Celts beat Nuggets in 4; 2 more opportunities Saturday

MOBILE, Alabama — Xavier University of Louisiana scrambled to win the first set, then played from behind most of the time in a 23-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-20 volleyball loss to St. Thomas (Texas) in its second match of the University of Mobile Invitational Friday.
     
The Gold Nuggets (6-4) dropped consecutive matches for the first time since Pat Kendrick became head coach in 2017. They lost in five sets to Mobile earlier in the day.
     
XULA will play twice Saturday in this event — matches against Life at noon and William Carey at 4 p.m. — before playing host to city rival Loyola at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Convocation Center.
     
St. Thomas (9-2) scored six straight points to take a 17-12 lead in the opening set, but XULA rallied behind three Kayla Black kills and two apiece from Jaida Dowd and Vivica Price-Spraggins. Dowd's kill clinched the set and capped a 6-1 run.
     
The Celts never trailed in the second or third sets and took the lead for good in the fourth with five straight points to make it 14-10. XULA rallied for a tie at 20 in the third set after trailing 8-1, but St. Thomas scored the final five points.
     
"It's hurtful," Black said of the two losses, "but it's good that it's happening now before we step into conference.
     
"What was most disappointing was our first touches in serve receive. We made it harder for our setters and made it harder for our hitters."

BOX SCORE
     
XULA produced 15 reception errors Friday and has 79 in 10 matches this season. Last year the Nuggets had 60 reception errors in 26 matches.
     
Bresha Orange hit .333 with 17 kills and six blocks for St. Thomas, which is leaving the NAIA after this season to begin transitioning into NCAA Division III. Brooke Garcia had 12 kills and 11 digs, and Kayden Thomas had nine blocks.
     
Black had 16 kills and 10 digs. Dowd had a season-high nine kills and a career-best three aces, and Beatrice Formilan tied her career high with 25 digs.
     
XULA had advantages of 53-48 in kills and 69-64 in digs, but St. Thomas outhit the Gold Nuggets .218 to .138. XULA committed 31 attack errors, its most in its last 34 matches.
    
XULA's leaders for the day were Black with 31 kills, Jordan Johnson with a .267 hitting percentage (minimum 10 attempts per match), Eva Le Guillou with 66 assists, Dowd with three aces, Formilan with 45 digs and Price-Spraggins with 10 blocks.

University of Mobile Invitational
Friday, Sept. 7
St. Thomas (Texas) d. Life 3-2 (20-25, 25-19, 25-22, 22-25, 15-8)
Mobile d. XULA 3-2 (11-25, 25-22, 25-19, 18-25, 15-13)
William Carey d. Life 3-2 (25-15, 22-25, 20-25, 26-24, 16-14)
St. Thomas (Texas) d. XULA 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-20)

Saturday, Sept. 8
10 a.m. — St. Thomas (Texas) vs. William Carey
Noon — XULA vs. Life
2 p.m. — St. Thomas (Texas) vs. Mobile
4 p.m. — XULA vs. William Carey
6 p.m. — Mobile vs. Life

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

Gold Nuggets fall at Mobile in five sets

MOBILE, Alabama — Xavier University of Louisiana volleyball lost 11-25, 25-22, 25-19, 18-25, 15-13 Friday to Mobile in its opening match of the University of Mobile Invitational.
     
The Gold Nuggets (6-3) were to play St. Thomas (Texas) at 6 p.m. Friday, but that match was delayed due to the length of the first three matches.
     
Mirella Gatterdam had a match-high 17 kills for the Lady Rams (8-2), three in the final set. Gatterdam's final kill gave Mobile a 14-13 lead, and the match ended after a XULA attack error.
    
 XULA lost despite leads of 18-13 in the second set and 12-11 in the fifth. The Gold Nuggets sizzled in the first set, outhitting Mobile .393 to minus-.027 and holding the Lady Rams to their fewest points ever in a set against XULA. It also was the first time that XULA won the first set against Mobile in its Pharr Gym.
     
Mobile defeated XULA for the second time in eight days. The other victory was in three sets at the Nuggets' Big Easy Blastoff.

BOX SCORE
     
"Mobile is a good team. We had our moments of high-level play. We certainly had our opportunities to be successful," XULA coach Pat Kendrick said.
     
Kayla Black had 15 kills, 13 digs and four blocks for XULA but also hit .057 — the second straight match she hit less than .100. Vivica Price-Spraggins had 14 kills, six blocks and a career-high-tying two aces, Monet Fontaine had eight kills, and Eva Le Guillou had 41 assists and a career-best 15 digs. Beatrice Formilan had 20 digs and reached 20 for the third time this season.
     
Jordan Johnson had six kills and four blocks for XULA, and Adili Rikondja tied her career high with five blocks. Taylor Ducros had 12 digs.
     
Samantha Nichols and Carley Hamric had eight kills apiece for Mobile, and Nichols had three blocks. Avery Wasdin had 17 digs, and Gatterdam had 16.
     
XULA outhit Mobile .180 to .121 and had advantages of 58-48 in kills and 12-6 in blocks.
     
On Saturday the Gold Nuggets will play Life at 2 p.m. and William Carey at 4 p.m., then travel home.

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

Norfolk State Spartans Host No. 2 JMU Saturday on Youth Day

NORFOLK, Virginia – Norfolk State looks to improve to 2-0 on the young season when the Spartans welcome No. 2 ranked FCS power James Madison to Dick Price Stadium Saturday. Kickoff on Youth Day is 6 p.m.
 
MEDIA COVERAGE
• Live Video: ESPN 3
• Radio: WNSB 91.1 FM (5:30 p.m. pre-game): Play-by-Play – Ross Gordon/Color – Glen Mason 
• Live Stats: www.sidearmstats.com/nsu/football
• Twitter Updates: @NSUSpartans / @NSU_FB

SERIES INFORMATION
• Record: JMU leads 1-0
• Last Meeting: 9-16-17 (JMU 75, NSU 14)
• First Meeting: Same
 
OPENING KICKOFF
• The Spartans continue their non-conference slate with a matchup against FCS No. 2-ranked James Madison.
• This marks the second meeting between the teams and the end of their current home-and-home scheduling arrangement.
• This is just the second meeting between the teams and their first time playing in Norfolk.
• NSU head coach Latrell Scott served as tight ends coach at JMU in 2012. 

LAST MEETING
• In the first-ever meeting between the teams, host and No. 1 ranked JMU amassed 728 yards of total offense to top NSU 75-14 on Sept. 16, 2017.• Trai Sharp ran for 130 yards and quarterback Bryan Schor tossed two touchdowns for the Dukes, whose defense limited NSU to 91 yards.
• The Spartans scored their points on 33-yard fumble return for a score by safety Nhyre' Quinerly in the second quarter and a school-record 100-yard kickoff return touchdown by Marcus Taylor in the fourth.




NSU VS. THE CAA
This week marks the 18th game the Spartans have ever played against teams currently in the Colonial Athletic Association. NSU has a 1-15-1 mark in the previous 17, including a 1-2-1 mark against Elon. The Spartans are 0-7 against William & Mary, 0-2 against Maine, and 0-1 against JMU, Richmond, Towson and Villanova.
 
NSU VS. RANKED TEAMS
NSU is 4-29 all-time against teams ranked in the STATS FCS (formerly Sports Network) top 25 poll. Last season, the Spartans went 1-2 in such games, with a win at No. 25 N.C. Central and losses to No. 1 JMU and No. 9 N.C. A&T. The JMU game in 2017 marked NSU's first-ever meeting against a No. 1 ranked FCS opponent.
 
NSU BY THE NUMBERS
7 - Number of non-offensive touchdowns the Spartans scored last year, including six defensive touchdowns, which tied for the most in the FCS.
8 - Number of All-MEAC preseason selections for NSU, including Marcus Taylor, who was picked to the first team at kick returner and second team at receiver.
17 - Number of fourth-quarter points for NSU last week against Virginia State. That's more than the Spartans had in any quarter last season.
55 - Number of freshmen and sophomores (including redshirts) who played for NSU in 2017.
80 - NSU is in its 80th season of intercollegiate football competition.
112 - Rushing yards by Aaron Savage in last week's opener against Virginia State, which tied a career high.
300 - The number of rushing yards for Savage in his last three games, including two 100+ yard outings.

• WATCH LIVE
• LISTEN LIVE
• LIVE STATS
• GAME NOTES (PDF)
• GAME PROGRAM

A WIN OVER JMU WOULD...
 A win by the Spartans this week over the Dukes would...
• Be just the Spartans' second-ever over a CAA team and fifth against a ranked FCS opponent.
• Give NSU its first 2-0 start since 2012.
 
SCOUTING THE DUKES
James Madison, ranked No. 2 in the Division I FCS top 25 poll, opened the season with a hard-fought 24-13 loss at North Carolina State last Saturday in Raleigh, N.C. The Wolf Pack scored 17 points in the second quarter and held off the Dukes.
 
JMU finishing with 365 yards to N.C. State's 392. JMU quarterback Ben DiNucci, who transferred from Pittsburgh, completed 23 of 27 passes for 197 yards. DiNucci threw a touchdown pass to Riley Stapleton and also led the Dukes with 79 yards rushing.
 
JMU won the FCS national championship in 2016 before finishing as runner-up last season.

NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

HBCU Play: The wins keep coming for North Carolina A&T

ATLANTA, Georgia -- HBCU PLAY is a prime source for the latest information on historically black colleges and university athletics. The weekly program breaks down impact games throughout the various conferences, includes featuring stories, interviews, and recognizes student athletes for their work within the community.

Episode 6 = North Carolina A&T had a huge win over FBS East Carolina Sunday 28-23. The Aggies headed home this week ranked No. 5 nationally in the STATS FCS poll and No. 6 nationally in the NCAA FCS Coaches poll. NCA&T is ranked higher than their week 1 opponent Jacksonville State – who is listed as No. 13 in the STATS FCS poll and No. 12 in the NCAA FCS Coaches poll. Longtime HBCU sports journalist Charlie Neal joins HBCU Play to chat about the momentum of the Aggies and other big wins across HBCU’s. Also, head coach of the Morehouse Maroon Tigers (SIAC) Rich Freeman joins Sam and Lericia to discuss his team’s victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC).

Tuskegee Golden Tigers Look To Bounce Back, Seeks Revenge From Albany State Golden Rams

Tuskegee at Albany State, 4 pm, ESPN3

NCAA Division I FCS
Since 2006, Tuskegee has 10 wins over FCS opponents. The most by any other school in the SIAC
Tuskegee leads SIAC, ranked second in NCAA Football attendance

Skegee defense vs Albany State
In the last five meetings, Tuskegee hasn't allowed Albany State to score more
than 20 points in a game. The last time TU surrendered more than that was on
Sept. 18, 2010 when the Golden Rams scored 34 points

Results after dropping season opener
The last time Tuskegee faced Albany State after sufferring a season opening loss,
the Golden Tigers responded with a 20-12 victory in Phenix City

Did you know moment
Willie Slater was the first African American offensive coordinator at three different
schools in the state of Alabama. Troy University (1983), University of North Ala-
bama (1992) and Jacksonville State (2000). The South Alabama native was also the
very first black high school quarterback to start in Alabama High School Athletic

Funny how stats work
*Last season against Alabama State, TU was only able to notch 192 yards of total offense
and seven first downs and still managed to find a way to defeat the Hornets. This past
Saturday, the Golden Tigers mustard up 482 yards of offense and 23 first downs but fell short
by six points

TU welcomes back former All-American defensive back
Justin Hannah returns to the program to coach the defensive back unit at TU. The former
All-American and Cleveland Browns player joins two other staff members that also wore the
Crimson and Old Gold in Andre Brunson (Strength Coach) and Kelvin Powell (Defensive Line)

Phenix City/Columbus Golden Tigers
*Three players (Dashae Hubard, Cordarius White, Feltcher Jordan,) all hail from
the city of Columbus, Georgia, which lies immediately east across the Chattahoochee
River from Phenix City. The twin cities are 1.5 miles away from each other which is the home
of the White Water Classic

Slater against Albany State
Willie Slater is 4-1 all-time against Albany State. He suffered his first ever loss last season in
a 20-7 affair

NFL Genes for the Golden Tigers
Tuskegee has three different players with relatives that have National Football League (NFL)
ties. Roshad Broadway (Cousins Sean Taylor-Redskins, and Tim Lester-Steelers), Kenny Gant
(father Kenny Gant Sr.-Cowboys, Bucs), and Darius Holmes (father Darryl Holmes-Patriots),

2018 Black College Hall of Fame Watchlist
A trio of Tuskegee University football players have been named to the 2018 Watch List
for the Black College Football Player of the Year Award. Quarterback Jamarcus Ezell, Wide
Receiver Javarrius Cheatham and Linebacker Davoris Thomas have joined a list composed of
52 players from 25 different HBCUs. The award is presented annually to the most outstanding
college football HBCU player in the country. The BCFHOF made the announcement Wednesday
morning with following players per conference breakdown: MEAC (18), SWAC (15), CIAA (10),
SIAC (8) and Independent (1).

Golden Tigers on ESPN
The defending Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Champions is set to be fea-
tured in three of the five games games slated to appear on one of the ESPN family networks.
ESPN3 will serve as the exclusive carrier of the league's package for the second straight
season. This year's slate will feature two classics: White Water Classic and the 83rd Annual
Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic, two Saturday night games, and the most-anticipated match-up
between the East and West Division at the SIAC Football Championship.

TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY GOLDEN TIGERS ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Monmouth Hawks Hosts Hampton Saturday in Home Opener

Hampton Pirates (1-0) at 
Monmouth Hawks (0-1, 0-0 Big South)
Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018; 3:05 p.m.
Kessler Stadium, West Long Branch, N.J.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
ESPN+ https://flyhawks.co/MUHUE
Matt Harmon (Play by Play); Eddy Occhipinti (Color Analyst)

DIRECTIONS TO KESSLER STADIUM
Directions to Monmouth University and Kessler Stadium can be found here:

TICKET INFO:
For tickets call 732-263-5735 or visit MonmouthHawks.com for online sales
Day of game tickets can be purchased at the Austin Family Box Office 
 
MILITARY AND FIRST RESPONDER'S DAY PROMOTION

A LOOK AT TODAY'S GAME

• Monmouth comes into today's contest with the Pirates looking for its first win of the 2018 season after falling to FBS opponent Eastern Michigan last Friday night.
• The Hawks come into today's game with a five-game home win streak. Last year Monmouth opened Kessler Stadium with a perfect 5-0 record, outscoring opponents 216-113 and averaging 43.2 ppg.
• Today's game will be second contest between Monmouth and Hampton and the last non-conference game against the two teams. Hampton will join the Big South in football next season.
• Hampton, which is an independent this season, opened its season with a convincing 38-10 win over Shaw, allowing the Bears just nine rushing yards.
• Today's contest is Military and First Responders Appreciation Day at Kessler Stadium. All active and retired personnel will be admitted to the game for free with a valid ID. 

THE COACHING MATCHUP
Kevin Callahan is in his 26th season at Monmouth as the Hawks' head coach. Callahan owns a 144-119 career coaching record, all with Monmouth. Coming into the season, Callahan's 144 victories ranks him 10th among active coaches in the Football Championship Subdivision. The only coach in Monmouth history, he has led the Blue & White to five conference championships, in 1996, 1998, 2003, 2004 and 2006 and its first at-large playoff berth in 2017. Callahan has earned conference coach of the year accolades in 1998, 2003 and 2006 and was named as an Eddie Robinson Award finalist in 2017, finishing 10th in the voting. Prior to arriving in West Long Branch, Callahan served as defensive coordinator at Colgate for eight seasons and at Wagner for three years. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Albany (1977-79) and Syracuse (1980) before becoming a Seahawk assistant in 1981.
 
Robert Prunty, a coaching veteran with more than 30 years of football experience as a player and coach and a four-time conference recruiter-of-the-year honoree with two different Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs, was named the 21st head coach of the Hampton Pirates on Dec. 8, 2017. Prunty served last season as East Carolina University's associate head coach, defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. Prior to that, he served four years as the University of Cincinnati's associate head coach and defensive ends coach and three years as co-defensive coordinator. Before impacting the Bearcat program, Prunty spent three seasons under Tommy Tuberville at Texas Tech, 2010-2012, directing the Red Raiders' defensive ends.
 
INSIDE THE MU-HAMPTON SERIES
Second Overall Meeting
Overall Record: MU 1-0
    West Long Branch: ---
    Hampton, VA: MU 1-0
First Meeting: Sep. 23, 2018
Last Meeting: Sep. 23, 2018
Longest MU Win Streak: 1 gm
Longest HU Win Streak: ---
Largest MU W Margin: 7 points
Largest HU W Margin: ---
Smallest MU W Margin: 7 points
Smallest HU W Margin: ---
Shutouts: ---
Overtime Games: MU 1-0
 
INSIDE THE MONMOUTH-HAMPTON SERIES
n Monmouth took the first game in the series last year, 30-23 in overtime on a 25 yard Eric Zokouri run.
n In that contest, then-redshirt senior safety Marcus Leslie was lost for the season with an ankle injury. Leslie returned for his sixth season with the Hawks, one of three veterans to see regular playing time in what is otherwise a young backfield.
n After falling behind 16-14 at halftime, the Hawks roared back to take the lead but Hampton quarterback Delmon Williams led the Pirates back to tie the score with a 34 yard strike to Ronald Bell with 23 seconds remaining.
n Zokouri took a handoff on the first play of overtime and raced through the middle of the field breaking one tackle and getting to the corner of the endzone.
n The MU defense held strong on OT allowing just two yards before forcing a fourth down pass that missed its mark sealing the win for the Hawks
 
JUWON FARRI EARNS BIG SOUTH FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONORS
n Farri broke out in his first collegiate game, rushing 13 times for 111 yards against FBS foe Eastern Michigan.
n The Northwest High School (MD) product averaged a whopping 8.5 yards per rush against what is considered one of the best defensive fronts in the Mid-American Conference.
n In the fourth quarter, facing a third and four from the EMU 38 the true freshman burst up the middle of the line of scrimmage, broke a tackle and raced to the endzone for his first collegiate TD.
n Farri had five rushes of nine or more yards and also had one reception in the contest.
n He is the third Hawk running back to earn FOTW honors in the past two years, with Pete Guerriero and Eric Zokouriearning the honor last season.
 
HAWKS SELECTED FOURTH IN PRESEASON POLL
Monmouth University was selected to finish second in the 2018 Big South Conference preseason poll, the highest it has been selected since joining the league in 2014.
 
2018 Big South Preseason Poll
1. Kennesaw State (17 votes)              107      
2. Monmouth (1 vote)                            82
3. Charleston Southern                          75
4. Gardner-Webb                                   52
5. Campbell                                           36
6. Presbyterian                                      26
N/A Northern Alabama & Hampton will join in 2019
 
JAKE POWELL CLIMBING THE BIG SOUTH RANKINGS
Senior tight end Jake Powell is tied for eighth in Big South annals for most career catches among tight ends with 40, and is 10 receptions away of becoming the fifth with 50. He is also 10th on the tight end career ledger with 487 receiving yards.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
Monmouth junior defensive lineman Nick Venier served four years in the United States Air Force prior to joining the Hawks. Venier walked on to the team after enrolling at Monmouth prior to his time in the Air Force starting off as a tight end. The Staten Island, NY native moved to defensive line prior to the Spring of 2018.

Social Media Links:
Follow the Hawks all season long on twitter (@MUHawksFB)
Facebook (facebook.com/MUFootball)  
Monmouth's YouTube page (YouTube.com/monmouthhawks)

MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY HAWKS ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Week One Primer: Langston Football vs. Ottawa -Arizona

LANGSTON, Oklahoma -- The Langston University football team kicks off the 2018 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 8 against Sooner Athletic Conference opponent Ottawa University-Arizona at 2 p.m. CT. Here's a quick rundown of information for Lions fans to answer the most frequently asked questions.

Q: What time is kickoff?

A: Opening kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CT on the campus of Langston University at historic W.E. Anderson Stadium.

Q: I will not be able to attend the game, how can I stay updated on the game?

A: Fans can follow along with the livestream provided by the Black College Sports Network by clicking here, the audio broadcast provided by OKC 92.1 Heart and Soul by clicking here or with live stats by clicking here. Additionally, you can follow any of our social media feeds for updates on the game at Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

About The Game

The Langston Lions and the Ottawa-Arizona Spirit square off for the first time in both program's history. This is the inaugural season of football for the Ottawa-Arizona Spirit. The 2018 season also marks the first season the Langston Lions will compete as members of the Sooner Athletic Conference.

Langston is led by fourth-year head coach Quinton Morgan who holds a 21-4 win-loss record. Most recently, Morgan led the Lions to a perfect 10-0 regular season, clinched the Central States Football League conference title and received an automatic postseason berth in the NAIA Football Championship Series first round. It was Langston's seventh postseason appearance during their time in the NAIA and first playoff trip since 2014.

The Spirit are led by first-year head coach Mike Nesbitt; Nesbitt most recently served as the head coach at West Texas A&M University for four seasons.

LANGSTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS 

Game Preview: Edward Waters Tigers vs. Point SkyHawks

VALLEY, Alabama -- In the words of famed boxing in-ring announcer, Michael Buffer "Somebody's "0" has got to go" as will be the case on Saturday afternoon. Edward Waters (0-2) begins a four-game road trip on Saturday afternoon against the Skyhawks of Point University (0-2) with kickoff set for 1:30pm at Ram Stadium in Valley, Alabama. This will be the sixth all-time meeting between the two teams, with Point holding a 3-2 series advantage including being winners of the last two consecutive meetings.

Previewing The Tigers:

It was a rough night at the office for the "Men In Orange" last Friday night, dropping a 50-13 home decision to #5 Lindsey Wilson. Miscues and missed opportunities hurt the Tigers efforts in the contest with dropped touchdowns, balls fumbled through the endzone, blocked field goals, safeties, and a high amount of penalty yards being their undoing in the contest. Not to mention, the Tigers defense had a difficult time putting the clamps on a high powered Blue Raider offense, surrendering 555 yards of total offense (311 on the ground and 244 through the air).

On a positive note, the EWC offense put up a season-high 378 yards of total offense and scored on the game's opening drive with a short pass to converted H-Back Deante Hale.

Freshman QB Derrick Jones is beginning to solidify his spot as the starting QB, with a solid first career start last Friday. Jones went 20-37 passing for 242 yards and two touchdowns, while also adding 78 yards on 18 carries for Edward Waters. Through two games, Jones is completing 53.1% of his passes, and four TDs. Freshman WR Tyler Gilbertleads the Tigers in receiving, averaging 3.5 catches per game, 19 yards per catch, and one receiving TD. On the ground, it's been by committee with freshmen Jacquez Pelham, Corey Hammett, and Jarkeavis Bess getting a bulk of the work. Junior RB Richard Montgomery will return to the lineup this week after missing the LWC contest with an ankle injury.

Defensively, the Tigers look to bounce back from a rough showing last week but, will be without freshman LB standout Aaron Louis as he is nursing an injury. Edward Waters was able to force their first turnover of the season last week as senior DT Gavin Anderson forced a fumble on a strip-sack, allowing freshman LB Elijah Spivey to recover.

With a win on Saturday, Edward Waters will snap a 12-game losing streak (Last Win: Nov. 12, 2016 vs. Va. Univ. of Lynchburg, 42-6) and a nine game road losing streak (Last Road Win: Nov. 7, 2015 at Warner, 18-13).

About Point:

The Skyhawks will face their third consecutive opponent from "The Sunshine State" on Saturday in their home opener. Point opened up the season with a 17-5 loss at Ave Maria in Naples, then followed it up with a 48-7 loss last week at FCS member Stetson in DeLand. 

On the offensive side of the ball, the Skyhawks are led by Senior QB Derek Bellard. The Lake Charles, Louisiana native through two games is completing over 50% of his passes and averaging over 97 yards per game. On the ground, Quay Hartfield is the leading ground gainer with 82 yards on 19 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Chase Turner leads the Skyhawks through the air, averaging 9.8 yards per reception.

Defensively, DB Micah Oglesby leads the team with 17 total tackles and averaging 8.5 tackles for loss per game.

Broadcast Information:

All Edward Waters away games will be carried live on our campus internet radio station, WEWC. Log on to https://www.radioking.com/radio/wewc for the live broadcast with "The Voice of the Tigers" Joshua C. Jackson providing the play-by-play action. Coverage of EWC/Point will begin at 1:15pm with the "Pepsi Pregame Show", followed by kickoff at 1:30 pm.

EDWARD WATERS AT POINT

SERIES HISTORY: POINT LEADS, 3-2

Saturday, September 8th/ Kickoff: 1:30PM

Ram Stadium, Valley, Alabama

EDWARD WATERS COLLEGE TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION

DSU Hornets To Take On SFU Red Flash in Saturday Matinee

DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY “HORNETS” (0-1)
VS.
ST. FRANCIS (Pa.) “RED FLASH” (0-1)

SAT., SEP. 8, 2018 (12:00 p.m.)
DeGOL STADIUM (3,450) - LORETTO, PA
Live Video - NEC FRONT ROW
Live Audio - HSRN.com (DSU broadcast)
DSU Notes vs. Saint Francis

THE GAME
The Hornets travel to Central Pennsylvania to take on the St. Francis Red Flash in a battle of teams looking to rebound from season-opening losses. Delaware State opened the 2018 season with a 48-10 loss to FBS Buffalo last Saturday. Delaware State was outgained 354-275 in total offense, but held a 199-154 advantage in rushing yards. The Hornets scored the only fourth quarter touchdown of the game on a run by Brycen Alleyne. Alleyne and Mike Waters led all players with 97 and 92 yards rushing, respectively. DSU, however, was plagued by four turnovers, three of which resulted in Buffalo touchdowns. The Bulls did not commit a turnover in the contest.

The Bulls led 48-3 when Delaware State tallied its lone touchdown to close out the scoring. Alleyne finished the eight-play, 53-yard drive with a 24-yard touchdown run with eight-and-a-half minutes left to play. The touchdown was his first since scoring two vs. Florida A&M as a sophomore in 2016. Sophomore quarterback Jack McDaniels completed eight-of-15 passes for 76 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Kwannah Kollie had two receptions for 41 yards. Freshman safety David Bowman, a Milford (Del.) High School product, led the Hornets with a game-high 11 tackles, including seven solo stops. Linebacker Brian Cavicante had 10 tackles, five unassisted, for DSU. The Delaware State defense held Buffalo to just two-of-13 conversions on third down, but the Bulls were successful each of its five fourth-down conversion attempts.

The Hornets have dropped their last six opening games … Waters saw his first action since a season-ending knee injury at West Virginia in week three last season … McDaniels became the first Delaware State quarterback to start back-to-back season openers since Nick Elko in 2011 & ’12 … DSU safety Jahad Neibauer was ejected from the game in the second quarter after being called for a targeting penalty (helmet-to-helmet hit). By rule, he is ineligible to compete in the first half of the St. Francis contest due to the penalty.

SCOUTING THE RED FLASH
St. Francis opened the season with a heartbreaking 21-19 loss at Lehigh last Saturday. The Red Flash attempted a potential game-winning field goal with 45 seconds left to play, but the kick was blocked. St. Francis scored first when quarterback Bear Fenimore caped off a four-play, 48-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter. The Red Flash led 10-7 after a second quarter field goal. Lehigh led 21-13 when St. Francis scored on a fumble recovery in the enzone early in the fourth quarter to pull to within two points. The Red Flash came up empty on a two-point pass attempt following the score. Fenimore completed 17-of-26 passes for 242 yards. SFC’s Cyrus Holder had five receptions for 94 yards, while Kam Lewis also hauled in five passes for 85 yards. St. Francis was held to 58 yards rushing in the game. Defensive back Jarren Williams led the Red Flash with eight tackles, each unassisted. Williams also had a fumble recovery in the contest. Linebacker Da’Jon Lee also had eight tackles (each solo), including three tackles-for-loss (two sacks) and two forced fumbles in the opener.

THE SERIES (DSU leads 1-0)
This is the second game between the teams, which first met in 2006 in Dover, Del. The Hornets won the contest 62-28. It was the first-ever night game at DSU’s Alumni Stadium. Hornet quarterback Vashon Winton completed 12-of-13 passes for 222 yards and four touchdowns. DSU wide receiver Shaheer McBride had career-highs of nine receptions, 206 yards and four touchdowns in the contest. The 2006 Hornets, under head coach Al Lavan, posted an 8-3 overall record. Current DSU offensive coordinator Eric Day also held the position that year. DSU is 1-1 all-time vs. current members of the Northeast Conference (1-0 vs. St. Francis; 0-1 vs. Central Connecticut).

LOCAL STAR SHINES IN HORNET DEBUT
No sign of first game jitters for Delaware State freshman defensive back David Bowman, a former star at Milford (Del.) High School Bowman, a two-way standout at Milford (RB/DB), led all players with 11 tackles, including seven solo stops, in his collegiate debut at Buffalo last week. Before joining the Hornets, he helped lead Milford HS to the state Division II championship during senior year. He’s also the school’s all-time record holder in yards from scrimmage (6,068), rushing yards (5,600), touchdowns (74) and tackles (376). As a senior, Bowman was the 2017 Delaware Defensive Player-of-the-Year, All-State First Team as a running back and defensive back, All-Henlopen Conference First Team (RB & DB), Delaware Blue/Gold All-Star selection and Delaware SportsZone Star Health Athlete-of-the-Week.

DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

FAMU Football: MEAC Partners With ESPN for Sports Streaming

Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018: Florida A&M at Troy, 7 pm, ESPN+

NORFOLK, Virginia -- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and ESPN have announced a multi-year agreement to stream the conference's football contests on ESPN3 and ESPN+, the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company Direct-to-Consumer & International segment and ESPN.

FAMU Director of Athletics, John Eason, Ph.D., was pleased to take part in the partnership as it presents significant revenue opportunities for the FAMU Department of Athletics.  “This platform allows Florida A&M to appear on the same stage as much larger schools.  It affords us the opportunity to have our student-athletes viewed around the globe and that is definitely something we wanted for our school.  I commend Commissioner Thomas for negotiating the deal for the conference and Rattler Productions has already been preparing for this platform for the past two years,” Eason said.

“I am elated to utilize ESPN3 and ESPN+ in continuing to grow the MEAC’s relationship with ESPN,” said MEAC Commissioner Dennis E. Thomas. “Both ESPN3 and ESPN+ are innovative digital platforms upon which we can better serve our member institutions and our fans, while also expanding our reach both from a conference perspective and at the institutional level. This is an exciting time for college sports, with the expansion of digital content, and I am pleased that the MEAC is on the forefront with ESPN3 and ESPN+.”

“This agreement reflects another significant step in our relationship with the MEAC and for the opportunity to continue to enhance our already robust ESPN3 and ESPN+ offerings with quality HBCU competition,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN executive vice president of programming and scheduling.

ESPN3 is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through the ESPN app. The network is currently available nationwide at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider.

Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ on ESPN.com or through the ESPN App for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year).

The agreement adds additional exposure to the MEAC, which has collaborated with ESPN since 2005. The ESPN+ football contests add- to an already impressive lineup as the ESPN networks carry multiple men's basketball, baseball and softball regular-season contests. The men's and women's basketball tournament championship, volleyball and bowling finals are also televised on ESPNU.

ABOUT THE MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) begins its 48th year of intercollegiate competition heading into the 2018-19 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of 12 outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Savannah State University and South Carolina State University.
 
ABOUT ESPN3
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of live events annually. It is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected-TV devices through the ESPN App. The network is currently available nationwide at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. It is also available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military broadband and W-Fi networks.

ABOUT ESPN+
ESPN+ is the premium multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It offers fans thousands of additional live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks. Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL, thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and multiple other sports from more than 15 conferences), domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredevise and more), exclusive Top Rank boxing, UFC (beginning in 2019), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive documentary films and series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films.Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is an integrated part of the ESPN App, the leading sports app and the premier all-in-one digital sports platform for fans -- delivering a rich, personalized experience that curates all of ESPN’s incredible content around each fan’s individual tastes. ESPN+ is also be available through ESPN.com.



FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY RATTLERS SPORTS INFORMATION

Head to Head: Auburn vs. Alabama State

AUBURN, Alabama -- Auburn opens their home schedule against Alabama State on Saturday. AL.com's Lauren Sisler and WJOX's Jim Dunaway highlight some of the biggest storylines coming out of week one and predictions for week two of the 2018 college football season.

COURTESY:

Auburn Tigers on AL.com

Alabama State and Auburn to meet for first time in school history

MONTGOMERY, Alabama | Two schools separated by less than 60 miles and have been playing football for a combined 245 years, will meet for the first time Saturday when Alabama State travels to Auburn to face the nationally-ranked Tigers in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The game kicks at 6:39 pm (cst) on the SEC Network Alternate Channel, and can also be heard on the Hornet Sports Network.



The contest will feature a pair of undefeated teams with Alabama State (1-0) entering the contest after a 26-20 overtime victory over Tuskegee at ASU Stadium last weekend. The Hornets used a pair of big plays to go with the game-ending 30-yard run by Ezra Gray in overtime to defeat the Golden Tigers for the first time since 2011.

Gray, who was named the SWAC Specialist of the Week, returned three kicks for nearly a 40-yard average and rushed for 60 yards in the win. Meanwhile, quarterback Darryl Pearson, Jr. finished the night with a career-high 164 yards passing and sent the game into overtime with a nine-yard touchdown run with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.

Pearson connected with eight difference receivers in the contest, with six of those catching multiple passes.

• GAME NOTES (.PDF)
• AUBURN NOTES (.PDF)
• LIVE STATS
• WATCHESPN
• LISTEN LIVE
• TICKETS
• PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES (.PDF)

Defensively, Alabama State forced two turnovers – both interceptions – and on special teams blocked two kick attempts by Tuskegee. The Hornets got blocked kicks from Ricky Haley and Christian Clark, both on the interior of the line of scrimmage. Both, Darron Johnson (first career interception) and Dennis Roberts IV picked off passes from the Golden Tigers to preserve the victory.

Kurron Ramsey led the defense with 14 total tackles on the day, while Joshua Hill added 11. Roberts and Johnson finished with nine and eight tackles respectively. The Hornets recorded 12 tackles for loss and one sack in the victory.

Meanwhile, seventh-ranked Auburn (1-0) moved up in the latest AP rankings after their 21-16 victory over Washington in Atlanta last Saturday. The Tigers racked up 420 yards of total offense against the Huskies that included 273 yards passing from quarterback Jarrett Stidham to nine different receivers. The Tigers also rushed 169 yards as a team, with 83 of those coming from Kam Martin.

Follow the Hornets
For complete coverage of Alabama State University football, follow us on social media at @BamaStateFB (Twitter), /BamaStateSports (Facebook), and @BamaStateSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Alabama State University athletics at BamaStateSports.com.

ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS