home. It is a losing streak of 32 straight matches. In those 31 matches, the Aggies have been swept 27 times. The last time they took the Ratters to five sets was in 1999.

Special Senior Class: The class of Ashley Johnson, Brooke Stamnes and Aleena McDaniel were the first class for head coach Hal Clifton, which originally started with seven. Over four years a lot can happen because of decision making, but three who will be honored on Friday have a lot to be proud of. For a third straight year they will be in the MEAC tournament, Johnson will leave as the school’s all-time leader in digs, Stamnes will likely go out with 1,000 kills and McDaniel will finish among the top-10 in kills in school history.

Super Sophs: The Aggies appear to have a strong foundation even after they lose their senior class. Sophomores Alyssa Pitt, Marteen Hill, Jasmine Lindor and Marteen Hill have the top four hitting percentages on the team led by Pitt’s .196. Pitt also leads the team in blocks (0.91) followed by Lindor, Hill and Brown.

Stamnes’ 1000: She goes into the Bethune-Cookman match needing 16 kills to reach 1,000 for her career. She will end her career second all-time in kills behind her assistant coach Arlene Mitchell.

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Spady: Alabama A&M Bulldogs 'need to right the ship'

NORMAL, Alabama -- As Dorothy said in "The Wizard of Oz" - "There's no place like home."

For the Bulldogs, there's no place like Louis Crews Stadium, especially coming back from a tough loss in the Magic City Classic.

A&M is 2-0 this season on The Hill and the only team in the conference who is unbeaten at home.

The Bulldogs host Mississippi Valley State on Saturday with a 1 p.m. kickoff. The crowd will include several hundred high school seniors, parents and school officials for the annual High School Senior Day.



Head Coach James Spady said the Bulldogs are in good spirits and it wasn't hard to get his squad ready for the Delta Devils.

"The motivation is you have a game this weekend," he said. "Our goal is to be 1-0 this week.

"They rolled up their sleeves and were ready to get back to work."

Despite MVSU being winless this season (0-7 SWAC, 0-9 overall), Spady said it's "going to be a challenge to play against this football team."

"The thing you caution yourself against is you lost the big game but don't let that turn into two (losses.)"

Though the Bulldogs are tied for second in the SWAC with a plus-3 turnover margin, it was a couple of turnovers last weekend that stymied the offense along with some missed tackles, Spady said in planning for this weekend.

"We have to get better in taking care of fundamental football," he said. "We need to right the ship and beat Mississippi Valley this weekend."

COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

For A&T, road to championship runs through S.C. State

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — It’s November, the month when champions are made.

And the next hurdle for N.C. A&T might be the biggest so far: South Carolina State.

A&T is ranked No. 19 in the FCS national poll, alone in first place in the MEAC standings and controls its own destiny.

But if the Aggies (7-1, 5-0 MEAC) want to represent their league in the first Celebration Bowl next month, they must find a way to beat S.C. State (5-3, 4-1), a program that has owned A&T.

In 14 seasons under Coach Buddy Pough, the Bulldogs have won or shared six MEAC championships and are 13-1 against A&T. Aggies coach Rod Broadway is 35-18 since taking over the program, but just 1-3 against the Bulldogs.

“We understand this: The championship, since we’ve been here, has gone through Orangeburg,” Broadway said. “If you’re going to win one, you’ve got to beat those boys some time. And we haven’t had a lot of success against them. Hopefully, we can go down there this year and change our luck. And it’s going to take a little luck because they’re so darn good.”

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How Howard University is Building a Competitive HBCU Soccer Program -- and Winning

COURTESY HOWARD BISON ATHLETICS

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- While none of us remember our first steps, Dytria Ruddy has it on good authority that hers were followed not so long thereafter by her first attempts to kick a soccer ball.

Ruddy does recall one of the first games she played, more specifically when her mom stuck up for her after another parent complained about how many goals she scored. And she remembers the tournament when she was 10 or 11 years old in which the foul she committed gave the opposing team a penalty kick that decided the game. The mistake itself isn't a pleasant memory, but the run that her team made to reach the game lingers fondly.

Soccer has been a part of her life, helped shape her life, since she was 4 years old. But when Howard University next loses a game, either in this week's Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament in Alabama or the NCAA tournament beyond, Ruddy's competitive career will in all likelihood end with the final whistle. That doesn't mean she will leave the game -- or it her.

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Culver Column: A warning against impatience

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Back in July, I spoke with Earl M. Hilton III, the athletic director at North Carolina A&T.

He said there’s “no mystery” to fixing a school’s APR issues. Bring on more academic support staff, have a vision and stick by the process.

In 2012, the Aggies were stuck with a postseason ban, practice reductions and other penalties from Level Three NCAA sanctions. Those sanctions were handed down after years of APR issues and previous penalties.

Hilton was brought on in 2011 alongside head football coach Rod Broadway. Today, North Carolina A&T's football team is on top of the MEAC and is ranked No. 19 among all FCS schools. For good measure the group posted an APR of 934 for the 2013-2014 academic year.

The right people were hired, and A&T is doing just fine.

“Coach Wood is a good football coach,” Broadway said after A&T’s 28-10 victory over the Rattlers.

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Kentucky Wildcats vs Kentucky State: Start time, online stream, TV coverage, radio and more

Here is everything you need for Kentucky's matchup with Kentucky State this Friday

Kentucky Wildcats vs Kentucky State Thorobreds
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Location: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
TV: ESPNU
Online Stream: You can watch the game online via Watch ESPN and the Watch ESPN App
Announcers: TBA
Radio: 98.1 FM and 630 AM in Lexington. Go here for a list of radio affiliates based on where you live.

EXCERPT:

LEXINGTON, Kentudky -- The Kentucky Wildcats will be back on the court for one final exhibition tune-up game this Friday when the Kentucky State Thorobreds come to Rupp Arena.

As for the Thorobreds, they're led by Malcolm Smith, a sophomore guard from Cincinnati, Ohio who, is the team's top returning scorer after averaging 12.5 points per game in his freshman season. He also was one of the most efficient shooters in the conference, ranking in the top 10 in the SIAC in field goal percentage (.504) and 3-point percentage (.400).

Kentucky State also has a first-year head coach in Darnell Williams, who looks to lead the Thorobreds back to the top of the SIAC standings after they posted a 9-18 overall record with a 7-12 mark in conference play last season. They were picked to finish sixth in the SIAC West division out of eight teams in the preseason predicted standings.

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Whitney Gathright is 1st GCAC Player of Week in 2015-16

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Whitney Gathright, who scored 21 points in a season-opening victory Saturday, is the first Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week in women's basketball for the 2015-16 season.

Gathright, a 5-foot-4 senior point guard from New Orleans and a graduate of John Curtis Christian School, led the Gold Nuggets in a 47-42 victory at Webber International. Gathright made a career-high-tying four 3-pointers in six attempts, and her 21 points are the most by a Gold Nugget in an opener in the last 13 seasons.

It's the third time that Gathright has been a GCAC Player of the Week — only Brittany Powell, with four awards from 2008-10, has won more for the Gold Nuggets — and it's the first time that a Gold Nugget has won the weekly award in three different seasons.

Xavier (2-0), ranked 21st in NAIA Division I, will play NCAA Division II member LeMoyne-Owen in an exhibition game at 6 p.m. Saturday at XU's Convocation Center.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Gold Rush lose exhibition at Southeastern Louisiana

HAMMOND, Louisiana -- Xavier University of Louisiana played solidly for the first 25 minutes before Southeastern Louisiana pulled away for a 79-61 men's basketball exhibition victory Wednesday.

Morris Wright scored 18 points, and Lucas Martin-Julien had 11 points and four steals for the Gold Rush, ranked 19th in NAIA Division I. Wesley Pluviose-Philip and Gary Smith scored six points apiece.

Mike Hawkins scored 22 points for the Lions. James Currington had 15 points and 17 rebounds, and Zay Jackson scored 14.

Xavier, in its only exhibition of the season, led for nearly 7 1/2 minutes against its NCAA Division I opponent. Wright's 3-pointer at 8:06 of the first half gave Xavier its biggest lead, 21-15. Chris Ward's basket with 15:21 remaining gave Xavier its final lead, 38-36.

Currington's layup tied the score at 38 with 15:10 remaining, then Joshua Filmore followed with consecutive 3-pointers to put the Lions ahead to stay, 44-38. Jackson's layup at 9:19 capped a 21-2 run and gave SLU a 57-40 lead.

Southeastern led 30-28 at halftime.

Xavier dominated at the free-throw line, making 30-of-39 to the Lions' 15-of-27. Wright made all 10 of his free throws. Southeastern outshot Xavier 46.8 to 32.6 percent from the floor and had a 45-30 rebound advantage.

It was the second meeting of the Gold Rush and Lions. Southeastern won 76-71 in a regular-season game during the 1977-78 season.

Xavier will play another NCAA member, Spring Hill of Division II, at 4 p.m. Saturday at XU's Convocation Center. Southeastern will open its regular season Nov. 13 at TCU.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Pirkl, Hunt-Thompson earn GCAC weekly awards

NEW ORLEANS — The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference has honored two from Xavier University of Louisiana for their volleyball performances of Oct. 26-Nov. 1. Franziska Pirkl is the Setter of the Week, and Ruby Hunt-Thompson is the Attacker of the Week.

Pirkl was honored for the fourth time this season. Hunt-Thompson's award is her first.

Pirkl, a senior from Munich, Germany, and a graduate of Theodolinden Gymnasium, produced 94 assists, 16 digs, three kills and a block during the Gold Nuggets' 2-0 week. Pirkl's 43 assists Saturday against SUNO were her most ever in a three-set match. Two days earlier, she had a season-high 51 assists in a five-set victory at Loyola.

Hunt-Thompson, a home-schooled freshman from Evanston, Ill., hit .408 and produced 25 kills, eight blocks, six digs and two aces. She had career highs of 15 kills, .538 hitting percentage (minimum 10 attempts) and five blocks against Loyola, and she had 10 kills, three blocks, a career-best six digs and a career-high-tying two aces against SUNO.

Hunt-Thompson leads the GCAC in hitting percentage (.297) and is trying to become the first freshman in five years to lead the conference in that category. Pirkl leads the GCAC with 8.9 assists her set.

Xavier (16-7, 10-1 GCAC) will close the regular season at 7 p.m. Monday at GCAC and city rival Dillard. The Gold Nuggets would earn no worse than a share of the GCAC regular-season championship by defeating the Lady Bleu Devils. The GCAC Tournament will be Nov. 13-14 at Little Rock, Ark.

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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Preview: Prairie View A&M vs. Alcorn State

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- Prairie View A&M University head coach Willie Simmons recaps PVAMU's last win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Halloween and previews this weekend's SWAC showdown at his former employer in Alcorn State in Lorman, Mississippi.



COURTESY PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

JSU D line aims to regain old form

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Four opponents rushed for at least 150 yards and averaged more than 4 yards per carry in Jackson State’s first five games this season.

In the three games since, opposing teams have rushed for 290 yards on 118 attempts, which is good for 2.45 yards per carry.

The improvement over the past few weeks doesn’t have much to with schematics, defensive tackle Cornelius Henderson said.

“Honestly, I don’t think it’s Xs and Os,” Henderson said before practice on Wednesday. “We as a defense have woken up and started to find ourselves. We’re playing with more of an attitude on the field and just arriving to the ball with bad intentions.”

The past three opponents are a combined 2-16 in SWAC play, so that probably has something to do with the improvement.

Saturday’s home game against Alabama State (4-4, 4-3 SWAC) will offer a better indication of how much the Tigers’ (3-5, 3-3) run (and overall) defense has really improved.

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Despite season's wild swings, Fayetteville State Broncos end up right where they wanted to be

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina -- In the aftermath of Fayetteville State's 42-35 overtime loss at Livingstone on Saturday, the mood in the Broncos' locker room was understandably downbeat. An interception late in regulation and another at the goal line in overtime had appeared to end Fayetteville State's chances for a CIAA Southern Division title.

"That's probably one of the worst ones I've been a part of," Broncos coach Lawrence Kershaw said.

But then, players began getting texts from Fayetteville State's cheerleaders.

Already on the bus and headed back to campus, they'd seen that Winston-Salem State, the first-place team in the division, had lost to Shaw. That meant Saturday's game between the Rams and Broncos would decide who gets a bid in the CIAA championship game.

What at one point looked like the Broncos' lost cause was now very much in play.

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Jackson State Names Darnell Walker Head Softball Coach

JACKSON, Mississippi -- The Jackson State University Division of Athletics has named Darnell Walker as its head softball coach. Walker, who previously worked as an assistant coach in the Lady Tigers softball program, returns to JSU after spending a year as the head coach of the Coahoma Community College softball program.

Walker was an assistant coach under former head coach Rick Fremin from 2013-14. During that time frame the Lady Tigers boasted 25 or more wins each season. JSU won back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Eastern Division Championships — the first in the school’s history.

The Lady Tigers broke or set a total of fourteen (14) National/ School records, while securing the program’s first victory over a Big 12 opponent Texas Tech in 2013 and in 2014 SEC opponent University of Arkansas. During the 2013 and 2014 season’s the student athletes maintained and G.P.A. of 3.2 and 3.47 respectively and boasted eight Academic All-Americans during the 2014 season.

Walker also served for two years as a volunteer assistant coach for the JSU Baseball team, and equipment manager for the JSU Football and Women’s Basketball teams.

His prior coaching experience includes stints as the head baseball coach at Henry Ford Community College, Dearborn, MI; (2003-2004) and the Detroit Public School System (1994-2004). He coached several Region XII All-Conference players and helped numerous student-athletes move on to play at the Division I level.

Walker graduated from Wiley College in Marshall, TX. He was named an Outstanding Young Man of America, a four-year letter winner and the Wiley College 1993 Athlete of the Year while at Wiley. He also holds a Masters Degree from Jackson State University in Health, Physical Education and Recreation.

COURTESY JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Southern hopes for better weather so its passing game will be cleared for takeoff

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Mother Nature has slowed down the Southern passing offense more effectively than most Southwestern Athletic Conference teams’ defenses have.

The Jaguars zipped through their first four SWAC games with one of the most productive passing games in the conference. Then the rains came: first in Houston against Texas Southern two weeks ago, then last week at A.W. Mumford Stadium against Alcorn State.

In both cases, the deteriorating conditions made passing far more difficult than normal, first in a 40-21 victory, then in a 48-7 defeat.

Quarterback Austin Howard said the conditions for the Alcorn game were the worst he has ever played in, “much worse than Texas Southern.”

The Jaguars actually completed a higher percentage of their passes the past two games than they did in their first four — 69.5 percent to 68.8 percent — but that’s partly because of the need to reduce the degree of difficulty under the conditions.

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SWAC reprimands football game officials

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference today reprimanded the game officials from Saturday's football contest between Alabama A&M and Alabama State for unintentionally granting a fifth down during the contest.

After a thorough review, the Conference office determined that Alabama State played a fifth down at the 6:34 mark in the first quarter.

“We expect our officials to perform at the highest of standards while officiating”. SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp said. “We will continue to work with Harold Mitchell (SWAC Coordinator of Officials) to ensure this type of situation does not happen again”.

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS

FAMU Rattlers look to make most of final 3 games

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M coach Alex Wood is disappointed with the way the Rattlers’ season has gone so far, but said there are still games left to play.

If nothing else, he said, the Rattlers (1-7, 1-4 MEAC) will come out ready to play in each of the teams final games, all of which are on the road.

“We’re professionals,” Wood said .

“There are games left to play and we made a commitment to do this. Not to do it because it’s going well, you do it because that’s what we’re supposed to do. Finish out strong.”

FAMU takes on Hampton (4-5, 3-3) at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Virginia. The Rattlers haven’t faced the Pirates since 2012, but Florida A&M is 13-8 all time against Hampton.

Wood said the team is still excited to play, but there’s no shaking the sense of disappointment in the Rattlers’ season. FAMU is once again in danger of ending up with 10 losses for the first time in school history.

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HU to stickirgi with Antoine as starting quarterback

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

HAMPTON, Virginia — Due to unexpected circumstances, Hampton University coach Connell Maynor had no choice but to take the red shirt off sophomore quarterback Jerrell Antoine last week. And with two games remaining in the season, Maynor is going to get the most out of it.

Though David Watford's one-game suspension is over, Maynor said Wednesday that Antoine will start Saturday's home game against Florida A&M. Antoine, who didn't play in the season's first eight games, started and went the entire game in last week's 34-20 loss at South Carolina State.

"Jerrell's going to start this week," Maynor said. "David will be the backup. If Jerrell's not playing well and I think David gives us a better chance to win the game, I'll put David in. If not, I'll (keep) Jerrell in."

Watford, who started the Pirates' first eight games, was one of four players suspended for a violation of team rules, according to Maynor. The other three, all starters, were center Michael Young, defensive tackle Robert Zimmerman and rover Jaston George.

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