from THE EDITOR: Through the Eyes of a Fallen Rattler

DWIGHT FLOYD
GAME REPORT

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- If you are a Morgan State Bear you are still wondering how the referees could give the ball back to South Carolina State after Morgan recovers a fumble for a touchdown and the refs inadvertently blow the whistle post-fumble. Florida A&M may have wished for such a whistle, but it never came. The Rattlers gained almost 500 yards of offense, but that same offense was generous in giving the other team 21 points by way of three critical errors.

In Tallahassee, Florida and around the country, there are fans who are depressed, frustrated, angry, and ready to fire THE HEAD COACH. The centerpiece of the Tallahassee community has fallen, dare I say once again, and there is no belief that the leader has any charisma, strategy, or wisdom to bring us the victory.

We want our players to have character. We have adopted the motto, the idea, that they must be winners in the classroom, in life, and on the field. Truly accomplishing this would be a great victory, namely because in most places the success of the individual player is secondary. That is, the real slogan for most of football at every level is based on success on the field, then in the classroom, and maybe in life.

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XULA Athletics is NAIA COC 5-Star winner for 2016-17

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana has received a silver rating — an improvement from the previous year — among the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' Champions of Character Five-Star Award winners for 2016-17.

NAIA members receive points in character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion. Points also are earned based on exceptional student-athlete grade-point averages throughout the course of the academic year.

XULA received a bronze rating for 2015-16.

"Xavier Athletics is excited to move up in the NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Award standings," said Director of Athletics & Recreation Jason Horn. "Our coaches and student-athletes are striving to return to the gold level."

Through the Champions of Character program, the NAIA seeks to create an environment in which every student-athlete, coach, official and spectator is committed to the true spirit of competition through five core values: integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.

XULA is one of four Gulf Coast Athletic Conference members to receive the Five-Star Award for 2016-17. The others are Dillard, Edward Waters and Talladega. The GCAC was one of 18 conferences to earn a Five-Star Award.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Tomasoni digs up a GCAC Defender of the Week award

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Juliana Tomasoni on Monday received the fourth Gulf Coast Athletic Conference weekly volleyball award of her career, but her first for defense.

Tomasoni was named Defender of the Week for Oct. 2-8 after averaging five digs per set and handling 47-of-47 service receptions without an error during the Gold Nuggets' 2-0 week — home victories against William Carey and Philander Smith. Tomasoni — an outside hitter from Nova Trento, Brazil, and a graduate of two-year Northeastern Oklahoma A&M — was part of a defensive effort that limited Philander Smith to a minus-.110 hitting percentage.

This is Tomasoni's second GCAC award of 2017. The other three of her career were for Attacker of the Week.

XULA (13-2) will visit Spring Hill (16-2) at 6 p.m. Thursday in a matchup of league leaders. The Gold Nuggets hold a two-match lead in the loss column against Dillard in the GCAC; the Badgers are the top team in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference of NCAA Division II.

The Gold Nuggets will play their next five matches on the road before returning home to face SUNO at 6 p.m. Oct. 26 in the Convocation Center.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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WSSU football still searching for complete game

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- There’s no panic yet at Winston-Salem State.

Sure, the Rams might not be as dominant as in years past, but they are at least winning games. Last week’s 27-22 victory over winless Johnson C. Smith wasn’t a thing of beauty, but it beats the alternative, according to coach Kienus Boulware.

“I’ll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day,” Boulware said. “You don’t want to hear ‘you played pretty good but lost.’ We don’t operate like that around here.”



The Rams (4-2, 1-0 Southern Division) will hit the road this week and take on St. Aug’s (2-4, 1-0) in Raleigh at 1 p.m.

Maybe hitting the road after two straight home games will get the Rams’ offense going again. WSSU hasn’t shown balance on offense since the opener against UNC Pembroke.

The way to stop the Rams has been exploited by opponents.

“Teams are putting a lot of guys in the box because of our solid running game,” Boulware said. “Crowding the line of scrimmage is what we are seeing a lot of these days.”

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Jenkins wants closure with ASU

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Former Alabama State football coach Brian Jenkins wants to set some things straight.

Jenkins was fired Friday afternoon after two-plus seasons, posting a 10-17 overall record with the Hornets.

Jenkins spent last weekend watching his son's prep football game and tending to his mother in Florida.

Jenkins said he has no issues with not being part of ASU's "future plan."

I just want to make sure I thank all the people who supported me during my time here," Jenkins said Monday to the Advertiser in his first interview since being fired. "We tried to make this work, but we came to an understanding. It's been pleasant. I'm still supportive of the program and the players."

Jenkins admitted the atmosphere created as he arrived at ASU in 2015 was a difficult situation to navigate.

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S.C. STATE FOOTBALL: Bulldogs still building offensive unit in preparation for road games

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- Having won two of three home games in their last four contests, the South Carolina State Bulldogs (2-3 overall, 1-2 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) will travel to play their next two football games.

The hope is that the offensive output seen in Friday night's second half in a 35-14 home win against Morgan State travels well. The 28 unanswered points added up to the biggest scoring outburst the team has produced this season.



"We won a football game and now it's one of those situations where we need to figure out how to keep it going," Bulldogs head coach Buddy Pough said on Monday at his weekly press conference. "We played pretty ordinarily against Morgan State on Friday night, but we did finally find a running back who wanted to do a little something.

"I was proud of the fact that we came back to win after being down (10-7) at the half. I couldn't fathom what it would be like around here this week had we lost that game."

Redshirt senior receiver-turned-tailback Trey Samuel broke out for 146 rushing yards on 19 carries and scored three touchdowns to give the Bulldogs the most potent pop of offense the team has had this season. Redshirt junior receiver Quan Caldwell also caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from redshirt sophomore quarterback Dewann Ford Jr., and redshirt senior All-American linebacker Darius Leonard returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown.

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Homecoming week brings intensity for FAMU

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- So far, Florida A&M head coach Alex Wood has rewarded fans who’ve come to see the Rattlers for homecoming.

Wood, now in his third season at the helm, won his first two homecoming games as coach of the Rattlers. The 2015 homecoming win was expected – the MEAC has far more formidable opponents than Delaware State – but the 2016 victory was an upset.



Last season, the Rattlers dropped Hampton in front of a season-high crowd of 26,044, beating a team that went on to finish tied for third in the conference.

Once again, Wood’s Rattlers are underdogs in their own homecoming. FCS No. 15 North Carolina A&T is this year’s opponent, and the Rattlers haven’t beaten the Aggies since 2011.

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ASU coordinator has been out all season with serious illness

COACH MARK ORLANDO'
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
ASU HORNETS
Courtesy: Alabama State Athletics

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State has been without a very important part of its team all season.

Interim coach Donald Hill-Eley said offensive coordinator Mark Orlando left the team a week before the season as he is battling a serious illness.

“Now you’re trying to scrap to get things done,” Hill-Eley said during Monday’s SWAC coaches teleconference. “We don’t have the autonomy of the big schools to say, OKoa, the offensive coordinator, he’s on sick leave, so let me go hire another one.”

COACH DONALD HILL-ELEY TELECONFERENCE

A wide receivers coach, Hill-Eley replaced Brian Jenkins, who was fired after last week’s 24-10 loss to Alcorn State. Off to its worst start since 1997, ASU (0-5, 0-2 SWAC) has struggled mightily on offense.

Out of 123 Division I-AA schools, the Hornets are next to last in the nation in scoring offense at 7.4 points a game.

ASU is 121st in total offense (218.4 yards a game) and 120th in passing offense (105.6 yards a game). The Hornets have received inconsistent quarterback play out of redshirt freshmen Kobie Jones and Darryl Pearson Jr., an Arkansas State transfer, but not having Orlando has played a part in that.

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Georgia Tech to open 2018 season vs. Alcorn State

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will open the 2018 season vs. the Alcorn State Braves, the school has announced.

Georgia Tech will host Alcorn State on Saturday, Sept. 1 at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. The game will be the second meeting between the two schools following a 69-6 Georgia Tech victory in 2015.

Alcorn State is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Braves are 4-2 overall and 2-0 in SWAC play this season.

The addition of Alcorn State completes Georgia Tech’s non-conference schedule for the 2018 season. The Yellow Jackets are also scheduled to play at USF on Sept. 8, host Bowling Green on Sept. 29, and play at in-state rival Georgia on Nov. 24.

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Hughes: Tuskegee no pushover for Jackson State in 5th Quarter Classic

MOBILE, Alabama -- Most coaches like to talk up their upcoming opponent, no matter how good they think they are or what they expect to happen on game day.

Alabama coach Nick Saban talked about Ole Miss like they were primed for an upset. He called them an explosive offensive team with a great passing game, and said the Rebels were playing a lot better on defense - aggressive and physical.

Then the Tide rolled to a 66-3 win.



COACH TONY HUGHES TELECONFERENCE

It's just what coaches do. If their team wins, it makes the fans feel that much better about a victory. If they lose, he can always so "I told you so."

But Tony Hughes isn't just blowing smoke when he says Division-II foe Tuskegee is going to give Jackson State all they can handle this Saturday in Mobile.

"This is not a typical Division-II opponent we're going down there to play this Saturday," Hughes said. "This is going to be a phenomenal challenge."

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Grambling's emphasis on turnovers pays off

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Leading up to his team’s annual showdown at the State Fair Classic with Prairie View A&M last week, Grambling State head football coach Broderick Fobbs fielded a barrage of questions regarding the Panthers defense and how well it had performed up to that point.

By the end of his weekly press conference Tuesday morning, the Tigers coach had enough.

“What about our defense?” Fobbs asked. “I mean, we’re plus-11 in the turnover margin. People lose sight of that. So, what about what we’ve been able to do defensively?”



BRODERICK FOBBS TELECONFERENCE

Well, the Tigers (5-1, 2-0) widened that margin Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, beginning with the game’s opening series when GSU senior safety Kendall Hill intercepted Panther quarterback Lavell McCuller on the way to causing three turnovers, while keeping a clean sheet offensively themselves in the 34-21 victory.

Sophomore linebacker Deandre Hogues, who earned the SWAC Defensive Player of the Week honor with three tackles for loss and five total stops, forced a fumble while senior linebacker Deontae Hatter and redshirt junior defensive lineman Brandon Varner both had a fumble recovery Saturday to stretch the G-Men’s turnover rate to plus-14, tops in the conference by a substantial gap. Southern is second in the SWAC in turnover margin at plus-4.

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SWAC coaches 'hate' seeing Jenkins lose job midseason

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Seeing Alabama State fire Brian Jenkins midway through the season left James Spady perplexed.

“For football coaches to see something like this go down in the middle of the season is disconcerted,” the Alabama A&M coach said during Monday’s SWAC coaches teleconference.

ASU let Jenkins go after losing 24-10 to Alcorn State last week to drop to 0-5 and have its worst start since 1997. The Hornets won just four of their last 1
6 games under Jenkins, but the news of his firing was still jarring.

DONALD HILL-ELEY TELECONFERENCE

“Just talking to him after the game, you kind of sensed things in a way,” Alcorn State coach Fred McNair said. “I hate to see anybody lose their job. I was talking to my coaching staff about it when it happened. It was kind of disheartening. You’ve got a man there with family, kids and things of nature, and midway through the season, you lose your job.”

ASU (0-5, 0-2 SWAC) will now move forward and look to win its first game Saturday at Texas Southern (0-5, 0-1) with Donald Hill-Eley as interim head coach.

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No 9 Langston Halts Lane Dragons, Remain Unbeaten

JACKSON, Tennessee -- The No. 9 Langston Lions pushed their win streak to five games after holding off the Lane College Dragons 27-21 in a non-conference tilt on Saturday, Oct. 7.

The Lions jumped out to an early lead following a 18-yard touchdown run from Milton Harper (SR/Tulsa, Okla.) at the 10:36 mark in the first quarter; Langston started with a short at the Dragons 45-yard line following a fumble recovery on a punt.

Three drives later, Langston marched their way to the Lane College 21-yard line before two penalties, two rushing attempts for four yards and an incomplete pass had the Lions facing a fourth-and-21; Jaylen Lowe (JR/Collinsville, Okla.) cooked up a bit of magic and hit Cedric Jackson (JR/Marrero, La.) for a 32-yard touchdown to put Langston ahead 14-0 at the end of the first.

Langston tacked on another score prior to intermission after Tim Whitfield (FR/Meeker, Okla.) scored on a one-yard run to cap an 11-play, 62-yard drive at the 5:14 mark in the second half.



Harper pushed the Lions to 27-0 after hooking up with Elyon Zeigler (SO/New Orleans, La.) for a 12-yard touchdown pass with 5:33 remaining in the third quarter.

The Dragons countered with a seven-play, 62-yard scoring drive which ended with Marquez Pickett tossing a 30-yard touchdown into the hands of Aaron Thomas; Lane College continued to chip away at the lead in the fourth quarter following a four-yard TD run by Marcus Holiday and another 30-yard touchdown pass from Pickett to Omari Hampton at the 5:30 mark in the fourth quarter.

Lane College retained possession at the 4:08 mark and marched to the Langston 48-yard line but three straight incompletions by Pickett halted the Dragons scoring drive attempt. The Dragons regained possession once more with 2:13 remaining at the Langston 20-yard line.

Facing a 2nd-and-10 at the 20-yard line, the Lions defense stood tall when Malik Argue (SR/New Orleans, La.) sacked Pickett for a 15-yard loss to pin the Dragons back to their own five-yard line. Pickett completed two straight passes but only netted one yard in the process to seal the road victory for the Lions.

Harper led the Lions passing attacked, finishing seven-for-13 for 116 yards and one touchdown; Lowe completed four-for-nine for 56 yards and one touchdown. Tim Whitfield anchored the ground game with 68 yards on 13 rushes with one touchdown; Jackson finished with five catches for 85 yards and one touchdown.

Defensively, James Cox (SO/Hammond, La.) led Langston with eight total tackles included two tackles for loss. Dennis Gafford (FR/Houston, Texas), Michael Smith (SR/Compton, Calif.), Jamarie Finnie and Peter Gordon (JR/Del City, Okla.) all finished second on team with seven total tackles.
Langston (5-0, 3-0) returns to CSFL action next week when they host Texas College in the Black Wall Street Classic in Tulsa, Okla. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

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LANGSTON UNIVERSITY LIONS ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Virginia Union Panthers Overpower Lincoln (PA) to Go 3-0 in CIAA

RICHMOND, Virginia -- Virginia Union University's Darius Taylor complete eight of 14 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns as the Panthers over-powered Lincoln (Pa.) University 45-23 on Saturday, October 7, in Lincoln University, Pa.

Taylor now has 11 passing touchdowns and 1,077 yards passing on the season.

VUU's Arron Baker rushed for 137 yards on 10 carries, marking the first time Baker has went over the century mark in rushing yards at VUU.

Virginia Union's Chazton McKenzie led the Panthers with three catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. VUU's Jewison Dawkins and Lavatiae Kelly also caught touchdown passes in the win.

VUU's Sterling Hammond led the Panthers with nine tackles and also recovered a Lincoln fumble.

Virginia Union posted the second-highest offensive output of the season with 488 yards in total offense. Union's highest total this season came against Fayetteville State University when VUU racked up 511 yards in total offense.

The win also kept VUU in a first-place tie with Bowie State University and Virginia State University for first-place in the Nothern Division of the CIAA. All three schools have idential 3-0 conference records and 1-0 divisional records.

Virginia Union now returns to Hovey Field in Richmond, Va., to face Chowan University at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 14 in the Luc
ille M. Brown Community Youth Bowl.

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VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

HBCU Judgement Day Scoreboard -- Week 6 Finals

SATURDAY, October 7, 2017



MEAC
North Carolina Central 13, Howard 7
North Carolina A&T 44, Delaware State 3
Norfolk State 35, Florida A&M 28
Hampton 17, Savannah State 10
South Carolina State 35, Morgan State 14, Friday

OVC
Tennessee State 45, ,Eastern Kentucky 21

SWAC
Grambling State 34, Prairie View A&M 21, State Fair Classic
Southern 35, Alabama A&M 14
Mississippi Valley State 38, Arkansas Pine Bluff 31
Kennesaw State 48, Texas Southern 3
Alcorn State 24, Alabama State 10, Thursday

OTHER CONF.
Texas College 21, Texas Wesleyan 11
Edward Waters 56, University of God's Chosen 12
Lock Haven  62, Cheyney 0



SIAC
Miles 41, Central State (OH) 20
West Virginia State 35, Kentucky State 23
Albany State 30, Lincoln (MO) 10
Langston  27, Lane 21
Tuskegee 23. Morehouse 17  O.T.
Fort Valley State 41, Clark Atlanta 24

CIAA
Saint Augustine's 30, Livingstone 29
Fayetteville State 24, Shaw 21
Virginia State 56, Elizabeth City State 0
Winston-Salem State 27, Johnson C. Smith 22
 Bowie State 41, Chowan 10
Virginia Union 45, Lincoln (PA) 23

Fort Valley State Over Power Clark Atlanta 41-24

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The Wildcats entered this afternoon's game with one thing in mind and that was to get back into the win column after dropping a heart breaker to Southern University on last Saturday. Fort Valley State did just that by walking into CAU Stadium and taking control over the Panthers of Clark Atlanta University 41-24 Saturday, October 7.

With the win, the Wildcats improves their overall record to 2-3 and 3-0 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) while the Panthers fell to 3-3 on the season and 1-1 in conference play.

CAU scored in the first quarter off a Roger Thomas 8-yard rushing touchdown with 1:22 left in the quarter. On the first play from scrimmage in the second quarter, Quarterback Slade Jarman completed a pass to Jeremy Glinton for 62-yards down to the 14-yardline. With a third and four, Chauncey Jackson rushed up the middle for 8-yards to tie the score; Juan Serna's kick was good (7-7).

Saldana's field goal from 25-yards out with 11:13 on the clock increased CAU's lead by three 10-7. At the 6:45 mark, Juan Serna matched Saldana's kick with a field goal of his own from 37-yards away making the score 10-10. Lorenzo Smothers added to FVSU's scoring on a 10-yard rush; Serna's kick was good (17-10). Wildcats went to halftime up 17-10.



Everything went back and forth in the third quarter until the Panthers punted and Smothers returned the ball 86-yards for the touchdown to increase the score 24-10; Serna's kick was good.

Jarman once again produced points off a 13 play, 74-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Tajee Steele as time was running out in the third quarter; Serna's kick was good (31-10).

Starting the fourth quarter, CAU's J. McCray closed the gap with a 14-yard pass for a touchdown; Saldana's kick was good (31-24). Then after going scoreless, Serna kicked a 22-yard field goal with 1:25 on the scoreboard 34-24. As time would run out J. McCray's pass was picked off by Nicco Whigham and returned 40-yards for the touchdown to complete the victory; Serna's kick was good (41-24).

For the game, Chauncey Jackson led the Wildcats with 131-yards in rushing and scored one touchdown while Slade Jarman completed 16-of-24 passes for 233-yards and one touchdown. Jeremy Glinton led the team with five catches for 87-yards, Tajee Steele added four catches for 67-yards and one touchdown. Lorenzo Smothers ended the game with 206 all-purpose yards, 39 running, and 49 on recovery, 41 kick returns and 86-yards on punt return.

Defensively, Demetrius Harris led FVSU with nine tackles, 4.5 (13) tackle-for-loss, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. Nicco Whigham had seven tackles, 2.0 (4) tackle-for-losses, added one interception and had three pass break-ups, while Cameron Young and Cannon Thomas added six tackles apiece.

Next game: FVSU will return home to host the Dragons of Lane College on Saturday, October 14 at 2 pm.

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FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Texas College earns first victory of the season, defeats Texas Wesleyan 21-11

TYLER, Texas -- Texas College celebrated homecoming with a victory on the gridiron Saturday night.

Quarterback Sean Stell came up with big pass plays and the Steers’ defense had stellar play as Texas College gave first-year coach Charles Moss his first collegiate win, a 21-11 victory over Texas Wesleyan on a moonlit Saturday night at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium.

While it was a joyous homecoming for TC, it was not for Joe Prud’homme, a native Tylerite who has built the TWU program from the ground up in the Rams return to football for the first time since 1941.

Still, Prud’homme enjoyed brining his team to the Rose City where his father, Dr. Joe Prud’homme, still resides. Prud’homme was an all-sports star at Bishop Gorman and led the Crusaders to the state football finals in his first year as a head coach when he was 23.

The Steers jumped out to a 21-3 first-half lead thanks to three TD tosses from Stell. The senior from Fresno, California, threw touchdown passes to Ronald Harris (65 yards), Dyamond Woods (10) and Reginald Hardison (22).

Stell completed five passes for an average of 36 yards per completion. Harris had two catches for 103 yards, including a breakaway 65-yard dash.

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Albany State Golden Rams Outlast Lincoln (MO)

ALBANY, Georgia -- Albany State University overcame a one point halftime deficit for a 30-10 victory over Lincoln University of Missouri Saturday afternoon at ASU Coliseum.

The Blue Tigers got a touchdown and a 40-yard field goal in the second quarter and held a 10-9 lead at the intermission but were shutout in the second half by the Golden Rams.

The Albany State defense had three takeaways on the afternoon. The first came on an interception by Marquez Thomas at the Lincoln 22 yard line which led to ASU's first score of the day, a one-yard rushing TD by Kelan Fraise. The extra point attempt was blocked but the Golden Rams took a 6-0 lead with 11:59 left in the opening quarter.

All fortunes changed for the Blue Tigers after halftime, as they committed two turnovers and were held to just 11 yards of total offense in the third quarter. Two plays into the second half, Anfernee Simmons recovered a fumble forced by Nick Scott at the LU 37 yard line and on the Golden Rams' ensuing drive, Chancellor Johnson's 6-yard rushing TD capped a short drive to put ASU back on top 16-10. The Rams then forced a three-and-out and on a short field went 55 yards in 4 plays and with McKinley Habersham's 38 yard rushing score, ASU pushed their lead to 23-10.



The Blue Tigers fumbled on their next drive and Aaron Davis's recovery gave the ball back to the Albany State with 6:04 left in the third quarter.

The Golden Rams final score of the day came on a 19-yard pass play from Johnson to Chris Hunt for the final point spread.

Habersham collected his fourth 100+ yard game of the season with 111 yards on 13 carries. Defensively the Golden Rams were paced by Emmanuel Brown's 10 tackles while three Rams (D'Shon Rosser, Zane Fields, Toryan Bell) had sacks in the contest.

The Golden Rams (4-2) will host Morehouse College for Homecoming 2017 on Saturday, October 14th at ASU Coliseum. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00pm.



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ALANY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Hardy har-har: Miles explodes late in win over CSU

WILBERFORCE, Ohio -- Miles trailed Central State by seven points entering the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon and looked like a team that was destined to suffer a Homecoming upset on the road for the second consecutive season.

But then, Justin Hardy happened.

The junior running back, who missed last week's game with an injury and was a game-time decision against the Marauders, touched the ball on three consecutive offensive plays for the Golden Bears in the fourth quarter. On each rush, he found himself in the end zone as he nearly single-handedly carried Miles to a 41-20 win over CSU at McPherson Stadium. Those three plays totaled 167 of his career-high 210 rushing yards, which helped make freshman quarterback Joseph Cambridge a winner in his first career start.

The Marauders (0-6, 0-3 SIAC West) led 17-10 at the start of the fourth quarter but on the second play of the period, Hardy got to the outside and went down the sideline for a 22-yard scoring run that tied the game. Miles (3-3, 1-1) actually took the lead when Malik Campbell got around the end and blocked Isaiah Smith's punt. Jourdan Walker scooped the ball and returned it 10 yards to give the Golden Bears a 24-17 lead with 11:55 left.

While Miles had a lead they would not relinquish, the Hardy show was just getting started. After a 33-yard field goal by Trevor Teel cut into the CSU deficit, Hardy got the ball on the Golden Bears next play from scrimmage, waited for a hole to open, and burst through to paydirt on an 81-yard scoring run that push the lead to 31-20. Finally, after the Marauders punted the ball back to the Golden Bears, Hardy took the ball on the next play from scrimmage and ran 66 yards for his third touchdown that sent the Homecoming crowd towards the tailgate area.

The stunning fourth quarter display by Hardy overshadowed an outstanding debut by Cambridge. Coming into the season as the No. 4 quarterback on the depth chart, the young signal caller found himself under center when Miles took the field after injuries to Li'Jon Cordier and Sidney Wilson pressed him into service. He finished 15-of-28 for 212 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 38 yards on eight carries as he provided a threat in the passing game that had been missing this season.

Cambridge's first career touchdown pass was a 64-yard completion to Antonio Lee (three catches, 86 yards) in the second quarter that gave the Golden Bears a 10-7 lead. While the numbers look good, it took a bit of fortune to pull off the play. Cambridge looked left to Lee on a short route but CSU defensive back Henry Alexander jumped the route and looked to have a clear interception and possible pick-6. But the ball went through his hands and went right to the waiting Lee, who took it the last 55 yards for the score.

Miles had a chance to break the game open in the second quarter after William Kelly nearly returned a punt for a touchdown, going 43 yards to the CSU 7. But after going backwards on three plays, the field goal attempt by Nick Christiansen never got off as Kelly - who is also the holder - could not handle the snap. The Marauders would engineer a 78-yard drive that would end on a 13-yard scoring pass from Trent Mays to Lavon Meeks with 16 seconds left in the half to give them a 14-10 lead at the break.

Anthony Hardy had a team-high 11 tackles (four solo), N'Ktavious Floyd and C.J. McClelland each had six tackles, and Kaelan Bonds (six tackles) and MarQuel Shelton (three tackles) each had a sack for Miles, which hosts Kentucky State for Homecoming next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

2017 Homecoming - Marauders vs. Miles

155 Photos

Miles vs. Marauders - Homecoming 2017

31 Photos

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MILES COLLEGE GOLDEN BEARS SPORTS INFORMATION

Black College Football Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2018 Finalists

ATLANTA, Georgia  – The Black College Football Hall of Fame announced today the 25 Finalists for induction into the Black College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018. The list includes 22 players and three coaches.

The Finalists were selected from a field of over 150 nominees by a 12-member Selection Committee composed of prominent journalists, commentators, historians, former NFL General Managers and football executives.

“The talent that has come from Black College Football programs is incredible,” said Committee Chairman Roscoe Nance, "and that makes selecting the honorees incredibly difficult. Thanks to our Selection Committee for its dedication and commitment and for the tremendous amount of time and effort that the members put into making these decisions.”

The committee will meet again in the coming weeks to select the six members (five players and one coach) who will be inducted as the Black College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018.

“We congratulate the Finalists for the Class of 2018,” said James “Shack” Harris, Black College Football Co-Founder and 2012 Inductee. “Each of these Finalists made a significant impact on the game of football, both in college and the professional ranks.”  

This year’s inductees will be announced on October 25, 2017. They will be honored during the Black College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, on February 10, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, please visit www.BlackCollegeFootballHOF.org.

PLAYER FINALISTS (22 Players)

• Joe “747” Adams (QB, Tennessee State University, 1977-1980)
• Coy Bacon (DL, Jackson State University, 1964-1967)
• Dwaine Board (DE, North Carolina A&T State University, 1975-1978)
• Emerson Boozer (RB, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 1962-1965)
• Harold Carmichael (WR, Southern University, 1967-1970)
• Raymond Chester (TE, Morgan State University, 1966-1969)
• Hugh Douglas (DE, Central State University, 1991-1994)
• Earl “Air” Harvey (QB, North Carolina Central University, 1985-1988)
• Thomas Henderson (LB, Langston University, 1971-1974)
• James Hunter (DB, Grambling State University, 1972-1975)
• Henry Lawrence (OL, Florida A&M University, 1970-1973)
• Greg Lloyd (LB, Fort Valley State University, 1983-1986)
• Leo “Lincoln Locomotive” Lewis (RB, Lincoln University, 1951-1954)
• Frank Lewis (WR, Grambling State University, 1967-1970)
• Robert Mathis (LB, Alabama A&M University, 1999-2002)
• Tyrone McGriff (OL, Florida A&M University, 1976-1979)
• Timothy Newsome (RB/KR, Winston Salem State University, 1976-1979)
• John Taylor (WR, Delaware State University, 1982-1985)
• Everson Walls (DB, Grambling State University, 1977-1980)
• Johnny Walton (QB, Elizabeth City State University, 1965-1968)
• Erik Williams (OL, Central State University, 1987-1990)
• Roynell Young (DB, Alcorn State University, 1976-1979)

COACH FINALISTS (3 Coaches)

• Bill Hayes (Head Football Coach, Winston Salem State 1976-1987, North Carolina A&T 1988-2003)
• Arnett “Ace” Mumford (Head Football Coach, Jarvis Christian 1924-1926, Bishop College 1927-1929, Texas College 1931-1935, Southern University 1936-1961)
• Joe Taylor (Howard University 1983, Virginia Union 1984-1991, Hampton University 1992-2007, Florida A&M University 2008-2012)

At a glance:

• Finalists have been selected from over 150 nominees.
• Player Finalists represent 14 Super Bowl Rings and 18 NFL All-Pro selections. Coach Finalists represent 11 Black College Football National Championships.
• The Class of 2018 Inductees will be announced on October 25, 2017.
• Inductees will be honored during the Black College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on February 10, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia.

About the Black College Football Hall of Fame

The Black College Football Hall of Fame was founded in 2009 by African-American pioneers, quarterbacks James Harris and Doug Williams to preserve the history and honor the greatest football players, coaches and contributors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). There have been 64 Inductees since inception, including Mel Blount, James Harris, Willie Lanier, Art Shell and Doug Williams, who serve as Trustees.

www.BlackCollegeFootballHOF.org
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www.Facebook.com/BCFHOF 
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Sylve Runs to Career Day as Kentucky State Comes Up Short to West Virginia State, 35-23

FRANKFORT, Kentucky -- Kentucky State University football dropped its non-conference slate against West Virginia State University Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium, 35-23.

The Thorobreds (2-4, 1-1) had a strong showing offensively, but couldn't hold off the visiting Yellow Jackets (3-3) offensive firepower. WVSU has now won two in a row, with KSU dropping its last two.

Sophomore running back and Hammond, Louisiana native Brett Sylve had another solid offensive performance with 24 carries for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore running back Michael Nero had a huge 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to begin the second half as the Thorobreds continue to be a nightmare on special teams.

After a long drive which constituted a Yellow Jacket touchdown in the first, Louisville, KY native and junior kicker, Turner Warren hit a 32-yard field goal to cap off a 12 play, 48-yard drive to put the score at 7-3. Another long drive by the Yellow Jackets resulted in a touchdown putting the halftime score at 14-3.



At the beginning of the second half, Nero struck with his first career score making it 14-10. After a Yellow Jacket touchdown, Sylve would get one of his two touchdowns on a three-yard scamper.

WVSU answered with two touchdowns of its own before Sylve found paydirt again when he got loose for 15-yard touchdown run.

Sophomore cornerback C.J. Toney was a bright spot on defense with a team-high nine tackles.

Senior cornerback Ryan Luckett had the lone turnover for the Thorobreds as he picked off the Yellow Jackets' quarterback while notching three tackles on the day.

KSU will return to SIAC action next weekend with a road trip to Fairfield, AL to take on Miles College at Albert J. Sloan Alumni Stadium. Kickoff is at 3 pm ET.



BOX SCORE

KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Southern University Homecoming Sounds 2017

West Virginia State Women's Tennis Remains Undefeated With Win Over University of Charleston

INSTITUTE, West Virginia -- The WVSU women's tennis  team improved to 4-0 on the season with a hard fought 5-4 win Wednesday at the University of Charleston.

Kierstin Hensley and Nina Dillwald got things rolling with an 8-1 win at first doubles. The Golden Eagles tied the score with a win at #2 doubles.

The most exciting match of the day finished off doubles play with the WVSU duo of Kayla McKnightand Nika Tadic rallying to win a 9-7 tiebreaker to pick up the #3 doubles point and give the Jackets a 2-1 advantage going into singles action.

 Laura Isbey picked up another point at #1 singles to make the score 3-1 and Nika Tadic won at #6 to give WVSU a 4-1 lead.

Charleston responded with wins at #2 and #4 singles to pull within 4-3.

McKnight clinched the win though with a 6-2, 6-3 victory at #5. The Jackets dropped a tight three setter at #3 to close out the scoring. 

"We didn't play our best today but still found a way to win," Yellow Jacket coach John Simms said. "The women played with lots of heart and determination."

The squad faces another tough test at West Liberty Saturday. The Hilltop person are the only other team in the MEC without a conference loss.

WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Hampton Pirates Survives Savannah State

SAVANNAH, Georgia  -- A 33-yard touchdown pass from Delmon Williams to Aulden Knight with 6:41 left provided the final margin as Hampton survived a turnover fest to defeat Savannah State 17-10 on a steamy Saturday afternoon.

Both teams turned the ball over four times each, two fumbles and two interceptions per team stalled many chances. Hampton defeated Savannah for the eighth straight time leading the series 8-0.

The Hampton defense helped set up the first score of the day as Brendan Cole stripped Rashad Saxton and returned it 10 yards to give the Pirates possession at the Tiger18. Yahkee Johnson closed the four-play, 18-yard drive with a seven-yard run up the middle to lead 7-0 at 13:38 of the first quarter.

Savannah State responded with a scoring drive capped off by a fourth down conversion with a 32-yard scoring pass from D'Vonne Givens to Cameron White. Hampton had stopped the Tigers on consecutive plays for losses before Givens found White on a slant pattern and he outraced defenders into the end zone.

The first possession of the second quarter for Hampton saw Delmon Williams connect with Johnson for a 57-yard pass down to the SSU 33. Savannah then intercepted a Williams pass and proceeded to drive down to the Hampton 42 before Owen Obasuyi forced a Givens fumble that was recovered by Steven Smith Jr. to put Hampton in possession at its own 44.



Hampton drove down to the SSU 19 before Williams threw his second pick of the half as Darrell Bonner stepped in front of a fourth down pass and returned it 61 yards to the Hampton 24. The defense for the Pirates stepped up again as Raheim Huskey stepped in front of a Givens pass to stop a potential SSU scoring threat.

After a fumble by Hampton on the opening kickoff of the second half, Joshua Swilling stepped on front of a Givens pass to stop a SSU drive that started inside the Hampton 30.

The Pirates drove down and were snuffed out at the SSU five as Adam Brown hit a 23-yard field goal with 9:38 left in the third to put Hampton 10-7.

Hampton dodged a potential tie with 13:07 left in the game as after another turnover, SSU drove down to the Hampton 25 before a 43-yard field goal attempt was wide left.

The Pirates finally got some breathing room on a 33-yard scoring pass from Williams to Aulden Knight to pus h the lead to 17-7 with 6:41 left. Those two had missed on a similar pass early in the drive, but the touchdown found Knight two steps past the defense and Williams lead him right into the end zone.

Savannah State had one threat left as David Handler found Elijah Shah for an apparent 53-yard touchdown, but Shah dove into the end zone from the one to get called for a celebration penalty. Hampton stiffened and forced a 41-yard field goal from Giovanni Lugo to trim the lead to 17-10 with 3:18 remaining.

Johnson was the leading rusher for Hampton with 76 yards and a touchdown along with two receptions for a team-high 62 yards. Huskey topped the team in tackles with 11, including a half sack, one tackle for loss and one interception.

Hampton (3-2, 2-0) now heads to Dick Price Stadium for a 2 pm kickoff against Norfolk State on October 14.

For more information on Hampton University football, please contact the Office of Sports Information 757-727-5757 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

BOX SCORE

HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Gold Nuggets hit .507 to storm past Philander Smith

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana hit a Convocation Center-record .507 and rolled to a 25-5, 25-10, 25-8 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball victory Saturday against Philander Smith.

The Gold Nuggets (13-2, 6-0) are 8-0 at home this season. Overall they've won 12 of their last 13 matches.

Juliana Tomasoni, Jaida Dowd and Kayla Black all produced career highs for hitting percentage. Tomasoni had 14 kills and hit .778, Dowd had eight kills and hit .800, and Black had eight kills and hit .500.

Tomasoni, who had 18 attacks, produced the most kills without an error in a match by a Gold Nugget since Moira Kirk had 14 kills against SUNO in the 2011 GCAC Tournament final. Tomasoni also had a match-high 16 digs in her ninth double-double season and served two aces to extend her streak of consecutive matches with an ace to 19.

Dowd was perfect in the first set, producing kills on all six of her attempts. Black served a career-best six aces, four during a 10-0 first-set run.

Lauryn Taylor chipped in five kills for the Gold Nuggets. Amanda Perry had seven digs, her most in a match since August, and served three aces to equal her career high. Tiffany Phillips produced 19 assists, and Eva Le Guillou had 17. Kaelan Temple served back-to-back aces in the final set.

Autumn Trimble had four kills for the Lady Panthers (4-14, 0-7), and Mikaya Gent served two aces.

XULA limited Philander Smith to minus-.110 hitting — the second straight GCAC match in which the opponent finished on the negative side — and had advantages of 41-9 in kills, 14-3 in aces and 44-20 in digs. The Gold Nuggets matched their season high for aces.

First serve was moved up three hours to 10 a.m. CDT because of the expected approach of Hurricane Nate.

XULA is 12-0 all-time against Philander Smith. They'll meet against Oct. 17 in Little Rock, Ark.

Next for the Gold Nuggets will be a 6 p.m. Thursday match at NCAA Division II Spring Hill. It will be the first of five consecutive road matches.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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