Auburn, UNO, Cajuns on Gold Nuggets' 2017-18 schedule

NEW ORLEANS — A first-time meeting with Auburn — one of three NCAA Division I opponents in 2017-18 — is the highlight of the Xavier University of Louisiana women's basketball schedule.
    
 Bo Browder, back for his 19th year as coach of the Gold Nuggets, announced the schedule Wednesday. This is the Nuggets' 40th season of the Title IX era.
     
XULA and Auburn will meet at 6 p.m. Dec. 28 at Auburn, Ala. It will be the Gold Nuggets' first matchup against the SEC since exhibition games at LSU in 2011 and 2012. Auburn was 17-15 last season and averaged nearly 2,300 fans per home game.
    
The Gold Nuggets, a longtime NAIA member, will visit Louisiana-Lafayette Nov. 4 and the University of New Orleans Dec. 14. XULA will play the Ragin' Cajuns for the fifth consecutive year and meet UNO for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
     
There will be seven games against 2017 NAIA national tourney qualifiers, two in the first four days of the regular season. XULA will open Oct. 26 at city rival Loyola, then play its home opener at 1 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Convocation Center against Southeastern (Fla.), which was 28-1 last season and reached the NAIA Division II quarterfinals.
     
The other NAIA tourney qualifiers on the schedule are Our Lady of the Lake Dec. 2 at home, Lindsey Wilson Dec. 18 on the second day of the Xavier Classic, at LSU-Shreveport Dec. 30 and Gulf Coast Athletic Conference meetings with Talladega Jan. 15 on the road and Feb. 28 at home.
     
Lindsey Wilson was a national quarterfinalist each of the last two seasons and finished 32-3 in 2016-17. The new LSUS coach is Matt Cross, who led Talladega's men to three consecutive No. 1 rankings and a national semifinal berth in the 2014-15 season.
     
Another intriguing matchup could be Feb. 3 at Stillman, which was 19-4 last season and whose only loss after Nov. 17 was to the Gold Nuggets.
    
XULA will play a pair of games apiece against city and GCAC rivals SUNO and Dillard, with the Lady Knights visiting Jan. 29 and the Lady Bleu Devils visiting Feb. 17.
    
Additional first-time opponents will be LSU-Alexandria Nov. 8 on the road and Nov. 29 at home, then the University of the Virgin Islands Dec. 17 on the first day of the Xavier Classic.
     
The GCAC Tournament will be March 2-4, followed by the NAIA Division I National Championship March 14-20 at Billings, Mont. XULA seeks to qualify for nationals for the 20th time in 24 seasons. The Gold Nuggets missed nationals last season after going 19-13 overall, 6-6 in the GCAC and finishing second to Talladega in the GCAC Tournament.

Xavier University of Louisiana
2017-18 Women's Basketball Schedule
Oct. 26 (Thu.):  at Loyola (N.O.), 6 p.m.
Oct. 29 (Sun.):  SOUTHEASTERN (FLA.), 1 p.m.
Nov. 4 (Sat.):  at Louisiana-Lafayette, 2 p.m.
Nov. 8 (Wed.):  at LSU-Alexandria (DH), 5 p.m.
Nov. 14 (Tue.):  at William Carey (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 22 (Wed.):  at Florida Memorial, 7 p.m. EST
Nov. 29 (Wed.):  LSU-ALEXANDRIA (DH), 5 p.m.
Dec. 1 (Fri.):  GEORGETOWN (KY.), 6 p.m.
Dec. 2 (Sat.):  OUR LADY OF THE LAKE, 5 p.m.
Dec. 14 (Thu.):  at New Orleans, 6 p.m.
Dec. 17 (Sun.):  VIRGIN ISLANDS (DH), 7 p.m. (Xavier Classic)
Dec. 18 (Mon.):  LINDSEY WILSON (DH), 5 p.m. (Xavier Classic)
Dec. 28 (Thu.):  at Auburn, 6 p.m.
Dec. 30 (Sat.):  at LSU-Shreveport, noon
Jan. 2 (Tue.):  at Paul Quinn, 2 p.m.
Jan. 8 (Mon.):  •  at Edward Waters (DH), 5:30 p.m. EST
Jan. 13 (Sat.):  •  at Tougaloo (DH), 3 p.m.
Jan. 15 (Mon.):  •  at Talladega (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 17 (Wed.):  WILLIAM CAREY (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 (Sat.):  •  at Dillard (DH), 3 p.m.
Jan. 22 (Mon.):  •  at Philander Smith (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 29 (Mon.):  •  SUNO (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 3 (Sat.):  at Stillman, 1 p.m.
Feb. 5 (Mon.):  •  EDWARD WATERS (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 12 (Mon.):  •  at SUNO (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 17 (Sat.):  •  DILLARD (DH), 3 p.m. (Crosstown Classic)
Feb. 19 (Mon.):  •  PHILANDER SMITH (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 24 (Sat.):  •  TOUGALOO (DH), 3 p.m.
Feb. 28 (Wed.):  •  TALLADEGA (DH), 5:30 p.m.
March 2-4 (Fri.-Sun.):  Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, TBA
March 14-20 (Wed.-Tue.):  NAIA Division I National Championship, Billings, Mont.

Home games in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS
•  Gulf Coast Athletic Conference game
(DH) Doubleheader with Xavier's men
All times are Central except where noted
Schedule is subject to change

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

North Carolina A&T coach says team is 'chasing excellence'

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- It's no secret: Teams from North Carolina have dominated the MEAC for some time.

North Carolina Central has won at least a share of the conference title in each of the last three years. North Carolina A&T won the inaugural Celebration Bowl two years ago and last season received an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs, becoming the first MEAC team to do so since 2013.

Florida A&M has also struggled to bring down North Carolina's MEAC titans. The Rattlers have recently played close games against N.C. Central, but has been demolished by the Aggies in each of the last three seasons.

FAMU head coach Alex Wood is hoping to change that trend Saturday, when N.C. A&T visits Bragg Memorial Stadium for the Rattlers' homecoming game.

The FCS No. 15 Aggies are off to a 6-0 start — which includes a 35-31 win over FBS opponent UNC-Charlotte — and are 3-0 in conference play. A&T head coach Rod Broadway, who has coached the Aggies to three straight 9-win seasons, said the Aggies are committed to a standard of excellence.

"It’s every play," Broadway said during the MEAC's weekly teleconference. "We want to be excellent every play. I’m not talking bout wins and losses, I’m just talking about how we play this game and how you go about trying to achieve greatness."



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HU looks to break three-game skid in Battle of the Bay

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Haampton University defensive end Steven Smith has only played in one Battle of the Bay. That was enough to teach him what’s on the line.

And that would be who gets to talk during the offseason.

“Hear about it?” said Smith, who grew up in Virginia Beach before playing two seasons for San Jose (Calif.) City College. “I don’t hear the end of it. They’re going to continue talking until something is done about it.”

Norfolk State has been able to talk a while now. The Spartans have won three consecutive games in this series for the first time since 1978-80. Current NSU coach Latrell Scott wasn’t even in the first grade yet.

The true stakes for Saturday’s game are that the winner remains tied for first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference while the loser does not. This is the first time in series history that both Hampton (3-2, 2-0) and Norfolk State (2-3, 2-0) come in with undefeated MEAC records.

But HU coach Connell Maynor, who is 0-3 against the Spartans, knows the importance of breaking that streak.



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Breaking down Prairie View A&M vs. Alcorn State

Records: Prairie View A&M 2-3, 2-1 SWAC; Alcorn State 4-2, 2-0.

Series history: Alcorn State leads 46-22

Key players: Prairie View - QB Lavell McCullers, WR Khadarel Hodge, DE Akheem Barton; Alcorn State - QB Lenorris Footman, RB De'Lance Turner, LB Terry Whittington

Who has the edge

Offense - Alcorn State. The Braves are 18th in total offense (455.8) behind a balanced attack, averaging 226 rushing (6.6 yards per carry) and 229.8 passing yards. They're 10th in third-down conversion percentage (47.6). But the Panthers are good on third downs, too, converting at a 46-percent clip. They're averaging 201.6 passing yards, but only 176.8 on the ground.

Defense - Even. The Panthers blanked Alabama State and held Jackson State to nine points in a big win before struggling to slow Grambling State, which produced 419 yards. Alcorn is holding opponents to 4.2 yards per rush and 39 percent on third downs (36-of-92). Panthers opponents are only 20-of-58 on third down (34 percent).



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Here's a switch — Rush to open season on road

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball will make a rare trip to start the season. The Gold Rush also will play 10 games against teams that qualified for last season's NAIA Division I National Championship.
     
Those are some of the highlights of the 2017-18 schedule that second-year head coach Alfred Williams announced Wednesday.
     
The Rush's 80th season will begin in about 2 1/2 weeks with a trip to Florida for games at St. Thomas Oct. 27 and Florida Memorial Oct. 28. It will be the first time since the 1992-93 season that the XULA men begin the regular season on the road. They had played their last 23 openers at home.
  
The 2017 NAIA tourney teams on the schedule will be:

     •  LSU-Alexandria — Nov. 8 road, Nov. 29 home.
     •  William Carey — Nov. 14 road, Jan. 17 home.
     •  Loyola — Dec. 16 road, Jan. 24 home.
     •  Talladega — Jan. 15 road, Feb. 28 home.
     •  Dillard — Jan. 20 road, Feb. 17 home.

2017-18 Schedule Page

Loyola and Dillard are longtime city rivals. Dillard and Talladega compete with XULA in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. LSUA was 34-1 last season, a national semifinalist and No. 3 in the coaches postseason poll.
     
There will be 30 regular-season games in all, 15 at home. NCAA Division II member Miles will open the home schedule at 7 p.m. Nov. 6 in the Convocation Center. The homecoming opponent will be Huston-Tillotson at 1 p.m. Nov. 18.
     The only first-time opponent is the University of the Virgin Islands, a new NAIA member which will participate in the Xavier Classic Dec. 17-18. The Xavier Classic, a longtime women's-only Thanksgiving tournament, has added a men's bracket this season and moved to between the end of the first semester and Christmas.
     
The 12-game conference schedule is unbalanced. XULA will play its first five GCAC games on the road, then close with 6-of-7 at home, including the last four. The GCAC has seven teams for the third consecutive year: XULA, Dillard, Edward Waters (Jacksonville, Fla.), Philander Smith (Little Rock, Ark.), Talladega (Talladega, Ala.), Tougaloo (Tougaloo, Miss.) and another longtime city rival, SUNO.
     
The GCAC Tournament will be March 2-4, followed by the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship March 14-20 at Kansas City, Mo. XULA seeks to qualify for nationals for the seventh time in eight seasons. The Gold Rush missed nationals last season, finishing 10-20 overall and 6-6 — fourth place, one game out of second — in the GCAC.

Xavier University of Louisiana
2017-18 Men's Basketball Schedule

Oct. 27 (Fri.):  at St. Thomas (Fla.), 2 p.m. EDT
Oct. 28 (Sat.):  at Florida Memorial, TBA
Nov. 4 (Sat.):  at LeMoyne-Owen, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 6 (Mon.):  MILES, 7 p.m.
Nov. 8 (Wed.):  at LSU-Alexandria (DH), 7 p.m.
Nov. 14 (Tue.):  at William Carey (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 18 (Sat.):  HUSTON-TILLOTSON, 1 p.m. (Homecoming)
Nov. 20 (Mon.):  MOBILE, 7 p.m.
Nov. 22 (Wed.):  at St. Thomas (Texas), 7 p.m.
Nov. 29 (Wed.):  LSU-ALEXANDRIA (DH), 7 p.m.
Dec. 13 (Wed.):  CARVER, 7 p.m.
Dec. 16 (Sat.):  at Loyola (N.O.), 7 p.m.
Dec. 17 (Sun.):  VIRGIN ISLANDS (DH), 5 p.m. (Xavier Classic)
Dec. 18 (Mon.):  RUST (DH), 7 p.m. (Xavier Classic)
Dec. 22 (Fri.):  at Mobile, 7 p.m.
Jan. 8 (Mon.):  •  at Edward Waters (DH), 7:30 p.m. EST
Jan. 13 (Sat.):  •  at Tougaloo (DH), 5 p.m.
Jan. 15 (Mon.):  •  at Talladega (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 17 (Wed.):  WILLIAM CAREY (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 (Sat.):  •  at Dillard (DH), 5 p.m.
Jan. 22 (Mon.):  •  at Philander Smith (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 24 (Wed.):  LOYOLA (N.O.), 7 p.m.
Jan. 26 (Fri.):  at Jarvis Christian, 7 p.m.
Jan. 29 (Mon.):  •  SUNO (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 5 (Mon.):  •  EDWARD WATERS (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 12 (Mon.):  •  at SUNO (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 17 (Sat.):  •  DILLARD (DH), 5 p.m. (Crosstown Classic)
Feb. 19 (Mon.):  •  PHILANDER SMITH (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 24 (Sat.):  •  TOUGALOO (DH), 5 p.m.
Feb. 28 (Wed.):  •  TALLADEGA (DH), 7:30 p.m.
March 2-4 (Fri.-Sun.):  Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, TBA
March 14-20 (Wed.-Tue.):  Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship, Kansas City, Mo.

Home games in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS
•  Gulf Coast Athletic Conference game
(DH) Doubleheader with Xavier's women
All times are Central except where noted
Schedule is subject to change

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Miami (Ohio) to open 2020 season vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff

OXFORD, Ohio -- The Miami University (Ohio) RedHawks will open the 2020 season against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, according to the official website of Miami University.

Miami (Ohio) and UAPB will square off at Yager Stadium in Oxford on Sept. 5, 2020. The game will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.

The Golden Lions are a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Last season, UAPB finished 1-10 overall and 1-8 in SWAC play.

The addition of UAPB completes the 2020 non-conference schedule for Miami (Ohio). The RedHawks are also scheduled to play at Minnesota on Sept. 12, host Cincinnati on Sept. 19, and host Army on Oct. 3.

• 2020 Miami (Ohio) Football Schedule

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Texas Southern Tigers Men's Basketball Selected to Finish First in SWAC Preseason Poll

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Texas Southern has been picked to repeat as the Southwestern Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Champions in a Preseason Poll of the league's Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors.

The announcement was made by the SWAC during its annual media teleconference on Wednesday, October 11.

The Tigers finished 2016-17 with an overall record of 23-12, a record with five more victories than the previous season, to go along with a 16-2 conference mark, a record they matched from the previous year.

TSU wrapped up last season as the season's conference tournament champions for the third time in the last four seasons after defeating Alcorn State 53-50.

Texas Southern's Demontrae Jefferson and Kevin Scott were each selected to the All-SWAC Preseason First Team at guard and forward respectively.

Jefferson was sixth in the conference in scoring with 14.8 points per contest, fourth in assists (3.3 per game) and 13th in 3-pointers made (1.4 per game).

Scott averaged 10.0 points per game (23rd) to go along with 4.9 rebounds per game (11th) and was 10th in field goal percentage (.442) and 10th in steals (1.3 per game).

The second team includes TSU forward Lamont Walker who saw action for the Tigers last season in a reserve capacity.

MEN'S 2017-18 PRESEASON AWARD WINNERS
(Selected by SWAC Head Basketball Coaches and SIDs)

PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Reginal Johnson, Alcorn State

PRESEASON CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Treshawn Bolden, Jackson State
Yalen Reed, Alcorn State

FIRST TEAM
Guard – Demontrae Jefferson, Texas Southern
Guard – Paris Collins, Jackson State
Forward – Reginal Johnson, Alcorn State
Forward – Kevin Scott, Texas Southern
Center – Jared Sam, Southern

SECOND TEAM
Guard – A.J. Mosby, Alcorn State
Guard – Chris Thomas, Southern
Forward – Rodney Simeon, Alabama State
Forward – Lamont Walker, Texas Southern
Center – Treshawn Bolden, Jackson State

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
Texas Southern (171)
Southern(131)
Jackson State (124)
Alcorn State (117)
Prairie View A&M (99)
Alabama State (98)
Grambling State (75)
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (64)
Mississippi Valley State (60)
Alabama A&M (51)



TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Michael Grant Brings Wealth Of Experience To Samford Coaching Staff

COACH MICHAEL GRANT
Courtesy: COPPIN STATE ATHLETICS

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Samford University athletic department officially announced Tuesday that former head coach at Coppin State University, Stillman College and Southern University, Michael Grant, has joined the Bulldogs' basketball program as the special assistant to the head coach.

Grant comes to Samford from Coppin State University where he spent the previous three seasons as head coach.

2017-18 Samford Basketball Schedule

In 2015-16, his Eagle squad advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2016 MEAC Basketball Tournament for the second straight season after upsetting North Carolina A&T in double overtime in the opening round. The Eagles finished second in the MEAC in 3-pointers made, including making a 3-point field goal in 190 consecutive games.

Throughout his career, Grant has helped schools win a number of conference championships and has qualified for the NCAA and NAIA national tournaments.

An 18-year veteran who has won 56 percent of his games, Grant was hired at Coppin State from Division II Stillman College, where he was the head coach for six years. Grant was also the head coach from 2003-05 at Southern University (La.) where he replaced the legendary Ben Jobe and from 1996-2003 at Central State University.

During his career, Grant's teams have posted winning records 12 times and won at least 20 games in a season four times. In addition to his duties as head basketball coach at Stillman, Grant also served the college as the assistant director of athletics. More importantly, he has graduated over 80 percent of his student-athletes during his career.

Grant began his coaching career at his alma mater, Malone College in Ohio, where he first studied under Hal Smith as a student assistant. Grant then served on Smith's staff in 1985 as a full-time assistant before heading to the University of Michigan as a graduate assistant where he helped coach and develop his younger brother Gary Grant, who eventually became the Big Ten Player of the Year in 1988. Gary Grant was the 14th overall player chosen in the 1988 NBA draft.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Grant also coached at Kentucky State University, Alleghany College, Cleveland State University, and the University of Toledo.

He is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) congress. Also during his career, Grant was the SIAC Basketball Chair, a member of the NCAA Division II Regional Advisory Committee and a NAIA National Championship Tournament Committee Member.

Grant and his wife, Charmane, have three children: Chris, Raynesha and Lauren.

The Samford University basketball team will begin play in its highly-anticipated 2017-18 campaign Nov. 10, as the Bulldogs travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for a marquee season-opening matchup against the Arkansas Razorback to be held at historic Bud Walton Arena.

For quick score updates, breaking news and links to all of your favorite articles featuring the Bulldogs, please follow @SamfordHoopsFOE and @Samford_Sports on Twitter.

SAMFORD UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Winless DSU prepares to host MEAC foe Howard Bison on Saturday

DOVER, Delaware -- A bye week did not help snap the Delaware State football team’s losing streak.

But now the Hornets do get to play the last team they have beaten.

Delaware State’s losing streak moved to 16 games this past weekend after a 44-3 defeat to MEAC leader North Carolina A&T. Despite the fact the Hornets were idle a week before, they were not able to keep up with the Aggies.



The Hornets will welcome Howard to Alumni Stadium on Saturday at 2 p.m. Delaware State downed the Bison in the final game of the 2015 season, which is still its most recent win and is to date the only victory of coach Kenny Carter’s head coaching career.

Howard brings a 2-3 overall record into this year’s contest (1-1 in the MEAC).
Like they have been most of the season, the Hornets were hurt through the air against North Carolina A&T last weekend. Aggies quarterback Lamar Raynard completed 20-of-26 passes for 324 and three touchdowns, while wide receiver Elijah Bell had nine catches for 178 yards.

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Even with a healthy Austin Howard, Southern rotated John Lampley in as a dual-threat option

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Senior quarterback Austin Howard made it through his first entire game without an injury scare in the 2017 season, but he wasn’t on the field for the whole game.

Southern rotated true freshman quarterback John Lampley into the game for several series as a sort of change-of-pace option behind Howard.

Coach Dawson Odums gave two reasons for the decision to use Lampley with a healthy Howard at his disposal.

“It really gives us a chance to take some of the pounding off Austin and yet utilize John’s legs,” Odums said. “And John can throw the ball, you can’t just sit on his running.”

“I thought he played well. What we asked him to do, I thought he managed that part of the game.”

Southern used Lampley much in the same fashion that it did with Deonte Shorts last season — as a more mobile option that gives defenses another wrinkle to prepare for.

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Southern bringing back the art of the tight end with new offensive formations

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- There’s a renaissance taking place on the Bluff.

When Southern took the field Saturday it did so with three freshman wide receivers, all of whom coordinator Chennis Berry described as being short enough that he could “eat lunch off the top of their heads.”

The Jaguars are confident in their undersized rookies, but they know they won’t be able to carry the load by themselves.



It’s time to bring back the art of using the tight end.

“We’ve got very good tight ends, and I think that’s a lost art in football, especially at the college level,” said coach Dawson Odums. “It gives us a chance to create that surface, give us some angles, allow us to create more gaps and allow us to run the football and make (the defense) have to adjust.

“You have to spend so much time on that as a defensive coordinator. You’re sitting over there thinking, ‘What are we going to have to do to it?’ You have to waste at least a period a day at practice working on just that, and that takes away from something else. And we might not even do it, but you still have to practice it.”

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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
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

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 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

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