Mississippi Valley State tries to find missing link to having winning season

ITTA BENA, Mississippi -- What can you say? It’s been a long three years in Itta Bena – the Delta Devils have only won one football game in the last 1,000 days and change.

But all that could change in 2017, thanks to a defense that may be better than you think and an offense that has matured over the off-season.

Coach Rick Comegy’s squad underwent a youth movement last season, with 26 sophomores and 29 freshmen. Those players are a year older and ready to change the culture at Valley.

The Delta Devils return a capable quarterback in Austin Bray, and Comegy hopes to kick start the running game behind the blocking of second-team All-SWAC offensive lineman Alvin Solomon. All-SWAC defensive back Everett Nicholas is the lone bright spot on a defense that gave up more than 45 points a game last season.

The schedule is brutal early, but features four winnable games against Pine Bluff, Alabama A&M, Virginia-Lynchburg and Jackson State in the middle of the schedule, with the last two at home.

CONTINUE READING

A look inside Jackson State's 2017 football schedule

JACKSON, Mississippi -- At TCU, Sept. 2

The Tigers would love to get a win, but this game is more about bringing home the bacon for an athletic program facing budget cuts across the board. It should give Tony Hughes a chance to see which quarterback will respond well under pressure, at least.

Tennessee State (Memphis), Sept. 9

This is one the Tigers feel like they should have won last year. They had TSU on the ropes, up by a touchdown in the third quarter of last year’s Southern Heritage Classic. This is a game they’d like to flip, and getting revenge could indicate they are on the right track for a winning season.

At Grambling, Sept. 16

Just how good is that Jackson State defense? We’ll find out in Week 3 when the Tigers travel just west of Ruston, Louisiana for a matchup with the reigning SWAC champs in both teams’ conference opener. Grambling quarterback Devante Kincade lit the Tigers up last year in a 35-16 win in Jackson.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Sept. 23

After a grueling first three games, the Tigers return home for a winnable game against a conference foe that won just one game last year and has shown little signs of improvement. This game should give JSU a chance to get a conference win in front of its home crowd for the first time in 2017.

CONTINUE READING

2017 SWAC Football television schedule announced

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference released its 2017 football television schedule on Thursday which includes 28 contests that will spread across 10 different networks.

All 10 of the member institutions will be featured on either the ESPN family of networks, ABC, Fox Sports Network, AT&T Sports Net, Peachtree TV, Stadium TV, beIN, the local CBS affiliate WHNT in Huntsville, or the NBC Sports Network. All games are available in standard high-definition.

Among some of the highlighted contests, Texas Southern will kick off the college football season by playing in the first game of the Division I college football slate on Saturday, August 26 against Florida A&M in Tallahassee at 11 a.m. CT. on ESPNU.

Southern University will open their season on Sunday, Sept. 3 in the 13th annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge when the Jaguars host South Carolina State at Ace W. Mumford Stadium. The opener will be known as the Battle on the Bluff in Baton Rouge, La. Kickoff will air live at 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

Four days following at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU, Prairie View A&M will be featured on the first Thursday night football match up on Sept. 7 when it hosts STATS FCS No. 3 ranked Sam Houston State of the Southland Conference for a 6:30 p.m. kick.

In week three, Jackson State travels to take on the defending SWAC Champions and No. 21 Grambling State on the newly installed artificial turf at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium Sept. 16 on ESPN3 at 6 p.m.

Alabama State third-year head coach Brian Jenkins hosts defending SWAC Eastern Division Champion Alcorn State for a Thursday night showdown on Oct. 5 on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m. CT. The 76th Magic City Classic between Alabama A&M and Alabama State will take place in Birmingham, Ala. on Oct. 28 on ESPN3 with a time to be determined. The game will be tape delayed for a broadcast on ESPNU as well. Alabama A&M defeated Alabama State in a one-point overtime thriller in last year’s edition of the game.

SWAC Western Division rivals clash when Grambling State and Southern square off in New Orleans, La. for the Bayou Classic on the NBC Sports Network at 4 p.m. on November 25. The teams finished No. 1 and No. 2 in the SWAC West Division standings a year ago with the division title being decided in this game last season.

The postseason starts with the final edition of the SWAC Football Championship in Houston, Texas on Saturday, Dec. 2 at NRG Stadium. The SWAC Championship game began in 1999 and will forgo the game starting in 2018. The Final Judgement will pit the traditional East and West Division Champions against one another and will be available to also watch on ESPNU. Kickoff time is set for 3:30 p.m.

The TV line up concludes with the Celebration Bowl Saturday, December 16, at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. The multi-purpose retractable roof stadium serves as the home of the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) and Atlanta United FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). The state-of-the-art stadium is set to open on Aug. 26 when the Falcons host the Arizona Cardinals in an exhibition game. It is also scheduled to serve as the hosts of Super Bowl LIII in 2019. Kickoff for the Celebration Bowl is set for 11:00 a.m. CT on ABC.

2017 SWAC football telecast schedule

Date Game Site Time (CT) Network

Saturday, Aug. 26 Texas Southern at FAMU Tallahassee, Fla. 11 a.m. ESPNU

Saturday, Sept. 2 Alabama A&M at UAB Birmingham, Ala. 2:30 p.m. WHNT (Local)

Saturday, Sept. 2 Miss. Valley St. at N. Dakota St. Fargo, ND 2:30 p.m. ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 2 Grambling State at Tulane New Orleans, La. 7 p.m. ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 2 Jackson State at TCU Fort Worth, Texas 7 p.m. FOX Sports Network

Saturday, Sept. 2 Prairie View at Texas Southern Houston, Texas 8 p.m. AT&T Sports Net (Local)

Sunday, Sept. 3 S.C. State at Southern Baton Rouge, La. 1:30 p.m. ESPN2

Thursday, Sept. 7 Sam Houston St. at Prairie View Prairie View, Texas 6:30 p.m. ESPNU

Thursday, Sept. 7 Houston Baptist at Texas Southern Houston, Texas 7:30 p.m. AT&T Sports Net (Local)

Saturday, Sept. 9 Alabama A&M at Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn. 3 p.m. SECN Alternate

Saturday, Sept. 9 Alabama State at Troy Troy, Ala. 5 p.m. ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 9 Miss. Valley St. at S. Illinois Carbondale, Ill. 6 p.m. ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 9 Southern at Southern Miss Hattiesburg, Miss. 6 p.m. Stadium TV

Saturday, Sept. 9 Jackson State at Tennessee State Memphis, Tenn. 6 p.m. Fox Sports Southeast

Saturday, Sept. 9 Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Akron Akron, Ohio 6:30 p.m. ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 9 Alcorn State at FIU Miami, Fla. 6:30 p.m. beIN Sports

Saturday, Sept. 16 Alabama A&M at South Alabama Mobile, Ala. 6 p.m. ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Ark. St. Jonesboro, Ark. 6 p.m. ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 16 Jackson State at Grambling St. Grambling, La. 6 p.m. ESPN3 / ESPNU (tape delayed)

Friday, Sept. 29 Alcorn State at Texas Southern Houston, Texas 8 p.m. AT&T Sports Net (Local)

Thurs., Oct. 5 Alcorn State at Alabama St. Montgomery, Ala. 6:30 p.m. ESPNU

Saturday, Oct. 7 Texas Southern at Kennesaw St. Kennesaw, Ga. 6 p.m. PeachTree TV (Local)

Saturday, Oct. 14 Alabama State at Texas Southern Houston, Texas 2 p.m. AT&T Sports Net (Local)

Saturday, Oct. 28 Alabama A&M vs. Alabama St. Birmingham, Ala. TBA ESPN3 / ESPNU (tape delayed)

Saturday, Nov. 11 Southern at Texas Southern Houston, Texas 5 p.m. AT&T Sports Net (Local)

Saturday, Nov. 25 Southern vs. Grambling State New Orleans, La. 4 p.m. NBC Sports

Saturday, Dec. 2 SWAC Championship Houston, Texas 3:30 p.m. ESPNU

Saturday, Dec. 16 Celebration Bowl Atlanta, Ga. 11 a.m. ABC

Schedule subject to change.

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Alcorn State is once again the favorite to win the SWAC East

LORMAN, Mississippi -- Alcorn State is the favorite to win the SWAC East for a fourth-straight year, but that doesn’t mean second-year coach Fred McNair doesn’t have his work cut out for him.

After a tumultuous off-season full of off-the-field distractions, the Braves are anxious to get back on the field and get back to winning. And there’s plenty of reason to think they’ll do just that.

They return two capable quarterbacks, first-team All-SWAC guard Timothy Gardner and second-team All-SWAC tailback De’Lance Turner. First-team All-SWAC selection Michael Brooks leads a solid defensive line and O.J. O’Neal anchors a secondary that was second in the league in stopping the pass last year.

The schedule sets up nicely, with an adjustment game against Miles College before they jump into the meat of the schedule with Florida International, McNeese State and Southern.

Three questions with Fred McNair

Do you think the guys coming back will use the motivation from losing the SWAC Championship game?

CONTINUE READING

SWAC preview: Alabama State Hornets

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY

1. ‘Main course’: Alabama State head coach Brian Jenkins said he’s tired of just being in the mix for a conference title. The Hornets finished 4-7 last season, posting their first losing mark since 2009. This season, the Hornets were picked to finish second in the SWAC East behind Alcorn State. “It’s time for us to be in the main course,” Jenkins said. “The East is tough, just like the West. There’s a lot of parody in the league, but I think that’s a good thing. That means that if we’re the last team standing, we’ve earned the right to be called (SWAC) champion.” ASU hasn’t earned that distinction since 2004 and hasn’t reached the SWAC title game since 2011.

2. Next man up? Alabama State has rushed for over 2,000 yards in each of the last four seasons. Last year, the Hornets were once again tops in the SWAC with 220.5 rushing yards per game. Hornets junior Alex Anderson has been plagued by injuries throughout this career, but Jenkins said Anderson is finally healthy enough to carry the load. “Alex has come in 10-12 pounds heavier," Jenkins said. "Last year, he tried to play through some injuries. This year, he has a better understanding of the offense. With the added weight and his health, we expect some big things from him."

3. Defensive reload: ASU has a new defensive coordinator in ...

CONTINUE READING

Hampton hopes to continue MEAC upswing with swarming defense

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Brendan Cole and Steven Smith are determined to end their Hampton careers by keeping the Pirates on an upward trend.

Following a string of losing seasons, both overall and in the MEAC, Hampton finished 5-3 in conference the past two years.

“We took a big step last year in leadership,” said Cole, a safety and grad student. “The year before we had our first winning season in about three years, so we built off that. Now we’re trying to take that next step, which is just togetherness.”

The defense, which ranked second in the MEAC in yards allowed in 2016, returns most of its starters. Cole and Smith – a senior linebacker and former Salem High standout – anchor the swarming D.

“We fly around and everybody runs to the ball,” Smith said. “Hustle, determination and not giving up.”

While both offense and defense finished in the top five in nearly every category, Smith believes the two weren’t synced in enough games to top the team standings.

CONTINUE READING

For Norfolk State this year, "there can’t be any more excuses"

NORFOLK, Virginia -- No more excuses.

That’s how tight end Demetreus Ferebee sees it.

As Norfolk State enters its third year of the Latrell Scott regime, most players on the roster are his recruits. And while Ferebee, a redshirt senior, is one of the few holdovers from former coach Pete Adrian’s guys, he recognizes this year should be a pivot toward improvement.

“There can’t be any more excuses,” Ferebee said. “We gotta make it happen.”

The Spartans finished 4-7 overall in each of Scott’s first two seasons, sandwiched in the middle of the MEAC standings. In a favorable light, the first two years were mostly a transition period as new and old recruits mingled.

“The first two years, we were polishing up and getting guys ready,” said Nigel Chavis, a redshirt sophomore defensive end/linebacker. “To me, the third year is when the work shows.”

CONTINUE READING

What we learned from FAMU's 29-7 victory over Texas Southern

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Ryan Stanley deserves to be FAMU’s starter

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Ryan Stanley remains undefeated at home and Florida A&M’s starter (4-0). He got off to a somewhat shaky start on Saturday against Texas Southern, but he more than made up for it as the game went on.

Vincent Jefferies saw a bit of time – like head coach Alex Wood said he would – but Saturday was Stanley’s game. He finished the game 19 for 32 with 217 yards and a touchdown and didn’t turn the ball over. He also had a rushing touchdown.

Jefferies completed one pass for five yards, but had a 12-yard rushing touchdown.

“We’ve got confidence in Ryan,” Wood said. “We all have work to do, the whole operation, but he did well today. I thought Vince came in and did well protecting the ball. There’s some systemic things we need to work with for both of them, but we’ll get that done.”

CONTINUE READING

Ryan Stanley shines in FAMU's season opener against Texas Southern

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- For redshirt sophomore quarterback Ryan Stanley, home-field advantage is real.

There’s some magic in Bragg Memorial Stadium for Florida A&M’s second-year starter. He’s undefeated at home in four starts, and has only turned the ball over twice as a starter in Tallahassee.

He led the Rattlers to yet another home victory Saturday against SWAC opponent Texas Southern in front of 15,401 fans as FAMU dismantled the Tigers 29-7 in the first game of the FCS season, the inaugural Jake Gaither Classic at Bragg.

For Stanley, it was just another day in his favorite place to play. He finished the game 19 for 32 for 217 yards and two touchdowns (one rushing, one passing).

“I don’t know maybe it’s just the atmosphere,” Stanley said with a smile after the game. “Great fans, I don’t know… there’s something about Bragg. I don’t know what it is.”

It was FAMU’s first season-opening victory at home since 2011, the team’s first season-opening victory overall since 2013.



CONTINUE READING

Jake Gaither Classic Half-Time: FAMU Marching 100 vs. Tx So Ocean of Soul Marching Band

XULA Gold Nuggets defeat Lawrence Tech in 5 sets at UMD

DEARBORN, Mich. — Senior Juliana Tomasoni and freshman Jaida Dowd combined for 25 kills Saturday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 25-20, 25-23, 24-26, 15-25, 15-12 volleyball victory against Lawrence Tech in the UM-Dearborn Early Bird.
     
The Gold Nuggets start the season 2-1 for the first time since 2013. They gave Lawrence Tech its first loss of the year.
     
Tomasoni produced 16 kills, a season high, and two aces. Dowd had a career-best nine kills.
     
Also contributing to XULA's 53 kills were Hasani Salaam with eight, Adili Rikondja with seven and Lauryn Taylor with six. Eva Le Guillou served two aces. Taylor and Le Guillou are freshmen.
     
The Gold Nuggets missed a chance for a 3-set sweep when the Blue Devils (3-1) rallied from a 21-16 deficit in the third. Lawrence Tech forced a fifth set after opening the fourth with a 13-1 run.
     
"Started strong," XULA head coach Pat Kendrick said. "Backed off our intensity in the third and had to fight our way back to win."
    
XULA scored five of the final six points in the fifth to wipe out Lawrence Tech's 11-10 lead.
     
It was the first time in three years that XULA played consecutive 5-set matches and the first time ever that the Gold Nuggets went to five sets on consecutive days. NAIA No. 24 Madonna beat XULA 15-11 in the fifth Friday evening.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Gold Nuggets split a pair of matches on opening day

DEARBORN, Michigan— Xavier University of Louisiana volleyball opened the Pat Kendrick era Friday with a split of two matches at the UM-Dearborn Early Bird.

The Gold Nuggets trailed 8-4 early against Trinity International, then rallied for a 25-23, 25-16, 25-16 victory. But in the second match NAIA No. 24 Madonna erased a 10-6 XULA lead in the final set and defeated the Nuggets 25-15, 21-25, 25-23, 19-25, 15-11.

Freshman Vivica Price-Spraggins led XULA with eight kills against Trinity International, and Tiffany Phillips served two aces. Against Madonna, Juliana Tomasoni had 12 kills, and freshman Kayla Black had 11. Another freshman, Anna Dalla Vecchia, served four aces, all in the second set.

Kendrick, who led NCAA Division I George Mason from 1985-2014, was hired in February as XULA's head coach.

The victory against Trinity International was XULA's first on the road in a season opener since its debut season in 2003.

Trinity International is 1-3, and Madonna is 5-0.

XULA will play two more matches in this event Saturday — 10 a.m. EDT against Lawrence Tech and 2 p.m. against Fisk — then open its home schedule at 6 p.m. Tuesday against Mobile at the Convocation Center.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

XULA Price opens season with nearly 30-second victory

Results:  Men    Women

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana sophomore Taylor Price ran two miles in 12 minutes, 51.42 seconds Friday to win the women's individual championship of the Xavier Big Easy Opener cross country meet at City Park.

Price, from Missouri City, Texas, and a graduate of Ridge Point High School, recorded the second-fastest time by a XULA woman at this distance. Catherine Fakler set the record of 12:42.18 in this meet three years ago.

"The course was pretty easy," Price said. "It went by faster than I thought. For the first mile I paced myself, then on the second mile I just gave what I had left."

It was Price's second collegiate victory. She was the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference champion in 2016. Price won by nearly 30 seconds over runner-up Sasha Solano-McDaniel of Loyola, whose time was 13:18.50.

In a meet featuring three city rivals, Loyola won the women's and men's team championships and had the men's individual winner, Walter Ramsey. The freshman ran 5,000 meters in 16:51.79.

XULA's other top-10 finishers were Maliya Vaughan (third place, 13:46.17) and Brianna Pace (eighth, 15:10.51) in the women's race and Camren Sewell (third, 17:36.27) and Oji Wells (10th, 19:36.14) in the men's. It was collegiate debut of Sewell, a freshman.

In women's team scoring, Loyola had 24 points, followed by XULA with 40 points and Dillard with 61. Loyola won the men's title with 18 points, followed by Dillard with 58 and XULA with 59. Loyola had five of the first seven women's finishers and five of the first six men's finishers.

XULA will travel to Clinton, Miss., for the Mississippi College Season Opener next Friday.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Full Battle -- FAMU "Marching 100" vs Texas Southern "Ocean of Soul" 2017

S.C. State linebacker Darius Leonard gives Bulldogs reason to be optimistic

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- Coming out of Lake View High School, linebacker Darius Leonard was used to being on the football field for just about every snap.

So when Leonard arrived at South Carolina State in the fall of 2013, the last thing he expected was to sit on the sidelines for an entire season.

But sitting out as a freshman and redshirting might have been the best thing that ever happened to Leonard.



Like a lot of athletes that S.C. State head coach Buddy Pough recruits, Leonard came to Orangeburg as an undersized player at his position. The lanky, 6-3 Leonard had the height and quickness to play linebacker in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, but weighed just 185 pounds and needed a year in the weight room and at the training table.

Leonard’s talent became apparent after just a handful of practices. There was talk early in Leonard’s freshman season about burning his redshirt year and getting him on the field.

CONTINUE READING

Eyeing defensive upgrade, FAMU has conference title aspirations

TALLAHASSE, Florida -- Florida A&M coach Alex Wood knows what it takes to improve. And it will only come with progress on defense.

The Rattlers gave up 39 or more points in four of their 10 games against FCS opponents. FAMU was somehow quite good against the pass, ranking fifth nationally, yet allowed 223 rushing yards per game (105th in the FCS).

“We’ll be exciting, colorful, explosive and play good defense,” Wood said. “To win a championship, you have to play really good defense.”

Wood is right. And just the fact that the Rattlers are discussing the prospects of winning a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title is also a significant point. FAMU last won a MEAC championship in 2010, when it shared a piece of the title. Seven years and three coaching changes later, there is optimism for the future as FAMU tries to build on a 4-7 season.

FAMU returns its leading tailback and two top receivers.

CONTINUE READING

Just the facts: FAMU vs. Texas Southern

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The skinny: Florida A&M kicks off the college football season with a Week Zero game against SWAC foe Texas Southern at noon on Saturday. It’s the first time FAMU has opened its season at home since 2011 – coincidentally, that’s the last time FAMU had a winning season. The Rattlers came on strong last season with Ryan Stanley as the team’s starting quarterback. FAMU won four of its last seven games, but the season ended with a disappointing showing in the Florida Classic.

Florida A&M (4-7, 4-4 MEAC last season) vs. Texas Southern (4-7, 4-5 SWAC last season)
When/where: Noon, Saturday, Bragg Memorial Stadium
TV: ESPNU
Radio: 96.1 FM

Texas Southern looking to climb the ranks of the SWAC after going 4-7 last season. The Tigers lost their starting quarterback in the first game of the season. Jay Christophe is back now as a redshirt senior. Still Texas Southern lost some key pieces on defense and switched to a 3-4 this offseason.

There’s a lot of buzz surrounding this game in the HBCU sports world. It’s the first game of the year, and the only one that’ll be on national television during its noon time slot. Some fans have worried about the potential heat in Bragg, but FAMU’s administration has taken steps to provide some relief during what promises to be a sweltering game.

CONTINUE READING 

Saturday's FAMU game could be a season opener to remember with a national spotlight

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta may be getting all the attention, but the fans on the Highest of Seven Hills know which game is really kicking off the college football season.

Florida A&M’s Week Zero game against Texas Southern – dubbed the Jake Gaither Classic – is the first Division I football game being played this season. Yes, it’s a contest between two teams that went 4-7 last season, but it’s the first taste of real college football anyone is going to get.

For FAMU fans, this is the best first look at the Rattlers in years.

I know it’s going to be hot – high noon near the end of August is no joke in Tallahassee – but this is a season opener, at home, on national television and it’s not against a powerhouse opponent.

FSU has its “greatest opener of all time” set for Sept. 2. FAMU has its “greatest opener of Milton Overton Jr.’s tenure as athletic director” set for Saturday.

CONTINUE READING 

Bowie State Looks to Finally Win the CIAA Championship Game

BOWIE, Maryland -- During the late 1970’s then Houston Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini made a bold declaration after a second straight AFC Championship Game loss to the great Pittsburgh Steelers. “Last year we knocked on the door, this year we banged on it, next year we’re going to kick it in.” The Oilers never went back to that championship game and ultimately became the Tennessee Titans.

Bowie State finds themselves in the same circumstance entering this season. For the last two years they’ve lost to Winston Salem State in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Championship game which drives everyone in the program as they try to find the key to get that last victory and bring a football championship home.



“Our veteran leaders have had a lot of success and done all we asked of them so I would like to send them out with a championship,” head coach Damon Wilson told the AFRO.

Despite not having as many full scholarships or a complete full time coaching staff, Bowie State has dominated the northern division of the CIAA. The Bulldogs know what it takes to win the division but with Virginia State, Virginia Union and Chowan closing the gap nothing is guaranteed.

NCAA Division II rules state football teams can award a maximum of 53 full scholarships yet Bowie St. can only offer 11. Those same rules also mandate that programs can totally compensate seven full time staff coaching positions yet they can only afford two. The financial disparity that separates them from the other elite programs in the CIAA is not an excuse but a reality that hovers over the program every year.

CONTINUE READING

WSSU Rams gearing up for opener against UNC Pembroke

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Coach Kienus Boulware of Winston-Salem State needed to get away from his phone and office and the usual distractions of a busy day before practice earlier this week.

He found his escape by lining the team’s practice field with red paint, and the results were pretty good.

“It’s a great way to kind of clear my mind,” Boulware said about the maintenance duty that’s obviously not part of his contract. “I don’t mind doing it every now and then.”



It’s a good bet not many head coaches would take the time to line the team’s practice field, but to Boulware it’s just another way of building his program.

The Rams have a few practices left before their opener at UNC Pembroke on Aug. 31 in a Thursday night game. They have lost to Pembroke in each of the last two openers.

Boulware’s Rams have experience all over the field having lost only six starters from last season’s 9-3 team that won the CIAA for the second straight season and went to the Division II playoffs.

CONTINUE READING

$8.4M for Edward Waters College? Controversy on Jax City Council

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- This summer, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry proposed a $131M capital improvement budget — a cornucopia of one-time spending designed to take advantage of budget relief created by pension reform, fueled by the confidence created by Jacksonville’s strong position with bond ratings agencies.

And on Wednesday, the Jacksonville City Council’s Finance Committee — along with visiting Council members — took their pencils and erasers to the budget proposal, one which also included ramped up recurring budgets for maintenance projects — especially sidewalk construction and sewerage system rehab.

Those items didn’t prove so controversial. What did prove controversial: a priority spend of Mayor Lenny Curry opposed by one Council member, who said it might cause him to vote against the budget entirely.

Councilman Danny Becton proposing moving $8.4M away from Edward Waters College capital improvements (a community field and a dorm) to water projects that have been delayed.

Curry’s political ally Nat Glover is President of EWC, and was instrumental in helping market the 2016 pension reform referendum to local African-American Democrats.

Becton’s motion was not seconded. Discussion was robust nonetheless.

CAO Sam Mousa said the administration is “extremely passionate” about Edward Waters and the New Town area.

CONTINUE READING

These brothers from Miami are now kicking at two different Mississippi SWAC schools

JACKSON, Mississippi -- During the season, players from opposing teams don’t usually communicate. It’s an unwritten rule — let your play do the talking on the field.

But that doesn’t work for brothers Christian and Nicholas Jacquemin, who aren’t about to break their routine of talking every day just because the former kicks field goals for Jackson State and the latter for Mississippi Valley State.

That would make the car ride home for Christmas break pretty awkward.

“We’re really close,” said Nicholas, who goes by Nico. “We talk just about every day. We talk about how our competitions for starting spots is going, how we’re kicking and we joke around. Normal brother stuff.”

The duo had never competed in anything until they got to Mississippi.

The two brothers from Miami grew up playing on the same soccer teams, and both kicked for the same high school.



CONTINUE READING

NCAT Love Don't Live Here Anymore (Mix)

NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY BGMM MEDIA

FAMU looks to set tone with season opener against Texas Southern

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- For the first time since 2011, Florida A&M gets to open a football season within the confines of Bragg Memorial Stadium.

Also – for the first time since head coach Alex Wood took over prior to the 2015 season – the Rattlers aren’t opening the year with a money game against an FBS opponent.



FAMU opens its season with SWAC foe Texas Southern at noon on Saturday. The SWAC and the MEAC are similar in that they’re both populated with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In fact, they’re so similar, the champions of the two conferences meet in the annual Celebration Bowl in Atlanta.

So Saturday’s game, dubbed the Jake Gaither Classic and set to be broadcast live on ESNPU, is a chance for FAMU to set the tone in Wood’s third year at the helm.

“We’re excited about, one, opening at home,” Wood said. “And two, a chance to display what our team’s going to be about, at least initially for 2017 on ESPN.

CONTINUE READING

5 Most Important Games for GSU

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Head coach Broderick Fobbs won’t tell you Grambling State is trying to defend its Southwestern Athletic Conference football championship from 2016. It’s a new season with a new team, and this year’s group hasn’t won anything yet, is what the fourth-year Tigers coach would say.

So instead of the word “defend,” let’s just stick with repeat. The much-anticipated 2017 season for the G-Men faithful kicks off in 11 days and GSU hits the road to capture back-to-back SWAC and HBCU titles Saturday, Sept. 2 versus Tulane at Yulman Stadium at 7 p.m.

As the season draws near, here’s my list of the top five most important regular season games for Grambling State as it pursues the program’s 26th SWAC and 16th HBCU national championship:

5. Clark Atlanta (Chicago Classic), Sept. 30 at 3:30 p.m. at Soldier Field

The first of four neutral site contests on the 2017 schedule takes the Tigers to historic Soldier Field, home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears, to close out the first month of the season to play Division II HBCU foe Clark Atlanta in the 20th annual Chicago Classic.

CONTINUE READING