Aggies, Golden Tigers Stay On Top in Week 6 of HSRN Polls

HARTLEY, Delaware –  North Carolina A&T and Tuskegee were nearly unanimous choices tor first place in this week’s HSRN Football Polls.

Celebration Bowl Champion N. C. A&T has been ranked #1 since the beginning of the season in the HSRN FCS Poll. Undefeated Tuskegee University has held on to the top position in the Division II/NAIA Poll for six consecutive weeks.

Positions in the Division I FCS poll remained fairly consistent.  Grambling State held on to second place with Tennessee State close behind in third despite suffering their first loss of the season.  North Carolina Central jumped over idle Southern into fourth place with the Jaguars rounding out the top five. 

In Division II/NAIA, Tuskegee’s Golden Tigers captured all but one of the first place votes of the HSRN pollsters ahead of a strong representation from the CIAA, who took the next four places in the poll.

Bowie State remained in second place ahead of Virginia Union, Virginia State and Winston-Salem State.  Lane College returned to the top 10 after falling out a week ago.

Division I FCS School (First Place Votes) Record Pts Last Week 1 North Carolina A&T (15) 4-1 159 1 2 Grambling State (1) 4-1 142 2 3 Tennessee State 4-1 120 3 4 North Carolina Central 4-2 102 5 5 Southern U. 2-2 93 4 6 Prairie View A&M 4-2 89 6 7 South Carolina State 1-3 56 7 8 Texas Southern 3-2 51 8 9 Alcorn State 2-3 38 9 10 Morgan State 2-2 17 10 Others receiving votes Hampton, Jackson State

Division II/NAIA School (First Place Votes) Record Pts Last Week 1 Tuskegee (13) 6-0 139 1 2 Bowie State (1) 4-2 130 2 3 Virginia Union 4-2 113 3 4 Virginia State 5-1 107 4 5 Winston-Salem State 4-2 90 5 6 Miles College 3-2 59 8 7 Chowan 4-2 45 6 8 Albany State 2-2 38 7 9 Clark Atlanta 3-2 30 10 10 Lane 3-2 17 NR Others receiving votes Benedict, Morehouse, Kentucky  State, Central State, St. Augustine's

Young players making big contributions for winless DSU

DOVER, Delaware -- Kenny Carter can see the future.

He would like some victories in the present too, though.

Over the last several weeks, freshmen have delivered big contributions to the Delaware State University football team. Even with the younger players emerging, the Hornets are still searching for their first win of the season.

Last week it was freshman wide receiver Fatu Sua-Godinet who showed what he is capable of. Sua-Godinet caught his first career touchdown pass along with five receptions for 84 yards and je was named MEAC Freshman of the Week on Monday.

Delaware State was Sua-Godinet’s only scholarship offer. He wasn’t highly recruited out of Kamehameha High on the east side of the island of Hawaii.

“Not a lot of people from our level recruit that area and there’s a lot of really good players over there,” Coach Carter said.

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FAMU DE Price plays to fulfill last promise to father

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Elijah Price has plenty of motivation to shine on Florida A&M’s defensive line.

The junior defensive end started the season as a backup after starting in 10 of the Rattlers 11 games last season and had to battle to get back into the starting lineup. He’s a player that was looked at by Florida State while at Jacksonville Sandalwood, but suffered an ACL injury and only received an offer to play college football from FAMU.

Still, there’s one huge factor driving him to compete. He made a promise to his father Lavaell Price, who died when he was 16.

“I’ve always liked playing football,” Price said. “I’ve played throughout my whole life. But my dad passed away and I made a promise on his deathbed that I’d continue my career in football and see far how it goes. That’s the real big motivation.”

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ASU’s Clark promoted to Associate Head Baseball Coach

COACH DREW CLARK

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – When Jose Vazquez was chosen for the new head baseball coaching job at Alabama State University, it opened up other positions to be filled for the coaching staff.

Among those changes was prior assistant coach Drew Clark, who was named the new associate head coach.

The decision to hire Clark required no hesitation for Vazquez.

"Drew is a great recruiter and now he is going to get into a different role that I know he is going to succeed at," Vazquez said.

Clark will be entering his sixth season as an assistant coach and his first season as the Associate Head Coach for the Hornets.

Among Coach Clark's accolades include being named 2014 Assistant Coach Year, along with coaching several former players who have gone on to accomplish big things.

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Major test coming for improved Jackson State group

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State appears to have fixed a major weakness.

The Tigers’ defense ranked among the worst in the SWAC as recently as Week 3 after allowing 82 points over the team’s first two games, but the unit heads into Saturday’s 6 p.m. home game against Southern (2-2, 2-0 SWAC) among the best in the conference.

The Tigers (2-3, 2-1) lead the SWAC in yards allowed per rush (3.8) and rushing yards allowed per game (125.2) and are second in yards allowed per game (363.4). They also rank sixth in pass defense (238.2 yards per game) and fifth in scoring defense (34.4 points per game).

“I don’t care where you’re playing defense, whether it’s the SEC or the Big 12 or the SWAC: Stopping the run is of utmost importance,” defensive coordinator John Hendrick said. “If you stop the run, then you take away the play-action aspect of the football game and you make them play, like I say, left-handed.”

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Grambling makes debut in STATS FCS Top 25

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Even the first of two consecutive open dates couldn't stop the momentum behind Grambling's football program.

Grambling debuted at No. 25 in the latest STATS FCS Top 25 and moved up two spots to No. 23 in the latest FCS Coaches Poll announced Monday a week after the Tigers broke through at No. 25.

The Tigers (3-1) received 326 points to earn a spot in the STATS FCS Top 25. In the coaches poll, Grambling tallied 67 points to edge No. 24 Samford (64) and No. 25 New Hampshire (51), two schools that were new additions to the weekly poll.

Grambling is the highest-ranked Southwestern Athletic Conference program in the country and is second among HBCUs behind North Carolina A&T (No. 15 in STATS FCS and No. 17 in FCS Coaches Poll).

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ODU Announces 2019 Contest With Norfolk State

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Old Dominion University Football and Norfolk State will play each other to open the 2019 season, ODU Athletic Director Dr. Wood Selig announced on Monday. The all-Norfolk matchup is set for the opening of Old Dominion's renovated stadium in 2019.

“We are excited to renew our rivalry with Norfolk State. We have played good football games with them starting with the 2011 playoff game. Players on both teams have played with and against each other in high school and sometimes workout together in the summer,” ODU Head Coach Bobby Wilder said. “With this being the home opener in 2019 this will give the players and the fans a game to look forward to between two schools in the same area.”

The contest is scheduled to open the 2019 season on Aug. 31. The Monarchs are 3-0 all-time against Norfolk State. The two teams last played on Sept. 12, 2015, a game ODU won 24-10.

The Virginian-Pilot reported Monday that Foreman Field is expected to undergo a $55 million rebuild and increase to 22,130 seats. ODU has won three previous meetings, most recently 24-10 a year ago.

ODU, a former FCS program, plays in Conference USA. Norfolk State is a MEAC member.



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Jackson State 'looking forward' to Southern game

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Coach Tony Hughes wanted to strike the right balance during Jackson State’s bye week. He needed to back off enough to allow his players to recover from injuries and to provide a break while maintaining the sharpness needed as they prepare for the remainder of their schedule.

The Tigers (2-3, 2-1 SWAC) appear to have accomplished their goal as they get ready for Saturday’s 6 p.m. game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium against Southern (2-2, 2-0).

“The players seem refreshed, excited, looking forward to our next challenge,” Hughes said. “We had an excellent practice (Sunday afternoon), a high-spirited practice.”

The Tigers practiced just three days last week, Tuesday through Thursday, giving injured players such as defensive end/linebacker Javancy Jones an opportunity to rest. The team game planned for Southern but spent time working on its schemes and fundamentals.

Hughes believes the biggest beneficiaries were the program’s inexperienced members.

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Severe weather has impacted Bethune-Cookman season

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and replayed on ESPNU at 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday.


DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- There are bigger concerns for the winless Bethune-Cookman football team this week than stopping North Carolina A&T All-America running back Tarik Cohen.

Bethune-Cookman's campus remains closed until Wednesday with cleanup from Hurricane Matthew ongoing in hard-hit Daytona Beach, Florida. Classes are scheduled to resume Thursday.

The Wildcats' MEAC game against North Carolina A&T that was scheduled for Thursday night has been moved to 1 p.m. ET Saturday at Municipal Stadium.

N.C. A&T and Bethune-Cookman were part of a three-way share of the MEAC title last year, but they have had decidedly different seasons. N.C. A&T, ranked 15th, is 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference, while Bethune-Cookman is 0-4 for the first time since 2009, including two MEAC losses.

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'This is a major deal' Southern to play Texas Southern in 2018-19 Texas State Fair Classic

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern University has reached an agreement with the city of Dallas and the Texas State Fair to play against Texas Southern in the Texas State Fair Classic for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

The Jaguars are slated to play in the third week of the state fair, which was already holding Grambling-Prairie View and Texas-Oklahoma football games in the Cotton Bowl as part of the three-week extravaganza.

“We think it will generate a lot of excitement for our fans, and we think it will create a lot of excitement for Dallas,” SU interim athletic director Roman Banks said. “For our fans, Dallas is a place that is fan-friendly. Travel is pretty easy with a major airport.

“This is a major deal to be selected to play in the Cotton Bowl. We are fortunate the state fair and the city of Dallas reached out to us.”

Banks said the agreement was finished last weekend, around the same time Grambling beat Prairie View 36-16 in front of more than 50,000 people at the Cotton Bowl.

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Legendary Southern coach Arnett 'Ace' Mumford honored in West Virginia hometown that almost forgot him

BUCKHANNON, West Virginia -- Arnett W. “Ace” Mumford, the iconic former Southern University football coach, was honored in his West Virginia hometown Sunday with a permanent placard placed at his birthplace.

The placard now sits at the corner of Latham and Sedgewick streets in Buckhannon, West Virginia where Mumford was born. A duplicate will be presented to Southern University, according to the Inter-Mountain newspaper, which serves rural West Virginia.



Mumford was born in Buckhannon, but moved away when he was 7 years old because he could not attend school in the predominantly white Buckhannon. He moved in with family roughly 90 miles away in Parkersburg, W.V., to receive an education.

Memphis Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace — a Buckhannon native — facilitated the honor, according to a report by ‘The Undefeated.’

“It’s a small town. I knew where he grew up. I knew where he would’ve played as a kid because it’s places I’ve been in,” Wallace said to The Undefeated. “Give him the recognition because it’s just so overdue.

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3 keys for Jackson State to finish the season well

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Discussing Jackson State’s chances of winning the SWAC’s Eastern division may be premature, but the Tigers exit their bye week with an opportunity to still accomplish that goal.

They lead their division by a half-game over Alcorn State, which figures to be their main competitor, though Alabama State still has a chance. The bye week allowed Jackson State to rest its injured players, and the Tigers have the momentum of two consecutive wins.

Here are three keys for the Tigers (2-3, 2-1 SWAC) to win their division and reach the SWAC championship game for the first time since 2013. Their stretch run begins with Saturday’s 6 p.m. game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium against Southern (2-2, 2-0).

The Tigers struggled to run the ball effectively over the first three weeks, a stretch in which they averaged just 2.6 yards per carry and scored a total of 53 points.

But the emergence of true freshman Jordan Johnson seems to have turned the offense around. The Tigers have rushed for 198 yards in each of the past two games (Johnson has accounted for 199 rushing yards in that span), scoring 48 points combined.



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North Carolina A&T Aggies Fall to Florida A&M Rattlers

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- North Carolina A&T fell 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-12) to Florida A&M in a battle for first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference southern division on Sunday at Moore Gymnasium. The Rattlers improved to 8-11 overall and 5-0 in conference while the Aggies dropped to 6-10 overall and 3-1 in the MEAC.

"It was a tough loss today. Florida A&M played us very well and forced us to play catch up all day," said head coach Hal Clifton. "We just gave away too many points. It's disappointing, but we still have a lot of season left and we can learn a lot from this match as we move forward."

Florida A&M's offense was effective throughout the match, recording a hitting percentage of.326. N.C. A&T, meanwhile, was not as efficient on the offensive end. The Aggies never finished a set hitting better than .100. Junior Samara Brown had nine kills with five attack errors for a .160 hitting percentage along with a solo block.

The Aggies picked up a 7-6 lead in Set 3 after an attack error by Nicole Abreu before the Rattlers went on a 13-0 run to take a 19-7 lead. The lead grew to 14 at 24-10 before kills by freshman Leila Haynesworth and Pitt brought the Aggies closer before an attack error by junior Jasmine Lindor ended the set and match.

The Rattlers momentum going into the third set really started in the second set. A block assist from fifth-year senior Te'Borah Hawkins-Hollingsworth and Pitt cut FAMU's lead to 15-12 and put the Aggies on a 4-0 run. With all the momentum seemingly on the Aggies side, the Rattlers scored the next three points to force an Aggies timeout. A service error and an attack error helped the Aggies get to within five at 19-14, but the Rattlers never made an error after that point and went on to win the set.

The Rattlers became the first MEAC team this season to secure more than 40 kills against the Aggies as they finished the match with 10. FAMU's serving also troubled the Aggies as the team finished with 10 service aces. Yvette Maria Garcia led the Rattlers with 14 kills. Nicole Abreau recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs.

Action continues for the Aggies on Wednesday, Oct. 12, as they travel to Norfolk State for a 6 p.m. matchup in Joseph Echols Hall. N.C. A&T beat the Spartans in three close sets.

BOX SCORE

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HBCU Football Judgment Day Scoreboard - Week 6

Sunday, Oct. 7, 2016

Winston-Salem State 15, Johnson C. Smith 14

Saint Augustine's 38, Livingstone 37  (2 O.T.)

Saturday, Oct. 6, 2016

OVC

Eastern Illinois 35, Tennessee State 34 

MEAC

North Carolina A&T 35, Norfolk State 0

Monmouth 59,  Howard 27

Hampton 27, Delaware State 17

North Carolina Central 17, Florida A&M 13

SWAC

Prairie View A&M 24, Alabama State 17 O.T.

Alcorn State 42, Alabama A&M 19

Montana 67, Mississippi Valley State 7

CIAA

Bowie State 21, Chowan 14

Virginia State 44, Elizabeth City State 38

Fayetteville State 7, Shaw 6

Virginia Union 39, Lincoln (Pa.) 6

SIAC

Clark Atlanta 27, Shorter 23

Tuskegee 28, Morehouse 19

Kentucky State 26, Fort Valley State 10

Miles 36, Central State 0 

Lane 19, Benedict 18 

OTHER HBCUs

Lock Haven 51, Cheyney 12

Notre Dame (OH) 48, West Virginia State 21

Saint Joseph's(IN) 27, Lincoln (MO) 17

Lyons College 35, Texas College 21