FAMU football team bonds with its fans

Tallahassee, FL -- Freshman offensive lineman Austin Edwards beamed with every stroke of the Sharpie he used to sign autographs for fans. The crowd around his table had thinned out a bit when his mother walked up. They both flashed huge smiles.

Shonnice Booker could hardly contain the pride she felt to see her son among the Florida A&M football players who met about 700 of their fans at the Lawson Center on Saturday.



"I'm very proud and I'm excited for him … seeing the community come out and support them," said Booker, who walked the complete circle inside the huge center to visit and mingle with her son's teammates. "To hear the guys saying how they plan on bringing back home a championship ring and to hear my son really, really want to be a part of that is really great."

Fans began to trickle into the building about 20 minutes before the event officially started. Some took individual photos with the players, and almost every fan made the rounds to get autographs and pick up team trinkets.

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N.C. Central: It's Wide Open

DURHAM, N.C. — The strength of N.C. Central’s offense is its wings — the ones out there at wide receiver. Now to find the triggerman who will utilize those weapons through a spread, West Coast play-calling scheme that is being installed by NCCU offensive coordinator Michael Bryant.

“We’re not going to scale back anything,” Bryant said. “We’re gonna throw the entire offense at these guys. We’re gonna require these guys to learn. We’re gonna require these guys to study, because we don’t want to limit ourselves.

“The more we feel like our players know, the more we’ll be able to do and the more pressure we’ll be able to put on defenses.”



Among the 10 teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference a year ago, the Eagles would have ranked fifth in total offense, though NCCU competed as a provisional member and was not included in conference statistics. On Thursday, NCCU officials received notice...

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Lane's goals don't stop at ending losing streak

Jackson, TN -- The Lane College football team doesn't have its sights set on just winning one game this season, which would end a 21-game losing streak that dates back to a 52-2 win over Miles College on Nov. 1, 2008.

Players and coaches, including plenty of new faces, were optimistic about the Dragons' chances to win multiple games and compete in the new West Division of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

"Our goal is definitely not just to win one or two games," said linebacker Corey Jones, who is transferring from Los Angeles Southwest Community College. "We're coming in trying to win every game we can and give it all we've got."

Ronnel Ramsey, a 6-foot-11 offensive tackle who transferred from Seton Hill (Pa.), said the incoming players want to learn from the returning Dragons and send the seniors out with multiple wins.

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5 questions for the JCSU Golden Bulls to work on

Charlotte, NC -- Johnson C. Smith football coach Steve Aycock promises his Golden Bulls will get off to a fast start in 2011.

At the CIAA preseason media day in July, Aycock predicted Smith will win at least three of its first four games - a bold statement given the Bulls' 5-15 record in his first two seasons.

"I feel good about the young men who are coming back and the way they've dedicated themselves over the last six months," he said. "We'll see a difference come Sept. 3."

But will it be enough to move Smith to the middle of the pack in the CIAA South? Maybe, if the Bulls answer these questions:

1. Can the defense be fixed?

Former Carolina Panthers safety Mike Minter and Craig Cox are the new co-coordinators of a unit that allowed 39 points and 405 yards per game.

"From the defensive side, we've made some changes and are doing some things different and most definitely placing a lot of emphasis on stopping the run," Aycock said.

2. Who'll start at quarterback?

Redshirt freshman Maliek McCall closed spring drills...

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Hampton University hopes new locker room improves team chemistry

HAMPTON, VA -- Something happened this summer that Donovan Rose hadn't seen in more than 20 years at Hampton University. Football players attending a summer camp were shown the Pirates' locker room. That may not sound like a big deal, but it was a noteworthy happening for Rose, a 19-year HU assistant who is going into his third season as Hampton's head coach.

"Since I've been here, since 1991, we've never shown a recruit the locker room," Rose said. "Never."

If a recruit asked to see the formerly cramped quarters, with freshmen and walk-ons shepherded to a separate room, Rose said, "I would just change the subject: 'We don't have time,' or, 'Maybe we can come back a little later.' "

That's no longer the case. Rose presided over a tour of HU's newly refurbished locker room on Saturday, showing off rows of gleaming wood and lush blue-and-silver carpeting. Each player has a spacious cubicle, complete with a bar for hanging jerseys and hooks for helmets and a padded bench with a small locker underneath.

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Steven Robinson back at it for Florida A&M

Steven Robinson

Tallahassee, FL - For a while after Steven Robinson put down the crutches that he'd walked on for three months, things seemed surreal. His entire football career flashed before his eyes and he didn't like what he saw at first.

"I felt like I wouldn't be able to play football again," said Robinson.

But with every attempt he made to walk without the crutches, each step brought hope that he'd be back on the field with the Florida A&M football team. "It was stiff, but after a couple of months of walking on it getting those muscles back to working it started to feel like normal," he said.

Robinson, a 2008 Lincoln High School graduate who started his college career at Central Florida, began to feel an even greater sense of normalcy this week. He is back on the football field after months of rehab and a summer of grueling workouts that signaled his comeback would be on track.

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SSU football team conducts first scrimmage

Savannah, GA - Savannah State University’s football team held its first scrimmage of preseason camp Saturday morning at T.A. Wright Stadium. As is the case with most teams at this point, the defense was ahead of the offense.

“I saw what I thought I would see,” first-year SSU head coach Steve Davenport said.

The two-hour scrimmage was open to the public, but the 50 or so fans who attended had to stand behind a fence because of stadium construction. SSU did not keep score or statistics. SSU will hold its second scrimmage at 5 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium. This scrimmage also will be open to the public. The Tigers’ scrimmage at 5 p.m. Aug. 25 at T.A. Wright Stadium will be closed to the public.

Senior Justin Babb, the Tigers’ starting tailback, was in uniform but did not play.




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