Kentucky State Thorobreds Shows Determination in 42-21 Loss to Slippery Rock

FRANKFORT, Kentucky -- Kentucky State University football dropped its season opener to Slippery Rock University in a 42-21 loss at Alumni Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Thorobreds fell behind early, trailing as much as 28 in the opening moments of the third quarter, but the offense started to find its groove behind its new junior quarter back Paul Campbell.

At 4:08 on the clock in the third quarter, Campbell connected for a four-yard touchdown pass to fellow junior, Demetrius Anderson to put KSU on the board at 28-6. Campbell struck again with a four-yard rushing touchdown at the 13:00 mark of the 4th quarter, following a 13 play drive. The home squad went into its bag of tricks on a nifty two-point conversion, as Anderson took a hand-off an end around from junior wide receiver Cort Groathouse, to find Campbell open for a walk-in score, pulling the Thorobreds to a 28-14 defect.



SRU answered with back-to-back scores to go back up by 28, but the last touchdown of the game and highlight of the day belonged to sophomore running back Bret Sylve. The transfer from Louisiana College snagged the ball on a kickoff, found a hole in the middle of the field and scampered for a 93-yard touchdown, for a final score of 42-21.

Campell finished the game with 22-for-33 through the air and rushed for 35 yards on 15 carries. His favorite target on the day was Anderson as he pulled in 10 catches for 74 yards.

KSU will travel to Lebanon, Illinois next Saturday, Sept. 9 to play McKendree University, kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m.



KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Morgan Bears Fall in Defensive Battle at Towson, 10-0, in inaugural Battle for Greater Baltimore

TOWSON, Maryland -- Morgan State's suffocating defense kept Towson in check, but it was the Bears offense that proved to be the deciding factor tonight at Johnny Unitas Stadium.

Monty Fenner's interception set up the only touchdown which led to Towson beating Morgan State 10-0 in a defensive struggle as the cross-town rivals met in the Battle for Greater Baltimore on Saturday night in the season opener.

The game marked the first meeting between the two schools since 2011. Towson improved its series record against the Bears to 18-6 since 1979.

Fenner intercepted an Elijah Staley pass, returning it 32 yards to the Morgan State 2. Shane Simpson took a quick pitch in for the score on the next play. Aidan O'Neill's extra point gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 9:04 left in the first half.



Aidan O'Neill added a 42-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the first half. The Tiger defense picked off three Morgan State passes before halftime. Morgan Scroggins and Tyron McDade each had an interception.

Towson (1-0) quarterback Morgan Mahalak, an Oregon transfer, had his struggles also as he was picked off three times too. Brandon Griffin, Ian McBorrough and Cravon Rogers all grabbed one.

Both quarterbacks were sacked three times.

"Our defense dominated today," said sophomore linebacker McBorrough. "Our coaching staff did a good job of game-planning and they just expect excellence from us on defense. We spent a lot of time in the film room breaking down [Towson's] favorite plays and tendancies. Our defense executed tonight."



The Bears limited Towson to just 102 total yards, including 17 yards on the ground. It was the fewest amount of rushing yards allowed by Morgan State since holding Bowie State to -33 yards in 2010.

Griffen led the Bears with 8 tackles and a sack, while Malachi Washington added five tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Staley completed 23 of 46 passes for 185 yards, but the offense stalled when it came to scoring in the red-zone. The Bears finished the night 0-for-3 in scoring opportunities inside the 20.

Morgan State (0-1) finished with 234 yards overall, but committed four turnovers, finished with 15 penalties for 137 yards (93 yards in the 1st half) and missed both of their field-goal attempts. Towson had just four penalties for 30 yards.

"If we're going to be a good football team, there's no way we can play and have 15 penalties, turn the ball over a bunch of times," Morgan State coach Fred T. Farrier said. "I have to do a better job of ensuring that we're putting our kids in a better position to be successful."

Bear Bits
QB Elijah Staley completed passes to nine different receivers

WR Dushon David led the Bears with a game-high 6 receptions for 56 yards; WR Amonta Poteat had 5 catches for 47 yards

P Julian Jacobs averaged 32 yards on 6 punts, including a 48-yard long and two punts inside the 20

FS Carl Garnes averaged 8.8 yards on five punt returns

The last time Morgan State's defense recorded three interceptions in a game was against Savannah State in 2015

Morgan State's offense ran 84 total plays compared to Towson's 54.

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Grambling State Tigers fall behind early in loss to Tulane

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana | Martez Carter scored a pair of second-half touchdowns, but it wasn't enough as Grambling State fell behind early and couldn't recover in the Tigers' 43-14 loss to Tulane on Saturday night at Yulman Stadium.

"At the end of the day, I thought they played better up front than we did," Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs said. "We could never get anything going and we were always starting behind the chains. We didn't execute like we needed to. They were the better team tonight. I thought they did an extremely great job running the football , but also mixing in man and zone screens. My hats off to them, they're a good team."



Tulane (1-0) scored on its first two drives to begin the game and quickly jumped out to a 14-0 lead.

After the Tigers were forced to punt on their first possession, the Green Wave marched 56 yards in five plays and took 2:45 off the clock as Jonathan Banks scored on a seven-yard touchdown scamper down the right side to give Tulane a 7-0 lead.

Grambling State (0-1) went three-and-out on its second possession and Tulane capitalized on good field position as the Green Wave went 51 yards in five plays, capped by Banks' 30-yard touchdown pass to Terren Encalade, giving Tulane a 14-0 advantage with 7:06 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Green Wave added to the lead in the second quarter as the Tigers defense held Tulane to a field goal. A Coby Neenan 21-yard field goal with 5:15 left in the first half, capped 12-play, 61-yard drive, giving the Green Wave a 17-0 lead.

Tulane put the game away with 3:16 remaining in the second quarter as Banks connected with Dontrell Hillard for a 62-yard touchdown as the Green Wave extended the advantage to 24-0.

The Green Wave began the third quarter with excellent starting position as Sherman Badie returned the opening kickoff 52 yards to the GSU 46. Tulane punched in its fourth touchdown of the night six plays later as Darnell Mooney caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Banks, giving the Green Wave a 31-0 lead with 12:06 left in the quarter.



Grambling State answered on the ensuing drive to get its first points of the season.

The Tigers took advantage of a penalty and converted on fourth-and-10 as Martez Carter, who had 11 rushing touchdowns last season, scored on a five-yard run, capping a 15-play, 82-yard drive, as Grambling State cut the deficit to 31-7 with 5:25 left in the third quarter.

The Green Wave answered on its next drive as Encalade rushed 58 yards down the right sideline to extend the lead to 37-7 with 14:49 remaining. But those points were quickly erased as Carter found the endzone for the second time as he rushed 51 yards past the Tulane defense to trim the margin to 37-14 with 14:27 left.

Tulane capped the scoring with 8:13 remaining as Darius Bradwell scored on a 27-yard run, which capped a 10-play, 77-yard drive to give the Green Wave a 43-14 lead.



Turning Point
Tulane took advantage of Grambling State mistakes in the first quarter as the Tigers committed five penalties for 45 yards.

Despite the number of penalties, the poor starting position took its toll on Grambling State in the first quarter. The Tigers average starting position was the 19 yard-line.

Grambling State started slowly out of the gate as the Tigers went backwards in the first two possessions with minus three yards. Tulane took advantage with its first two drives combining for 10 plays and 107 yards, along with two touchdowns, to jump out to the two-score lead.

Inside the Numbers
· Tulane controlled the first half with 226 yards, while Grambling State recorded 87, Devante Kincade's 48-yard pass to Darrell Clark late in the second quarter.
· The Green Wave amassed 481 total yards, including 286 on the ground.
· Grambling State finished the night with 225 total yards, including 148 in the air.
· Devante Kincade threw for 148 yards on 15-of-26 passing. He also rushed eight times for seven yards.
· Martez Carter rushed five times for 68 yards and averaged 13.6 yards per carry.
· Lyndemian Brooks caught three passes for 32 yards, including a long of 27 yards.
· Diante Bridgewater led the way defensively with nine tackles, including seven unassisted.
· Percy Cargo and De'Arius Christmas finished with four tackles.
· Jonathan Banks threw for 185 yards on 10-of-15 passing and three touchdowns. He added 69 yards on 16 rushes.
· Dontrell Hillard caught two passes for 77 yards for Tulane.
· Parry Nickerson led the Green Wave defensively with 5.5 tackles, including five unassisted.
· Grambling State went 1-for-1 in fourth-down conversions.

News & Notes
· With the loss on Saturday night, Grambling State continues to seek its first season-opening victory since 2011.
· The Tigers have lost to Lamar (Southland), California (Pac 12), Arizona (Pac 12) and Tulane (American) in the past four season openers.
· Grambling State came into the game ranked No. 21 in the FCS Coaches Preseason Poll and the STATS FCS Preseason Top 25.
· With the loss, the Tigers fell to 4-2 in televised games and 7-2 in games played in 30,000-seat stadiums in the past two seasons. Both losses came to Arizona and Tulane.
· Devante Kincade threw one interception in the loss. He didn't throw his first interception until Oct. 22 against Mississippi Valley State.
· Martez Carter had two multi-scoring rushing touchdowns last season (Texas Southern and Southern).

Up Next
Grambling State will celebrate its home opener on Sept. 9 at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium as Northwestern State comes to town. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Northwestern State began the 2017 season on Saturday with a 52-24 loss to Louisiana Tech.

Follow Grambling State Athletics
For complete coverage of Grambling State athletics, please follow the Tigers on social media at @GSU_Tigers (Twitter) or visit the official home of Grambling State Athletics at gsutigers.com.

GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Collins, Sellers Named adidas OVC Player of the Week -Sept. 3

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Vincent Sellers and Chris Collins received adidas Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week honors for their performances in Tennessee State’s 17-10 win over Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) foe Georgia State. Sellers was selected as the Newcomer of the Week, while Collins earned a share of the Defensive Player of the Week with Jacksonville State’s Jonathan Hagler.

Sellers recorded 10 tackles, including a tackle-for-loss, during the Thursday night victory in Atlanta. His biggest stops of the night came in the second quarter, as he made a tackle at the two-yard line and followed with his tackle-for-loss which forced the Panthers to settle for a field goal. In the third quarter the freshman tracked down a GSU receiver on a 59-yard pass play, preventing a score, as Tennessee State’s defense held Georgia State scoreless on that drive.



Collins recorded 12 tackles (9 solo), had three tackles-for-loss, a sack and forced a fumble in the win. With GSU driving on the opening series of the game, the Fairburn, Ga. native knocked the ball loose two yards behind the scrimmage, allowing TSU to recover the ball on its own 25-yard line. In the third quarter the senior stopped a Georgia State runner at the four-yard line on fourth and goal to give TSU possession of the ball.

This marks the first OVC weekly honors for Collins and Sellers as the guided the Big Blue defense into holding their FBS opponent to just 10 points and 273 yards of total offense for the game.

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

What we learned, trending now and final thoughts from Southern's 14-8 win against SC State

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- WHAT WE LEARNED

Southern can win games with its defense. With the Jaguars offense being held down in the second half of Sunday’s season opener, it was up to the defense to keep South Carolina State out of the end zone. Mission accomplished. Southern’s veteran-heavy defense swarmed to the football Sunday and carried over its trademark from last year: forcing important momentum-swinging turnovers. There are definitely some things that still need to be ironed out defensively, but Southern looks like it has made some big-time strides on that side of the ball. If that defense translates over to the SWAC side of things, where offense reigns supreme, this could be a boon for Southern’s chances.

TRENDING NOW

How about first-timers? Sophomore safety Montavius Gaines, making his first career start, earned Defensive MVP honors for Southern after making four tackles — two for loss — with a crucial fumble recovery and a pass broken up. Redshirt freshman Devon Benn took his first career carry for a 27-yard touchdown, then added a 33-yard catch and run on his second career touch. Benn finished with a team-high 88 total yards on just eight touches. Potential quarterback of the future Glendon “Bubba” McDaniel played most of the fourth quarter as Austin Howard was held out for precautionary reasons, and while he didn’t do anything special, he didn’t make any freshman mistakes in a tight game.



CONTINUE READING

Southern hangs on late for a 14-8 season-opening win against South Carolina State

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Trailing by six with less than two minutes to go, South Carolina State’s Jermaine Baxley slipped behind the Southern defense, and quarterback Dewann Ford floated a spiral his way.

What would’ve been a game-tying touchdown — and it would have served as a game-winner with a made extra point — slipped through Baxley’s hands.

A short while later, the Jaguars (1-0) were celebrating a hard-fought 14-8 victory in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge when Southern’s Danny Johnson batted down a desperation heave on fourth down.



It was a defensive battle, with neither team topping 350 yards of total offense.

Devon Benn scored Southern’s first touchdown of the season on the first carry of his career. The redshirt freshman allowed his blocks to set up, then zoomed through a crease, juking the safety off his feet on a 27-yard scamper.

On the next series, Southern motioned both tight ends to the right side of the line then faked a handoff to that direction, but quarterback Austin Howard kept it and moseyed into the end zone for an easy 6-yard touchdown.

CONTINUE READING

HBCU Football Judgment Day Scoreboard - Week 1 Finals

SUNDAY, SEPT. 3

MEAC/SWAC Challenge
Southern 14, South Carolina State 8



SATURDAY, SEPT. 2

MEAC

Howard 43, UNLV 40
North Carolina A&T 45, Gardner-Webb 3
Virginia State 14, Norfolk State 10
Miami 41, Bethune-Cookman 13
Towson 10, Morgan State 0
Duke 60, North Carolina Central 7
Ohio 59, Hampton 0



SWAC

Tuskegee 14, Alabama State 6
North Dakota State 72, Mississippi Valley State 7
Alabama-Birmingham 38, Alabama A&M 7
Arkansas Pine Bluff 23, Morehouse 10
Alcorn State 50, Miles 21
Texas Christian 63, Jackson State 0
Tulane 43, Grambling State 14
Prairie View at Texas Southern - Postponed



OTHER

West Virginia State 51, Charleston (WV) 28
Langston 30, Lincoln (MO) 14

CIAA

Bowie State 48, Seton Hill 7
Cheyney 56,  Lincoln (PA) 28
Elizabeth City State 34, Central State (OH) 23
LIU Post 42, Virginia Union 13
New Haven 31, Shaw 20
Benedict 28, Livingstone 15
Wingate 38, Johnson C. Smith 18
Fayetteville State 24, Chowan 21

SIAC
Albany State (Ga.) 29, Valdosta State 12
Lane 40,  Texas College 20
Slippery Rock 42,  Kentucky State 21



THURSDAY, AUGUST 31

Tennessee State 17, Georgia State 10
Winston-Salem State 34, UNC Pembroke 31
Clark Atlanta 32, Mississippi College 29
West Georgia 34, Fort Valley State 9
Catawba 49, Saint Augustine's 0
Delaware 22. Delaware State 3
Arkansas 49, Florida A&M 7

Fayetteville State Wins First Season-opener since 2008 with 24-21 win over Chowan

MURFREESBORO, North Carolina -- Fayetteville State has seen its share of season-opener disappointments until tonight in Garrison Stadium. The Broncos will celebrate a long sought after victory after defeating Chowan University 24-21.

The last time FSU won its season-opener was in 2008 when the Broncos defeated North Carolina Central 33-22 in Durham. Fayetteville State controlled a 14-7 lead at halftime.

"We accomplished our goal!" cheered Head Coach Richard Hayes. "First game, we got a victory."
Chowan (0-1) scored on its first drive of the game with a 20-yard pass from Bryce Witt to Adrian McNeil.

Fayetteville State (1-0) responded on the next drive with a four-yard walk into the end zone by quarterback Kane Banner (Lumberton, NC) with 5:58 left in the first quarter. The 8-play, 58-yard drive was setup by a 40-yard kickoff return by Brandon Smith (Raeford, NC).

In the second quarter with 6:23 remaining, Donshel Jetton (Mooresville, NC) burst through the line of scrimmage to scamper 31 yards for a 14-7 lead, going into halftime.

The defense played its part throughout the game forcing four fumbles and recovering two. Keyante Baldwin (Fayetteville, NC) recovered the Hawks' last fumble of the game on an attempted punt return on Chowan's three-yard line. Fayetteville State capitalized on the turnover as Banner plunged into the end zone from one-yard out.



As time was about to expire in the third quarter with 38 seconds left, the Hawks picked up a touchdown to ease closer to the Broncos at 21-14. Witt connected with Michael Offutt, Jr. for a 32-yard passing touchdown.

Preseason All-CIAA Kicker David Lamb (Pineville, NC) split the uprights with a 27-yard field goal with 12:31 left in the game and a 24-14 lead.

Although Chowan scored its 21st point with 11:14 left in the game, the defense held its ground and preserved the victory. The score was a 50-yard pass from Witt to Torry Baker.

Stevie Green (Washington, NC), the 2016 CIAA Offensive Rookie of the Year from, finished with 90 yards on 24 carries. His longest tote was for 23 yards. He shared snaps with Jetton who racked up 70 yards on nine carries and one touchdown. Jetton averaged 7.8 yards per carry.

Brandon Smith returned three kickoffs for 124 yards. His longest return was 42 yards. Fayetteville State had an average field position of the FSU's 38-yard line in the first half and the Fayetteville-40 in the second half.

Fayetteville State will play host to Wingate University (1-0), who defeated Johnson C. Smith 38-18, on Saturday, September 9th at 6:00 p.m. The Broncos will show gratitude to the Armed Services with Military Appreciation Night.

Final Stats

FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY BRONCOS SPORTS INFORMATION

Benedict Tigers Roll Over Livingstone In Palmetto Capital City Classic, 28-15

COLUMBIA, South Carolina -- The Benedict College Tigers opened the 2017 season with a 28-15 victory over the Livingstone College Blue Bears in the 16th annual Palmetto Capital City Classic on Saturday evening in Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.

The Tigers jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first half and then got an exciting 60-yard touchdown from Trini Charlton in the third quarter to help secure the season opening victory.

"We're better than we were last year; we're a little bit further along, but as you can see we've a long way to go to play a complete ballgame," said Benedict head coach Mike White. "I'm just happy we came out with more points than they did."

Benedict gained 248 yards on the ground, with Charlton doing the most damage with 126 yards on 15 carries. Charlton was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

The Tigers struck first when quarterback Dominique Harris pushed his way in from two yards out for a 6-0 lead with 7:12 left in the first quarter. At the start of the second quarter, the Tigers downed a 33-yard punt by Tory Mimbs at the 3-yard line. Two plays later, Jamal Heard and Amari Andrews sandwiched Livingstone quarterback Xavier Longerbeam in the end zone for a safety and an 8-0 lead with 14:50 left in the first half.



Later in the quarter, Mimbs booted a 44-yard punt, but Livingstone's Jeremy Lewis dropped the ball and Benedict's Raheem Jennings jumped on the loose ball in the end zone for a Tiger touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

The Blue Bears scored on their first possession of the second half when Thaddeus Bell, who replaced Longerbeam at quarterback, floated a 31-yard pass to Jarius Richardson. Justin Ruffin ran in the 2-point conversion to cut the lead to 14-8 with 10:37 remaining in the third quarter.

The Tigers deflated any momentum the Blue Bears may have gained. Starting from their own 18-yard line, Harris had passes of 12 and 9 yards to Wayne Brown and Okechi Ntiasagwe to move the ball to the Benedict 40-yard line. Charlton took a handoff through the left side of the line, found a hole and outran the coverage for a 60-yard score.

"It's the O-line. We've got a great O-Line," Charlton said. "I didn't do anything. They just opened the holes and I ran through them. I just saw green grass. It was wide open."

Harris guided the Tigers on a 61-yard drive in the fourth quarter. On the eight-play drive, he completed four of five pass attempts, including the final 16-yard pass to Wayne Brown in the back corner of the end zone. Harris, who has not played competitive football since 2012 at Northwest Community College, played the entire game under center and completed 10-of-25 passes for 117 yards and one touchdown while throwing two interceptions.

The Harris to Brown touchdown gave Benedict a 28-8 lead with 7:33 remaining on the clock. The Blue Bears went on a long 16-play, 78-yard drive with Spencer Ludin, the third Blue Bear quarterback of the game, completing a six-yard pass to Ruben Lawhorn for the touchdown with 1:03 left.

Benedict recovered the on-side kick attempt by Livingstone and the Tigers ran out the final minute of the clock.

Benedict gave up 264 yards of total offense to Livingstone. The Benedict defense held the Blue Bears to two first downs and 105 yards in the first half.

"We kept them from running, we put good pressure on the passer, but then we missed a few tackles and all of a sudden it changed the game," White said. "We've got to stay focused and, as they say, play it for four quarters."

Robert Cummings had eight tackles and two pass breakups to lead the Benedict defense. Xavier George added six tackles. Rickym Holmes had four tackles with 1.5 sacks as the Benedict defense recorded five sacks on the day.

Benedict travels to Gaffney, S.C. for next week's game to take on L
imestone College. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at The Reservation Stadium.

BOX SCORE

BENEDICT COLLEGE TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION

Texas College Steers show improvement in loss to Lane Dragons

TYLER, Texas -- Although the Charles Moss era at Texas College did not start off with a win, there were some good signs for the Steers football program.

Lane College held off a young TC squad, 40-20, on a very hot and sunny afternoon on Saturday at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium.

The contest was much closer than last year’s 44-6 loss to the Dragons in Jackson, Tennessee.

“I saw some positives and several things we can correct,” Moss said. “We had some breakdowns, but there were some encouraging signs.”

Some of those signs included quarterback Sean Stell, a senior from Fresno, California, hitting on 16 of 27 pass attempts for 112 yards with two TD passes (21 yards to Myles Hill and 4 yards to Cory Sherman). Stell also scored on a 1-yard dash.

The rushing attack totaled 136 yards, led by Jude St. Julian (10-63) and Carlos Mosby (19-59). St. Julian is a senior from St. Martinsville, Louisiana, while Mosby is a sophomore from Lake Providence, Georgia.

Hill, a junior from Atlanta, Georgia, added three catches for 34 yards. Sherman is a senior from Marlin. Marcus Holiday II led the Dragons with 148 yards and a TD on 19 carries.

CONTINUE READING

Former Lane College defensive end signs with Los Angeles Chargers

JACKSON, Tennessee -- It was announced Monday that Whitney Richardson, former Lane College defensive end, signed a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Richardson, the 2016 NCAA Division II Player of the Year, recorded 17.5 sacks and 32.5 tackles for loss during the 2016 season.

Dorsett Davis, Lane College defensive line coach said he's extremely proud of Richardson, especially considering the uncertainty about what position Richardson wanted to play initially.



"I remember when he was in between positions coming out of high school," Davis said. "He really didn't know what [position] he wanted to play.

"For him to take pride and be dedicated to a position and excel in it, that says a lot and I'm proud of him for sticking with it."

Richardson's best performance as a Dragon in 2016 came on October 8 against Benedict College during the Lane College homecoming game, when he recorded 15 tackles (14 solo), five for total loss and three sacks in a 19-18 win over the Tigers at Lane Field.

LANE COLLEGE DRAGONS SPORTS INFORMATION

Elizabeth City State Vikings Football Dominates Second Half Defeating Central State, 34-23 in Season Opener

WILBERFORCE, OHIO – A dominating second half from the Elizabeth City State University football team, gifted them a 34-23 victory over Central State University in McPherson Memorial Stadium, Saturday afternoon in its season opener.

Elizabeth City State opened up the flood gates in the second half, recording two quick scores. Freshman quarterback Navarro Price came into the game after senior quarterback Dequan Neal had to set out for a play because of the helmet rule and hooked up with junior receiver Sayquan Holder for a 34-yard touchdown bomb that tighten the ballgame at 16-14, CSU.

An interception in the next series by sophomore defensive back BJ Harrington gave ECSU a boost and the ball at Central State’s 17 yard line. ECSU marched the ball down the field 78-yards in seven plays to record its second score in the third quarter off a junior receiver Brandon Flint 21-yard touchdown scamper from Neal.

Final Stats

A second interception from ECSU’s Harrington in CSU’s end zone, led to another ECSU touchdown. Neal connected with junior wide out Deon Yarborough on a five-yard touchdown pass, but the extra point was blocked, gifting the Vikings a 27-16 lead over Central State.

A two-yard scamper from Neal gave ECSU a commanding 34-16 lead over the Marauders. Central State scored again but it wasn’t enough to come back from an eleven-point deficit, 34-23. Harrington sealed the deal for ECSU with his third and record-setting interception on the day with 1:09 remaining in the contest.

ECSU fell behind quick in the first half, 14-0 before junior running back Gregory Bryan took a 64-yard run to the house for his first ECSU career touchdown with 6:58 remaining in the second quarter. Neal went 8-for-18 passing with one interception in the half.

Bryan finished the half with 86 yards in two rushes. Junior linebacker Vincent Thomas led the defensive charge going into the half with seven total tackles, including one for a loss.

Bryan led ECSU’s running game with 106 yards on four carries and a touchdown, while junior linebacker Miacah Cooper, III led the defense with 12 tackles, including a sack and a tackle for a loss. Neal finished the game with 231 yards on 20-for-35 passing, including an interception, two touchdowns passing and one rushing. Holder led all receivers with 98 yards and a score; while Yarborough added 78 yards on six catches and a score.

The Vikings will return home for its season home opener next week, hosting UNC-Pembroke for its Military/ECSU Alumni NFL Day. Game time is slated for 1 p.m.

Follow Elizabeth City State Athletics via its official website at: www.ecsuvikings.com to get pre and post-game stories and updates. Also follow us on twitter at: @ECSUVikings and on Instagram: @ecsusports

ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Explosive Offensive Plays Result in Opening Night Victory for Alcorn Braves 50-21

LORMAN, Mississippi -- To kick-off the 25th season at Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium, the Alcorn State University football program scored six touchdowns en route to a 50-21 win over Miles College on Saturday evening in the season opener for both teams.

Senior De'Lance Turner registered a pair of touchdowns for the Braves (1-0) including one in the air and one on the ground. He finished with 128 rushing yards and 38 receiving yards. Senior quarterback Lenorris Footman tallied two rushing touchdowns and one throwing. He recorded 241 passing yards and 92 rushing.

Eight different receivers caught a pass in the game for the Braves. Senior Norlando Veals led the way with 81 yards, while junior Marquis Warford hauled in 69. Warford also tallied a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Defensively, sophomore Solomon Muhammad stood out with 10 tackles and a forced fumble. Junior Leishaun Ealey also finished in double-figures with 10 tackles.



Miles (0-1), a Division II program from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), was led by running back Justin Hardy who notched 111 rushing yards and a touchdown.

On the opening drive of the game, the Alcorn defense forced a three-and-out. The Braves offense followed it up with an 11-play, 64-yard drive to leap in front 7-0. The series featured completions to Veals, Warford and junior Charles Hughes. The scoring play was a 14-yard run down the right side by Footman.

Later in the quarter, a punt by sophomore Corey McCullough pinned the Bears at the one-yard line. On the very next play, Muhammad forced a fumble and junior Trae Ferrell pounced on it at the 13-yard line. Alcorn's ensuing offensive drive resulted in Footman's second rushing touchdown, a six-yard spurt through the middle to go up 14-0.

Near the end of the first quarter, Miles' Hardy broke loose for an 83-yard touchdown rush through the right side to make it a 14-7 game with 2:00 left.



Midway through the second quarter, McCullough drilled a 45-yard field goal right down the middle to give Alcorn a 17-7 edge. The opportunity was setup after a 20-yard pass to Turner got the Braves into the Bears territory.

The Braves got the ball back at their own two-yard line with 4:06 left in the half. Completions to Warford and junior Jaquaveon Boles got them out near midfield, and a trio of rushes by Footman put them at the Miles 20-yard line. With four seconds left, Footman threw a screen pass to Turner as he maneuvered his way down the left sideline and into the end zone. Alcorn carried a 24-7 lead at the half.

Miles started the second half on a high note after N'Ktaviou Floyd returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 24-14.

The Braves quickly responded after Turner zig-zagged his way down the field for an 88-yard touchdown run. He weaved left and right to get past the defense and then outran the secondary for about 40-yards to push the advantage back up to 31-14 at the 14:10 mark.



Alcorn was on the move again mid-way through the quarter after a pair of rushes by Turner resulted in 35 yards to put the team in the red zone. The Braves settled for a 27-yard field goal which was good by McCullough as Alcorn led 34-14.

With 2:55 left in the third, the Bears punted it away to Warford who shook a couple defenders and was off to the races for a 72-yard punt return touchdown. It pushed the lead up to 40-14.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Bears scored on a 47-yard pass from Li'Jon Cordier to Leonard Tyree through the middle which changed the score to 40-21.

Alcorn quickly responded with a big play of its own as junior P.J. Simmons darted for a 64-yard touchdown run down the right side to go back up 47-21 with 13:43 left.

The Braves tacked on a 26-yard field goal by McCullough with 6:53 remaining. It wrapped up a nine-play, 31-yard drive which included a 15-yard pass to Warford and a 13-yard rush by Simmons.

Alcorn will play its first road game next Saturday when it travels to FIU for a 6:30 p.m. (CT) kickoff. It will be the first-ever meeting between the Braves and the Panthers.

NOTES
- Alcorn improved to 70-51 all-time at Spinks-Casem Stadium

- The Braves won their season opener for the second year in a row after defeating Alabama State 21-18 last year.

- Alcorn posted its fifth consecutive home opening victory. The Braves defeated Alabama State 21-18 last season, Mississippi Valley State 55-14 in 2015, Lynchburg 55-7 in 2014 and Edward Waters 63-12 in 2013.

- The contest marked the first-ever meeting between Alcorn and Miles College.

- The Braves dominated in total offense, 582-243 including a 279-76 edge in passing. Alcorn also won the time of possession battle 34:38-25:22.

- With 92 rushing yards, Footman moved up to No. 11 all-time in career rushing in school history with 1,603 yards, surpassing Smith Reed (1961-64). Footman is also No. 11 in career touchdown passes with 22 and 13th in career passing yards with 2,613.

- Turner was one rushing yard shy of his career-high 129 set at Jackson State last season. His 88-yard run in the third quarter marked a career-long, upping his previous best of 69 against Grambling State in the 2016 SWAC Championship game.

- Warford inked 190 all-purpose yards which bested his previous career-high of 186 at Grambling State last year.

- Muhammad's 10 tackles doubled his previous career-high of five at Alabama A&M last season.

- Alcorn's captains were Brooks, Footman and McCullough. Miles won the toss and elected to receive.

Quoting Alcorn head coach Fred McNair

Opening Statement
"What can I say, Coach Ruffin brought a pretty good team here. I felt like they played a hard-fought ball game. On behalf of Braves football, we try and put a brand on what we do. I thought the first half we came out and executed somewhat well, we just had too many penalties. That's not what we teach here at Alcorn. That's not our brand of football and we're not going to tolerate that. It's kind of hurtful to get that many penalties in a ball game. Just think if we didn't get those penalties how the turnout would be. We're going to press that issue all week."

On getting the job done in all aspects of the game
"That's a part of the game plan. Every week we strive to do that as far as passing, running, special teams and playing great defense. We try to do it to perfection every week. We just have to delete some of these penalties. We played a great ball game without those. If we execute the way we should without penalties the outcome would be even better. Though we are definitely happy about the win."

On Lenorris Footman
"He's come out as a leader. As he goes, this offense goes. He had two rushing TD's but in the end zone he has to protect the ball. On that interception, I wish he would have just held the ball and ran it. We would have gotten a lot more yards if he would have just ran. We talked about it as a coaching staff and the things he can do with the football are electrifying and we're going to keep pressing the issue."

On Turner making an extra effort to score right before the half
"That's a big 14-point swing we are talking about there. Before half time you get a chance to score, and after the half we receive the ball for another chance to score again. I think De'Lance did a great job on receiving the ball and that's a thing he does well. Being able to catch the ball out the backfield and what he can do with it after the catch just shows off his athleticism."

BOX SCORE

ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY BRAVES ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

UAPB Defeats Morehouse College 23-10 in Season Opener

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff didn't get off the fast start it was hoping for against Morehouse College on Saturday night, but the end result more than made up for it.

The Golden Lions scored 23 unanswered points in the second half to knock off the Maroon Tigers 23-10 in front of a spirited crowd at Golden Lion Stadium.

Running back KeShawn Williams ran 17 times for 125 yards and 1 touchdown for UAPB (1-0), which scored 17 points in the third quarter to erase a 10-point deficit and win its season opener for the first time since beating Langston 17-14 in 2012.

"I told the team earlier in the week that you can't get two victories until you get one," UAPB Coach Monte Coleman said. "We had some good plays on special team and had some stops on defense when we needed them. Of course, we've got some things that we need to shore up, but it was a great overall team victory for us, and it feels good to get that first one out the way."

The Golden Lions finished with 344 yards of offense, but they can thank their defense for leading the way in putting an end to an eight-game losing streak. Morehouse (0-1) moved the ball effectively in the opening half but was shut down over the final two quarters. The Maroon Tigers finished with 279 yards of offense but had just 74 after halftime. They crossed midfield just twice in the second half, and both were a result of a turnover.

"It got a lot tougher for us in the second half," Morehouse Coach Rich Freeman said. "We missed two field goals in the first half that should've given us six points. But we had two crucial personal fouls penalties in the second half that kept drives alive for [UAPB], and I think those ultimately changed the momentum of the game.

"But you've gotta give [UAPB] credit. They played well on defense, particularly in the second half, and did the things they needed to do to win."

UAPB had four sacks in the second half and forced two turnovers in the fourth quarter to put away a Maroon Tiger team that held their own for much of the game before slowly running out of steam midway through the third quarter. But Morehouse did waste two prime opportunities to jump on UAPB early.

The Maroon Tigers came up empty after Alex Gonzalez missed a 43-yard field following a 12-play, 43-yard drive on their first possession. Morehouse got the ball back on the very next play when Treyvon Lucky recovered a fumble by UAPB wide receiver Paris Mack but eventually turned it over on downs at the Golden Lions' 13-yard line.

The Maroon Tigers managed to cash in two possessions later, though, when Gonzalez nailed a 24-yard field goal with 7:09 left in the second quarter to finish off a 15-play, 67-yard drive. Morehouse had another chance to add on to its lead but had a 34-yard field goal blocked just before halftime.

UAPB, on the other hand, failed to generate much of anything offensively in the first half. The Golden Lions punted on four of their six possessions and turned the ball over on the other two, including an interception by quarterback Brandon Duncan on their final drive of the half. But UAPB's defense never allowed Morehouse to get into the end zone despite giving up chunks of yardage on several occasions.

"Part of our defensive philosophy is to bend but don't break," Coleman said. "It could have been devastating had they punched those scores in. We held them to one field goal out of the times they got into the red zone. That was huge for us because turnovers put us in bad spots at times."

The Golden Lions' defense found themselves on their heels again almost immediately after halftime. Morehouse was forced to punt on the first series in the third quarter but got the ball right back after UAPB fumbled the punt on its own 10-yard line. The Maroon Tigers scored three plays later on quarterback Kivon Taylor's eight-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Aurelius Smith to push their lead to 10-0.

UAPB finally got going on its ensuing series to get back in the game. Duncan threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jaelen Collins to polish off a six-play, 68-yard with 10:18 left in the quarter.

Jamie Gillan pushed UAPB's lead to 17-10 with a 39-yard field goal with 1:11 remaining in the period. The Golden Lions struck again quickly on its next possession to grab their first lead of the game.

After forcing Morehouse into a three-and-out, Williams sprinted 37 yards for a touchdown on the next play to put UAPB ahead 14-10. Running back Christian Jordon added a 10-yard run with 3:58 left in the game to pad the Golden Lions' lead to 23-10. Morehouse threatened to inch closer late in the fourth quarter after defensive end Voris Bryant returned a fumble 88 yards before being caught from behind at UAPB's eight-yard line, but the Maroon Tigers failed to score on four consecutive plays.

The Golden Lions will be on the road next weekend Saturday Sept. 9, in Arkron, Ohio against Akron Zips at 6:30 PM.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF SPORTS INFORMATION

West Virginia State Yellow Jackets Open Season With 51-28 Win Over Charleston

 INSTITUTE, West Virginia -- The Yellow Jacket football fans attending Saturday's season opener will probably not even remember the wet and gloomy weather.

To them the day could not have been any better.

In his first game as a Head Coach John Pennington gave WVSU faithful something they had not experienced before - a home victory over rival University of Charleston.

And not just a win but a dominating 51-28 performance.

"You just can't really draw it up any better," Pennington said of the start to his head coaching career.
"It's just a dream come true."

For the Golden Eagles it was more of a nightmare. One that began shortly after they kicked off.

The Yellow Jackets took that opening kick and needed just three plays and 1:29 to go 60 yards and take a 7-0 lead.

Senior quarterback Matt Kinnick hit Quinton Gray across the middle about 20 yards downfield and the speedy senior took it the rest of the way for a 59-yard touchdown.

That completion made Kinnick State's all-time leader in passing yards. He would later throw three more scoring passes tying him with former Jacket Kevin O'Brien for the program mark of 51 career touchdown passes.

Kinnick now holds four WVSU career records after setting the marks for total yards and completions last season.

The Yellow Jackets scored on their next two possessions with Kinnink throwing a 32-yard strike to Dionta Brown and a deflected 12-yard toss to Gray, to move ahead 20-0

While the St. Clairsville, Ohio, native was sharp in hitting 22-of-27 pass attempts for 311 yards. He also ran his streak of not throwing an interception to three games and 98 passes going back to last season.

"Considering how bad the conditions were he deserves a lot of credit," Pennington said. "And I don't think we had a ball dropped either."

After the field absorbed a daylong downpour Friday it dried a little as the rain stopped overnight. But a light rain began to fall around game time and turned heavier at the half making for wet footballs and muddy running.

When WVSU went to its ground game though neither the mud nor the Golden Eagles could stop red-shirt freshman Calil Wilkins.

The tough 5-foot-7, 200-pound back out of Maryland started his first college game with his family watching from the stands and he put on a show.

He carried the ball 24 times for 191 yards and a touchdown

"Just watching him in practice and seeing his mindset this year we knew it was just a matter of time," Pennington said. "He has a lot of talent and Coach (Quincy) Wilson has worked a lot with him and done a great job."

While the offensive fireworks were drawing everyone's attention the WVSU defense was turning in a solid performance.

"They did a great job of getting us the ball in good position several times," Pennington said.

Junior defensive back Khave Konte paced the unit with 13 tackles, 12 of them solo, while junior Moises Valcarcel added 12 including one for a 23-yard loss and junior Rob Branch picked off a UC pass.

Throw in a good outing by the special teams including kicker Aaron Ball, punter Kole Patterson, and long-snapper Dakota Booth and fans cannot help but be excited about the coming weeks.

"When all three phases play like that you are going to win," Pennington summed up.

Gray finished the day with six catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns while Zach Pate pulled in five passes for 77 yards.

The win earned WVSU the Kanawha Valley Classic trophy for the first time in its four years of existence.

"It feels good," Pennington said. "Down on the field it was just an incredible feeling."

So how long was he planning to take to enjoy the victory?

"Right now all I can think about is UVa-Wise," he said. "It's a short week, we play them on Thursday so we have to get ready."

That contest kicks off at 7 p.m. at Wise. The Cavaliers won 41-29 at Glenville State Thursday night.

WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Record Setting Day For Trautz and the Cheyney Wolves in 56-28 Win Over Lincoln

CHEYNEY, Pennsylvania – Senior QB Dominick Trautz accounted for a school record six touchdowns, five passing and one rushing to lead the Cheyney Wolves to a 56-0 first half lead en route to a 56-28 victory over the Lincoln Lions in the Battle of the First on a soggy Saturday afternoon inside O'Shields-Stevenson Stadium.

The Wolves (1-0) jumped out to a 35-0 lead after the first quarter with Trautz opening the scoring with a 9-yard run and connecting on a 12-yard pass to Jr. TE Kyle Berlin and two more scoring tosses to R-Fr. WR Brandon Joyner for 20 and to Sr. WR Nigel Wiley for 37 yards, sandwiched around a 1 yard TD run by Fr. RB Damon Williams.

The Lions (0-1) scored 28 second half points on a pair of touchdown runs from Ramese Owens a run from QB Vincent Espinoza and a 41-yard toss from Espinoza to Andre Price to close out the scoring.

Fr. Kicker Alexander Rummel converted all eight of his point after touchdown kicks to establish a new Cheyney mark in his first collegiate game.
Sr. RB Brandon French led all rushers with 79-yards and scored from a yard out to open the scoring in the second quarter.

Cheyney scored on its first six possessions of the game and could have made it seven, but a fumble at the one-yard line went through the endzone for a touchback.

After a Lincoln punt, Trautz connected with Sr. WR Yvesner Ferdinand for a 31-yard score and closed the scoring by finding Berlin again by taking advantage of the 6 foot 7 inch juniors' height with a dart over the middle.

Cheyney forced a three and out to start the game, The Wolves took over on its own 21, and Trautz opened the scoring by capping a 9 play 79 yard drive with a 9-yard run.
The Lions then returned the ensuing kickoff to the Cheyney 28 and a penalty put the ball on the Wolves 14.

On the next play, Sr. LB Jamiel Hines picked off a pass at his own 10 and returned it 82 yards to the Lions 8-yard line.

Two plays later Trautz scrambled and then found Berlin who made a diving catch for a 12-yard score to make it 14-0.

The Wolves defense then forced another three and out and Cheyney took over at the Lions 23-yard line following a 15-yard return by Ferdinand.

Williams, who rushed for over 3,300 yards and scored 32 times in two seasons at Boswell, HS in Fort Worth, Texas, took his first collegiate carry down to the one and scored his first CU touchdown on the following play, to put Cheyney ahead 21-0.

On the first play after the kickoff, Sr. Keyson Dingle recorded a sack and forced a fumble that was recovered by So. LB Phillip Harley at the Lincoln 32.
Three plays later Trautz connected with Joyner for his first career-touchdown from 20-yards out.

After the lions picked up their initial first down of the game, the wolves then forced a punt attempt, but the snap was bobbled and Dingle and Furbush tackled the punter at the Lincoln 37.

Cheyney wasted no-time converting as Trautz found Wiley down the right sideline for a 37-yard score, to make it 35-0 with 2:46 left in the first period.

The 35 points are the most by a Cheyney team ever against the Lions.

Another punt snap issue put the Wolves at the Lincoln 24, capped off by a French 1-yard run to the endzone to open the second quarter.

Trautz finished the day going 15-20 for 230 yards five touchdowns passing and rushed four times for 28 yards and one rushing score in three quarters of work.

Freshman Chad Palmer played quarterback in the fourth quarter, and completed his only attempt for two yards .

Joyner grabbed five passes for a team-high 57 yards and a score, Wiley pulled in three passes for 51 yards and a score, Berlin had three catches for 44 yards and two scores and Ferdinand made two catches for 41 yards and a TD.

Williams rushed 38 yards on eight carries and a TD, and R-Fr. Marcus Sullivan carried 10-times for 26 yards in the fourth.

The defense was led by So. DT Stephen Haynes who recorded seven solo and one assisted tackle including three tackles for loss. R-Fr. DB Terez Franklin was credited with six stops and a recovered fumble.

Sr. LB Chaplin Johnson-Davis recorded six tackles and Dingle made six stops, five for a loss. With two sacks and a forced fumble.

Cheyney is now on the road for three straight weeks, starting with a trip to California, Pa. next Saturday for a contest against the #6 ranked Vulcans at 1:00 p.m.

BOX SCORE


CHEYNEY UNIVERSITY WOLVES SPORTS INFORMATION

No. 22 Langston Lions Open Season With 30-14 Win Over Lincoln

LANGSTON, Oklahoma -- The Langston Lions kicked off the 2017 campaign with a dominating 30-14 victory over Lincoln (Mo.) on Saturday, Sept. 2 at W.E. Anderson Stadium. This was the 64th annual Battle of the LU's between both schools.

Langston got on the scoreboard after quarterback Milton Harper (SR/Tulsa, Okla.) hit Taj Johnson (SO/Aurora, Colo.) for a 15-yard touchdown pass, capping a five-play 36-yard drive in the first quarter.

The Lions tacked on two more scores in the second quarter after Tyree Hanson scored on a two-yard run and defensive lineman Tyler Bess (SR/Hollis, Okla.) returned a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown to take a 20-0 lead into halftime.

On their opening drive of the third quarter the Lions again marched straight down the field, ending with Harper hitting Daylon Person (SO/Watts, Calif.) for a 45-yard touchdown pass to hold a commanding 27-0 lead at the 13:15 third quarter mark.

The first score for the Blue Tigers came courtesy of the defense when they blocked Jaylen Lowe's punt and returned it to the end zone to pull within 27-7 at the 9:23 mark; Langston countered with a 14-play, 56-yard drive which ended with Abraham Lueveano nailing a 19-yard field goal attempt to make it 30-7.

Lincoln collected the final score after Henry Ogala hit Miles Drummond for a six-yard touchdown to make it 30-14.

This is the second-straight season opening win for the Lions, with both victories coming again the Blue Tigers. Head coach Quinton Morgan improves to 13-2 overall as head coach.

In his first start under center at Langston, Harper finished nine-of-20 for 151 yards and two touchdown passes; Taj Johnson led the way on the ground with eight carries for 36 yards.

Michael Andrade (SO/New Orleans, La.) led the aerial attack with three catches for 30 yards.

Defensively, Jamarie Finnie led the Lions with six total tackles, five solo with a 1/2 sack, 3 1/2 tackles for loss and one forced fumble.

Langston (1-0) heads to Batesville, Ark. next weekend to face Lyon College. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.

Box Score

LANGSTON UNIVERSITY LIONS SPORTS INFORMATION

Albany State beats Valdosta State for first time since 2004

ALBANY, Georgia — Valdosta State’s offense got going late to help the Blazers extend a streak that began more than 25 years ago.

Unfortunately for the Blazers, it was much too late to prevent a 29-12 loss in their season opener against the Golden Rams Saturday at Albany State University Coliseum.

VSU has played 306 straight games since it was last shut out in its 1991 season opener against Central Florida, but the Division II active record appeared to be in jeopardy against Albany State.

The Golden Rams held the Blazers to just 92 yards of offense in the first half and 138 yards through three quarters as it built a 20-0 lead, but Valdosta State head coach Kerwin Bell believes the biggest mistakes were made on his team’s first few possessions.

“When you play a team every year like this, and these guys have some talent, now they’ve got a coach that’s got them in shape and they’ve got a good scheme, but I still think a game like this you play every year comes down to the first two or three series in the game for us,” Bell said after the game. “When you play a team like that, you’ve got to show them who is in control again. You’ve got to take advantage of what we had.”

Junior Adam Robles got the start at quarterback for VSU, and he connected with receiver Tshumbi Johnson for a 16-yard gain on the first drive of the game.

CONTINUE READING

Bowie State Bulldogs Cruise to 48-7 Season Opener Victory at Seton Hill

GREENSBURG, Pennsylvania – The Bowie State University football team opened the 2017 season with a 48-7 road victory at Seton Hill University on Saturday afternoon at Offutt Field.

The victory broke a two-game series skid for the Bulldogs (1-0) who had lost the previous two matchups with Griffins heading into Saturday.

Junior Amir Hall threw for 361 yards and five touchdowns on 23-of-26 passing. Hall, the 2016 CIAA Offensive Player of the Year also accounted for 50 rushing yards, second best on the team.

Junior co-captain Derrick Tate tallied a team-best five solo tackles (six total) while junior teammate John Johnson, IV (Washington, D.C.) and redshirt sophomore Tommar Phillips (Lanham, Md.) added five total tackles each for Bowie State.

Redshirt senior Robert Chesson (Annapolis, Md.) rushed for 77 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries to carry most of the load for the Bulldogs, while junior transfer Lansana Sesay (Bowie, Md.) caught seven passes for a game-high 148 yards in his Bulldogs debut.

As a team, Bowie State amassed 599 total yards of offense (382 passing and 217 rushing) and the Bulldogs defense held Seton Hill to just 151 yards of total (39 passing and 112 rushing). The one glaring negative statistic for Bowie State was penalties as the Bulldogs were penalized 17 times for 175 yards.

"We're very happy to start the season 1-0 but extremely disappointed in the number of penalties we had today", said Bowie State head coach Damon Wilson. When asked what was the most impressive part about the teams play, Wilson said "Our overall effort was outstanding!"

Seton Hill scored the first points of the season as Evan Byrd rumbled 66-yards for the touchdown. Santiago Henao added the extra point for the early 7-0 lead at the 13:55 mark of the first quarter.

Bowie State responded when Hall connected with Clark from 16 yards out with 6:45 to go in the opening quarter. Sophomore Gene Carson (Accokeek, Md.) added the extra point to tie the game at 7-all. The Hall and Clark duo teamed up again at the 3:55 mark, this time for a 62-yard pass, catch and score. Carson's extra point gave the Bulldogs a 14-7 advantage.

The Bulldogs pushed its lead to 21-7, this time on the legs of Hall, as he rushed down the sideline for a 15-yard score with 8:13 remaining in the second quarter. Hall goes deep again, connecting with Sesay for a 57-yard touchdown, pushing the Bulldogs lead to 28-7 over Seton Hill.

Bowie State accumulated 339 yards in total offense in the first half compared to 140 yards for Seton Hill. Penalties were a sore spot for the Bulldogs in the first 30 minutes as Bowie State was flagged 10 times for 95 yards.

Bowie State added six more points early in the third quarter (11:56) when Hall found redshirt senior Kerrick Pollock (Miami, Fla.) wide open in the back corner of the Griffins end zone, extending the Bulldogs lead to 34-7.

Chesson punched it in from 1-yard out and Carson converted the extra point at the 7:29 mark of the third quarter, to give Bowie State a comfortable 41-7 cushion. Redshirt junior Adam Gillis, Jr. scored his first points of the new year, strolling in for a 9-yard rushing touchdown, padding the Bulldogs at 48-7 at the 2:49 mark.

Other top statistical players for Bowie State include redshirt sophomore Geordan Clark (White Plains, Md.) with 85 reception yards and Pollock added 68 reception yards. Redshirt junior Brandon Abrams (Bowie, Md.) finished with 55 rushing yards.

Seton Hill's Byrd was his teams' top offensive player with 67 rushing yards. Noah Davis and Fadan Allen were the Griffins' leading tacklers with seven apiece.

The Bulldogs will hit the road next week when they head to the defending CIAA Champions of Winston-Salem (N.C.) State University to battle the Rams in Bowman-Gray Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. and will be carried live on the ESPN3 app. Winston-Salem State defeated #19 UNC Pembroke 34-31 on Thursday (8/31) afternoon.

BOX SCORE

BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS SPORTS INFORMATION

Tuskegee tops Alabama State in first Labor Day Classic

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Senior safety Jonah McCutcheon returned a 46 yard interception for a touchdown with 10:57 left in the fourth quarter and Tuskegee pulled away from Alabama State for a 14-6 victory in Montgomery at ASU Stadium.

A sellout crowd of 25,442 witnessed the Golden Tigers improved to 2-0 over the Hornets in its fairly new stadium that opened in 2012.



Both teams struggled offensively and played through a scoreless first quarter until TU Quarterback Jamarcus Ezell completed a 55 yard pass to Peyton Ramzy with 1:28 left in the first half to take a 7-0 lead. That score marked the 11th time out of the last 13 games against ASU that the Golden Tigers have scored first.

Ezell finished the evening going 7-of-17 for 139 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Ramzy hauled in 66 yards on a pair of catches on the night.

Defensively, preseason All-American Osband Thompson led the Golden Tigers with 14 tackles, two QB hurries, and one forced fumble. Thompson had 10 of those stops at halftime. McCutcheon and Kevin Dawson each had seven tackles while Darnell Hill and Kenderrius Whitehead totaled six tackles apiece. Terance Leatherwood notched TU's lone sack on the evening.

Punter Dalton Hall came up huge for the Golden Tigers. The Hartsville, South Carolina native punted 10 times for 392 yards landing three inside the 20 yard line. He also finished with a long of 48.

ASU's only score came with 1:26 left in the game when Kobie Jones connected with Alex Johnson for a 3-yd touchdown pass.

The Golden Tigers will face Albany State in Phenix City next Saturday for the annual Labor Day Classic. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. EDT.

TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY GOLDEN TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION

No. 25 North Carolina A&T Cruises to Season-Opening Win Over GWU

BOILING SPRINGS, North Carolina -- Despite the loss of legendary running back Tari Cohen, there was perhaps less heartburn concerning the North Carolina A&T football team’s offense going into the 2017 season than their defense. At least the offense returned an All-MEAC quarterback, a conference rookie of the year wide receiver and a running back who had 11 career touchdowns despite being a backup.

For one Saturday night at least, the Aggies have now elevated a lot of concern about their defense. The 25th-ranked Aggies held Gardner-Webb to 114 yards of total offense while compiling 414 yards of offense themselves to down the Bulldogs 45-3 at Spangler Stadium. Then there was All-American punt returner Khris Garden who had five returns for 150 yards including an 88-yard touchdown return for his fifth career punt return for touchdown.

N.C. A&T’s defense was so outstanding, they did not allow the Bulldogs to cross midfield until there was 12:32 remaining in the game. GWU quarterback Tyrell Maxwell, the Big South’s preseason player of the year and the conference’s 2016 player of the year, threw for 34 yards and an interception on 6-for-15 passing. Maxwell, the Bulldogs leading rusher last season, mustered only 11 yards rushing on Saturday.

“We wanted to attack him. We wanted to go at him and make him make quick decisions,” said N.C. A&T coach Rod Broadway. “We knocked them off the ball in the first half and made some things happen in their backfield. Even on passing plays, I thought our guys did a good job of really getting up field and putting pressure on him.



Once we made him one dimensional it became an easier game. I was afraid of him coming into the game because he can make so many plays.”

N.C. A&T quarterback, redshirt junior Lamar Raynard, was a scary sight for the Bulldogs. He threw for a career-high 321 yards to go along with three touchdown passes. He also ran one in to account for four of the Aggies seven touchdowns. In the process, Raynard completed 19 of 22 passes and posted an impressive 253.93 quarterback efficiency rating.

Raynard’s favorite two targets were 2016 MEAC Rookie of the Year Elijah Bell and Appalachian State graduate transfer Jaquil Capel. Bell caught five passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Capel posted five receptions for 91 yards. Redshirt junior running back Marquell Cartwright added 58 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

“He started right where he left off (last season),” said Broadway. “We were able to spread the ball around quite a bit. We have so many people capable of becoming big-time playmakers for us. I thought Raynard was sharp tonight in getting the ball out of his hand and getting it to individuals where they can catch it.



He has a lot to work with, so he just has to continue to grow and develop as a player and a leader.”

Raynard completed passes to seven different receivers Saturday night. He completed his first five passes and then completed 13 in a row between the second and third quarters as the Aggies scored on five of their six first-half drives. The biggest pass play of the night came on a 61-yard deep ball from Raynard to redshirt junior Malik Wilson for a 19-0 Aggies lead in the first quarter.

It was the longest completion of Raynard’s career. Gardner-Webb was finally able to stop the Aggies on their ensuing drive to force a punt. But even that went sour when on the first play of GWU’s drive, Maxwell threw a pass that ricocheted off the hands of Aggies cornerback Mac McCain and into the arms of inside linebacker Joshua Patrick for an interception.

Two plays later Raynard connected with Bell on a quick out route. Bell turned up field and ran through three GWU defenders on his way to a 35-yard touchdown. He also scored on the two-point conversion to give N.C. A&T a 27-0 second-quarter lead.



The Aggies then put together a 10-play, 94-yard drive capped off by a Bell 8-yard TD reception to end the half. They then complemented that drive by opening the second half with a 16-play, 75-yard drive that ate up 9:15 off the clock before Jaquil Capel finished it off with a 1-yard touchdown run to give N.C. A&T a 39-0 lead.

Despite the success of the offense, the defense and the punt return team, the Aggies did miss four extra points with two of them being blocked.

“I thought we played good in spurts and bad in spurts. I thought we played an outstanding first half. I was a little disappointed in the second half because I don’t think we followed through with a killer instinct. The most disappointing point is that we missed some extra points. Our protection on extra point has got to get fixed.”

The Aggies will face Division II Mars Hill 6 p.m., Saturday at Aggie Stadium. Tickets are on sale at www.ncataggies.com. Follow Aggies football on Twitter (@ncat_football). Follow Aggie Athletics on Facebook (@ncatathletics), Instagram (@ncatathletics) and Twitter (@ncataggies).

NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Virginia State Trojans Take Down Norfolk State Football at ABNB Labor Day Classic

NORFOLK, Virginia -- – In front of a crowd of 10,221, the Virginia State University Trojans Football team opened its 2017 season with a 14-10 victory on the road against Norfolk State University .

After a five year hiatus of the Labor Day Classic, the Trojans were able to secure the victory over NSU for the first time since 2005.



FINAL: Trojans 14, NSU 10

Virginia State's quarterback Cordelral Cook (Atlanta, GA) moved the chain for 11-plays and securing a 1-yard touchdown run at the 10:41 mark in the first quarter. The Spartans as safety Bobby Price's interception in the Trojans territory set up a 28-yard field goal by Josh Nardone with 3:46 left in the first quarter. VSU had a strong 7-3 led over NSU at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter favored Norfolk State where NSU punter Taylor Goettie's 32-yard punt pinned VSU at the 1-yard line as heavy rain begin to fall. One play later, Cook fumbled a snap in the end zone and NSU defensive end Nigel Chavis fell on it for a touchdown. The Spartans held a 10-7 lead, which they took into halftime.

Securing the last points of game, Cook ran in a 2 yard touchdown with 5:40 left in the third quarter.

The Trojans outgained the Spartans, 275-214 yards, including a 190-98 edge on the ground. Individually for VSU, Cook finished with 74 yards on a 12-for-19 performance while throwing two interception. Cook also rushed for 22 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Trenton Cannon finished the game with a total of 145 rushing yards for the Trojans.

Virginia State University will return to action next week, as they traveling to take on the Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith University in a nonconference matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. from the Irwin Belk Complex.

For the most up-to-date information on VSU Football please visit www.govsutrojans.com and follow Trojans Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports.

VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY TROJANS SPORTS INFORMATION

Howard Bison Stun UNLV Rebels In Historic Season Opener

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- In his coaching debut, Coach Mike London and the Howard Football team stunned FBS foe UNLV with a 43-40 victory at Sam Boyd Stadium.

With the victory, HU picked up its first season opening win in more than a decade. Furthermore, Howard earned its first victory over a FBS foe in program history.
 
The win is also marked as one of the biggest upsets in college football history.



Offensively, the Bison amassed 449 yards, including 309 on the ground.
 
In his collegiate debut, freshman quarterback Caylin Newton displayed his duel-threat abilities as he rushed for 190 yards while throwing for 140 yards. The Atlanta native also accounted for three touchdowns (two rushing and one passing).
 
HU scored on the opening drive in five plays, highlighted by a 52-yard run from Newton, 7-0. UNLV answered with two field goals and pulled within one after the first period, 7-6.
 
Early into the second, Newton connected with Kyle Anthony on a 1-yard touchdown, which capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive, 14-6.
 
After UNLV's Evan Pantels drilled a 26-yard field goal, the Rebels were looking for more until junior linebacker David Hudson stripped the ball carrier and Devin Rollins picked up and ran for a 75-yard touchdown, 21-9.
 
UNLV responded, scoring 10 unanswered to close out the half, 21-19.
 
Anthony Philyaw, the league's Preseason Player of the Year, had 133 all-purpose yards and two rushing touchdowns.
 
After intermission, the Rebels' momentum continued as they took their first lead with a 25-yard pass from Devonte Boyd to Armani Rogers, 26-21.
 
With less than seven minutes left in the third, a 1-yard run from Charles Williams ballooned UNLV's lead to double-digits, 33-21.
 
On Howard's next possession, the Bison manufactured a 14-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by a 3-yard run from Philyaw, 33-28.
 
Less than a minute into the fourth, HU regained the advantage after Philyaw's 11-yard run. Newton converted the two-point play and gave the Bison a three-point lead, 36-33.
 
UNLV's Lexington Thomas put the Rebels back in front with a 3-yard run at the 10:12 mark, 40-36.
 
Midway through the fourth, Newton took HU down the field and scored the go-ahead touchdown, 43-40.
 
With time running down, UNLV stopped the Bison on 4-and-1. A play later, Drew Tejchman forced the fumble and Tye Freeland recovered to seal the deal.
 
Defensively, Leland Lassiter recorded a team-best 11 tackles in the victory.
 
For UNLV (0-1), they amassed 564 total offense. On the ground, Thomas rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort.
 
On Sept. 9, HU meets another FBS foe in Ohio where Kent State awaits. Game-time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
 
Season tickets for the 2017 year are on sale now starting at just $110, for all football home games. To purchase season tickets, click here.
 
Furthermore, the Rise Up Bison season ticket package offers fans the option to purchase a football and basketball package at a discounted rate. Access to the football home-opener VIP tent, pre-reception for Bison Madness (men's & women's basketball), and the spring-sport kickoff luncheon. To purchase season tickets, click here.
 
For complete recaps, results and news of Bison athletics, please visit www.HUBison.com.

HOWARD UNIVERSITY BISON ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Money and restrictive schedules have made Classics harder to come by, but Southern athletic director Roman Banks is hopeful that changes

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- The MEAC/SWAC Challenge is not officially termed a “Classic,” but Southern Athletic Director Roman Banks is hopeful he sees a little bit of the Classic mentality out on the Bluff this weekend.

The simplest way he could encapsulate the classic spirit was to say “it’s a big celebration of love in a competitive spirit.”

That competition extends well beyond the playing field for the parties involved.



“Traditionally, HBCUs celebrate themselves a little differently,” Banks said. “People come together and they’re tailgating out there, but also sharing. You get a chance to enjoy my gumbo while I tell you why I’m better than you.”

Banks enjoys these types of affairs. He is hopeful they can be a more frequent occurrence at Southern under his direction.

It is Southern’s first game against a school from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, its fellow HBCU conference, since ...

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Hall of Famers and icons: Southern bringing back eight football 'legends' to celebrate return of football season

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana--It won’t matter if there are rain clouds in the area Friday night — the stars will be shining on Southern’s campus.

Eight iconic former Southern football players will be on hand at the F.G. Clark Activity Center on Friday night for an event Southern is dubbing the “Kickoff Extravaganza.”



Pro football Hall of Famers Aeneas Williams and Mel Blount will be there, as will Harold Carmichael, Ken Ellis, Frank Pitts, Rufus Porter, Rich “Tombstone” Jackson and Isiah “Butch” Robinson.

This whole idea was concocted by Southern Athletic Director Roman Banks as a way to celebrate the Jaguars' rich football history.



“Any time you can open your doors up and welcome your athletic alumni back, and recognize them for the hard work they’ve done here, and not only here, but they went off and continued their legacy and represented the university in a grand fashion, that speaks volumes,” Banks said.

“Ultimately what you’re doing is telling your story not only to the fans and the public, but to the student athletes to try and get them to emulate some of the things these guys have done.”

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