The "unofficial" meeting place for intelligent discussions of Divisions I and II Sports of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC).
America's #1 blog source for minority sports articles and videos. The MEAC, SWAC, CIAA, SIAC and HBCUAC colleges are building America's leaders, scholars and athletes.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana opened defense of its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball regular-season championship with a 25-10, 25-20, 25-11 victory against Tougaloo.
The Gold Nuggets (6-1), winner of the last six GCAC regular-season and tournament titles, won for the fifth consecutive match and the second time in three days. Freshman Kayla Black had 12 kills and led XULA in that category for the second straight match. Black served a career-best three aces.
Other statistical standouts included Hasani Salaam with 10 kills and a .529 hitting percentage, both season highs; Vivica Price-Spraggins with seven kills and a .417 hitting percentage; Tiffany Phillips with 29 assists and 17 digs; Anna Dalla Vecchia with 19 digs; and Juliana Tomasoni with six aces, a career best, and 16 digs.
Phillips, the 2016 GCAC Setter of the Year, produced her third consecutive double-double and 17th of her career. Tomasoni's aces were the most in a match by a XULA player since Ralitsa Slanchev served seven at home against Voorhees on Sept. 29, 2014.
XULA snapped the 3-match win streak of Tougaloo (4-6, 1-2). Carolyne Edwards and Megan Besecker had five kills apiece for the Lady Bulldogs, and Kayla Cole had 12 digs.
XULA outhit Tougaloo .276 to .040 and had advantages of 46-17 in kills, 12-4 in aces and 69-48 in digs.
The Gold Nuggets will play Edward Waters at 6 p.m. Monday at XULA's Convocation Center. The Lady Tigers are 3-0 in the GCAC after winning in four sets Saturday at Philander Smith.
METAIRIE, Louisiana — Xavier University of Louisiana's Taylor Price earned her second top-10 finish of the season at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Cross Country Festival Saturday. Price, a sophomore, covered the 5,000-meter course at Lafreniere Park in 20 minutes, 32.4 seconds to place seventh out of 63 women. Price finished ahead of 27 runners from NCAA Division I schools. XULA is an NAIA member. The top-10 finish is the fourth of Price's career. Freshman Camren Sewell was 21st out of 54 men, and he finished ahead of six DI runners. His 5K time was 18:13.5. Sewell and Price have been the first XULA finishers in all three meets this season. Loyola, the host school, divided the team scoring into NCAA DI and non-DI. The XULA women finished second out of three teams with 39 points. Spring Hill won with 23 points. The XULA men finished third out of four schools with 77 points. City rival Loyola edged Spring Hill 30-34 for the men's title. Other XULA finishers in the women's race were Maliya Vaughan (16th, 21:45.9), Brianna Pace (37th, 23:51.4), Hajjia Mohammed (45th, 25:38.8) and Chinyere Jones (57th, 29:36.5). The other Gold Rush finishers were Darrick Williams (33rd, 19:58.8), Ammiel Williams(42nd, 21:28.1), Ayinde Abanu (52nd, 25:16.2) and Aaron Grundy (54th, 33:30.7). Individual champions were Mississippi Valley's Scolasticah Kemeh (18:48.7) in the women's race and Tulane's Moses Aloiloi (16:05.1) in the men's. Tulane won both DI team championships, with its women scoring 20 points and its men scoring 18. XULA will run next Saturday at the LSU Invitational at Highland Road Park in Baton Rouge, La. The women's 5K will start at 7:30 a.m., followed by the men's 6K at 8:10. Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland -- Former UMES forward Bakari Copeland has had dreams of playing professional basketball since he was 5 years old.
After a successful career on the Hawks’ men’s basketball team, for which Copeland was named an All-MEAC First-Team selection, a BOXTOROW Second-Team All-American and averaged more than 17 points per game his senior season, Copeland entered the 2017 NBA Draft.
Despite participating in the Pro Basketball Combine, Copeland went undrafted and never signed with an NBA team.
However, the 6-foot-6, Decatur, Georgia, native refused to give up on his dream, living by his favorite saying, “Delay is not denial,” and continuing to look for a shot at a career on the court.
And on Sept. 9, Copeland announced via Twitter that his dream had finally become a reality.
opeland has signed a contract to play for the Asociacion Quimsa Santiago Del Estero basketball team, which is based out of Argentina. The squad is coached by Fabio Demti and currently houses three other Americans.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- “I’m going to go with 35-28 Flashes,” said Marvin Logan, a Kent State grad student who stood in the Dix Stadium parking lot grilling meats during a tailgating party.
“This game will be entertaining, but it won’t be close,” a man said while walking back to his seat.
If this were last year, when Howard University’s football team finished with a 2-9 record and 10th in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), maybe Kent State fan predictions would have been more accurate. Without a winning season in five years, the thought of Howard losing to Kent State by only seven points would have been laughable to some.
That is, until now.
Howard’s 38-31 defeat might still be a loss, but the team is proving it has the ability to compete with the best.
“I’m extremely proud of this football team,” coach Mike London said after Saturday’s game. “To go back-to-back FBS teams and play well, win one on the road, beating one at the very end and then another one, I’m proud of the players.
CHICAGO, Illinois -- Taarik Cohen electrified the Bears fan base when he jetted to a franchise record 158 total yards in his professional debut Sunday, so much of Monday's buzz was about the rookie who has been given at least four nicknames before he even took a regular-season snap. Here are 10 things to know about Cohen.
1. He has former Bears and at least one celebrity fan behind him
Thomas Q. Jones, Jason McKie and Jerry Azumah coudn't contain their excitement to just one exclamation point. "'Mighty Mouse' got Game!!! Sheesh!!!" McKie tweeted. Actor Michael Rapaport tweeted, "Tarik Cohen is NOT Jewish but he's welcome to Shabbat dinner anytime he wants."
2. That's four nicknames and counting
"The Human Joystick" pays tribute his ability to dart around defenders like a video game character. Cohen calls himself "Big Daddy" and "Chocolate Badger" as a tribute to the Cardinals' Tyrann Mathieu, a.k.a the Honey Badger. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah christened him "Chicken Salad" because he can take a broken, "chicken (expletive)" play and turn it into chicken salad.
But Cohen's North Carolina A&T's teammates "didn't really have a nickname for him," said running backs coach Shawn Gibbs. "People around (campus) had some nicknames for him, they called him 'The Kid.' But most of the team, it was just 'Rik.' " 3. Gibbs was skeptical at first
GREENSBORO, North Carolina — Tarik Cohen stood beside his locker at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon, surrounded by more than a dozen microphones, cameras and recorders.
Cohen wore a white sleeveless undershirt, looked each reporter in the eye and answered their questions like a pro.
After all, he is a pro.
But the Chicago Bears' overnight sensation is also still the same guy he was for four years at A&T, when the 5-foot-6 running back rewrote the MEAC record book.
“Tarik still does a lot for this (A&T) team today,” Aggies quarterback Lamar Raynard said today. “That’s why I love him. He’s a down-to-earth guy, a great guy. He still talks to us every day. I mean it. Every day, he’s on our group chat.”
Cohen, 22, was picked by the Bears in the fourth round of the NFL draft and made his pro debut Sunday in a 23-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
GRAMBLING, Louisiana – There’s nothing like sleeping in your own bed, especially the night before a big rivalry game.
For the first time since 2012, Grambling State coaches and players can rest comfortably before the annual showdown with Jackson State as the two rivals will face off in front of the GSU Tiger faithful at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium Saturday at 6 p.m.
The rivalry has had an odd stretch the last few seasons with the boycott in 2013, where Grambling players decided not to play and forfeit to Jackson State, which was scheduled to be at home that year, because the team was protesting the firing of then-head coach Doug Williams, as well as subpar athletic facilities and long bus rides.
GSU and JSU picked back up the following season but the contest has been played at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium each year since the boycott. To make things a little weirder this season, while the rivals are SWAC foes, with the league on a seven-game schedule, Saturday’s matchup won’t be a conference game.
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Through his first 13 games at the helm of the program, Jackson State coach Tony Hughes had reserved his most colorful outbursts for the sidelines.
That changed Monday morning when the second-year coach used his regularly scheduled weekly press conference to respond to criticism he has seen following Jackson State's 17-15 loss to No. 24 Tennessee State Saturday night.
"First, to everybody who criticizes us and thinks I'm a sorry coach, I'd just like to let you know that if you like my job, you're welcome to come after it, you know where my office is," Hughes said in his opening statement. "Second thing I'd like to say is that all I've tried to do since I've been here is help this program grow and develop, and I'm responsible out of losing 13 out of 15 to Tennessee State.
"The next thing I'd like to say is that this streak of six losses to Tennessee State that started six years ago, that's all my fault because I started that too."
Hughes did not through which medium he had received the criticism, but when asked who his comments were directed at, he responded: "Just whoever out there who has an opinion that doesn't think I'm a very good football coach." CONTINUE READING
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Calling his team’s 17-10 victory against Baylor on Saturday night “a monumental feat,” UTSA football coach Frank Wilson said Monday the Roadrunners savored the win until Sunday night when they began preparing for this week’s opponent.
The upset of the Bears in Waco was UTSA’s first win in 10 games against a Power 5 opponent since its first season in 2011.
The Roadrunners play Southern (1-1) in their home opener at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Alamodome. The Jaguars are coming off a 45-0 beating from Southern Miss, which plays in the West Division of Conference USA with UTSA, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTEP.
After returning to campus shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday, the team met later in the day and watched film of Saturday night’s game.
“Sunday is about the truth for us,” Wilson told reporters at his weekly session with the media. “The truth was we did the things necessary to win the football game. We pointed out our goals pregame, and the ones we attained (and) ensured victory for us.
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- South Carolina State's home-opening football game against Charleston Southern was canceled for this past Saturday because of a state of emergency in the Palmetto State from Hurricane Irma.
So next up for the Bulldogs (0-1) is Johnson C. Smith at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at home.
When the Bulldogs take to Willie E. Jeffries Field inside Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, they will be led by the all-time leading tackler in program history.
No, it won't be a ceremonial entrance honoring Bulldogs' all-time great and Pro Football Hall of Famer Harry Carson (who holds the record for tackles in a game with 20 against Newberry in 1975).
And it won't be a '90s throwback entrance involving Joe Montford, who in 1993 set the S.C. State record for tackles in a season with 131.
Instead the Bulldogs will be led by current redshirt senior inside linebacker Darius Leonard, looking to inspire his team to a win and add to his program-high 292 tackles.
GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Junior running back Marquell Cartwright has a pretty good idea as to why the North Carolina A&T football team has scored 101 points in their first two games. “We’ve got weapons (talented playmakers on offense),” he said. “And when you’ve got that many weapons you’ve got to use them. That’s why our scores keep going up.”
Nine different Aggies caught passes on Monday and Cartwright ran for 121 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries as the Aggies routed Division II Mars Hill 56-0 in the Aggies home opener at Aggie Stadium. Cartwright’s current and high school teammate, quarterback Lamar Raynard, provide the ammunition. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 262 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes.
All five touchdown passes came in the first half, tying a school record set by Alan Hooker in 1985. Three of Raynard’s TD passes went to Elijah Bell. Bell now has five touchdown receptions on the season as he finished Saturday’s game with six catches for 60 yards. Raynard came into the game leading the nation in quarterback efficiency rating and likely did nothing to harm his status. He has thrown 92 straight passes without an interception.
“Elijah was freshman of the year (MEAC) last year, and he’s only getting better. I think Lamar is playing at a pretty good lever right now. If he continues to play at this level, I think we’ll be a good football team.”
There is nice artillery on the defensive side as well. The Aggies have yet to give up a touchdown this season. Senior safety Jeremy Taylor had another solid game with 10 tackles, a forced fumble, recovered fumble and a returned interception for 32 yards. N.C. A&T recorded nine tackles for loss for the second straight week, and for the 40th time in the Broadway era they held an opponent to under 100 yards rushing, improving to 39-1 when that happens. The Aggies (2-0) did surrender 285 yards passing.
“We’ve got to go to work on Monday and try to get better in a lot of areas. When you’re winning with 56 points and finding things to complain about, I guess you’re moving in the right direction in some ways. But it’s so scary the way we play defense at times.”
The Lions (1-1) did put together an impressive first drive, reaching the Aggies 33-yard line before failing to convert a 4th-and 10. N.C. A&T zipped down the field after the turnover on downs, getting into the red zone on a 19-yard completion to sophomore Ron Hunt. A play later the Aggies found themselves with a 2nd-and-2 from the MHU 3. After two unsuccessful pass attempts to Bell on fade routes, Raynard and Bell finally connected a 3-yard TD pass to give the Aggies a 7-0 lead.
Raynard connected with his favorite deep target in Malik Wilson for the Aggies second touchdown as Wilson caught a fabulously thrown deep ball from Raynard for a 53-yard pass-and-catch TD. It is third time in their A&T careers the two have hooked up for a TD pass of 50 yards or more. A Richie Kittles interception set up the Aggies next score.
The Lions advanced to the Aggies 28 before Kittles returned David Solomon’s intercepted pass to the Aggies 35 where two plays later found the very fast Jaquil Capel on a slant pattern that Capel turned into a 66-yard touchdown. Raynard and Bell would connect two more times for touchdown passes to give the Aggies a 35-0 lead. The final touchdown of the half was set up by a 50-yard punt return from senior Khris Gardin.
The Aggies weaponry will have a tough task next week. The Aggies travel to Charlotte to face Division I-FBS Charlotte 49ers (0-2) 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 16 at Richardson Stadium.
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
KENT, Ohio -- Two touchdown runs by freshman Kesean Gamble in the fourth quarter helped the Kent State Golden Flashes secure a 38-31 win over Howard Saturday in the first game at Dix Stadium for 2017.
Gamble lifted the Golden Flashes into the lead for good with a 1-yard plunge with 12:35 on the clock, then added some security on a 4-yard run to the end zone with 5:56 remaining. After pulling back to within seven points on a short touchdown run by Caylin Newton, Howard's desperate bid to continue its Cinderella start to the season ended in an interception by KSU's Demetrius Monday with no time remaining on the clock.
It was a satisfyingly different script for Kent State when compared to 2016 – a season that saw so many close games slip through the Flashes' hands in the closing moments.
"That's the sign of our head coach (Paul Haynes) and how he has prepared us for these kinds of moments," said interim head coach Don Treadwell. "In our conference in particular … it often comes down to the last minute and sometimes even the last play."
Howard won its own tight battle last week, making national news with a 43-40 win at UNLV – the FCS school's first win against an FBS opponent. A 1-yard touchdown run by Newton, the brother of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, put the Bison ahead 24-23 with 2:09 on the third-quarter clock, bolstering Howard's hope for a second consecutive FBS win. CONTINUE READING
HATTIESBURG, Mississippi — During pregame warmups, Southern’s four-year starter at quarterback Austin Howard walked among his teammates offering words of encouragement.
It was all he could do for the Jaguars’ tilt at Southern Miss, a rough 45-0 loss. In place of a helmet was a soft yellow hat he wore backwards. His jersey fit snug over a yellow hoodie. His comfortable-looking red sneakers couldn’t hide his limp.
For the first time since Oct. 25, 2014, someone other than Howard started at quarterback for Southern. He sat with a knee injury while his replacement, true freshman Bubba McDaniel, did not direct Southern to a first down until the 9:50 mark of the second quarter, at which point his team was trailing 28-0.
Considering the circumstances, it was a predictably rough day for Southern, which was soundly defeated. It was the first time Southern had been shut out in coach Dawson Odums’ tenure.
“This was a tough environment for a quarterback to play, especially when you’re a true freshman,” Odums said. “But that’s what we’ve got. It’s what we’ve got to deal with. That’s the hand, we’ll play it.”
GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- N.C. A&T's football team started its season at an away game last week at Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs.
The Aggies won 45-3.
But the football players weren't the only winners.
The Blue and Gold Marching Machine put on a heckuva halftime show featuring several Bruno Mars songs, including "Locked Out of Heaven," "Grenade," "Perm," "That's What I Like" and "Just the Way You Are."
The crowd, including a bunch of Gardner-Webb fans, offered up a standing ovation after the performance.
The band also earned praise from the source himself on Twitter.
So dope. They really killed this! The ironic part is I got kicked out of band in high school.😒 So to see this brings a huge smile to my soul https://t.co/Eb4xbAeqiK — Bruno Mars (@BrunoMars) September 5, 2017 CONTINUE READING
PHENIX CITY, Alabama -- Albany State University captured their first win in seven seasons over Tuskegee University with a convincing 20-7 triumph Saturday afternoon at the Fourth Annual White Water Classic.
ASU's last victory over the Golden Tigers was in the 2010 season, where the Golden Rams came away with a 34-6 win.
In Saturday's outing Albany State rolled up 462 yards of total offense on 68 plays and controlled the game's pace with nearly 46 minutes in time of possession. Comparatively Tuskegee's time of possession totaled just over 16 minutes and they only managed 27 plays from scrimmage.
The Golden Tigers' brightest moment came on their first drive of the game. After ASU's game opening drive (11 plays, 7:25 of clock) came up empty with a missed field goal, facing third and one, Tuskegee's Hoderick Lowe broke loose for a 71 yard scamper to the end zone and a 7-0 lead at the 5:59 mark.
Unfortunately for Tuskegee fans, that touchdown would be their lone visit to the end zone and accounted for one of their two first downs on the afternoon.
The Golden Rams' defense was stingily brilliant the rest of the way, denying Tuskegee any chance at any offensive rhythm or productivity. Aside from the opening drive (Lowe's TD run), the Golden Rams did not allow Tuskegee across the 50-yard line the rest of the contest and forced three and outs on six of their final seven possessions.
The Golden Tigers finished the night with just 119 yards of total offense. Marquez Thomas was ASU's leader on defense with 6 tackles including a sack for a loss of 8 yards.
Jalen Bush's 13 yard touchdown reception from Chancellor Johnson with 12:54 left in the first half capped a 12 play, 87 yard drive to knot the game at 7 apiece. The Golden Rams pulled in front with 1:39 left in the second quarter when another drive, this one 78 yards on 16 plays, ended with another TD pass from Johnson, this time to Quadrey Simmons from 21 yards out. The extra point attempt missed its mark but ASU took a 13-7 lead into the locker room.
As the defense kept TU at bay, the Golden Rams put the game away near the close of the third quarter on a 26 yard TD hookup from Johnson to Mike Green.
Johnson had a nearly perfect passing day going 20 of 21 for 209 yards and three touchdowns. Green hauled in 7 catches for 100 yards and McKinley Habersham had all positive yards with 23 carries for 144 yards.
Albany State (2-0, SIAC 1-0) will return to action for a non-conference tilt against North Greenville University on Saturday, September 16 at ASU Coliseum. Kickoff is scheduled for 7pm.
Visit www.asugoldenrams.com for more information on Albany State University Athletics. ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina – Senior Robert Chesson scored two rushing touchdowns and junior Amir Hall rushed for one touchdown as Bowie State University (2-0) defeated #19 Winston-Salem State University (1-1) 31-13 on Saturday afternoon at Bowman Gray Stadium.
Chesson ended the contest as the games' leading ground gainer with 95 yards on 19 carries. Hall completed 11-of-14 passes for 94 yards while junior Lansana Sesay (Bowie, Md.) had a team-high four receptions for 46 yards and senior Kerrick Pollock (Miami, Fla.) caught two passes for 35 yards.
Tops on defense for Bowie State were sophomores William Flowers, III (Baltimore, Md.) and Tommar Phillips (Lanham, Md.) along with senior Johnny Littlejohn (Silver Spring, Md.) with five tackles each.
Rod Tinsley led the Winston-Salem State offense with 100 passing yards, completing 16-of-29 (one intercepton). Tinley also led the Rams with 65 rushing yards on eight carries. The Rams were led on defense by Jarell Bright with a game-high 14 tackles.
"Our guys played with a lot of energy throughout the game and that's what it's going to take to win ball games in this conference", said Bowie State head coach Damon Wilson.
Bowie State drew first blood at the 1:15 mark of the first quarter, when Chesson rushed for a two-yard score. Sophomore Gene Carson (Accokeek, Md.) added the extra point for 7-0 advantage.
Carson booted a 36-yard field goal with 3:01 left in the second quarter to give visiting Bowie State a 10-0 lead.
Chesson scored his second touchdown of the afternoon, this time from 19 yards out at the 11:49 mark of the third quarter to take a 17-0 advantage. Hall punched it in from three yards out with 4:33 left in the third to push the Bowie State lead to 24-0
Tinsley to Walton for a 5-yard score with six seconds left in the third quarter.
Bowie State junior Taylor Johnson (Washington, D.C.) scooped up a Winston-Salem State fumbled and rumbled 85 yards in the other direction, extending the Bulldogs lead to 31-7 with 6:48 remaining in the game.
Winston-Salem State's Kerrion Moore scampered around the left side to score from five yards with 5:54 left on the Bowman Gray Stadium scoreboard, but the Rams trailed 31-13.
The Bulldogs early season travels continue next Saturday (Sept. 16) as Bowie State takes on the Falcons of Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh (N.C.). Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at SAU's George Williams Complex. BOX SCORE BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
ATLANTA, Georgia -- Jonathon McCrary threw three first-half touchdowns and ran for another as the Clark Atlanta University offense churned out 644 yards of total offense to defeat Central State 55-14 Saturday night at CAU Panther Stadium.
Clark Atlanta (2-0) took a 27-0 halftime lead after McCrary, last week's Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week, threw touchdown passes to Josh Banks and Jonathan Sanders, who caught two. McCrary also ran for another touchdown.
The CAU running game took over in the second half as Roger Thomas had three touchdown runs to help the Panthers to salt away the win over Central State (0-2). It's the Panthers' second win in a row over the Marauders, who fell to CAU 20-13 last season.
Thomas finished with 130 yards and three touchdowns rushing, while McCrary was 17-of-22 for 288 yards and three touchdowns passing with one TD on the ground. CAU didn't punt the ball all night.
CAU's 55 points was the most points scored by an SIAC team since Tuskegee put up 62 points against Stillman in 2014. It's the most points Clark Atlanta has scored since 2013 when the Panthers defeated College of Faith 56-0.
Trent Mays threw for 220 yards and ran for a touchdown for Central State while Darian Nelson rushed for 87 yards and the Marauders other touchdown.
Linebacker Harding Harper returned from injury to finish with 11 tackles, eight unassisted for CAU. Defensive back Julian Colvard added nine tackles and interception for the Panthers.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2017 OVC
#23Tennessee State 17, Jackson State 15
SWAC
Grambling State 23, Northwestern State 10
Southern Mississippi 45, Southern 0
Southern Illinois 55, Mississippi Valley State 3
Akron 52, Arkansas Pine Bluff 3
Troy 34, Alabama State 7
Vanderbilt 42, Alabama A&M 0
Sam Houston State 44, Prairie View A&M 31
Houston Baptist 24, Texas Southern 17
Florida International 17, Alcorn State 10
MEAC
Bethune-Cookman 28, Southeastern Louisiana 23
North Carolina A&T 56, Mars Hill 0
North Carolina Central 41, Shaw 0
Kent State 38, Howard 31
Albany 26, Morgan State 0
Appalachian State 54, Savannah State 7
William & Mary 20, Norfolk State 6
Hampton 28, Delaware State 15
Charleston Southern vs. South Carolina State, postponed
Florida A&M, Idle
CIAA
Bowie State 31, Winston-Salem State 13
Virginia Union 31, Newberry 23
Virginia State 44, Johnson C. Smith 6
Lincoln (MO) 49, Lincoln (PA) 19
UNC Pembroke 66, Elizabeth City State 14
Carson-Newman 41, Saint Augustine's 14
Kentucky Wesleyan 33, Livingstone W
Delta State 42, Chowan 13
Limestone 20, Benedict 17
Wingate 31, Fayetteville State 21
SIAC
Albany State 20, Tuskegee 7
Clark Atlanta 55, Central State (OH) 14
McKendree 50, State 0
Valdosta State vs. Fort Valley State, Cancelled
Morehouse 24, Lane 10
West Georgia 45, Miles 7 OTHER CONF.
Langston 41, Lyon College 14
Virginia-Wise 34, West Virginia State 24
California (PA) 54, Cheyney 14
Hardin-Simmon 74, Texas College 0
Bluefield (VA)19, Edward Waters 0
GRAMBLING, Louisiana | Martez Carter rushed for 138 yards and Devante Kincade passed for 231 yards as the Grambling State University football team picked up a 23-10 win in its 2017 home opener on Saturday against Northwestern State at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.
"Getting out of the gate really helped us tonight," Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs said. "Overall I thought we improved from last week and we still need to tackle a bit better. It has good to get the win at home and in front of our home fans."
Grambling State (1-1) wasted little time in its home opener as the Tigers marched 65 yards in just three plays on its opening drive to grab a 7-0 lead.
The Tigers got a huge 60-yard pass play from Devante Kincade on the first play from scrimmage to Martez Carter and Grambling State punched in its first score with 14:01 remaining in the opening quarter. Carter's two-yard dive gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead.
The Demons (0-2) were driving for the tying score, but De'Andre Houghes forced a fumble on a sack and the ball was recovered by Johnkil Skipper at the Grambling State 25.
Grambling State set up shop on its own 25 and used a 10-play drive as Marc Orozco booted the first of his three field goals – an 18-yarder – to extend the lead to 10-0 with 5:44 left in the first quarter.
Northwestern State answered the Tigers score with an 11-play drive, capped by a J.D. Allmond 14-yard touchdown pass to Marquisian Chapman as the Demons cut the Grambling State lead to 10-7 with 14:52 left in the first half.
The Tigers quickly responded as Grambling State marched down the field with a nine-play, 75-yard drive as Kincade found a diving Darrell Clark on the left side of the endzone for the 24-yard score with 11:03 remaining in the second quarter.
Grambling State took a 17-10 lead into the half and added to the margin midway through the third quarter as Orozco booted a 35-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 20-7 advantage with 6:50 remaining.
Northwestern State got a 34-yard field goal by Austyin Fendrick, who just missed a 54-yarder in the first half, to cut the deficit to 20-10 with 14:05 left.
However, Orozco's 26-yard field goal with 1:38 sealed the victory and gave Grambling State its first win of the season. BOX SCORE
Turning Point
Playing in front of nearly 13,000 fans and in its 2017 home opener, Grambling State came out firing on all cylinders.
The Tigers led from start to finish, but the real turning point in the game was in the very first drive.
Grambling State started the game at its own 35. Kincade found Carter on a swing pass to the left and the senior running back dashed 60 yards down the left sideline before being pushed out of bounds by Isaac Warren.
With the ball sitting at the Demons five-yard line, Carter rushed three yards on the next play and scored from two yards out when he leaped over the pile to give Grambling State an early 7-0 lead.
Inside the Numbers
· Grambling State rebounded from just 10 first downs last week with 15 in Saturday night's win.
· Northwestern State recorded 18 first downs.
· Grambling State finished with 435 total yards of offense, including 231 through the air.
· The Demons registered 283 yards with just 42 coming on the ground.
· Martez Carter finished the night with 207 total yards of offense.
· Darrell Clark caught three passes for 53 yards.
· Martez Carter led all rushers with 138 yards on 20 carries and averaged 6.9 yards per a touch.
· Devante Kincaid finished the night with 231 yards on 13 of 20 passing and one touchdown.
· T'Kevian Rockwell led the Tigers with seven total tackles, including four solo stops.
· Brandon Varner registered four tackles, including a pair of sacks for 16 yards.
· De'Aumante Carter recorded an interception for six yards and had a pass breakup.
· J.D. Almond went 21-of-34 passing for 241 yards and one interception. Also he was sacked four times.
· Chris Jones led the way on the ground for the Demons with 20 touches for 49 yards.
· Cameron Lazare caught eight passes for 70 yards.
· Chrishard Buhl registered eight tackles, including five solo stops, while Nick Pierotti added seven tackles.
News & Notes
· Grambling State scored on its first drive and needed just 59 seconds.
· The Tigers rebounded from last weekend's road loss to Tulane with the second consecutive home-opening win.
· Grambling State came into the game ranked No. 23 in the FCS Coaches Poll and No. 24 in the STATS FCS Top 25. The Tigers were also ranked No. 4 in the BOXTOROW weekly poll.
· Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs joins Eddie Robinson and Rod Broadway as the only other coaches to pick up wins against Northwestern State.
· The Tigers have now won two straight in the series against Northwestern State and lead the series, 3-1.
Up Next
Grambling State opens Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play on Saturday, Sept. 16. At Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium against Jackson State. Jackson State fell to Tennessee State, 17-15, on Saturday. 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
HAMMOND, Louisiana – Redshirt senior quarterback Larry Brihm, Jr. passed for 354 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday evening, helping Bethune-Cookman defeat Southeastern Louisiana, 28-23 at Strawberry Stadium in a big non-conference collegiate football contest.
"This wasn't an upset, but it was a certainly huge win," said third-year BCU Head Coach Terry Sims afterwards when speaking to local media.
That's exactly what the atmosphere appeared to be afterwards in and out of the Bethune-Cookman locker room.
Bethune-Cookman (1-1) opened the game scoring on its opening possession. Dating back to 2016, the opening possession score for the Wildcats was the fifth of its kind in the last six games.
Larry Brihm connected with Keavon Mitchell for 47 yards to put the Wildcats into scoring position early-on. The eight-play, 78-yard drive was capped off by Brihm connecting with senior receiver Anthony Cruz in the back of the end zone for the 7-0 lead.
Southeastern Louisiana (0-2), narrowly falling a week ago to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent Louisiana-Lafayette, responded on its next possession, driving 74 yards in nine plays and taking just over four minutes off the clock to pull within 7-3 on the strength of a Dillon Burkhard 32-yard field goal.
On the ensuing possession, the Maroon and Gold offense marched down the field 88 yards in 5:06 off the clock, as Michael D. Jones raced into the end zone from four yards out to advance the BCU lead, 14-3 – following the extra point kick from Uriel Hernandez.
Following a pair of Burkhard field goals, Bethune-Cookman held a slim 14-9 lead at the half.
In the second half, SLU took its first lead of the game following a fumble by the Wildcats offense.
Sione Teuhema hit Brihm from behind the jar the ball loose, and it was the Lions' Courtney Rutledge recovering to give the homestanding Lions the ball at the BCU 27 yard line.
SLU wasted little time taking the lead when Eugene Bethea rushed three-straight times, eventually scoring on a seven yard scamper to put SLU up, 16-14.
Bethune-Cookman took the lead once again midway through the fourth quarter, 21-16.
After Brihm connected with Jawill Davis – finishing the night with seven receptions for 138 yards and a score, setup the Miami native's score two plays later in the corner of the end zone.
However, the Lions responded in kind on the ensuing play when Juwan Petit-Frere took the kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, putting SLU back up, 23-21.
After that, the visiting Wildcats used an 11-play, 72-yard drive that took 4:42 off the clock to find the end zone for the fourth time on the night – and the second time in the final stanza.
On the drive, Brihm finished 4-for-6 passing, while also rushing for 12 yards to extend the drive on fourth down once. The drive was capped off by Brihm's one-yard plunge off-tackle that wound up being the decisive 28-23 final score.
The BCU defense, limiting the Lions to just 93 yards passing on the night, withstood a tough fourth-down penalty (following a potential turnover on downs), only to force another turnover on downs from the Lions, closing out the game and the road win.
Brihm finished the night with 354 yards passing on 25-of-39 passing. He would run for 25 yards and a score as well, also accounting for tw0 passing touchdowns. Michael D. Jones ran for a game-high 95 yards and a touchdown, while it was Davis hauling in a game-high seven catches for 138 yards.
The BCU defense was anchored by linebacker Alexander Morales with nine tackles, while Uriah Gilbert brought in seven tackles (including a tackle for loss). Three different Wildcats collected interceptions, as Trevor Merritt, Elliott Miller and Diquan Richardson forced Lions turnovers through the air.
Bethune-Cookman is back in action next weekend as the Cats travel to Boca Raton, Florida for the final non-conference regular season matchup of the 2017, taking on FBS opponent Florida Atlantic. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and will be carried nationally on television through beIN Sports.
Follow Bethune-Cookman Football on Twitter (@BCUGridIron) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics), Snapchat (@BCUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics).
MEMPHIS, Tennessee --- The 2017 Southern Heritage Classic went down to the final second as the Tennessee State football team topped Jackson State, 17-15, on Saturday Night at the Liberty Bowl. A fourth-quarter 58-yard punt return for a touchdown by Patrick Smith proved to be the difference in the game. Smith’s touchdown with just over five minutes remaining put TSU up 17-9. Jackson State was able to cut the lead down to 17-15 when Terrell Kennedy returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown. Laquarius Cook broke up a pass on the two-point try to preserve TSU’s slight edge.
Game 2: Tennessee State 17, Jackson State 15 Records: TSU (2-0), JSU (0-2) Venue: Liberty Bowl Location: Memphis, Tenn. Attendance: 47,407 Weather: Clear, 80
Jackson State was able to cut the lead down to 17-15 when Terrell Kennedy returned the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown. Laquarius Cook broke up a pass on the two-point try to preserve TSU’s slight edge.
With two seconds showing on the clock, JSU’s field goal from 47 yards out was wide left giving TSU the two-point victory. The Tigers improved to 2-0 on the season, while Jackson State fell to 0-2.
TSU quarterback Treon Harris earned MVP of the 2017 Southern Heritage Classic.
TOTALS
TSU finished with 238 yards of total offense to Jackson State’s 303
Tennessee State rushed for 160 yards and limited JSU to 107 yards on the ground
Jackson State held the ball for 33:38 of the 60 minutes in the game
INDIVIDUAL
TSU quarterback Treon Harris led the offense with 78 yards passing and 91 yards rushing
Harris scored a first-quarter rushing touchdown, his second of the season
Patrick Smith finished with 41 yards on three punt returns, including one touchdown
Junior linebacker Blair Edwards finished one shy of a career high with 12 tackles on the night
Senior linebacker Chris Collins reached double-digit tackles for the second game in a row with 10
FIRST QUARTER
The Tigers needed just four plays to travel 63 yards in 1:17 to open the score
Treon Harris carried three times for all 63 yards, including a 13 yard touchdown run
JSU responded with a 12 play drive, which ended in a 34 yard field goal
Lane Clark drilled a 26 yard field goal on the next drive to put the Tigers ahead, 10-3
Harris completed three passes on the drive to Patrick Smith, including a 32 yard connection on 3rd and five moving the Big Blue to the opponents 11
TSU outgained JSU 115-90
SECOND QUARTER
Jackson State opened and closed the second stanza with field goals to cut the lead to one, 10-9
Tennessee State was held to 26 yards in the second quarter
Blair Edwards and Ebo Ogundeko picked up sacks
Edwards entered the locker room with a game high nine tackles; Ogundeko led all players with two sacks
The Big Blue held JSU to 23 yards rushing in the first half
THIRD QUARTER
JSU took the opening kickoff and drove down the field, threatening to score
Jason Morrow deflected a pass allowing Joe Johnson to pickoff his first career pass
Later in the period,with the opposing Tigers driving late in the third quarter, Laquarius Cook intercepted his first career pass in the end zone and returned it deep into JSU territory; a penalty brought the ball back to midfield
FOURTH QUARTER
Tennessee State extended its lead to 17-9 on a 58-yard punt return for a touchdown from Patrick Smith
On the ensuing kickoff, JSU responded with an 89-yard TD return courtesy of Terrell Kennedy
Laquarius Cook broke up the two-point conversion try for JSU to keep TSU’s lead at 17-15 with 4:48 left
After the teams traded stops, JSU had one final field goal attempt to win the game. Christian Jacquemin’s 47 yard field goal was wide left as time ran out giving TSU the 17-15 win
WHAT’S NEXT:The Tigers will head to Tampa, Fla. for the Tampa Classic on Saturday, Sept. 16. TSU will face Florida A&M in Raymond James Stadium.
NOTES
Tennessee State entered Saturday night's game ranked No. 23 in the STATS Top 25 and 24th in the FCS Coaches Poll
For the second game in a row Lane Clark, Ebo Ogundeko, Chris Collins and Patrick Smith served as team captains for TSU
Jackson State won the coin toss and deferred the opening kickoff
Weather at the time of kickoff was 79 degrees and clear
Official attendance for the game was 47,407
TSU is 17-11 all time in Southern Heritage Classic Games
The Tigers are 30-21-2 in the all-time series versus Jackson State
TSU has won six in a row over Jackson State
TSU is 2-0 for the third year in a row
QUOTESDefensive Coordinator Garry Fisher
“They just fought. That was the biggest thing. They fought hard all night. No matter what the situation was, they rose up to the occasion. We gave up some yards and they got into the red zone a couple times, but we were able to hold them to field goals, which was huge for us tonight.” - On what he liked from the defense
“I thought we tackled well. They hit us with a couple of plays. Their passing attack was on point, so they found some creases in our defense, and they drove down there, but we work on red zone defense every day. We were able to hold them to field goals and come up with a big interception.” - On bending but not breaking
“We take pride as a team. No matter how the game goes, we have to find a way to stop the other team’s offense. Both defenses played well but at the end of the night, our defense outplayed theirs.” - On the defense coming up big
Senior Wide Receiver Patrick Smith
“It’s very important. It being a rivalry game and me being from Memphis, you never want to come back home and lose a game whether it’s conference or non-conference. It was very big for us to come out here and get a win. I’m proud of my team. The defense really stepped up for us. The offense wasn’t really clicking like how we expected, but we know it’s early in the season.” - On winning in Memphis
“It was a designed left return. As soon as I caught the ball I saw a lot of white jerseys on the left, so I knew it was going to be a good return. As soon as I started to run, I just took advantage of it and took it to the endzone.” - On the punt return for a touchdown
Junior Safety Laquarius Cook
“It’s big. The team came out playing hard and kept our confidence up. The win was good for us.” - On being 2-0
“It lets us know that if we get to hitting on all cylinders, that we’ll be running and we’ll be unstoppable.” - On winning with room for improvement
Senior Defensive End Jason Morrow
“It’s a great feeling to be 2-0, but it’s still the beginning of the season. We still have a long road ahead of us. We can’t look too far ahead in the season.” - On being 2-0
“We just kept fighting. That’s one thing Coach Fisher told us. You don’t quit. If everything is going wrong, you still don’t quit. You don’t hold your head down. You just keep fighting, and that’s what we did tonight, and that’s a big reason why we won tonight. - On the positives of the defense
#23 TENNESSEE STATE AT JACKSON STATE | SEPTEMBER 09, 2017
SCORING
1st Quarter
TSU
TD
13:30
HARRIS 13 Yd Run (CLARK kick)
JKST
FG
07:45
Ch. Jacquemin 34 Yd
TSU
FG
03:56
CLARK 26 Yd
2nd Quarter
JKST
FG
12:06
Adrian Salazar 25 Yd
JKST
FG
00:00
Ch. Jacquemin 49 Yd
4th Quarter
TSU
TD
05:03
SMITH (CLARK kick)
JKST
TD
04:48
Terrell Kennedy
STATS AT A GLANCE
TSU
JKST
1st Downs
11
21
3rd Down Conversions
4-13
8-18
4th Down Conversions
0-1
2-3
Passing (Comp-Att)
78 (5-17)
196 (24-46)
Rushing (Att)
160 (35)
107 (33)
Total Yards
238
303
Penalties
8-97
9-75
Turnovers
2
2
Fumbles Lost
1
0
Interceptions
1
2
Possession
26:22
33:38
TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- The Prairie View A&M University football team lost its season opener to Sam Houston State in a hard-fought 44-31 contest Thursday night at Panther Stadium.
The Panthers rolled up 499 yards total offense against the third-ranked team in FCS football, 334 of those on the ground. QB Lavell McCullers (14-106-1) and Dawonya Tucker (13-93-3) each posted career highs in rushing as the Panthers held a 36:51 – 23:09 time of possession advantage.
McCullers completed 17 of 31 passes for 165 yards in his first career start. Defensively, the Panthers held Sam Houston St. to 412 total yards, more than 250 less than the Bearkats gained last week against #7 Richmond.
"In football, there are no A's for effort," said third-year PVAMU head coach Willie Simmons. "We didn't do enough to win the football game. I'm proud of the guys' effort. I'm proud of the way they competed, but we have to clean some things up to accomplish our goals. I think we have a chance to. We have to take a couple of days and regroup this week and get ready to go."
Prairie View A&M fell behind 24-3 in the first half before the offense got going. The Panthers scored on three consecutive drives to make it a one-score game in the third quarter. The first two of those scoring drives came in the final 2:46 of the second quarter. The first of Tucker's three touchdown runs, this from 34 yards out, put the Panthers in the end zone for the first time in 2017.
Following a Sam Houston St. touchdown drive with less than a minute to play in the first half, Prairie View A&M drove 66 yards in four plays and 38 seconds. McCullers, who initially bobbled the snap, scored from a yard out just before the half to make the score 30-17 at halftime.
Prairie View A&M opened the second half with a 15-play, 90-yard touchdown drive, consuming nearly nine minutes off the clock. The Panthers converted a pair of fourth-down plays to make it a one-possession game. Tucker's 19-yard scoring run made it a 30-24 game with less than six minutes to play in the quarter.
However, the Bearkats returned the the ensuing kickoff for touchdown to push their lead back to double-digits.
Prairie View A&M returns to action Saturday, September 16 in a 6 p.m. game at Nicholls St.
HOUSTON, Texas -- Darvin Kidsy had a huge night with eight receptions for a game-high 200 receiving yards and scored on a nine-yard touchdown from Jay Christophe late in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't quite enough in the Tigers home opener on Thursday.
The Tigers (0-2) relinquished a 10-7 halftime lead as Bailey Zappe gave the Huskies (1-1) the lead with 6:13 remaining in the third quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run.
Houston Baptist added to their lead on a 36-yard field goal by Alec Chadwick with 7:18 in the fourth quarter and followed it up with 33-yard rushing touchdown by James Brown to open up a 24-10 advantage.
Dondre Dobbins finished the contest with a team high 13 stops while also racking up two tackles for loss while teammates Sean Jones and Archie Rice contributed 10 tackles each.
Texas Southern will have next week off before opening up Southwestern Athletic Conference play on the road at Alabama A&M on Saturday, September 23 with kickoff slated for 6:00 pm at Lewis Crews Stadium in Huntsville. BOX SCORE
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana opened defense of its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball regular-season championship with a 25-10, 25-20, 25-11 victory against Tougaloo.
