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DURHAM, North Carolina -- North Carolina Central University overcame a 14-point, first-half deficit and scored the only two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to earn a 33-28 victory over MEAC foe South Carolina State University during a nationally-televised ESPNU contest on Thursday night at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
A swarming NCCU defense registered 12 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including three sacks, while holding the Bulldogs to only 80 yards of total offense in the second half. Junior safety Alden McClellon paced the Eagles with 3.0 stops for a loss with a sack and eight total takedowns. Senior linebacker Reggie Hunter collected a team-best nine tackles with 2.5 hits for a loss and a pass break-up, while fellow linebacker Kenneth O'Neal added eight tackles with 2.0 stops for a loss.
The NCCU defense even contributed in the scoring column, as junior safety Davanta Reynolds halted a S.C. State drive when he returned a fumble 85 yards for a touchdown.
Offensively, NCCU (2-1, 1-0 MEAC) was led by freshman quarterback Chauncey Caldwell with a game-high 91 yards rushing and two passing touchdowns. Caldwell's first pass attempt of the night found senior wide receiver Jordan Fieulleteau in the end zone for a 27-yard score. The Durham, North Carolina native capped the evening with the game-winning 38-yard pass to junior tight end Josh McCoy with 5:24 left in the contest.
Caldwell's heroics may not have been possible if not for sophomore quarterback Naiil Ramadan, who entered the game during a critical drive in the fourth quarter when Caldwell was temporarily sidelined. Ramadan scrambled to his right and fired a strike to senior receiver Jacen Murphy for a 20-yard touchdown.
And while Ramadan proved he's a clutch performer, the right foot of junior kicker Aedan Johnson also proved worthy of the tag. Johnson nailed field goals of 35 and 41 yards to keep the Eagles close in the third quarter, and he converted all three extra-point kicks.
S.C. State (1-2, 0-1 MEAC) was charged by sophomore quarterback Dewann Ford with 223 yards and two touchdowns through the air and a team-high 29 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Linebacker Darius Leonard, the MEAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, amassed a game-best 12 tackles for the Bulldogs.
The Eagles have now won 16 consecutive conference games and 10 straight at home.
After opening the season with three outings in Durham, NCCU will leave the Bull City for the first time next week to play Florida A&M in a second straight Thursday night ESPNU game on Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
BOX SCORE NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
*No. 15/No. 21 North Carolina A&T (3-0, 0-0 MEAC) vs. Morgan State (0-3, 0-0 MEAC) *FCS Coaches Poll/STATS Media Poll Date: Sept. 23, 2017 Time: 7 p.m. Facility: Hughes Stadium (10,000) Series: MSU leads, 43-37-3 Radio: 1320 AM/93.7 FM WCOG; Play-by-play – Donal Ware, Analysts – Al Swann
OFFENSIVE STARTERS FROM LAST GAME: WR Elijah Bell (6-2, 221, So., Leads the nation in receiving TDs); LT Brandon Parker (6-7, 309, R-Sr., three-time reigning O-Lineman of the week in the MEAC); LG Joshua Mattocks (6-3, 331, R-Sr., entering his fourth season as a starter); C Darriel Mack (6-2, 293, R-Sr., held his own against the FBS Charlotte 49ers); RG Daquan Blake (6-1, 290, Jr., Third-team All-MEAC); RT Marcus Pettiford (6-3, 274, R-So., Returns after one-year layoff); WR Khris Gardin (5-7, 185, Sr., did not have a punt return last week); TE Leroy Hill (6-3, 249, R-Jr., All-MEAC tight end); QB Lamar Raynard (6-4, 200, R-Jr., had his third straight game over 200 yards passing); RB Marquell Cartwright (5-8, 201, R-Jr., scored twice against the 49ers); RB Jamari Smith (5-10, 203, Gr., led the Aggies with four receptions).
DEFENSIVE STARTERS FROM LAST GAME: DE Sam Blue (6-1, 247, R-Jr., second on the team in tackles loss (4));NG Kadarius Kendrick (6-4, 277, R-So., has filled in nicely at the nose guard position); DT Justin Cate DE s (6-2, 275, Jr., had a career game at Charlotte, 3 sacks, 7 tackles and earned national acclaim);DE Darryl Johnson (6-5, 226, R-So., leads the team in TFL’s (4.5)); LB Julius Reynolds (5-9, 226, R-Jr., recorded seven tackles on Sat.); LB Kiaundric Richardson (6-0, 214, R-Jr., returned as a starter on Sat.); LB Marcus Albert (5-10, 205, R-Sr., led the Aggies with nine tackles, 1.5 for loss);ROV Jeremy Taylor (5-11, 190, R-Sr., had another solid game, seven tackles); CB Mac McCain (5-11, 174, R-Fr., pick-6 game-winner, enough said); FS Tard McCoy (5-9, 191, R-Sr., had seven tackles in the start); CB Timadre Abram (5-10, 168, R-Jr., Posted five tackles vs. Charlotte).
The Game: The quest to reach Atlanta starts in Baltimore on Saturday for North Carolina A&T as they face Morgan State in each team’s Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener. The Aggies are 33-15 in conference play under head coach Rod Broadway. They are 20-4 in conference play over the past three seasons with three of those losses coming to North Carolina Central and the other coming to South Carolina State. Morgan State enters the game without a point scored this season. The Bears’ competition has been difficult, however. The Bears have faced FBS school Rutgers, FCS nationally-ranked foe Albany and crosstown FCS rival Towson to open the season. Where they have lacked in offense, they have excelled in defense. The Bears are fourth in the MEAC in total defense and first in pass defense.
The Aggies are coming off another big win in the Broadway era. During Broadway’s tenure, the Aggies defeated Appalachian State who was in transition to FBS play in 2013. Last season, they defeated FBS institution Kent State in Kent, Ohio. Charlotte became the latest FBS to fall to N.C. A&T on Saturday as the Aggies used a pick-6 from redshirt freshman Mac McCain to down the 49ers 35-31. The Aggies continued to throw the ball well. Redshirt junior quarterback Lamar Raynard was 16-for-26 for 259 yards and a touchdown. Raynard has completed 72.2 percent of his passes on the season and ranks fifth in the nation in completion percentage. He has at least connected with seven different receivers in all three games. The defensive superstars last week were McCain and his two INTs that both led to touchdowns, and Justin Cates he posted three sacks.
News & Notes
The Aggies are 3-0 for the first time since 2013, they are looking for their first 4-0 start since 1993. Neither season resulted in a MEAC title as the Aggies finished 7-4 in 2013 and 8-3 in 1993.
A&T is off to a 3-0 start for the 20th time in the 94 seasons of Aggies football. The program is seeking its 15th 4-0 start.
Redshirt junior quarterback Lamar Raynard has not thrown an interception in his last 118 throws. The Aggies are only one of 16 FCS programs not throw an interception this season.
The last interception Raynard occurred on Oct. 29, 2016 against Florida A&M. Raynard leads the MEAC in passing yards per game (280.7) and completion percentage (.722).
The Aggies are only one of 18 teams on the FCS level who are undefeated. N.C. A&T and Tennessee State are the only two undefeated FCS HBCU’s in the nation.
Opposing Point of View
“It makes a difference in people’s mind when you’ don’t score points. I am aware of that, I accept that. We’re going to go back to the drawing board and try to figure that out. But we get a fresh start this week. Heading into the MEAC is always exciting, we’re going to be competitive to the best of our ability in every single MEAC game. But at the same time, I don’t know North Carolina A&T is any different than the three teams (Towson, Albany, Rutgers) we just played. They’re pretty doggone good. It’s a tough start in the MEAC, but we’re excited about it. We get a chance to play at home, and we think they give us an opportunity to try to get some things done. It will be a challenge for us. They have good players, they’re big, they’re strong, they’re physical and they play with an attitude.”
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Before Southern can determine the status of senior quarterback Austin Howard for Saturday’s game at Alcorn State, the mailman needs to make an appearance.
SU coach Dawson Odums said earlier this week that he hoped to have an answer on Howard’s status by Thursday — but as of Thursday afternoon, a custom brace for Howard’s injured knee had not arrived.
Without the brace, which was custom-made to fit Howard’s frame, Odums said he wouldn't test Howard’s knee.
“We haven’t been able to test him out. we haven’t been able to run him because you can’t do anything without the brace,” Odums said.
Howard did throw some passes at Thursday morning’s practice, but he was limited to upper-body work.
Odums did not rule him out for this weekend. The Jaguars (1-2) begin Southwestern Athletic Conference play against Alcorn (1-2) at 6 p.m. Saturday in Lorman, Mississippi.
GRAMBLING, Louisiana – There’s no rushing trust. It takes repetitions, performance and time.
Entering the 2017 football season, it was no secret plenty of fresh faces in the receiver group needed to show they could be relied on by Grambling State coaches and senior quarterback DeVante Kincade through reps at practice, but more importantly, stepping up in these early season games.
The receiving corps lost 81 percent of the receiving yard production off last season’s SWAC and HBCU national championship team, and welcomed back just three players that caught a pass from Kincade. Redshirt junior Devohn Lindsey, the leading Tigers pass catcher from a season ago, suffered an injury in the team’s season opener at Tulane and has missed the last two contests.
Through how he’s looked in practice, sophomore Quintin Guice slid into that starting role for the first time and has quickly caught the eye of his coaches and quarterback after a team-high performance of eight catches for 72 yards this past Saturday versus a good Jackson State defense.
“Guice is hungry,” GSU tight ends coach Darrell Kitchen said. “Every day he comes to practice ready to practice, and then Saturday was just the fruits of his labor. He’s been out there, he’s doing some things.” CONTINUE READING
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State’s offense faced several huge questions going into the 2017 season. Among those: Who would play quarterback? Who will step up at receiver? Will the offensive line improve?
More than a quarter of the way into the season, we have some (partial) answers — Brent Lyles, everyone and not yet.
Lyles has been serviceable. He’s completed 52 of his 85 passes for 444 yards and one touchdown. His 104.2 pass efficiency rating is fifth among SWAC quarterbacks, but more importantly, he’s only throwing one interception per 42.5 attempts.
Jackson State players are not being made available for media interviews, so we can’t get Lyles’ take on what’s working — and what’s not — in the Tigers offense. Nor his receivers, for that matter. Nor his offensive line. That leaves it up to our own analysis — with help from Hughes.
First, the numbers.
JSU ranks 113th out of 123 FCS schools in total offense after three games. It is gaining an average of 208 yards of total offense. It ranks 99th in passing, 114th in rushing and the Tigers are tied for 106th in scoring with three offensive touchdowns in as many games.
NEW ORLEANS — This is getting to be a habit for the Xavier University of Louisiana volleyball program.
After sweeping the three Gulf Coast Athletic Conference weekly awards only once in the past two seasons, the Gold Nuggets have stepped up their production in 2017, earning a sweep for the second straight week and the third time in four weeks.
XULA's honorees for Sept. 11-17 are Vivica Price-Spraggins, Attacker of the Week; Tiffany Phillips, Setter of the Week; and Anna Dalla Vecchia, Defender of the Week. Price-Spraggins won for the first time in her career. Phillips and Dalla Vecchia were honored for the second straight week and the third time this season, and Phillips won for the ninth time in her career to extend her XULA record.
Price-Spraggins, a freshman middle blocker/right-side hitter from Chicago and a graduate of Whitney Young Magnet High School, did not commit an attack error in GCAC home victories against Edward Waters and Talladega. She hit .467 for the week with 14 kills in 30 attacks. Against Talladega she became the first XULA player since Moira Kirk in 2013 to hit .400 or better in five straight matches with at least 10 attacks in each match.
Phillips, a sophomore from Gardena, Calif., and a graduate of Bishop Montgomery High School, had a team-best 41 assists — 25 against Edward Waters — and eight digs.
Dalla Vecchia, a freshman from Vicenza, Italy, had 25 digs and successfully passed 40 service receptions without an error. She also produced three aces and seven assists. Dalla Vecchia has yet to commit a reception error in her college career.
XULA (9-1 overall, 3-0 GCAC) won 25-20, 25-22, 21-25, 25-16 Tuesday at William Carey and will put an eight-match win streak on the line Thursday in a 6 p.m. GCAC match at SUNO. The Gold Nuggets, the six-time defending GCAC regular-season and tournament champion, are the only unbeaten team in GCAC matches. Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
NEW ORLEANS — Camren Sewell and Taylor Price, Xavier University of Louisiana's standout harriers, have won Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Runner of the Week awards for the fourth time in as many opportunities this season.
The GCAC awards covered Sept. 11-17.
Sewell, a freshman from Cincinnati and a graduate of LaSalle High School, broke the XULA men's record for 6,000 meters Saturday at the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge, La. Sewell's time was 20 minutes, 8.1 seconds. The previous mark was 21:08 set in 2010. Sewell finished 45th out of 77 runners and was faster than 19 NCAA Division I runners. XULA is a longtime NAIA member.
Price ran the women's 5K at LSU in 20:08 and placed 28th out of 68 runners. A sophomore from Missouri Park, Texas, and a graduate of Ridge Point High School, Price finished ahead of 30 runners from NCAA Division I. The GCAC award is the ninth of her career.
Next for the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will be a non-scored exhibition Oct. 14 in the UNCF Walk/Run for Education at Audubon Park in New Orleans, then the GCAC Championships Oct. 20 at Choctaw Trails in Clinton, Miss. XULA's men and women are 10-time defending GCAC team champions.
HATTIESBURG, Mississippi — Xavier University of Louisiana rolled to its eight straight volleyball victory, a 25-20, 25-22, 21-25, 25-16 decision Tuesday against William Carey.
The Gold Nuggets (9-1) got double-doubles from Kayla Black (18 kills, 10 digs), Eva Le Guillou (23 assists, 12 digs) and Juliana Tomasoni (14 kills, 19 digs), plus a career-best 10 kills from Jaida Dowd.
Black, Le Guillou and Dowd are freshmen.
It was the first time since Aug. 30, 2014, that the Gold Nuggets won a regular-season non-conference match on an out-of-town opponent's court.
"It was a great team effort," first-year head coach Pat Kendrick said. "Adili (Rikondja) and Jaida did a nice job in roles they hadn't played much this season. Kayla and Jules (Tomasoni) had great connections with the setters. Anna (Dalla Vecchia) was very efficient."
Rikondja, normally a right-side hitter, started at middle blocker and finished with four kills and two blocks. Dowd replaced Rikondja on the right side and finished with a flurry, hitting .750 with six kills over the final two sets.
Black produced the most kills in a match by a XULA player this season, and the double-double was her third. Tomasoni matched her season best for digs in her sixth double-double of the season. Le Guillou reached career highs for assists, digs and aces (3).
Black and Tomasoni combined for 21 kills and a .568 hitting percentage in the first two sets.
Also filling up the stat sheet were Tiffany Phillips with 25 assists, Dalla Vecchia with 20 digs — her sixth consecutive match in double figures — and Vivica Price-Spraggins with five kills, three blocks and a career-best five digs.
Megan Zulli had 10 kills and hit .370 for William Carey (7-5), which dropped its third straight. Emma Cotney and Lisa Faolotoi had 13 digs apiece.
XULA outhit William Carey .240 to .199 and had advantages of 56-53 in kills, 8-3 in aces and 6-3 in blocks. Both teams had 79 digs. The Gold Nuggets hit .336 in the sets they won.
XULA, the leader in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference at 3-0, will visit SUNO at 6 p.m. Thursday in a GCAC match. The next home match will start at 6 p.m. Sept. 28 against Dillard at the Convocation Center. BOX SCORE
Key players: Prairie View - QB Lavell McCullers, RB Dawonya Tucker, LB Anthony Stubbs; Alabama State - QB Kobie Jones, RB Darrel King, S Treyon Garnett
Who has the edge
Offense – Prairie View A&M. Coach Willie Simons is looking for a faster start this week after his Panthers were outscored a combined 64-20 in the first half by Sam Houston and Nicholls. Still, they trailed only 30-24 against the high-scoring Bearkats after Tucker scored on a 19-yard run with 5:59 showing in the third. The Panthers average 5.0 yards per carry behind Tucker (19-107, 3 TDs) and McCullers (22-131, 1 TD).
Defense – Alabama State. Hornets opponents are averaging ...
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana --The first time Kentavious Preston saw Lenorris Footman on a football field, he had no idea who the Alcorn State quarterback was.
Preston remembers it quite vividly.
It was 2015, and it was pouring in A.W. Mumford Stadium. The Jaguars thought they got a break when Alcorn’s starting quarterback, John Gibbs, left the game on the first drive with an apparent injury.
At the time, Gibbs was the reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, a perpetual thorn in Southern’s side. Over the previous three seasons, he had led the Braves to three straight wins, scoring six touchdowns and piling up 770 yards of total offense.
The Jaguars didn't know who was waiting for them behind Gibbs.
Over the next 46 minutes, Footman ran for 274 yards and four touchdowns, a SWAC record for a quarterback. He also threw for another two touchdowns on 71 yards.
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- And the band played on….
The bands that are a big part of the HBCU game-day experience will be allowed to play in the CIAA this season.
The athletics directors from all the CIAA schools held a conference call with commissioner Jacqie McWilliams on Thursday morning and decided that home-team athletics directors will make the decision on whether visiting team’s band will play, said Tonia Walker, athletics director at WSSU.
Earlier this year, the NCAA mandated a strict 20-minute halftime would be enforced this season for all divisions of football. That means penalties could be called if bands are not off the field before the start of the second half.
With that in mind, there was talk of the CIAA limiting its halftimes to allowing only the home team’s band to play. But Walker said that won’t happen at WSSU home games this season.
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- The South Carolina State Bulldogs football team needs to hit the ground running, and passing, and kicking and tackling when they open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play on ESPNU this Thursday night at North Carolina Central.
S.C. State head football coach Buddy Pough realizes the MEAC standings picture could be a lot clearer by the end of this month, once his team plays the league favorites.
S.C. State's next two opponents are in the Top 4 rankings in this week's SBN Sports Network Black College Football Poll and in both the coaches' and media polls from BoxToRow.
The Bulldogs will play in Durham, N.C., against the Eagles (1-1) this week and then play host to unbeaten North Carolina A&T (3-0) on Saturday, Sept. 30. NCCU, the defending conference champion, was picked to finish first again this season, followed by N.C. A&T and S.C. State, at Nos. 2 and 3 respectively.
Coming off Saturday's home-opening 41-0 win against Johnson C. Smith, Pough likes the direction his team is headed, with solid play on defense and special teams supporting an emerging offense. CONTINUE READING
NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Tennessee State climbed to No. 20 in both FCS national polls on Monday, which is the second-highest ranking for the Tigers since being No. 1 in 1999.
After defeating Florida A&M 24-13 on Saturday in the Tampa Classic at Raymond James Stadium, the Tigers improved to 3-0 and moved up in both the STATS FCS and Coaches polls.
The Tigers were 22nd in the STATS poll and 24th in the Coaches poll heading into that game.
"What I like about the ranking is that it's not only recognition for the football team and the athletic program, but it also puts Tennessee State on the map," coach Rod Reed said. "You can look in the newspaper and all the other media platforms and see TSU there every day for a solid couple of weeks. It's great marketing for the university."
TSU’s highest ranking ever came in 1999 when the Tigers went 11-0 in the regular season under coach L.C. Cole. That team lost in the first round of the national playoffs to North Carolina A&T.
The best ranking since then came in 2012 when Reed led the Tigers to a 7-0 start. That team climbed to No. 17 in the Sports Network (now the STATS) poll and No. 18 in the Coaches poll.
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Tony Hughes is a sore loser.
He's as frustrated as anyone about the Tigers' slow start to the 2017 season.
"When I was a kid playing marbles, If I started to lose I would take my marbles and go home," he said Monday. "You weren't going to beat me with my own marbles. If it was football, I'd take my ball and go inside or we'd play all day until I wore you down and finally beat you before I'd go home."
That explains his statements from last week, when he called out his critics at his regularly-scheduled weekly press conference.
But Hughes struck a different tone this week. Despite dropping a 36-21 road game at Grambling Saturday, he sounded optimistic as his Tigers (0-3) head into their first home game and SWAC opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
"My statements last week were not aimed at any one person or one particular group," Hughes said. "It was basically my frustration from being 0-3. Sometimes you might say something that comes out that might be offensive... but basically, I love winning, and I hate losing."
ROCKY MOUNT, North Carolina – The Elizabeth City State University football team gained 510 yards of total offense in 79 plays to defeat the Fayetteville State University Broncos, 45-42 in the 20th Annual Down East Vikings Football Classic at the Rocky Mount Municipal Sports Complex, Saturday evening.
With the win, the Vikings improve to 2-1; while FSU falls to 1-2 on the season.
With 8:37 remaining in the ballgame, FSU’s Brandon Smith returned a 90-yard kickoff, tying the game at 42-all. Senior quarterback DeQuan Neal and the ECSU offense marched the ball down the field using 10-plays, 36-yards, and every bit of 5:35 of the game clock to setup kicker Joshua Laverty for the game-winning field goal with 2:50 remaining in the contest.
The Elizabeth City State defense held FSU’s offense on its final drive to claim the moral victory. A back and forth scoring contest, junior running back Gregory Bryan got things started for the Vikings, scoring on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Neal in the opening seven minutes of the contest.
Freshman Greg Williams added a blocked punt that went out the back of the end zone, giving ECSU a slight 9-7 advantage. Laverty recorded a 26-yard field goal with 2:38 remaining in the first quarter, gifting the Vikings a 12-7 lead. The Broncos came rushing back with a score of their own and with 2:15 remaining in the first quarter on a 50-yard run from scrimmage, making it a 14-12 contest.
The Vikings once again answered, when Neal connected with sophomore running back Deshon Saunders on a 23-yard touchdown pass play, taking a 19-14 lead. FSU returned the favor by recording two more touchdowns before the half, taking a 28-19 lead into halftime.
Elizabeth City State’s defense came out of halftime on fire, making two huge stops; which eventually led to points and regaining a 29-28 lead over the Broncos. The Vikings never looked back. A basket catch by sophomore tight end Carlton Evans from Neal gave ECSU a seven point deficit over FSU. The Broncos would drive 66-yards down the field using only one play to knot the game up at 35-all.
Saunders added another score for the Vikings, making it a 42-35 contest. Fayetteville State’s running back Stevie Green was named Offensive Player of the Game after finishing with 255 yards on 23 carries; while ECSU’s Miacah Cooper was named Defensive Player of the Game with 5.5 tackles. Neal finished with four touchdowns, 355 yards passing, on 31 completions in 44 attempts.
The Vikings return home to host Johnson C. Smith next Saturday in Roebuck Stadium. 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
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- Whether it is Boone in 2013 or Kent, Ohio in 2016 or the North Carolina A&T football team’s latest conquest in Charlotte on Saturday night, the North Carolina A&T football team has become adept at going on the road and winning games conventional wisdom says they cannot win.
The Aggies (No. 20 FCS Coaches Poll/No. 25 STATS Media Poll) defeated Division I-FBS and Conference-USA member Charlotte, 35-31, behind a game-winning pick-6 from redshirt freshman Franklin “Mac” McCain III in front of a record-crowd 19,651 at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
It was McCain’s second interception of the game, both leading to touchdowns. The Aggies are now 3-0 for the first time since 2013. In the process, they defeated an FBS for the second straight season (FBS schools are awarded approximately 20 more scholarship equivalents than the FCS level, the level N.C. A&T plays on). N.C. A&T also won at Appalachian State in 2013 when the Mountaineers were making the transition to FBS and last season they won at Kent State.
“For our little ragtag bunch from Greensboro to come over here and play with the big boys and come out with a win is a big deal,” said N.C. A&T head coach Rod Broadway who earned his 50th coaching win at N.C. A&T, making him only the fourth coach in school history with 50 wins at the university. He joined William Bell (51 wins, 1946-56), Bert Piggot (55 wins, 1957-67) and Bill Hayes (106 wins, 1988-2002).
“I thought we really had a chance to distance ourselves a little bit scoring wise at one point,” Broadway continued. “But you have to give them credit, they hung in there and made us earn everything we got.”
N.C. A&T took its biggest lead of the game, 28-10 with 9:33 remaining in the third quarter, thanks to a 1-yard touchdown from redshirt junior Marquell Cartwright. Cartwright’s touchdown was set up by a 22-yard interception return to the 49ers 10-yard line by McCain. The Aggies maintained that advantage until the tail end of the third quarter when the 49ers took only 1:24 to go six plays in 63 yards to score on a 29-yard touchdown pass from former Aggies quarterback Hasaan Klugh to T.L. Ford II as the clock ticked zero to end the quarter.
“That’s the area of the game that really sticks out in my mind,” said Broadway. “We hardly used up any time, and they get the ball with two minutes to go in the quarter and go score. We still have a whole quarter left. We should have been able to take the clock down to 14, 13 minutes left to go in the fourth quarter, so we’ve got to manage the clock and little bit better than we did over the last few minutes of the third quarter.”
The Aggies opened the fourth quarter by advancing the ball to the Niners 42, but they were forced to punt, giving the Niners the ball at their own 10 with 10:27 remaining in the game. The Niners (0-3) kept their momentum going by putting together a 12-play, 90-yard drive that ended with Klugh completing a 4-yard touchdown pass to R.J. Tyler. The Niners converted the two-point conversion to slice the Aggies lead to 28-25 with 6:12 to play in the game.
After taking possession, the Aggies did take 3:48 off the clock before having to punt, giving the Niners possession at their own 16. Six plays later, on a 4th-and-10 from the Charlotte 31, Klugh slipped through the Aggies defense for a 15-yard run. He fumbled toward the end of the run, but it was recovered by teammate Uriah Lemay for a first down. Klugh then completed a 13-yard pass to Lemay to advance the ball to the Aggies 44.
But on the next play, McCain anticipated the sideline throw from Klugh and picked off his pass for a 74-yard INT TD return to give the Aggies a 35-25 lead with 29 seconds remaining.
“I saw the three-step (drop) coming. I trusted what I saw on film and my technique and made a play. It felt good because it’s my first time really getting out there,” said McCain who redshirted last season.
Amazingly, Charlotte scored again on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Klugh to Workpeh Kofa with 13 seconds remaining. But the Niners ensuing on-side kick went out of bounds to end their comeback efforts.
N.C. A&T redshirt junior quarterback Lamar Raynard led the Aggies offensively by throwing for 259 yards and a touchdown on 16-for-26 passing. In addition to his two picks, McCain also had eight tackles. Fifth-year linebacker Marcus Albert led the Aggies with nine tackles and a sack. Justin Cates finished with three sacks.
Saturday did not start well for the Aggies. They fumbled the opening kickoff which led to a 14-yard touchdown run by Klugh. N.C. A&T recovered by scoring the next 21 points as they took a 21-10 lead into the locker room at halftime.
“We did enough to win, but you can see a lot of areas of improvement we can make from this point on,” said Broadway. “We’re a good football team, and if we can stay healthy we have a chance to be a really good football team. But we’ve got to clean some things up. Overall, I’m extremely proud of my guys.”
Conference play starts for the Aggies next week as they travel to Baltimore to face the Morgan State Bears, Saturday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m.
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
COLLEGE PARK, Georgia — Charlene Goreau and Catalin Fifea won singles titles for Xavier University of Louisiana Saturday at the HBCU National Tennis Championships. Goreau defeated Jackson State's Tyler Smith 6-4, 7-5 to win the main draw of the women's A-bracket. Fifea won the men's A-bracket consolation title with an 8-1 decision against Alabama A&M's Nishangan Nadaraja. Goreau and Fifea were NAIA All-Americans for XULA last season. Goreau earned that honor for the second straight year. "Charlene played phenomenally," XULA coach Alan Green said. "She showed that her fitness level is better than last year, and she's playing with more confidence." Goreau gained revenge for a 6-4, 7-5 loss to Smith in a dual match at JSU this past April. Fifea won three consecutive consolation matches after losing in a super-tiebreaker in the main draw Thursday. This was the first XULA event of the 2017-18 academic year. The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will return to the Atlanta area for the ITA NAIA South Regional Championships, a three-day tournament which will begin Friday at Lawrenceville, Ga. Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana closed with a flurry Saturday, hitting .550 and serving six aces during a 13-minute third set to clinch a 25-17, 25-22, 25-5 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball victory against Talladega at the Convocation Center.
The Gold Nuggets (8-1, 3-0), in the best start of their 10 seasons of existence, won their seventh in a row.
Juliana Tomasoni produced 10 kills and eight digs for XULA. Kayla Black had nine kills and a career-best five aces, and Vivica Price-Spraggins had seven kills and hit .417. Price-Spraggins hit better than .400 for the fifth consecutive match.
The Gold Nuggets served a season-best 13 aces. Amanda Perry tied her career best with three, and Anna Dalla Vecchia and Eva Le Guillou served two apiece. Le Guillou equaled her career best.
Dalla Vecchia had a match-high 12 digs and reached double figures for the fifth consecutive match. Tiffany Phillips (16 assists) and Le Guillou (14) again shared the setting.
Jennifer Brown had six kills for Talladega (2-6, 0-2), the GCAC runner-up a year ago, and Bethany Holland had 15 assists and 11 digs.
XULA built a 22-10 first-set lead. In the middle set the Gold Nuggets rallied from 4-0 and 13-10 deficits. XULA pulled away in the final set with a 16-1 run that included three aces from Black and two from Le Guillou.
The Gold Nuggets will visit William Carey at 6 p.m. Tuesday and SUNO at 6 p.m. Thursday. The next home match will be Sept. 28 against Dillard, the only other team unbeaten in GCAC matches. BOX SCORE
SAN ANTONIA, Texas -- When Southern looks back at its UTSA game film in search of positives to take away, it might as well fast forward to the second half.
What to take away from this game? The takeaways, of course.
Southern forced four turnovers in the final 24 minutes Saturday. They were the driving force of a second half where the Jaguars outscored the host Roadrunners 17-3.
“I think it gives our guys a little momentum. They can understand if they do what’s asked of them, they’ve got a chance to be successful,” Southern coach Dawson Odums said.
“It’s good to see that excitement. It’s good to see some positive plays, something to draw from.”
Danny Johnson got things started. The senior cornerback tied for the Football Championship Subdivision lead with seven interceptions last season and snared his first of 2017 when he picked off a wobbly pass by UTSA backup Bryce Rivers.
It was a good start, Johnson said. But Southern needs to get in the act earlier.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Seeking a bounce-back performance, Southern instead hit the repeat button.
A week after getting clobbered 45-0 by Southern Miss, the Jaguars experienced much of the same in a lopsided 51-17 loss to UT-San Antonio.
"It was pretty much the same thing," senior defensive end Aaron Tiller said.
Like the Southern Miss game, things quickly spun out of control. The Jaguars were in a 48-0 hole by the time the first half came to a close. In the last two weeks, Southern (1-2) has been outscored 83-0 in the first half.
The formula for how the opposition built that huge deficit was also familiar: A poor offensive effort contributed to disadvantageous situations for a defense that gave up too many big plays.
"They moved the ball up and down the field, and we couldn't manifest anything," Southern coach Dawson Odums said. "It makes for a long game, but I really think (UTSA) had a lot to do with it. They're a very good football team, and they played well."
With senior quarterback Austin Howard sidelined for the second straight game with a knee injury, Southern’s offense was again a near complete nonfactor.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Darquez Lee made his first career start, but the Jaguars mustered only 18 yards in five drives before he was removed in favor of true freshman Bubba McDaniel.
DURHAM, North Carolina -- In his first career start, sophomore quarterback Vidal Woodruff (Tampa, FL) connected 25-of-35 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns to help the Shaw University football team to its first win of the 2017 season with a 34-27 victory over Malone University Saturday afternoon at Durham County Memorial Stadium.
The victory snapped a two-game skid for Shaw as the Bears now stand 1-2 on the season and Malone falls to 0-2.
Junior running back Michael Sherman (Powder Springs, GA) carried the load on the ground with 19 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown while senior wide receiver Trevante Long (Greenbelt, MD) hauled in 85 yards and one touchdown on seven receptions.
The Bears produced a total of 458 yards, including 224 rushing and 234 passing while Malone accounted for 427 total offense (110 rushing, 317 passing).
Shaw scored the game's first touchdown led by an eight-yard pass from Woodruff to freshman wide receiver Daniel Bender (Jacksonville, FL) at the 12:42 mark but the next possession down, the Pioneers responded with a score of their own after a 45-yard run from Matt Blasiole into the endzone that would even up the score at 7-7 after the extra points.
Still in the first quarter, the Bears found their offensive groove as Woodruff hit Long up the middle for a 19-yard score, following a four-yard scamper from junior running back Uriah Bethea (Upper Marlboro, MD) in the second quarter with 10:19 remaining that would give Shaw a 20-7 advantage.
Shaw held Malone scoreless in the second frame as Woodruff would link with Bender again for his second career touchdown to close out the first half with a 27-7 lead at intermission.
The Pioneers opened up the second half with a score on a 5-play drive worth 44 yards to cut the Bears lead to 27-14 at the 12:33 mark. Shaw responded down the stretch with a one-yard touchdown from Sherman that gave the Bears a 34-14 frame but momentum shifted in favor of Malone as the Pioneers would not surrender just yet.
Malone closed the gap to pull within 14 before scoring its last touchdown of the game on a 12-yard pass from John Lacucci to James Jackson but great defense by the Bears down the stretch prevailed Shaw to the victory.
Defensively, freshman defensive back Jaleel Scroggins (Raleigh, NC) recorded a team-best and career-high 11 tackles (10 solo) and two tackle for losses, while sophomore linebacker Devon Hunt (Rockingham, NC) grabbed nine tackles (8 solo ) and a quarterback hurry.
Shaw will begin conference play next weekend when they travel to Bowie, Md. for a contest with Bowie State University. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on Shaw football and its 13 varsity sport teams, visit shawbears.com.
BOX SCORE SHAW UNIVERSITY BEARS SPORTS INFORMATION
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — Freshman Cameron Sewell broke the Xavier Univeristy of Louisiana men's cross country record for 6,000 meters Saturday at the LSU Invitational.
Sewell, from Cincinnati and a graduate of La Salle High School, ran the course at Highland Road Park in 20 minutes, 8.1 seconds. Ray Walson set the previous school record of 21:08 in 2010.
Sewell placed 45th out of 77 runners and was the fastest Gold Rush finisher for the fourth time in as many meets this season. Sewell finished ahead of 19 NCAA Division I runners. XULA is an NAIA member.
Sophomore Taylor Price led the XULA women for the fourth time this year, running the 5K in 20:08.6 and placing 28th out of 68 runners. Price finished ahead of 30 NCAA DI runners.
It was the final XULA meet before the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships Oct. 20 at Clinton, Miss. Both XULA teams are 10-time defending GCAC champions.
COLLEGE PARK, Georgia — Xavier University of Louisiana's Charlene Goreau defeated two NCAA Division I opponents Friday to reach the championship round of the women's singles A-bracket of the HBCU National Tennis Championships.
Goreau, a two-time NAIA All-American and the No. 2 seed at this event, defeated Florida A&M's 10th-seeded Haleigh Porter 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals and Jackson State's 11th-seeded Nina Zhang 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 in the semifinals.
"Charlene was mentally tough," 15th-year XULA coach Alan Green said. "Both of her opponents never quit on the matches, but Charlene kept her head and pushed through."
Joining Goreau in Saturday's finals will be XULA's Catalin Fifea, who won a pair of matches in men's A consolation singles. Fifea defeated Howard's Karim Shokeir 8-2 in the quarterfinals.
In the men's B singles main draw, Gabriel Niculescu defeated Jackson State's Vishu Prasad in the quarterfinals, then lost 6-4, 6-3 to Bluefield State's Giorgi Datashvili in the semifinals. In men's C singles quarterfinals, Pierre Andrieu lost 6-3, 6-1 to Bluefield State's top-seeded Lorenzo Panariti. In women's singles, Manon Bonada lost 6-3, 5-7, 1-0 (10-5) to Howard's Yassmine Khiri in the B quarterfinals, and Yi Chen Pao lost 6-0, 6-0 to Tennessee State's Aarushi Kakkar in the C quarterfinals.
