FAMU's Marching 100 to perform in halftime show for the Miami Dolphins

PHOTO GALLERY: Marching 100 Practices in preparation for Sunday's Miami Dolphin show

Florida A&M's band, The Marching 100, will take advantage of one of a few invitations they have recently received since their numbers have expanded to a whooping 420 members.

Sunday, the hundred has been invited to perform during the halftime show of the NFL's Miami Dolphins opening game. Michael Scott, FAMU's head drum major, said this invitation and the others the band has received shows at least one thing. "It shows hard work pays off," he said.

OT loss sting Rattlers

Rattlers rally, only to fall to Delaware State late

PHOTO GALLERY: FAMU 28, Delaware State 35 (OT)

DOVER, DE — You might think the FAMU football players would be beating themselves up today. They had rallied to tie defending MEAC champion Delaware State at 28-all and force the game into overtime, only to see the Hornets escape with a 35-28 win. Despite the heart-breaking defeat, head coach Joe Taylor and his players were anything but distraught late Thursday night.

Not all losses are created equal. "It was a gallant effort," Taylor said. "I'm proud of these guys. They gave an outstanding effort. I saw enough tonight to let me know we're going to be OK. Because of tonight we will be better." What Taylor saw was the beginning of a two-quarterback system that he hopes will be the Rattlers' calling card in the weeks to come. Curtis Pulley, a redshirt junior who transferred from the University of Kentucky just three weeks ago, came off the bench to spark FAMU.

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READ RELATED ARTICLE: MEAC teams concerned about Hurricane Hanna
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READ RELATED ARTICLE: Hornets pull out win in OT

MEAC teams concerned about Hurricane Hanna

Excerpts:

FAMU coach Joe Taylor inherited a decidedly young team when he took over the football program at the end of December. Linebacker and captain Vernon Wilder is the only senior on FAMU's two-deep depth chart. This is marked contrast to Delaware State, FAMU's opponent Thursday night. Five of the Hornets' front six players on defense are seniors, with junior right end Tyron Hurst the only non-senior. On offense DSU started four seniors and five juniors. Senior quarterback Vashon Winton entered Thursday's game with a 25-8 record and a 20-3 mark in MEAC.

The Hornets also had the services of former FAMU running backs coach Renato Diaz. He came to DSU after working under former FAMU coach Rubin Carter.

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FAMU falls in OT to defending MEAC champs DSU

It's a bird, it's a plane; heck gnaw--it's the DSU Swarming Hornets!

With last year's success and national TV audience, DSU can't take a step back

PHOTO GALLERY: DSU vs. FAMU

DOVER, DE -- There are only so many chances to seize an opportunity. Delaware State has waited an eternity for this one, with a football team that is coming off a season like no other in the school's history. That's why the Hornets have to continue the success from last season, when they reached the playoffs for the first time and finished 10-2.

There is so much riding on it -- fan support, alumni support, administration support, national TV exposure, continued construction on campus. It is all tied to DSU's success in football. That's what made the Hornets' opener Thursday against Florida A&M so important. And their 35-28 overtime win so exhilarating. DSU senior quarterback Vashon Winton knew this. He ran for four touchdowns and threw for another. But the victory wasn't secured until defensive back Jerome Strums intercepted a pass when Florida A&M had the ball.

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Attendance: 6,216 Alumni Stadium, Dover, DE (Capacity: 7,000).

TSU, Southern won't delay Merritt Classic

Saturday's John Merritt Classic between Tennessee State and Southern is still on. For much of the day and night Wednesday the game at LP Field was in limbo because of the trouble Southern has experience din the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav. The storm left the Jaguars' practice field soaked, but they practiced two hours Wednesday. It was Southern's first practice since losing last Saturday at Houston 55-3.

After practice, Southern Coach Pete Richardson worried about his team. "I expressed my concerns … to the administration,'' Richardson said. "My concern is getting my team properly ready to play and also for the families of the players and coaches."
The decision to play finally was made at 9:45 p.m.

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Jefferson will start at QB for WSSU

Winston-Salem State has its starting quarterback. Coach Kermit Blount and offensive coordinator Nick Calcutta decided this morning that redshirt freshman Tienne Jefferson will start Saturday's season-opener at N.C. A&T. Jefferson won the job after an extremely tight race with Jarrett Dunston, a redshirt junior.

Jefferson, a 6-1, 200-pounder from Washington, D.C., spent one year at Fork Union Military Academy before coming to WSSU and was all-conference in football and basketball. He redshirted at WSSU last season but was in uniform for every game and relayed in signals after getting the plays from Calcutta.

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FAMU Rattlers ready to strike Hornets!

Detroit Mayor Pleads Guilty, Will Resign

RAW VIDEO: Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick at Hearing

CHICAGO--Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D) pleaded guilty this morning to two felony perjury charges and agreed to resign from office, a stunning fall for a politician who was once considered one of Michigan's most promising leaders.

Kilpatrick admitted in Wayne County Circuit Court that he lied twice under oath. He agreed to leave office within 14 days, serve 120 days in jail and pay a $1 million fine. He also pleaded no contest to assaulting a police officer.

"Yes, I lied under oath," a somber Kilpatrick in a hearing carried live on television in Detroit and nationwide on cable channels. Detroit voters elected Kilpatrick twice, only to see city business paralyzed by his March indictment and his fierce determination to beat the charges. He once promised a "full and complete vindication."



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Florida A&M at DSU game preview

Where: Alumni Stadium, Dover (Capacity: 7,000)
When: 7:30 tonight
TV/radio: ESPNU/1450AM
Records: DSU (0-0- 0-0) Florida A&M (1-0,0-0)

Prediction: DSU 27, Florida A&M 17.

Scouting the Hornets

DSU enters the season in defense of its first league championship since 1991. In 2007, the Hornets were undefeated in the MEAC and qualified for the program's first NCAA playoffs. They own a three-game win streak over the Rattlers. Thirteen starters return from a team that set a school record for victories in a season (10). DSU's only losses were to Division I-A Kent State and Delaware in the first round of the I-AA playoffs. With DSU trying new tweaks on offense, it will again rely on the consistency of its defense and special teams. Returning linebackers Josh Pope and Jackie Watkins combined for 14 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks a year ago. DSU added Syracuse transfers Donta Herrod and Quinton Brown in the defensive backfield, two players who should provide leadership.

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Forget the local press predictions, look for the FAMU Rattlers defense to steamroll the Hornets offense and find a way to win!

Teeing up on the road with the DSU Hornets

Wherever DSU football team goes, fine links are never far away

As long as Delaware State University remains in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Hornets football fans are guaranteed a golf trip to Florida every season. The Hornets played at Florida A&M in Tallahassee last year. This season, they play at Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach. It alternates that way every two years. And while DSU isn't playing any road games in the Carolinas this year, there will still be plenty of fine golf destinations for the traveling Hornets fan.

Sept. 13, at Kent It's 420 miles from Dover to Kent, Ohio. A good stop for golfers along the way would be Mill Creek Golf Course, which sits just off Interstate 76 in Canfield, Ohio, 35 miles east of Kent. Both the North and South courses at Mill Creek were designed by the legendary Donald Ross. The South is the longest at only 6,302 yards, but both have plenty of trees, bunkers and streams in play.

Oct. 11, at Bethune-Cookman It's Florida, so there is no shortage of four-star golf. But a good place to start is LPGA International.

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NSU Spartans coach sees room for improvement

NORFOLK, VA - A few stalled drives and too many missed tackles left coach Pete Adrian with this assessment of Norfolk State's romp over Virginia State on Saturday: "I wasn't happy with our total performance. We're going to have to play better."

Much of the anticipation of the season has centered around UConn transfer Dennis Brown, who made his first start as a Spartan. The redshirt junior completed 12 of 30 passes for 126 yards with a touchdown. Brown completed four of his first five passes to lead NSU to a touchdown on its opening drive. However, he also overthrew some receivers, including Dario Walker on his longest pass of the night. Walker had beaten the coverage, but was a step slow for the 40-yard Brown bomb.

Norfolk State University Spartan Legion Band 8/30/08 - 5th Qtr. Labor Day Classic

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FAMU not rattled by Delaware State

There seems to be so much that FAMU has to contend with heading into Thursday night's televised game with Delaware State. The Rattlers are going on the road on just four days rest. They'll be taking on a team that they haven't beaten in their last three meetings. On top of that, the game is at Alumni Stadium, home of the defending MEAC champion Hornets.

And, coach Joe Taylor is telling his players not to make the odds become a distraction. "As a coach you always tell the players that as long as the field is 53 1/3 yards wide and 100 yards long it doesn't matter," Taylor said at Tuesday's meeting with the media. His players seem to be taking heed as they seemingly relish the opportunity to meet the Hornets in Dover.

Delaware State vs. FLORIDA A&M RATTLERS Game Notes (PDF)

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Date: September 4, 2008
Location: Alumni Stadium (Artificial A-Turf) (7,000) in Dover, Del.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Television: ESPNU. Charlie Neal (play-by-play) and Jay Walker
(analyst) will call the action. Denis Lanius is directing the contest.
Producing the game is John Kittering.
Radio: 1450 WILM-AM will carry the action (Part of the Delaware
State Hornets Radio Network). Scott Klatzkin is in his first season
as DSU’s play-by-play announcer. Kevin Scholla is the broadcast
analyst.
Live Stats: www.DSUHornets.com
Tickets: 1.302.857.TIXX

Grambling's young talent still has growing up to do

GRAMBLING, LA — Grambling traveled to Reno, Nevada on Saturday to play a game it wasn’t supposed to win. And to little surprise, Nevada easily beat the visiting Tigers, 49-13. Though the game may not have been competitive, it gave Grambling coach Rod Broadway and his coaching staff a great opportunity to evaluate their football team.

The consensus? The Tigers have playmaking ability, but they’re inexperienced, and have a lot of growing to do. “We traveled with 62 guys, and 44 of those are freshmen and sophomores,” Broadway said. “There’s a learning curve there. Our problem is simple. We’re young and we’re talented. We just need some senior leadership, and we only have six guys in our senior class. Our guys are going to be okay.”

VIEW PHOTO GALLERY: Grambling at Nevada, 8/30

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Rattlers a mystery without game film

Hornets' Lavan suspects ploy by new coach

DOVER -- There is a new football coach at Florida A&M, which almost certainly means a new look when the Rattlers visit Alumni Stadium Thursday night to take on Delaware State. But the Hornets don't know exactly what that new look is. Hornets coach Al Lavan revealed Tuesday that he had not received the Rattlers' game film from their season-opening 30-20 win Saturday over Alabama State.

College football has a long history of tapes getting lost in the mail or being unavailable because of broken equipment. But the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference requires teams to exchange film and has created a Web-based system to eliminate such gamesmanship, which Lavan reluctantly suspects in the case of FAMU. "There is a procedure to get the tape," Lavan said. "They know they haven't sent it."

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Band Showcase 8/30/08: ASU, NCA&T, PVAMU, FAMU, NSU and SCSU

Alabama State University Hornets Marching Band

North Carolina A&T State University Marching Machine Band

Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm & Black Foxes

Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm & Black Foxes

Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm & Black Foxes

FAMU Marching 100- Pre-Game

Norfolk State University Spartan Legion Marching Band

Alabama State University Hornets Marching Band

South Carolina State University Marching 101

Howard U: Brothers in Arms

His Dream Deferred but Not His Duty, McElrathbey Carries On

Ray Ray McElrathbey allows a moment to consider the consequences of growth. He can smile about how three years ago teenage exuberance filled his mind with football fancy. Now he sits gazing at the suburban sprawl from a friend's eighth-floor apartment in Hyattsville as a college graduate, a father, a former Clemson reserve running back, a Howard graduate student and a survivor. He's a changed man.

It's crazy, because I'm in D.C.," McElrathbey said, staring into the late-afternoon haze. "The first time I got in a plane to go to D.C., it wasn't that bad. The second time when I came back, and I knew this was the place I was going to stay for at least the next two years, it was real strange. I wouldn't put myself in D.C. No way would I put myself in D.C. That's just what life is. It's unpredictable."

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N.C. A.&T. Aggies put celebration behind them

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Lee Fobbs allowed himself to enjoy the first win of his tenure at N.C. A&T late Saturday night. Once the clock struck midnight, he turned into a football coach again. "We're not going to discard winning the game," Fobbs said Monday of the 44-12 verdict over Division II Johnson C. Smith, "but it's all over now. We've got to get ready for our next opponent."

That's Winston-Salem State, which was idle over the weekend and owns a two-game winning streak in the series entering Saturday's 6 p.m. game in Aggie Stadium. Along those lines, the best thing the coaches heard all night -- save the declaration of the final score -- was the mind-set of the players, who quelled the celebration with admonitions of dire consequences to anybody who showed up late to Sunday's weight-training session. There were no reports of tardiness.



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FAMU linemen protective of Battle

FAMU quarterback Eddie Battle isn't going to come away from any game without grass stains on his uniform. His offensive linemen would like to make sure that's not the case too often, though. If Saturday's game is a gauge, they're trying real hard.
Battle was sacked twice and hurried twice in a stubborn stance by the Rattlers offensive line, which has just one senior and which paved the way for two quick opening touchdowns in a 30-20 victory over Alabama State.

"We take it very personal when our quarterback gets hit," said junior left tackle Robert Okeafor. "We want him to stand up right, clean jersey and clean pants. We don't want him to get dirty unless he slides somewhere. "When somebody sacks my quarterback or hits my quarterback I take it personally because I feel like I let him down."

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Joe Taylor (FAMU) Chris Poole (FSU) Make Impressive Debuts

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DSU's McBride named to Eagles practice squad

Former Delaware State wideout Shaheer McBride was among eight signed to the Eagles' practice squad. McBride said he found out Saturday in a phone call that the Eagles had released him, but was told he could be called Sunday by noon to find out if he made the practice squad.

Noon came and went without a call. Then came 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. before the phone finally rang. The voice told him to report to the NovaCare Complex and sign a contract. He had made the practice squad. "It's just the beginning of hopefully a long career with the Philadelphia Eagles," said McBride, a Chester, Pa., native.

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Fayetteville State takes advantage of NCCU mistakes

Durham, N.C. — North Carolina Central University committed five turnovers and two special teams blunders that led to a 33-22 Fayetteville State University upset victory, ruining the Eagles home-opener in front of 8,853 fans at NCCU’s O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium. FSU (1-0) scored its first four touchdowns following NCCU mistakes, including two fumbles, a blocked punt and a snap that sailed over the punter’s head.

On the day, NCCU (0-1) fumbled six times, four of which were recovered by the visiting Broncos, and threw an interception. The host Eagles amassed 339 yards of total offense, including 284 yards passing by senior quarterback Stadford Brown, but managed only 55 rushing yards as a team. FSU only needed 257 total yards with 172 through the air and 85 on the ground. The Broncos longest scoring drive of the contest was 26 yards, with two others covering 21 and 11 yards.

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Attendance: 8, 853 @ Durham, N.C. O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium (Capacity: 10,000)

Royster-Crockett continues career

Courtesy, Latasha Edwards, The FAMUAN

Student travels overseas to pursue professional dream in league

After being kicked off the Florida A&M University's volleyball team, Marrita Royster-Crocket could have wasted her talents, but instead she decided to take them overseas to Switzerland to pursue her dreams. Royster-Crockett was dismissed by the athletic department after being classified as academically ineligible last year.

"They told us we have to declare a major after August of our junior year to be academically eligible," said Royster-Crockett, a 20 year old, senior broadcast student from Tallahassee. "My transcript read pre-journalism instead of broadcast journalism. It was a technical error." That error cost Royster-Crockett both academically and athletically. She lost her scholarship because she was not allowed to practice and she was still unable to be a part of the team. She missed the whole season.

According to Alvin Hollins, assistant athletic director of media relations, the Athletic Department could not comment because the information is confidential. In October 2007, she was told her ineligibility was a mistake but she already missed half of the season. Royster-Crockett asked to be red shirted following the mix-up. A red shirt is when a player has five academic years, but skips a year of play without losing a year of eligibility.

Marrita Royster-Crockett was a sophomore Florida State University transfer student-athlete who earned First Team All-MEAC honors in her first season with the Lady Rattlers and made an appearance in the 2006 NCAA Championship at Florida. The 6-0/outside hitter averaged averaged 4.72 kills per game while hitting .270 and averaging 1.96 digs per game in her last season with the Lady Rattlers.

"They ended up giving me my red shirt and my coach stop contacting me," Royster-Crockett said. "They told me not to practice with the team and wait until next fall."

With a burning desire to continue her career on the court, Royster-Crockett turned to her mother Rita Buck-Crockett, a volleyball agent and two-time Olympian. Buck-Crockett decided to contact Techlaser in Cheseaux, a national team in Switzerland to prevent her daughter from ending her volleyball career.

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FAMU Lady Rattlers Nip Stetson In Tough Match

Courtesy: Stetson University

FAMU vs. Stetson Box Score

Tallahassee, FL – The Stetson volleyball team (0-2) battled hard Saturday morning against Florida A&M (1-1) but fell to the Rattlers in four sets. FAMU edged the Hatters three times by two points en route to a 26-24, 17-25, 25-23, 26-24 victory in the FSU Invitational at Tully Gymnasium.

The Hatters came back from a seven-point deficit midway through the first set to tie the score 24-24 on a kill from senior outside hitter Rebecca Orzechowicz (Miami, Fla.) but couldn’t get over the hump as Florida A&M scored the next two points for the win.

Set Two went much better for Stetson. Orzechowicz started the set with a kill and the Hatters never trailed en route to a 25-17 victory, finishing with a 7-2 run and a punctuating kill from junior right side Sarah Sears (Ashburn, Va.)
























FAMU Lady Rattlers Maria Gomez, OH 6-2 Jr. Guayaquil, Eucador/Nuevo Mundo.

Just as in the first set, the third and fourth stanzas saw the Rattlers just manage to hold off the Hatters. Down 8-3 early in Set Three, Stetson went on a 7-1 run to take the lead. Later, Stetson would go ahead 22-21 on an Orzechowicz kill and seemed poised to go ahead in the match, but FAMU once again snuck back ahead and won 26-24.

Set Four was a see-saw affair in which neither team had a lead of more than three points. Once again, the Hatters had a 22-21 lead they could not hold as FAMU’s Joanna Blazeski tallied kills for three of her team’s final four points and the Rattlers walked off the court with the victory.

Orzechowicz finished the match with a team-high 13 kills while freshman outside hitter Kaylee Ream (Venice, Fla.) had seven kills and just one error, hitting .273 in the process. Senior libero Melanie Boyer (New Holland, Ill.) recorded 19 digs while freshman setter Jennica Hagberg (Niceville, Fla.) gave the Hatters 33 assists and eight digs. Sears and junior middle blocker Laura Boyd (La Crescenta, Calif.) contributed six block assists each.

Blazeski had 23 kills and 18 digs to lead the Rattlers. Samara Ferraz had 19 kills while Maria Gomez (11 kills, 11 digs) joined Blazeski in the double-double category.

FAMU's Sept. 1st game with Tulane University was cancelled due to Hurricane Gustav landfall on the Louisiana Coast today.

Attendance: 136 (Capacity: 2,500) Lucy McDaniel Court at Tully Gym, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

More Battle of the Bands - FAMU, NSU, Tenn St.

FAMU gets right back to work

Rattlers have short week with Thursday game at Delaware State

During the next three days, there will be plenty of cramming around the Galimore Fieldhouse, where Florida A&M plans its pre-game strategies. Following their 30-20 victory Saturday over Alabama State, the Rattlers have just 72 hours to prepare for Delaware State. FAMU's first opening day win in eight seasons comes at a cost, as coach Joe Taylor tries to ride the momentum into their meeting with the defending MEAC champions Thursday night.

The team will review its game plan today and then practice in Bragg Stadium. Their only practice in pads will take place Tuesday, followed by a light workout early Wednesday morning before traveling to Delaware later in the day. DSU didn't play Saturday and FAMU's game plan will be derived from film of the Hornets' spring game. "It puts a little more challenge into it and that's why I was saying last night about building on what happened," Taylor said.

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Taylor's special hunch on Vann pays dividends

FAMU coach's intuition results in 99-yard return

Somehow, Florida A&M football coach Joe Taylor knew LeRoy Vann had it in him. And when it mattered most, the junior delivered — in a big way. Vann's 99-yard kickoff return went a long way toward helping FAMU knock down Alabama State 30-20 in the season opener Saturday night.

Less than 30 seconds after the visiting Hornets tied the Rattlers 14-14 in the second quarter, Vann tore through the turf on Bragg Memorial Stadium behind a perfectly executed wedge for an explosive 99-yard touchdown dash. The score was one of those handful of plays that Taylor calls "game changers." It was a play that helped alter the momentum as FAMU went on to win 30-20. The win was Taylor's first as the new Rattlers head coach.

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Stillman rolls past short-handed Miles College

The Billy Joe Era at Miles College that was launched with such hope two weeks before Christmas got off to a dismal start on Sunday night at Legion Field.

The Golden Bears played without more than half their roster in a 38-12 loss to Stillman College before a crowd of 25,370. Joe said he found out on Saturday that he would be able to dress only 40 of his 85-man roster for the Labor Day Golden Classic due to concerns the Miles administration raised about eligibility issues.

"In my 31 years as a head coach," Joe said, "I've never, ever been confronted with that issue before. I thought our guys played a great game with their hands tied behind their backs. "We had to change our special teams around, our offense, our defense. We were very, very, very - how many `verys' can I use? - short." The new coaching staff held meetings with their players until late Saturday evening, making changes in the game plan.

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Attendance: 25,370 @ Legion Field, Birmingham, AL (Capacity: 83,091)

Hampton hangs on in Holmes' debut over JSU Tigers

The Pirates overcome a slugglish start to top Jackson State in their season opener.

ORLANDO, FL - Just 10 minutes after walking off the Florida Citrus Bowl field, a stunning 17-13 MEAC/SWAC Challenge win over Jackson State still dancing through his head, victorious first-year Hampton coach Jerry Holmes tried to hold back his smile as he sat down at the post-game news conference. That attempt was the first loss of his career. Coming off a disappointing 6-5 season and fourth-place finish in the MEAC, the former Bethel star led the Pirates to their third straight win over the Tigers.

Coach Jerry Holmes and the Pirates will face Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL on the road this Satudary at 6 p.m. CST.

"It's exciting," he said. "Especially to get that first leading lady on the schedule as you try to forge some momentum for the season. It's a great feeling." Hampton trailed 7-3 at the half, but used plays on both sides of the ball to take control. JSU got the opening kickoff in the second half and looked as if it was about to blow the game open after driving all the way to the Pirates' 6. But Hampton's Rasoul Wilson picked off Trae Rutland in the end zone to end the threat.

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Attendance: 10,723, Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL (Capacity: 74,635)

Bethune-Cookman seeking return to former glory

The team's progress last season and new players are generating excitement

DAYTONA BEACH -- Bethune-Cookman finished 5-6 for the second year in a row last season and lost two All-Americans, yet the feeling of urgency is not the same as a year ago. In fact, coach Alvin Wyatt seems pretty relaxed these days. Part of the reason was the way 2007 ended. The Wildcats won three of their last four games and put an exclamation point on the turnaround with a 34-7 trouncing of archrival Florida A&M in the Florida Classic. A win over FAMU has a way of soothing the alumni, even after two losing seasons.

Coach Alvin Wyatt will have an uphill battle to improve the Wildcats standings with improving programs at DSU, SCSU, NSU, Hampton, Morgan and FAMU.

''One of our problems last year was we were weak in the third and fourth quarter,'' Wyatt said. ``Once we got a full-time strength coach [Britt Patton] we began playing better football. We nearly won our last five games. We just had a mistake here and a mistake there. ''Against Winston-Salem, we were driving to win the game, but we [threw] an interception. Hampton, we had them on the ropes.''

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Season Opener: BCU (0-0) vs. Alabama State University (0-1), Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET, September 6, 2008 @ Daytona Beach, FL Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 10,000) Radio Coverage: WELE 1380am and Game Tracker.

Transfer receiver sparkles in TSU win over AAMU

Spillman scores twice against Alabama A&M

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — JaJuan Spillman isn't asked to do too much for Tennessee State. Since he's still new to the program, all that's expected of the Louisville transfer is that he score touchdowns. He does that well. The lightning-fast receiver touched the football three times through the first three quarters of Saturday night's game at Alabama A&M and scored twice. Spillman's big plays set the stage for a 34-13 win before a crowd of 10,072. The victory helped TSU snap a three-game losing streak to the Southwestern Athletic Conference power.

The last time TSU won its opener was in 2004, when the Tigers beat A&M 42-7. Finally beating the Bulldogs would have been more difficult without Spillman's heroics. After returning the opening kickoff for a short gain, Spillman got wide open early in the second quarter deep down field and caught a 65-yard pass from Antonio Heffner for a touchdown. The next time he touched the ball, 6½ minutes later, Spillman broke loose for a 94-yard kickoff return and another score.

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Attendance: 10,072, Lewis Crew Stadium, Huntsville, AL (Capacity: 21,000)

MEAC/SWAC Battle of the Bands 8/30-31/2008

FAMU Marching 100 Drill

FAMU Marching 100 Dance Routine

Hampton University Marching Force Band
Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band
Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Marching Band
Alabama A&M University Maroon and White Marching Band

Weevils surprise UAPB Golden Lions

PINE BLUFF, AK — Is it too early to assume there’s more to the Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils than previously thought? UAM’s 21-7 season opening victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Saturday at Golden Lion Stadium in Pine Bluff suggests as much. The NCAA Division II Boll Weevils entered Saturday having won six games in the past three seasons, and were picked to finish last in the 11-team Gulf South Conference in a preseason poll. But that didn’t keep UAM from manhandling the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA ) Golden Lions offensively and defensively.

Sophomore quarterback Scott Buisson ran for 95 yards and a touchdown and added 193 passing yards and two touchdown passes for the Boll Weevils. “This ain’t a last-place team,” UAM Coach Gwaine Mathews said. “Defensively, I thought we had something to prove. I thought tonight, we did.” A defensive unit that surrendered more than 40 points per game in 2007 limited UAPB to 183 yards passing and intercepted Golden Lions quarterback Jonathan Moore three times.

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Attendance: 8,126 @ Golden Lion Stadium, Pine Bluff, AK (Capacity: 12,500)

SE Louisiana Lions stave off Alcorn Braves to spoil Jones' debut

LORMAN, MS - Ernest Jones saw his share of amazing comebacks in his playing days at Alcorn State during the Steve McNair era. In his head coaching debut at his alma mater, Jones came oh-so-close to seeing another one. Tim Buckley's fourth-down pass with six seconds left was just out of the grasp of Channin Pugh and Alcorn dropped a 34-28 heart breaker to Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday night in the season opener at Jack Spinks Stadium.

"I marched up and down the field during that drive and told my guys that we have a chance," said Jones, who replaced Johnny Thomas. "I played with a miracle-maker. Steve McNair made miracles happen and games like that we were in all the time. The expectations were that we were going to drive down the field and win the football game." And the Braves almost did that.

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Attendance: 3,000, Jack Spinks Stadium, Lorman, MS (Capacity: 22,500)

NSU Spartans turn it on, rout Virginia State

NORFOLK, VA - Slow start, fast finish. How fast? Usain Bolt kind of fast. The Spartans didn't just win, they overpowered their rivals from Division II Virginia State in the Labor Day Classic on Saturday 47-7 before a festive crowd announced at 17,132 at Price Stadium that appeared far larger. Speaking of big, the 40-point margin of victory was the greatest in the annual series that dates to 1963.

The Spartans (1-0) rang up the first 47, with 28 of those points earned in the second half. Virginia State's lone score came with 1:34 left in the game when NSU had a collection of backups on defense. After missing all of the 2007 season due to eligibility issues, running back DeAngelo Branche showed as much rust as a shiny new vehicle. A white towel hanging from his gold pants exclaimed "I'm back!" in colored marker, and the Trojans couldn't argue. Scoring three touchdowns, which matched his previous high from the entire 2006 season, the sophomore showed off elusive moves that should make him the MEAC's best.

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Attendance 17,132 @ Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk, VA (Capacity: 30,000)

Nevada Wolf Pack off to fast start with 49-13 win over Grambling State

The Grambling State marching band opened its halftime show with Earth, Wind and Fire's "Let's Groove Tonight." The Nevada football team took it literally. The Wolf Pack made the expected first-game miscues -- and a few unexpected bumbles -- but otherwise had a fairly crisp and ground-dominating start to the 2008 season with a 49-13 victory over Grambling State before 20,078 fans at Mackay Stadium on Saturday night. It marked the first time since 2003 that the Wolf Pack opened the season with a victory.

"It's great to get that first win under our belt," said sophomore quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who rushed for three touchdowns. "We haven't had that in the past few years. "(We) still had a lot of mistakes, though, and we need to improve those for next week." Nevada dominated the running game on both sides of the ball, totaling 426 yards and seven rushing touchdowns, averaging a whopping eight yards per carry. Four hundred yards rushing is amazing," Kaepernick said. "That tells you right there the kind of work our offensive line has put in the offseason and the kind of work they put in tonight.

Grambling State University Tigers Marching Band


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Attendance: 20,078 @ MacKay Stadium, Reno, NV (Capacity: 31,545)

Jacksonville Third quarter does in Savannah State

SSU Coach Robby Wells starts Tiger career at 0-1, as he learned Saturday morning that 11 players were ineligible to play against Jacksonville because of NCAA Clearinghouse issues. The Dolphins are a non-scholarship program in the Pioneer League.

Jacksonville (Fla.) University cornerback Robson Noel guaranteed a victory against Savannah State University and his teammates delivered Saturday night. After a scoreless first half, Jacksonville scored 17 points in the third quarter and held on for a 20-7 victory. A Memorial Stadium crowd of 4,441 watched as the Dolphins spoiled the head coaching debut of SSU's Robby Wells, and gave JU second-year head coach Kerwin Bell his first road win.

"I just knew our team was ready to play," said Noel, who made four tackles. "I'm very relieved. I owe it all to my teammates." Jacksonville, which does not offer athletic scholarships, is a member of both the Football Championship Subdivision and the Pioneer Conference. The Dolphins won their season opener for the first time since 2002, when they beat Lenoir-Rhyne, 37-27. SSU has not won its season opener since 2004, a 41-34 double-overtime victory at Norfolk (Va.) State.

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Attendance: 4,441@ Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 15,000).

North Carolina A&T Aggies rediscover that winning feeling

Photo Gallery of N.C. A&T record breaking win

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- After searching for almost three years, N.C. A&T finally found somebody it could beat. After losing 27 straight games, the fourth-longest streak in NCAA Division I-AA history, the Aggies and coach Lee Fobbs defeated Johnson C. Smith 44-12 Saturday in the first game of Fobbs' third season at A&T.

And there was great rejoicing. Maybe too much. A&T's band was admonished by officials in the first quarter, presumably because the Marching Machine was bothering its own team. The fans had no idea how much time was left on the malfunctioning scoreboard clock, so they just enjoyed the long evening as if it would last forever. By the end, it was the Smith band being chided by officials for making too much noise, and the Aggies taunting the opponents the way winning programs can taunt opponents.

It had been a long time.

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Attendance: 11,552 @ Aggie Stadium (Capacity: 22,500)

Joe Taylor Era at FAMU starts with a dominating victory

Make no mistake about it: Rattler Nation is buzzing.

The curtain rose on the Joe Taylor Era on Saturday, and the opening night revues are calling it a smash-mouth hit. Playing before an enthusiastic crowd of 18,088, Florida A&M turned back Alabama State 30-20 in its season-opener. "Everybody is excited for this football team," FAMU linebacker and team captain Vernon Wilder said. "We have a chance to be great.

"It was real electric here tonight." The Rattlers played opportunistic football. Alabama State won the statistical battle, putting up 378 yards of total offense to FAMU's 201. But the only numbers that count after the final horn are the ones on the scoreboard, and that's where the Rattlers were the undisputed champions.

FAMU vs. ASU Hornets Photo Gallery

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Attendance: 18,088 Bragg Memorial Stadium, Tallahassee, FL (Capacity: 25,500)

Prairie View pummels TSU 34-14 in Labor Day Classic

Prairie View A&M jumped out to a 28-point lead before allowing its defense to carry the Panthers home to a 34-14 victory over Texas Southern at the State Farm Labor Day Classic at Reliant Stadium on Saturday night in front of 20,444. Panthers, who have won four of the last five against the rival Tigers, spoiled the coaching debut of TSU coach Johnnie Cole by smothering his ballyhooed HOBO (high octane, big play offense) attack, as Prairie View A&M allowed just 113 yards and nine first downs while also recording six sacks of TSU quarterback Bobbie Reid.

“We were prepared for whatever they did,” said Prairie View coach Henry Frazier III. “We have a sound defensive foundation, and once we got settled in, we were able to stop just about anything they threw at us.”

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Attendance: 20,444 @ Houston, TX Reliant Stadium (Capacity: 69,500)

Commentary: Knights don't wow in opener against South Carolina State

You don't want to show too much in the first game. If that was UCF's goal, you can call Saturday night a Category 5 success. The Knights didn't show a lot. In fact, they did such a good job of hiding their offense that you have to wonder if they have one. Either that or the MEAC is the sleeper power conference this year.

All hail South Carolina State.

"We had an opportunity to possibly take a football game here," Coach Buddy Pough said. Not Really. UCF was never in danger of losing, mainly because South Carolina State was never in danger of scoring. But the Knights led only 7-0 entering the fourth quarter, which was about 21 points short of where they should have been.

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Central Florida blanks South Carolina State, 17-0

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The phrase “moral victory” is not in South Carolina State head football coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough’s vocabulary. Not surprisingly, he refused to view Saturday’s 17-0 season-opening loss to Central Florida in such a manner. “We’re not in the moral victory business,” Pough said. “We’re a good enough team now where we’ve got to make some type of statement and we haven’t made it yet. The one thing we do know is that we can go in and play defense I think with pretty much anybody. We’ve just got to find a way to make our overall team come together.”

The Bulldogs stopped the Knights on three of five trips to the red zone as Markee Hamlin (#11) had eight tackles and one fumble recovery to lead the S.C. State defense.

Even though the Bulldogs’ third contest against a Football Championship Subdivision foe was less lopsided than last year’s two contests against Air Force Academy and the University of South Carolina, to a man, the outcome was seen as a missed opportunity. “Tough season opener,” Pough said. “When you come into stadiums like this you feel like you might have a chance to at least hang around. “When you do for a while, you feel really bad about not getting it done.”

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Attendance: Bright House Networks Stadium, Orlando, FL: 42,126 (Capacity: 45,301)

UH opens Sumlin era with 55-3 win over Southern

Game statistics

Quarterback Case Keenum torched the Jags for 359 passing yards and five touchdowns — both career-highs — while completing 33 of 43 passes in only three quarters of play.

With all the buildup heading into Kevin Sumlin’s first game as coach of the Houston Cougars, you almost expected a letdown when they finally took the field Saturday to play the Southern Jaguars. Too much was expected of the Cougars, who were installing new schemes on both sides of the ball and were trying to find new playmakers at key skill positions. But despite the pregame hype, the Cougars still managed to impress, rolling to a 55-3 victory before a rowdy crowd of 26,555 at Robertson Stadium.

Everything seemed to click for the Cougars, who enjoyed the highest-scoring coaching debut in school history, eclipsing the 54 points Bill Meek put up against Montana in 1955, despite emptying the bench late in the third quarter.

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Attendance: 26,555 at Robertson Stadium, Houston, TX (Capacity 32,000).

Colts cut QBs Lorenzen, (FAMU) Gray

Former FAMU Rattlers Quinn Gray is out of an NFL quarterback job tonight, with his cut from the Colts Roster.

The Indianapolis Colts reached the NFL’s regular-season limit of 53 today by waiving 20 players, including quarterbacks Jared Lorenzen and Quinn Gray (Florida A&M University), and placing two projected starters on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.

The waiving of Lorenzen and Gray indicates the team is confident its top two quarterbacks – Peyton Manning and Jim Sorgi – will be healthy for the Sept. 7 regular-season opener against the Chicago Bears. Manning did not play in the preseason after undergoing surgery on his left knee July 14. Sorgi was held out of the last two preseason games after injuring his right knee.

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MEAC/SWAC Internet Live Game Links for 8/30/08

1. FAMU vs Alabama State webcast: http://www.famu.edu/famcast/famusports

2. NCA&T vs. Johnson C. Smith University webcast: http://www.ncataggies.com/A&T%20Athletics/1aGGIE%20WEBCAST.htm

3. NSU vs. Virginia State live audio: http://www.nsuspartans.com/sports/2007/10/25/GEN_1025070834.aspx?tab=liveaudio

4. SCSU vs. UCF: http://all-access.cstv.com/cstv/player/player.html?code=ucf&sport=m-footbl&category=live&media=72700

5. Arkansas-Monticello @ Arkansas-Pine Bluff: http://www.uamsports.com/ATHLETICS/LISTEN_LIVE.htm

Prairie View A&M, TSU motivated for opener

Someone will move, and someone will get hit, so the plan goes.

Hence the theme for tonight’s State Farm Labor Day Classic, as Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M open the regular season (7 p.m.) in a contest that will feature an explosive quarterback (TSU’s Bobbie Reid) attempting to avoid being frequently hit by an equally volatile Prairie View defense that looks to pick up where it left off last season, when the Panthers allowed the fewest points in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

“Anything moving on the field (tonight) will get hit,” said Prairie View coach Henry Frazier III. “We plan on playing aggressive, confident football for 60 minutes.” Confidence is one trait the Panthers don’t lack. With 18 returning starters and the momentum from last season’s 7-3 campaign flowing throughout campus, Prairie View embarks on a season in which expectations are higher than they have been in decades. A winning season isn’t enough for the program, which has its eyes locked in on a SWAC championship.

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Florida State Volleyball Sweeps Florida A&M On Opening Day

The Seminoles are now 20-0 all-time against the Rattlers.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Seminoles opened the 2008 season with a win over the Florida A&M Rattlers on day one of the Florida State Invitational Friday, August 29. FSU swept its cross-town rival in three sets (25-13, 25-15, 25-16) to lengthen the all-time winning streak to 20-0.

"It is always good to get an early match like that out of the way like that," FSU head coach Chris Poole said. "I felt like the girls for the most part played really well. The biggest thing I want them to focus on is not making as many mistakes on our side of the net and I think we did a pretty good job eliminating that for the most part." Leading the way for the Seminoles was junior Jordana Price (Mountain Home, Idaho) who had an impressive nine kills for a .818 attack percentage. Price also led the team with four assisted blocks and 12 points.

Final Stats

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The Tulane University volleyball home opener against Florida A&M on Monday, Sept. 1., has been cancelled due to evacuation of its student-athletes, coaches and staff out of New Orleans with the impending weather threat from Tropical Storm Gustav. The Tulane volleyball team flew out of New Orleans on Thursday for their season opener at the BYU Molten Classic in Provo, Utah, and will remain on a West Coast road trip and travel directly to their next tournament, the Paso Robles Marriott Invitational, Sept. 5-6, at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Moon goes off on Alabama State and SWAC

No Shame:

I wrote last week about Alabama State offensive lineman Lionell Mapp breaking through the floor at ASU's mobile football facility. That's right, Mapp fell through the floor and one leg nearly hit the ground below. Anyway, I've been thinking about this for a while and I think now is the time to say it: ASU has no business on the Division I level.

If you're operating a program that can't manage to obtain the necessities, you need to take a serious look at where you are and what your options might be. ASU is in that position now. And I'm not saying that simply because of the incident with Mapp and the dilapidated state of the "football offices." It's also the practice field, which is so riddled with holes that the team is avoiding it, and the compliance office, which still employs just two people.

This program, like the rest of the SWAC's programs, should be in Division II. And I'm failing to see the shame in admitting it. If ASU were to drop to Division II, it wouldn't look so bad when Tuskegee handed out its annual Turkey Day whipping.

Josh Moon can be reached at jmoon@gannett.com.

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UAPB Coach knows Turner’s path to excellence

UAPB Coach Monte Cole-man: "Senior linebacker Tim Turner is the unquestioned leader of the Golden Lions defense with 122 tackles a year ago."

PINE BLUFF, AK — Arkansas-Pine Bluff Coach Monte Coleman probably thought he had a pretty interesting sports history. It’s not every day a young man grows up with his eye on other sports, hardly plays high school football, never receives a recruiting letter and yet goes on to become a standout linebacker in college and, later, the NFL. Yet for all the odd little bumps and curves that led Coleman to stardom, he’s not the only member of the UAPB football program who has followed that path... at least up through college.

A preseason All-Southwestern Athletic Conference selection who led UAPB with 122 tackles a year ago, senior linebacker Tim Turner is the unquestioned leader of the Golden Lions defense. His speed — Coleman said he can run a 4. 5-second 40-yard dash — and 6-1, 220-pound size fit the ideal college linebacker mold, enough so that the New York Giants had a scout in Pine Bluff last Friday to do some firsthand observation.

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