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HARTLY, Delaware -- North Carolina A&T and Tuskegee maintained their first place positions after nine weeks in the HSRN Football Polls.
A&T, Grambling and N.C. Central held onto the top three spots in the FCS Poll.Southern and Tennessee State switched positions to round out the top five.Hampton’s MEAC conference win over S.C. State propelled the Pirates from tenth to seventh place.
Tuskegee and Winston Salem State were first and second in the Division II/NAIA poll for the second straight week.
Bowie State jumped from fifth to third with Virginia State and Albany State rounding out the top five.
Langston’s 133 point tally in the past two weeks coupled with a three-game winning streak and 5-2 record have earned the Lions the #10 spot in this week’s poll.
Division I FCS
School (First Place Votes)
Record
Pts
Last Week
1
North Carolina A&T (11)
7-1
119
1
2
Grambling State (1)
5-1
109
2
3
North Carolina Central
6-2
91
3
4
Southern U.
5-2
79
5
5
Tennessee State
5-3
69
4
6
Prairie View A&M
5-3
63
6
7
Hampton
4-4
43
10
8
Alcorn State
3-4
29
8
9
South Carolina State
3-4
21
7
10
Jackson State
3-5
16
9
Others receiving votes
Texas Southern, Bethune-Cookman, Alabama A&M, Alabama State
Division II/NAIA
School (First Place Votes)
Record
Pts
Last Week
1
Tuskegee (10)
7-1
116
1
2
Winston-Salem State (1)
7-2
101
2
3
Bowie State
6-3
85
5
4
Virginia State
7-2
81
3
5
Albany State
5-3
59
6
6
Miles College
5-3
53
9
7
Virginia Union
5-4
45
4
8
Chowan
5-4
23
7
9
Kentucky State
4-5
21
8
10
Langston (1)
5-2
21
NR
Others receiving votes
Elizabeth City State, Lane, Shaw, Fort Valley State, Morehouse
GRAMBLING, Louisiana — DeVante Kincade stood in the pocket like a statue. It was almost as if he was on display for the 15,000 or so fans in attendance at Eddie Robinson Stadium.
For almost three hours Saturday, Kincade with the help from a sturdy Grambling offensive line, picked apart a helpless Arkansas-Pine Bluff defense. He launched deep balls with precision. He provided the right amount of touch on his intermediate passes. He let his receivers do the rest on short screen passes.
The end result was a masterful 457-yard, six-touchdown effort to pace Grambling's 70-0 pasting of Arkansas-Pine Bluff on homecoming. The Ole Miss transfer completed 23 of 26 passes to help the Tigers (5-1, 5-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) extend their conference win streak to 14 games.
"Very, very dominant. I don't know. That's about as perfect as you can get unless you're going to be picky and say 26 of 26," Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs said. "In three quarters, I don't know what else you want him to do. That's a flawless performance if you ask me."
Known as a tough grader, Fobbs' words are noteworthy.
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern is riding a five-game winning streak, but coach Dawson Odums is still looking for his team to turn in its best effort.
Don’t get Odums wrong; he’s pleased with the way his team is playing overall. But there are still teaching moments when looking back at the film.
When looking at the tape from Saturday's 41-33 win at Alcorn State, Odums saw a Jekyll and Hyde performance.
“In spurts Saturday, we played lights out,” Odums said. “(But) we were up with a chance to go up 38-13. Instead, we get the ball down around the 35 and come away with no points.”
Odums was likely referring to the Jaguars’ second drive of the second half, when they started with the ball at Alcorn State’s 22-yard line after a 67-yard punt return by Willie Quinn. Southern was in great position to extend its lead to 38-13, but instead it ran four plays and turned the ball over on downs. On the next play, Alcorn State’s Lenorris Footman raced for an 83-yard touchdown. CONTINUE READING
COLUMBUS, Georgia -- he Albany State Golden Rams and the Fort Valley State Wildcats are gearing up to clash in the 27th Annual Fountain City Classic.
The FCC is a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) game where the winner will advance to the SIAC Championship Game as Eastern Division Champs.
The game will be played in Columbus, GA at the A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. EST.
Bragging rights and pride are at stake as well.
The game is expected to attract a sellout crowd of 15,000 fans to witness what is considered one of the biggest, bitterest and oldest football rivalries in black college football.
Another 30,000 fans will be gathering for the FCC tailgating activities, one of the largest events held at South Commons during the year.
The game will be broadcast live via radio. Columbus-based radio station WOKS 1340-AM is providing live radio broadcast as well as radio station WJIZ 98.1 FM in Albany.
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- When the CIAA and its television partner were deciding on which games to broadcast they picked Saturday’s WSSU-Fayetteville State game in Fayetteville. It was a good call because the last three years the winner of that game, which has been WSSU each time, won the Southern Division.
Saturday’s game at 2 p.m. is scheduled for ASPIRE Network but the winner of the game won’t decide the division title.
The Rams, thanks to their 6-0 record in the conference, secured the division title with a win at Shaw on Saturday. The Broncos are 4-2 in the division so even if the Broncos win on Saturday the Rams would own the better conference record.
So while the Rams are in the CIAA championship game for the sixth straight year the division winner from the North is still up in the air. The CIAA championship game is scheduled for Nov. 12 in Salem, Va. and WSSU will be there but its opponent is unknown.
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- 3 things worth talking about
Running start
Alabama State did all of its first-quarter damage without completing a single pass. Hornets running back Khalid Thomas turned a 55-yard punt return into a 16-yard touchdown run on the very next play. Hornets quarterback Quinterris Toppings went 73 yards on a touchdown run. The Hornets had 89 total yards in the first quarter.
Bentley got one, too
Alabama A&M running back Jordan Bentley did break through once on the ASU defense, going on a 22-yard run for a touchdown. It was Bentley’s longest rush of the day. Bentley came into Saturday’s game with 576 rushing yards, good for third in the SWAC.
LORMAN, Mississippi — Neither Southern’s football players nor their head coach, Dawson Odums, said Saturday’s win against Alcorn State held any extra significance.
That’s fine. It’s diplomatic. But, judging by the roar coming from the locker room after the hard-fought 41-33 win, it probably wasn’t entirely truthful, either.
Alcorn State has been the Jaguars’ bogeyman for a while now. They’ve struggled in Lorman in particular; Saturday’s game was their first win there in nearly a decade.
That this particular hole in Odums’ résumé has been filled should’ve meant something to Southern and players like Lenard Tillery and Willie Quinn, who took part in their first win against the Braves in their distinguished careers.
But if you’ve followed along with our Southern coverage this season, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the team’s mantra. The goal is to treat every little thing like a game, and to win all of those little things. The Jaguars want to win practice reps, film study and days of practice.
AUGUSTA, Georgia -- Quarterback Caleb Edmonds was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2016 Augusta City Classic after going 21-for-29 for 194 yards and three touchdowns and leading Albany State to a 34-7 victory over Benedict College. With the win, Albany State improves to 5-3 overall and 4-1 in the SIAC. The Tigers fall to 4-5, 3-3.
ASU's triumph over Benedict also keeps the Golden Rams in first place in the SIAC East Division. Fort Valley State defeated Morehouse College 24-16 on Saturday to move to 2-1 in the division. Those two wins by the archrivals sets up a divisional championship game in this year's Fountain City Classic on Nov. 5.
Running back Mack Green started Albany State in the right direction with the first highlight of the first quarter. Green returned the opening kick 75 yards into Benedict territory to set up the Golden Rams' first scoring drive. Three plays, 17 yards and 1:52 later, Edmonds found Quadrey Simmons in the end zone for a touchdown. Emilio Maldonado added the PAT, and ASU led 7-0 with 13:08 left in the stanza.
The Golden Rams would find the end zone again less than 10 minutes later. McKinley Habersham's 5-yard touchdown ended a 12-play, 88-yard drive that used 5:43. Maldonado's extra point gave ASU a 14-0 edge at the 3:58 mark.
In the second quarter, Edmonds scored on a 4-yard with 8:40 left, and Maldonado added the PAT to give Albany State a 21-0 advantage. The drive went nine plays for 43 yards in 4:36.
Maldonado also helped the Golden Rams extend their lead in the second period. He connected on a 39-yard field goal at the 5:38 mark to give the visiting team a 24-0. Maldonado made another field goal, this time from 40 yards, and provided ASU with a 27-0 lead at halftime.
Benedict avoided a shutout when quarterback Phillip Brown found Okechi Ntiasagwe for a 30-yard touchdown to end the team's 5-play, 70-yard drive that used 2:06. Tory Mimbs made the PAT.
Edmonds completed the game scoring with 3:34 remaining in the third. He sprinted 38 yards for another touchdown to complete a 3-play, 47-yard drive that used 1:28 and give the Golden Rams a 34-7 lead.
Edmonds also finished the game with 10 rushes for 48 yards. Wide receiver Ta'Keevian Harris recorded five receptions for 40 yards for the Albany State "Gold Rush" Offense that used balance to tally a total of 360 yards.
Defensively, Emmauel Brown led the way with six solo tackles and a sack. Nick Scott and Zavondric Shingleton each added four solo tackles. The "Dirty Blue" Defense held the Tigers to only 185 yards for the game.
George Myers, Jr. led the Benedict offense with 81 yards on 12 rushes. Brown finished 9-of-20 for 91 yards.
The Tiger defense had two players who reached double digits in tackles. Edward Kirkland and Stephen Williams each had 10 tackles. Both players also had seven solo tackles.
Albany State will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 5 when it travels to Columbus, Ga. to face archrival Fort Valley State in the 27th Annual Fountain City Classic. The winner will win the SIAC East Division crown and earn a spot in the 2016 SIAC championship game. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at A.J. McClung Stadium.
Around The SIAC- Saturday, October 29th
Albany State 34, Benedict 7
Fort Valley State 24, Morehouse 16
Lane 35, Kentucky State 21
Tuskegee 42, Central State 14
Miles 34, Clark Atlanta 17
COURTESY ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
NEW ORLEANS — Regular-season champion Xavier University of Louisiana led all schools Friday with four student-athletes named to the 2016 All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball team. The Gold Nuggets' Juliana Tomasoni and Amanda Perry are first-team selections, and Tiffany Phillips and Hasani Salaam made the second team. The GCAC's seven head coaches selected the team. Tomasoni — a junior outside hitter/defensive specialist from Nova Trento, Brazil, and a graduate of Francisco Mazzola in her home country and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M — leads the Gold Nuggets through 27 matches with 267 kills and is second with a .236 hitting percentage, 333 digs and 20 aces. In her third XULA match she produced a school-record 25 kills Aug. 20 against Evangel. Perry, a freshman libero/defensive specialist from Bolingbrook High School and a graduate of Bolingbrook High School, has a school-record 438 digs and is third on the Nuggets with 17 aces. A three-time GCAC Defender of the Week, Perry also set school season records with 24 matches of double-figure digs and 18 matches in a row. Phillips, a freshman setter/defensive specialist from Gardena, Calif., and a graduate of Bishop Montgomery High School, leads XULA with 682 assists and 21 aces. She also has 202 digs, 65 kills and 19 blocks. Five times she has been chosen GCAC Setter of the Week; that ties the XULA record for most weekly awards in this sport. Her 11 assist-dig double-doubles are a XULA season record. Salaam, a freshman middle blocker/right side from New Orleans and a graduate of Lusher Charter School, leads the Nuggets with 47 blocks. She ranks third at XULA with 185 kills. XULA will conclude the regular season with GCAC matches at 1 p.m. Saturday at Talladega and 7 p.m. Monday at home against Tougaloo. The Gold Nuggets will play at 3 p.m. Friday in the semifinals of the GCAC Tournament at Dillard's Dent Hall.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Charlene Goreau and Lyndsey Clark won women's consolation titles Saturday at the Big Easy Tennis Classic at the University of New Orleans. Goreau defeated Florida A&M's Olivia Rolle 6-4, 6-4 in the flight-1 consolation final. Clark won the flight-6 consolation title by default Saturday after defeating FAMU's Kiara Shaw 6-4, 0-6, 1-0 (12-10) in the semifinals Friday. The Gold Nuggets produced a pair of consolation runners-up. Emma Kranendonk lost 6-3, 6-3, to William Carey's Gloria Kaufman in the flight-2 final, and Sha'Nel Bruins and Dasia Harris lost 6-2 in the doubles final to William Carey's Lorena Rouillon Jimenez and Daria Veretennikova. In the main draw of men's flight-1 singles, XULA's fourth-seeded Karan Salwan lost 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-5) in the semifinals to top-seeded Chao-Yu Huang of Southern Miss. This was the last of three fall events for XULA, which will resume its schedule with dual matches in January. The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will take aim at a return trip to the NAIA National Championships at Mobile, Ala., in May. The ITA will announce NAIA player rankings in late November, and team rankings — the NAIA coaches polls — will be unveiled Jan. 24. Friday Results: Men • Women Saturday Results: Men • Women Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
DURHAM, North Carolina -- Winston-Salem State University battled back from a nine point halftime deficit and scored four second half touchdowns, and gained 428 total yards, as the Rams came away with a 30-23 win over Shaw University on Saturday afternoon at Durham County Stadium.
With the win, WSSU moves to 7-2 overall, 6-0 in the CIAA and 4-0 in the Southern Division. The Rams also secured their sixth consecutive Southern Division crown and a return trip to the CIAA Championship game in two weeks, to be played at Salem Stadium in Salem, VA. Shaw university falls to 1-8 overall, 1-5 in the CIAA and 1-3 in the CIAA's Southern Division.
The Shaw Bears started quick, and would get prime field position after a fumble by WSSU deep on their side of the field. The next play resulted in a score for Shaw, as Darron Downing scored from four yards out to give the Bears a 7-0 lead.
Early in the second quarter, the Bears would score again, as Beni Kinsemi connected on a 39 yards field goal to put Shaw up 10-0 on WSSU.
Late in the quarter, Shaw would pick up some more momentum, and with just 46 seconds remaining before the half, Shaw's Darron Downing would put the Bears up 16-0, when he rushed to the right side of the line, to score from eight yards.
But the Rams would answer with one of the biggest scores of the game, as the drive began with Rod Tinsley hitting an open Will Walton for a 48 yard gain, and putting the Rams in field goal range. On the next play, Rod Tinsley would find an open Demeeko Jones for a 29 yard touchdown, and with the PAT from Will Johnson, WSSU cut the lead to 16-7, and the Bears allowed the momentum to swing in the Rams favor.
It was a tale of two halves, as the Rams would take the third quarter kickoff and march down the field, and Te'Vaughn Hurse would score from nine yards out to trim the Bears lead to just two points, 16-14.
The Rams would keep the pressure on, and with 4:00 left in the third quarter, the Rams would take their first lead of the game, when after a 13-play drive that stalled, Will Johnson would connect on a 30 yard field goal, to give the Rams a 17-16 lead.
Winston-Salem State's defense continued to keep the momentum on the Rams side, and after a quick three and out, WSSU would get the ball back and the offense would take full advantage.
This time, Michael Benis would reach the endzone on a nine yard pass and catch from Rod Tinsley, and WSSU would extend their lead to 24-16.
Early in the fourth quarter, WSSU would put the game away, when Justus Pickett scored from 10 yards out, after an eight play, 65 yard drive, to give the Rams a 30-16 lead with 11:24 l3ft to play.
The Shaw Bears would not go away easy, and with 4:03 left, Darron Downing picked up his third touchdown of the day to pull the Bears closer, at 30-23.
Winston-Salem State's defense would come up big when it needed and shut Shaw down on their final series, to give the Rams the road win.
The WSSU Rams were led in rushing by Kerrion Moore, who finished with 19 carries for 151 yards. Te'Vaughn Hurse added 94 yards on 20 carries with a score, and Justus Pickett five carries for 42 yards and one touchdown.
Rod Tinsley went 11 of 23 for 139 yards and two touchdowns with a long pass of 48 yards.
Demeeko Jones finished with three catches for 46 yards and one touchdown, while Reggie Wilkins had two catches for 18 yards and Michael Benis had two catches for six yards and one touchdown. Will Walton (48 yds), Kerrion Moore (9 yds), William Belcher (9 yds) and Canard Brown (3 yds) each finished with one catch.
Will Johnson punted five times on the afternoon, for an average of 43.8 yards and also connected on a 30 yard field goal.
Defensively, the Rams were led by Xavier Gregory, who had six tackles and a pass breakup. De'Andre Blevins had four tackles and a pass breakup, Jayron Rankin had four tackles, 1.5 tackles for losses and a forced fumble. Albert McLean also added four tackles. Jack Nimmons had three tackles and two tackles for a loss. Jarrell Bright continued his stellar play, as he also had three tackles, two tackles for a loss, two sacks and a quarterback hurry, and Tyrell Fleming finished with three tackles and a tackle for a loss.
Winston-Salem State will wrap up the regular season next week on the road, when they take on the Fayetteville State Broncos with kickoff set for 2:00pm at Luther Nick Jerald's Stadium. The game will also be televised by the CIAA/ASPiRE TV Network. CIAA Regional Television Network is produced by Urban Sports & Entertainment Group.
WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pennsylvania – Bowie State moved one step closer to the CIAA Northern Division title after pounding Lincoln University 41-23 on Saturday night. The win sets the Bulldogs overall record at 5-3, 5-1 in CIAA play and 3-1 in the North.
Lincoln (Pa.) (1-8, 0-6 CIAA, 0-4 North) got on the board first at the 9:46 mark of the first quarter, via a 29-yard field goal by Cody Waddell to take the early 3-0 lead.
Bowie State answers with 2:52 left in the first quarter on an Amir Hall (Bowie, Md.) 22-yard quarterback keeper. Gene Carson (Accokeek, Md.) added the extra point to give the Bulldogs a 7-3 lead. Maurice Williams (Baltimore, Md.) scored on a 1-yard touchdown run at the 10:53 mark of the second quarter to give Bowie State a 14-3 lead.
The Bulldogs took the opening possession of the third quarter 65 yards in just three plays, capped off by a 22-yard Hall to Brandon Britton (Columbia, Md.) pass, catch and score to give Bowie State a 20-6 advantage. Adam Gillis (Lanham, Md.) scored his first touchdown of the season on a 19-yard run to push the Bulldogs lead to 27-3 with 9:51 to go in the third quarter.
Lincoln's Stephen Scott rushed for a 2-yard touchdown but the Kahri Nquzi extra point was no good, leaving the Lions trailing at 27-9.
Bowie State quickly responded when Daryl Jasper (Capital Heights, Md.) recorded his first touchdown reception of the season, hauling in a Hall pass and breaking tackles along the Bulldogs sideline to score from 32 yards out with 2:40 left in the third quarter.
Lincoln (Pa.) wasn't done as Jason Epps completed a 3-yard pass to Jody Thomas to make the score 34-16 to open the fourth quarter scoring.
Bowie State's Hall walked in for a 2-yard touchdown with 8:03 left in the game to pad the Bowie State lead at 41-16.
With most of the Bowie State starters done for the night, Lincoln (Pa.) put together a five-play, 74 yard drive, when Epps hooked with Andre Price for a 25-yard score that accounted for the final margin of 41-23 with 5:17 remaining in the game.
Sophomore Robert Chesson (Annapolis, Md.) accounted for a game-high and career-best 184 rushing yards and senior Nyme Manns (Baltimore, Md.) was Bowie State's leading receiver with 105 reception yards on nine catches and went over 1,000 reception yards for the season. Hall threw for a game-high 294 passing yards on 21-of-34 passing and two touchdowns.
Graduate student Kevaugn Townsend (Fort Washington, Md.) tallied a game-high 11 total tackles (7 solo and 4 assisted), which included four tackles for a loss of 13 yards. Fellow graduate student Antoine Young (Washington, D.C.) was responsible for nine total tackles.
Epps paced the Lincoln (Pa.) Lions on the offensive side of the ball with 246 passing yards, completing 20-of-37 passes (one interception) and two touchdowns, but was sacked four times.
Tony Jones paced the Lions defensive with a team-high nine tackles while Deon Miller, Kevin Norris and Rhamir Thomas added eight tackles each in the loss.
The Bulldogs will close out the regular season next Saturday (11/5) hosting the Vikings of Elizabeth City State University on Senior Day at 1 p.m.
WILBERFORCE, Ohio -- The 17th-ranked Tuskegee University football team rebounded from last week's loss, and rebounded in a big way as they ran away from Central State University 42-14 on Saturday afternoon. Tuskegee (7-1, 5-1 SIAC) used a 21-point third quarter and 304 yards of total offense to continue their push for a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs, currently sitting third in the Super Region 2 standings this past week. After a slow start on their first possession, the Golden Tigers drove down the field on their second possession. They used just 2:14 and six plays to drive 61 yards for the game's opening score, culminating with an 11-yard burst from fullback Branden Wilson for the 7-0 lead. Central State tied the game on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that used 5:29 to open the second quarter. The Marauders used a mix of run and pass to drive the field, until Lavon Meeks ran into the end zone from six yards out to the game at 7-all with 9:38 remaining in the opening half. But from there, the game belonged to the Golden Tigers.
Ballard finished 19-of-35 passing for 290 yard and two touchdowns, and he ran 19 times fro 101 yards. Freshman running back Jordan Bentley added 15 carries for 80 yard and two TDs, while Tevin McKenzie also caught a touchdown pass.
Ballard was named the game's MVP. For Alabama State, Khalid Thomas ran 24 times for 170 yards a touchdown, and Quinterris Toppings had six carries for 127 yards and a touchdown. Willis White caught a 44-yard TD pass from Toppings. Alabama State jumped out to a 14-3 lead, as Thomas scored on a 16-yard run after he returned a punt 54 yards. Topllings later scored on a 73-yard run. Carden's 24-yard field goal gave Alabama A&M its only points of the first quarter, but Bentley's 22-yard TD run early in the second quarter made it 14-10. Alabama A&M's Tere Calloway intercepted a pass in the end zone late in the first half, and the Bulldogs drove 67 yards in three plays. Carden's 30-yard field goal on the final play of the first half made it 14-13. "The game went back and forth, but we didn't get down," Spady said. "At the half, I told our players that we needed to make a few adjustments, but we needed to get a quick start in the second half." In the fourth quarter, Alabama State led 35-27, but Tevin McKenzie's 1-yard run cut the deficit to 35-33. Ballard then hit Kalias Robertson with the 2-point pass to tie the game at 35-all. Alabama A&M had one last chance to win game on Carden's 34-yard field goal attempt with 1:12 to go, but it was blocked. Alabama A&M finished with 555 yards -- 297 passing and 258 rushing. Alabama State ran for 391 yards.
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Alabama A&M's De'Angelo Ballard threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Dorsey in overtime, and Nick Carden's extra point gave the Bulldogs a 42-41 victory in the Magic City Classic.
With the win, Alabama A&M has won two of the last three Magic City Classics.
The Bulldogs also had a chance to win in the final moments of regulation, but Carden's field goal was blocked by Alabama State.
Alabama State got the ball first in overtime, with Marquell Beckwith scoring on a 14-yard run. Then, kicker David Albert missed the extra point.
Dorsey scored a few plays later, and Carden's kick ended the game at Birmingham's Legion Field.
"I am so proud of my players, especially Nick Carden," Alabama A&M coach James Spady said. "He got a kick blocked, and it would have been easy to drop his head and lose confidence. So he came back and made the kick that won the football game, and I am so proud of him for not getting down."
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- The Jaguars need a big man.
The Southern men's basketball team doesn’t have a specific plan for how it wants to compete inside, at least not one coach Roman Banks is comfortable sharing just yet.
He has a few options, but almost all of them create a ripple effect through the lineup, and none of them seems to fit into a nice package in terms of size matchups.
“We have a few different possible ways (we could go) that we're looking at,” Banks said. “I just think that it’s a little bit too early; some people still have a bit of a learning curve, and not one person has shown any dominance.”
If the season started tomorrow — and Banks is happy it doesn’t — instead of Nov. 12 at Ohio, junior Jared Sam likely would start at center.
At 6-foot-9 and 210 pounds, Sam is the closest thing the Jaguars have to a natural big man, at least one with any practical experience at the position within the confines of Southern’s system.
Alcorn State is no longer Southern kryptonite. The Jaguars snapped a five-game losing streak in fairly convincing fashion Saturday. The Braves had not only beaten Southern, but they’d embarrassed them — especially the last three contests. Southern looked like it was ready to return the favor this time.
TRENDING NOW
How about Lenard Tillery? Southern’s standout running back nearly set a career high in rushing on the day he broke the SWAC rushing record. Saturday marked the fourth time this season that he had at least 120 rushing yards by the end of the third quarter. Tillery is special, and he plays at home two more times ever. Hint, hint.
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Prairie View A&M football earned a tough 28-14 win at Jackson State in a grind-it-out type of contest Saturday at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Jalen Morton accounted for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) as the Panthers (5-3 overall, 5-1 SWAC) wins the first leg of the 'final four' heading into a pair of home games against two-time defending champ Alcorn St. (3-4, 3-3), who is still tied for first in the East with Jackson St. (3-5, 3-3), and Southern (5-2, 5-0), defeated Alcorn St. 41-33 earlier Saturday.
"It was a tough football game," said Prairie View A&M head coach Willie Simmons. "Jackson State is playing really good football. We knew it was going to be a 60-minute game. Luckily for us we were able to jump out to an early lead, and get a big, big turnover coming out of halftime that gave us a 21-point lead and kind of put them in passing mode."
Caleb Broach rushed 17 times for 78 yards and a touchdown, and Anthony Wiltz and Cameron Smith added TD receptions for the Panthers, who built a 21-0 lead and made it stand up.
"It's tough to win on the road in this league," Simmons said. "I'm proud of the team winning in a tough environment on Jackson State's homecoming in front of a great crowd. They have a great football team and great coaching staff. We're fortunate to get out of here with a win. We'll get back to work this week. The road doesn't get any easier. We've got a tough Alcorn State team coming in next week."
The Panther defense held Jackson State to minus-3 yards rushing, forced three turnovers, and recorded three sacks. James Harper led the way with eight tackles, one sack, and 2.5 tackles for loss.
"We challenged the defense to stop them from running the football," said Simmons. "Whenever you can run the ball, it opens up so many other things in the passing game. We were able to stuff them in the running game,which was a great accomplishment for this defense as they again gave us a chance to win the game. I'm proud of (Defensive Coordinator Ralph) Street and the defensive staff of putting a great game plan together and they executed it well."
PVAMU took the lead in the first quarter, driving 42 yards in three plays. Wiltz scored on a 21-yard screen pass from Morton to give PVAMU a lead they would not relinquish at 7-0 with just over 8 ½ minutes remaining in the period.
A Marquice O'Leary 39-yard punt return set up the second score just before halftime. A seven-play, 37-yard drive ended with Smith's seven-yard TD catch from Morton on the final play of the period to give the Panthers a 14-0 lead.
Special teams came up big on the opening kick of the second half, as Terrence Reynolds forced a fumble that was recovered by Foster Brown II at the JSU 25. Following a pass interference against the Tigers, Caleb Broach scored on a 10-yard run to give PVAMU a 21-0 lead early in the third quarter.
Jackson State added a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter before the Panthers put it away in the fourth. Morton capped off a six-play, 53-yard drive with a four-yard scamper for the clincher as Prairie View A&M rushed for 113 yards in the second half.
"I thought the defense did a great job today of making some big plays and keeping them behind the chains," Simmons said. "Special teams made some the big plays as well. Two of the three phases played really well. Offensively we struggled at times, but we were able to run the ball late, which was good to see." BOX SCORE
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
MURRAY, Kentucky -- Despite 555 yards of total offense, the No. 25 Tennessee State football team could not hold off Murray State’s second half surge in a 38-31 road defeat on Saturday at Roy Stewart Stadium in an Ohio Valley Conference matchup.
For Tennessee State (5-3, 2-2 OVC), Ronald Butler set career highs for passing yards (329) and rushing yards (109) in defeat. The Tigers held a 20-17 halftime lead over Murray State (3-5, 3-2 OVC), but the Racers outscored TSU by a 21-11 margin in the second half to pick up the win.
Laquarius Cook tallied 11 total tackles to pace the defense. Patrick Smith picked up two more receiving touchdowns to bring his season total to 10.
The Tigers opened the game with their longest drive to start a game. TSU drove 64 yards in 14 plays, setting up a 31-yard field goal by Lane Clark to take a 3-0 lead. The running game was on showcase early as Erick Evans rushed for 11 and nine yards on back-to-back plays to move the Tigers into Racers territory. Sabree Curtis took over with runs of 15 and five yards putting TSU just outside the red zone to allow Clark to give the Tigers the advantage.
After trading three-and-outs, Murray State jump started its on offense as they used a pair of KD Humphries touchdown passes to take a 14-3 after one quarter of play.
The Tigers responded with a score to open the second stanza. Smith picked up his first touchdown of the day on a 20-yard pass from Butler to bring the Big Blue back within four at 14-10.
After Murray State extended the lead to 17-10, the TSU offense would take over to outscore the Racers 10-0 for the remainder of the quarter. Butler and Curtis supplied the ground game with runs of 12 and 14 yards, respectively, while Mahlon Medley and Steven Newbold pulled down receptions of 12 and 10 yards. The first drive was capped off as Butler found Curtis in the clear, allowing the freshman running back a free path, 16 yards, to the goal line.
The Tigers closed out the half with the second of his three field goals, this one coming from 25 yards out as time expired.
The Racers came out fast in the second half scoring on their first two possessions to take a 31-20 lead. MSU held that lead until Clark connected on a 20-yard kick to cut the lead to 31-23 with 9:09 remaining in the game.
Murray State needed just 13 seconds to get back on the scoreboard as Humphries hit Jordan Gandy for a 75-yard pass play. Gandy found himself uncovered down the left sideline and outran the TSU defense to the end zone.
The Tigers punched back on their next series, as Butler hit Newbold and Mazio Rhodes to enter Racer territory. Three plays later, Butler found Smith in the middle of the field, at the goal line to bring the Tigers to within nine. TSU added the two-point conversion, this time with Smith throwing to Butler.
After a defensive stand, the Big Blue would get one more chance as they began their final drive needing to drive 78 yards with 5:21 remaining in regulation. Butler used his legs to gain 21 yards out to the TSU 43. After Butler scampered for another first down, he went to the air teaming with Smith, Chris Rowland and Newbold on consecutive plays to move down to the MSU 16. That would be as close as the Tigers would get after losing yardage on the Racers second sack of the game.
Facing a fourth and 19, the Tigers attempted to chip into the MSU lead, but Clark’s 42 yard field goal attempt missed wide left.
The Tigers will look to snap a two-game losing streak as they travel to Clarksville, Tenn. to face Austin Peay.
GAME NOTES: TSU’s captains versus Murray State are Collins, Clark, Burton, Butler … TSU won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff… Patrick Smith caught two touchdowns on the night. He now has 20 career touchdowns in 18 career games. His 20 receiving touchdowns are tied for sixth on TSU’s all-time list. … TSU scored first for the fifth time this season… Tennessee State entered the game ranked 25th in the STATS Top 25 and the HERO Sports Top 25… Murray State’s lead in the all-time series is now 15-13… TSU has gone 7-10 in games in Murray, Ky… Lane Clark made three field goals to bring his career total to 28, tying him for second on TSU’s all-time list with Eric Benson. Jamin Godfrey holds the record with 59… Ronald Butler moved to 10th on TSU’s career completions list with 339 for his four-year career… Butler also jumped to a tie for eighth place on TSU’s career passing touchdowns.
TSU Quarterback Ronald Butler
“The offense played well. We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times with a couple pre-snap penalties and things like that. I feel like we did a good job driving the ball down the field and put ourselves in position to score some points. We just need to capitalize on every drive.”
- On the play of the offense
“We fought. Week in and week out, we’ve got a group of guys who fight really hard. My O-Line, I’m proud of those guys. They fight every play, every drive. They give it their all.”
- On positives from the game
TSU Tight End Mahlon Medley
“We started fast, but just like the last two games after the second half, we have to finish strong. The defense has been getting stops and we need to capitalize on the opportunities.”
- On how the offense played
“We’ve proven that we can do it in the first half of the season. We played great second halves during the first half of the season. I think it’s just a thing where we need to focus.”
- On the second half performance
TSU Defensive End Latrelle Lee
“We didn’t play up to our standards tonight. We let them score 38 points. That’s not acceptable for this defense. I feel like we’ve got a lot of talent on this defense and we didn’t play up to our abilities.”
- On the play of the defense
“That wasn’t really a factor tonight. I think it was more their big plays that hurt us. Big chunk plays and stuff like that. I don’t think tempo was a factor.”
- On Murray State’s up-tempo offense
TSU Defensive Back Terrell Bonds
“We didn’t play to the level that we wanted to play. We gave up too many points. We gave up points fast, but the offense kept us in the game because they kept scoring. We had a chance to win it at the end and we just didn’t come through. I would put this game on the defense.”
- On the defense
“Their offense has always been like that. They were snapping the ball like every 15 seconds. We had trouble getting lined up and they exploited the defense. They made big plays and that’s on us. We have to come back next week stronger.”
- On Murray’s State’s up-tempo offense
TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
HAMPTON, Virginia -- A 57-yard touchdown pass from Jaylian Williamson to Twarn Mixson with seven minutes left and a two-point conversion stop by the defense late in the quarter helped give the Hampton Pirates a 28-26 victory over South Carolina State in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) matchup at Armstrong Stadium on Saturday.
The win by Hampton (4-4, 4-2) snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Bulldogs as the Pirates had not defeated South Carolina State (3-4, 3-1) since a 14-10 win at Armstrong Stadium in 2005.
"I am very proud of these guys today," said Hampton head coach Connell Maynor. "They could've easily quit but the defense got some big stops in the second half and helped us get a big MEAC win."
The Pirates scored on their first possession going 68 yards in five plays as Eric Carter scored on a five-yard run. The tandem of Williamson and Mixson started connecting on the drive as they combined for a 27-yard completion followed by a 36 yarder.
South Carolina State took advantage of a bad punt to tie the game on a 41-yard, nine play drive as Bishop Ford pushed his way in on a one-yard run. The extra-point tied the game at 7-all with 4:09 left in the first.
Hampton responded to close the first quarter on an 81-yard drive as Williamson found Jack Willenbrock in the corner of the end zone on a 12-yard scoring pass. This drive saw Williamson connect with Rashawn Proctor on passes of 45 and 11 yards to start the scoring march. Anthony Provost converted the extra-point to put Hampton up 14-7 with 50 seconds left in the first.
The Bulldogs bit Hampton early and late in the second quarter as Caleb York found Kanome McIntosh on a 23-yard scoring pass at the 13:44 mark to tie the game at 14-all. With three seconds left in the half, York threw a floater into the end zone and found the hands of Ford to lead 20-14 after a missed extra point.
On the first drive of the second half, Hampton's defense stiffened and held the Bulldogs to a 26-yard field goal attempt that was wide left with 9:48 left in the third. The Pirates marched 80 yards on their ensuing drive with Williamson finding Proctor for a four-yard touchdown and a 21-20 lead with 4:46 left.
In the fourth quarter, Hampton's defense gave the Pirates a boost. On the first possession by the Bulldogs, they forced a turnover on downs and on the second drive Brendan Cole recovered a fumble on the Hampton 38.
The Pirates scored quickly on a three-play 65-yard drive in 96 seconds. Williamson found Mixson across the middle on a third down and after breaking a couple tackles he outraced the secondary for a 57-yard scoring pass to give Hampton a 28-20 lead with 7:04 left.
South Carolina State took advantage of a muffed Hampton punt return and took possession at the Pirate 18 with three minutes 36 seconds left. Ford covered the first 17 yards then Dondre Brown finished it with a one-yard run. A two-point run by Kollck was stopped to keep the Pirates up 28-26.
Hampton managed two first downs on the final drive with Yahkee Johnson's 13-yard run locking up the first win by Hampton over SCSU since 2005.
Carter was the leading rusher for Hampton with 54 yards. Williamson was 16-of-27 for 271 yards and a season-best three touchdowns. For the first time this year, Hampton had a pair of 100-yard receivers as Proctor caught seven for 124 yards, while Mixson had six for 130 as each scored a touchdown. Cole had a season-high 11 tackles with a fumble recovery, while Robert Scott and Jayso'n Davidson had eight tackles each.
Hampton is now off until November 12 when they host Savannah State in a 1 pm kickoff at Armstrong Stadium.
For more information on Hampton University football, please contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5757 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.
