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NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Coach Rod Reed confirmed Sunday that former Minnesota starting quarterback Demry Croft is transferring to Tennessee State.
Croft, a 6-foot-5, 205 pound, sophomore from Rockford, Ill., and his parents made an official visit Saturday to TSU. Croft announced on Twitter his decision to join the Tigers.
"Tennessee State is my new home. Go Tigers" a tweet from Croft's official Twitter account read Sunday morning.
Croft also tweeted a picture of himself with his mother and Reed in TSU's indoor practice facility.
Reed declined to comment on Croft beyond confirming he had visited on Saturday and would enroll at TSU in January.
Reed said he would comment further after Croft is enrolled.
Since Croft is transferring from an FBS school to an FCS he will be eligible to play immediately. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Coach Robert Hughes is the all-time winningest boy’s basketball coach in the United States; he won 1,333 games in a 47 year coaching career.
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Because of the color of his skin, Robert Hughes could not have played basketball at Texas Christian University (TCU). But the school will honor him now.
The long-time Dunbar boy’s basketball coach will be honored at halftime Monday night as TCU takes on his alma mater, Texas Southern.
TCU coach Jamie Dixon made Hughes a priority not long after he accepted the job in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs will honor Hughes for his September induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Several of his former players at Dunbar and I.M. Terrell are scheduled to attend the ceremony; the list includes former TCU players Anthony Burks, Darrell Browder and Dr. James Cash.
Cash played for Hughes at I.M. Terrell and became the first African-American to play in the Southwest Conference in 1967.
Hughes was a guard at Texas Southern from 1951-54. He was All-SWAC three times and TSU’s Athlete of the Year as a senior. He was later inducted into the TSU Hall of Fame.
Hughes, 89, finished his coaching career as the all-time winningest boy’s basketball coach in the United States; he won 1,333 games at Dunbar and Terrell in a 47-year career.
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State coach Tony Hughes is apparently going in another direction with his offense in 2018.
Sources close to the situation tell the Clarion Ledger that JSU is set to announce current Belhaven University head coach and Air Raid specialist Hal Mumme to run the offense next season.
Mumme led Belhaven to 2-8 records in each of the last three seasons, but has 26 previous years of college coaching experience and was one of the original architects of the air raid offense — an up-tempo, pass-heavy scheme designed to spread out opposing defenses and take advantage of mismatches and one-on-one opportunities.
Mumme has always been a head coach, with stops at Iowa Wesleyan, Valdosta State, Kentucky, Southeastern Louisiana, New Mexico State and McMurry prior to Belhaven.
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- The 3-7 campaign in 2017 could have done it. So could have the realization that his 17th season would be his last as head football coach at S.C. State.
But, instead of getting down with disappointment, Oliver "Buddy" Pough is busy planning and putting things into motion for the 2018 season for the Bulldogs.
This past week, after agreeing on a one-year extension to lead S.C. State football through next year, Pough was focused on recruiting and setting up his coaching staff for a run at a better record.
The coach appreciated postseason conversations he had with S.C. State first-year athletic director Stacy Danley and members of the university administration. But, with off-season recruiting in full swing, Pough said this week that he is excited about bringing fresh talent to both his coaching staff and the Bulldogs' roster.
"There's still plans in place and we are still planning for next year, organizationally," Pough said. "We've got to do a thing or two with our offense; need a body or two there and play a bit better at key positions. That will reorganize us on that side of the ball. CONTINUE READING
NEW ORLEANS — Joseph Williams scored a career-high 16 points Saturday, and Xavier University of Louisiana held on for a 75-70 men's basketball victory against city rival Loyola at The Den. The Gold Rush (8-4) will play the University of the Virgin Islands at 5 p.m. Sunday and Rust at 7 p.m. Monday in the Xavier Classic at the Convocation Center. The event also will have women's games; XULA's Gold Nuggets will play Virgin Islands at 7 p.m. Sunday and NAIA No. 9 Lindsey Wilson at 5 p.m. Monday. Williams reached a career-high point total for the second straight game. The senior — a transfer after three seasons at Freed-Hardeman — also had eight rebounds and four blocked shots. XULA led the final 35 minutes. The Gold Rush led 36-23 at halftime and took its largest lead, 55-38, on Virgil Davison's 3-pointer with 11:44 remaining. The Wolf Pack (6-5) cut the deficit to one point twice in the final 4 1/2 minutes, the second time with 30 seconds remaining when Tensley Aldridge made a pair of free throws. But hampering Loyola's comeback were six consecutive scoreless possessions in the final four minutes. Freshman Rayshawn Mart, in double figures for the fifth straight game, scored 14 points for XULA and had game-highs of nine rebounds and three steals. His final steal occurred in the backcourt after Jeff Dixon gave XULA a 73-70 lead with a pair of free throws with six seconds remaining. Dixon added two more free throws with four seconds remaining to conclude the scoring. Dixon scored 15 points, and Davison had 12. Ethan Turner made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points for Loyola, and Aldridge scored 15. Loyola outshot XULA 44.8 to 38.6 percent from the floor, but the Gold Rush dominated at the line, making 26-of-36 free throws to the Wolf Pack's 9-of-15. XULA made 21-of-31 free throws in the second half. XULA was plus-6 in turnovers, committing 13 and gaining 19. XULA snapped a three-game losing streak against Loyola and defeated the Wolf Pack at The Den for the first time in four years. XULA leads the series 34-12. The teams will meet Jan. 24 at XULA. Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
NEW ORLEANS — Kyla Duncan, a 5-foot-10 forward and a three-time all-district performer from Metairie, La., signed an athletic scholarship Friday with Xavier University of Louisiana women's basketball.
Duncan is averaging 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals through 12 games this season for East Jefferson High School. Duncan averaged 16 points as a junior for an EJ team that finished 17-10. Her coach at EJ is Henry Latten, who earned his master's from XULA.
Duncan was all-district as a sophomore and freshman for coach Mike Kracjer Jr. at Archbishop Chapelle High School, and as a sophomore she was named third-team all-metro by the New Orleans Advocate newspaper. Duncan averaged 10.2 points as a freshman.
"Kyla reminds me of one our All-America players, Jackie Tucker," XULA coach Bo Browder said.
"Kyla is a forward who can play inside and outside. She is strongly committed to winning and doing everything the right way — on the floor, in the classroom and in the community."
Duncan is a National Honor Society member. As a junior she won EJ's law studies award.
Duncan will major in biology at XULA. She wants to become a physical therapist.
Duncan is the Gold Nuggets' second signee for 2018-19. Shae Johnson, a 6-2 forward/center from Riverside, Calif., and Martin Luther King High School, signed in November.
XULA competes in the NAIA and has won six Gulf Coast Athletic Conference tournaments in the last 10 seasons. The Gold Nuggets qualified for the NAIA Division I National Championship 19 times in the last 23 seasons. XULA is 5-3 this season, including a victory against nationally ranked Our Lady of the Lake.
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina — Graduate guard Bryeasha Blair tossed in a game-high 24 points to lead South Carolina State to an, 75-45, victory over Western Carolina Saturday (Dec. 16th) at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.
The Lady Bulldogs improve to 4-4 on the season, while WCU falls to 2-8.
Newcomers Kemoni Jenkins added 15 points and four steals, while Kyesha Lewis chipped in 13 in the win.
South Carolina State pretty much dominated in every category forcing WCU to 29 turnovers, while finishing 36-8 on points off turnovers and 28-24 on points in the paint.
The Lady Bulldogs built their biggest lead of the first-half 11, 27-16 late in the second quarter off a jumper by Lewis with 6:08 remaining. Tembre Moates closed the gap on back-to-back baskets to pull Western Carolina within five, 34-29 to close out intermission.
SC State opened the second-half on a 20-5 run to late in the third quarter off a driving layup by junior forward Esther Udonsi at the 1:32 mark. The Lady Bulldogs led by as many as 32, 73-41 with 2:32 remaining in regulation.
Western Carolina was by Lauren LaPlant with 13 points, while Moates added 12 in the loss.
Next up South Carolina State returns to action on the road in Macon, GA against Mercer University in a non-conference matchup. Tipoff is 7 p.m.
For more information on South Carolina State Athletics visit www.scsuathletics.com or call the Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060.
BOX SCORE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
HAMMOND, Louisiana -- Drake Wilks jumper with five seconds remaining lifted the Grambling State men's basketball team to a thrilling come-from-behind 68-67 victory over Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday afternoon at the University Center.
The Tigers (4-7) trailed 46-27 at the break and slowly rallied before cutting a double-digit deficit to single digits with less than 10 minutes remaining. Grambling State outscored Southeastern Louisiana, 16-8, over the final five minutes to pick up the win.
Anthony Gaston paced Grambling State with 18 points and three steals. Devante Jackson added 16 points, on 7-of-10 shooting, and 11 rebounds, while Ivy Smith registered 13 points, four assists and three rebounds.
Joshua Filmore led Southeastern Louisiana with 16 points and four boards. James Currington chipped in with 11 points, six rebounds, one block and one steal, while Jabbar Singleton added 11 points and two boards.
Turning Point
The Lions (6-5) raced out to a 25-8 advantage after a jumper by Eddy Polanco with 9:36 remaining in the opening half and stretch the advantage to 41-20 after a bucket by Polanco with 2:08 left in the first half.
The Tigers closed out the half with buckets by Jackson, Gaston and Shirmane Thomas to close the gap to 46-27 at the break.
Grambling State cut the double-digit deficit to 59-52 after a pair of Smith free throws with 5:57 left and pulled to within two at 65-63 after two Gaston free throws with 1:06 remaining.
A Gaston 3-pointer cut the margin to 67-66 with 44 seconds left and after a defensive stop, Wilks sank a jumper with five seconds remaining.
Inside The Numbers
* Grambling State shot 24-of-61 (39.3 percent) from the field and 13-of-14 (92.9 percent) from the foul line.
* Southeastern Louisiana was 23-of-46 (50 percent) shooting and 14-of-18 (50 percent) from the charity stripe.
Up Next
Grambling State returns to action on Thursday, Dec. 21 as the Tigers travel to Greenville, N.C. to take on East Carolina (ECU). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET)/6 p.m. (CT). Follow Grambling State Athletics
For complete coverage of Grambling State athletics, please follow the Tigers on social media at @GSU_Tigers (Twitter), /gramblingstateathletics (Facebook), @gramblingathetics01 (Instagram) or visit the official home of Grambling State Athletics at gsutigers.com. BOX SCORE GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina — Graduate guard Donte Wright poured in a team-high 22 points, while James Richardson chipped in 15 as South Carolina State held off late rally to defeat Jacksonville 83-74 Saturday (Dec. 16th) at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.
"It was a good win for our team," said head coach Murray Garvin. "We had some players out tonight Alex Taylor along with our second leading scorer and rebounder Damani Applewhite, but we came together for a much needed victory."
"Just like what we said before, we play every game for Ty and I love the way our guys banned together through adversity," said Garvin.
The Bulldogs improved to 4-1 at home and captured their second straight win. Sophomore forward Ian Kinard added 11 points and five rebounds, while newcomer senior guard Patrell Rogers a transfer who played his first game tonight chipped in seven points and six rebounds in 17 minutes of play.
South Carolina State led in several categories including rebounds (42-36), and points off the bench (33-27). The Bulldogs closed out the first-half on a layup by sophomore Ozante Fields to take a five-point lead, 38-33 during intermission.
The second-half the Bulldogs opened up their largest margin of the game 13, 49-36 off a jumper by Wright at the 15:15 mark. JU pulled within six, 53-47, when Cody Helgeland nailed a three-pointer with 9:53 remaining.
Solid free-throw shooting down the stretched from Kinard and Rogers seal the 83-74 victory. South Carolina State as a team shot 76.9% (20-of-26) from the charity stripe.
JU was led Jace Hogan with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds, while teammate JD Notae added 17 and seven rebounds in the loss.
Next up the Bulldogs hit the road to take on intrastate rival the College of Charleston on Tuesday (Dec. 19th) in a non-conference matchup. Tip-off is 7 p.m.
For more information on South Carolina State Athletics visit www.scsuathletics.com or call the Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060.
BOX SCORE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Two North Carolina A&T Aggies recorded double-doubles in a 64-54 victory over Tennessee State Friday night at Corbett Sports Center. Sophomore Japhet Kadji had a team-high 16 points with 10 rebounds and junior Femi Olujobi carried the bench scoring with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Aggie defense held the Tigers to 39 percent shooting from the field.
“Anytime you can snap a losing streak is huge,” said N.C. A&T head coach Jay Joyner. “The message in the locker room before the game was that you can not allow another team to come into the Corbett Center and win. It was really that simple. We settled down in the second half and was a lot more aggressive against their zone.”
The Aggies, the second-best shooting team in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, shot 56 percent (13-for-23) from the field in the second half and held the Tigers to 42 (14-for-33) to pull away late.
Graduate transfer Devonte Boykins, who was back on the floor after a three-game absence due to injury, was a key factor, scoring nine of his 13 points in the second half to pace the Aggies. The Tigers trailed by 27-24 at the half, but opened the second half on a 7-0 run and led 31-27 at the 17:12 mark. Boykins ended the run with a 3-pointer followed by back-to-back baskets by Kadji and junior Milik Gantz to give the Aggies a 34-33 lead with 13:09 to play.
The Tigers responded on a layup by Kamar McKnight taking their final lead of the evening, 35-34. On the ensuing possession, a 3-pointer by Kadji put the Aggies back in front. The Kadji three led to a N.C. A&T 9-0 run that included a 3-point play and a 3-pointer from Boykins. After a tip-in by Ken’Darrius Hamilton ended the Aggies run and brought the Tigers to within four, 43-39, the Aggies sprinted out again.
They took a 49-39 lead with 6 ½ minutes to play on a 6-0 run that included two baskets from freshman Kameron Langley and a bucket from Olujobi. It seemed to be the catalyst that put the Tigers away as TSU was never able to get the lead under six the rest of the way.
“We keep talking about depth and on any given night guys can step up. This team is not only about Olujobi,” said Joyner. “He practiced only once this week and even with that one day I thought he gave us effort on defense, and we still earned the win. Anytime you can hold an opponent to 54 points is huge. I felt that playing zone would give us our best chance to win the game and we got it done.”
The Aggies trailed the Tigers for the first 13 minutes of the game. An 8-0 run for the Aggies brought them back from a seven-point deficit. Olujobi’s offensive rebound plus tip-in trimmed the TSU advantage to five, 18-13. Sophomore Kwei Lartey followed with a 3-pointer and Olujobi matched him with another three to give N.C. A&T a 19-18 lead at the 7:39 mark. The Aggies held on to the lead for the remainder of the half.
Led by Olujobi and Gantz (nine points), N.C. A&T’s bench outscored the Tigers bench 25-0. Langley had seven points with six assists and Boykins ended with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Tennessee State was led by Delano Spencer’s 17 points.
The Aggies travel to Pittsburgh to face Duquesne 12:30 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 17 at the Palumbo Center. BOX SCORE NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
ATLANTA, Georgia – In Major League Baseball, the unbreakable record appears to be Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. In the NBA, it is perhaps Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points.
On Saturday, America may have witnessed another unbreakable record happen in sports, live on ABC. In the world of black college football, where teams must play Division I-FBS programs (who are sometimes named Florida State, Clemson and Arkansas) for revenue, the seventh-ranked North Carolina A&T Aggies football team went an undefeated 12-0, won the Black College Football National Championship and improved to 2-0 in the third edition of the Celebration Bowl with a 21-14 win over No. 12 Grambling State (11-2) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It may be a while before an unbeaten team emerges from black college football.
“I'm just extremely proud of our players and the job our coaching staff has done,” said N.C. A&T coach Rod Broadway. “It's an awesome feeling right now to be 12-0 and to win our second national championship in three years at A&T. I'm happy for our school. We've come a long way.”
Yes Lawd. N.C. A&T is the first-ever Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference school to finish the entire season undefeated. They are the first Division I-AA black college football team to finish a season unbeaten and untied and they broke the school and conference record for wins with 12.
Four-year seniors Brandon Parker (6-foot-7, 309, left tackle, Kannapolis, NC), Marcus Albert (5-10, 205, LB, College Park, Ga.), Caleb Gabriel (5-9, 165, wide receiver, Raleigh, NC), Khris Gardin (5-7, 185, return specialist/WR, Morganton, NC), Darriel Mack (6-2, 300, center, Clio, SC), Joshua Mattocks (6-3, 331, left guard, Swansboro, NC), Tard McCoy (5-9, 191, defensive back, Delray Beach, Fla.), Kenneth Melton (6-2, 235, defensive end, Elizabeth City), Joshua Patrick (5-11, 223, linebacker, Dekalb, Ga.) and Jeremy Taylor (5-11, 190, linebacker, Kinston, NC) are the winningest class in school history with an outstanding 40 wins against only eight losses.
What makes Saturday’s outcome even more special, fun and humbling is the fact that 10 years ago today, the Aggies were coming off their second straight 0-11 season. Today, they are the kings of black college football, they’re a top-10 team in the Football Championship Subdivision and they went from winless to unbeaten. Aggie Pride!
“Twelve and oh doesn’t come easy,” said Taylor, the Aggies two-time first-team All-MEAC linebacker. “It was a grind. But to do it with your brothers and the people you love, makes it worth it. I graduated last week, so now I have a degree and these championships to take with me from A&T.”
N.C. A&T won in true championship folklore. With the game tied at 14, the Aggies took over the ball at their own 44-yard line with 1:42 remaining in the game. On 2nd-and-10, one of the many crucial moments of the game occurred. N.C. A&T quarterback and MEAC Offensive Player of the Year Lamar Raynard (6-4, 200, High Point, NC) dumped a short pass over the middle to All-MEAC first-team running back Marquell Cartwright (5-8, 201, High Point, NC).
As Cartwright made his initial move up the field he started to bobble the ball and it eventually hit the Mercedes-Benz turf. A GSU defender picked the ball up as if it were a fumble and returned the other way. Before he got too far, the officials ruled the play an incomplete pass. GSU coach Broderick Fobbs wasn’t so sure, so he challenged the play. The call of incomplete pass was upheld, costing the Tigers their final timeout.
Raynard then proceeded to lead his team to another championship. He completed a 19-yard pass to Gardin. Raynard then tried to complete another pass to his high school teammate, Cartwright, and this time it was successful. Cartwright took the catch and run play to the GSU 18 before junior Elijah Bell (6-1, 221, WR, Wheeling, WVa.) made an amazing catch for a 15-yard gain to the GSU 3. He was the final catch of his 10-reception, 95-yard day.
The Aggies, who were victims of a goal line stand earlier in the game, would not be denied with the game on the line. After a 2-yard Cartwright run, the Aggies hurried to the line and snuck Raynard through for a 1-yard touchdown with 38 seconds remaining.
“That's how championships are won, when you’re able to get the winning score late by putting the ball in the end zone and end the season 12-0 which is an unbelievable feeling.”
Cartwright was named the game’s offensive MVP after finishing with 110 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. His three receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown gave him 164 all-purpose yards against the Tigers. Another Aggies running back, current Chicago Bear Tarik Cohen, was the game’s offensive MVP two years ago when the Aggies won the Celebration Bowl.
Cartwright says he talks to Cohen often and he said both men wanted something to be known. “We’re a running back school. We just wanted that to be known,” said Cartwright. “We just let everybody know that even though Tarik is gone, we can still be a dominant team.”
Two dominant programs gave everyone their money’s worth. The Aggies got on the board first as Cartwright caught an 11-yard pass from Raynard. GSU quarterback Devante Kincade was a problem for the Aggies all afternoon. He had 225 yards passing and two touchdowns and another 93 yards rushing on 16 carries. He led the Tigers on an 8-play, 70-yard drive to the game at 7 in the second quarter.
“That young man showed out. He's a special talent,” said Broadway. “One of the things we wanted to do in the game is not let him beat us with his feet. He kept a lot of drives alive with his feet. We had some chances to hit him, and we just missed him. He's slippery. He did an outstanding job of keeping drives alive and helping them get in the end zone a couple of times.”
GSU and Kincade tried to take its first lead of the game in the third quarter. On 2nd-and-goal from the 7, All-America cornerback Mac MCcain (5-11, 174, FR, Greensboro, NC) came up with his sixth interception of the season to halt the Tigers drive.
“I watch film a lot. I try to know a lot of things before they happen,” said McCain, the game’s defensive MVP. “He lined up with a tight split, so I pretty much knew he was going to run an out route. I ran the out for him and made the catch. “
N.C. A&T used the big play to drive 80 yards to take the lead on a Cartwright 29-yard TD run. GSU tied the game at 14 on a 29-yard TD pass from Kincade to Martez Carter to open the fourth quarter.
“Twelve and oh is something most teams don’t do,” said Taylor. “It’s something most teams don't come close to doing. That’s the memory you take with you. We did something most people don’t do.”
Or may never do again.
BOX SCORE NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
ATLANTA, Georgia -- North Carolina A&T won its second Celebration Bowl in the game’s three-year history, knocking off the defending HBCU national champions in Grambling State, 21-14, all while completing an undefeated season at 12-0.
The Aggies became the first team in MEAC history to finish a season undefeated winning 12 games in 2017. NC A&T has 59 wins in seven seasons with Rod Broadway as their head coach, while the Aggies won only 15 games total in the seven seasons before Broadway was hired.
Here's how it happened -- Lamar Raynard scored on a 1-yard sneak with 38 seconds left and unbeaten North Carolina A&T won its second Celebration Bowl in three years, defeating Grambling State 21-14 on Saturday.
N.C. A&T (12-0) won its fourth Historically Black College and University national championship. The Aggies claimed titles in 1990 and 1999 in addition to 2015, when they defeated Alcorn State 41-34 in the first Celebration Bowl.
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Raynard, one of four finalists for the Black College Hall of Fame player of the year, completed 23 of 43 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown and had 17 yards on eight carries.
ATLANTA, Georgia -- There was a lot of history between the Grambling State Tigers and North Carolina A&T Aggies as they squared off in the Celebration Bowl. Both teams had won the game since its inception in 2015. The game lived up to its hype as the Aggies prevailed 21-14 with a fourth-quarter scoring drive and secured their fourth HBCU national title. Here are five observations from the Celebration Bowl on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium: Perfect season North Carolina A&T became the first MEAC and HBCU school to finish undefeated and untied. The Aggies also broke the school record with 12 wins in a season, capping it with their second Celebration Bowl victory. It is also unique as Aggies coach Rod Broadway coached at Grambling from 2007-2010. He is 57-22 at North Carolina A&T. The Aggies finish the season with wins over three conferences — the SWAC, MEAC, and American Athletic. CONTINUE READING
ATLANTA, Georgia -- You could see the writing on the wall becoming more visible the last two games.
Since the fourth quarter of the Bayou Classic three weeks ago, Grambling State hasn't closed a game the way everyone has become accustomed to the Tigers shutting the door during the program's successful run the last couple of seasons.
And during the uncharacteristic course the Tigers have let a lead completely slip away against rival Southern -- ultimately getting it back soon thereafter -- and a big lead shrink down to single digits in the fourth quarter versus Alcorn State in the SWAC Championship Game. The miscues reared their ugly head at the worst time in the Celebration Bowl Saturday as North Carolina A&T downed the G-Men, 21-14, inside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The mistakes crept into a critical part of the game where Grambling (11-2) had dominated all season long, the turnover battle, as Broderick Fobbs' squad turned it over three times. And the Aggies (12-0), who won their second HBCU national title in three years and secured their first undefeated season in program history, made the Tigers pay scoring their first two touchdowns off takeaways.
ATLANTA, Georgia — The Aggies are perfect. Simply perfect.
Lamar Raynard scored on a 1-yard quarterback keeper, following the surge of his offensive line into the end zone with 38 seconds left, lifting N.C. A&T to a 21-14 victory over Grambling in the Celebration Bowl.
The short run wrapped up a long and successful season for the Aggies, who finish with undefeated with a 12-0 record. It's the best season in school history, and the Aggies are the first MEAC team to finish a complete unbeatn season since the conference was founded in 1971.
Marquell Cartwright, a junior running back from High Point, finished with 20 carries for 110 rushing yards and a touchdown, and he caught 3 passes for 54 yards and another touchdown.
MOBILE, Alabama -- Offensive lineman Dylan McBride, who misse
d his senior season with a torn labrum, will sign with Alabama A&M during the new early signing period beginning Wednesday.
"I think it's good for a select few," he said. "I think it's good for guys who want to get started in January and who are done with the love me tour and are ready to sign and get it done. I also think it's good for some schools that end up burning official visits on kids who have no intention of going to that school. It's not for everyone, but it is the right thing for some."
McBride (6-5, 260) was injured in spring practice and didn't play at all for Davidson. However, Alabama A&M already had offered him and the school remained true to that. Riley said he will be a "steal" in the SWAC.
"He's a guy who has the genes to play in the Sun Belt or in Conference USA or somewhere like that," he said. "If he'd had a senior year on film for coaches to see, I think other schools would have come in here and tried to sway him. But he really liked A&M." CONTINUE READING
GREENSBORO, North Carolina — First things first: The roster in the game program is misleading.
It lists N.C. A&T sophomore defensive end Darryl Johnson at 6-foot-5 and 226 pounds, and he probably was when he was measured.
But young men tend to grow, some into their early 20s. And Johnson, 20, is probably closer to 6-6 and 235 pounds as A&T (11-0) gets ready to play Grambling (11-1) in the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta at noon today.
“I’ve gotten a lot stronger. A little faster,” Johnson said. “The biggest thing is knowledge, though, because when I first got here the process of learning the defense was hard. Getting reps in spring practice helped a lot. The more reps I get, the more I learn. It helps me play a lot faster.”
Johnson is a handful. Long and lean with a 103-inch wingspan — at least the last time he was measured — he’s built more like a basketball power forward than a defensive end.
His speed sets him apart from most defensive lineman. He’s run the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds, and he’s too quick for a lot of offensive tackles to block cleanly. CONTINUE READING
GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- North Carolina A&T boasts a no-loss season, and will take on Grambling State on Saturday at noon. It's the second time A&T has played in the bowl game; the first time was 2015 - the very first year for the championship.
Arguably as important as the football game - the performances by the Blue and Gold Marching Machine. The band will hit the road tomorrow morning to play in the first bowl game at the Mercedes-Benz stadium.
It's been a months-long journey of long practice days and hard work, but directors and band members say it will all pay off when they step onto the national stage.
For months - the Aggie's Blue and Gold Marching Machine has fine-tuned every step, and every note. Every win has paved their road to Atlanta to face off against Grambling State this weekend.
“It’s very exciting. Knowing that we are one going to be the first ball game in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the second time we're going to be in the celebration bowl so it's an undefeated season for the Aggies and we're very excited,” said Assistant Director Lamon Lawhorn.
“All week we have been preparing, we've had rehearsal from 9 AM to 10 PM every single day,” said drum major Solomon Reynolds.
ATLANTA, Georgia -- The road to Saturday’s Celebration Bowl between Grambling and North Carolina A&T started April 11, 2007.
It was at legendary Grambling coach Eddie Robinson’s funeral where Broderick Fobbs and Rod Broadway met for the first time.
Broadway had just been announced as Grambling’s head coach. Fobbs, a former running back at Grambling under Robinson, was then the offensive coordinator at McNeese State.
The two men shared a somber moment, remembering a legend. Afterward, they exchanged phone numbers, and bond began to form.
"I loved how Broadway ran the program," said Fobbs, who's now in charge at Grambling.
Fobbs and the Tigers (11-1) square off against North Carolina A&T, the team Broadway now coaches.
Broadway spent four seasons at Grambling, winning two Southwestern Athletic Conference championships before he took the job at A&CT, returning to his home state. The Aggies are 11-0 heading into Saturday's game.
GRAMBLING, Louisiana – Take it all in, GramFam. Once the clock strikes all zeroes at Saturday’s Celebration Bowl, you will have watched the closing of one of the most successful chapters in Grambling State football history.
An end of a short era, but also the dawn of a lasting legacy.
For the final time, redshirt senior quarterback DeVante Kincade and senior running back Martez Carter will take the field in the Black and Gold with their fellow G-Men to square off with undefeated North Carolina A&T (11-0) for the HBCU National Championship at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
t’s fitting the that last time Carter and Kincade don the “G” helmet that the stakes are high. Because arguably, there have been few that have recently made a bigger impact on the historic Grambling football program than the backfield duo.
Don’t mistake it, what head coach Broderick Fobbs has been able to do and how he’s elevated his alma mater back to where many believe GSU belongs has been nothing short of remarkable. Any conversation of most impactful people certainly begins with the former Tiger running back that played under the legendary coach Eddie Robinson. CONTINUE READING
ATLANTA, Georgia — The third annual Celebration Bowl showcases its first two winners.
No. 7 N.C. A&T (11-0) won the first Celebration Bowl in 2015, and No. 12 Grambling (11-1) is the defending champ.
The MEAC champion Aggies and SWAC champ Tigers, who are both on 11-game winning streaks, will play at Atlanta's new Mercedes-Benz Stadium at noon Saturday.
It's the start of college football's bowl season, and the national broadcast on ABC has drawn more than five million viewers so far.
And the matchup of champs from the two NCAA Division I leagues made up exclusively of HBCUs means a black college national championship is at stake.
"I told our staff before the season started, 'We have chance to have our best football team.' And we still have a chance," A&T coach Rod Broadway said. "All we need to do is win one more, and this will be the best team I've had in 15 years as a head coach. I can't say enough about these guys."
ATLANTA, Georgia -- Atlanta’s new Mercedes-Benz Stadium looks futuristic enough that it wouldn’t come as a 100 percent shock if it lifted off and began zipping around the Milky Way. On Saturday around midday, that look will become evocative for anyone who juxtaposes it with what happened 125 years ago.
Three weeks and two days before it stages the College Football Playoff national championship game, the four-month-old wonder with its otherworldly video board and gargantuan windows on the downtown skyline will stage the third Celebration Bowl, which christens the bowl season and throws back all at once. Per custom, it will pit the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion (North Carolina A&T) against the Southwestern Athletic Conference champion (Grambling), and it will sort out a national champion among historically black colleges and universities. ABC will air it at noon.
[This being almost 2018, the game will have “high-tech uniforms and cleats and more footballs than you know what to do with,” said John Grant, the bowl’s executive director. It also will come almost precisely 125 years since that game with one waterlogged football, when Biddle University of Charlotte traveled 43 miles to Livingstone College of Salisbury, N.C., when 43 miles was so much longer than today.
That game, in snowfall on Livingstone’s front lawn Dec. 27, 1892, became the first between historically black colleges, and Grant thinks of it repeatedly. He thinks of the “fans who came by wagons, who walked, who came on horseback.” He thinks of the fans who “came and stood around the field in snow to watch this game that they had never seen people like them play.” He said, “They had to be cold and wet.”
ATLANTA, Georgia -- North Carolina A&T coach Rod Broadway points out to his players how the windshield in a car dwarfs the size of the rear-view mirror.
"Why is that?" Broadway said. "Because they don't want you looking back too much because you might run into something."
The Aggies, the 11-0 champs of the MEAC, will have had four weeks to bask in the best regular season in program history when they take on SWAC champ Grambling State (11-1) in the third annual Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (noon ET, ABC).
Yet, Broadway says the Aggies can only look forward. They have a shot at history - a perfect season that would be capped with winning the black college national championship.
The matchup so many wanted all season - N.C. A&T ended the regular season ranked seventh in the FCS and Grambling was 13th, losing only to Tulane - will bring the curtain down on the 125th year of football between the nation's historically black colleges and universities. CONTINUE READING
LAFAYETTE, Louisiana -- Grambling State head football coach Broderick Fobbs has been rumored as a candidate for the open head coaching position at UL Lafayette.
Footballscoop.comreported last week that Fobbs' name was on the initial list of potential successors of former Ragin' Cajuns coach Mark Hudspeth, who was fired on Dec. 3 after seven seasons, along with other FCS coaches Tim Rebowe at Nicholls State and Lance Guidry at McNeese State. Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry is on the list, too.
Sports Illustrated’s Bruce Feldman has reported that Pry looks to be at the top of UL Lafayette’s list and after 11 days into the school’s search, sources have toldFootballscoop.com that Pry and Arizona State offensive coordinator Bill Napier had interviews, while Rebowe and Fobbs have both “had discussions and should not be ruled out of consideration” at this point.
Grambling State (11-1) faces off with North Carolina A&T (11-0) Saturday for an HBCU national championship at the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Fobbs guided the G-Men to a national title last year, defeating North Carolina Central, 10-9, and back-to-back SWAC championships in three straight conference title game appearances. Since the head coach took over his alma mater in 2014, Grambling has gone 38-9 and have won 25 straight regular season SWAC contests. CONTINUE READING
