Late score helps Albany State put away Clark-Atlanta

ALBANY, Georgia — Ta’Keevian Harris tried everything he could to get into the end zone.

On a critical third-and-1 play from the Clark-Atlanta 29-yard line, the former Westover standout caught a short pass and turned it upfield and fought until getting tackled at the three.

Two plays later on a quarterback bootleg, quarterback Caleb Edmonds scored on a two-yard run give Albany State a 10-point lead with 4:34 left in the game.

The decisive touchdown finally put away pesky Clark-Atlanta Saturday afternoon and the Rams won a hard-fought 17-7 contest on homecoming at the Albany State University Coliseum before 10,273.

“I really felt like I needed some more milk,” said Harris, who finished with two catches for 37 yards. “I had everything I needed, I was open, but to get caught on the three-yard line, I knew my teammates were going to come back and make it up for me. I was just thinking about making up for those little dropped balls earlier.”

Harris’ catch was gutsy considering the Rams (4-3, 3-1 SIAC) needed something positive to finally put away the Panthers, who with a victory, could have captured the SIAC East Division. Instead, Albany State now sits in the driver’s seat with games left against Benedict and Fort Valley State in the annual Fountain City Classic.

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PVAMU's Big Second-Half Outburst Not Enough At Rice

HOUSTON, Texas – Prairie View A&M University football put together a big second half, but it was not enough as the Panthers lost at Rice 65-44 Saturday at Rice Stadium.

Trailing 45-14 at halftime, PVAMU (4-3 overall, 4-1 SWAC) outscored the Owls 30-23 and outgained the FBS opponent 335-218 over the final 30 minutes, but couldn't close the scoring deficit to less than the final margin.

Jalen Morton accounted for 325 yards (career-high 278 passing, 47 rushing) and three touchdowns in his first career start. Darius Floyd had career highs in receptions (six) and receiving yards (139) with one touchdown, while Dawonya Tucker had two rushing touchdowns for Prairie View A&M.

"I was proud of the guys," said Prairie View A&M head coach Willie Simmons. "They competed. They fought and played for four quarters, and that's all you can ask for…There's some things we have to do better. In the first half, we turned the ball over a bunch, had penalties and gave up some big plays. At halftime, we came in and made some adjustments and got the guys to just play football. When we did that, we played pretty well. In the second half, we outscored them, so there's a lot of positives to take away from this game."

Joshua Simmons returned a kickoff 93 yards for a first-quarter touchdown to tie the score at 7-all less than three minutes into game. The Owls (1-6, 0-4 C-USA) took advantage of Panther mistakes in scoring 31 second quarter points to break the game open.

Morton's 39-yard touchdown run late in the first half gave a spark to the Panther offense, which went on to score touchdowns on five of their final seven full possessions of the game, outscoring Rice 37-23 over the final 33+ minutes.

Morton's career-long 62-yard touchdown pass to Floyd on the opening drive of the third quarter cut the deficit to 45-21. Following a Rice touchdown, the Panthers' Treveon Billings blocked the PAT, which was recovered by Terrence Singleton and returned for two points. On the ensuring drive, Quinton Bell caught a 47-yard scoring pass from Morton to cut the deficit to 51-30.

After a pair of Rice touchdowns, Tucker scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns on runs of 2 and 32 yards.

The Panthers return to Southwestern Athletic Conference play next Saturday at Jackson State.

PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Texas Southern drops tough SWAC matchup against Jackson State

HOUSTON, Texas -- Texas Southern coach Michael Haywood said he saw the Tigers' loss on Saturday to Jackson State coming. He felt the Tigers hadn't prepared properly during the week to come away with a win.

Haywood was proved to be right.

A final drive by Texas Southern netted nine first downs, counting two pass interference calls on Jackson State, but the series ended with Averion Hurts throwing an interception at the 1-yard line and TSU came up short. Again.

Jackson State held off the Tigers 21-13 at BBVA Compass Stadium, handing the Tigers their fourth loss in seven games. Saturday's eight-point margin of defeat is TSU's largest of the season.

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Grambling State Tiger Come Out of Two Week Bye Period, Torch MVSU Delta Devils 59-10

TTA BENA, Mississippi  –  Coach Broderick Fobbs and the Grambling State University football team marched into Rice-Totten Stadium after an almost three week break to face Mississippi Valley State University on their Homecoming on Saturday. The G-Men won the game and totally dominated the Delta Devils, 59-10.

With the win, Grambling improves to a 4-1 overall record and 4-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Mississippi Valley drops to 0-8, overall, and 0-6 in conference play.

The Tigers quickly jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The first touchdown took ten seconds and was scored when DeVante Kincade connected with Dominique Leake for 40 yards, 7-0. Martez Carter rushed 35 yards for the second touchdown to cap off a 10 play, 99 yard drive.

With 12:00 left in the second quarter, MVSU posted three points on the board as Nicolas Jacquemin drilled a 47 yard field goal through the uprights, 14-3.

Grambling took control of the ball game and never looked back in the second quarter and beyond. The Tigers rattled of seven touchdowns through the last three quarters of play.

The Delta Devils gave a last gasp with a touchdown scored at the :15 mark in the fourth quarter. Austin Bray launched a six yard pass to Joshua Banks, 59-10.

Kincade went 20-for-27, one interception, and four touchdowns. Leake was the top receiver for the G-Men with four catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Carter led the way in rushing with nine carries for 91 yards and one touchdown. Samuel Reese was the top defender for the Golden Curtain with five total tackles, three sacks, and four tackles for loss.

MVSU's quarterback, Austin Bray threw 17-for-35, 213 yards and one touchdown. Booker Chambers led the receiving corps for the Delta Devils with eight catches for 92 yards. Jordan Freeman was the highlight of Mississippi Valley's defense with seven total tackles.

Grambling returns to the grid iron for Homecoming against the University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff in Eddie Robinson Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 2 p.m.

For complete coverage of Grambling State University Tiger football, please follow @GSU_Tigers on Twitter, GSU Tigers on Facebook, and @gsu_tigers on Instagram. You can also find up-to-date information on all things Grambling State Athletics at www.gsutigers.com.

GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

SCSU Roll Over Delaware State 30-3

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- South Carolina State captured its third straight conference win in front a "Homecoming" crowd of 15,489 in a 30-3 victory over visiting Delaware State Saturday (Oct. 22) at Oliver. C. Dawson Stadium.

"I am happy we won the game for our "Homecoming" crowd. We got a little rhythm going on offense, had some moments," said SC State head coach Buddy Pough.

It's not a lot we can brag about as we were not spectacular. But the key is we won the game," said Pough.

South Carolina State improves to 3-3 overall, 3-0 in the MEAC, while Delaware State falls to 0-6 overall, 0-3 in the league.

Redshirt freshman running back Bishop Ford captured his second 100-yard rushing game this season with 27 carries for 106 yards. Freshman wide receiver De'Montrez Burroughs after making he transition from defensive back to offense this week had a solid day catching with four (4) receptions for 69-yards and a touchdown.

The Bulldog defense played lights out only allowing only 151-yards total offense. Redshirt junior All-MEAC linebacker Darius Leonard spearheaded the defense with 11 tackles (8) solo and 2.5 tackles for loss, while teammate Dayshawn Taylor finished with 10 tackles (8) solo and 2.5 tackles for loss, as well.

SC State scored first on a 14-yard toss from redshirt quarterback Dewan Ford to senior Adrian Kollock, Jr. for a 14-yard touchdown pass reception at the 12:56 mark in the first quarter. Junior kicker Tyler Scandrett connected on a 25-yard field goal to give SC State 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Scandrett found his way on the scoreboard again this time connecting on his career-long a 46-yard kick , with 7:36 remaining in the second quarter. Burroughs caught his first career touchdown on a 41-yard toss from sophomore quarterback Caleb York with 5:12 remaining before halftime.

The Hornets got on the board on a 34-yard kick from Wisdom Nzidee. Scandrett and the Bulldogs sealed the deal connecting on his third field goal of the day on a 22-yarder early on the fourth quarter to secure a 30-3 victory over visiting Delaware State.

South Carolina State returns to action on Saturday (Oct. 29) on the road against host the Pirates of Hampton University. Kickoff is 1 p.m.

For more information on South Carolina State Athletics visit www.scsuathletics.com or call the Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060.

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Homecoming heartbreak for Morgan, NCCU pulls away 21-17

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Morgan State had it in the palm of their hands.

But North Carolina Central had the answer when needed when backup quarterback Naiil Ramadan connected with Jalen Wilkes on a 16-yard touchdown pass with 3:59 left in their 21-17 win over the Bears at Hughes Stadium during Homecoming. This marked the Bears' second straight homecoming loss.

Morgan State head coach Fred T. Farrier summarized the loss.

"We got to find a way to finish a game and play 60 minutes," said Farrier. "Whether it's DeAndre [Harris] or Chris [Andrews] at quarterback, we can't turn the ball over. We can't make mistakes in critical situations against a great football team. We just made too many mistakes."



It didn't take long for NCCU (6-2, 5-0 MEAC) to get on the board as Malcolm Bell found a wide open Lavontis Smith for a 38-yard touchdown pass with 13:15 left. That put the Eagles up 7-0.

On the Bears' 1st possession, Chris Andrews was intercepted by Reggie Hunter who returned it to the Bears' 20. Four plays later, Dorrel McClain ran the ball into the end zone from two yards out with 10:31 left. It helped extend the Eagles' advantage to 14-0. That was one of three MSU turnovers in this game.

MSU answered back when Andrews completed a 12-yard TD pass to Ricky Fisk with 5:02 left in the 1st quarter. The extra point by Alex Raya cut the deficit to 14-7.

The Bears capitalized on a fumbled punt by NCCU's Mike Jones that was recovered by MSU's Ian McBorrough. One play later, Eric Harrell, who ran for a career high 121 yards on the day, recorded a seven yard TD run. With the extra point, the game was tied at 14 with 5:45 left in the second quarter.

The next possession by NCCU, quarterback Malcolm Bell was hit by safety Darius Johnson and fumbled the ball. Cornerback Delonta Hall recovered it at the NCCU 38 with 3:08 left in 2nd quarter. Bell was helped off the field with a possible concussion. But the turnover amounted into zero points for the Bears as Raya's 54-yard field goal attempt was blocked by NCCU's Alden McClellon.

NCCU's backup quarterback Naiil Ramadan was inserted into the ballgame and had his first pass attempt intercepted by Malachi Washington and returned to the NCCU 29. Raya ended up converting a 40-yard field goal at the halftime gun to give the Bears a 17-14 lead.

Not much happened in the second half. But the gusting winds determined a lot in this game. It came down to a short 18-yard punt into the 25-35 mile per hour wind.

Antonio Brown forced a fumble by DeAndre Harris that was recovered by Nolan Corpening at the NCCU 41 with 2:22 left.

Morgan State (2-4, 2-2 MEAC) stopped the Eagles on the ensuing drive. Then on the Bears' drive, Harris' pass was intercepted by Reggie Hunter at the MSU 41 with 22 seconds left to put the game away.

"We got to make sure our kids understand, game plan wise, where their eyes need to be in terms of what we're throwing and where the ball should go at times," Farrier said about taking care of the football. "Fumbles... we do a ball security circuit every day and we got to make sure those guys understand the importance of that. We got to continue to emphasize that as coaches."

Morgan State will attempt to improve on their performance next week as they hit the road to take on Norfolk State.

BOX SCORE

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Raynard, Cohen lead as N.C. A&T beats Howard 34-7

WASHINGTON — Unlike years past, Howard University’s homecoming celebration lacked a parade in the morning and a concert at night. Without the two traditional events, some members of the community worried the day would suffer from a lack of showmanship.

Luckily, N.C. A&T and running back Tarik Cohen were in town. The senior reversed fields and juked through the Bison defense to dazzle the crowd Saturday afternoon. Up front, the Aggies defensive line dominated on the way to a 34-7 victory.

“All week, we’ve been talking about Howard homecoming — scheduling us for homecoming was disrespect,” A&T defensive tackle Julian McKnight said. “We had to come in here and try to make a statement.”

Cohen rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, picking up his 5,000th career yard and fourth 1,000-yard season in the process. On the Aggies first offensive play of the second half, Cohen caught a screen pass, broke toward the left, then looped back down the right sideline. The 45-yard touchdown extended A&T’s lead to 27-0.

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Bethune-Cookman hands Spartans their sixth straight loss

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Norfolk State’s sideline was bunched together, hopping in unison as its offense drove and the tension mounted.

The Spartans, down by a touchdown in the waning seconds, were 12 yards away from tying the game.

And then, in a bumbling instant, they weren’t. Because this was Norfolk State. In 2016.

Larry Brihm Jr. passed for 138 yards and a touchdown, and Bethune-Cookman fended off a comeback Saturday in a 21-14 MEAC win over the scuffling Spartans at Dick Price Stadium.

The loss was the sixth straight for NSU (1-6, 0-4 MEAC), its longest losing streak since dropping seven in a row in 2012.

With four games left, the loss destroyed the team’s goal of finishing with a winning season for the first time in five years.

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Final: FAMU defeats Hampton 31-14

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- First the first time since 2014, the Rattlers have won back to back games.

FAMU’s defense forced three turnovers and redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Stanley was turnover-free again and the Rattlers defeated Hampton 31-14 on Saturday in front of 26,044 homecoming fans.

Homecoming attendance was the largest since 2010.

Stanley threw for two touchdowns, and FAMU’s running backs accounted for two more scores in the win. The Rattlers outscored the Pirates 24-7 in the second half to win the game.

The win marks the first time FAMU has won back to back games since 2014. Since FAMU won last season’s homecoming, it’s also the first time FAMU has won back to back homecoming games since 2009 and 2010.

With this win, FAMU improves to 3-2 in Conference play and 3-5 overall. The Rattlers have won three of their last four games after an 0-4 start.

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Coach Fobbs Inks Deal with GSU

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Grambling State University head football coach Broderick Fobbs is staying at GSU.

Fobbs, Interim Athletic Director Obadiah Simmons and GSU President Rick Gallot signed an agreement in the president’s office on Thursday (Oct. 20). The coach’s current contract was scheduled to expire in December 2016, and the new agreement extends his services through December 31, 2018. Gallot, who started as president on Aug. 1, said retaining Fobbs was one of his highest priorities.

“As a lifelong Grambling State football fan and as an alum, I know what we have in Coach Fobbs and I was determined to keep him as our coach,” said Gallot.

Coach said he loves his job and he is determined to do all he can to make the football program, athletics and his alma mater successful. “We’ve got something special going on here,” said Fobbs, “and we’re in the early stages of building of another legacy upon the great traditions developed by Coach Eddie Robinson, Prez (RWE) Jones and others. We’ve got a big job to do, and I’m grateful that President Gallot recognizes what our coaches and staff bring to the table.”

The agreement guarantees Fobbs $195,000, the salary he has earned since 2013. Fobbs said he did not want to accept a salary increase since the university is facing significant financial challenges and his coaches cannot receive salary increases at this time. Instead, the agreement is heavy on incentives, guaranteeing Fobbs additional compensation of up to $87,500 for specific goals, including winning the SWAC western division championship, being recognized as SWAC coach of the year, winning the Bayou Classic, winning the SWAC championship, winning the Celebration Bowl matchup between the SWAC and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) football championship teams and if the G-Men are declared the Black College national champions. In addition, Fobbs has an additional incentive to do something he makes a priority already — meeting or exceeding the NCAA benchmarks for Academic Progress Rate (APR). Student-athletes must attend classes, maintain specific grades and GPAs to remain eligible to participate.

In addition, the coach is provided with a salary bonus pool of $95,000 to be divided among his coaches based on specific incentives. For other coaches to be eligible to be considered for some of that money the team must win the SWAC western division, the SWAC championship and the Celebrity Bowl, widely seen as the national HBCU championship between the SWAC and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship teams played in Atlanta on Dec. 17, 2016. It also includes incentives for the football team being recognized as the Black College National Champion, a regular season record above .500 and for meeting or exceeding the NCAA APR benchmarks.

Gallot and Fobbs agreed that the fall negotiations started soon after the president started and continued cordially as the football season got underway and continued. Fobbs said there was no doubt that he wanted things to work out, and that he was far more concerned about the impact on his coaches and staff than any specific amount for himself. “I have an amazing team of coaches and a wonderful staff and we wouldn’t be doing as well as we’re doing without their commitment and dedication to our student-athletes and this program,” said Fobbs. “We’re all in this together, and if I win, they win.”

The agreement with the football coach guarantees that Fobbs will stay at his alma mater through the 2018 season at the Southwestern Athletic Conference school, ensuring that the significantly rejuvenated football program continues its winning tradition on the gridiron, in the classroom and in the community.

Hired in December 2013, Fobbs was charged with strengthening the program under a three-year contract. Since he started, Fobbs has been named the SWAC coach of the year twice, in 2014 and 2015, and he has a 19-8 record overall and a 12-4 record since 2015. His G-Men started the season as a team to watch but were not picked to win the SWAC western division or the conference championship. After a strong 3-0 SWAC start and a 3-1 overall record this season, the team is widely seen as the favorite to win the division and the SWAC championship.

“Coach Fobbs has done an incredible job both on the field and off, and we have to acknowledge, appreciate and support that,” said Gallot.

“There’s no question that Fobbs and our winning football program have been a big part of attracting more attention and more applicants. With 70 percent more applications this year compared to last year this time, that’s phenomenal, and it shows that a winning program has a real impact on recruiting.”

“I’m thrilled that we’ve signed Coach Fobbs for another couple of years. He’s a stellar leader and has done an amazing job with our football program in such a short period of time,” added Simmons. “By all accounts, Coach Fobbs is ahead of schedule relative to program goals.”

Fobbs started his coaching career at a Texas high school before working as a graduate assistant at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with then head coach Jerry Baldwin, now pastor of New Living Word Ministries in Ruston and a member of the university’s athletics director search committee. He coached at Northwestern State from 2002-07 and went to Lake Charles to coach at McNeese State University. He spent a stint at Southern Miss as wide receivers coach before returning to McNeese to coach tight ends for the Cowboys.

GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS

NCAA: Former Alabama State softball coach failed to promote atmosphere for compliance

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- A former Alabama State University head softball coach did not promote an atmosphere for compliance when she allowed student-athletes to participate in countable athletically related activity in excess of what NCAA rules allow, according to a Division I Committee on Infractions panel. The school also failed to monitor the processes that led to student-athletes purchasing items that were not course-related books or supplies.

The panel accepted the university's self-imposed $5,000 fine and countable athletic activity reductions. It also prescribed a one-year show-cause order for the former coach. During that time, if an NCAA member school hires her, it must set weekly meetings with her to monitor countable athletic activity.

This case was resolved through the summary disposition process, a cooperative effort during which the involved parties collectively submit the case to the Committee on Infractions in written form. The NCAA enforcement staff, university and involved individuals must agree to the facts and overall level of the case in order to use this process instead of a formal hearing.

The former coach was aware that student-athletes would arrive early to practice to run and stretch, and occasionally, the former coach would keep the student-athletes for post-practice meetings with the team. Both activities resulted in the team exceeding countable athletic activity. The softball program also did not apply countable activities limitations placed on the softball program by the Division I Committee on Academic Performance. The former coach did not demonstrate that she promoted an atmosphere for compliance within her program when she was personally involved in the violations.

Additionally, the university did not monitor its student-athletes' bookstore purchases when it did not fully implement a previously established compliance system and did not provide rules education to university staff members and bookstore personnel. The extra-benefit violations were a result of the athletics director shifting sole oversight of the purchases to the academic services unit instead of oversight by both the academic services unit and compliance staff. The director of academic services felt his unit was too busy to monitor the purchases and instructed his staff not to monitor them. As a result, no one monitored the purchases and the bookstore personnel did not have the rules education necessary to ensure all purchases followed the rules.

Penalties prescribed by the panel include the following:

Public reprimand and censure for the university.

Two years of probation from Oct. 20, 2016, through Oct. 19, 2018.

A one-year show-cause order for the former head softball coach from Oct. 20, 2016, through Oct. 19, 2017. During that time, any NCAA member school that hires her must set weekly meetings with the school's compliance director to submit countable activity logs and discuss those activities. She also must attend an NCAA Regional Rules Seminar.

A reduction in the number of softball countable athletic activity hours from 20 to 16 (self-imposed by the university).

The softball program took two days off during the spring 2015 championship segment and the 2015-16 academic year (self-imposed by the university).

A $5,000 fine (self-imposed by the university).

Members of the Committee on Infractions are drawn from NCAA membership and members of the public. The members of the panel who reviewed this case are John Black, attorney in private practice; Melissa Conboy, deputy director of athletics at the University of Notre Dame; Thomas Hill, senior vice president for student affairs at Iowa State University; Joel Maturi, former University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, athletics director; Joseph Novak, former head football coach at Northern Illinois University; and Larry Parkinson, chief hearing officer for the panel and director of enforcement for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

COURTESY NCAA.ORG

NCAA: Alcorn State failed to monitor its certification process, placed on probation, fined

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana  -- Alcorn State University failed to monitor its progress-toward-degree certification process when it improperly certified 28 student-athletes in 11 sports over the course of four academic years, according to a decision issued by a Division I Committee on Infractions panel.

The panel prescribed two years of probation, a $5,000 fine retained by the university for compliance education and a vacation of records for games in which ineligible student-athletes competed.

This case was resolved through the summary disposition process, a cooperative effort during which the involved parties collectively submit the case to the Committee on Infractions in written form. The NCAA enforcement staff and the university must agree to the facts and overall level of the case in order to use this process instead of a formal hearing.

Download the Alcorn State University Public Infractions Decision

The university and members of the NCAA staff discovered the incorrect certifications during an NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program audit. The staff members involved in the process did not understand the steps in the certification, which led to the registrar entering requirements incorrectly and the compliance director erroneously certifying eligibility based on the total hours earned, not those hours that were applicable to student-athletes’ degrees. The panel found the university did not provide adequate rules education to its academic advisors, which resulted in the school failing to monitor its certification process.

Penalties prescribed by the panel include the following:

Public reprimand and censure for the university.

A two-year probation period from Oct. 19, 2016, through Oct. 18, 2018.
A vacation of records for games in which ineligible student-athletes competed. After the release of the public report, the university will identify the competitions affected.

A $5,000 fine that will be retained by the university to be used for compliance education of the registrar, academic advisors and compliance staff.

Members of the Committee on Infractions are drawn from NCAA membership and members of the public. The members of the panel who reviewed this case are Britton Banowsky, executive director of the College Football Playoff Foundation; Bobby Cremins, former head men’s basketball coach at Georgia Tech; Alberto Gonzales, dean of the law school at Belmont University and former attorney general of the United States; Thomas Hill, senior policy advisor to the president of Iowa State University; Gary L. Miller, chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; Joseph Novak, former head football coach at Northern Illinois University; and David Roberts, chief hearing officer for this case and vice president for athletics compliance at the University of Southern California.

COURTESY NCAA.ORG

HBCU Football Judgment Day Schedule Week 8

Football Saturday, October 22, 2016

OVC
Tennessee State at Vanderbilt, 7:30 PM, TV: ESPNU

MEAC
North Carolina A&T at Howard, 1 PM
North Carolina Central at Morgan State, 1 PM
Delaware State at South Carolina State, 1:30 PM
Bethune-Cookman at Norfolk State, 2 PM, TV: ESPN3
Hampton at Florida A&M, 3 PM

SWAC
Grambling State at Mississippi Valley State, 3 PM
Jackson State at Texas Southern, 3 PM
Prairie View A&M at Rice, 3:30 PM
Arkansas Pine Bluff at Southern, 5 PM

CIAA
Bowie State at Virginia Union, 1 PM
Chowan at Elizabeth City State, 1 PM
Fayetteville State at Saint Augustine's, 1 PM
Johnson C. Smith at Shaw, 1 PM
Livingstone at Winston-Salem State, 1:30 PM
Lincoln (Pa) at Virginia State, 2 PM

SIAC
Central State (OH) at Fort Valley State, 2 PM
Clark Atlanta at Albany State, 2 PM
Kentucky State at Fort Valley State, 2 PM
Morehouse at Benedict 2 PM
Miles at Lane, 3 PM

OTHER HBCUs
West Virginia State at Glenville State, 1:30 PM
Cheyney at West Chester, 2 PM
Langston at Southwest Assemblies, 2 PM
Wayland Baptist at Texas College, 2 PM
Lincoln (Mo) at Indianapolis, 6 PM

ALL GAME TIMES ARE POSTED IN EASTERN TIME ZONE

Southern's Tre'lun Banks is set to 'come home' to point guard this season

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Tre’lun Banks has finally come home.

For the past two years, the Southern men's basketball standout has been at an awkward in-between.

Not a true shooting guard, Banks was thrust into the spot to fill a need the Jaguars had while Christopher Hyder handled point guard. It wasn’t optimal, but it's where Southern needed him most, so he soldiered on.

But with Hyder’s graduation last spring, Banks can move back to his “home” position.

“It’s like when you go off to college, and you enjoy college,” said Roman Banks, Southern's coach and Tre'lun's father. “But there’s nothing like when you come back home and your mom has that hot meal for you, you’re sleeping in your own bed, you see your family and everybody and you say, ‘Yeah, I’m back at home.’ That’s kind of what I see.”

While point guard is a much more suitable position for Banks, the move isn’t overly dramatic. Southern’s offense essentially requires the shooting guard to act as a second point guard at times, so Banks, now a senior, isn’t learning a whole new position.

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Real homecoming: Pough and young team at home for first time in 2016

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- More than a few things are hard to believe for S.C. State head football coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough this week.

It’s surprising enough that his Bulldogs (2-3 overall, 2-0 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play) will be playing their first home game of the season on homecoming Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on Willie E. Jeffries Field inside Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

But perhaps even more surprising is the fact that Pough’s squad will be taking on a winless Delaware State team (0-6, 0-3 MEAC). The Hornets are 1-16 in their second season under head coach Ken Carter, a graduate of The Citadel who coached with Charlie Strong both at Florida and Louisville.



“I guarantee you that Ken will be doing everything he can to get his team going here on Saturday,” Pough said this week. “He had two backs rush for more than 100 yard last Saturday against FAMU; so they are building.”

Building is exactly what Pough and his coaching staff are doing with a young team this season. The offense for S.C. State is a work in progress. And that progress might have been slowed by the extra week break when Hurricane Matthew forced moving the original home-opening game with Bethune-Cookman to the end of the season.

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HU rebuilding after two straight MEAC men's basketball titles, but that's OK

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Reggie Johnson, the scoring and floor leader, is gone. So is Quinton Chievous, Mr. Double-Double, and Brian Darden, master of the dagger 3.

In all, the Hampton University men's basketball program has lost five players who made at least 13 starts and combined for 56 points per game. And going into the 2016-17 season, the two-time defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament champion is rebuilding.

And yet, though he returns only one scorer who averaged more than four points a game, HU coach Buck Joyner sees the positives. Three players who averaged double-digit minutes are back. So are some others who Joyner believes grew significantly in the offseason.

"The good part about it is, we have five or six guys that were a part of that team last year," Joyner said. "All they know is winning and a certain level of success. So every day, we're not fighting for the effort, for them to compete.

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Prairie View A&M at Rice preview

Start Time: 2:30 p.m. CST

Location: Rice Stadium, Houston

TV: None

Radio: Rice IMG Sports Network, KPVU 91.3 FM

Streaming: CUSAtv

Series: First meeting

Outlook

Following a win by Miami of Ohio last weekend, Rice is the only winless team in FBS.

Once again, the Owls (0-6) were close to tasting victory, but could not get over the hump on Saturday. Haden Tobola missed a 42-yard field-goal attempt with 1:27 left that would have given Rice the lead. At the end of the game, Rice advanced to the UTSA 27, but the Owls did not have time for one last field-goal attempt.

“It’s the mental challenge, really, now. Are we going to find a way to win, or are we going to find a new way to lose?”

That quote actually came from Philip Rivers before the San Diego Chargers defeated Denver last week. But it seems to apply to Rice 2016. In addition to the latest way to lose, Rice has gotten blown out, fell in double overtime, had good offense when the defense struggled, and vice versa.

CONTINUE READING 

TSU Tigers Travel Crosstown for Matchup with Vanderbilt

Tennessee State Game Notes | Vanderbilt Game Notes
2016 Tennessee State Media Guide | Live Stats

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Game 7: Tennessee State (5-1) vs. Vanderbilt (3-4)

Date: Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016

Location: Nashville, Tenn.

Venue: Vanderbilt Stadium

Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. CT

TV: ESPNU

Audio: 102.1 FM The Light

The Game: Despite being separated by three miles, this is only the second meeting between Tennessee State and Vanderbilt. The Commodores claimed the only contest between the two universities, 38-9 in 2006. This will mark just the third time TSU has faced an FBS program. The Tigers traveled to Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2011 to face Air Force, which went in favor of the Falcons, 63-24.

Last Meeting: Tennessee State used a Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie interception of Commodore quarterback Chris Nickson to set up an Eric Benson 25-yard field goal. Rodgers-Cromartie picked off the pass at the Commodore 39 and returned it 27 yards to the Commodores 12 yard line to set up the score, as TSU trailed Vanderbilt 10-3 at halftime. The Commodores forced three turnovers and turned all three miscues into touchdowns within a span of 2:15 late in the third quarter and into the fourth to take a commanding 31-3 lead. TSU's lone touchdown came on a 15 yard touchdown pass from Antonio Heffner to Chris Johnson. Heffner finished 10-of-21 for 159 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Vanderbilt outgained TSU 308-252 in a defensive struggle.

Head Coach: Rod Reed is in his seventh season at the helm of the Tigers. During his time at TSU, he has compiled a 41-35 record, including a 33-20 mark since 2012. This is the first meeting as a head coach versus Vanderbilt. Reed served as the linebacker coach for the Tigers in the 2006 contest against the Commodores.

Tennessee State: Tennessee State (5-1, 2-1) is coming off a 35-28 win over Eastern Kentucky, which helped propel them to No. 25 into all three FCS polls. TSU jumped out to a 35-3 lead heading into halftime. The Big Blue defense forced five EKU turnovers for the difference in the game. An interception by linebacker Chris Collins with seconds left in the game proved to be the nail in the coffin. Cornerback Ezra Robinson earned OVC Defensive Player of the Week with two interceptions against EKU, including a 93-yard pick returned for a touchdown early in the second quarter. The senior’s second swipe came with 10 minutes remaining in the game as he stepped in front of a pass in the flat at the TSU 8-yard line. The Tigers rank second nationally with 12 interceptions on the year. Robinson collected two pass breakups and is ranked fourth in FCS with 1.8 passes defended per game. The Tigers rank fourth nationally in turnover margin (+1.67/game). TSU has scored 30-plus points in six consecutive games to open the season for the first time since 1984. The '84 squad scored over 30 points during the first nine games and in 10 of 11 on the season; Scored a 24-15 victory over Louisville in lone game under 30 points. TSU currently ranks 16th in the country in scoring with 36.3 points per game. Ronald Butler picked up a pair of rushing touchdowns. The senior quarterback registered the longest run of his career on a 61-yard scoring jaunt to put TSU up 28-0. Steven Newbold caught one pass for 30 yards, increasing his yards per reception to 24.4; good for second in FCS play, first in the OVC. Patrick Smith caught four passes versus EKU increasing his team high receptions to 31. Smith has 16 touchdowns in his career over 16 games. Chris Collins leads the defense with 47 tackles, 36 solos; second with 7.5 tackles for loss. Ebenezer 'Ebo' Ogundeko missed his second consecutive game on Saturday evening. Ogundeko still leads the team with 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks and ranks third with 40 tackles.

Scouting Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt improved to 3-4 as they spoiled Georgia’s Homecoming with a 17- 16 win in Athens. The victory was the first for the Commodores in UGA since 2006. Vanderbilt led 7-6 at halftime before falling behind 16-10 early in the fourth quarter. Vandy fought back with an eight-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a Khari Blasingame two-yard touchdown run. Georgia outgained the Commodores 421-171, but the defense held the Bulldogs high powered running attack to just 75 yards rushing. Ralph Webb has rushed for 730 yards and six touch­downs and is averaging 104.3 yards/game for Vanderbilt. Defensively, Zach Cunningham has 81 tackles includ­ing 13.0 tackles-for-loss and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week..

Radio: 102.1 FM The Light will carry the game live with Greg Pogue (play-by-play), Albert Dawson (analyst) and Gary Dawson (sideline). Pregame will begin at 6:00 p.m. CT.

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Record-setters Phillips, Perry grab GCAC weekly awards

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana freshmen Tiffany Phillips andAmanda Perry, who set school records and helped the Gold Nuggets clinch a tie for the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball regular-season championship, are GCAC award winners for Oct. 10-16. Phillips won her fifth Setter of the Week honor, and Perry is Defender of the Week for the third time.
     
The Gold Nuggets can win the GCAC title outright Thursday with a victory in a 6 p.m. match at SUNO.
     
Phillips, from Gardena, Calif., and a graduate of Bishop Montgomery High School, produced 28 assists and 14 digs in a home victory against Dillard and set a XULA season record with her 11th double-double in those categories. Phillips also had a career-high three blocks against Dillard. For the week (two matches), Phillips averaged 7.83 assists and three digs per set.
     
Perry, from Bolingbrook, Ill., and a graduate of Bolingbrook High School, had 45 digs and averaged 5.63 digs per set. Against Mobile she set the XULA season record of 422 digs. Against Dillard she led the Gold Nuggets with 28 digs and helped XULA set a school team record for digs in a match with 118. Perry was part of a defensive effort which once again shut down Dillard's Corneisja Harrison — .128 hitting percentage vs. XULA after hitting .266 to win GCAC Attacker of the Week for Oct. 3-9.
     
This is the third time this season that XULA won at least two of the GCAC's three weekly volleyball awards. Phillips is the first XULA volleyball player to win five GCAC weekly awards in a season.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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TSU Tigers Picked Second in East Division in OVC Media Poll

BRENTWOOD, Tennessee -- In the Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Media Poll, the Tennessee State men’s basketball team was selected second in the East Division by OVC media members, it was announced on Friday morning.

The Tigers received 64 total votes, checking in behind Belmont with 82 points and 12 first-place votes to top the East Division poll. In the West Division, Murray State took all 14 of the top votes to earn the No. 1 spot with 84 points.

The media picked the reigning OVC Player of the Year, Belmont’s Evan Bradds, to repeat as he was selected as the media’s Preseason Player of the Year. Belmont was chosen as the preseason overall champion with nine first-place votes.

Tennessee State is coming off a 20-11 record in 2015-16, marking the third 20-win season for the Tigers since making the move to Division I prior to the 1977-78 season. TSU welcomes back three starters from last year’s team headlined by OVC Defensive Player of the Year Tahjere McCall (Philadelphia, Pa.).



Pollsters for the 2016-17 OVC Media Poll included: Catlin Bogard, OVC Ball; Mike Bradd, Eastern Illinois Radio; Neal Bradley, Murray State Radio; David Loos, Austin Peay Radio; Edward Marlowe, Paducah Sun; Mike Organ, The Tennessean; Brian Rives, Austin Peay Radio; Justin Rust, Journal Gazette/Times-Courier; Harry Schroeder, ValleyHoopsInsider.com; Greg Stotelmyer, Eastern Kentucky Radio; Rich Tiner, Belmont Radio.

2016-17 Media OVC Preseason Men's Predicted Order of Finish
East Division
1. Belmont (12 first-place votes) - 82 points
2. Tennessee State – 64
3. Morehead State (2) – 62
4. Eastern Kentucky – 35
5. Tennessee Tech – 32
6. Jacksonville State - 19

West Division
1. Murray State (14 first-place votes) - 84 points
2. Austin Peay – 60
3. Eastern Illinois – 56
4. UT Martin – 45
5. Southeast Missouri – 28
6. SIUE - 21

Preseason Player of the Year: Evan Bradds, Belmont
Overall Champion: Belmont (9 first-place votes)

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

August, Price move step closer to tying GCAC records

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Christopher August and Taylor Price are on the verge of tying Gulf Coast Athletic Conference season records for cross country weekly awards after sweeping the honors for Oct. 10-16.
     
August, a senior from Spring, Texas, and a graduate of Klein Collins High School, is the GCAC men's Runner of the Week for the fifth time in 2016. Price, a freshman from Missouri City, Texas, and a graduate of Ridge Point High School, won her fourth women's award.
     
August was the fastest Gold Rush finisher in the Crimson Classic at Tuscaloosa, Ala. He placed 26th in the college division (non-NCAA DI entries) and ran 8,000 meters in 28 minutes, 49.1 seconds. Price finished 21st in the 6K race in 25:56.3.
     
XULA's Kwame Jackson set the GCAC men's season mark of six Runner of the Week awards in 2014. Three share the GCAC women's season record of five awards: XULA's Catherine Fakler (2013) and Zahri Jackson (2011) and Spring Hill's Kate Imwalle (2009). Zahri and Kwame Jackson are siblings.
     
The Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush will compete Saturday in the GCAC Championships at Lonnie C. Miller Sr. Regional Park in Jacksonville, Fla. The women's 5K will start at 7 a.m. EDT, followed by the men's 8K at 7:45 a.m. There was no GCAC meet last year, but XULA's men and women won nine consecutive GCAC team titles apiece from 2006-14.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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XULA Nuggets earn 6th straight GCAC regular-season title

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana clinched its sixth consecutive Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season volleyball championship with a 25-13, 25-21, 25-23 victory against SUNO Thursday at The Castle.

Hasani Salaam had 12 kills and hit .364 in 22 attempts for the Gold Nuggets (13-14, 10-0), who have won 69 of their last 70 GCAC regular-season matches.

XULA also clinched the No. 1 seed for the GCAC Tournament and will play in the semifinals at 3 p.m. Nov. 4 against the No. 4 or No. 5 seed. The tournament site will be Dillard's Dent Hall.

The Gold Nuggets had 52 kills, their most in a three-set match this season, and hit .325, their second-highest percentage of the year. Eleven Nuggets had at least one kill, and seven had four or more.

Salaam, one of nine XULA freshmen, reached double figures in kills for the second time in three matches and the sixth time this season. The dozen kills were her most in 15 matches.

"Hilary (assistant coach Lobenstein) and I have really been pressing Hasani," XULA coach Hannah Lawing said. "She has incredible potential, and we've been pushing, but she's also really been pushing herself.

"She doesn't want to sit the bench, and she doesn't want to be a mediocre middle (blocker), so she comes into practice every day, and she's ready to learn. She's like a little sponge absorbing all the material we give her and then making the right adjustments and listening. She's really processing what we're saying. It's not in one ear and out the other. When she puts that to work, she's a fantastic middle."

Juliana Tomasoni had 10 kills and 12 digs — her 11th double-double of the season — Sarah Pitts-Groce had six kills and hit .857, and Tiffany Phillips had five kills and 25 assists. Tomasoni, Pitts-Groce, Adili Rikondja and Bria Moore had two blocks apiece.

A Salaam kill capped an opening 9-3 run that keyed the Gold Nuggets' comfortable first-set victory, but XULA needed a closing 7-1 burst to clinch the second set. XULA trailed 23-22 in the third set after surrendering five consecutive points, but two Pitts-Groce kills and a SUNO attack error ended the match in 66 minutes.

"Did we make more errors at certain points? Sure," Lawing said. "But we did a great job of holding our rhythm throughout the match and forcing it when we needed to."

Sonja Backovic had 11 kills for SUNO (8-14, 5-5), and Tiffany Hector and Tyjah Greenup had 10 kills apiece. Hector had 15 digs, and Greenup had 11.

XULA had 14 more kills than SUNO, and the Gold Nuggets had advantages of 4-2 in aces, 53-43 in digs and 5-0 in blocks. For the first time this season, XULA did not commit a service error.

XULA will travel to Mobile, Ala., for a 6 p.m. Monday non-conference match at NCAA Division II's Spring Hill. The Gold Nuggets' home finale will start at 7 p.m. Oct. 31 against Tougaloo at the Convocation Center.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Jackson State seeking identity heading into TSU game

HOUSTON, Texas - Jackson State has passed the halfway point of the regular season, but coach Tony Hughes believes the Tigers still need to answer some big questions.

He said the team’s motto for this week is “who are we and where do we go from here.” The Tigers, Hughes believes, need to find their identity with five games left.

They play at Texas Southern at 2 p.m. Saturday at BBVA Compass Stadium.

“We played good against a fantastic team (in a 28-24 loss to Southern last Saturday),” Hughes said. “Maybe people realize we do have a good football team. Now, how do we put it all together and move forward? Who are we and where are we going?

“Those questions have to be answered pretty quick because Texas Southern is a really good football team. Coach (Michael) Haywood has got them going, and we’ve got to figure it out pretty quick because that’s going to be a tough, nasty, hostile environment for us.”

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QB Ryan Stanley stepping up as FAMU’s starter

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Ryan Stanley had eight scholarship offers at the conclusion of his high school career at Charles W. Flanagan High in Pembroke Pines.

He was a three-star athlete, the 2015 Offensive Player of the Year in Broward County, throwing for more than 2,500 yards in 2014.

He threw for more than 2,300 yards in 2012 and 2013 and owns the Broward County high school record for completions in a game (37), which included a 99-yard pass for a touchdown.

So, why did the redshirt freshman from Hollywood choose to come to Florida A&M, which tangles today with Hampton in the Rattlers’ homecoming game at 3 p.m. at Bragg Stadium?

By the time he’d decided to commit to another university that offered him, such as Western Kentucky and Eastern Michigan, other quarterbacks had already committed before him; he lost both scholarship offers.

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ASU needs Magic City win to spark late run

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Brian Jenkins plans on having a decent meal before the Magic City Classic this time.

After coaching in his first one last season and leading Alabama State to a 35-20 victory against Alabama A&M, Jenkins passed out outside of the locker room at Legion Field.

“I guarantee you this year, I’ll make sure I eat this year,” said a smiling Jenkins during his news conference Wednesday. “I won’t go down after the game, I tell you that.”



There’s something else Jenkins must do to avoid his first losing season ever as a head coach – win out.

The Hornets are 2-5, have four games left and in danger of having their first losing season since 2009 when finishing 4-7 under Reggie Barlow. With a date at Grambling (3-1, 3-0 SWAC) on the horizon next month, that could very well be that sixth loss to ensure a first losing season ever for Jenkins.

There’s been talk Jenkins is playing with Barlow’s players, but you didn’t hear that chatter last year. Losing typically breeds those type of conversations.

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