N.C. A&T holds postseason edge as Aggie-Eagle Classic looms

GREENSBORO — And so N.C. A&T’s football season comes down to one last regular-season game.

Win, and the Aggies go to the postseason.

Lose, and things get messy.

A&T (9-1, 7-0 MEAC) hosts rival N.C. Central (7-3, 6-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday in the annual Aggie-Eagle Classic, a big game under normal circumstances.

But these aren’t normal circumstances, especially with Bethune-Cookman (8-2, 6-1) hosting hapless Florida A&M (1-9, 1-6) later Saturday.

The race for the Celebration Bowl shapes up like this:

• A&T advances with: 1. A victory over Central; or 2. A loss coupled with a Bethune-Cookman victory.
• Central advances with: 1. A victory at A&T coupled with a Bethune-Cookman loss.
• Bethune-Cookman cannot advance, losing each tiebreaker.

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Miles Golden Bears Wins Over Lee Flames in Shootout,106-101

CARROLLTON, Georgia – The Lee University men's basketball team battled back from a 21-point deficit midway of the first half but could never quite get over the hump in a 106-101 loss to Miles College (Atlanta) on Saturday afternoon in the West Georgia Classic.

The Flames opened the 2015-16 season by trailing the Bears 66-54 at the end of the first half. "I don't think I've ever had a team give up 66 points in a half," stated a frustrated Lee head coach Tommy Brown after the contest. "We were pitiful at times and I was really disappointed with some of our players returning from last season."

The Bears blistered the Flames by shooting 77 percent from 3-point range (10-of-23) in the first 20 minutes. The Flames did a better job of closing out on the 3-point shooters in the second half, but Miles started going inside and either converted from the field or went to the free-throw line.

For the game, the Atlanta squad shot 51 percent from the field, 67 percent (12-of-18) from behind the arc and made 24-of-39 free throws.

The Flames didn't shoot that poorly and came firing back to cut the Bear lead to only two points late in the contest. "Each time they came up with a big bucket, or we were called for a foul," noted coach Brown. All totaled Lee was whistled for 26 fouls and Miles was called for 29 violations.

Five Flames hit double figures in the loss. CJ Reese earned the game's high-scoring honors with 27 points. He was 10-of-15 from the field and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Keevin Tyus followed with 18 points, five rebounds and three assists. Elgrin Wilson followed closely with 17 markers, while Chase Cullen tallied 14 and Jervon Johnson nailed his long-range 3-point shots and totaled 12 points.

Lee shot 56 percent from the field, good enough to win most games. They also made 7-of-14 3-point attempts and went to the line 37 times and converted 28. Brown pointed out that will win most contests if your team plays solid defense.

The Bears countered with six players in double digits. Maiscei Grier was sizzling hot most of the afternoon and finished with 24 points. Willie Gray opened the afternoon with four straight 3-pointers and tallied 17 points. Gerald Maddox and Kyle Doyle countered with 14 apiece.

Brown admitted it hurt having his big man Rantavious Gilbert in foul trouble much of the game. "We couldn't keep him in the contest," the coach admitted. Gilbert did manage to pull down seven rebounds and block four shots while scoring his two points.

Lee will have very little time to rest. The Flames will search for their first win of the year on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. when they face another team from the SIAC in Lane College (Jackson, Tenn.).

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COURTESY LEE UNIVERSITY FLAMES ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Benedict Tops Valdosta State In OT, 71-61

FORT VALLEY, Georgia – The Benedict Tigers outscored Valdosta State 10-0 in overtime to take a 71-61 victory on Saturday in the SIAC vs. Gulf South Conference challenge tournament.

Quayshun Hawkins was a perfect six-for-six at the free-throw line in overtime, while Valdosta missed all eight field goal attempts in the extra period.

The win improves Benedict to 2-0 on the young season. Valdosta State fell to 1-1.

Hawkins led Benedict with 22 points. Brennan Reynard added 12 points and dished out four assists. Lafonzo Smith grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and recorded three blocked shots.

Benedict was down 19-11 early in the game, but rallied to take a 29-27 lead at the half after a 3-pointer by Tyoun Shuford right before the buzzer.

Valdosta State had a 59-57 lead with 1:19 left in the game, but Reynard tied the game at 59 with a fast-break layup. Hawkins then put the Tigers ahead 61-59 with two free throws with 36 seconds left. Valdosta State's Blake Justice hit a jumper with 21 seconds left to tie the game again. Hawkins missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.

Reynard got the scoring started in the overtime period with a fast-break layup. Hawkins made three trips to the free-throw line and Rydealous Taylor scored on a dunk with four seconds left to close out the game.

The Tigers will take on Livingstone College on Friday at 5:30 p.m. on the campus of Johnson C. Smith in Charlotte, N.C. Benedict will face Johnson C. Smith o
n Saturday at 4 p.m.

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COURTESY BENEDICT COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

Gimme 5! XU tops SUNO for GCAC tourney title

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — A first-set loss did not deter Xavier University of Louisiana in the championship match of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament.
     
The Gold Nuggets roared back Saturday, getting 16 kills and three blocks from tournament MVP Claudia Haywood and a 23-25, 27-25, 25-21, 25-15 victory that gave Xavier its fifth consecutive championship.
     
"Coaches always have doubts when things don't start well," XU coach Hannah Lawing said, "but you've got to push those doubts out of your mind. SUNO played fantastic, but we found ways to capitalize on our opportunities."
     
The victory qualified Xavier (19-7) for the NAIA National Championship for the fifth straight year. The Gold Nuggets will learn by Monday of their first-round destination and opponent.
     
Haywood, a senior middle blocker, was chosen tournament MVP for the second time in three years. Teammates Taylor Reuther, Jodi Hill and Franziska Pirkl were chosen all-tournament, with Reuther earning that honor for the fourth time.
     
"I thought Taylor was going to be MVP, because she played great," Haywood said. "MVP wasn't about me. I couldn't have won it without my teammates."
     
"Claudia deserved MVP," Reuther said. "She's a fantastic player. She plays her butt off every play."
     
Hill had 11 kills, three aces and two blocks. Reuther had 10 kills, 10 digs, one ace and one block, and Pirkl had five kills, 46 assists, two aces, 11 digs and two blocks. Darian Harris had 24 digs, and CeCe Williams had 12 digs.
     
SUNO (19-8) lost in the finals for the third straight year and the fifth time in six years. The Lady Knights shared the regular-season championship with Xavier after becoming the only GCAC opponent of the last five seasons to defeat the Nuggets. That SUNO victory occurred Sept. 25 in five sets at SUNO.
     
Xavier lost a set in the title round for the first time but rallied to tie the match on its fourth set point. The Gold Nuggets led 9-1 in the third set and won the final set by double digits after trailing 5-1.
     
"We played with a lot of confidence in the third set, and it stayed with us," Reuther said. "SUNO played with a lot of heart and played together, but we had to show them we were No. 1."
     
Marija Stojijkovoc had 12 kills for SUNO, and Johnee LeBlanc had eight kills and 20 digs.
     
Hill had 13 kills, three aces, four blocks and hit .500 Saturday in Xavier's 25-13, 25-5, 25-16semifinal victory against Talladega. The Gold Nuggets, who had a bye in Friday's first round, hit a season-high .481 against Talladega.
     
Like her six seniors — Harris, Haywood, Hill, Pirkl, Reuther and Williams — Lawing has been part of four GCAC tourney championships. The first occurred in 2012 as an assistant coach, the last three as head coach. Reuther is a fifth-year senior who missed the 2014 season because of injury.
     
Including tournaments, Xavier has won 72 of its last 73 matches against GCAC opponents. The Nuggets have not lost in the GCAC Tournament since a five-setter against SUNO in the 2010 semifinals.

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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Tuskegee Golden Tigers travel to Catawba for opening round of DII Playoffs

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana | The long wait for many teams is officially over as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced the NCAA Division II football brackets Sunday evening.
 
But the wait was even longer for the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers as they were off for a week after falling to Miles in the final regular season game.
 
And the wait became even longer as the brackets were unveiled starting with Super Regions one and four, and finally when Super Region Two was announced the Golden Tigers appeared on the screen as the last team in the bracket.
 
Tuskegee (8-2) was awarded the sixth seed in the bracket, and will travel to Salisbury (NC) to face SAC champion, and third seeded, Catawba (9-2) at 12 noon (est) on Saturday, November 21.
 
The Golden Tigers qualified for the playoffs for the third straight season, and will be in the same game as they were in last year against West Georgia although they were the three seed in that game.
 
Jewell Ratliff, the SIAC Player and Defensive Player of the Year, will lead a defense for the Golden Tigers into North Carolina for the second time this season. The Golden Tigers are among the best in the country defensively, in the top 10 in nine different categories – including leading the nation in defensive touchdowns.
 
On offense, SIAC second-team selections Dennis Norfleet and Marquel Gardner will lead an offense into the playoff game that is the top scoring offense in the SIAC at 30.3 points per game.
 
For more information about Tuskegee University athletics, follow us on Twitter @MyTUAthletics and like us on Facebook.

NCAA PLAYOFF BRACKET 

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Bowie State Football Earns NCAA Division II Super Region I Playoff Berth

BOWIE, Maryland – For the first time since 1988, the Bowie State University football team has earned a berth into the NCAA Division II playoffs. The Bulldogs (9-2) will travel to #3 Assumption College (10-1) in Worcester, Massachusetts for Saturday's (11/21) first round clash.

Bowie State was ranked second in the Super Region I Poll prior to Saturday's (11/14) CIAA Championship game, but dropped to sixth in the region after losing to Winston-Salem State.

"Hats off to our guys and coaching staff … We've done a great job all year", said 7th-year head coach Damon Wilson following today's (11/15) announcement. "We lost a tough game yesterday but have an opportunity to continuing playing [post season] football for the second time in school history … This is an exciting time!"

In Bowie State's 1988 appearance at Portland (Ore.) State, the Bulldogs lost to the Vikings by a score of 34-17.

The top seed in Shepherd (10-0) and the Rams will have a first round bye. In other Super Region I matchups, #4 Charleston (W.Va.) will host #5 Indiana (Pa.), and #2 Slippery Rock will host CIAA conference member #7 Virginia Union University.

All games will be played on the host campus and will kickoff at 12 noon.

COMPLETE BRACKET

COURTESY BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

Virginia Union Makes NCAA Playoffs for First Time in 24 Years

RICHMOND, Virginia -- Virginia Union University's football team will face Slippery Rock University in the first round of the NCAA Division II Football Playoffs, to be held on Saturday, November 21, in Slippery Rock, Pa.

It marks the first time that VUU has made the NCAA Playoffs since 1991, a span of 24 years.

The team watched the announcement in the Wall Auditorium of the Ellison Center on the VUU campus in Richmond, Va.

VUU was named the seventh seed in Super Region 1, with Slippery Rock being the #2 seed.

This will be the first meeting the two schools. VUU is 8-2 while Slippery Rock is 10-1 and champions of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

The game will kickoff at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 21, Mihalik-Thompson Stadium in Slippery Rock, Pa.

NCAA BRACKET

COURTESY VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

LSUS rallies past XU in matchup of ranked NAIA teams

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana -- Kourtney Pennywell's 20 points and 13 rebounds helped LSU-Shreveport rally for a 57-49 women's basketball victory Sunday against Xavier University of Louisiana in the LSUS Classic.

The Pilots (2-1), ranked 25th in NAIA Division I, trailed 29-23 at halftime against the Gold Nuggets (3-2), ranked 21st. LSUS took the lead for good with a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter.

Xavier had a chance to tie in the final minutes, but Trana Hopkins missed a 3-pointer at 1:40 with LSUS leading 52-49.

Hopkins led Xavier with a career-high-tying 17 points. Donyeah Mayfield and Kiera Robinson scored 11 points apiece, but both fouled out.

Pennywell, a first-team All-American as a sophomore in 2014-15, outscored Xavier from the free-throw line 14-of-22 to 11-of-17. The Pilots made 28-of-42 free throws, 17-of-22 in the second half.

Xavier limited LSUS to 29.8 percent from the floor, but the Gold Nuggets shot a season-worst 27.5 percent -- 20.5 percent in the second half. Xavier was 3-of-21 from the floor in the fourth quarter.

Xavier all-star guard Whitney Gathright, who scored a career-best 33 points Saturday in an overtime victory against NAIA No. 7 Our Lady of the Lake, scored five points. Gathright was 1-of-13 from the floor, 1-of-7 on 3-pointers and 2-of-2 from the line. Gathright led Xavier with a season-high eight rebounds.

Oklahoma City, the 2015 NAIA champion, rallied from 11 down to defeat Our Lady of the Lake 87-85 in Sunday's first game. LSUS beat Oklahoma City 72-60 Saturday.

The Gold Nuggets' next game will be a homecoming matchup at 11 a.m. Saturday against Eastern Oregon, ranked 14th in NAIA Division II.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Nuggets, Gathright score milestone victory vs. No. 7 OLLU

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana -- Whitney Gathright led a Xavier University of Louisiana record comeback and reached 1,000 career points Saturday in a 91-86 overtime women's basketball victory against Our Lady of the Lake at the LSUS Classic.

Gathright scored 16 points in the final 6 1/2 minutes of regulation after the Gold Nuggets (3-1) trailed 64-47, and the all-star senior point guard finished with a career-high 33. Gathright's only shot of overtime, a 3-pointer with 1:22 remaining, put Xavier ahead to stay, 89-86, and made her the 20th Gold Nugget to reach 1,000 career points.

It was the largest comeback victory in the Nuggets' history -- there were rallies from 16 down against Phillips (Miss.) in 1983-84 and four years ago at Georgetown (Ky.) -- and it was their first victory against a top-7 team in nearly nine years. Our Lady of the Lake (0-1) is ranked seventh in NAIA Division I, and Xavier is 21st.

"It looked like the game was over when we were down 17," said Gathright, who has 1,002 points in four seasons, "but we weren't quitting. We started trapping on defense. We were going to roll the dice and see what happens."

Gathright produced three steals in the comeback, and seniors Trana Hopkins (10) and Donyeah Mayfield (5) produced the other points in the rally.

"A lot of people stepped up today," Gathright said.

Mayfield scored a career-high 19 points and matched her best of 16 rebounds. Hopkins scored a season-high 15. Alesha Smith, scored six of her season-high 11 points in overtime, and Emoni Harvey had five steals. Smith and Harvey are seniors.

"What I like about this team is that the seniors are showing leadership, and everybody is showing accountability," said XU coach Bo Browder.

Taylor Hamilton scored 23 points, Sonji Green had 22 points and 16 rebounds, and Alyssa Ward scored 12 for the Saints, who in this event beat Xavier 77-76 a year ago and 92-86 in 2013.

"We played great early, got up by 10, and played great at the end," Browder said. “Middle of the game we didn’t play very well. But we hung around, kept knocking on the door, and made something happen.”

Xavier made its final nine field-goal attempts of regulation. "I didn't realize we shot it that well," Browder said. "I know this -- at some point you have to make some shots to win."

For the game, Xavier shot 42.3 percent from the floor and made 7-of-13 3-pointers. The Nuggets reached 90 points for the first time since a 99-43 home victory against Concordia (Ala.) on Nov. 23, 2009.

The Gold Nuggets will play 25th-ranked LSU-Shreveport at 4 p.m. Sunday in the final game of the event. The Pilots beat defending national champion Oklahoma City 72-60 in the second game Saturday. The Stars share the No. 7 ranking with OLLU.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Hill leads Gold Nuggets into another GCAC final

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — Jodi Hill had 13 kills, three aces and four blocks Saturday morning to lead hot-hitting Xavier University of Louisiana to a 25-13, 25-5, 25-16 volleyball victory against Talladega in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.
     
The victory was the 10th in a row for the top-seeded Gold Nuggets (18-7), who will play SUNO or Edward Waters for the championship at 3 p.m. Saturday. Xavier seeks a fifth consecutive GCAC Tournament championship.
     
Hill, a senior middle blocker, hit .500 in a team-high 22 attacks. Xavier hit a season-best .481, collecting 43 kills and six errors in 77 attacks.
     
"Knowing that this is my last conference tournament, I just wanted to be effective and efficient and help us reach the championship round," Hill said. "Our team is close and we want to collectively win. I just wanted to add to that."
     
It was Hill's fifth match of the season with 10 or more kills and her third in the last four matches.
     
Jada Broussard had eight kills and hit .429 for Xavier. Ruby Hunt-Thompson had seven kills and hit .636. Taylor Reuther had nine digs, and Darian Harris had six. Franziska Pirkl had 21 assists.
     
Carla Novaes, who produced an NAIA season-best 39 kills Friday in a five-set victory against Dillard in the opening round, had eight kills and hit .154 for sixth-seeded Talladega (8-25). Tanaria Rounds had seven kills.
     
Xavier limited Talladega to .051 hitting and had advantages of 43-20 in kills, 5-3 in aces, 36-22 in digs and 5-0 in blocks.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Alcorn State Routs Texas Southern 65-13

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Alcorn State University Braves (6-3, 5-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) got back to their winning ways with a 65-13 victory over the Texas Southern University Tigers (3-6, 2-6).

The Braves onslaught started early in the first quarter with a 7-yard Lanorris Footman touchdown pass to JORDAN PAYNE. After a strong showing from the Braves defense, LAMARVIN ASHLEY blocked a punt and recovered it in the Tigers' teritory to give the Braves a 14-0 lead. Later in the quarter, Footman, who has had success running the ball over the past two weeks, rushed for a 1-yard touchdown. HAIDEN MCCRANEY' 36-yard field goal pushed the lead to 24-0 to end the quarter.

Footman continued his assault on the Tigers' defense in the second quarter with a 9-yard rushing score to put the Braves up 31-0. Later in the quarter, Footman found BRANDON VESSELL for a 14-yard touchdown pass to end the half with a 38-0 lead.

The Braves' momentum spilled over into the third quarter when DARRYAN RAGSDALE split the Tigers' defense for a 68-yard scamper that gave them a 45-0 lead. The Tigers got into the scoring mix when Darrell Robinson rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to give them their first score of the game. A few possessions later, ARRON BAKER punched in a 2-yard touchdown rush to give the Braves a 51-6 lead. The Tigers scored again toward the end of the third quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by Homer Causey to make the score 51-13.

JOE PRICE added to the Braves' strong rushing attack in the fourth quarter with a 4-yard touchdown run. Shortly after the offensive touchdown, the Braves' ANTONIO WELLS forced a fumble that was picked up and returned for a 23-yard touchdown by TERRELL WILLIAMS, giving them a 65-13 lead and the victory.

The Braves return home for Military/Senior Day next Saturday to face off against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs. If the Braves defeat the Bulldogs, they will clinch the SWAC East division and solidify their spot in the SWAC Championship game Dec. 5 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.


Justus Reed, Alcorn State Marketing and Communication
ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

HBCU Football Judgment Day Scoreboard: Week 11 (Nov.14)

SATURDAY, November 14, 2015


CIAA CHAMPIONSHIP
Winston-Salem State 17, Bowie State 14

SIAC CHAMPIONSHIP
Miles 20, Albany State 7

CSFL
Langston 50, Texas College 0

PSAC
Indiana (Pa.) 62, Cheyney 0

MEC
West Liberty 42, West Virginia State 36



GLIAC
Southwest Baptist 62, Lincoln (Mo.) 19

MEAC
North Carolina A&T 27, Delaware State 6
Morgan State 21, Florida A&M 7
Hampton 42, Savannah State 3
North Carolina Central 41, Howard 6
South Carolina State 17, Norfolk State 10

SWAC
Alcorn State 65, Texas Southern 13
Prairie View A&M 38, Alabama State 13
Grambling State 42, Arkansas Pine Bluff 31 Homecoming

SIAC
North Greenville 35, Livingstone 17

INDEPENDENT 
Point U. 49, Concordia-Selma 7

Miles College wins 2015 SIAC Football Championship

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Miles head coach Reginald Ruffin has been looking for his team to play a complete game all season long. In the most important game of the season, the Golden Bears finally delivered.

Cedric Poole returned the opening kickoff 90 yards to set up a score, running back Jamarcus Nance ran for a career-high 145 yards and two touchdowns and the defense harassed Albany State quarterback Caleb Edmonds all night en route to a 20-7 victory in the SIAC Championship Game.

The win was the sixth straight for Miles (7-4), which avenged a 29-16 loss to the Golden Rams (6-4) on Oct. 3 and secured the second league title for the Golden Bears and first since 2011.

"We stalled a little bit offensively and our defense bent but they didn't break," said head coach Reginald Ruffin. "We came up with the big plays when we needed to. The resiliency that these guys have. They never gave up and that's so important."



Miles may have received a little help from the officials early in the game. After Miles had taken a 10-0 in the first quarter 20-yard field goal and 2-yard scoring run from Nance, Edmonds broke free down the sideline on the first play of the second quarter and appeared to have scored on a 25-yard run. The officials, though, ruled he was out at the 1-yard line – a yard Albany State would never get.

After three tries to punch it in, the golden Rams settled for a field goal attempt that missed right.

"We feed off the defense. They had a tremendous effort. They just kept stopping them and kept stopping them," Nance said. "Then, they'd come to the sideline and get us up. We just all came together as a team, which was our goal from the very beginning."

Nance would score his second touchdown with 3:46 left in the first half and Miles would go into halftime with a 17-0 lead. This season, though, Miles has coughed up several leads in the second half, something the team did not want to happen Saturday night.

"In first half, we had the right mindset. We were like we have to play 4 quarters," said Nance, who was named the team's most valuable player of the game. "When we went in for halftime, we talked about being patient."



Quarterback David Whipple, who had rushed for more than 100 yards the last three weeks, had only seven yards rushing but threw for 153 yards in the win. He was comfortable feeding the ball to Nance in the second half.

"They went zero most of the first half so we had to throw it," Whipple said. But in the second half, the run game opened up and (Nance) was able to bust some big ones for us and that helped us out."

Albany State got on the board with a 14-yard touchdown pass with 2:41 left in the third quarter when Edmonds found Thomas Smith alone in the end zone. But the Golden Bears defense held Golden Rams in check. Anthony Hardy had a team-high 11 tackles (nine solo) and Braysean Jones was nearly unstoppable at defensive end, recording six tackles, five quarterback hurries, a sack and a forced fumble.

Poole closed the game out with an interception that sealed the deal and started the championship celebration for the Golden Bears, who play next week at Alabama State to close the season.

Jerome Woods contributed to this report

Box Score 

COURTESY MILES COLLEGE GOLDEN BEARS SPORTS INFORMATION

Morgan State smothers Florida A&M Rattlers, 21-7

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- The Morgan State Bears came home in time to reestablish some things in their 21-7 victory over the Florida A&M Rattlers at Hughes Stadium.

For one, the defense quickly got their groove back in allowing just 196 total yards on the afternoon. That included limiting the Rattlers to just 60 rushing yards in the game.

"The defense has been playing well all year," said Morgan State head coach Lee Hull. "I'm proud of them."

"They executed and I think they came along a lot quicker. Coach [Mike] Fanoga has done a great job of getting those guys to act as one unit. You can see by the stats that not one person is making all the plays."

The win also ended the Bears' three-game losing streak which took them out of the MEAC championship hunt. But they do have a chance to finish above .500 overall with a win next week against Norfolk State, enabling the Bears to record back-to-back seasons of above .500 overall record for the first time since 2002-2003.

The offense got themselves going again, recording 540 total yards this afternoon. MSU quarterback Moses Skillon completed 16 of 30 passes for 327 yards and one touchdown and ran seven times for 74 yards and a touchdown as well.

Florida A&M (1-9, 1-5 MEAC) opened the scoring with Kenneth Coleman throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Norwood with 13:20 remaining in the second quarter. This gave the Rattlers a 7-0 lead. That would wind up being the only points FAMU scored all day.

The Bears countered with a score of their own on Orlando Johnson's eight yard touchdown run with six minutes remaining. The extra point by Chris Moller tied the game at 7. The score would remain tied at halftime.

Johnson had a good day with 20 rushes for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Skillon pushed Morgan State ahead for good with his 3-yard TD run with 4:40 left in the third quarter. Moller's extra point put the Bears ahead 14-7.

The big play of the day came in the fourth quarter as a 6-yard pass play to Andrew King turned into an 83-yard big play as King dashed up and down the field to avoid tacklers, scoring a touchdown with 12:35 left in the game. The TD capped the scoring for Morgan State (4-5, 4-3 MEAC).

"We noticed that they were in man coverage, so Moses got pressure and he threw the ball right on the spot," King said about his touchdown. "I just made the play and got blockers downfield who set it up for me and I just ran it in. It's all thanks to the other 10 teammates on the field."

King had a career day by recording 6 catches for 168 yards and a touchdown.

"We've been waiting for Andrew to have a breakout game," said Hull. "Teams have been doing a lot of things to try to hold him back. He was held on this play and he got away from that, caught the ball and did a great job. The rest of the receivers did a great job of blocking for him. We're trying to get these guys to be a team that is selfless. Do your job. It doesn't matter who scores as long as you win. They're starting to get it."

The Bears close out their season next week with Senior Day at Hughes Stadium when they host the Norfolk State Spartans. Kickoff is set for 1 pm.

BOX SCORE

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PVAMU's Complete Performance Leads To Impressive Win Over Alabama State

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Prairie View A&M put forth a complete performance on the field Saturday afternoon as they defeated Alabama State 38-13 at New ASU Stadium.

Redshirt freshman Dominique Weaver made a big interception on the opening drive and it only took one play for the Panthers to strike as Trey Green found a wide open KhaDarel Hodge for a 59-yard scoring strike and a 7-0 lead following the PAT. However, the momentum was short-lived as Alabama State's Daniel Duhart connected with Joshua Davis on a 58-yard touchdown reception two plays into the Hornets' drive.

Both teams traded punts from that point and the Panthers would put together a long scoring drive as Owen Hoolihan connected on a 21-yard field goal with 12:58 remaining in the second quarter. The defense forced ASU to punt once again and the Panthers continued their offensive success as Courtney Brown capped off a seven-play, 49-yard drive with a seven-yard rush up the middle for a 17-7 lead after Hoolihan's PAT.



PVAMU's special teams came up with another big play as Raymond Jackson blocked an ASU punt to give PVAMU great field position as the ASU 9. Unfortunately, the Panthers left points on the board as an offensive pass interference penalty negated a potential touchdown followed by a missed field goal attempt. ASU continued its offensive struggles as they had to punt once again and the Panthers mixed in a steady dose of run and pass as De'Auntre Smiley crossed the plane into the end zone on fourth down for a 23-7 lead after the PAT.

Junior Marquice O'Leary made a big interception on the following drive and the Panthers once again were in position to close out the half with a scoring drive but Anthony Wiltz's 48-yard reception at the 1 was fumbled out of the end zone as the half would come to a close.

The contest turned into a defensive battle to open the third quarter as both teams traded punts early on. The Panthers would regain their rhythm on their third drive of the quarter as Christian Rousseau, Trey Green and Raymond Jackson had big plays to move into scoring position as Green's pass to Johnta' Hebert kept the drive alive on a 4th-and-2 at the 24. Wiltz capped off the drive with an impressive double move to freeze the ASU defender as his 19-yard touchdown reception and Hoolihan's PAT gave PVAMU a 31-7 lead with 52 seconds left in the third quarter.

ASU added its final score of the game early in the fourth quarter and the Panthers closed out their scoring on the ensuing drive as Hebert opened the drive with a 53-yard run to the ASU 12 followed by an eight-yard touchdown run from Green for the final score of the game.

Prairie View A&M finished with 534 total offensive yards (328 P, 206 R) while the defense held ASU to only 283 total yards. Hebert finished with 101 rushing yards on 18 carries while Hodge led all wide receivers with 101 yards on four receptions and a touchdown. Green passed for 299 yards on 16-of-27 passing with two touchdowns while Jalan Coleman led all defenders with eight tackles.

The 2015 regular season comes to a close next weekend as the Panthers will host Jackson State at Waller ISD Stadium at 1 p.m.

NOTES
Saturday's win in Montgomery, Ala. marked the third win all-time in the city for the Panthers as they won in 2007 and 2009.

Prairie View A&M's eight wins marks the most wins since the 2009 SWAC Championship season as they were 9-1 during that span.

The Panthers defeated ASU head coach Brian Jenkins for the first time ever as they last met in the 2011 MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Orlando, Fla. with Jenkins getting win as head coach at Bethune-Cookman.

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Hampton Pirates Upends SSU Tigers to Clinch Winning Season

SAVANNAH, Georgia  –  Another masterful defensive performance, along with four touchdowns from quarterback David Watford, gave the Hampton University football team a 42-3 win over Savannah State on Saturday at Ted A. Wright Stadium.

The Pirates finished the season at 6-5 and 5-3 in MEAC play, clinching their first winning season since 2011.

Watford completed 17 of 30 passes for the Pirates, racking up 263 yards and four scores. He wound up one shy of his season high in touchdown passes (Kentucky State), and Watford wound up with 21 touchdown passes on the season, second-most in program history.

Christopher Dukes rushed for a team-high 84 yards on 16 carries.

Twarn Mixson hauled in nine receptions for 172 yards – both career highs – and a touchdown. SeQuan Gooding had two touchdown receptions, catching five passes for 75 yards.

Rayshad Riddick also had a touchdown reception.

The Pirates racked up 389 yards of total offense, while the defense held Savannah State to just 173 yards and forced three turnovers. It marked the third time this season that Hampton's defense has held a team to less than 200 yards of total offense.

Tyrone Ward led a balanced attack on defense with seven tackles, while Joshua Thorne finished with six tackles. Thorne finished with 301 career tackles, fifth-most in program history.

Hampton struck first with 3:14 left in the first quarter, when Watford threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Mixson to cap off a 3-play, 54-yard drive. Watford followed that with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Gooding with 11:00 left in the second quarter to give the Pirates a 14-0 lead.

Hampton took that lead into the half.

The defense got in on the act in the third quarter, when Brendan Cole returned an interception 32 yards to give Hampton a 21-0 lead with 2:09 left.

Two of the three interceptions Savannah State threw came in the third quarter.

John Barron put the Tigers (1-8, 1-6 MEAC) on the board with a 28-yard field goal with 14:20 left in the fourth quarter. Savannah State had gotten prime field position on a fumble recovery, but the Tigers only went one yard in four plays before the field goal.

Gooding's second touchdown reception of the game came with 5:03 left, when he caught a 30-yard pass from Watford, capping a 4-play, 28-yard drive and giving the Pirates a 28-3 lead.

Hampton needed just four plays to go 56 yards on its next drive, taking a 35-3 lead with 2:23 left after Watford hit Riddick from 10 yards out.

The last score came with six seconds left, when Riddick ran a punt back 72 yards to put Hampton up 42-3. It was Hampton's first punt return for a touchdown since Jeremy Gilchrest ran one back against North Carolina A&T in 2008.

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.

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SCSU stops Norfolk State, 17-10

NORFOLK, Virginia — Redshirt junior quarterback Adrian Kollock Jr., in his first start since the season opener, directed two long fourth-quarter scoring drives to lift South Carolina State to a 17-10 come-from-behind win over Norfolk State Saturday at William “Dick” Price Stadium.

Kollock, who started in place of freshman Caleb York, who is out for the season after being diagnosed with a rare blood disorder following last week’s contest against North Carolina A&T, directed scoring drives of 79 and 76 yards in the final stanza to erase a 10-3 Spartan lead.



The Spartanburg native, who was injured Sept. 6 in the season opener against Arkansas Pine Bluff, and was replaced as the starter by York, completed 25 of 40 attempts for 255 yards and one score, an eight-yard scoring pass to fullback Dondre Brown with 7:36 left. Tyler Scandrett’s point after touchdown tied the contest at 10-10. Kollock completed all eight of his pass attempts and had a two-yard run on the drive.

After stopping the Spartans on their next possession and forcing a punt, the Bulldogs took over on their own 24. Kollock went to work again, connecting on seven of eight attempts, including a 34-yard completion to Taquan West, which gave S.C. State a first-and-goal at the Spartan six-yard line with 47 seconds on ...

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Lenard Tilley sets Southern rushing mark in with over Alabama A&M

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- On the day that Southern officially became incapable of winning its third consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division championship, the Jaguars still had plenty to celebrate.

They clinched their third consecutive winning season Saturday by blasting Alabama A&M 46-7 in A.W. Mumford Stadium, giving 23 seniors a victory in their final home game. They avoided a losing season at home by evening their record at Mumford at 2-2.

Southern is 6-4 overall and 6-2 in SWAC play heading into an open date before it faces Grambling in its season finale Nov. 28 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Along the way, Lenard Tillery became the school’s all-time leading rusher as the Jaguars dropped the Bulldogs to 2-7 and 2-5.

“To finish with a win at A.W. Mumford is big for us,” Tillery said. “The fact that it happened on senior night is like something out of a storybook.”

Tillery’s night was one for the record books. He rushed for 127 yards, and his career total of 3,050 surpasses the 3,015 that Steve Wofford gained from 1996-98. He broke Wofford’s record on a 39-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

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Grambling wins to clinch SWAC West

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas — Johnathan Williams passed for 339 yards and four touchdowns, and Grambling State jumped out to a 35-3 lead on its way to a 49-31 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday.

Leading 14-3 late in the first half, Grambling State (8-2, 8-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) forced a punt to get the ball back with just 1 second left. Rather than kneeling on it, Williams found Verlan Hunter for a 41-yard score as time expired.

“It was a tough one, but our kids kept fighting, and it got a little chippy there,” GSU coach Broderick Fobbs said, “but the good thing is everybody came out of it healthy and we look forward to having a week off so we can prepare for the Bayou Classic.”

Jateri Pouncey returned an interception for a 22-yard score on UAPB’s first possession of the second half, and Williams hit Hunter for 9 yards 55 seconds later to build the Tigers’ lead en route to clinching the West Division title.

Hunter had 77 yards on five catches to go with his two touchdowns for Grambling State.

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NCCU Beats Howard 41-6 for Sixth Straight Victory

WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  The Eagles of North Carolina Central University defeated the Howard University Bison 41-6 to keep their MEAC championship hopes alive.

The Eagles got off to a slow start as a fumble on the opening drive set up a Howard 39-yard field goal. The Eagles responded on the very next drive with a field goal of their own, a 25-yarder by Nigel Macauley, to tie the game at 3. That kick by Macauley broke the school record for field goals in a season with 17.

The game remained tied until the 2:47 mark in the second quarter, when a 6-yard touchdown run by redshirt junior quarterback Malcolm Bell put NCCU up 10-3. It did not take long for NCCU to extend its lead as a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown by redshirt freshman Davanta Reynolds put the score at 17-3.

At halftime the score was 20-3 as a 21-yard field goal by Macauley, the 18th of his rookie campaign, on the last play of the half gave the Eagles a comfortable lead.

After going scoreless in the third quarter, redshirt freshman Ramone Simpson found the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter to put the score at 27-6.

In the fourth quarter, Bell went on to find his rhythm in the passing game with an 8-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Armani Lanier, his sixth of the season, and a 74-yarder to junior LaVontis Smith to get two passing touchdowns on the day, and three total.

"We started out a little slow in the first quarter, but after that we got clicking," NCCU head coach Jerry Mack said. "I'm very proud of the guys offensively, defensively, and special teams came out and made a lot of different plays tonight."

NCCU has beaten Howard three years in a row and now takes the all-time series lead at 10-9-1.

On defense, NCCU (7-3, 6-1 MEAC) stopped all four of Howard's fourth down conversion attempts, remaining the only team in the NCAA to not allow a fourth down conversion. Senior safety C.J. Moore led the way with 11 tackles. The Eagles also intercepted four passes, with picks by Reynolds, Reggie Hunter, Cyrus Stanback and Tre'Von King. "Defense played outstanding, to hold a team to six points, and what they've been doing all year long on fourth down has been outstanding," Mack said.

NCCU finished the game with 424 yards of total offense. Bell accounted for 333 yards of it, gaining 41 on the ground and 292 through the air. "We just stayed the course, started a little slow, but came out in the second half and got it rolling," said Bell.

NCCU is currently on a six-game winning streak, claiming each game by an average margin of victory of 17 points. Next week, the Eagles travel to Greensboro to play in their regular-season finale against rival North Carolina A&T to determine the conference winner.

Looking ahead to next week, Mack said, "It's championship week, that's what we talked to the guys about in the locker room. We work 12 months out the year for one opportunity to have a chance to play for a championship, and we got
it this Saturday."

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Written by Justice Davis, NCCU student assistant
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Opportunistic Cohen Breaks A&T's Rushing Record; Aggies Win Share of MEAC Title

GREENSBORO, North Carolina – When you’re 5-foot-6, 173-pounds you have to make the best of your opportunities. That has been the story of North Carolina A&T running back Tarik Cohen. In the Aggies 27-6 win over Delaware State on Saturday afternoon at Aggie Stadium, Cohen became the Aggies all-time leading rusher.

A vintage 28-yard run by Cohen in the first quarter where he weaved in and out of traffic making multiple would-be tacklers miss created the historic moment. In 32 games played, he broke Mike Mayhew’s record of 3,521 yards set in 2012. Like Mayhew, Cohen wears No. 28 and like Mayhew, Cohen broke the record on a nationally-televised ESPNU broadcast from Aggie Stadium.

Cohen now has 3,623 career yards, and with one year of eligibility remaining he needs 1,049 yards to break S.C. State running back William Ford’s MEAC rushing record.

“It’s an honor to have a record like this considering all of the great running backs who came before me,” said Cohen. “This school has produced some great running backs like Maurice Smith, Maurice Hicks and the guy’s record who I broke today Mike Mayhew.”

As a 10th grader at Bunn High School, Cohen didn’t seem like the likely candidate to have more collegiate rushing yards than former NFL pros from A&T like Hicks, Smith and Michael Basnight and George Ragsdale. Or that he would have more yards than the great running backs of the early 90’s like James White and Barry Turner who share the running duties as teammates.

But that is the story of Cohen, a man who is willing to make the best of the opportunities presented. In the 10th grade, Cohen was a hard-hitting safety. There wasn’t much thought about him being a runner because of his size. He then got the opportunity to return a few kicks on the kickoff team. His success there led to the possibility that he indeed could be a running back.

That moment came the next year when the Bunn coaches moved Cohen to running back. But as far as translating those great high school runs into a college scholarship was still a longshot because of his size. Even North Carolina A&T coach Rod Broadway was not convinced when assistant Trei Oliver came to him with film on Cohen.

“He’s too small,” Broadway remembers saying. But Oliver was persistent to the point where he finally convinced Broadway to go see him play in person. Again, Cohen made the best of the opportunity by impressing the veteran coach enough to get his one and only Division I offer to play college football. Broadway said his decision to sign Cohen had nothing to do with him someday making history.

“You’ don’t think about those things when you are recruiting,” said Broadway. “You are just trying to get them signed up and committed. You never know. But he’s had an outstanding career, and he’s got plenty more to go.”

Cohen’s career started with him backing up Dominique Drake. Four weeks into the season, Drake went down with an injury. Cohen received his career start on Oct. 12, 2013 at Hampton because of Drake’s injury. Again, the opportunistic Cohen had 180 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He also had 119 yards receiving and a touchdown. The position has been his ever since and now so is the record.

“Most of the credit goes to my offensive line for all of the years that I’ve been here,” said Cohen. “I especially want to thank my first O-Line that I came in with because I wasn’t adjusted to the college speed and they made extremely big lames for me to run through. I just followed them.”

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Alabama State Hornets Men's Basketball Upset Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Virginia – Jamel Waters led four players in double digits as the Hornets went on the road and picked up one of the biggest wins in ASU history with an 85-82 win at Virginia Tech, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

"A great team victory for our team at Alabama State," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said.  "I thought our guys came out and stuck with the game plan and just competed every possession."

"We tried to get the bigs involved in ball screens, get in the lane and kick and find guys.  Just a great team victory we knew we had to do a great job on the glass and I don't know exactly how it turned out, but we really worked and played hard, made some free throws down the stretch and was able to hang on."

The Hornets led early (5-0) but trailed for most of the game as there were only two lead changes.  The final came on a Bobby Brown field goal with six minutes left to give ASU a 67-65 lead, and the Hornets never trailed again.

A basket by Glenn Hollaway with 4:20 left in the game gave the Hornets their largest lead at 74-66.  That basket was the final score on an 11-0 ASU run.  From there the Hornets hung on for the three-point win by hitting five of seven free throws over the final minute of action.

Brown finished the game with 14 points while two newcomers Torloft Thomas andCorvon Butler finished with 13 and 10 points.

Waters added a team-high six rebounds and a game-high seven assists to go with his points.  Steve Rogers, Butler and Hollaway helped with the rebounding numbers finishing with five each.

ASU did a good job of taking care of the basketball only committing eight turnovers against the taller Hokies.  They had four blocked shots and four steals with Waters' two a game-high.

The Hornets shot 42 percent from the field, but hit 50 percent (17-34) of their second half field goals.  ASU hit nine of their 28 three point attempts for 32 percent.  The Hornets were out shot two-to-one at the free throw line, but did knock down 16 of their 21 attempts for 76 percent.

With the host team working their size advantage, the Hokies continued to get the ball inside to their post players where the finished the game out scoring ASU 46-28 in the post.  It also helped them shoot a strong 47 percent for the game, including 54 in the second half.

Virginia Tech also out rebounded ASU, but not by as many as one would think, 41-36 was the final tally.  The home team held a 40-21 advantage in free throws, but only hit 25 of those for 63 percent.

Zach LeDay was the big man that was able to take advantage in the post.  He finished with a game-high 26 points and even had a game-high 15 rebounds.

Jackson talked about the size disadvantage the Hornets faced.  "We knew they were bigger, their guards were big.  We were starting three guys six-two or under and we were starting a 6-5 guy at forward.  We just wanted to keep the floor open and try to attack their big wing guys, get in the lane and get kick outs.  We were fortunate enough to do some of that a little bit and they missed a couple of shots there late and got the rebound.  We were able to execute down the stretch and hit some free throws. We knew the size would be a big problem but the guys fought hard."

ASU trailed at halftime 42-37 as the taller and more physical Hokies took advantage of their size on the inside and were able to score 22 of their points in the paint and hit 12 of their 18 free throws.

The Hornets struggled shooting the ball connecting on only 35 percent of their shots, but were able to hit five three point field goals to stay close.  Waters scored 10 in the opening half to lead ASU.

"This was just a great win mainly because we lost so many guys out of our eight-man rotation last season," Jackson said.  "The way they played tonight just shows the things we can accomplish if we work hard each and every day in practice and try to continue to get better."

The Hornets will be back in action with in-state rival Alabama-Birmingham Monday, Nov. 16 in Birmingham.  Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m.  Catch all of the live action on the ASU Hornets Radio Network.

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