B-CU's foe will be familiar

Daytona Beach, FL - Bethune-Cookman and Prairie View A&M have never met before on the football field. But neither team is likely to surprise the other when they open the season Sunday in Orlando in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge.

Mark Orlando, B-CU's offensive coordinator last year, is now the offensive coordinator at Prairie View. And Panthers assistant coach Prince Pearson is a cousin of B-CU head coach Brian Jenkins.

"When you coach long enough you encounter different scenarios," Orlando said. "And meeting your previous school in your first game is a little different."

With Orlando running B-CU's offense last year, the Wildcats were second in Football Championship Subdivision in scoring at 38.17 points per game. While Orlando brings his no-huddle spread offense to the Southwestern Athletic Conference school, B-CU has replaced him with another guru of the spread in former Toledo, Clemson and Syracuse offensive coordinator Rob Spence.

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Maryland - Eastern Shore Cross Country Season Outlook

PRINCESS ANNE, Md.- The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Cross Country team will open its 2011 season Saturday, Sept 2 when it hosts the Hampton Inn Salisbury North/UMES Lid-Lifter Invitational. The Hawks will also host the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference Championship and National Collegiate Athletic Conference Mid-Atlantic Regional competition set for later this season.

The 2010 UMES Men's Cross Country teamed finished second in the MEAC while the women finished the season in fifth. With the return of eight letter-winners for both teams, expectations will be high entering the first meet of the year.

MEAC Top Five time performer Basile Melek returns to the men's team this year, and will look to improve on his 25:04.80 time in the MEAC Championship 8k. Eunice Jones returns for the women, and will also look to improve on her top 10 finishing time of 18:37.30 in the MEAC Championship 5k.

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WSSU has the talent to take CIAA crown

Winston Salem, NC - Winston-Salem State felt very much at home last season in its re-entry into the CIAA. This season, it wants more.

"It's championship or bust this season," wide receiver Dominique Fitzgerald said. "We are deep at every position, and our mindset is championship or bust."

To win their first CIAA title since 2000, the Rams will need to cut down on turnovers and avoid key injuries. One luxury coach Connell Maynor has is more depth. The Rams have 13 players with Division I experience, including two newcomers who graduated from D-I schools and have a final year of eligibility.



"We are deeper," said Maynor, whose Rams went 8-2 in his first season but were knocked out of CIAA title contention after losses to St. Augustine's and Shaw. "We have more guys for both the offensive and defensive lines, and we've got ...

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Aggies optimistic about Saturday’s 2011 season opener against Virginia University

Greensboro, NC - Rod Broadway has experienced his share of season openers during a football career that has spanned more than four decades, but the excitement of running out of the tunnel to start a new campaign never gets old.

“It’s always special to open a new season because it gives you a true idea of who you are,” said Broadway who arrived from Grambling this February, becoming A&T’s sixth head coach in the last 10 years. “Sometimes you can get some bad information by just playing against yourself every day in practice. It will be interesting to see how our guys perform against someone in a different-colored jersey.”

The Broadway era will officially begin this Saturday at Aggie Stadium when the Aggies host the Virginia University of Lynchburg Dragons at 4 p.m.



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Baltimore Ravens Harewood gets feet wet at LT

Baltimore, MD - Ramon Harewood lining up at left tackle in the Ravens’ 31-13 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs Friday night might not qualify as news – except that was the first time he had played that position since being selected by the organization in the sixth round last year.

“It is what it is,” said Harewood, who last played left tackle at Morehouse College. “You’ve got to roll with the punches sometimes.”

The 6-foot-6, 340-pound Harewood didn’t commit any glaring mistakes in the second half against the Chiefs, but the second-year player wasn’t about to pat himself on the back.

“I’m never satisfied,” he said Friday night. “There’s always room for improvement, but for a first day, I think it was ...


Harewood #78 can be viewed at 3:35 on this video.

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S.C. State QB gets his turn: Junior Wiley tries to fill shoes of Long as Bulldogs open with revamped offense

Orangeburg, SC - Derrick Wiley was recruited to be the guy to lead the South Carolina State football team to the next level.

Wrested away out of Richmond County High in Rockingham, N.C., from the recruiting charms of Appalachian State, Wiley was barely on campus before Buddy Pough did something coaches rarely do -- set the bar at a nearly unreachable height for his star recruit.

Pough couldn't help himself back then when he looked at Wiley, his ability to throw and run, and compared him to Armanti Edwards. That is Armanti Edwards, the quarterback who led App State to back-to-back FCS national titles.



Reminded of those comparisons after practice this week, Wiley began to smile before looking down at the turf at Willie E. Jeffries Field.

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CIAA Football: Livingstone opens tonight at Chowan

SALISBURY, N.C. — The second year of the Elvin James era begins for Livingstone tonight when they travel to Murfreesboro to take on the Chowan Hawks in the season opener.

The Blue Bears will have a new quarterback in transfer Jaren Troutmanwhile sophomore returner Levon Stanley will be the backup. Stanley was Livingstone’s top passer last season, finishing with 406 yards passing and two touchdowns.

Whoever is under center, they will be protected by an experienced offensive line which includes three returners (Allyne Hall, Josiah Simms and Chris Woodard), a Division I transfer in Harlee Frink and freshman Stuart Wallace.

In the backfield, Livingstone has a strong returning core with senior Jamel Moore, junior Terrill Gourdine and sophomore Tevin Mishoe. Each of them finished in the top four in rushing for the Blue Bears last season. The Blue Bears have also added some depth, starting with Javon Williams, a freshman from Goldsboro.

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