Wiley Wildcats Top LSU-Alexandria in Double Overtime Thriller

MARSHALL, Texas -- In last season's Red River Athletic Conference championship game defeat, the Wiley College men's soccer team allowed a late goal. On Thursday, the roles were reversed. Tevin Peters (SR/Chaguanas, Trinidad&Tobago) headed a ball in the 109th minute to lift the Wildcats to a 1-0 victory over Louisiana State University-Alexandria.

Tevin Peters scored the game-winner on a header.
COURTESY: WILEY WILDCATS ATHLETICS

"It's a great joy to score the game-winner," Peters said. "No matter what happened I know I needed to get the ball into the back of the net. My teammates played with great effort. I give my teammates credit for my goal."

"We were fortunate to have Abraham Castilla (SO/Edcouch, Texas) serve the ball perfectly," head coach Demetrio Hernandez said. "Tevin Peters came in from the back, made a diving header and put the ball right into the net. It was a beautiful goal."

With the victory, Wiley College snapped a two-game losing streak. It tied the series against the Generals. The Wildcats remain unbeaten at home. The goal was Peters second this season. Abraham Castilla, who leads the Red River Athletic Conference in assists, set up Peters on a free kick for his sixth assist.

The Wildcats (7-4, 3-2 in RRAC) dominated the first half, as it out-shot the Generals 8-2. Wiley College was awarded six corner kicks. LSU-Alexandria put more pressure on the Wildcats' defense in the second half with four shots and two on goal. Each team had two shots in overtime. Wiley College out-shot the LSU-Alexandria 16-8.

Erik Reyes (SR/Fort Worth, TX) stopped all five shots to earn his fourth shutout and improve to 5-3. The Wildcats defended against one corner kick.

"Defensively, we are playing better every game," Reyes said.

Wiley College continues its homestand Saturday against LSU-Shreveport. It will be the first time the teams have met since 2012.

FULL STATS

WILEY WILDCATS SPORTS INFORMATION

HBCU Football Judgement Day Schedule - Week 7

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017

OVC
Austin Peay at Tennessee State, 7 PM, TV: OVCN

MEAC
Savannah State at Morgan State, 1 PM, ESPN3
Hampton at Norfolk State, 2 PM  Battle of the Bay, ESPN3
Howard at Delaware State, 2 PM
Gardner-Webb at North Carolina Central, 2 PM
North Carolina A&T at Florida A&M, 3 PM
South Carolina State at Bethune-Cookman, 4 PM

SWAC
Alabama State at Texas Southern, 3 PM
Prairie View at Alcorn State, 3 PM
Central State (OH) at Arkansas Pine Bluff, 3:30 PM
Mississippi Valley at Alabama A&M, 4 PM5
Tuskegee vs. Jackson State at Mobile, AL, 7 PM, 5th Quarter Classic



CIAA
Chowan at Virginia Union, 1 PM
Livingstone at Shaw, 1 PM
Fayetteville State at Johnson C. Smith, 1 PM
Winston-Salem State at Saint Augustine's, 1 PM
Lincoln (PA) at Elizabeth City State, 1:30 PM
Bowie State at Virginia State, 2 PM, Clash of the Titans,  TV: ASPIRE Network

OTHER CONF.
Edward Waters at Webber International, 1 PM
West Virginia State at Concord, 1 PM
Shippensburg at Cheyney, 1 PM
Texas College vs. Langston at Tulsa, OK, 3 PM, Black Wall Street Classic
Missouri S&T at Lincoln (MO) 4:30 PM

SIAC
Morehouse at Albany State, 2 PM.  Live Video  ESPN3
Lane College at Fort Valley State, 2 PM. Live Video  
Kentucky State at Miles, 2 PM
Clark Atlanta at Benedict, 2 PM.  Live Video 
Central State (OH) at Arkansas Pine Bluff, 3:30 PM
Jackson State vs. Tuskegee at Mobile, AL, 7 PM, 5th Quarter Classic

ALL GAME TIMES ARE STATED IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME ZONE

Langston University Lions Moves to No. 8 in NAIA Coaches Top 25

LANGSTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

KANSAS CITY, Missouri -- The Langston University football team moved up to the No. 8 ranking in the fifth edition of the 2017 NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the national office announced.

The Lions entered the eighth slot after tallying 236 total votes; Langston is the highest Central States Football League institution ranked, they trail No. 7 Southern Oregon 266 votes to 236 votes.

Poll Methodology
• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences.
• Each conference is given one rater for every four schools in the league.
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 25 points for each first-place vote, 24 for second-place and so on through the list.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team's ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appear on.
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered "receiving votes."

For the complete NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Poll, click here.

2017 NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – No. 5 (October 9, 2017)

RANK	LAST TIME^	SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES)	2017 RECORD	TOTAL POINTS
1	1	Saint Francis (Ind.) (15)	6-0	340
2	2	Baker (Kan.)	6-0	327
3	3	Reinhardt (Ga.)	5-0	312
4	4	Morningside (Iowa)	6-0	303
5	6	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	5-0	286
6	7	Grand View (Iowa)	5-1	271
7	8	Southern Oregon	5-0	266
8	9	Langston (Okla.)	5-0	236
9	10	Georgetown (Ky.)	5-0	235

NEXT GAME: October 14, 2 PM, Langston Lions vs. Texas College Steers at Tulsa, Oklahoma, Black Wall Street Classic

LANGSTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Mississippi Valley State at Alabama A&M

When: Today, 2 p.m.

Where: Louis Crews Stadium, Normal

Records: Mississippi Valley (1-4, 1-1 SWAC), Alabama A&M (2-4, 2-1)

Radio: WJAB-FM

Four-down territory

1. Bounce-back time: Southern put a quick end to Alabama A&M’s two-game winning streak last week with a 35-14 victory over the Bulldogs. It was an unexpected loss after the Bulldogs opened SWAC play with easy wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Texas Southern.

2. Where did the offense go?: After scoring 57 points in the two wins, the Bulldogs were shut out for the first half at Southern and managed only two touchdowns in the second half. Alabama A&M rushed for only 52 yards, and quarterbacks Aqeel Glass and Damion May were just 17 of 49 for 199 yards through the air. They threw two interceptions.

3. Defense stumbles: While A&M’s offense was struggling, it didn’t get much help from the defense. The Bulldogs trailed 14-0 after the first quarter and 21-0 at halftime. Southern piled up 367 yards, including 237 through the air on 23 of 25 passing.

CONTINUE READING

SSU looking to snap skid against Morgan State

SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- “It is what it is.”

That’s a phrase you hear a lot, the meaning not always so clear.

But coming from a football coach who has seen his top defender lost in the preseason with an injury and had his starting quarte
rback break his leg in the season opener?

Coming from a coach whose offensive line has struggled to block for the passing attack and now has his two leading running backs injured?

Coming from a coach who has seen natural disasters of hurricanes and wildfires and one mental disaster of a player attempting a somersault from the 1-yard line negating a rare touchdown?

The meaning shouldn’t be lost on anyone. That’s been the 2017 football season in a nutshell for Savannah State. Tigers coach Erik Raeburn won’t make excuses.

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SWAC preseason awards: A clean slate and a rush to fill the void

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- While history tends to repeat itself in some ways — take, for example, Texas Southern, who is once again the clear favorite to win the SWAC — the world of college basketball as a whole is ever-changing. Just look at last year’s All-SWAC First Team. Not a single player remains for 2017-18.

That means the three returning members of the second-team — Reginal Johnson of Alcorn State, Texas Southern’s Kevin Scott, and Jared Sam at Southern — will be in the mix for first-team and Player of the Year honors.

Here are our complete projections for the 2017-18 SWAC awards. Compare them to the league’s picks, which were announced Thursday during the SWAC’s annual media teleconference.

Player of the Year—Reginal Johnson, Sr., Alcorn State

This year, a number of players could fit the bill for the preseason top performer. Yet Johnson has shown his dominance in the SWAC for years now. 15.6 points per game in the low post led him to be named HBCU All-American last year. He is a willing rebounder with a tremendous upside.

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FAMU homecoming game brings pageantry to Bragg

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- A week-long celebration reaches its climax Saturday.

Florida A&M’s football team will battle conference titan North Carolina A&T at 3 p.m. in Bragg Memorial Stadium for its annual homecoming game in front of what should be a sold-out crowd.

The game will be a challenge, for sure, but FAMU’s homecoming kicked off earlier this week – the Rattlers have been in celebration mode much longer than the lead-up to the game.

Still, it’s not homecoming without a football game at the end of the week, and this season’s contest promises to be as packed as it has been in recent years.

Chris Asa, associate athletic director for tickets and corporate sales at FAMU, said the turnout for the game should rival the 26,044 who came out to watch the Rattlers’ 2016 homecoming win over Hampton. Attendance for last season’s homecoming was the highest since 2010.

“We’ve got our hands full here for homecoming,” said football head coach Alex Wood.



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Unbeaten A&T heads to Florida A&M for another homecoming

Who: No. 11/15 N.C. A&T (6-0, 3-0 MEAC) at Florida A&M (2-4, 1-2)

When: 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: Bragg Memorial Stadium (25,500), Tallahassee, Fla.

Radio: WCOG-93.7; WCOG-1320

At stake: The Aggies are chasing history. Since joining the MEAC as a founding member in 1971, A&T has never started a season 7-0. The only 7-0 starts in A&T’s 93-year history came in 1927 when the Aggies finished 8-0, and in 1943 when they finished 7-0. … For the Rattlers, it’s homecoming week at Florida A&M, which guarantees a sellout crowd. The program is in the third year of coach Alex Woods’ rebuilding project, but this is a fanbase that expects to win.

Quarterbacks: A&T junior Lamar Raynard is the league’s top passer, averaging 272 yards per game with a 69.7 completion percentage. He’s thrown for 17 touchdowns and just 1 interception. Last week, he became the first Aggies QB with two 300-yard passing games in a single season. … FAMU sophomore Ryan Stanley ranks second to Raynard in yardage, completion percentage and TDs among MEAC quarterbacks, and he’s an elusive and quick scrambler. Stanley leads a potent offense. The Rattlers rolled up 485 yards at Norfolk State last week, but lost because of five turnovers.

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Former NSU walk-on Anthony Smith leads stout Norfolk State defense against Hampton

NORFOLK, Virginia -- No scholarship offers, one opportunity.

Coming out of Maury, Anthony Smith talked to one school to pursue football: Norfolk State.

The Spartans offered him a spot as a preferred walk-on, he took it, and now Smith is a redshirt senior linebacker, a scholarship athlete and the leading tackler for Norfolk State (2-3 overall, 2-0 MEAC).

The Spartans host Hampton (3-2, 2-0) at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Battle of the Bay.

"I'm a fighter," said Smith, who has 51 tackles, including 2.5 for loss. "I just can't quit no matter what."

Before he learned that, Smith spent his first two years on the bench or on special teams. Smith spoke with former NSU standout Keenan Lambert about whether or not to continue playing.

"I knew him from when I was growing up," Smith said. Lambert also played at Maury, graduated from NSU in 2015 and played five games for the Oakland Raiders.

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Georgia Tech Basketball Preview: Florida A&M

HEAD COACH ROBERT McCULLUM
FLORIDA A&M MEN'S BASKETBALL

ATLANTA, Georgia -- Georgia Tech and Florida A&M will meet for the seventh time on Dec. 17, the first game for the Yellow Jackets coming out of fall semester final exams. All of the prior meetings have occurred in Atlanta (Tech is 6-0), but this will be the first one in McCamish Pavilion. The Rattlers are under new leadership this season, with former Tech assistant Robert McCullum at the helm. This is the 10th in a series of previews of the Yellow Jackets' non-conference opponents.

Location: Tallahassee, Fla.
Conference: Mid-Eastern Atlantic (MEAC)
Home arena: Alfred Lawson, Jr. Multipurpose Center (9,639)
2016-17 Record: 7-23, 2-12 in the MEAC (10th)
Post-Season: Lost to Savannah State in the First Round of MEAC Tournament, 82-78
NCAA Postseason Appearances (Last): Three (2007)
All-time series record: 6-0, Georgia Tech (last meeting in 2011)
Head coach: Robert McCullum (first season)
Starters returning/lost: 4/1
Top scorer returning: Desmond Williams (16.2)
Top rebounder returning: Desmond Williams (6.1)

Quick preview for 2017-18

First-year head coach Robert McCullum, a former assistant coach at Georgia Tech, was brought in to lead Florida A&M into a new era. Luckily for McCullum, all but one starter from last season has eligibility left and will help lead a young squad forward. Playing 14 of their first 17 games on the road, the Rattlers will need to have a road warrior mentality for the majority of the season. With tough non-conference games against Stephen F. Austin, Mercer, Georgia Tech and Texas, FAMU will be battle-tested when MEAC play begins. 

Desmond Williams, Marcus Barham, Nicholas Severado and Derrick Dandridge all return from last season’s lineup and will look to be the mainstay upperclassmen as the team rebuilds.

Quick recap of 2016-17

It was a disappointing year for Florida A&M (7-23 overall and 2-12 in conference), which started from the get-go when it fell into a 2-11 hole, and the Rattlers lost 10 straight games heading into the new year. Although it seemed that A&M was able to right the ship, beginning MEAC action 3-0, a 2-5 stretch toward the middle of conference slate and a heartbreaking 77-65 double-overtime loss to Norfolk State would derail the team’s momentum.

Leading the Rattlers’ offense was Desmond Williams and Marcus Barham, who finished as the lone players in double digits with 16.2 and 12.6 points per game, respectively. Williams also led the team on the glass, grabbing 6.1 rebounds per game, and at the charity stripe, attempting a team-best 172 free throws.

Greatest Program Accomplishment

After starting off the year 1-10 in 2003-04, Florida A&M went on an impressive run late in the season finish 15-17 (10-8 MEAC) and make only its second berth in the NCAA Tournament and its first since 1999. Led by Terrence Woods, who averaged 20.3 points per game that season off 40.3 percent shooting from three-point range, the Rattlers would face Lehigh in the opening game.

Thanks to 21 points from Woods and a double-double from Michael Harper (11 points, 12 rebounds), A&M overcame Lehigh 72-57 to get its first NCAA Division I Tournament victory in front of nearly 8,000 fans at the University of Dayton. Unfortunately for the Rattlers, they would have to face No. 1-seeded Kentucky, which ended A&M’s run with a 96-76 defeat.

Greatest player in program history

Hailing from Tampa, Fla., Jerome James played for Florida A&M from 1995-98. The 7-foot-1 center played 81 games for the Rattlers, averaging 16.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.5 blocks for his career while shooting 49.5 percent from the field. En route to back-to-back all-MEAC honors, James solidified himself as the greatest rim-protector in A&M history, leading Division I with 4.6 blocks per game in 1997-98.

James declared for the 1998 NBA draft after that season and was selected in the second round (36th overall) by the Sacramento Kings. He appeared in 16 games (partially due to that year’s NBA lockout) before playing overseas.

Place to visit on campus or in the city

Right on the campus of Florida A&M is the Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center and Museum, housed within Carnegie Library. The center contains regalia and printed material that focuses on information “significant to African Americans and their experiences and contributions in Florida and the Southeastern United States.” One of only 10 such archives in the U.S. and one of the largest repositories of African-American history in the southeast, the center offers students and tourists a unique education in the region’s history.

GEORGIA TECH ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Motivated Mullins: How fatherhood, fresh start at Grambling State inspires Mullins

GRAMBLING, Louisiana –Anfernee Mullins thought how he worked would take him straight to his ultimate goal.

What he found out in three short years was everyone is susceptible to unforeseeable curves in the road, despite believing he controlled his life and what he would get out of it through his physical ability and work ethic.

Life comes at you fast. And it’s humbling. And in the darkest days, the strongest inspiration can come out of the most unpredictable of circumstances.

Taking the field at the Cotton Bowl wearing the all-white road uniforms of Grambling State and the black helmet with the gold “G” last Saturday, Mullins never saw that coming for himself out of high school, the last time he played in a football game. He couldn’t have been happier the curve came.

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from THE EDITOR: FAMU Rattlers versus N.C. A&T Aggies Pregame Analysis

DWIGHT FLOYD
GAME REPORT

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Okay, here’s my bet. If the Rattlers win, I’ll shave my head!

The Aggies are undefeated at 6-0. The Rattlers are 2-5 having defeated 2 winless teams in Savannah State and Texas Southern. Texas Southern was hit by a hurricane and has not recovered. Savannah State simply doesn’t have enough talent, but has been competitive in the MEAC. Given the circumstances most will assume that the Aggies will trounce on the Rattlers early and often.

For the last two years the Aggies have dominated the Rattlers. In fact, the last time the Aggies visited Tallahassee they left some of their starters home. In this Saturday’s game don’t expect the Aggies to be so kind. They will show their intent from the very beginning, which is to out strike the Rattlers in the first half and put this game away by halftime.

Interestingly, the Aggies strong suit is ...

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Nuggets gain first-ever season sweep of Spring Hill

XAVIER UNIVERSITY VOLLEYBALL ROSTER

MOBILE, Alabama — Kayla Black had 10 kills and 12 digs, and Xavier University of Louisiana outhit Spring Hill by nearly 200 points in a 25-19, 25-20, 25-17 volleyball victory Thursday.
     
The Gold Nuggets (14-2) snapped the 15-match win streak of the Badgers (16-3) and swept the regular-season series for the first time. XULA, which won in four sets at home Sept. 7, was 0-19 against Spring Hill entering the season.
     
"We served tough, and I thought we did a great job blocking," XULA coach Pat Kendrick said. "We gathered ourselves and refocused quickly after making mistakes."
     
Black, a freshman, hit .296 in 27 attacks and produced her fifth double-double of the season.
     
Six Gold Nuggets had five-or-more kills. Jaida Dowd and Juliana Tomasoni had eight apiece, Lauryn Taylor and Adili Rikondja had six apiece, and Vivica Price-Spraggins had five. Dowd (.462 in 13 attacks) and Rikondja (.357 in 15 attacks) were the most efficient.
     
All 45 of XULA's kills were assisted. Tiffany Phillips had 17 assists, and Eva Le Guillou had 16. Le Guillou, Tomasoni and Anna Dalla Vecchia served two aces apiece. Dalla Vecchia had 23 digs — her most this season in a three-set match — Tomasoni had 11, and Le Guillou had nine. Price-Spraggins had three blocks.
     
Payton Gidney, Allison Weimer and Emily Greim had five kills apiece for Spring Hill. Emmarose Neibert and Cassidi Sterrett had nine digs apiece.
     
XULA limited Spring Hill to season lows of 26 kills and a .117 hitting percentage. The Gold Nuggets hit .297, their second-highest performance on the road this season.B

BOX SCORE
     
It was matchup of conference leaders — XULA in the NAIA's Gulf Coast Athletic and Spring Hill in NCAA Division II's Southern Intercollegiate Athletic. The Gold Nuggets will stay on the road and play a conference match at 1 p.m. EDT Saturday against Edward Waters at Jacksonville, Fla.

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

from THE EDITOR Dwight Floyd: MEAC-SWAC: There Is No Question

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- After last week’s showing, it is clear that there are two dominant teams among the SWAC and MEAC, namely the Grambling State Tigers and the North Carolina State A&T Aggies. Hampton and Norfolk share the lead in the MEAC conference and will play each other on Saturday. It will have the feel of a bowl game or classic. Alabama State and Texas Southern may be the game of the weak as one of them will gain their first win of the season.

The South Carolina State at Bethune Cookman game will be most interesting as they both desperately seek a win. Jackson State, Alabama A&M, and Arkansas Pine Bluff will all be on the hot seat this Saturday should they lose to teams they should beat. The Prairie View at Alcorn game will set a marker for the next best team in the SWAC. Either Morgan State or Savannah State will show that they are better than their record indicates and Howard (over Delaware) and North Carolina A&T (over FAMU) will strive to not have a let down.

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WSSU hits the road to play St. Aug's

RALEIGH, North Carolina -- Winston-Salem State doesn’t really know what it will see on Saturday against unpredictable St. Augustine’s.

The Rams (4-2, 1-0 Southern Division) will take on the Falcons (2-4, 1-0) in Raleigh at 1 p.m.

The Falcons have looked good (an 81-9 win over Lincoln and bad, a 66-20 loss to Bowie State) this season. However, another positive step for the Falcons came last week in a 30-29 win over Livingstone when Sean Smith came on to make a 23-yard field goal with eight seconds left.

Linebacker Jayron Rankin of the Rams says they will be prepared for whatever Falcons team shows up – a team capable of putting up 81 points or allowing 66.

“I think it will be somewhere in between,” Rankin said. “We know they have some good receivers who are fast and they are big.”

The Rams, the six-time defending Southern Division champions, can take another step toward the division title with a victory. Since 2011 the Rams are 30-1 against Southern Division opponents.

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Ram Ramblings: Virginia State-Bowie State is game of the year in CIAA

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- There’s little doubt about the game of the week in the CIAA.

No. 14 Bowie State will travel to take on Virginia State in a battle of unbeatens. It’s a game that could likely decide the Northern Division champion even though there are four weeks left in the season.

One reason I’ve taken more of an interest in this game is because I’ve seen both of them play, and I’ve seen both of them beat Winston-Salem State.

The good thing for those who can’t make it to the game is it will be on Aspire TV, a channel that not a lot of cable companies carry. But at least it will be on TV somewhere.

The game is slated for Ettrick, Va. at 2 p.m. on Saturday. It’s Virginia State’s homecoming but with what’s at stake homecoming kind of takes a back seat to what will be happening on the field.

Coach Damon Wilson of the Bulldogs, who has seen plenty in his time in the CIAA, said it’s a big game and he knows it will be a close one.

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S.C. STATE FOOTBALL: B-CU vs. SCSU likely a 'slobberknocker'

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Bethune-Cookman head coach Terry Sims didn’t hesitate when asked about South Carolina State’s identity.

“Physical, they’re a very physical football team,” he said during a Wednesday press conference. “That’s been their identity the 10-12 years I’ve been in this league. They’re a physical football team, and on offense, defense and special teams, that’s what they hang their hat on.”

Perhaps this year more than ever, that unit has been particularly dominant for the Bulldogs.

South Carolina State is ranked first in the MEAC in total defense (257 yards per game), second in scoring defense (16.3 points per game), and third in interceptions with seven, including two returned for touchdowns. In their two wins, the Bulldog defense has allowed a total of just 14 points. That unit has allowed no more than 26 points in any of the three losses. With the 26 coming from defending conference champion North Carolina Central (4-1, 3-0).

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RB gives UAPB lift in defeat

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- A week after rushing for just 50 yards as a team in a 27-14 loss at Alabama A&M on Sept. 30, the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff's ground game got a much-needed jolt on Saturday with the return of KeShawn Williams.

The 5-10, 192-pound junior, who missed the game against Alabama A&M because of a hip injury, carried 13 times for a season-high 147 yards and scored 2 touchdowns in the Golden Lions' 38-31 loss to Mississippi Valley State on Saturday. Williams also had two catches for 42 yards for a UAPB offense that generated a season-high 490 yards, including 290 yards on the ground. Still, it wasn't enough to get them past the Delta Devils, but for Coach Monte Coleman, having Williams back in the lineup was a welcomed sight.

"He's the workhorse at this point," he said. "If he gets tired, we've got good backups in Christian [Jordan] and Dante [McDonald] and the other backs that can come in and relieve him. But we definitely want to keep KeShawn in as much as possible because he has the ability to take it to the house."

Williams, who is third in the SWAC in rushing at 72 yards per game, said he didn't feel any lingering pain from the hip pointer that sidelined him two weeks ago. He did take several solid hits, but the Pine Bluff native admitted he was never in any danger of leaving the game other than a quick breather or the usual substitution.

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Bethune-Cookman University Marching Wildcats takes No. 1 spot in first ESPN/The Undefeated HBCU Band Rankings

We got the beat: HBCU Band Rankings, Undefeated style

• DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- What truly makes your alma mater’s band the top HBCU band in the land? Have you thought about your band’s conducting? Its utilization of space? Its marching technique? Accuracy and definition … style … discipline? These are just a few of the criteria that will be considered as part of the inaugural ESPN/The Undefeated HBCU Band Rankings.

The first rankings in this season’s ESPN/The Undefeated HBCU Band Rankings will identify the top bands from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), the two Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conferences.



The rankings, conducted by a nine-person panel of top band directors associated with historically black colleges and universities, will evaluate bands on musicality, drill and design, percussion, auxiliary corps, drum majors and other key factors. Each week, judges will review video content on a secure site to make recommendations for rankings.

The ESPN/The Undefeated HBCU Band Rankings will be posted at TheUndefeated.com four times this season — on Oct. 12, Oct. 24, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5 — and weekly during the 2018 season. This year, MEAC and SWAC bands will be ranked. In 2018, all HBCU bands will be included in the rankings.

The first rankings in this season’s ESPN/The Undefeated HBCU Band Rankings will identify the top bands from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), the two Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conferences.

The rankings, conducted by a nine-person panel of top band directors associated with historically black colleges and universities, will evaluate bands on musicality, drill and design, percussion, auxiliary corps, drum majors and other key factors. Each week, judges will review video content on a secure site to make recommendations for rankings

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North Carolina a hotbed for top FCS football teams, with four in this week’s national rankings, including N.C. A&T and NCCU

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- NC State is the only North Carolina team ranked among the nation’s top 25 in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Wolfpack, however, isn’t the only state entry in the national college polls.

The Old North State has become a hotbed for top Championship Subdivision teams, with no fewer than four making the grade this week in the STATS FCS Top 25 rankings.

Undefeated NC A&T, at 6-0, leads the way at No. 15, followed by Elon at No. 16, Western Carolina at No. 21 and NC Central, which became the latest team to enter the poll at No. 25 following its 13-7 win at Howard last Saturday.

The Eagles have won four straight since a season-opening loss to Duke. This marks the second straight season they’ve been ranked, after topping out at No. 18 in 2016. Coach Jerry Mack’s team made its first appearance in the national poll as a Division I program last November 7.

“Anytime you get a chance to have some recognition,whether it’s in life or on the football field, I think everybody appreciates that,” Mack said earlier this week. “But with that comes and responsibility and we have to go out there this Saturday against Gardner-Webb and prove we are worthy of being a top 25 team.”

Central’s MEAC rival A&T has done just that by outscoring its first six opponents by a 250-61 margin during the first half of its regular season schedule.



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N.C. A&T Visits Tallahassee For FAMU's Homecoming

*No. 11/No. 15 North Carolina A&T (6-0, 3-0 MEAC) vs. Florida A&M (2-4, 4, 0-2 MEAC) *FCS Coaches Poll/STATS Media
Poll Date: Oct. 14, 2017    
Time: 3 p.m. 
Facility: Bragg Memorial Stadium (25,000)   
Series: FAMU leads, 44-18-3   
Radio: ESPN Triad Radio (1320 AM, 93.7 FM, 104.9 FM, 1230 AM); 
Play-by-play – Donal Ware, Analysts – Al Swann 

Aggie Game Notes

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FAMU Game Notes

OFFENSIVE STARTERS FROM LAST GAME: WR Elijah Bell (6-2, 221, So., had a big homecoming with 9 rec., 178 yds and a TD); LT Brandon Parker (6-7, 309, R-Sr., gained another offensive lineman of the week award); LG Joshua Mattocks (6-3, 331, R-Sr., has played in 32 straight games); C Darriel Mack (6-2, 293, R-Sr., Mack has graded out high numerous times this season); RG Daquan Blake (6-1, 290, Jr., he continues to get stronger each week); RT Marcus Pettiford (6-3, 274, R-So., the right side of the Aggies line as fared well too); WR Khris Gardin (5-7, 185, Sr., had a 78-yard kickoff return versus Del State); TE Leroy Hill (6-3, 249, R-Jr., Hill is a huge target for Raynard); FB William Simpson(6-0, 220, R-So., Elizabeth City, N.C., Simpson has made two straight starts); QB Lamar Raynard (6-4, 200, R-Jr., Raynard is proving to be one of the best QB’s in the country);  RB Marquell Cartwright (5-8, 201, R-Jr., Cartwright routinely pounds on teams for four quarters).

DEFENSIVE STARTERS FROM LAST GAME: DE Sam Blue (6-1, 247, R-Jr., has given the Aggies a good pass rush this season); NG Jermaine Williams (6-1, 301, R-So., Williams’ caused fumble led to an Aggies safety); DT Kadarius Kendrick (6-4, 277, Jr., has two tackles for loss on the season); DE Darryl Johnson (6-5, 226, R-So., his two sacks were a part of the Aggies’ 8 sacks last Saturday); LB Deion Jones (5-11, 202, R-Jr., ranked fourth on the team in tackles (22); LB Kiaundric Richardson (6-0, 214, R-Jr., posted five tackles vs. DSU); LB Marcus Albert (5-10, 205, R-Sr., has five tackles for loss on the season); FS Tard McCoy (5-9, 191, R-Sr., has excellent tackling skills); CB Mac McCain (5-11, 174, R-Fr., almost had another pick-6 last Saturday); ROV Jeremy Taylor (5-11, 190, R-Sr., led the Aggies with six tackles against Del State); CB Timadre Abram (5-10, 168, R-Jr., has broken up five passes this season).

  

The Game: N.C. A&T will be on the road again. The Aggies will be playing on the road for the fifth time in seven games, and to make it even tougher, the Aggies are the guest for Florida A&M’s homecoming. The Rattlers will be trying to return a favor to the Aggies after the Aggies defeated Florida A&M for homecoming last year in Greensboro. The Aggies are on a five-game winning streak against the Rattlers, the longest such streak the Aggies have had against the Rattlers in the series. N.C. A&T has never won three straight games in Tallahassee versus the Rattlers. A win would put this Aggies team in rare air as only the third team in school history to have a 7-0 record. The other team occurred in 1927 and 1943. The Aggies will try to slow down a FAMU attack that posted 485 yards of total offense against Norfolk State.

N.C. A&T is coming off a 44-3 win over Delaware State during the Greatest Homecoming On Earth.  N.C. A&T held the Hornets to minus 38 yards rushing, the lowest amount a team has had during the seven-year era of head coach Rod Broadway. It marked the fourth time in the last seven years the Aggies have held an opponent to negative yards rushing and the 23rd time an opponent has been held to under 50 yards rushing. The Aggies offense was not too bad either. The Aggies posted more than 400 yards of offense for the sixth straight game. N.C. A&T has never opened a season with seven straight 400-yard games of offense. The Aggies have scored 30 or more points in five of their six games this season. N.C. A&T has scored 30 or more points 29 times and 40 or more points 17 times in the 75 games Broadway has coached at N.C. A&T.

News & Notes

• N.C. A&T earned more MEAC weekly honors this week when quarterback Lamar Raynard was named offensive player of the week for the fourth time this season after throwing for a career-high 324 yards and three touchdowns on 20-for-26 passing. Meanwhile, left tackle Brandon Parker picked up his fifth offensive lineman of the week honor in six weeks.
• Last season, the Aggies broke the single-season school record for points in a season with 422, two more points than they scored in 1993. That record is under threat again. The Aggies have already scored 250 points this season, putting them 173 points shy of taking down last year’s mark.
• Raynard is 367 yards shy of becoming just the fifth Aggie to throw for 2,000 yards in a season. If he accomplishes the feat, he will be the first Aggie to do so since Lewis Kindle threw for more than 2,000 yards in 2011. The other Aggie QBs who have done it include Maseo Bolin, Alan Hooker and Ellsworth Turner.
• Rod Broadway won his 53rd game as the head coach of N.C. A&T. He is now three wins shy of becoming second on the Aggies all-time wins list. If he were to stop coaching today, he would leave N.C. A&T with the best winning percentage of all time (.707). Bill Hayes held the previous high mark with a .624 winning percentage.

Opposing Point of View

“We have our hands full here at homecoming, so we've got to get our guys to understand what they need to do to go and compete and take advantage of this opportunity to play a really good football team at home in front of a homecoming crowd which generally here at Florida A&M is a packed house and a very exciting atmosphere. We're looking forward to that opportunity. Their quarterback (Lamar) Raynard is really doing a good job for them. Their running backs Marquell Cartwright and Jamari Smith are doing a really good job. They have the left tackle Brandon Parker who is obviously an all-conference player. Then on defense they have Jermaine Williams, Darryl Johnson and they have two really good corners in (Mac) McCain and (Timadre) Abram. They have a lot of good players obviously, I could mention more, but those are the guys who stick out on film. We're looking forward to the game, and we've got to get back on track.”

NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

November 15: Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Historically Black Colleges and Universities

ATLANTA, Georgia -- A haven for Black intellectuals, artists and revolutionaries — and path of promise toward the American dream—Black colleges and universities have educated the architects of freedom movements and cultivated leaders in every field. They have been unapologetically Black for more than 150 years. For the first time ever, their story is told.

Join Jazz 91.9 WCLK and Clark Atlanta University for the exclusive Atlanta Screening of Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities. Directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson, The film examines the impact HBCUs have had on American history, culture, and national identity. Beginning with the earliest attempts at education to today’s campuses.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring CAU President Ronald A. Johnson, Filmmaker Stanely Nelson and a host of prominent students and alumni from HBCUs.



The tour is a major part of HBCU Rising, the year-long multiplatform engagement project designed to drive dialog among a variety of audiences. Jazz 91. 9 is 0ne of 10 HBCU’s across the nation to receive a grant for the campus event.

“We felt it was very important to showcase the film to students on HBCU campuses because this is a vital part of our African-American and American history,” said director Stanley Nelson. “Many students and even alumni are not aware of the deep history of how and why HBCUs were created and the foundation for success they provided for African Americans. We appreciate the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s support and the partnership on the ground with local public television and radio stations to make this tour possible.”

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Former Texas College Football Coach Ace Mumford nominated for Hall of Fame

TYLER, Texas -- Coach Arnett “Ace” Mumford was named a Class of 2018 Finalist for the Black College Football Hall of Fame.

The Black College Football Hall of Fame recognizes players and coaches specifically from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Coach Mumford served as the head football coach at Texas College from 1931 to 1935. Under his leadership the Steers won two Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championships and one National Championship.

Mumford also coached at Jarvis Christian College, Bishop College, and Southern University throughout his career. Over his coaching career, Mumford’s record was 225-86-23. While respected as a winner, he was dually noted for his emphasis on his players' education.

Mumford was also an inductee into the National College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

The Class of 2018 Inductees will be announced on Oct 25.

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Bowie State (6-0) at Virginia State (5-0) Preview

ETTRICK, Virginia -- The Clash of the Titans is finally here. We have two undefeated teams, a Homecoming, NFL prospects, national television, and two teams vying for control in the conference! What more could you ask for?

Bowie State, the 14th ranked team in the AFCA Poll, is coming off a 41-10 win in their Northern Division opener last week against the Chowan Hawks. Virginia State had a dominating win themselves in their Northern Division opener against Elizabeth City State, claiming a 56-0 victory.



This game has storylines and NFL Prospects across the board. This game features the top two players in the conference, as well as in the nation, in quarterback Amir Hall (Bowie State) and running back Trent Cannon (Virginia State). Cannon is the top NFL prospect the conference has to offer this year. This will be the best defense Cannon will face this year as the Bulldogs defense is ranked fourth in the nation.

The Bulldogs defense is led by senior defensive end Derrick Tate and fellow senior defensive back Rahman Kamara. Cannon isn't the only Trojan to watch as quarterback Cordelral Cook is coming off a six-touchdown performance against Elizabeth City State.



The Bowie State offense which is the top offense in the nation, will face its toughest defensive team in the nation as well. The Trojans have the number seven ranked defense in the nation. On defense, the Virginia State will be led by senior linebacker Brandon Lynch who was a pre-season All-CIAA selection and junior linebacker Malik Sexton.

The Bulldogs and Trojans have played two classic games over the past two seasons with Bowie State claiming close wins in both. Kickoff is set for 2:05 this Saturday (10/14) and will be televised nationally on the Aspire Network.

BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

West Virginia State Freshman Nika Tadic Named Mountain East Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week

NIKA TADIC
WOMEN'S TENNIS
WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE, West Virginia -- WVSU freshman Nika Tadic from Split, Croatia, has been named the Mountain East Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week.

Tadic went 3-0 in singles including wins over second and third place Charleston and West Liberty.

She began the week playing #6 singles but was forced to move up a spot for the final two matches due to a teammate's injury.

Against the Hilltoppers at #5 singles Tadic lost the first set but rallied to win the next two in what was the final match on the court and the one that decided the winning team as the Yellow Jackets stayed undefeated.

In Wednesday' match at Charleston Tadic teamed with junior Kayla McKnight to win a key doubles match in a 9-7 tiebreaker after escaping three match points in the Golden Eagles favor.

WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION