Bethune-Cookman Wildcats down DSU Hornets for Homecoming Victory

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Bethune-Cookman celebrated Homecoming 2016 in grand fashion Saturday, outdistancing an overmatched opponent by a lopsided score. Delaware State was the overmatched opponent, and 41-10 was the lopsided score in front of a Municipal Stadium crowd of 7,822 that briefly included Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Clinton spoke briefly to tailgating fans and was on the field for pre-game activities, including Senior Day ceremonies for the Wildcats' 2016 home finale. In all, 14 Wildcats played their final home game at "The Cage" under head coach Terry Sims.

Redshirt junior quarterback Larry Brihm, Jr. threw two touchdowns, and running back Cameron Rigby rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown as the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (2-5 overall, 2-3 MEAC) won their second consecutive game and posted their seventh consecutive Homecoming win dating back to 2010.



Brihm, who finished 14 of 24 for 167 yards, connected with Frank Brown and Brandon Brooks in the second half as the Wildcats scored on four consecutive possession in the final two quarters to pull away from a 13-3 halftime lead.

"Larry's still only at 85 percent, but 85 percent is pretty good," said B-CU Head Coach Terry Sims. "All wins are good wins. What I liked is that this was a good team win. We're continuing to hang in there; playing hard for each other and finishing games."

Rigby had 64 yards on B-CU's opening drive, scoring on a 1-yard run that gave Bethune-Cookman a 7-0 lead with 8:51 remaining in the opening quarter. He went relatively quiet until the final play of the third quarter when he gained 42 yards to set up a Wildcats touchdown.

Jamaruz Thompkins (Six carries for 44 yards) and redshirt freshman signal caller Akevious Williams also scored for the Wildcats, who outgained Delaware State 493-306 and forced three turnovers on the afternoon.

Uriel Hernandez had a pair of second quarter field goals – one set up by Jacquae Peart's interception, as the Wildcats settled for those scores while extending the lead to 13-3 just before the break.

Safety Diquan Richardson's interception on the Hornet's first possession of the second half helped Bethune-Cookman establish control, and Thompkins turned a draw play into a 39-yard romp that began the Wildcats pull away.

Aris Scott scored the lone Delaware State (0-8, 0-4 MEAC) touchdown on an 18-yard pass from reserve quarterback Gil Rivera in the fourth quarter.

Trevor Merrit registered the third Wildcats takeaway on a fourth quarter fumble recovery. Redshirt sophomore middle linebacker Trenton Bridges paced the defense with seven tackles, while Peart added a sack to his totals.

Freshman running back Tupac Isme added 52 yards to the Wildcats ground game, while Brown had four catches for 32 yards. Keavon Mitchell caught a 40-yarder from Brim that set up Hernandez's second field goal, and Jawill Davis extended his pass catching streak to 18 games.

Bethune-Cookman visits Morgan State next weekend in the first of three games away from municipal Stadium to conclude the 2016 campaign. The game against MSU is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5, in Baltimore.

Follow Bethune-Cookman Football on Twitter (@BCUGridIron) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics), Snapchat (@BCUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics).

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Savannah State rallies to beat Howard 31-27

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- A football game that seemed to slip away from Savannah State on Saturday afternoon took an abrupt turn back into the win column.

Freshman quarterback T.J. Bell found Derek Kirkland on a short slant route in the end zone with 19 seconds left to give the Tigers an emotional 31-27 victory over Howard on homecoming at T.A. Wright Stadium.

The win gave a crowd of 8,119 — the largest home attendance for SSU since joining the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2011 — more reason to party.

The Tigers (2-4, 2-2 MEAC) have now won two games in a season for the first time 2009, and it’s the first time they’ve won two MEAC games in a season.

SSU also snapped a nine-game losing streak to Howard while beating the Bison for the first time.

A year ago, the Tigers lost to Howard 55-9.

And the Bison appeared to have SSU on the ropes again after quarterback Kalen Johnson threw a 37-yard TD pass to diving freshman Kyle Anthony for a 27-24 advantage with 5:17 to go.

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Cohen, North Carolina A&T Aggies Outpace Determined FAMU Squad, 42-17

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- A determined bunch of FAMU Rattler gridders took on defending Black College National champion North Carolina A&T Saturday at their homecoming game, but fell 42-17 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference bout at a sold out Aggie Stadium..

FAMU (3-6, 3-3 MEAC) dueled the top-ranked Aggies (7-1, 5-0 MEAC) gamely in the first half, taking a 10-7 lead on Colby Blanton's 20-yard field goal with 9:21 left in the second quarter.

The Rattlers fell behind, 7-0 late in the first period when heralded Aggie halfback Tarik Cohen scored the first of his three rushing touchdowns from seven yards out with 2:45 left.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Stanley engineered a seven play, 77-yard drive which ended just four seconds into the second period (14:56), when halfback Devin Bowers sliced in from two yards out to tie the game at 7-7.

After Blanton's field goal put the Rattlers ahead 10-7, the Aggies answered with an 11-play, 77-yard drive, capped by Cohen's 19-yard scoring run with 3:56 left, putting A&T ahead for good at 14-10.

The Aggies tacked on a later score with 1:12 left, going 66 yards on three plays in a 40-second span, when Elijah Bell took a Lamar Raynard pass 25 yards for a 21-10 lead with 1:12 to go in the half..

Marquell Cartwright powered in from one yard out with 5:25 left in the third extending the Aggies advantage to 28-10, before Cohen sealed the deal with one of his patented long range gallops late in the third.

Cohen took a pitch to left, racing down the far sideline before breaking into the open, outrunning everyone for an 83-yard TD and a 35-10 Aggie lead with 1:44 left.

Demetrius Fairley ended a 69-yard drive for A&T's final tally, with a 20-yard run with 10:35 left.

Stanley engineered a 77-yard, eight-play drive which resulted in a 15-yard scoring pass to Marcus Williams for the game's final points with 6:30 left.

PHOTO GALLERY
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GAME NOTES: Cohen's 145-yard effort on Saturday moved him to second on the all-time Black College Football rushing list, leaving him one yard shy of 5,200 yards (5,199)... FAMU QB Ryan Stanley finished Saturday's game with zero turnovers, extending his string of games without a turnover to five.... He finished the day with 211 yards and one score, completing 19 of 34 passes, and he was the Rattlers top rusher with 48 yards on 10 carries... Montavious Williams led the Rattlers eight catches for 98 yards... Freshman corner Terry Jefferson had a pair of pass interceptions for 39 return yards.... Safety Jacques Bryant topped the Rattler tackle charts with eight stops (seven solos).... Defensive stalwart Curtis Alexander missed Saturday's game with an undisclosed injury, although he did appear on the field with the Rattler captains for the pregame coin toss.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Rattlers will get a much-need bye week Nov. 5, before hosting Morgan State (Nov. 12) at 4:00 p.m., then closing the season in Orlando against Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 19 at 2:00 p.m.).

FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Ave Marie Gyrenes Falls At Edward Waters, 29-19

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- The Ave Maria Football team fell to Edward Waters, 29-19, in Jacksonville on Saturday night. The Blue and Green fell behind 29-3 before scoring 16 unanswered.

Jamal Hughes got the scoring started for EWC with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Taron Williams. Drakkar Harris then ran in a 3-yard touchdown to make it 14-7. Midway through the second quarter, Brandon Leon nailed a 38-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 11, 14-3. A 1-yard touchdown run by Williams and a 2-point conversion made it 22-3 EWC at the half.

The Tigers struck first in the third with a Jerrod Thomas 1-yard TD run before a 25-yard TD pass from Matthew Kreichman to make it 29-10. A few minutes later, Nate Cameau had a 5-yard touchdown run to bring AMU within 12, 29-17. Ave Maria ended the game with a safety to make it 29-19.

Kreichman finished 8-for-16 for 1-5 yards and an interception. Cameau ran the ball eight times for a team-high 26 yards and a touchdown. Austin Cole and Xavier Roberts each had three receptions. Cole finished with 85 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Ilan Jorge led the Gyrene defense with four total tackles including 2.5 sacks. He was one of five Gyrenes with four tackles.

Ave Maria returns to action next weekend when they welcome Point to Gyrene Field for a 12 p.m. kickoff. Prior to the game, AMU will recognize their senior class.

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HBCU Football Judgment Day Scoreboard Week 9

Saturday, October 29, 2016

OVC
Murray State 38, Tennessee State 31

MEAC
Hampton 28, South Carolina State 26
North Carolina A&T 42, Florida A&M 17
Savannah State 31, Howard 27
Norfolk State 27, Morgan State 14
Bethune-Cookman 41, Delaware State 10

SWAC
Grambling State 70, Arkansas Pine Bluff 0
Southern 41, Alcorn State 33
Prairie View 28, Jackson State 14
Alabama A&M 42, Alabama State 41 O.T.
Sam Houston State 66, Texas Southern 17

OTHER HBCUs
Edward Waters 29, Ava Marie 19
Millersville 34, Cheyney 6
UNC Pembroke 44, West Virginia State 14
McKendree 55, Lincoln (Mo) 3
Langston 70, Texas College 13

CIAA
Johnson C. Smith 34, Saint Augustine's 8
Winston-Salem State 30, Shaw 23
Fayetteville State 43, Livingstone 28
Elizabeth City State 24, Virginian Union 21
Virginia State 49, Chowan 21
Bowie State 41, Lincoln (Pa) 23

SIAC
Tuskegee 42, Central State (Ohio) 14
Lane 35. Kentucky State 21
Albany State 34, Benedict 7
Fort Valley State 24, Morehouse 16
Miles 34, Clark Atlanta 17

'Lights out': Grambling pastes Pine Bluff to extend SWAC streak

GRAMBLING — Grambling's offense is playing at such an elite level that the Tigers shut down the power on campus earlier this week.

Well, it depends on whom you ask.

It happened last Monday, the players said. Saturday was a figurative repeat occurrence.

The Tigers' potent offense was participating in pass skel, a football term for 7-on-7 drills, and was so effective that the players, led by quarterback DeVante Kincade and wide receiver Chad Williams, started yelling 'We're lights out!' as campus went dark.

"That's what we do. We're so lights out we cut the whole lights off around campus," Williams said.

Grambling (5-1, 5-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) turned the lights out on Arkansas-Pine Bluff in what coach Broderick Fobbs described as the most impressive victory he's seen in his 18-year coaching career. The Tigers pasted Pine-Bluff, 70-0, on homecoming at Eddie Robinson Stadium to extend their conference win streak to 14 games.

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Former Florida A&M Coach Billy Joe to be inducted into Black College Football Hall of Fame

WILBERFORCE, Ohio — Legendary Florida A&M University and Central State University football coach William “Billy” Joe will be inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame.

Joe was one of six inductees selected from a list of 25 finalists who had been determined earlier by the BCFHOF Selection Committee.

Joe’s coaching career began in 1972 at Cheney University. He also spent two seasons on the pro level as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Eagles before arriving at Central State in 1981.

It took little time for Joe to turn the Marauders into a perennial powerhouse. His 1983 team finished the regular season 10-0 and went on to a NCAA Div. II finals appearance. Joe led the Marauders to five consecutive Black College national championships from 1986 to 1990. The pinnacle of his tenure in Wilberforce came in 1990 and 1992 when his teams won the NAIA Div. I National Championship.

Joe also coached at Florida A&M from 1994 to 2004. He led the Rattlers to an unprecedented five Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles. After a two year hiatus from coaching, Joe accepted the head coaching position at Miles College in 2007. He retired in 2010 with 243 career coaching victories. He is second to only Eddie Robinson in wins at historically black colleges.

Prior to coaching, Joe had on outstanding career as a player. Drafted by the Denver Broncos in the ninth round out of Villanova in 1963, Joe made an immediate impact and was named the AFL Rookie of the Year. After being traded to Buffalo, Joe helped lead the Bills to their 1965 AFL championship victory over the San Diego Chargers. He later played for the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets.

Joe is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Central State University Athletics Hall of Fame. His number 35 jersey is officially retired at Villanova University.

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The Coach Billy Joe File (243 wins 133 losses, 2 ties):

Bio
Billy Joe made the transition from a successful professional playing career to becoming one the most highly decorated black college football coaches in history. After two seasons as an assistant coach he got his first head coaching job at Cheyney State in 1972. He had a winning club that first season and stayed with the Wolves for six more years. Joe then honed his skills with two years as an assistant in the NFL before taking the head job at Central State (OH). There he turned the Marauders into a national black college power. In 13 years at CSU he had six seasons where he lost only one game. His second team made it to the NCAA Division II finals, the first of 11 consecutive playoff teams. In both 1990 and 1992 his teams won the NAIA national championship. In 1994, he moved to Florida A&M. Joe quickly built this program as well. His second team won a league title while his third went to the first of six straight playoff appearances with his 1999 team advancing to the national semi-finals. On the Black College level he won six national championships and is second only to Eddie Robinson on the all-time black coaching win list. Greatly respected by his peers, he served the American Football Coaches Association as both president and vice president.

High Points

Cheyney University (1972-1978), Central State University (1981-1993), Florida A&M University (1994-2004) and Miles College (2007-2010) … Won five consecutive Black college football national championships (1986-1990) … Won two NAIA National Football Championships (1990, 1992) … Finished coaching career with 243 wins, second only to Eddie Robinson among coaches at black colleges … College Football Hall of Fame inductee (2007) … As a player, was 1963 AFL Rookie of the Year with the Denver Broncos …  Greatly respected by his peers, he served the American Football Coaches Association as both president and vice president ... Born October 14, 1940 in Aynor, South Carolina.

Texas Southern Tigers vs. Arizona Wildcats

Location: Houston
Date/Time/TV: Nov. 30, 7 p.m., Pac-12 Networks
Game location: McKale Center
Series with UA: One-time appearance ($90,000 fee)
Last season: 18-15 (16-2 SWAC), RPI: 182
Coach: Mike Davis (fifth year, 76-57)

Go-to guy: F Derrick Griffin (13.3 ppg, 11.0 rpg).

Glue: G Dulani Robinson (9.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.3 apg in 2014-15 at Pacific).

Key newcomers: Robinson, G Zach Lofton (Minnesota transfer), G Damontrae Jefferson (freshman), G Jalen McCloud (juco transfer)

Upside: Despite spending the early part of last season with the Texas Southern football team, Griffin pulled a SWAC trifecta: Winning the conference’s player of the year, defensive player of the year and newcomer of the year awards. He was also an honorable-mention AP All-American. Davis has won back-to-back SWAC titles and filled considerable holes this season with a variety of recruits.

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Hankerson Throws 3 TDs, Defense Stands Tall in NSU Homecoming Win

NORFOLK, Virginia  –  Greg Hankerson passed for 219 yards and threw touchdown passes to three different Spartans, helping Norfolk State snap a six-game losing streak with a 27-14 Homecoming win over Morgan State before 18,405 fans at Dick Price Stadium on Saturday.

Running backs Gerard Johnson (5-yarder) and Larry Bishop (2-yarder) and wideout Chuma Awanna (63-yarder) caught the scoring passes for the Spartans (2-6, 1-4 MEAC), who converted on all four of their trips inside the Morgan State (2-5, 2-3) red zone. The Spartan defense, meanwhile, forced three turnovers and tallied four sacks.

The first turnover NSU forced led to the game's first touchdown. Safety Brandon Walker sacked Morgan State quarterback DeAndre Harris and forced a fumble, which NSU defensive lineman Chris Lee recovered at the MSU 24-yard line. Two plays later, Hankerson hit Johnson leaking out of the backfield for a 5-yard TD play with 6:42 left in the first quarter.



The Bears tied the game up on a 16-yard TD pass from Harris to Landen Malbrough at the 13:54 mark of the second quarter. But Cameron Marouf kicked a 27-yard field goal to give the Spartans a 10-7 lead entering halftime.

NSU dominated the third quarter. The Spartans had not scored a third-quarter point since the season-opening win over Elizabeth City State, but outscored the Bears 14-0 in the third period on Saturday. A short MSU punt set up NSU at the Bears' 29-yard line midway through the quarter. Two plays later, Hankerson found Bishop on a 2-yard TD pass to give NSU a 17-7 lead with 7:59 left in the stanza.

The back-breaker came five minutes for Morgan State. On 3rd-and-14 from the NSU 37, Hankerson rolled to his right and hit Awanna in the flat. Awanna broke a couple of tackles and outraced the rest of the defense for a 63-yard TD play, his first career touchdown. Marouf's PAT gave NSU a 24-7 lead with 2:37 left in the quarter.

Marouf added a 20-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter. Malbrough caught a 17-yard TD pass from Harris with 52 seconds left in the game to account for the final points.

Hankerson completed 17 of 30 passes and did not throw an interception while completing a season-high three TD passes. He also led NSU with 59 yards rushing on 12 attempts.

Marcus Taylor caught a team-high seven passes for 53 yards and also had a 59-yard kickoff return in the first half. Awanna had a team-high 66 yards on two receptions.

The Spartan defense made a strong showing Saturday. NSU's four sacks tied a season high. Defensive lineman Hadji Gaylord had two, while Lee and Walker had one apiece. Lee notched three of the Spartans' eight tackles for loss in addition to recovering a fumble, and Gaylord also blocked a Bears' field goal in the second quarter. Sandy Chapman and T.C. Livingston both made interceptions for the Spartans.

Harris threw for 161 yards and two scores for the Bears.

NSU takes to the road for its final three games, beginning next Saturday with a 5 p.m. game at Savannah State.

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Lenard Tillery breaks SWAC rushing record as Southern takes down Alcorn State 41-33

LORMAN, Mississippi — The record was broken, and so was the streak.

Senior running back Lenard Tillery on Saturday broke the Southwestern Athletic Conference rushing record, and Southern beat Alcorn State 41-33, ending a five-game losing streak in the series that dated to 2011.

“Defensively, we forced some turnovers. Offensively, we put the ball in the end zone,” Southern coach Dawson Odums said. “When you do that, it makes coaching fun.”

Tillery ran for 195 yards — one shy of matching his career high — and three touchdowns. He needed 114 yards to break the SWAC career rushing record. The record-setting run came on a 30-yard scamper on third-and-long in the third quarter.

After the game, he said he was happy about a career first — a win against Alcorn State.

“It means a lot to me as a senior to finally overcome that obstacle,” he said.

While Tillery was gashing Alcorn State, Braves quarterback Lenorris Footman was doing the same to Southern’s defense.



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FAMU women's cross country captures fifth MEAC crown in a row

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- For the fifth straight year, Florida A&M's women's cross country team is on top of the MEAC.

FAMU track director Darlene Moore's crew captured its fifth conference title in a row on Saturday in Smyrna, Delaware.  The Rattlers are the first team in the history of the conference to win five consecutive titles.

Junior Judith Kibii -- who was named the MEAC women's cross country Athlete of the Week four teams this season -- finally broke through to place first in the race after finishing second in her freshman and sophomore years. She finished the race with a time of 18:02.60, nearly 10 seconds faster than second-place finisher Jennaya Hield, from Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Kibii was named Outstanding Performer. She's the second FAMU runner in school history to capture the individual women's cross country title. Moore was named Outstanding Coach for the fifth year in a row.

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College basketball preview: Breaking things down in the MEAC

NORFOLK, Virginia -- With only five teams above .500 in conference, the MEAC might not be the conference that sports the most awe-inspiring brand of basketball. But it was home to the leading scorer in the nation. Back to that in a bit.

Hampton took regular-season and conference tournament titles to punch the team’s ticket to the Big Dance. In the tournament, the Pirates ran into a buzzsaw in Virginia, though.

The Pirates will look to make it three straight trips to the NCAA tournament this year, but that task will be significantly more difficult in the 2016-17 season — especially given the departure of the team’s top three scorers. That's the same issue facing the Spartans of Norfolk State who came in third in the MEAC, so the top tier of the conference is likely to see some different schools in the mix come season's end.

Teams like South Carolina State (tops in assists per game in the MEAC) and Bethune-Cookman (tops in blocks per game) might be licking their chops at that prospect, but there's a lot of basketball that needs to be played first. Both teams have their respective leading scorers returning — guard Eric Eaves (17.6 ppg) and guard Jordan Potts (16.0 ppg, 4.3 apg) — but a lot can happen between now and March.

Best player

How does 27.1 points a contest sound? Sounds like you’re talking about the leading scorer in the country. And if so, that means you’re talking about James Daniel III.

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Despite attempts to fire him, Fort Worth coach Johnnie Cole remains on the job

FORT WORTH, Texas -- This report contains graphic descriptions.

Where Johnnie Cole goes, trouble often follows.

Two years after being fired as football coach at Texas Southern University over accusations that he violated NCAA rules — not his first run-in with the NCAA — Cole was hired as a teacher and assistant coach at Eastern Hills High School in Fort Worth.

Walter Dansby, Fort Worth’s superintendent in 2013, said he didn’t want to hire Cole but faced pressure from some school board members to find the embattled coach a job.

Cole’s connection-laden path to Fort Worth started in controversy and could have ended months ago after he was accused of having an improper relationship with an Eastern Hills student during the 2014-15 school year. An internal report by the school district’s Office of Professional Standards said the student told an investigator that Cole had sex with her, had friends threaten her with retaliation and suggested that she work as a prostitute.

It’s a felony for an educator to engage in sexual contact with a student of the same school or district, including those who are 18.

But the student, now in her second year at a community college ...

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HBCU Football Judgment Day Schedule Week 9

The PVAMU Marching Storm was invited to the 2016 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. The band did a parade through the race track and performed for several crowds ending with the opening ceremony of The Roots and Usher concert!

The Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm is under the direction of Dr. Tim Zachery.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

OVC
Tennessee State at Murray State, 4 PM

MEAC
South Carolina State at Hmpton 1 PM
Florida A&M at North Carolina A&T 1 PM
Howard at Savannah State 2 PM
Morgan State at Norfolk State 2 PM
Delaware State at Bethune-Cookman 4 PM

SWAC
Arkansas Pine Bluff at Grambling State 3 PM
Southern at Alcorn State 3 PM
Prairie View at Jackson State 3 PM
Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State at Birmingham 4 PM  ESPN3
Texas Southern at Sam Houston State 7 PM ESPN3

OTHER HBCUs
Millersville at Cheyney  12 Noon
UNC Pembroke at West Virginia State 1 PM
McKendree at Lincoln (Mo) 3 PM
Langston at Texas College 3 PM
Ava Marie at Edward Waters 7 PM

CIAA
Saint Augustine's at Johnson C. Smith 1 PM
Winston-Salem State at Shaw 1 PM
Livingstone at Fayetteville State 1:30 PM
Virginian Union at Elizabeth City State 1:30 PM
Chowan at Virginia State 2 PM
Bowie State at Lincoln (Pa) 6 PM

SIAC
Tuskegee at Central State (Ohio) 1PM
Lane at Kentucky State, 1:30 PM
Albany State at Benedict 2 PM
Fort Valley State at Morehouse 2 PM
Miles at Clark Atlanta 2 PM



ALL GAME TIMES IN EASTERN TIME ZONE

Jackson State University vs Prairie View BOTB - Homecoming 2016

Must-win Tuskegee seeks waiver, additional game for NCAA D-II playoffs

TUSKEGEE, Alabama -- Tuskegee needs to handle its business on the field to make the NCAA Division II playoffs and its athletic director must do the same on his end to ensure the Golden Tigers meet the criteria to do so.

After last week’s 10-9 upset loss to Kentucky State on homecoming, Curtis Campbell requested a waiver Monday morning to qualify for the playoffs with having just nine games on the schedule. Teams must play 10 games to automatically qualify for the playoffs.

In the 2016-17 NCAA Division II football pre-championship manual, it reads teams must “play at least 10 opponents during the regular season. An institution may submit a waiver request to the football committee for its consideration if a given institution is not able to satisfy this requirement” under qualifying standards for playoffs.

“You can play nine games and get a waiver from the NCAA,” Campbell said Friday afternoon. “We have requested a waiver and we can also play an additional game on Nov. 12. If we could find a D-II opponent to play, that would help our bid for the playoffs and help our seeding as long as we win the two games we’ve got remaining, and if we add an additional game – and if we win that.”

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Savannah State hoping to tame the Howard Bison, for once

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- You’ve heard of misdirection running plays? Howard University comes to T.A. Wright Stadium today with a misdirection record.

The Savannah State Tigers have bitten on the bait before — most recently a year ago.

“I’m sure (the Tigers) felt last year like ‘Hey, Howard hasn’t won a game, we can beat these guys,’ and then they got beat by 46 points,” said SSU’s first-head football head coach Erik Raeburn.

So the Tigers’ 2 p.m. game today with the deceptive Bison comes with all the trappings. First, it’s Savannah State’s homecoming. And Howard’s coming to the party with a 1-7 record.

SSU hasn’t been a pillar of success in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, but the Bison, despite just one winning season since the Tigers began play in the league in 2011, have captured the five meetings between the teams by an average of more than 34 points a game.

Last year, Howard beat SSU 55-9 for its only win of the season. In 2011, the Bison came to Savannah with a 29-game conference losing streak — they hadn’t won a MEAC game since 2007 — and beat the Tigers 34-14.

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Tarik Cohen soaking up senior season at N.C. A&T

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — It’s the last homecoming game for the best running back the MEAC has ever seen.

But if N.C. A&T senior Tarik Cohen is feeling wistful, it doesn’t show.

“I’m feeling old, that’s how I’m feeling,” says Cohen, who turned 21 in July. “I don’t think about it ending. It will probably hit me on senior day (Nov. 5 against S.C. State). When we have to go on the field and take pictures with family before the game. That ceremony, that’s when it will really hit me.”

In the meantime, Cohen is soaking up his senior season.

He heads into homecoming on Saturday against Florida A&M as the MEAC’s all-time leading rusher with 5,054 yards, A&T’s all-time touchdown leader with 52 (49 rushing, three receiving) and just the 10th FCS player with four 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

Every week, another record falls.

Not bad for an overlooked guy from little Bunn — population 354 — who received exactly one football scholarship offer coming out of high school. Only A&T took a chance on the 5-foot-6, 160-pound sprinter.



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NSU Spartans celebrate homecoming, Senior Say Saturday vs. Morgan State

NORFOLK, Virginia -- The Norfolk State football team concludes its home schedule, celebrating Homecoming and Senior Day this Saturday when the Spartans (1-6, 0-4 MEAC) host Morgan State (2-4, 2-2) at 2 p.m. at Dick Price Stadium.

Game 8: Morgan State (2-4, 2-2 MEAC) at Norfolk State (1-6, 0-4 MEAC)
Saturday, Oct. 29 • 2 p.m. • Dick Price Stadium (30,000)
Series History: 31st meeting – NSU leads 16-11 (3 NSU wins vacated)
Last Meeting: NSU 17-10 (Nov. 21, 2015)
Series Streak: NSU won nine straight on field (three wins vacated)

1ST AND 10

1. The Spartans conclude the home portion of their 2016 schedule and look to end a six-game losing streak when they host Morgan State University this Saturday. It is NSU’s Homecoming as well as Senior Day at Dick Price Stadium.

2. NSU enters the game on a six-game skid – the program’s longest since losing seven in a row in 2012 – after a 21-14 loss to Bethune-Cookman last Saturday in Norfolk.

3. The Spartans trailed 21-7 at the half but shut out the Wildcats in the second half. NSU cut its deficit in half on a 4-yard Quintreil Chung touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Thanks to an interception by Nigel Chavis, the Spartans started their final drive in B-CU territory, eventually reaching as far as the 12-yard line. But NSU was stopped on downs in the Wildcats’ red zone, falling short of the tying score.

4. Greg Hankerson scored NSU’s other touchdown on a 43-yard run in the first quarter where he broke multiple tackles and outraced the defense for the score. Hankerson passed for 90 yards and led NSU with 60 rushing yards.

5. Morgan State suffered its second consecutive disappointing defeat last Saturday, dropping a 21-17 decision to unbeaten MEAC opponent North Carolina Central. The Bears took a 17-14 lead into the half after a 40-yard Alex Raya field goal. The score remained that way until the game’s final four minutes, when NCCU overtook the Bears on a 16-yard TD pass from Naiil Ramadan to Jalen Wilkes. Morgan State had two possessions after yielding the lead, but turned the ball over on both drives.

6. Eric Harrell led the Bears with 21 rushes for 121 yards and a touchdown. MSU ran for 158 yards in the game. The Bears played two quarterbacks, with Wagner transfer Chris Andrews passing for 85 yards to go with one TD and one interception. Defensive lineman Ayodeji Agbelese was a force for the Bears’ defense, notching two sacks among his three tackles for loss in the game.

7. The season has been one of streaks for the Bears. They lost their first two contests to Holy Cross and Marshall, then won two straight against Delaware State and Howard before their two recent losses.

8. NSU has dominated the series on the field as of late. Morgan State’s last win over NSU was a 29-20 victory in Norfolk in 2006. The Spartans have won the last nine games on the field, though three of those victories were later vacated.

9. The Spartans are 9-10 in 19 previous Homecoming games at Dick Price Stadium, but have lost two of the last three. The Spartans are 3-2 all-time against MSU in Homecoming games at Dick Price Stadium.

10. NSU will recognize 23 players prior to the game who are playing at home for the final time. The list includes two redshirt juniors (Anthony Smith, Antonio Perryman).



QUICK HITS FROM B-CU
Some news and notes from the loss to Bethune-Cookman:
• The Spartans were held scoreless in the third quarter for the sixth straight game. NSU has been outscored 47-0 in the third quarter since the Richmond game.
• Nigel Chavis (12) notched a career high in tackles.
• The Spartans registered a season-high three interceptions, all by different players (Chavis, Sandy Chapman, Harry Freeman).

IN A RUSH

Quarterback Greg Hankerson ran for his team-leading fifth touchdown of the season last week against Bethune-Cookman, a highlight-reel-worthy 43-yarder where he broke several tackles from Bethune-Cookman’s defensive linemen and linebackers and outraced the rest of the defense for the score.
• Hankerson is now tied for seventh in the MEAC with his five touchdowns this year. He has eight in his two-year career thus far, most by a Spartan quarterback since Dennis Brown had 12 from 2008-09.N• Hankerson’s 43-yarder was his third career TD run of over 40 yards. He had scoring runs of 57 and 77 yards last season vs. Morgan State and N.C. Central, respectively.
• Hankerson is again within shouting distance of the single-season school record for rushing yards by a quarterback, set by Brown (466) in 2008. Hankerson had 423 last season and 303 this year (ninth in the MEAC).

NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Southern/Alcorn State gameday: Jaguars defense is coming around just in time, plus Luke Johnson's four downs

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern defensive coordinator Trei Oliver figured it would take about this long for his defense to start to shine, but he expected it all the same.

The Jaguars are six games into the season — which they hope is their halfway point, if they earn a berth in the SWAC championship game — and are starting to show signs of defensive prowess.

Though this year's Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Jackson State teams will never be considered offensive juggernauts, the Jaguars defense has turned in two of its better performances in back-to-back weeks, allowing averages of 20.5 points and 306 yards.

“They’re starting to get it,” Oliver said. “We knew it was going to be a process. And, not to keep harping on it, but without spring ball, we knew it was going to be a little slow with all the young guys we have playing. But we’re about where we expected to be. Now they’re starting to understand gap control; they’re starting to understand pass coverage and the different zone coverages we’re playing.”

CONTINUE READING

Grambling State University aims to avoid Alcorn's fate

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — Two-time defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Alcorn State allowed Arkansas-Pine Bluff to pull off a massive upset in September.

That won't be the case for Grambling when Pine Bluff arrives Saturday for the Tigers' homecoming.

"Alcorn didn't take those guys seriously and you saw what happened," Grambling quarterbacks coach Kendrick Nord said.



The theme this week is not overlooking Pine Bluff, or anyone for that matter. Pine Bluff is 1-6 this year with its only victory coming at Alcorn State, a 45-43 three-overtime win last month.

Grambling's staff said earlier in the week how that win is the sole reminder of how dangerous Pine Bluff is despite its record.

"The big thing that happened in that game that got them fired up was the fact that Alcorn's players had mentioned during pregame that a lot of their guys weren't playing because they were resting them for the next week to play us," Grambling linebackers coach Terrance Graves said. "They went back in and told their players and that's the motivation they gave them."

CONTINUE READING

'Just beautiful:' As he nears the SWAC rushing record, Southern's Lenard Tillery keeps his focus on the next game

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- There’s this thing about Lenard Tillery that Austin Howard said a lot of people don’t know, something that should provide an extra element of amazement to Saturday’s potentially record-setting performance.

It goes back to when Howard arrived on Southern's campus as a freshman in 2014. Tillery was coming off a year in which he ran for a team-best 784 yards as a freshman on the Jaguars' SWAC championship team.



When Tillery and Howard practiced for the first time, they did it together at the bottom of the Southern depth chart as fourth-stringers.

“We told each other we were going to grind; we weren’t going to complain about it,” Howard said. “We were just going to grind and get to the top. Whatever happens, happens.”

They’ve stayed true to that pledge and have been rewarded.

CONTINUE READING 

Magic City Classic: Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State

Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State

When: 3 p.m.

Where: Legion Field, Birmingham

Records: Alabama A&M (2-5); Alabama State (2-5)

Web: ESPN3

Four-down territory
1. Freshman phenom: True freshman Jordan Bentley’s remarkable play is not going unnoticed nationally. The running back from Guntersville was named to the STATS FCS Freshman of the Year Watch List. Bentley leads all FCS freshman with seven rushing touchdowns and he is also the third-leading rusher among freshman with 576 yards.

2. Player of the week: In Alabama A&M’s 40-7 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, De’Angelo Ballard had 303 total yards and four touchdowns. For his performance, the senior quarterback was named the SWAC Offensive Player of the Week. He was also an honorable mention for STATS National Offensive Player of the Week.



CONTINUE READING

Once-mighty Florida A&M struggling to rebuild program

GREENSBORO, North Carolina — It’s homecoming for Florida A&M.  Again.

The Rattlers (3-2 MEAC, 3-5 overall) will play in a homecoming football game Saturday for the third week in a row, this time in the one N.C. A&T (4-0, 6-1) brands as the Greatest Homecoming On Earth.

It’s the second time in three years A&T has scheduled FAMU for homecoming.

When you’re struggling, you get invited to a lot of homecomings. And once-mighty FAMU is struggling.

In their long history, the Rattlers have won 12 black college national championships. They’ve won or shared eight MEAC titles. They won the first Division I-AA national title in 1978, one of seven FCS playoff appearances.

But since its last MEAC title in 2010, Florida A&M has fallen on hard times.

CONTINUE READING

Career highs for Ducros, but Gold Nuggets lose in 3

MOBILE, Alabama — Xavier University of Louisiana, in its final non-conference volleyball match of the regular season, lost 25-22, 25-19, 25-23 Monday at Spring Hill.

Taylor Ducros had eight kills and hit .350, both career highs, for the Gold Nuggets (13-15). Juliana Tomasoni had 10 kills and 12 digs, Tiffany Phillips had 34 assists and 10 digs, Hasani Salaam had seven kills and five blocks, and Amanda Perry had two aces and 15 digs.

Tomasoni and Phillips have 12 double-doubles apiece this season.

Madison Seuzeneau had 12 kills and hit .310 for the Badgers (26-5), who extended their two-year home winning streak to 13. Sarah Senft had 11 kills, Peyton Gidney had 10 kills, Cassidi Sterrett had 18 digs, and Savannah Becnel had six kills, three aces and four blocks.

XULA led 22-21 in the first set before Spring Hill scored the final four points, two on Seuzeneau kills. The Badgers took a two-set lead after pulling away from a tie at 13, and they rallied from an 18-13 deficit in the final set.

Spring Hill outhit XULA .229 to .130 and had advantages of 46-38 in kills, 4-2 in aces, 69-68 in digs and 7-5 in blocks.

It was a matchup of league leaders. XULA has clinched the regular-season championship of the NAIA's Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, and Spring Hill is 17-0 in NCAA Division II's Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. XULA is 0-19 all-time against Spring Hill with two losses this season.

XULA will conclude its regular season with GCAC matches at 1 p.m. Saturday at Talladega and 7 p.m. next Monday at home against Tougaloo in the Convocation Center. The Gold Nuggets will play at 3 p.m. Nov. 4 in the semifinals of the GCAC Tournament in New Orleans (Dillard's Dent Hall) after a first-round bye.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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