Game vs. Southern University is special for UTSA coach Frank Wilson

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Saturday's game against the Southern University Jaguars at the Alamodome will have special meaning for UTSA coach Frank Wilson.

A native of New Orleans, Wilson has a keen sense of history when it comes to the football programs at Southern, Grambling State and other historically black colleges that compete in the tradition-rich Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Three of Wilson's uncles and six cousins played for the legendary Eddie Robinson at Grambling.
Wilson, 43, often would attend preseason workouts at Grambling in the summers as a youth. He recalled going to his first Grambling game at Tiger Stadium at 6 years old.

Wilson said he was in awe of Robinson.

"I remember walking into Coach Rob's office he would say to me, 'Come on over here. Hey son, come on in here.'"

"He talked like that when he talked," Wilson continued, mimicking Robinson's Southern drawl. "I shook his hand and he put me on his knee. I was just like (wow)."

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Tennessee State vs. Florida A&M football: 5 things to watch

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- No. 24 Tennessee State (2-0) visits Florida A&M (1-1) — teams that have combined for 22 black college national titles — in the Tampa Football Classic at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday. Here are five things to watch:

A faster start

TSU, beaming with confidence after claiming a 17-10 win in the opener against FBS Georgia State, was expected to come out strong last week against Jackson State. That didn't happen. Especially on offense TSU was sluggish throughout the first half and had only a 10-9 lead. The offense was slightly better in the second half, but never did get into gear. It finished with 238 yards and only 11 first downs. TSU also started slow last year against FAMU, falling behind 14-7 before rallying for 30-14 win.

Dialed-in receivers

The Tigers' receivers had more drops last week than catches. Treon Harris completed just 5 of 17 passes. Only two receivers — Patrick Smith (3) and Stephen Newbold (1) — had catches. Tight end Mahlon Medley had the other. Coach Rod Reed challenged his deep group of receivers to play better this week. It will help if sophomore Chris Rowland is able to see more action. He was limited to returning kicks in the first two games while nursing an ankle injury.

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FAMU RB Devin Bowers completes climb to scholarship

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Junior running back Devin Bowers has come a long way from his freshman year.

Coming out of St. Petersburg Northeast, Bowers didn't have any D-I scholarship offers. He came to Florida A&M as a preferred walk-on and waited for a chance to shine.

He didn't have to wait long. Bowers burst into FAMU's lineup with a strong showing against Samford during his freshman season in 2015. He ran for 144 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries.

He proved he had potential, consistency was his biggest issue.

Bowers battled injuries during his freshman and sophomore years, but was able to impress when he was on the field. He picked up FAMU MVP honors during the Florida Classic in 2015 and led the team in rushing in 2016 with 398 yards and four touchdowns.

Now he's on full scholarship.

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4 win twice in singles at HBCU National Championships

COLLEGE PARK, Georgia — Returning letterwinners Pierre Andrieu and Yi Chen Pao and newcomers Gabriel Niculescu and Manon Bonada won a pair of singles matches apiece for Xavier University of Louisiana Thursday during the opening day of the HBCU National Tennis Championships.
     
Andrieu defeated Alabama A&M's Joshua Wilson 6-1, 6-0 and Florida A&M's Hema Hasona 6-3, 6-0, to reach the quarterfinals in men's C-bracket. Pao advanced to the women's C quarterfinals after beating Grambling's Bryttish Burts 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (12-10) and Tennessee State's Morgan Cage 6-4, 6-3.
     
Niculescu, a transfer from Troy, began his XULA career with a 6-4, 7-5 victory against Alabama A&M's Shakir Elvin and a 6-4, 6-0 decision against FAMU's Karlyn Small to reach the men's B quarterfinals. Bonada began her collegiate career with victories in the B-bracket: 6-2, 6-3 against Delaware State's Aausyshi Chouhan and 6-0, 6-4 against Grambling's Keren Huppuch Muswere.
     
Also advancing was two-time NAIA All-American Charlene Goreau, who reached the women's A quarterfinals with one victory, 6-1, 6-2 against Virginia State's Sydney Yao. Goreau is a No. 2 seed and XULA's highest-seeded singles player in this year's event.
     
Another returning All-American, Catalin Fifea, lost 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 1-0 (10-7) to Hampton's Luke Thompson in the men's A round of 16. Fifea will play in the consolaiton bracket.
     
The three-day event will conclude Saturday.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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Rush, Nuggets begin fall season with four newbies

NEW ORLEANS — Alan Green, Xavier University of Louisiana's director of tennis, announced Wednesday four signees for the 2017-18 academic year along with his teams' 2017 fall schedule.
    
The Gold Rush, NAIA national runner-up in 2016 and 2017, signed three:

     •  Chris Anders, a junior from Baton Rouge, La., and a transfer from Tyler (Texas) Junior College. Anders is a 2015 graduate of Parkview Baptist School.
     •  Samir Chikhaoui, a sophomore from Lille, France, and a transfer from Eastern Florida State College, a two-year school in Cocoa.
     •  Gabriel Niculescu, a junior from Bucharest, Romania, and a transfer from Troy of NCAA Division 

The Gold Nuggets' signee is Manon Bonada, a freshman from Nimes, France. Bonada joins a program that qualified 11 times for the NAIA National Championships, including each of the last six seasons.
     
XULA will begin its fall schedule Thursday in the HBCU National Championships, a three-day event at College Park, Ga.
     
Anders helped Tyler finish second last season, one point behind ASA Miami, at the NJCAA Division I National Championships. Last season Anders was named to the Region XIV All-Academic Team, and he and Aaron Westerlund climbed as high as 22nd in the NJCAA doubles rankings. Tyler was 22-0 in dual matches in 2017 and 18-3 in 2016.
     
Anders was a three-time LHSAA Division III (Class 3A) state singles champion at Parkview Baptist and helped the Eagles win state team championships in 2014 and 2015. His father is longtime tennis pro Ray Anders.
     
Chikhaoui was a three-time state champion in northern France before helping Eastern Florida finish 11-8 last season, its first as a varsity program. Chikhaoui was NJCAA All-Academic third team.
     
Niculescu was 11-10 in singles and 5-5 in doubles last season for a Troy team that reached the Sun Belt Conference semifinals. As a freshman at NCAA Division I's Chicago State in 2016, Niculescu was Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week, ITA Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-WAC. He helped the Cougars earn an ITA Academic Team Award for their stellar cumulative GPA.
     
Bonada won 20 singles age-group championships in her home country.
     
XULA majors of the newcomers are mass communications for Anders, marketing for Bonada, finance for Chikhaoui and political science for Niculescu.
     
Other fall competition will be the ITA NAIA South Regional Championships Sept. 22-24 at Lawrenceville, Ga., the Battle of the Bayou (men only) Oct. 6-7 at Lafayette, La., and a four-team men's event the first weekend of November at the University of New Orleans. Green said he will add to the fall schedule a third women's tournament.
     
This is Green's 15th season as coach of the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets. He is a three-time ITA NAIA National Coach of the Year, including each of the past two seasons on the men's side.
     
Returning letterwinners are junior Pierre Andrieu, senior Catalin Fifea and sophomore Moses Micheal on the men's team and junior Charlene Goreau and sophomores Lacee Ancar and Yi Chen Pao on the women's. Fifea and Micheal earned NAIA All-America last season, and Fifea was chosen Louisiana Newcomer of the Year. Goreau was All-America each of her first two seasons.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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It's a trifecta of GCAC awards for Price, Sewell

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Taylor Price and Camren Sewell are 3-for-3 during the 2017 cross country season.
     
For the third time in as many opportunities, both have been chosen as Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Runners of the Week, this time for Sept. 4-10.
     
Price, a sophomore from Missouri City, Texas, and a graduate of Ridge Point High School, produced her second top-10 finish of the season and fourth of her career Saturday at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival in Metairie, La. Price ran 5,000 meters in 20 minutes, 32.4 seconds to place seventh out of 63 runners. Price finished ahead of 27 runners from NCAA Division I schools.
     
Sewell, a freshman from Cincinnati and a graduate of La Salle High School, placed 21st out of 54 men and ran the 5K in 18:13.5.
     
The GCAC weekly award is the eighth of Price's career. Sewell is the first Gold Rush freshman to earn three GCAC awards since Kwame Jackson in 2011.
     
Next for XULA will be the LSU Invitational at Highland Road Park in Baton Rouge, La. The women's 5K will start at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by the men's 6K at 8:10.
     
NOTES:  The GCAC announced this week the date and site of its 2017 championships — Friday, Oct. 20 at Choctaw Trails Course in Clinton, Miss. Choctaw Trails will play host to the meet for the first time since 2013 and the eighth time overall. XULA's men and women are 10-time defending team champions of the conference. Price was a 2016 individual champion.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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Jackson State kicker Christian Jacquemin looks to bounce back against Grambling State

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Christian Jacquemin isn't about to let one missed field goal define his junior season.

And that's good, because with points coming at a premium in its first two games, Jackson State can't afford it.

The Tiger kicker rode a roller coaster of emotions in Saturday night's 17-15 loss to Tennessee State. He hit a 34-yard field goal on Jackson State's second drive of the game, then drilled a 49-yard field goal to end the first half, missing the school record by one yard.



He even hit a 48-yarder that would have won the game (and would have been good from 60), if not for a Tennessee State timeout just before the snap. But when he booted his second attempt, it missed wide left by six inches.

Jacquemin went to one knee with his head in his hand. Defensive coordinator John Hendrick placed his hand on his shoulder and tried to console him.

It was brutal.

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Jenkins, ASU must match fan challenge with wins

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Brian Jenkins knew fans were going to pack ASU Stadium for the Sept. 2 Tuskegee game.

That was a given.

What Jenkins wants is fans to show up in full force every time Alabama State plays at home.

“I’m excited about having that first game packed out, packed to the roof,” Jenkins said the Wednesday before playing the Golden Tigers. “Standing room only, but I think every game should be like that and that’s what I want to challenge our fans to make every game like that.”

A win Saturday against Kennesaw State (1-1) would go a long away in convincing fans to come out and see the hometown Hornets (0-2).

Another 0-3 start for a third straight season under Jenkins won’t.

Fans will show up for SWAC opener Sept. 23 against Prairie View A&M, but more will make their way to ASU Stadium if the Hornets prevail Saturday.



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Improved Grambling State O-line faces tough test in JSU D-line

GRAMBLING, Louisiana – No one had a better vantage point than Martez Carter.

Managing just 77 yards on the ground in the season opener at Tulane, Grambling State’s offensive line, in Week 2 versus Northwestern State in the team’s home opener last Saturday, knew it needed to have a better performance. Carter saw just that.

“Coach always says the biggest jump is from Week 1 to 2. We got back to that drawing board and those guys, they really dug deep,” Carter said of his offensive line. “It’s a pride thing and a dignity thing, and those guys really felt like they had something to prove. As you saw, the outcome was basically that. Those guys got a man on a man, they did a good job of executing and made my job a little bit easier.”

The five-man front, with experienced guys, senior left tackle Trent Scott and sophomore right guard William Waddell, along with three guys getting their second start in left guard Darrell Brown, center Will Jefferson and right tackle Keeyon Smart, pushed the Demon defensive line around for much of the night and paved the way for 204 rushing yards on 39 attempts.

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TSU MBB releases 2017-18 schedule with games against Gonzaga, Kansas

HEAD COACH MIKE DAVIS
TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Texas Southern Tigers have released their full 2017-18 basketball schedule. The Tigers will open the season Nov. 11 against Gonzaga at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington.

This season the Tigers will play a total of nine home games at the Health and Physical Education Arena, highlighted by conference games against Prairie View A&M (Jan. 6), and Southern University (Jan. 1). The Tigers game versus the Southern Jaguars will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

Last year, the Tigers won the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Regular Season title for the third year in a row, and were crowned the SWAC Tournament champions, subsequently making their 7th NCAA tournament appearance in school history.

The Tigers will look to repeat this season, with this year's SWAC tournament being once again hosted in Houston with the event now moving to the Delmar Center.

2017-18 Men's Basketball Schedule 

From Head Coach Mike Davis:

On the non-conference games on this season's schedule:
"This schedule gives us another great opportunity to play really good teams on the road. I think our non-conference schedule prepares us for our conference play, and that's the most important thing for us, is to try to win our conference regular season and our conference tournament. "

On the conference games on this season's schedule:
Hopefully we can win some non-conference games and we can get a lot of fans, students, and alumni to come out and support us. Our alumni are doing a great job of coming to support us at games, and as always we want to build our student body fan-base, and hopefully we can win some of these non-conference games, which will really help in that area."

On his overall analysis of this year's team:
"We lost three grad/seniors this past year. We're hoping to continue to perform the way we have in the past and continue getting better this year."

For the latest breaking news surrounding Texas Southern basketball, please continue to visit us online at tsusports.com and on Twitter @TXSOTigers.

2017-18 Men's Basketball Schedule 

Date Opponent Location Time
11/11/2017 Gonzaga Spokane, Wash. 9:00 pm
11/13/2017 Washington State Pullman, Wash. TBA
11/16/2017 Ohio State Columbus, Ohio 8:00 pm
11/18/2017 Syracuse Syracuse, NY 6:00 pm
11/21/2017 Kansas Lawrence, Kan. 7:00 pm
11/24/2017 Clemson Clemson, SC 8:00 pm
11/30/2017 Oakland Oakland, Mich. 8:00 pm
12/2/2017 Toledo Toledo, Ohio 8:00 pm
12/11/2017 Oregon Eugene, Ore. 5:00 pm
12/14/2017 Baylor Waco, Texas 7:00 pm
12/16/2017 Wyoming Laramie, WY TBA
12/18/2017 TCU Ft. Worth, Texas 7:00 pm
12/23/2017 BYU Provo, Utah TBA
1/1/2018 Southern HPE Arena 4:00 pm
1/3/2018 Alcorn State HPE Arena 7:30 pm
1/6/2018 Prairie View A&M HPE Arena 7:30 pm
1/13/2018 Jackson State Jackson, Miss. 5:30 pm
1/15/2018 Grambling State Grambling, La. 7:30 pm
1/20/2018 Mississippi Valley State HPE Arena 7:30 pm
1/22/2018 Arkansas-Pine Bluff HPE Arena 7:30 pm
1/27/2018 Alabama A&M Huntsville, Ala. 5:30 pm
1/29/2018 Alabama State Montgomery, Ala. 7:30 pm
2/3/2018 Prairie View A&M Prairie View, Texas 7:30 pm
2/10/2018 Jackson State HPE Arena 7:30 pm
2/12/2018 Grambling State HPE Arena 7:30 pm
2/17/2018 Mississippi Valley State Itta Bena, Miss. 5:30 pm
2/19/2018 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Pine Bluff, Ark. 7:30 pm
2/24/2018 Alabama A&M HPE Arena 7:30 pm
2/26/2018 Alabama State HPE Arena 7:30 pm
3/1/2018 Southern Baton Rouge, La. 7:30 pm
3/3/2018 Alcorn State Lorman, Miss. 5:30 pm
3/6/2018 SWAC Tournament TBD TBA

TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

FAMU Classic will be played Saturday in Tampa despite Irma

TAMPA, Florida -- The FAMU Tampa Classic is going to be played as scheduled.

Florida A&M will play host to Tennessee State in Tampa on Saturday, the Rattlers' first time playing a home game in that city since 1996.

The game was in some doubt because of the impact of Hurricane Irma, but officials Tuesday confirmed plans to play.

All first responders will be given free tickets, along with their families. Donations for relief efforts will also be accepted.

Raymond James Stadium will be the site of three games this weekend: No. 22 South Florida will meet Illinois on Friday, the FAMU game is Saturday and the ...



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GCAC weekly honors for Black, Phillips, Dalla Vecchia

NEW ORLEANS — For the second time in three weeks, Xavier University of Louisiana swept all three Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball awards. Kayla Black is Attacker of the Week, Tiffany Phillips is Setter of the Week, and Anna Dalla Vecchia is Defender of the Week.
     
Phillips — a sophomore from Gardena, Calif., and a graduate of Bishop Montgomery High School — set a school record with her eighth career GCAC weekly award. Phillips broke a tie with Taylor Reuther, who played for the Gold Nuggets from 2011-13 and in 2015.
     
GCAC awards were for the week of Sept. 4-10. XULA was 2-0 during that time, including its first-ever victory against Spring Hill after 19 straight losses. The Gold Nuggets opened their GCAC schedule Saturday by beating Tougaloo.
     
Black, from Magnola, Texas, and a graduate of Houston's St. Pius X High School, became the first XULA freshman since Moira Kirk in November 2011 to lead the team in kills in consecutive matches. Black had 14 kills against Spring Hill and 12 kills and a career-best three aces against Tougaloo.
     
Phillips produced assist-dig double-doubles in both matches, including a season-high 29 assists and career-high-tying 17 digs against Tougaloo.
     
Dalla Vecchia, a freshman from Vicenza, Italy, handled all 50 serves she received without an error and had 39 digs, 5.57 per set. Tougaloo was the third consecutive opponent in which she produced match-high dig totals.
     
Black won her first GCAC award. Phillips and Dalla Vecchia have won two apiece this season.
     
XULA defeated Edward Waters 25-16, 25-11, 25-12 Monday at home and will put a six-match win streak on the line Saturday in a 1 p.m. home match against Talladega.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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Nuggets sweep GCAC opener, stretch win streak to 5

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.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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XULA Price earns top-10 finish at Allstate Sugar Bowl meet

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
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Former UMES player signs pro contract in Argentina

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.

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Howard Bison: ‘Coach told us this is the last loss. No more losing for the rest of the season.’

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.

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Former A&T's Tarik Cohen: 10 things you need to know about Chicago Bears rookie

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



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A&T celebrates NFL debut by alumnus, Bears rookie Tarik Cohen (video)

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.



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Grambling expects 'war' against Jackson State

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.

Head Coach Fobbs AP3 Audio - Week 3

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.

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Jackson State's Tony Hughes uses press conference to go right at his critics

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.

Head Coach Hughes - Week 3 AP3 Audio Interview



"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."

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Wilson: UTSA won't look past Southern after Baylor upset

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.



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Latest Bulldogs legend: Darius Leonard now all-time stop king at S.C. State

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.

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North Carolina A&T Aggies Shutout Mars Hill, Improve to 2-0

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 State wins home opener over Howard, 38-31

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.

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With quarterback Austin Howard sidelined by injury, Southern is walloped by Southern Miss 45-0

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.”



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