Grambling State serves an athletic dose of humble pie to Arizona 'Cats

TUCSON, Arizona -- Traditionally, FCS schools aren’t supposed to have two advantages over Division I schools, better athletes and better players. For a large portion of Saturday night’s football game against the Arizona Wildcats, Grambling State appeared to have both.

Ironically, the Grambling State University Tigers, imposed their will on the Wildcats through their defense, using the same 3-3-5 defensive scheme that former Arizona defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel was run out of town for. The difference, Grambling played tougher and faster than the Arizona the entire first half, stopping the Wildcats on several fourth-and-short situations.

On the offensive side of the ball for the Tigers, quarterback DeVante Kincade, a transfer from Ole Miss, was near impossible to tackle and played every bit the part of a legitimate SEC signal caller. Kincade was 15-of-19 for 193 yards and two touchdown passes before pulling up lame in the second quarter with an apparent leg injury. “You can see why I tried to recruit him, he may be the most athletic quarterback we face all year, he is just, wow!”, said Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez. Kincade wouldn’t return and it would end up costing the Tigers dearly in the second half.

Between the third and fourth quarters the Tigers turned the ball over four times in a row and a total of six in the second half, leading to 28 consecutive points resulting in a 31-21 win for Arizona. “They took advantage of our mistakes, that is what good teams do … at the end of the day you just can’t turn the ball over like that.”, said Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs after the game.

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HBCU Football Judgment Day Scoreboard Week 2

Saturday, September 10

OVC
Tennessee State 40, Jackson State 26    27th Southern Heritage Classic

SWAC
Texas A&M 67, Prairie View A&M 0
Alabama A&M 35, Mississippi Valley State 16
Oklahoma Panhandle State 20, Arkansas Pine Bluff 16
Alcorn State 21, Alabama State 18
Tulane 66, Southern 21
Houston Baptist 24, Texas Southern 20
Arizona 31, Grambling 21

MEAC
Rutgers 52, Howard 14
Monmouth 34, Delaware State 20
North Carolina A&T 39, Kent State 36  4 O.T.
Marshall 62, Morgan State 0
William and Mary 24, Hampton 14
Richmond 34, Norfolk State 0
Western Michigan 70, North Carolina Central 21
North Texas 41, Bethune-Cookman 20
Coastal Carolina 49, Florida A&M 10
Southern Mississippi 56, Savannah State 0
Louisiana Tech 53, South Carolina State 24



OTHER CONFERENCE HBCUs
West Virginia State 37, Urbana 24
California (PA) 79, Cheyney 3
Louisiana College 49, Texas College 18
Langston 30, Bethany 7

CIAA
Lincoln (PA) 33, Lincoln (MO) 23  Battle of the LUs
Fordham 83, Elizabeth City State 21
Carson-Newman 48   Saint Augustine's 14
Wingate 56, Shaw 7
Virginia State 24, Tusculum 10
Livingstone 31, Edward Waters 28
Bowie State 52, Johnson C. Smith  0
Newberry 42, Virginia Union 22
Campbell 47, Chowan 14
Winston-Salem 23, Catawba 17
UNC Pembroke 50, Fayetteville State 28   Two Rivers Classic

SIAC
Clark Atlanta 20, Central State (OH) 13   19th Chicago Football Classic
Tuskegee 28, Albany State 18    3rd Annual Whitewater Classic
Morehouse 14, Kentucky State 3
Lane 10, Fort Valley State 7
West Georgia 29, Miles College 0
Limestone 19, Benedict 13

XULA's August earns GCAC's first weekly award of 2016

Christopher August

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Christopher August, who won a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference-leading five Runner of the Week awards in men's cross country last season, has picked up where he left off.
     
August — a senior from Spring, Texas, and a graduate of Klein Collins High School — is the GCAC's first honoree of 2016 after finishing 24th out of 76 runners in the Mississippi College Season Opener this past Friday. His time for 5,000 meters was 17 minutes, 59.58 seconds. August was XULA's fastest finisher for the sixth consecutive race dating to the start of 2015, and he finished ahead of 11 runners from NCAA Division I schools.
     
August led the Gold Rush to sixth place out of 11 teams. XULA finished ahead of two NCAA Division I teams. It was the first time since 2014 that the Gold Rush beat NCAA DIs in team scoring.
     
XULA's men and women will compete Saturday in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival at Lafreniere Park in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie. The men's race will start at 7:50 a.m., followed by the women at 8:25. Distance of both races will be 5,000 meters. It will be the season debut of the XULA women.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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WSSU Rams Hold On For 23-17 Win Over Catawba

SALISBURY, North Carolina – Winston-Salem State's TeVaughn Hurse rushed for 103 yards and a score, and Rod Tinsley passed for 142 yards and a touchdown, as the Rams held off Catawba College, 23-17, Saturday night at Shuford Stadium.

The win moves the WSSU Rams to 1-1 on the season, and Catawba College falls to 0-2, on the season.

Winston-Salem State would strike first, as Te'Vaughn Hurse scored from a yard out, capping a six-play 50 yard drive, with 8:53 left in the first quarter. Will Johnson converted the PAT to give the Rams an early 7-0 advantage.

The Catawba Indians bounced back with a score of their own, a nine yard pass to Keyon West from Mike Sheehan, to tie the score at 7-7 with 1:11 left in the first quarter.

WSSU would answer in the second quarter, and give them some breathing room, scoring twice in the quarter.

First, Will Johnson hit on a 37 yard field goal, after the Rams offense bogged down on an eight-play, 55 yard drive.

Then, after a Catawba punt, Rod Tinsley found a streaking Canard Brown down the right side, who then cut back across the field, to complete a 49 yard score. With the PAT from Will Johnson, the Rams were able to take a 17-7 lead into the locker room at the half.

Winston-Salem State would waste no time with putting some points on the board in the third, as they would take the kick to open the second half, and marched down the field, going 56 yards in nine plays, before another Will Johnson field goal, as the Rams jumped out to a 20-7 lead.

The Catawba Indians would answer with a field goal of their own with 2:33 left in the quarter, as Brennen Lambert connected on a 23 yarder, to trim the Rams lead to 23-10.

WSSU would add another field goal in the fourth quarter, as their longest drive of the night, a 67 yard, 12 play drive, would end on the foot of Johnson, as WSSU increased its lead to 23-10, with 12:17 left to play.

Catawba would not go away, and with 6:52 left in the game, Mike Sheehan scored from four yards out, to cut the Rams lead to 23-17, setting up another dramatic ending for the WSSU Rams.

The Rams offense would methodically move the move on their series, using a much of the game clock as possible, using 4:33 seconds on a 10-play drive. The Rams would eventually settle for a 36 yards field goal attempt from Will Johnson, who this time missed, as the ball sail wide right, to keep the score at 23-17, with 2:12 remaining in the game.

Catawba would get the ball back on their own 20 yard line, trying to get to the end zone, before the clock struck zero.

Back to back completions, and with the help of a roughing the passer call on the Rams, the Indians moved into the Rams territory, leaving the WSSU fans on the edge of their seat for the second consecutive week.

But after two incompletions, Sheehan's third down pass was completed, but came up short of the first down, and on fourth down and one, he inexplicably rushed to the line and spiked the ball of fourth down, turning the ball over on downs to Winston-Salem State.

The WSSU Rams would kneel on the ball, and come away with the 23-17 win.

The Rams were led in rushing by Te'Vaughn Hurse, who finished with a game-high 103 yards and one touchdown. Xavier Quick had five carries for 48 yards, and Kerrion Moore finished with 10 carries for 44 yards. Justus Pickett had 10 carries for 19 yards.

Rod Tinsley had a solid night guiding the Rams, as he finished 12 of 18 passing for 142 yards and one touchdown. He had a long pass of 49 yards.

Reggie Wilkins led the Rams receiving corps, hauling in three catches for 42 yards and Demeeko Jones also had three catches for 27 yards. Canard Brown had two catches for 54 yards and one touchdown. Te'Vaughn Hurse also hauled in two catches. Will Walton and Xavier Quick each had one catch.

Defensively, WSSU was led by Braxton Daye, who finished with nine tackles, one tackle for loss, two forced fumbles and two quarterback hurries. Kailan Chavis had six tackles and two pass breakups, and CJ Washington, Daryus Skinner and PJ Clyburn each had five tackles. Clyburn also picked up a fumble recovery. Jarrell Bright finished with four tackles, and eight other Rams defenders had three tackles each.

Winston-Salem State will return home to B
owman Gray Stadium next week, as they will host the inaugural Winston-Salem Football Classic, featuring the Rams hosting the Virginia Union Panthers.

BOX SCORE

WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

XULA wins again, this time in 3 sets at Edward Waters

JACKSONVILLE, Florida --  Xavier University of Louisiana stretched its volleyball win streak to a season-best three matches Saturday in a 25-19, 25-20, 25-15 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference victory against Edward Waters.
    
 The Gold Nuggets (5-10, 2-0) also have won 11 straight and 74 of their last 75 matches against GCAC opponents. In the regular season, XULA has won nine straight and 61 of its last 62 GCAC matches.
     
XULA hit .406 in the first and third sets and finished at a season-high .298. The Gold Nuggets closed the first set with a 10-1 run and the second set with a 9-2 surge. XULA never trailed in the final set and won in three sets for the first time this season.
     
Juliana Tomasoni had eight kills, 10 digs and hit .389 for XULA. Monet Fontaine had seven kills, andHasani Salaam and Adili Rikondja had six kills apiece. Libero Amanda Perry produced a match-high 11 digs and extended to 14 her XU record of consecutive matches in double figures. The previous school mark was nine.
     
Kiara Morrell had nine kills for the Lady Tigers (2-3, 0-2), and Kaylin Davison served a pair of aces. XULA limited Davison — who had 53 kills and hit .233 in her team's first four matches — to season lows of four kills and a .000 hitting percentage.
    
"Playing a match after a long bus ride (Friday) can be a test of mental toughness," XULA coachHannah Lawing said. "We weren't ourselves in the first and second set, but by set three, we found a groove and were able to make some lineup adjustments due to our lead. It felt good to win in three, but it felt even better to be able to play everyone on our roster. There were a few times when (assistant coach) Hilary (Lobenstein) and I realized there were six freshmen on the court, and we were very impressed with the confidence and discipline they displayed."
     
XULA limited Edward Waters to .091 hitting and held a 43-21 advantage in kills.
     
XULA never has dropped a set against Edward Waters in 13 all-time meetings. The teams will meet again Oct. 2 at XULA.
     
The Gold Nuggets' next match will start at 5 p.m. Monday against GCAC opponent Philander Smith at XULA's Convocation Center.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Price's XULA record part of sweet day at Sugar Bowl

METAIRIE, Louisiana --  In her first collegiate cross country race, Taylor Price set a Xavier University of Louisiana record — one of several fast times for the Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush Saturday in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival.
      
 Price, a freshman from the Houston suburb of Missouri City, Texas, and a graduate of Ridge Point High School, ran the 5,000-meter course at Lafreniere Park in 18 minutes, 7.5 seconds. She bettered Catherine Fakler's XULA mark of 18:08.32 at the 2013 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships. Price placed ninth out of 54 finishers and was faster than 23 entrants from NCAA Division I colleges.

"I was very excited to perform at my first collegiate meet," Price said. "I was nervous before and at the beginning of the race, but I thought about all the hard work and training and preformed my best."
    
 For the first time in the program's history, four Gold Nuggets finished a 5K in less than 20 minutes. Sophomores Brianna Pace (26th place, 19:08.7), Dionysia Love (28th, 19:16.5) and Maliya Vaughan (29th, 19:17.7) were considerably closer to 19 minutes than 20. Their times rank 9-12-13 on the all-time Gold Nuggets list.
    
 "Our ladies came out fast and ran very well," XULA coach Joseph Moses said.
    
 Leading the Gold Rush in the men's 5K were senior Christopher August (20th place out of 54, 15:41.6) and freshman Clydarius Everett (36th, 16:36.5), whose times rank second and 10th, respectively, on the XULA list covering 2002 to the present. (Complete 5K times are not available for 1994-2001, the first eight seasons of the program's modern era.)
    
 August was about 11 seconds from Kwame Jackson's XULA record of 15:30.90 set in 2014.
    
 Also competing were Imani Walker (50th, 22:34.3) of the Gold Nuggets and Oji Wells(38th, 17:16.6), Darrick Williams (42nd, 17:25.3) and Ammiel Williams (50th, 18:49.5) of the Gold Rush.
    
 Loyola, the host school, divided the team scoring into NCAA DI and non-DI. Both XULA teams finished second in the non-DI standings. The Gold Nuggets trailed Spring Hill 25 points to 40, and the Gold Rush trailed Spring Hill 20-52.
    
 Tulane produced both individual winners. Mckenzie Melius won the women's race in 17:31.0, and Emmanuel Rotich led the men in 14:13.0.
    
 The Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush will travel to Baton Rouge, La., for the LSU Invitational next Saturday at Highland Road Park. The women's 5K will start at 7:30 a.m., and the men's 5K will start at 8:10.

Results:  Men    Women

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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HBCU Football Judgment Day Schedule Week 2

Saturday, September 10

OVC
Jackson State vs. Tennessee State at Memphis Liberty Bowl, 7 PM, 27th Southern Heritage Classic

SWAC
Prairie View A&M at Texas A&M, 12Noon, TV: SEC Network/ESPN
Alabama A&M at Mississippi Valley State, 5 PM
Oklahoma Panhandle State at Arkansas Pine Bluff, 7 PM
Alabama State at Alcorn State, 7 PM, ESPN3
Southern at Tulane, 8 PM, ESPN3
Texas Southern at Houston Baptist, 8 PM
Grambling at Arizona, 10:45 PM  PAC 12 Network

MEAC
Howard at Rutgers, 12 NOON, TV: Big Ten Network
Monmouth at Delaware State, 5 PM
North Carolina A&T at Kent State, 6 PM, ESPN3
Morgan State at Marshall, 6 PM
William and Mary at Hampton, 6 PM
Norfolk State at Richmond, 6 PM
North Carolina Central at Western Michigan, 7 PM, ESPN3
Bethune-Cookman at North Texas, 7 PM
Florida A&M at Coastal Carolina, 7 PM
Savannah State at Southern Mississippi, 7 PM
South Carolina State at Louisiana Tech, 7 PM



OTHER CONFERENCE HBCUs
West Virginia State at Urbana, 1 PM
California (PA) at Cheyney, 1 PM
Louisiana College at Texas College, 5 PM
Bethany at Langston, 7 PM

CIAA
Lincoln (MO) at Lincoln (PA), 1 PM, Battle of the LUs
Elizabeth City State at Fordham, 1 PM
Carson-Newman at Saint Augustine's, 1 PM
Shaw at Wingate, 1:30 PM, ESPN3
Tusculum at Virginia State, 2 PM
Edward Waters at Livingstone, 3 PM
Johnson C. Smith at Bowie State, 4 PM
Virginia Union at Newberry, 4 PM
Campbell at Chowan, 6 PM
Winston-Salem at Catawba, 6 PM
Fayetteville State at UNC Pembroke, 7 PM,  Two Rivers Classic,   Live Video

SIAC
Kentucky State at Morehouse, 2 PM
Fort Valley State at Lane, 3 PM
Clark Atlanta vs. Central State (OH), 4:30 PM, 19th Chicago Football Classic
Albany State vs. Tuskegee, 5 PM  Phenix City, AL  3rd Annual Whitewater Classic
West Georgia at Miles College, 5 PM
Limestone at Benedict, 6 PM



ALL GAME TIMES SHOWN IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME ZONE

SWAC Rivals Prepare for Annual SWA State Fair Classic Showdown

DALLAS, Texas -- Ask about “the game of the year” in college football and an endless list of DI colleges roll off the tongue. Add in “and the halftime showdown,” and the list narrows down to one: the Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic between Grambling and Prairie View A&M.

The stage is set for this year’s event, with the Cotton Bowl slated to host the two teams at 4 p.m. on Oct. 1.

It’s a storied rivalry on the football field between the two Historically Black Universities, but unlike any other game at the collegiate level, the rivalry carries on into halftime as both schools muster up first class, energetic and wild marching bands.

The event will actually cap off an entire week of celebrations for students and alumni, as well as fans, of both universities. All of which will kick off with a press conference on Monday, Sept. 26 at 11 a.m. in the City Hall Flag Room. More events sponsored by each school’s alumni will lead up to game time. More info is available at http://www.alwe.com/event/state-fair-classic/

CONTINUE READING

In first matchup, TSU, HBU seek to turn page on Week 1 losses

HOUSTON, Texas -- Houston Baptist and Texas Southern are in need of a win after opening their respective seasons with a road loss.

In the first meeting between the two Houston schools on the football field, the Huskies from the Southland Conference and the Tigers from the SWAC have a 7 p.m. kickoff Saturday at Husky Stadium.

"It's a fun game when you have two teams that call Houston their home," HBU coach Vic Shealy said. "We need to have a great crowd to show up and show that we can play better than what we did last week, and it would be a great feeling to leave having done that and to come away with a win. But we got to get better, and so this is a good test for us.

"I didn't know much about them until this year. They are very athletic, which we understood that they would be. I know it will be a real challenge, but it will be a fun game. We need to have a big win and get the momentum back."



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Tulane welcomes Southern to Yulman Stadium this Saturday

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane football team opens its home slate this Saturday at Yulman Stadium against Southern out of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Storylines

• Tulane (0-1, 0-0 American Athtletic Conference West) kicks off a three-game homestand in the friendly confines of Yulman Stadium against an area foe from right down I-10 in Southern (0-1, 0-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference West).

• In the 2016 home opener for the Green Wave and first-year head coach Willie Fritz, Tulane looks to earn its first win on the young season and grab its first victory in a home opener since defeating Jackson State, 34-7, on Aug. 31, 2013. The Olive and Blue fell to Georgia Tech (38-21) in its 2014 home opener and and Duke (37-7) on Sept. 6 in its 2015 home opener on Sept. 3.

Week 2: Tulane Green Wave (0-1) vs Southern Jaguars (0-1)
When Saturday, Sept. 10 // 7 pm CT
Where New Orleans // Yulman Stadium (30,000)
Watch ESPN3
Commentators Joel Meyers (PBP), Brian Kinchen (analyst)
Radio Fox Sports 1280 AM New Orleans // Tune-In
Radio Talent Todd Graffagnini (PBP), Steve Barrios (Color)
Gus Kattengell (Sideline)
Tickets To Purchase, Click Here
Live Stats Sidearm – Click Here
Notes Tulane
Twitter @GreenWaveFB // @TulaneAthletics // #RollWave

CONTINUE READING

Game Day Preview: Alabama State at Alcorn State

FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY

1. Back to work: Alabama State head coach Brian Jenkins said his team showed some promise during its 26-13 loss at UTSA last Saturday, but said that there were too many mistakes to overcome in the second half. “Our guys went in there and played hard from beginning to end,” Jenkins said Monday morning. “We didn’t play well enough to win, but now we’re getting ready for our next game.” That next game is with defending SWAC champion Alcorn State, which Alabama State hasn’t beaten since 2013. “We’re really excited and ready to play Alcorn,” Jenkins said. “I expect it to be a great weekend for a football game, and we’re looking forward to a big challenge.”

2. Running start: Alabama State senior running back Khalid Thomas got off to a solid start to his 2016 season, rushing for 93 yards and a touchdown during last Saturday’s loss. Jenkins said that he expects a big year from his starting running back. “Khalid is a veteran who knows how to prepare for games, and he’s been in many situations,” Jenkins said. “It was good to see him get off to a good start, and we expect him to be successful.” Thomas averaged 4.8 yards per carry last season.

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Alabama A&M opens SWAC play Saturday at Mississippi Valley State

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The Bulldogs have put last week's loss to Middle Tennessee State behind and are focused on Mississippi Valley State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

They visit the Delta Devils with a 4 p.m. kickoff Saturday.

"It's kind of a luxury that we can't lick our wounds," Head Coach James Spady said. "We definitely want to erase last week's game."

The Bulldogs were stunned last year as MVSU rallied for a 27-24 overtime win at Louis Crews Stadium. It was the Delta Devils' first win of the season and the only home loss for A&M.

This game is important for the Bulldogs in their quest to reach the SWAC championship game as they travel to Itta Bena, Miss.

"This is a conference game and it's the first step in reaching our goal," Spady said. "It's not about our opponent; it's about A&M trying to get better.

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Morgan State’s transfer quarterback has Marshall’s attention

HUNTINGTON, West Virginia — If nothing else, Morgan State comes to Huntington on Saturday with an experienced quarterback, one of those graduate transfers.

Not that Chris Andrews comes from a football factory — Wagner College. But he is a dual-threat left-handed quarterback who has Marshall’s full attention.

Andrews and his Bears (0-1) take on the Thundering Herd in MU’s season opener at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Kickoff is at 6 p.m., with the game airing on beIN Sports.



“You can tell he’s played,” MU coach Doc Holliday said of Andrews. “He plays with poise, he makes tremendous throws. They’ve got some guys who can run at the receiver position. They’ve got a back who’s not even starting who was a 1,000-yard rusher, player of the year in that conference.”


Holliday referred to Herb Walker Jr., who wasn’t the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player of the year in 2015, but was offensive player of the week twice. He rushed for 1,408 yards and 15 touchdowns, but missed 2015 with eligibility issues.

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Tough dates await top teams in second week

HOUSTON, Texas -- There’s no sense in fooling with the BCSP Top Ten rankings this early in the season as the best black college teams, particularly those in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), are playing money games against mostly Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. In translation, these are games that the HBCU programs are highly unlikely to win. But they are good measuring sticks as to gauge the talent and competitiveness of their teams. A highly competitive game means the HBCU program is among the better FCS teams. Blowouts mean they are unlikely to match up well with the top FCS teams.

But, at least the money is good! Take for example this week’s game between BCSP No. 1 North Carolina Central (0-1, 0-0), coming off a 49-6 thrashing at the hands of ACC-member Duke, travelling up to Kalamazoo, Michigan to take on Western Michigan in a 7 p.m. start. All Western Michigan did last week was upset Big Ten member Northwestern, 22-21. The Eagles can expect no break facing the Broncos.

Similar HBCU FCS vs. FBS foes Saturday include BCSP No. 2 Prairie View A&M (1-0, 1-0 SWAC), who squeaked out a 29-25 win over SWAC West Division rival Texas Southern Sunday, travelling to College Station, Texas for an 11 a.m. date with SEC power Texas A&M (1-0). Texas A&M knocked off Pac-12 member and 16th-ranked UCLA Saturday, 31-24. BCSP No. 3 Bethune-Cookman, No. 6 Grambling State and No. 7 South Carolina State also face formidable FBS opponents.



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Alcorn State may have found answer at running back

LORMAN, Mississippi  -- Alcorn State entered the season facing questions at running back when it lost All-SWAC second-teamer Darryan Ragsdale after he exhausted his eligibility last year.

But coach Fred McNair points to the returning running backs as enough to make up for someone who averaged 7.6 yards per carry and finished with eight rushing touchdowns.

“I think Marquis (Warford) has been doing a good job throughout the training camp and the spring getting ready to take over the role,” McNair said. “With De’Lance Turner and the young guys coming in and getting to play, we do have a little depth at the running back position. We’re going to continue to press the running game and do what we do best.

“Even when Ragsdale was here — he did a great job for us — we had guys coming in behind him doing a great job playing the role they played. It’s always next man up.”

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from THE EDITOR DWIGHT FLOYD -- GAME REPORT: FAMU/FSU Tournament Begins Tonight

DWIGHT FLOYD
GAME REPORT
2016 Schedule (printable)

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Tonight the young FAMU Volleyball Team will host the Trojans of Arkansas Little Rock in the first of three tough games over two days. Continuing the tournament FAMU will visit the FSU Seminoles at Tully Gym at 1:00 PM on Friday and return to the AL Lawson Center on Friday night to host the Baylor Bears.

An improved Rattler team will face tough competition. The Rattlers began the season losing three games in a row. Costly errors and the lack of experience for a team of mostly new players took a toll in those first few games. In the next three games the Rattlers went 2-1. The errors were vastly reduced and the players demonstrated a better feel for how to play with one another. Now 2-3, the Rattlers are skilled and athletic and show a lot of promise. Their keys to winning are to reduce the errors, play in system, and remain confident.

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Georgia State adds Savannah State to 2020 football schedule

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The Georgia State Panthers have added the Savannah State Tigers to their 2020 football schedule, GSU announced on Wednesday.

News of the matchup was first reported Wednesday morning by Doug Roberson of the AJC.

Georgia State will host Savannah State at their new stadium in Atlanta, formerly Turner Field, on Sept. 19, 2020. In their first and only meeting, Georgia State defeated Savannah State 55-21 at home in 2010.

Savannah State is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in the Football Championship Subdivision. Since 2010, the Tigers haven’t won more than one game per season and are 5-62 overall.

CONTINUE READING

FAMU head coach Wood ready to move on after Miami loss

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M head coach Alex Wood is confident things will get better for the Rattlers.

FAMU’s football season officially kicked off over the weekend – and the Rattlers were dropped 70-3 by the Miami Hurricanes.

It was a tough start for the Rattlers, who are trying to improve after a 1-10 2015 season. Wood said after the first game, the team noticed areas that need to be improved before the Rattlers next stop on a three-game road trip to open the season.

“We learned some things about ourselves from that game, obviously,” he said Tuesday during his weekly new conference. “That is what we are focusing on as we go forward to Coastal Carolina.”

FAMU takes on Coastal Carolina Saturday in Conway, S.C. at 7 p.m. The Chanticleers defeated FAMU 48-3 in 2014 – and they did so on the Rattlers home turf.

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Rutgers home opener is big for Chris Ash, regardless of opponent -- Howard Bison

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey -- Rutgers (0-1) heads into this weekend looking forward to its home opener. The Scarlet Knights have a new head coach, Chris Ash, and they’re trying to bounce back from a tough 48-13 loss against a ranked Washington squad.

The fact that the home opener is against Howard, an 0-1 MEAC team, doesn’t seem to bother Ash at all.

“Excited to play our home opener. I’ve said this many times, as a visiting coach, the experience that I had here at High Point Solutions Stadium has been a great one,” Ash told the media on Monday. “It’s been a great environment, and I hope to see that environment firsthand as a Rutgers football coach here this Saturday. Looking forward to having the students show up and support our football team and experience gameday here with us.”

It’s a new era of Rutgers football, and though the team couldn’t come up with a big upset win in Week 1, Ash will certainly take any positive momentum he can get in Week 2. That’s not to discredit the Bison of Howard, but this is a game the Scarlet Knights should win.

CONTINUE READING

XU Athletics named NAIA COC 5-Star winner for 2015-16

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana is one of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' Champions of Character Five-Star Award winners for 2015-16, the NAIA announced Wednesday.

XULA received a bronze rating. NAIA members receive points in character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion. Points also are earned based on exceptional student-athlete grade-point averages throughout the course of the academic year.

"Xavier Athletics is pleased to be recognized again as an NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Award winner," said XULA Director of Athletics and Recreation Jason Horn. "Our staff and student-athletes are committed to earning a gold rating when the next awards are announced a year from now."

Through the Champions of Character program, the NAIA seeks to create an environment in which every student-athlete, coach, official and spectator is committed to the true spirit of competition through five core values: integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.

XULA is one of five Gulf Coast Athletic Conference members to be receive the Five-Star Award for 2015-16.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Longtime Gold Rush coach Denny Alexander dies at 70

NEW ORLEANS — Eugene Dennis "Denny" Alexander, whose Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball teams won more than 200 games and multiple Gulf Coast Athletic Conference championships, died Tuesday (Sept. 6, 2016) in Michigan. He was 70.

Alexander coached the Gold Rush from 1978-90 and set a school record for career victories with 212. That record has been broken twice since then. Alexander's teams won three GCAC regular-season championships, including the league's first two, and a pair of NAIA District 30/GCAC Tournament championships. They made two NAIA national tournament appearances and produced five 20-win seasons.

He was a three-time GCAC Coach of the Year.

The best season under Alexander was 1981-82, when the Gold Rush won 29 in a row after an opening loss, won conference and district regular-season and tournament titles and qualified for nationals. That team finished 29-2 after a first-round loss.

Alexander also served as Xavier's director of athletics, as chairman of the NAIA District 30 men's basketball committee and as a rater/voter on the NAIA national poll.

"I will always cherish the memories and times I spent with coach Alexander," said Kenny Loyd, who played for XULA from 1982-86. "Coach enforced the importance of education and graduation, and he kept track of his players after college and offered support and advice to help us financially, spiritually and socially.
I am so glad the bond that we had at Xavier continued after college. Coach was very important in helping me develop into the man and the father that I am today."

The top five Gold Rush career scorers — Merlin Peters (1,960 points), Juan Mercier (1,735). Evan Robinson (1,662), Byron Williams (1,509) and Eugene Johnson (1,494) — played for Alexander. Mercier and Johnson played their entire XULA careers under Alexander.

Cause of death was not announced. Services will be next week in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Mich., with the viewing of the body Sept. 15 and the funeral Sept. 16.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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ASU Jenkins Meets with Local Media before Alcorn State

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Alabama State University Head Football Coach Brian Jenkins held his weekly press conference Wednesday afternoon in the Media Room at ASU Stadium. He took some time to look back on last week's performance and talked about the upcoming opponent, Alcorn State.

"We gave a valiant effort last week, but it wasn't good enough," Jenkins said. "It was good to see the guys play hard and accept the challenge, but that's not what its' all about, it's about playing well enough to win and that is something we didn't do. We have a lot of learning experiences, coaching experience off that game and we have put that away and our focus is totally on our next opponent."

Jenkins took some time out to discuss a few things the team would be working on to prepare for the SWAC's two-time reigning champions.

"The main thing is to get better as a football team overall," Jenkins said. "We need to continue to improve on our fundamentals and our basics, become a more detailed football team in every phase of the game and those things we did not do in our first contest. Those are a must in this football game if we want to come through with a victory."

Alcorn State will enter this game without a record even though they played part of a game Sunday in the MEAC-SWAC Showdown. The game was called without a winner after an almost three hour weather delay. The Braves had opened up a 13-7 lead over Bethune-Cookman when the game was called midway through the second quarter.

The Braves have won the last two games in the series and five times over the past six seasons the winner of this game has either won the East Division outright or been tied for the lead in the division, so this game has turned out to be a very important game as far as the race for the SWAC Championship game is concerned.

"Every game is a big game and a lot of people are saying this is a huge game," Jenkins said. "Alcorn is the king of the conference right now and they rightfully deserve that crown they have earned it. But it is a big game as well as every other game is a big game because you have other teams in this conference that I think have the capability of being right there at the top."

"It's a big game for us because we get a chance to go against one of the top teams in Alcorn and we're really looking forward to it. I'm telling you we are excited about this game, can't wait till Saturday, but we know there is a phase of things you have to go through before you get to Saturday, but like I said we're excited about this game. It is a big game because you're going against the champs and hopefully you'll be the team that dethrones them, but it's all going to come down to between those lines with the Jimmies and Joes and exes and ohs and I wouldn't want it any other way."

Game time in Lorman is 6 p.m. and can be heard live over the Hornet Radio Network on 102.7 FM, 96.7 FM and HSRN Sirius Radio. The game can be watched live on ESPN3.

ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

HU's schedule has been tough, but the Pirates can use it to improve

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

HAMPTON, Virginia — Last week, Hampton University opened its season against Old Dominion, a Football Bowl Subdivision team, on the road. This week, the Pirates will go against William and Mary, which is ranked 13th in two FCS polls.

Sure, there are easier routes to take in the first two weeks of September. Although this one practically guarantees an 0-2 start, HU coach Connell Maynor, who inherited both games, sees some benefits.

"If you play two cupcakes, you get easy victories, (but) you don't learn a lot about yourself because you weren't tested," Maynor said. "We want to be tested. We want to see what we're good at, what we need to improve on, and go from there.

"If not, it's just like a regular scrimmage, ones against twos. You don't really get a lot from ones against twos. We like playing good competition, playoff teams, so we can see where we stack up."

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FVSU Wildcats hope to learn from season opener

FORT VALLEY, Georgia -- Fort Valley State football head coach Kevin Porter said there was a clear difference in his team’s first half Sunday at Miles and what took place in the second half — experience.

The Wildcats jumped out to an 18-point lead at halftime before Miles showed its championship resolve in the second half to pull out a 34-21 win. Fort Valley State didn’t score in the second half after jumping on top of the defending SIAC champion Golden Bears in the first half, while Miles scored 31 second-half points.

“I think our kids, they came out and played at a high level in the first half and probably played at the same level in the second half,” Porter said of his first game as the Wildcats’ head coach. “But Miles is, obviously, the conference champ and has a championship pedigree. And it showed, and their experience showed in the second half of the ballgame.”

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BVI’s Thomas makes British baseball team for European Championships

TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands —While most of his colleagues have eyed an opportunity to play Major League Baseball, Natheson Thomas of the British Virgin Islands has taken a different route that has landed him a spot on the Great Britain team for the 2016 European Championships, which begin Friday in Hoofddorp in the Netherlands.

Thomas, known as “Shadow” — who got his start in the game under the tutelage of former St. John resident Terry Chinnery and played for Altus Junior College in Western Oklahoma from 2007-2009 and Bluefield State College in Bluefield West Va., in 2011 — is the first BVI player to land a spot on a Great Britain baseball roster for any competition.

Thomas, who began training camp on Monday, has been playing with the Hamburg Hornets in Germany, a team that has languished at the bottom of the pile with a 3-29 and 2-30 record the last two seasons.

While playing last year, Carl Wordell of the Tuberlin Hawks approached Thomas after hearing he was British.

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