Rabalais: Simply put, LSU should host Southern, Grambling if it plays others like SLU

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- The Halloween night in 1959, when Billy Cannon ran back his famous punt against Ole Miss in Tiger Stadium, Gerald Kimble swore you could hear the roars at Southern, where he and the Jaguars were also playing.

One day, perhaps very soon, the roars in Tiger Stadium will be for Southern. And for Grambling, too.

Saturday night, LSU opens its 94th season in Tiger Stadium with a game against Southeastern Louisiana. It will be just the second time the Tigers and Lions will have played in football, the only other way back in 1949. That was a decade before Cannon, in the days of Harry Truman and the Berlin Airlift. That makes LSU-SLU long on historical significance, if likely short on competitive balance.

In 2020, Nicholls State will visit Baton Rouge and play LSU in football for the first time. At that point, LSU will have played eight of the 10 other state football programs — SLU, Nicholls, Tulane, UL-Lafayette, UL-Monroe, Louisiana Tech, McNeese State and Northwestern State — all since 2009.

The only two LSU will have not played: Southern and Grambling.

It is an uncomplicated matter, really, simple and fair to resolve. LSU should host Southern and Grambling in football as well, if it is willing to play all the other state schools. Many of them — half, when you include Southern and Grambling — are Football Championship Subdivision schools.



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Alcorn State Braves Break Stadium Scoring Record in Lopsided Home-Opener over Louisiana College

span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">LORMAN, Mississippi  – The Alcorn State University football program posted the most points in the history of Jack Spinks-Marino Casem Stadium in a 78-0 victory over Louisiana College on a rainy Saturday evening.

The Braves (1-1) took full control early in the game, led LC (0-1) 21-0 at the 10:33 mark of the first quarter and never looked back. It started on a blocked punt by senior Johnathon Hauer which resulted in a touchdown return by senior Alvin Wilson.

Alcorn then scored on its very first offensive play on a 54-yard pass from senior Noah Johnson to junior Raidarious Anderson.

The Braves used nearly their entire depth chart for the second week in a row. All four quarterbacks on the roster played and scored a touchdown. Alcorn's quarterbacks combined for five passing touchdowns and two rushing scores.

Johnson got the start and went 7-for-9 throwing for 95 yards and two touchdown passes. He also rushed for 39 yards and a score. Sophomore Felix Harper threw for 74 yards and two touchdowns.

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Alcorn's offense spread it around as 12 different student-athletes recorded a carry and 10 different wide receivers caught a pass. Touchdown runs were tallied by Johnson, freshman Jyron Russell, senior P.J. Simmons, freshman Trey Turner and sophomore Jamaskian Chapman. Touchdown passes were hauled in by Anderson, senior Dayall Harris, junior Tavares Johnson, junior Chris Blair and sophomore LeCharles Pringle.
 
The Braves spread out the tackles defensively. Junior Solomon Muhammad was at the top of the scoresheet with 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Senior Derrian Meminger also notched 1.5 sacks. Senior Isiah Thomas pulled in an interception.
 
LC quarterback Skyler Bonneau was limited to 8-for-26 passing with an interception. Julius Johnson stood out defensively for the Wildcats with a game-high 13 tackles.
 
As a team, the Braves outgained LC 629-36 in total offense. Alcorn rushed for 381 yards and passed for 248. The Braves were a perfect 8-for-8 in red-zone scoring.
 
LC had the ball first but was forced to punt after a three-and-out. It included a sack by Muhammad on third down. On the punt, Hauer came dashing in from the right and cleanly blocked it, as Wilson scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown.
 
After another three-and-out by the Alcorn defense, the Braves scored on their first offensive play. It came on a bomb pass as Noah Johnson aired it out and found Anderson behind the secondary for the score. Alcorn led 14-0 at the 11:16 mark of the first quarter.
 
To start LC's third possession, the Wildcats kept it on the ground on the first play when senior Trae Ferrell stripped LC running back Melvin Young for a fumble and Muhammad recovered at the 9-yard line. Alcorn scored on the ensuing play on a 9-yard sprint by Simmons to the right to lead 21-0 at the 10:33 mark.
 
The Braves increased their advantage to 27-0 with 5:18 left in the first after Noah Johnson connected with Blair in the back of the end-zone for a 14-yard touchdown. The key moment of the series was a 20-yard rush by Johnson on a 2nd-and-25, followed by a 6-yard run by Simmons to keep the drive moving. The extra-point missed wide-right.
 
Alcorn upped its edge to 34-0 early in the second quarter on a 5-yard run by Noah Johnson. The Braves started the drive with good field position and moved into the red-zone after an 18-yard reception by Anderson and a 10-yard catch by Blair.
 
The Braves blocked their second punt of the game when junior Allen Bruce raced in and got a hand on the ball deep in LC territory. It resulted in a 20-yard field goal by junior Corey McCullough to go up 37-0 with 7:11 to play in the half.
 
With 1:10 left, Alcorn scored on a 6-yard pass from Harper to Harris to make it a 44-0 game. It capped a 10-play, 55-yard drive which included a 15-yard rush by Turner.
 
An interception by Thomas near the very end of the half gave the Braves another chance to add-on before the intermission. Alcorn cashed-in on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Harper to Tavares Johnson which changed the score to 51-0.
 
Alcorn scored on its first possession of the second half to lead 58-0. The scoring play was a 9-yard run up the middle by Turner. The drive started with runs of 20 and 13 yards, respectively, by freshman Marquise Forman.
 
Sophomore quarterback Thaddeus Peyton entered the game at quarterback midway through the third quarter and the Braves marched right down the field for the score. Peyton kept it himself for a 14-yard rush to start the drive and then handed it to Turner for a 20-yard carry to near midfield. The Braves scored on a 49-yard pass to Pringle as he outran the defense to increase the lead to 65-0.
 
The Braves continued to pour it on early in the fourth quarter, as Chapman broke loose for a 49-yard touchdown rush up the middle. Junior Kevon Marsh also had an 11-yard first down run on the series. The two-point conversion failed, but Alcorn led 71-0 at the 14:50 mark.
 
Alcorn's final score came on a 4-yard quarterback-keeper by Russell with 4:19 remaining. Russell started the drive with a 21-yard pass to Hauer. The Braves then handed the ball to freshman Jonathon Bolton and sophomore Javon Franklin who rushed down the field and into the red-zone.
 
The Braves will remain at home next weekend when they host Texas Southern in a 6 p.m. non-conference game. Alcorn will seek its seventh consecutive victory over TSU.
 
NOTES
- The previous record for most points scored and most lopsided victory at Spinks-Casem Stadium was a 66-0 win over Prairie View A&M on Oct. 11, 2003.
 
- The 79 points scored were the second-most in school history and the most since 1967 when the Braves beat Paul Quinn 101-0.
 
- Alcorn won its home-opener for the sixth year in a row. The Braves are now 16-11 in home-openers at Spinks-Casem Stadium.
 
- The Braves extended their home winning-streak to five games which carried over from last season. The program is now 75-52 all-time at Spinks-Casem Stadium which is in its 27th season as the home of the football program.
 
- Alcorn is now 2-0 all-time against Louisiana College. The only previous meeting came in 2014 when the Braves won 52-10. Alcorn went on to become National Black Champions that season.
 
- LC did not have a red-zone opportunity. The Braves ranked top-five in the nation in red-zone defense last year, letting up scores on just 64.5 percent of trips inside the 20.
 
- Alcorn held LC to negative 26 rushing yards.
 
- The Braves are now 7-0 when leading at halftime over the last two seasons.
 
- Alcorn's captains were seniors Sterling Shippy and Matthew Stewart, and junior Mustaffa Ibrahim. The Braves won the coin toss and deferred to the second half.
 
Quoting Alcorn head coach Fred McNair
Opening Statement
"It was a big game being here in front of our home crowd and receiving all of the support we get. We have a great fan base. I thought the guys came out real fast and executed the offense well. The defense played an excellent ball game. I also thought we played really well special team tonight. We have to continue to improve, and there are some things that we didn't do very well too."
 
On who stood out
The biggest thing is the offensive and defensive efforts, even the special teams. You can't just say one guy stood out. All phases of the game stood out to me the most. We did a great job of executing on offense and our defense did a great job of keeping them off the scoreboard. Corey [McCullough] did an excellent job of punting. Ole John John [Hauer] here is a special teams demon. We did a great job of blocking the punt which we've worked on during practice. The team effort was great tonight."
 
On how he used last week's game as a teaching moment
"When you come back from playing a team like Georgia Tech and play a Louisiana College team in their first game, I think it helps a lot with the speed of the game. It really played a great role in what we did tonight and being able to play physical."
 
On being a part of the most lopsided win in the history of the stadium
"it's always great to be a part of history. This team deserved to be a part of every bit of it, considering the effort they put forward tonight. Just being a part of something like this makes you feel good."
 
On limiting LC's total yards
"I was proud of our defensive effort last week and it carried into today. What they did against Georgia Tech was stunning. They played really well. Tonight, they were relentless, they played fast and they played with a lot of excitement. That's the thing that coach [Cedric] Thornton does. Every day during practice he gets them to play hard and play fast. With this defense we have here the best is yet to come."
 
Quoting junior quarterback Noah Johnson
On his performance tonight
"There's still a lot I need to work on. As an offense we definitely bounced back well from last week. We got back to playing our type of football. We scored a lot of points and pushed the ball all night. Overall, I think we did pretty well. I feel like we can score like this all the time. I have a lot of confidence in the offense and as long as we execute we can put up a lot of numbers."
 
On being a part of a historic game
"It a blessing to be a part of this historic scoring game. We're going to continue to work hard every day and hopefully we can make history again. This week we needed to slow the game down. The game was moving kind of fast last week. I work on it all week at practice and it showed in the game that we worked hard."
 
Quoting senior wide receiver Johnathon Hauer
On whether his blocked punt got the team started on the right foot
"We've been taught to start off hard, start off fast and to finish every play. When I was blocking the kick all I thought about was go hard, go fast and stay focused. As long as we do that we can continue to win as we did tonight."
 
On whether he enjoys blocking punts or catching passes more
"I like playing both positions equally. I love the game. Most people lose the heart for the game but I love it so much it doesn't matter where they put me. I'm going to go out there and do whatever you ask me.

Several bright spots in TSU Tigers 36-20 loss to Texas State

SAN MARCOS, Texas -- The Texas Southern Tigers lost their first game of the season on Saturday with a 36-20 decision versus the Texas State Bobcats but despite the loss the team will take away several positives from the contest.

After being held scoreless in the first half of play TSU's offense came alive in the second half scoring 20 points as quarterback Jay Christophe settled in and found his rhythm throwing for a total of 315 yards and three touchdowns.

Wide receiver Tren'Davian Dickson had a breakout performance for the Tigers as he tallied 7 catches for 159 yards a two touchdowns.



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Christophe and Dickson combined for what was arguably the games' most electrifying offensive play of the night on a 75-yard touchdown pass giving TSU its' first score of the night.

Defensively the Tigers flew around the field at multiple positions as a total of four players finished the game with 10 tackles. Matthew Stevenson, Julian Marcantel, Demontario Anderson, and Marquis Walker all helped set the tone for a physical unit that only allowed two offensive touchdowns by the Bobcats.

Texas Southern will travel to face the Alcorn State Braves this weekend in what will be the Tigers second consecutive road outing of the season.

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Elizabeth City State Vikings Fall To UNC Pembroke

PEMBROKE, North Carolina -- The Elizabeth City State University football team fell 51-6 to UNC-Pembroke Saturday evening under the lights in Grace P. Johnson Stadium in a lump-sided match-up.

The contest started with both teams being stalled on its first possession, but after the Vikings (1-1) were held to a three and out for a second time, the Braves picked up the pace and got on the board, capping a 4 play 20 yard drive with 7:30 remaining in the first quarter.

UNC-Pembroke (1-1) added six more touchdowns before ECSU recorded it first points in the game on a 90 yard kick-off return by freshman Zion Riddick with 6:28 left in the third quarter. The Braves would convert on two more scores in the fourth before closing out the 51-6 contest.



The Vikings converted on only four first downs; while rushing for 44 yards in 33 carries. The team had only 76 yards of total offense; while giving up 369 yards of total offense. Junior running back Gregory Bryan led the Elizabeth City State offense with 52 yards in nine touches; while defensively the Vikings were led by senior linebacker Miacah Cooper with 10 tackles (five solo/five assisted). Senior linebacker Vincent Thomas collected nine tackles in the effort.

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Senior wide out Deon Yarborough added 18 yards receiving on two receptions to lead the ECSU receivers; while freshman quarterback Kedrick Patterson only connected on five-of-13 passing for 31 yards.

Riddick finished with 129 kick-off return yards on three returns. Elizabeth City State gears up to face Winston-Salem State University on Saturday, September 15 at 4 p.m. at the Rocky Mount Municipal Sports Complex in Rocky Mount, N.C. for the 21st Annual Down East Viking Football Classic.

Follow Elizabeth City State Athletics via its official website at: www.ecsuvikings.com to get pre and post-game stories and updates. Like us on Facebook at: ECSU Athletics and follow us on twitter at: @ECSUVikings.

ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY VIKINGS SPORTS INFORMATION

FSU Broncos Stall on 3rd Down in 27-13 Loss to Wingate

WINGATE, North Carolina  --  Fayetteville State (1-1 overall) had a tough time when it came to third-down. The Broncos converted 5-of-17 third downs in its 27-13 loss to Wingate (2-0) in the Irwin Belk Stadium in Wingate, NC.

"In the first half, we had a chance," said Head Coach Richard Hayes. "But we shot ourselves in the foot a couple times with our drives. We let them score right before halftime and then they scored on the opening drive of the third quarter. That was 14 quick points that we just couldn't recover from."

The Broncos did have some success with moving the chains with 19 first downs, compared to the Bulldogs 20. In all, Fayetteville State ran 68 plays for a total of 297 offensive yards.

Stevie Green (Washington, NC) rushed for 116 yards of the Broncos 179 yards on the ground. Collyn Anderson (Durham, NC) was 16-of-32 in pass attempts for 118 yards. Donshel Jetton (Mooresville, NC) scored Fayetteville State's only touchdown with a 14-yard rush with 2:52 left in the game. David Lamb hit both of his field goals and extra-point kick.

Wingate ran two extra plays (70) than FSU and racked up 359 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs had 131 yards rushing and 228 passing.

As with last week, Fayetteville State was the first on the scoreboard when it settled for a 40-yard field goal by David Lamb on the opening drive. The Broncos drove its first possession 63 yards in a little under three minutes for the first points of the game.

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With seven minutes left in the first quarter, Wingate capped a 79-yard drive with a 24-yard pass from Shaw Crocker to BJ Muckelvene for the 7-3 lead.

McLean Robertson gave the Bulldogs a 10-3 lead before the quarter could end with a 31-yard field goal with 3:39 on the clock.

After a good defensive stance, Fayetteville State turned good field position into a 24-yard field goal by Lamb for a 10-6 game with 14:07 left in the half.

Robertson gave the Bulldogs another lift with a 42-yard field goal of his own in the second quarter.

Prior to intermission, Wingate was in the driver's seat, moving the ball 61 yards for a 9-yard touchdown pass from Crocker to J.T. Stokes.

At the 10:15 mark in the third quarter, Crocker completed an 8-yard pass to McNeill for the 27-6 lead. The drive went 35 yards in eight plays.

Both team traded possession until Jetton's strike before the end of the game. The scoring drive covered 98 yards in ten plays. Jetton ran 28 of the 98 yards and Anderson connected with Jalen Gavin (Greensboro, NC) on a 16-yard pass play.

Fayetteville State will host its first home game against Benedict, who beat Johnson C. Smith 42-14, on Saturday, September 15th at 4:00 p.m.

FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY BRONCOS SPORTS INFORMATION

VUU Taylor & Taylor Show on Display against Carson-Newman

RICHMOND, Virginia -- It was the Taylor and Taylor show, but Carson-Newman University eked out a 33-29 win over Virginia Union University on Saturday, September 8, at Hovey Field in Richmond, Va.

VUU quarterback Darius Taylor completed 22 of 33 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 69 yards on 13 carries.

Tabyus Taylor ran for 109 yards on 24 carries and caught seven passes for 50 yards.

On defense, Sterling Hammond picked up a blocked extra point, then lateraled the ball to Quantay Battle as the Panthers scored a rare defensive extra point.

Carson-Newman's Antonio Wimbush rushed for three second-half touchdowns, helping the visiting Eagles earn their first win of the season.

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Wimbush rushed for 151 yards on 20 carries, scoring on runs of 3 and 8 yards in the fourth quarter to help put the game out of reach for the Panthers (1-1).

"It was important No. 1 for us to come here and win," Carson-Newman coach Mike Turner said. "You're coming up here and playing a football team that's very prestigious in the CIAA. ... They've got some great athletes that they use very well, offensively and defensively. So I'm very proud of our kids for coming out, getting a good start today."

Virginia Union now travels to Charlotte, N.C., to face Johnson C. Smith University at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 15.

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Miami Hurricanes Defeat Savannah State on the Road

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida -- With both teams seeking their first win of the season, the Miami Hurricanes proved to be too much for Savannah State in a 77-0 win over the Tigers.

The non-conference contest was played before a crowd of 60,307 at Hard Rock Stadium.



The SSU defense stopped the 22nd ranked Hurricanes on their first two possessions. Savannah State's Donald Rutledge forced a fumble on Miami's first series that was recovered by SSU defensive back John Wilson at the UM 49. On the next Hurricane possession, SSU's defense forced a three and out.

The Hurricanes (1-1) got on the scoreboard with just under four minutes remaining in the first quarter when Will Mallory caught a two yard touchdown pass from Malik Rosier, for a 7-0 lead.

From that point, it was all UM as the Hurricanes added 21 points in the second quarter and went into intermission with a 28-0 cushion.

Miami scored 21 points in the third frame to increase their lead to 49-0.

Savannah State had a chance to score in the third quarter but came up empty.

Linebacker Desmond Young intercepted a N'Kosi Perry pass at the UM 34 and returned it 13 yards to the Hurricanes 21 yard line. Runs by CJ Cole on first and second down only netted two yards and TJ Bell's third down pass attempt to Elijah Shah fell incomplete. On fourth down, Giovanni Lugo's 36 yard field goal try was blocked by Jaquan Johnson and recovered in the end zone with 6:36 left in the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, UM tacked on 28 points to go ahead 77-0 with 2:58 remaining in the game.

Savannah State ended the game with 78 yards of offense.The offensive line surrendered three sacks and the quarterbacks combined to throw two interceptions.

Bell threw for 29 yards and had one pass interception while D'Vonn Gibbons passed for 19 yards and had one pass picked off. Rashad Saxton ran for 19 yards and James Kicklighter had two receptions for 12 yards.

Rutledge led the defense with eight tackles. Lugo averaged 49 yards a punt and tied his career-high with a 66 yard punt midway in the second quarter.



SSU (0-2) controlled the time of possession, 33:52 to 26:08 for the Hurricanes.

Even though the Tigers had four turnovers, they limited their mistakes to only be penalized three times for 28 yards.

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Miami rolled up 494 yards while on offense while their defense limited the Tigers to just five first downs .

Rosier threw for 131 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another while Perry tossed three touchdowns and a interception. Lorenzo Lingard rand for 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Brevin Jordan caught seven passes and two touchdowns. Jonathan Garvinwas in on eight tackles for UM, including three tackles for losses.

SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION

West Virginia State YellowJackets Win Home Opener

INSTITUTE, West Virginia -- After a strong first half that included bending some but only being broken once the West Virginia State defense stepped things up a notch in the second half picking off three passes leading to three game deciding touchdowns as the Yellow Jackets earned a 33-12 victory in their home opener.

Along the way the sophomore running back duo of Calil Wilkins and Dylan Lucas turned in one of the best performances ever by a pair of WVSU backs.

Those two accounted for 318 yards of total offense and each went over 100 on the ground with Wilkins getting 135 and Lucas 120.

"They are a heckuva a one-two punch," WVSU Head Coach John Pennington said. "We knew we were going to have to run the football to win the game, we figured eventually they would wear down."

Fuastino Saucedo started at quarterback in place of the injured Austin Hensley and turned in a solid performance.

The grad-student transfer from Pace was hot in the opening half hitting 9-of-11 passes for 66 yards. He finished 14-of-18 for 127 yards, a touchdown, and did not throw an interception.

"He did a great job," Pennington said. "That is probably the best pass defense we'll see all year."
The first half saw plenty of ball movement but very little scoring.

The Yellow Jackets picked up 241 yards and the Cavaliers 194 in the first half but WVSU held just a 10-7 lead as both squads struggled to finish drives.

Big plays accounted for all of those points.

Wise took the lead on a 61-yard pass at the 10:46 mark in the first quarter.

The Jackets answered with a 50-yard run by Dylan Lucas at 12:49 of the second period.
Aaron Ball hit a 47-yard field goal 39 seconds before halftime to give WVSU its first lead.
The Cavaliers took the second half kickoff and were driving in Yellow Jacket territory when freshman defensive back Ibrahim Sesay stepped in front of a pass at the WVSU 28 and ran it back 32 yards to the Wise 40.

The Yellow Jackets capitalized a few plays later when Saucedo connected with Wilkins down the left sideline to run the score to 16-7 as the extra point kick missed.

The Jackets held Wise to a 45-yard field goal attempt on the ensuing possession and took over at their own 28 when the kick rebounded backwards off of the crossbar.

On a controversial third down play Suacedo was ruled to have had his forward progress stopped and the play whistled dead just as he broke away from the defense and ran for a substantial gain.

That forced WVSU to punt and the snap sailed over Ball's head and out of the back of the endzone for a safety to move the score to 16-9 with 5:20 left in the third quarter.

The Cavaliers took the free kick and drove to the WVSU seven before being forced to settle for a field goal when the Jackets' defense turned them away.

That pulled the visitors to within 16-12 with 1:40 remaining in the third.

The rest of the day belonged to the Yellow Jackets.

"We just stuck to our game plan," Pennington said. "I was really glad to see the defense have a big game."

WVSU responded midway through the fourth quarter with a 39-yard field goal to move the lead to 19-12.

The Jackets were finally able to take control when Dustin Crouser stepped in front of a Cavalier pass in the right flat at the Wise 29 yard line and ran it back run the score to 26-12.

Another WVSU interception, this one by Tevon Littleton at the Wise 35, led to the game clinching score. Just four runs into the drive freshman Keedrick Cunningham had his first college touchdown on an eight-yard scamper around the left side to stretch the advantage to 33-12 and seal the outcome.
Just for good measure Cunningham later recovered a fumbled punt on the next to last play of the game.

The Yellow Jackets finished with 373 yards of total offense compared to 344. The Jackets were whistled for nine penalties, one negating a touchdown on a kickoff return, for 109 yards.

WVSU travels to Cleveland next weekend to play Notre Dame. The Falcons won 27-17 at Glenville State Saturday after upsetting #16 Shepherd 35-33 at home to open the season.

WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Benedict Start Fast, Roll To 42-14 Victory Over Johnson C. Smith

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – The Benedict College Tigers scored three quick touchdowns in the first quarter and went on to take a 42-14 victory over Johnson C. Smith on Saturday.

The Tigers set records for most points (42) and most total offensive yards (480) in coach Mike White's four seasons. Benedict also held the Golden Bulls to 138 total offensive yards and -9 yards on the ground.

Benedict improves to 1-1 on the season, while Johnson C. Smith falls to 0-2.

"I'm just glad we won," White said. "There's still some stuff we've still got to clean up. We had too many penalties and too many busted plays that we got away with. I am happy with the score, but I am not happy with the way we played a lot."

Dominique Harris completed 12-of-18 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Phillip Brown completed 1-of-3 passes for 31 yards and led the team with 62 yards rushing on five carries. Jemine Yesin had three receptions for 42 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Wayne Brown caught a 48-yard touchdown pass and Trini Charlton rushed for 42 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 46 yards and a touchdown.

The Tigers jumped out to a quick start, getting a 45-yard pass from Harris to Drelon Freeman on their first offensive play. Three plays later, Harris found Yesin in the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown pass. After the kickoff, the Golden Bulls fumbled the ball on their next play and the Tigers recovered. Harris completed a 31-yard pass and catch to Charlton for a score and a 14-0 Benedict lead just five minutes into the game.

The Tigers took over the ball at the JCSU 20-yard line, and two plays later, Charlton carried from 7-yards out for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead with 8:19 remaining in the quarter.

"I think that was the key," White said about the quick start. "That kind of has been our M.O. here for a while, that we always seem to get off to slow starts for some reason. I was happy how quick we got out."

The Tigers put together a nine-play, 88-yard drive with Harris finding Yesin again in the end zone for a 14-yard score with 12:13 left in the first half for a 28-0 lead.

Benedict took the kickoff to start the second half and scored on a 48-yard pass-and-catch down the left sideline to Wayne Brown, giving the Tigers a 35-0 lead with 11:43 left in the third quarter.

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The Golden Bulls went on an 11-play, 73-yard drive for their first score of the game. The drive was kept alive by several Benedict penalties. The Tigers took the ensuing kickoff and drove 75 yards on just five plays, with Phillip Brown scoring on a 34-yard quarterback keeper.

The Golden Bulls added a late touchdown, getting a 20-yard pass on fourth down with 22 seconds left in the game for the final score.

The Tigers were penalized 20 times for 174 yards.

"It might be a record tonight for how many penalties we got," White said.

Benedict is back on the road again next week, traveling to Fayetteville State for a 4 p.m. kickoff.

BENEDICT COLLEGE TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION

Alabama State falls to seventh-ranked Auburn on the road

AUBURN, Alabama -- Alabama State was able to move the football and made big plays throughout the night, but the depth of seventh-ranked Auburn proved too much as they pulled away for a 63-9 victory over the visiting Hornets.

The announced crowd of 84.806 was the largest crowd that Alabama State has played in front, in their first trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium.



Alabama State (1-1) had their chances early, forcing Auburn into a three-and-out on their first offensive possession and then forced a fumble on the second drive of the game by the Tigers. Alabama State came off the turnover with a 51-yard pass from Darryl Pearson, Jr. to Dieuly Aristilde to set the Hornets up at the Auburn 30-yard line. However, the Hornets lost a yard on back-to-back plays before a 43-yard field goal from Hunter Hanson missed wide left.

Auburn (2-0) was able to score on back-to-back possessions, before an interception by Daniel Thomas pushed the lead to 21-0 in the first quarter. Ezra Gray returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for an Alabama State touchdown, before it was called back to a holding call on the return. The kick would have been a career long by Gray, and would have been the longest of the year on the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

The Tigers scored on four of five possessions in the second quarter to go up 42-0 before Ricky Haley put Alabama State on the scoreboard. The Hornets had Auburn backed up to their goal line, and Haley was able to wrap up back-up quarterback Malik Willis for a safety to trim the lead to 42-2 with 4:48 remaining in the half.

The Hornets final score came on a 29-yard touchdown pass from KHA'Darris Davis to Joe Williams IV in the back of the end zone on a third and long play. Williams reached up and over a defender, grabbing the ball and was able to get a foot on the ground before falling out of bounds.

Talesin Farmer led the rushing attack for Alabama State with 40 yards on 10 carries, while Pearson finished the night with 99 yards passing. Gray led the Hornets with three receptions as Alabama State tallied 205 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, Auburn had a pair of backs – JaTarvious Whitlow (122) and Shaun Shivers (117) – go over 100 yards. Meanwhile, Jarrett Stidham finished the night 6-of-11 for 113 yards and a touchdown for Auburn, who finished with 567 yards of total offense.

Defensively, Joshua Hill led Alabama State with eight tackles and Kurron Ramsey added seven. The Hornets forced four fumbles by Auburn on the night, two of which that were recovered by Devon Booker.

Alabama State returns to action next Saturday on the road against nationally-ranked Kennesaw State. The game is scheduled to kick at 5 pm (est), and can be heard on the Hornet Sports Network beginning at 4:30 pm (est). The game can also be seen on ESPN+.

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Alabama A&M falls to rival North Alabama

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — The comeback bid fell short.

Trailing in the fourth quarter, Alabama A&M had two shots at rallying for a significant rivalry win.

A pair of turnovers ended the Bulldogs' hopes.



Christian Lopez threw two touchdown passes as North Alabama topped Alabama A&M 25-20 Saturday night as the two programs renewed an old rivalry.

"I'm proud of our football team," Alabama A&M coach Connell Maynor. "Our guys played hard and gave us a chance to win. We settled down after a tough start early and fought until the end. This definitely is a game we can build on."

Alabama A&M (1-1) won almost every statistical category. Offensively, the Bulldogs consistently moved the ball throughout the game, amassing 337 total yards.

And by the start of the fourth quarter, it appeared momentum was on the Bulldogs' side.

Spencer Corey kicked his second field goal of the night, a 19-yarder, late in the third quarter to give Alabama A&M a 20-18 lead. After forcing UNA to punt, the Bulldogs had the ball and was driving into the Lions' territory with a chance to extend the cushion to two possessions.

A turnover changed the momentum.

UNA (2-0) recovered a fumble and Lopez led the Lions on a scoring drive that ended with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Jakobi Byrd.

"Offensively, I thought we did a good job," Maynor said. "Overall, we were able to do what we wanted. We were able to move the ball. A few things just didn't go our way."

Glass threw two first-half touchdown passes. The first was a four-yard touchdown to Jeron Jones, and the sophomore threw a two-yard touchdown to Isaiah Bailey.

Glass finished with 216 passing yards, completing 24 of 40 attempts with an interception.

Trevon Walters led Alabama A&M with 64 rushing yards on 10 carries, while Jordan Bentley ran for 61 yards on 10 carries.

The game marked the first time Alabama A&M and UNA played since 1997, and it was the 25th all-time meeting.

A crowd of 15,100 were in attendance.

"I think this rivalry is great for both programs," Maynor said. "We had a great crowd here tonight. They were into the game. I'm not sure why this game was stopped when it was, but moving forward, I think this is a rivalry that needs to be on the schedule when both teams can fit it on their schedules."

ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

#19 UCF Knights Defeat South Carolina State 38-0

ORLANDO, Florida -- The Bulldogs in front of the second largest crowd of 43, 269 at Spectrum Stadium, suffered a tough 38-0 setback Saturday (Sept. 8th) against #19 Central Florida on ESPN3.

"We played a very good Central Florida team who a year ago just came off an undefeated season, but overall I am proud of the way the guys played despite the score," said head coach Buddy Pough. "This game gave us a chance to play a lot of young players before we start conference play."

Junior running back Adrian Killins, Jr., posted touchdown runs of three and 24-yards to put the Knights ahead 14-0 early in the first quarter with 3:06 remaining. Redshirt senior kicker Matthew Wright nailed an 25-yard feild goal at the 11:02 mark in the second quarter pushed UCF to an 17-0 advantage.



Central Florida controlled the tempo on offense most of the first-half closing out with an 1-yard punch by Otis Anderson to give UCF 24-0 lead during intermission.

The Knights managed two more scores in the third quarter off a 13-yard toss from Milton McKenize to Gabriel Davis at the 8:08 mark. Sophmore running back Greg McCrae put UCF on the board for the final time of the night on a 32-yard scamper to extend the lead to 38-0.

Despite the tough loss, the Bulldogs secondary played one of their better games forcing three interceptions and limiting Mckenzie to just 243-yards passing. The previous week the hesiman trophy hopefull blitzed UCONN for 356-yards in the air.

Senior punter Jerome Pettiway had another great day punting with six (6) punts for 290-yards with an average of 48.3 yards per punt and his longest 57-yards. Redshirt freshamn defensive back Jaylen Evans had a career day on defense finishing with a game-high 10 tackles and seven solo, while true freshman linebacker Jablonski Green and junior Lane Jones added seven each along with an interception.

Pough noted, " I was extremely pleased with the play of some of the guys like Jaylen Evans, Jablonski Green and Decobie Durant just to name a few. Now we get back watch film and learn from some of the mistakes we made and prepare for league play against NCCU next week."

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The Knights improve to 2-0 on the season, while the Bulldogs fall to 0-2.

Up next SC State host North Carolina Central in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener Saturday (Sept.15th) at Oliver. C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg. Kick-off is 6 p.m. and will televised on ESPNU with a tape-delay.

For more information on South Carolina State Athletics visit www.scsuathletics.com or call the Office of Athletic Media Relations at (803) 536-7060.00.

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Livingstone Football Snaps 14 Game Losing Streak

IRMO, South Carolina – Livingstone College football team snaps a 14 game losing streaking beating Allen University 19-0, in W.C. Hawkins Stadium, in Irmo, South Carolina on a hot and hazy, Saturday afternoon.

The last win for Livingstone (1-1) was nearly two years ago in October on, when it defeated Shaw University 23-12, before ending the season on a three-game losing skid and going winless in 2017. The last time the Blue Bears shut out a team was in 2003, when the Blue Bears defeated Elizabeth City State 19-0.

Livingstone's Quarterback Miles Hayes went 11 of 23 passing for 114 yards and had an interception. Running back Marcus Baisy, Jr., led LC in rushing with 76 yards on the ground. Justin Ruffin added 22 yards and a touchdown on the day.

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Wide Receiver DeAndre Vickers finished with 52 yards on two catches for the day.

Defensively, the Blue Bears was led by Teyan Williams who collected six tackles and a forced fumble while Armond Cox tallied four tackles and a sack and recovered a fumble.

As a team the Blue Bears rushed for 189 yards and passed for 114 yards for a total of 303 yards on the day.

Next week, Livingstone will travel to Jackson, Tennessee to take on SIAC foe Lane College for a 2 p.m. (CST) kickoff.

LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE BLUE BEARS SPORTS INFORMATION

Southern's Danny Johnson Makes Final Washington Reskins Roster

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Danny Johnson has gone from an undrafted prospect, to making the Washington Redskins 53-man roster, come Sunday, the All-SWAC performer can be the first Jaguar to play in the NFL since Rashaun Allen played for the Seattle Seahawks in 2014

Danny Johnson interview after finding out he made the team.

Head coach Jay Gruden told The Washington Post the team had targeted Johnson since the Senior Bowl.

“Danny is awesome,” Gruden told the Post. “If you are a college free agent and you make an NFL team, its quite a dang accomplishment. I’m happy for Danny. He’s done everything right. He’s competed. . . . He can run. He can do special teams.”

Johnson was a highlight reel last season, in his final season he recorded his first career rushing, receiving, passing and a punt return for a touchdown; add two interceptions returned for a touchdown. His six touchdown was second to QB Austin Howard 18 passing touchdowns.

His junior campaign (2016-17) he lead the nation in total interception (7) and interception per game (.6).



Courtesy: Herman Shelton, Assistant Director, Sports Information
SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY JAGUARS SPORTS INFORMATION

FAMU Rattlers Lose Soundly 59-7 to Troy Trojans

TROY, Alabama -- The last time the Florida A&M Rattlers (1-1) 0-0 MEAC) met the then Troy State Trojans (1-1), the Rattlers came out on top with a 17-10 victory in 1999. At that time, both schools were in NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS). Since then, the Trojans have moved up to football's highest division, FBS, and it was a different mountain for the Rattlers to climb.

Nineteen years later, the Rattlers would be on the opposite end of the spectrum losing 59-7. A first quarter filled with penalties would give the Rattlers an advantage in the stat book; however, they were unable to capitalize on allowing the score to quickly creep up to 21-0 with the Trojans leading.



Rattler turnovers and penalties allowed the Trojans to score quickly and often. The TU converted all eight of their red-zone opportunities as opposed to the Rattlers who would only convert one of their two opportunities.

“We didn’t play a clean game. Too many penalties too many self-inflicted wounds 4 turnovers, you’re not going to beat a good team when you play like that. That loss is on us as coaches. It is our job to get these guys fundamentally ready to play. We did a poor job this week obviously. So we’ll lick our wounds tonight and get back tomorrow and make our corrections. I still think we have a chance to be a really good football team, but we have to play better fundamentally,” said head coach Willie Simmons.

A missed 25-yard field goal from Yahia Aly with 10:35 left in the quarter would take away the Rattlers’ opportunity to get on the board early.

The Trojans’ defense would take away the run game from the Rattlers forcing redshirt junior quarterback, Ryan Stanley to become one dimensional for a span of the game. The Rattlers would suffer a huge momentum changer after a completed 36-yard pass from Stanley to redshirt freshman Xavier Smith would be called back after a pass interference call on Smith at the FAMU 43 yard line.

A blocked punt and return by redshirt freshman, Shon Spralling, would place the Trojans on the Rattler two yard-line.

A two-yard rush by junior Trojan quarterback, Kaleb Barker would give the Trojans their first touchdown of the game and after a successful PAT from sophomore kicker, Tyler Sumpter, the Trojans would go up on the Rattlers 7-0 with 5:23 left in the first quarter.

Less than three minutes later, the Trojans would score their second touchdown of the game. Another two yard reception from Barker to senior Damion Willis and a successful PAT from Sumpter would put the Trojans up 14 – 0.

The Trojans would close out the first quarter with a third touchdown with 55 seconds remaining in the quarter off of a 13-yard pass from Barker to Willis and successful kick from Sumpter.

The Rattlers would close out the first quarter with a total of 92 offensive yards and 24 offensive plays compared to the Trojans’ 99 offensive yards and 12 offensive plays.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Rattlers would come out and score their first and only touchdown of the game with 10:59 remaining in the half. Bishop Bonnett scored on a short run for his first touchdown of the season.

The Trojans would respond by scoring three more times in the first half bringing the score to 7 – 38 at the half.

Aly would miss another field goal attempt – this time from 48 yards away with 6:27 remaining in the third.

After not allowing any 50-yard plays last season, the Rattlers were able to successfully complete two against the Trojans with the second coming midway through the third quarter.

The third quarter would close out with two additional touchdowns from the Trojans – a 19-yard pass from Barker to senior wide receiver, Sidney Davis and a 53-yard interception return by junior linebacker, Tron Folsom. The pass from Stanley, intended for redshirt junior Marcus Williams, was tipped and landed into the hands of Folsom resulting in a touchdown with 9:05 remaining in the third bringing the score to 52-7.

The final touchdown by the Trojans would come in the fourth quarter with 13:32 remaining in the game after a 16- yard pass from redshirt sophomore quarterback Sawyer Smith to sophomore wide receiver Tray Eafford. A successful PAT from Sumpter would bring the score to 59-7.

The Rattlers would close the game with a total of 287 offensive yards compared to the Trojans 477 and 219 passing yards compared to the Trojans’ 185. The Trojans were able to outrun the Rattlers finishing the game with a total of 292 rushing yards compared to the Rattlers’ 68.

The Rattlers plan to focus on their fundamentals this upcoming week as they prepare to take on the Tigers of Jackson State University at home.

“It’s all about getting back to our 7 F’s. It’s about having faith. We just got beat. We got beat pretty soundly, so we have to continue to believe in the process and believe in what we’re doing. We have to play with great fundamentals. We have to clean up the mistakes. We made too many mistakes to win a football game of this caliber or in MEAC play. We’ve got to pick-up our tempo.,” Simmons concluded.

By Morgan Culler/FAMU Sports Information
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Whitfield, Lowe Push Langston Lions Past Ottawa (Az.) 63-56

LANGSTON, Oklahoma -- The first conference matchup in the Sooner Athletic Conference history was one to remember as the No. 14 ranked Langston Lions outlasted the Ottawa-Arizona Spirit 63-56 Saturday afternoon at W.E. Anderson Stadium.

Tied at 56-56, the Lions took control for good when Tim Whitfield (SO/Meeker, Okla.) barreled his way into the end zone on a one-yard score to put Langston up 63-56 with 22 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession from the Spirit's 35-yard line, the Lions defense stood tall allowing only five yards to end the game.

Collectively, the Lions amassed 584 yards of total offense with 288 coming courtesy of the ground attack. Whitfield answered the call the entire afternoon with 155 rushing yards on 19 carries and five rushing touchdowns. Langston quarterback Jaylen Lowe (SR/Collinsville, Okla.) finished 28-of-42 with 296 passing yards and two touchdowns while tacking on 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Langston (1-0, 1-0 SAC) travels to Baton Rouge, La. to square off against Southern (La.) University at 6 p.m.

LANGSTON UNIVERSITY LIONS SPORTS INFORMATION

Strong Second Half Helps Edward Waters Football Snap 12 Game Skid With Road Win

VALLEY, Alabama -- After spotting the home standing Point Skyhawks the first 10 points of the game, Edward Waters used all three phases of the team to score the final 17 points of the game to earn a 17-10 victory Saturday afternoon at Ram Stadium. With the victory, Edward Waters (1-0) snaps a 12 game losing streak and a nine game skid on the road.

Point (0-3) opened the scoring with a five play, 75 yard drive on their opening possession, culminating in a 15 yard touchdown from Derek Bellard to Chase Turner to give the Skyhawks an early 7-0 lead.

The Skyhawks added to their advantage in the late stages of the first quarter with a 22 yard field goal from Wes Rubiera, giving Point a 10-0 lead.

Edward Waters cracked the scoreboard at the 6:54 mark of the second quarter with a 13 play, 77 yard drive ended by a 36 yard field goal from Christioni Robinson making the score 10-3 in favor of Point.

The Tigers tried to cut even further into the lead at halftime but, another Christioni Robinson field goal attempt went wide right, keeping the score at 10-3 going into the locker room.

On their second drive of the third quarter, Point appeared poised to extend their lead back to 10, but a Rubiera field goal was blocked by Christian Hayes, then picked up by Alfredrick Tyson and advanced down the left sideline to the EWC 30-yard line.

EWC used the momentum to go on a seven play, 70 yard drive ended by a 12-yard TD pass from QB Derrick Jones to WR Isaiah Johnson to tie the contest at 10-10 with 6:09 left the third quarter.

Going into the fourth quarter, EWC took their opening possession 88 yards on eight plays as Jones took it in from 10 yards out for a touchdown to give the Purple & Orange their first lead of the day at 17-10 with 13:13 remaining in the ball game.

Point fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Kaleel Lewis recovered, allowing the Tigers to run some more time off of the clock.

After consecutive three & outs from both teams on the next two series, EWC took over possession at their own 21-yard line with 4:25 remaining in the game. Edward Waters took the ball down to their own 35 yard line and being faced with a key 3rd & 7, Jones found WR Kamaree Noble on an out route for what would be the game-clinching first down.

Edward Waters put up 386 yards of total offense, dominated time of possession (41:37 to 18:23) and forced three Skyhawk turnovers during the game.

Jones finished the day 17-26 passing for 197 yards and one touchdown, while leading the team in rushing with 10 carries for 101 yards and one rushing touchdown.

RB Corey Hammett had a solid day on the ground for EWC with 16 carries for 69 yards and some key first downs late in the fourth quarter to seal the game for EWC.

WR David Beeks led the Tigers in receiving with five catches for 69 yards, Kamaree Noble chipped in with four snags for 28 yards, and Tyler Gilbert chipped in with two catches for 60 yards.

Defensively for EWC, LB Elijah Spivey led the Tigers with seven total tackles including 1.5 for loss and a half sack. DB Rurel Allen picked up his first interception of the 2018 season.

BOX SCORE

Edward Waters will take next weekend off with a bye week and will return to the gridiron on Saturday, September 22nd on the road against the Phoenix of Cumberland University. Kickoff from Lebanon, Tennessee is set for 1:30 pm.

Follow the Tigers
For complete coverage of Edward Waters College Athletics, follow the Tigers on social media @EWCAthletics (Twitter), /EWCSports (Facebook) and @EWCAthletics (Instagram) or visit the official home of Edward Waters athletics at EWCTigerPride.com.

EDWARD WATERS COLLEGE TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION

NCCU’s Air Attack and Defense Too Much for SAU

DURHAM, North Carolina -- North Carolina Central University beat Saint Augustine's 51-14 on Saturday behind five passing touchdowns from a pair of quarterbacks.
 
The game started off as a defensive battle, until NCCU junior quarterback Naiil Ramadan, starting for the first time in his college career, threw touchdown passes to sophomore wide receiver E.J. Hicks and redshirt freshman tight end Sherman McLeod late in the first quarter.
 
In the second quarter, the Ramadan to McLeod connection added another touchdown to make the score 20-0 with 11:13 left before intermission.
 
Saint Augustine's quarterback D.J. Johnson threw a touchdown to running back Jeremiah Miller at the 4:17 mark, before the Eagles responded with an Adam Lippy 36-yard field goal before the half making the score 23-7.
 
The second half was all defense for the Eagles. Junior safety Anthony Sherrill intercepted a SAU pass and ran it back 38 yards for an Eagle touchdown. NCCU's defense only allowed seven points in the half.
 
The passing game seemed to be a point of emphasis for the Eagles this week. Ramadan ended the contest throwing for 169 yards on 15 for 28 attempts with three passing touchdowns and no interceptions.


Quarterback Chauncey Caldwell provided some offense for the Eagles in the second half, passing for 105 yards and two touchdowns, while adding a team-high 62 yards on the ground.
 
McLeod was a big target for the Eagles' red zone offense, catching three passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns.
 
NCCU junior wide receiver Xavier McKoy caught four passes for 67 yards. Freshman Tyler Barnes had 4 catches and 64 yards for the Eagles, including a 48-yard touchdown.
 
The night was capped by a pair of NCCU touchdowns with sophomore receiver Nique Martin catching a 24-yard pass from Caldwell and junior running back Tyquan Watson finding the end zone from two yards out.
 
The Eagles' defense was led by sophomore cornerback Marcus Martin with six tackles. The unit also managed to get four sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and forced two turnovers. Senior lineman Darius Royster contributed three takedowns behind the line of scrimmage with a sack, bringing his two-game total to 9.0 tackles for a loss.
 
For the Falcons' offense, Johnson finished the game with 145 yards passing on 12 for 26 attempts, two touchdowns, and one interception. Miller rushed for 66 yards on 14 carries. He also added two receptions and one touchdown for SAU. The Falcons leading receiver was Deandre Conley, who had four catches for 58 yards.
 
NCCU (1-1) travels to South Carolina State next Saturday (Sept. 15) for its first conference game. SAU (0-2) hosts Virginia State on Saturday.

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 Written by Jailen Leach, NCCU 2021
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY EAGLE SPORTS INFORMATION