Elko blends in just fine with Delaware State Hornets' mission

QB Nick Elko
(Photo Courtesy: Mike Baker)

Nick Elko will be the starting quarterback for the Hornets in their season opener Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Virginia Military Institute

Dover, DE - Being a white quarterback in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, made up of historically black colleges, doesn't faze Nick Elko, who says he's just one small part of the team at Delaware State University.

Besides, he said, it's not like he's the first white player to ever put on the Hornets' uniform. "When I first came in to Delaware State I thought about it, but it is what it is," Elko said. "I mean, I like it, I feel accepted, and it's just normal for me. It's really no big deal."

That's the way preseason MEAC offensive player of the year Justin Wilson sees it. Elko and Wilson have been working together the past three seasons and have developed a close bond during that time.

"We've always had that chemistry since Day One," Wilson said. "We have different signals that we do [on the field] and all that so we're fine with it. Elko's a really good quarterback and he'll get to show it this season."

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Rutgers/NCCU Gameday: Scarlet Knights host North Carolina Central in season opener

Rutgers vs. North Carolina Central Eagles
Tonight, 7:30 p.m.
High Point Solutions Stadium, Piscataway
TV: ESPN3.com
Radio: 1450-AM, 710-AM, 97.5-FM

THE STORYLINES

1. Has Rutgers’ offensive line improved enough to make it through a game against an FCS opponent without yielding a sack? Norfolk State, a MEAC school like N.C. Central, recorded three sacks in last year’s opener against the Scarlet Knights — which should have been an immediate tip off to how much the unit would struggle that season. In allowing an NCAA record 61 sacks, Rutgers gave up at least one in all 12 games in 2010. The good news/bad news: Four of those O-line starters are back, but the return to a pro-style offense is supposed to help. N.C. Central, with five returning defensive starters, doesn’t have a player who recorded more than two sacks last season. A sack-free performance should be possible.



2. How much of heralded true freshman running back Savon Huggins will we see — especially with North Carolina waiting in nine days?  Huggins will get his share of playing time and may even start. He might get enough carries to flirt with 100 yards rushing in his collegiate debut, too. But don’t expect to see the wraps taken off Huggins just yet. It’s too soon. This is one of those games where the coaches want to get Huggins just enough of a feel for game action without revealing too much. It’s even possible, if the game is lopsided, that redshirt freshman Jawan Jamison will wind up with the most carries of all the tailbacks — almost all after halftime. It may be the only time this season that happens

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SC State heads to Michigan with a record 13 freshmen

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - The South Carolina State Bulldogs boarded a plane in Columbia Wednesday afternoon and took off for what will prove to be a major challenge to open up the season Thursday night.

The team headed to Mount Pleasant, Michigan to play the Central Michigan Chippewas. Thursday's 7:00 p.m. game will be the first in the 2011 NCAA football season.



A record number of freshmen are traveling with the team for this game. 13 true freshmen made the trip and it's expected that 6 or 7 will see playing time and a couple may even start.

Head Coach Buddy Pough's team is coming off a 9-3 season in which they shared the MEAC title and made a third straight appearance in the playoffs.

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Norfolk State football preview: Schedule switcheroo

Norfolk, VA - The Norfolk State football team expects a better conference record than it had last season. The MEAC coaches think the Spartans will finish in the upper half of the conference.

Because of the league’s two-team expansion, though, meeting expectations wouldn’t indicate the Spartans made significant strides from last season.

While players head into the season as they always do, with championship hopes and dreams of grandeur, a long-term analysis typically requires a measuring-stick approach. The offseason changes to the MEAC have created a new ruler.



Gone from Norfolk State’s schedule is its annual game against Florida A&M, a contest that, since head coach Pete Adrian’s arrival, has been a game between upper-half programs. In three of the past four years, the game has come down to one score or less.

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TSU enters 2011 season with a lot of uncertainty

Houston, TX - Under typical circumstances, Texas Southern would be entering the 2011 season with heightened expectations after winning last season's Southwestern Athletic Conference championship. But the Tigers' offseason was anything but typical.

Coach Johnnie Cole was terminated in April in advance of an NCAA report that is expected to detail major violations. Defensive coordinator Kevin Ramsey was named interim head coach, and he subsequently fired four assistants. The program also was stripped of roughly 15 scholarships for the 2011-12 academic year after posting a poor performance on the NCAA's Academic Progress Report.

Thus, TSU heads into the season uncertain that it'll be able to keep its SWAC title or build on its breakout 2010. The Tigers are still talented, especially on defense and in the running game, but a lack of depth and experience at key spots could prove to be their undoing.

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Ellender distance standout joins Xavier Gold Nuggets

Hali Yarmush

NEW ORLEANS — Hali Yarmush, a top-10 finisher three consecutive years at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association cross country championships, has enrolled at Xavier University of Louisiana and joined the women's team.

Yarmush, a May graduate of Ellender Memorial High School in Houma, placed 10th in the state in Class 4A last season and in 2009. She ran her fastest three-mile time, 19 minutes and 37 seconds, in a fourth-place finish at the 2008 state meet.

In outdoor track Yarmush was the District 8-4A champion in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs the past two seasons and the 2010 Region III-4A champion in the 1,600. She was selected track MVP of the 2011 and 2010 8-4A girls meets.

Yarmush's fastest track times are 2:32.08 in the 800, 5:46.87 in the 1,600 and 12:25.05 in the 3,200.

Both XU teams will begin the 2011 season Thursday in the Mississippi College Opener at Clinton, Miss.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

FAMU's Terry Johnson glad to be back on field

Tallahassee, FL - Terry Johnson experienced joy and pain all during his first day on the Florida A&M practice field.

The day started joyfully because he was starting his college football career. But a few plays into his first practice, things turned painfully sad enough to bring tears to his eyes. Johnson twisted his knee while backpedaling into position to make a play.

It was his last time on the field until this past spring after having to undergo surgery.




"That really tore me apart because I really wanted to play my first year," said Johnson, a highly touted two-sport athlete out of Rickards High School, where he also starred on the basketball team. "Then, again, everything happens for a reason."

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