Lincoln Blue Tigers Fall in Battle of the LUs

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri -- It was a defensive tussle in the first half, but Langston scored 17 second-half points to hand the Lincoln football a 23-13 loss in the Battle of the LU's on Saturday (Sept. 3).

The contest was scoreless for the first 29 minutes, but the final minute of the second quarter contained some excitement. Langston broke the tie on a one-yard quarterback sneak, but Faleaoga Russell blocked the extra point attempt to hold the Lions' lead at 6-0. The Blue Tigers then responded with a quick seven play drive, beginning with a 13-yard reception by Darius Hicksand a 33-yard touchdown catch by Anthony Townsend.

Townsend's reception was a nice juggling catch, as the ball bounced off his hands before he finally pulled it down despite tremendous coverage from the defense. Townsend finished the game with a team-high 58 receiving yards. Alex Templeton, meanwhile, nailed the extra point to give Lincoln a 7-6 lead at halftime.

The Blue Tigers forced Langston into a three-and-out to open the second half, but Lincoln fumbled at its own seven-yard-line on its opening possession to set the Lions up with great field position. The Blue Tiger defense kept the Lions out of the end zone, but Langston made a 20-yard field goal to re-take the lead, 9-7.

On Lincoln's next possession, the Blue Tigers were forced to punt, and a 37-yard return set Langston up at the Lincoln 21. Three plays later, Langston hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass to go ahead, 16-7.

That was how the score would remain until the 4:19 mark of the fourth quarter, when Langston scored on a 34-yard touchdown reception. The Blue Tigers nearly scored on the drive before that, as Delvon Rouser hauled in a pass from Dennis Vinson on a run-pass option and out-ran the defense into the end zone. One of Lincoln's offensive linemen was a little too far downfield on the pass, however, and the play ended up being called back.

On Lincoln's first drive after Langston's score, C.J. Closser hauled in a 23-yard pass on a 4th-and-14 to move the Blue Tigers onto the Lions' side of the field. Vinson then connected with a Deonte Latimer on an 11-yard pass before finding Townsend in the end zone again for a 25-yard score. The Blue Tigers went for two to make it an eight-point game, but Vinson's pass was dropped by a Lincoln receiver.

Will Randolph led LU with 32 rushing yards while Reko Lysius was next with 22. Vinson threw for 124 yards and a pair of scores while Templeton averaged 60.5 yards on kickoffs and 36.3 yards on punts. Addison Tucker and Amani Nelson each made a team-high nine tackles while Jeff Jones made an interception and Isaiah Doss forced and recovered a fumble.

The Blue Tigers fall to 0-1 on the season while Langston improves to 1-0.

Highlights
- A nice juggling catch by Anthony Townsend as time expired gave Lincoln a 7-6 halftime lead.
- Langston took advantage of a pair of Lincoln miscues to score 10 points in the third quarter.
- After another touchdown by Langston, the Blue Tigers scored late to pull within 10, but the two-point conversion pass was dropped.
- Anthony Townsend finished with two catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns.
- Amani Nelson and Addison Tucker each had nine tackles for the Lincoln defense while Jeff Jones made an interception.

Lincoln will open its road slate next week, as the Blue Tigers travel to Lincoln University, Pa. on Saturday (Sept. 10) to play Lincoln (PA) in the first-ever Battle of the Lincolns. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CDT.

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Southern University Human Jukebox 2016 Halftime Show vs. ULM

Winston-Salem State can't hold off UNC Pembroke

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Winston-Salem State failed to close it out in its opener on Saturday night at Bowman Gray Stadium, and UNC Pembroke was more than happy to take advantage for a 20-17 come-from-behind victory in front of 4,500 fans.

“It’s disappointing,” said safety Cameron Sullivan, who had an early 28-yard interception return for the Rams. “We had it going in the first half. Then it happened.”

What happened was the Braves figured out quarterback Rod Tinsley and the offense in the second half, holding the Rams to just 17 plays and 40 total yards. The Rams’ defense, meanwhile, put in overtime as quarterback Patrick O’Brien of the Braves found plenty of openings.

Coach Kienus Boulware of the Rams watched his team enjoy a 17-3 lead at halftime, but that lead fell apart as the Braves grabbed the momentum and never let go.

“They caught a momentum swing in the second half and it was hard to stop them,” said Boulware, who has now lost four straight nonconference games going back to last season. “Offensively, we couldn’t get out and sustain a drive and do what we were doing in the first half. A mistake here and a mistake there cost us. It just didn’t swing our way.”

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Gold Nuggets tame Mustangs in Big Easy Blastoff

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana produced four players with double-figure kills and four with double-figure digs Saturday in a 23-25, 25-23, 25-14, 25-17 volleyball victory against Southwest (N.M.) in the second annual Big Easy Blastoff at XULA's Convocation Center.
     
The Gold Nuggets won their only match of the day and finished fourth in the five-team standings at 1-2. They're 3-10 for the season.
     
XULA's Juliana Tomasoni, an all-tournament selection, produced her sixth double-double of the season. She had 17 kills, 15 digs, two blocks, an ace and hit .318. Monet Fontaine, Hasani Salaam and Terri Drake had 10 kills apiece, with Drake's total a career best. Amanda Perry had 19 digs — she increased to 12 her school-record of consecutive matches in double figures — Tiffany Phillips had 11, and Kaelan Temple had 10.
     
Phillips had 43 assists in her eighth assist/dig double-double of the season. Temple reached double figures for the third straight game; she had a career-best 14 digs in each of XULA's Friday matches.
     
Ashley Preuss and Shelby Bartley had 12 kills apiece for Southwest, and Kristin Silva had 21 digs.
     
XULA evened the match when Phillips, Fontaine and Drake closed the second set with kills. The Gold Nuggets rolled in the third set with the help of a 12-1 run, and they limited Southwest to minus-.031 hitting in the clinching set.
    
XULA outhit the Mustangs .215 to .138 for the match and had advantages of 51-45 in kills, 79-70 in digs and 7-5 in blocks. Both teams served six aces. Ralitsa Slanchev led the Gold Nuggets with a season-best two aces.
     
Southwest and Pikeville both finished 3-1 in the tournament. William Carey was 2-2, and SUNO was 0-3. In the other Saturday matches, Pikeville defeated William Carey 25-16, 25-9, 20-25, 25-17 and SUNO 25-15, 25-16, 25-21, and Southwest beat William Carey 25-18, 25-19, 25-22. For the season Southwest is 6-2, Pikeville is 8-2, William Carey is 2-5, and SUNO is 0-6.
     
Joining Tomasoni on the all-tournament team were Southwest's Bartley and Brenda Pargas, William Carey's Megan Zulli and Pikeville's Savanna Zakman and Sydney Hall. Zakman, a sophomore setter, was the MVP.
     
XULA, the five-time defending Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champion, will play its GCAC opener at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Tougaloo. The next home match will start at 5 p.m. Sept. 12 — one week from Monday — against GCAC opponent Philander Smith.

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Southern tight end Dillon Beard emerges as a threat in Jaguars' 38-21 loss at ULM

MONROE, Louisiana -- Heading into Saturday's season opener at ULM, quite a few parts of Southern's offense were known commodities.

Senior running back Lenard Tillery was the workhorse of the unit. In a 38-21 loss at Malone Stadium, that proved to be true; Tillery did his part, running for 161 yards on 26 carries.

Senior wide receiver Willie Quinn was key to the passing game. That, too, was true: He had nine catches on 15 targets.

What wasn’t so obvious about the offense was tight end
Dillon Beard’s role in it all.

Beard, a first-year starter, only caught 10 passes last season for 102 yards and a pair of scores as the third option to starters Montrell Jones and Bradley Coleman.

But Jones and Coleman are gone, along with nearly every other bit of experience the Southern receiving corps had last season. Quinn and Randall Menard are the only returning receivers who recorded a catch last season, and Menard missed Saturday’s game with a lingering hamstring injury.

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Southern fades in second half, drops season opener to Louisiana-Monroe 38-21

MONROE, Louisiana -- — Southern coach Dawson Odums was hopeful his team would play a meaningful fourth quarter against Louisiana-Monroe in Saturday’s season opener.

That happened, but the rest of Odums’ wish did not come true as the Jaguars faded in the second half of a 38-21 loss at ULM.

“You still were in the ballgame,” Odums said. “You’ve got to make plays.”

The Jaguars were outscored 24-9 in the second half as they allowed ULM to roll up more than 300 yards in the final 30 minutes.

ULM quarterback Garrett Smith threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns while adding 150 yards and a score on the ground. His previous career high in rushing yards was 38.

Despite the rough second half, the Jaguars did what their coach wanted them to do. With 8:11 remaining, they had made things interesting.

Willie Quinn beat his man in the middle of the field to catch a 9-yard touchdown pass from Austin Howard, capping a 71-yard drive that took only 2:37 and cut ULM’s lead to 10.

Attendance: 24,718

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UTSA downs Alabama State in season opener, 26-13

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Dalton Sturm completed 20-of-25 passes en route to piling up 326 yards of total offense to lead UTSA to a 26-13 win against Alabama State on Saturday night at the Alamodome in the debut for head coach Frank Wilson.

The Roadrunners improved to 5-1 all-time in season openers in what was their first opening game at home since the inaugural contest against Northeastern State five years ago to the day.

"Winning feels fantastic. I'm so excited for our players, our program and this city" Wilson said. "The thing I told our team after postgame was be excited, man, we just won a game. They are hard to come by, so we'll take it how we can get it."

Sturm threw for 274 yards and a pair of touchdowns and added 52 yards on the ground, highlighted by a 51-yard score in the second quarter that put UTSA ahead for good.

Meanwhile, Josiah Tauaefa led the defense with 13 tackles, including nine solo and a pair of sacks, while Marcus Davenport also registered two sacks to help the Roadrunners set a school record with six as a team.

The game began when Eric Banks forced an Alabama State fumble on the opening kickoff that was recovered by Andrew Martel at the Hornets' 6-yard line. Three plays later, Sturm connected with Marquez McNair in the back of the end zone to give the home team an early 6-0 lead.



Alabama State answered when Khalid Thomas capped a 13-play, 77-yard drive with a 1-yard scoring plunge. The extra point put the visitors ahead 7-6.

The Roadrunners regained the lead with Sturm's long scamper down the right sideline. The Goliad native then found Greg Campbell Jr. on the two-point conversion to make it 14-6.

By the end of the first half, Sturm was 10-of-11 through the air.

UTSA extended its lead to start the second half. Jalen Rhodes ended a quick, six-play, 74-yard scoring march with a 1-yard TD run, but the extra point was wide left, leaving the score at 20-7.

The Roadrunners tacked on another score in the fourth when Sturm and Kerry Thomas Jr. hooked up on a 25-yard connection. The home team again went for two, but this time it failed.

With less than three minutes to play, a 36-yard TD pass from Quinterris Toppings to Palmer Graham provided the final 13-point margin.

UTSA will travel to Fort Collins, Colo. to face Colorado State (0-1) at 3 p.m. (CT) next Saturday, Sept. 10.

Attendance: 22,389

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Savannah State Tigers’ new coach sees lessons in loss

STATESBORO, Georgia -- — Savannah State’s side of the scoreboard showed nothing Saturday night. But Tigers first-year coach Erik Raeburn hopes his team got something out of a 54-0 loss to Georgia Southern at Paulson Stadium.

SSU managed just 114 yards and eight first downs against a stingy Eagles defense.

The Tigers deepest penetration was GSU’s 33.

“Obviously, this was a tough game,” Raeburn said. “Hopefully for our guys, playing against (Georgia Southern), they’ll learn from this.”

Raeburn used three quarterbacks in the first half and each struggled against Georgia Southern’s underrated defense.

Senior Leon Prunty started but was sacked and fumbled during his two first-half possessions.

Blake Dever entered and immediately had some success thanks to a leaping catch over the middle by Cantrell Frazier for a 14-yard gain. Dever had a 15-yard completion to former Calvary star Derek Kirkland on the next possession.

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Attendance: 21,250

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TSU Tigers Trounce UAPB Lions, 44-0, in John Merritt Classic

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee State opened the 2016 season in dominating fashion as they shutout Arkansas-Pine Bluff 44-0 in the 18th Annual John Merritt Classic. The performance marked the first time the Tigers held an opponent scoreless in the JMC and the first time since defeating Butler 31-0 in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs in 2013.

The defense was able to hold the Golden Lions to 168 total yards and just 49 yards rushing. It is the lowest opponent total since holding Tennessee Tech to 150 yards on Sept. 20, 2014.


Ebenezer Ogundeko was named Defensive Player of the Classic after collecting two sacks and five tackles, four solos. The junior was in the UAPB backfield the entire game and was credited with a Quarter Back Hurry.

Offensively, the Tigers started slow and settled for a pair of field goals to take a 6-0 lead midway through the second quarter. The junior hit from 43 and 23 yards out, before tacking on a 38-yarder in the fourth quarter.

Leading 6-0, the Tigers would get rolling as the opened their sixth possession with a 44-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the drive. Ronald Butler was able to tap the bomb from O’Shay Ackerman-Carter to himself just before entering the end zone for his first catch and receiving touchdown of his career.

The senior has played his first three seasons as a reserve quarterback for TSU. Butler started to receive reps at wide out early in camp.

The Tallahassee, Fla. native entered the game at quarterback with just over two minutes remaining in the third stanza. He went on to rush for 27 yards on three carries, including a 10 yard scoring run to make the produce the final score.

Ackerman-Carter was named the Classics Offensive Player of the Game as he hit seven separate receivers completing 18-of-32 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns. The redshirt sophomore teamed up with Patrick Smith for a 30-yard scoring play, giving the Tigers leading receiver from 2015 his first touchdown of the year and 11th in his career.

Smith pulled in six receptions for 100 yards to lead all receivers. Freshman Steven Newbold impressed in his debut as he pulled in five receptions for 74 yards.

On the ground, eight Tigers carried the ball totaling 202 yards on 38 carries. Erick Evans topped the Big Blue with 67 yards on 13 touches. TSU also received a solid performance from true-freshman Sabree Curtis who ran for 48 yards on seven attempts. Evans and Curtis each crossed the goal line for the Big Blue.

Evans entered the end zone 31 seconds before half time to give TSU a 20-0 lead heading into the break.

The Tigers opened second half by kicking out of bounds giving UAPB the ball on their own 48. The Golden Lions would work their way down to the 13 yard line and faced a 4th and one. Ogundeko was the first to hit Brandon Duncan, before Chris Collins and a slew of Tiger defenders joined in to stuff the UAPB runner short and turning the ball over on downs.

TSU did not waste the defensive stand as they marched down the field for a nine play, 87 yard drive, which was capped off by Smith’s touchdown, extending the lead to 27-0.

The Tigers continued to attack UAPB on the next drive as Curtis made the score 34-0. On the ensuing kickoff, Mitchell Boudreaux popped up a shallow kick allowing Trevion Duncan a clear shot at the ball carrier, forcing a fumble. Blair Edwards came up with the ball, which led to Clark’s final field goal of the evening and a 37-0 advantage.

The Tigers improve to 1-0 and will head to Memphis next week for a matchup with Jackson State in the Southern Heritage Classic.

GAME NOTES: TSU won the coin toss and choose to receive the opening kickoff… TSU’s captains for the game were Lane Clark, O’Shay Ackerman-Carter, Thomas Burton and Chris Collins… Weather was sunny and 84 degrees at time of kickoff… Official kickoff was at 6:02 p.m. … The official attendance for the game was 15,078… Offensive MVP: O’Shay Ackerman-Carter… Defensive MVP: Ebo Ogundeko… TSU’s defense recorded the first shutout in the history of the John Merritt Classic… TSU improves to 13-5 in all-time John Merritt Classic games… TSU’s last shutout was a 31-0 win over Butler in the first round of the FCS Playoffs on Nov. 30, 2013… Senior Ronald Butler’s first collegiate catch was a 44-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. Butler spent his first three seasons as a quarterback for TSU…  Lane Clark’s 47-yard field goal in the first quarter tied for the third longest in his collegiate career… Patrick Smith recorded 100 yards receiving for the fifth time in his career.

TSU Wide Receiver Patrick Smith
“It’s a statement game. It lets every team know that we’re coming. This year’s Tennessee State program is going to score a lot of points, and we’re going to shut people out. We’re prepared for anyone.”
- On scoring 44 points

“In the beginning, some of the things we usually run, we were a little bit slow on them. Our run game has gotten better and passing-wise, I feel like we can be a really big threat in this conference, against anybody we play.”
- On what worked for the offense

Defensive MVP Ebo Ogundeko
“It was a great game. The whole camp, we worked hard just to do this. It’s not really about the defense, it’s more about the whole team. We complimented each other well. The coaches, they prepared us for this. This is a totally different team from last year, and we’re just ready to move on to next game.”


- On getting a shutout

Offensive Coordinator Jeff Parker
“Our main focus was we wanted to come out and try to run the ball. It just so happened that they came down and tried to stop the run. We were able to get some over-the-top throws. The offense played well tonight.”
- On scoring 44 points

“With the run game working, they had to come down to stop the run. That really opened up the passing game for us, and O’Shay (Ackerman-Carter) does a great job of finding the open receivers.”

Attendance: 15,078

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Mistakes costly for Morgan State football in season-opening 51-24 loss to Holy Cross

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Running back Orlando Johnson hobbled from the Morgan State locker room wearing a gray T-shirt with "BELIEVE" — the Bears' mantra for 2016 — printed on the back.

Doesn't that word ring hollow after Morgan State's 51-24 football loss to Holy Cross at Hughes Stadium on Saturday?

"We believe," insisted Johnson, who rushed for two touchdowns in the Bears' opener. "We made some stupid errors. This was a learning experience, and the [loss] is already behind us."

The 51 points were the most Morgan State has allowed since its second game last season, when it fell to Illinois State, 67-14. It was a rude christening for Fred Farrier, 44, the Bears interim head coach who played at Holy Cross.

"It is what it is," Farrier said of the rout by his alma mater. "When we get the opportunity to do that, we'll do it, too."

Early on, Morgan State held its own and led 17-14 midway through the second quarter. But the Crusaders reeled off 30 straight points and kept the Bears at bay for more than 30 minutes. Quarterback Peter Pujals passed for 240 yards and three touchdowns as Holy Cross amassed 498 yards of total offense.

Attendance: 4,203

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North Carolina A&T Aggies Breeze to Season-Opening Victory

GREENSBORO, North Carolina – There was great anticipation about the 2016 North Carolina A&T football season because many wanted to know what the Aggies follow-up act would look like coming off one of the best season’s in program history.

The truth is, after the Aggies 62-0 drubbing of Division II Saint Augustine’s Saturday night at Aggie Stadium, that anticipation still exist. The Falcons (0-1) were so overmatched it is hard to gauge whether there is an encore performance of 2015 coming in 2016.

“I’m not sure what we learned from this (game) as far as our team is concerned other than the fact that we did what we set out to do and that’s dominate. And we should because we’re a level above them, so we should be able to compete and beat those guys pretty good,” said N.C. A&T head coach Rod Broadway after seeing his team score 40 or more points against a Division II opponent for the fourth straight time.

There was some indication that the Aggies are ready to compete for another MEAC title. Broadway thought his team played a cleaner game than it did in the 2015 season opener in terms of execution and effort, even as the Aggies came away with a 61-7 win over Division II Shaw in that one.

N.C. A&T’s passing game was effective. Sophomore starting quarterback Lamar Raynard connected on 17 of his 21 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore backup Kylil Carter was 5-fo-7 for 70 yards and a touchdown and senior Oluwafemi Bamiro threw his first career touchdown pass, an 8-yarder to Deshaun McFadden. If Broadway had his druthers, his senior playmaking All-American running back Tarik Cohen would have received more touches. With the Falcons bringing their safety closer to the line of scrimmage, however, he understood why the Aggies had to throw it 29 times.

Cohen did get enough touches to break another school record. Cohen rushed for 44 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. His two touchdowns gave him 42 for his career, leap frogging him past Stoney Polite’s 41 for the new school record. Cohen has 40 rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns in his career. All 41 of Polite’s touchdowns were rushing touchdowns, therefore, he still owns the rushing touchdown record, one ahead of Cohen.

“I feel like I got enough touches,” said Cohen. “I had two touchdowns. I know the team wants to have me for the rest of the season, so we don’t want any stupid injuries getting in the way of that.”

While Cohen didn’t have his normal standout game, the N.C. A&T defense was true to form. They held the Falcons to 159 yards of offense and forced four turnovers. All four of those turnovers led to touchdowns as the Aggies scored nine TD’s on the day.

In fact, the Falcons turned the ball over on each of their first two possessions. Junior Joshua Patrick caused the first mishap by blitzing SAU quarterback Darryl Johnson from the outside. Patrick rushed the passer unblocked, sacked Johnson, and forced the ball out of his hands. Sophomore Julius Reynolds fell on it at the SAU 18-yard line. Three plays later, Cohen sprinted through a huge hole to score the Aggies first touchdown.

On SAU’s next possession, Johnson connected with Sam Boyd across the middle. It was a bad place for him to be as senior Angelo Keyes came running full speed toward Boyd, collided with him and forced the fumble. Senior Malik Hampton-Prioleau fell on the football, leading to Raynard finding Angelo’s little brother Denzel Keyes on a diving 5-yard touchdown reception for a 14-0 Aggies lead.

“It’s been two weeks since we really competed against each other but I thought the guys were focused and we were able to make plays,” said Broadway. “We didn’t get anybody hurt, so that was big for us too.”

It is big because the Aggies will be the underdog playing a team at a higher level next week when it faces Division I-FBS Kent State 6 p.m., Saturday at Dix Stadium.

Attendance: 11,381

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Miami ushers in Mark Richt era by crushing Florida A&M

MIAMI, Florida -- The Mark Richt Era began with a flourish Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium, as the Miami Hurricanes made Richt’s homecoming a joyous one by crushing Florida A&M 70-3.

Miami scored 42 points in the third quarter, a UM record for one quarter, to reach the 70-point mark — six points shy of the most ever allowed by the Rattlers and the most ever scored by a Richt-coached team.

It was Miami’s third largest margin of victory ever and only the fourth time it scored at least 70 points.

“Very thankful for the victory,” Richt said. “I'll just say this: I really, really like it here.”

The crowd of 60,703 was ecstatic.

The Hurricanes played with passion — four true freshmen started, including three at linebacker; one scored a touchdown and true freshman Pat Bethel blocked a first-quarter punt.

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S.C. State drops 38-0 decision to UCF

ORANDO, Florida -- Host Central Florida took an 18-0 first-half lead and exploded for 21 second-half points to hand South Carolina State a 38-0 setback Saturday, before an announced home crowd of 36,260 fans at Bright House Networks Stadium in the season opener for both teams.

The victory was the first collegiate victory for Knight head coach Scott Frost, who took over the UCF program as serving a number of years at offensive coordinator for the high-scoring Oregon Ducks.

The meeting was only the second ever between the two teams, and the Knights improved to 2-0 in the series. In the first meeting in 2008, UCF came away with a 17-0 win over Coach Buddy Pough’s team. SC State dropped its season opener for the first time since the 2013 campaign.

UCF, which was coming off an 0-12 campaign improved to 1-0 on the season, while SC State fell to 0-1.

SC State had several opportunities to put some points on the board, but each was short-circuited by a turnover, a penalty or a great defensive play by the Knights. The best scoring opportunity came early in the third when junior Tyler Scandrett’s 40-yard field goal attempt was wide with 8:54 left in the period.

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Prairie View, TSU kick off season amid new surroundings

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- Prairie View A&M is breaking in a beautiful new stadium at 5 p.m. Sunday. At exactly the same time Texas Southern will be breaking in a mostly new roster and staff.

“We have 94 players on our roster,” first-year Tigers coach Michael Haywood said. “Out of those 94, we have over 50 new players.”

Newness, then, will abound when PVAMU and TSU fans converge on the Panthers’ $61 million stadium for a nationally televised game on ESPNU.

“The first thing this stadium does is bring more exposure to this amazing university that we share and love,” second-year PVAMU coach Willie Simmons said. “This stadium is going to be the window to the rest of Prairie View A&M. The first time my wife and I stepped foot on campus, we marveled at how beautiful this campus is, at how new the buildings are, and all the things that are taking place here.

“Now we have an athletics facility that matches the rest of the university.”

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Duke Blue Devils open with big win over NCCU Eagles

DURHAM, North Carolina -- Duke had newly renovated Wallace Wade Stadium ready for the 2016 season opener. The Blue Devils had starting quarterback Daniel Jones ready. The defense was ready.

For Duke, the “Bull City Gridiron Classic” against N.C. Central again was a chance to get a good look at a lot of players while scoring an easy win. The Blue Devils did that, rolling 49-6 on Saturday in a game where Duke had some blemishes — a few too many fumbles, a botched punt — but nothing serious.

Jones, a redshirt freshman from Charlotte, was highly efficient in his first collegiate game, competing 10 of 15 passes for 189 yards and two scores and running for a third. Showing good touch on his throws, he teamed up with receiver Johnathan Lloyd on a 55-yard catch-and-run and hit tight end Erich Schneider for a 20-yard TD.

Running back Jela Duncan had a 50-yard scoring burst and later added a 3-yard TD run in a 115-yard rushing night, and quarterback Parker Boheme passed and ran for a TD late in the first half as the Blue Devils took a 49-0 lead.

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Maryland football opens DJ Durkin era by running over Howard, 52-13

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland -- Years from now, Maryland football fans hope to look back to Saturday’s season opener against Howard as the start of the program’s turnaround under DJ Durkin. Who knows, maybe they’ll say Durkin is the second coming of "The Bear."

With a 35-0 lead by halftime, Durkin found himself right behind the legendary Paul Bryant for the most points scored for a coach in his Maryland debut. An eventual 52-13 victory was more the result of Durkin emptying his bench, including playing three quarterbacks.



It turned out to be only eight points shy of the number the Terps put up in a 60-6 win against Guilford in 1945, Bryant’s first and only season at Maryland before he found his way to houndstooth hats, history and sainthood at Alabama.

In front of an announced crowd of 35,474, Maryland scored touchdowns on its first four possessions, sandwiching them around the first blocked punt that was turned into a touchdown in two years. The offense amassed 519 yards, including 315 yards rushing.

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Benedict Ready To Kick Off Season Against Livingstone

COLUMBIA, South Carolina – The Benedict Tigers are looking to put last year's winless season in the rearview mirror and head coach Mike White is confident the Tigers will be much improved in 2016. The question is, are they improved enough to compete with one of the top teams in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association when they open the season on Saturday in the Palmetto Capital City Classic?

"I do understand what our record was last year. We are a better football team this year. We are going to face a good football team this Saturday. They are one of the better teams we'll see on the schedule. But we'll be ready. This will be a challenge for us," White said.
  

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Kickoff: 5 p.m.

Radio: WLXC Kiss 103.1 FM

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Live stats: Sidearm stats

"The key is how much improvement we've made. We have made quite a bit. I'm hoping this year we will be very effective in running the ball and stopping people from running the ball. We have some playmakers we're going to get the ball to, and just be a more efficient team. I love our guys' attitude. With the new guys that we have coming in mixed with the old guys that we had, we think we're a lot better. The only problem is we were that bad last year, so we've got a long way to climb. But I am happy with where we are right now."

The Tigers averaged just 62 yards rushing per game in 2015, and gave up 214.7 yards per game on the ground. White blamed those woes on the offensive and defensive line and that was a big hole the Tigers focused on during the offseason.

"For Benedict football to get where we need to go, it is our big men who need to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball," White said. "Offensive and defensive lineman have worked hard so we can run the ball and protect our quarterback, stop people running the ball and giving up big plays. That's what we've been working on."

On the offensive line, Benedict got bigger with 6-foot-5, 280-pound Craig Hinsonat left tackle and 6-foot-7, 315-pound transfer Kellen Williams at right tackle.Mario Williams, a 325-pound freshman, will start at right guard, with 337-pound sophomore Justin Brown under center. On the defensive line, 368-pound Aaryn Guy returns to clog up the middle at nose guard, while 320-pound sophomore defensive end Charles Williams returns after finishing second on the team in sacks and tackles for loss last season. Freshman Wendell Bing, a 6-2, 280-pounder, will start at the other defensive end spot.

"I'm hoping this year we will be very effective in running the ball and stopping people from running the ball," White said.

Behind the bigger and better offensive line, the Tigers return running backRaheem Jennings, who was Benedict's leading rusher last year with 211 yards as a freshman, but averaged 4.1 yards per carry. New this year is 270-pound fullback Jeremy Johnson.

"Jeremy is big. He catches the ball well. We're looking forward to seeing him run," White said.

Running the offense will be junior quarterback Mason Duckett, who threw for 322 yards and completed 64 percent of his passes last season. True freshmanPhillip Brown will also see time at quarterback. Other playmakers for the Tigers will be George Myers Jr., who was All-SIAC last year as a punt and kick returner and led the team with 23 receptions last year. Myers also was third on the team in rushing and even played some quarterback. Junior Okechi Ntiasagwe is a deep threat whom the Tigers hope to utilize better this year. Ntiasagwe scored Benedict's only touchdown last year against Livingstone on a 73-yard pass.

Defensively, middle linebacker Stephen Williams is back for his senior season after finishing second on the team last year with 52 total tackles. Benedict will have some freshmen in the defensive secondary in safety Robert Cummingsand cornerback Travionte Brown, but White is confident the young players will be an improvement over last year.

The Blue Bears are coming off a 5-4 season, their first winning season in 17 years. Defensive end Armond Cox was named to the preseason All-CIAA team.

The good news for Benedict fans is that Drew Powell, the Livingstone quarterback who threw and ran for 356 yards last year, is not on this year's roster. The bad news is Livingstone coach Daryl Williams says this year's Blue Bears team is deeper and faster than the team that beat the Tigers 49-6 in last year's season opener.

"We're a little bit more explosive, we're a little deeper at receiver, we're deeper at running back, and we strengthened our linebacking corps," Williams said. "We're a whole lot faster than we were last year. I'm excited about the players we have. Our expectations are to win a championship. I make no bones about it."

White said the Tigers will be much more prepared for the Blue Bears this year.

"Livingstone is a high-powered, high-pressure team. They're going to put a lot of pressure on us. They never huddle. The head coach is the offensive coordinator, so he does everything. You're going to see a reverse, halfback passes, and you're going to see every trick in the book. So we have to be on our toes and make sure that we're doing what we're supposed to be doing."

BENEDICT COLLEGE ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS 

Lane College Open Season with C.M.E. Classic

JCSU Football to Open 2016 Slate at Wingate

JCSU Game Notes

WGNC AM Audio Link

ESPN3 Link

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – The Johnson C. Smith University football team will start 2016 with a matchup against local rival Wingate for the second straight season on Saturday, Sept. 3. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Wingate's Irwin Belk Stadium.

JCSU is coming off a 4-6 season in 2015 that started with a 14-0 home loss to the Bulldogs in Charlotte. Looking to garner the first Golden Bulls win over Wingate, JCSU will be led offensively by a pair of 2015 CIAA All-Rookie selections in quarterback Jordan Lane (Charlotte, N.C.) and running back Desean Binyard (Winston-Salem, N.C.). The sophomore duo will look to improve on last season's offensive output, which ranked 11^th in the league in scoring at 17.0 points per game. Joining Binyard and Lane are returning receivers Roderick Carter (Miami, Fla.) and Eugene Holmes (Columbia, S.C.). Carter hauled in 31 receptions for 366 yards and scored four touchdowns last season while Holmes caught 14 passes for 201 yards and a score. Newcomer Gabriel Yuille (Baltimore, Md.) will also add depth to the JCSU receiving corps as will sophomore Deion Caldwell (Orlando, Fla.).

Defensively, JCSU returns seven starts that topped the league in takeaways a season ago. The defense also led the CIAA in defensive scoring. JCSU returns a stout defensive group headlined by junior Carlo Thomas (East Orange, N.J.) manning duties at safety. Last season, Thomas led all NCAA divisions in interceptions with 12 total picks on the season, including four against Fayetteville State. Thomas also finished with 55 tackles and had nine breakups. On the line, defensive tackle Jamaal Tutt (Atlanta, Ga.) and defensive endBrice Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) both return. Tutt registered 52 tackles a season ago including two sacks and an interception. Smith had 24 tackles, a sack and recovered two fumbles.

Daryl Napper (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and JeJuan McCalston (Covington, Ga.) return to man the corners, with each registering 33 and 25 tackles respectively, a season ago. Desmond Taylor (Picayune, Miss.) returns to help the JCSU defense at strong safety. Taylor registered 30 tackles, two breakups and recovered two fumbles last season.

Dating back to Oct. 17, JCSU has won three of their past four games with the lone loss coming in the season finale at rival Livingstone.

After starting 2015 with a 5-0 mark, Wingate struggled in the latter part of the season, losing four straight to finish with a 6-5 mark, 3-4 in SAC play. Ironically, Wingate has not won since Oct. 17.

Once again, JCSU football will be broadcast on WGNC 1450/100.7 in the Charlotte/Gastonia area. Dave Friedman will have the call for the eighth straight season.

In addition, this Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and on the WatchESPN app with Ryan Brown on the call.

JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

West Virginia State Yellow Jackets Host Fairmont State

INSTITUTE, West Virginia -- The Yellow Jackets host Fairmont State Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dickerson Stadium in an important early season Mountain East Conference matchup for both teams.

WVSU traveled north to take a 59-34 decision after speeding outt o a 37-7 halftime lead in last season's opener to break a five game losing streak to the Falcons.

On paper this year's contest looks to be a close one.

Both West Virginia State Head Coach Jon Anderson and his Falcon counterpart Jason Woodman are entering their fourth season leading their respective programs.

Each squad feature an experienced quarterback capable of putting up big numbers. Yellow Jacket junior Matt Kinnickled the MEC in passing yards per game last season averaging 282.3 while Fairmont senior Cooper Hibbs was fourth at 243.6 per contest.

The leading receiver for each team also returns. Junior Quinton Gray caught 56 passes for 878 yards, and average of 15.7 yards per catch. Senior Fabian Guerra paced the visitors with 62 catches for 819 yards, 13.2 per catch.

On the ground the Falcons averaged 140.3 yards a game while WVSU ran for 109.7. In all the Jackets held a slight 392 to 383.9 yards per game advantage.

Both teams rely heavily on strong defensive units and taking care of the ball on offense. Fairmont State led the MEC in turnover margin while WVSU was third but led the league with 16 interceptions.

The Yellow Jacket defense is led by senior Mitch Rowell and junior Dennis Gardeck at linebacker. Rowell finished 2015 with 94 tackles while Gardeck made 93 and was second in teh conference with 11 sacks.

Junior linebacker Marcus Porter led the Falcons with 72 tackles and picked off four passes.

This will be the 49th meetingbetween the programs with Fairmont State leading the series 33-14-1.

Click here for all game notes.

WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION