Harrell aiming for change as Howard begins new season

Washington, D.C. - As the final days of last November came to a close, Howard University athletic director Louis “Skip” Perkins faced a daunting challenge: turn around a withering football program that bore a 4-29 record from 2008 to 2010. That task will begin in earnest Saturday RFK Stadium to glimpse the renewal of a prominent rivalry that has laid dormant for the past 14 years.

Leading Howard into battle against old foe Morehouse College this weekend will be the man Perkins believes can reinvigorate both an aged rivalry and past glory: Gary “The Flea” Harrell. After all, who better to carry the torch than the player who set Howard’s all-time record for career receptions in a game against Morehouse that capped a perfect 11-0 season?

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Eastern Michigan Eagles hosts Alabama State Hornets

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- With a season-opening 41-9 victory over Howard University under its belt, the Eastern Michigan University football team turns its attention to Alabama State University. Saturday's, Sept. 10, kickoff is scheduled for 1:06 p.m. at Rynearson Stadium.

The Eagles and the Hornets are meeting for the first time on the gridiron. In fact, Eastern Michigan has never played a team from the state of Alabama in its 120-year history. Meanwhile, Alabama State, the reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference East Division champions, will be playing its first Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) opponent.

STRIVING FOR A 2-0 START: Eastern Michigan will look for its first 2-0 start to a campaign since the 1989 season, when the then-Hurons downed Kent State University, Sept. 2, and Youngstown State University, Sept. 9. That season the Eagles posted a 5-0-1 record through its first six games en route to a 7-3-1 finish.

COACH ENGLISH: EMU Head Coach Ron English got to sing the fight song and celebrate a victory at home following the 32-point decision over Howard, Sept. 4. It also marked the first time under the Eagles' third-year mentor that the Green and White held a team under 250 yards of total offense, limiting the Bison to just 201 yards (96 rush; 105 pass). Conversely, Eastern Michigan rolled up 441 total yards of offense, including 326 yards rushing, and advanced into Howard territory on 10 of its 14 drives.

WINNING STREAK: The Eagles have posted a 7-3 record against Football Championship Subdivision opponents since the 2001 campaign. However, EMU is currently riding a three-game winning streak that includes a 38-15 decision over Howard, Sept. 22, 2007, a 52-0 victory over Indiana State, Aug. 28, 2008, and a 41-9 win against Howard, Sept. 4, 2011.

During the 10-game span, the Green and White have averaged 31.2 points and 416.1 total yards of offense per game, while giving up an average of 22.0 points and 356.8 yards per contest.

WINNING STREAK: The Eagles have posted a 7-3 record against Football Championship Subdivision opponents since the 2001 campaign. However, EMU is currently riding a three-game winning streak that includes a 38-15 decision over Howard, Sept. 22, 2007, a 52-0 victory over Indiana State, Aug. 28, 2008, and a 41-9 win against Howard, Sept. 4, 2011.

During the 10-game span, the Green and White have averaged 31.2 points and 416.1 total yards
of offense per game, while giving up an average of 22.0 points and 356.8 yards per contest.

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ASU Hornets hyped in taking on MAC team

Montgomery, AL - It's not the type of big-name opponent you would circle on the schedule. But Alabama State's trip this weekend to face Eastern Michigan represents the first time the Hornets have ever ventured out of the state to face a Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) opponent.

It gives the reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference East Division champions a chance to gauge their brand of football with a team from other regions of the country.

"It's a good opportunity, not only for the program, but as individuals you want to compare yourself to those type of guys that are playing at a bigger level," said Hornets receiver Nick Andrews. "You want to see how well you match up with those guys. It means a lot more. In the SWAC, we're basically at a lower level, so they're looking down on us since we're a historically black college. We just have to go out there and play football," Andrews said.

The two teams have never met in any sport, but ...

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Fort Valley Wildcats look to bounce back

Fort Valley, GA - It was right there, the big season-opening surprise win. Fort Valley State was less than a minute away from knocking off an FCS team that went 8-3 a year earlier.

The Wildcats had taken the lead with 1:59 left, and Florida A&M faced a second-and-4 at its 32. And just like that, the upset was gone. A medium pass into good coverage was deflected, and the Wildcats went from being in good position to watching Lenworth Lennon take that tipped ball in for a 68-yard game-winning touchdown with 39 seconds left.

A 22-21 upset Saturday became a 28-22 loss, one that more than a few hours later still had FVSU defensive coordinator Haskel Buff unsettled.

“It was just a crying shame,” he said ... 

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NEXT GAME:  Delta State at Fort Valley State, 6 p.m.

NAIA kills leader helps 7-0 Badgers defeat Xavier in three

MOBILE, Ala. — Yiting Cao, the NAIA leader in kills per set and a third-team All-American in 2010, had 15 kills, a .542 attack percentage, 12 digs and two aces Tuesday to lead Spring Hill to a 25-10, 25-20, 25-12 women's volleyball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.

The Badgers, 7-0 for the first time in the program's history, never trailed in any set and outhit the Gold Nuggets .442 to .061. Spring Hill also had advantages of 43-24 in kills, 7-3 in aces and 46-33 in digs.

Taylor Reuther led Xavier (1-2) with 12 kills, three digs and three aces but was denied a third consecutive kill-dig double-double. Moira Kirk had six kills and four digs, and Celeste Poe had nine digs. Alexandra Rencher, a freshman setter playing in her hometown, led the Nuggets with 18 assists.

Four XU errors in the first seven rallies helped Spring Hill grab an 8-1 lead. The Nuggets closed to 9-4 after a Reuther kill, but Cao produced a kill and an ace to start the Badgers on an 8-3 run. Cao finished the set with her sixth kill, three more than Xavier.

Xavier and Spring Hill traded points on the first 14 rallies of the second set, then consecutive kills by Megan Haber, Sha Sha Buchanan and Cao put Spring Hill ahead to stay at 10-7. Xavier was within 16-14 after Reuther's kill and consecutive aces, but three Cao kills helped the Badgers clinch.

Abbey Roam led the Badgers in the final set with four kills, including the match-ending attack.

Buchanan finished with 12 kills, a .611 attack percentage and three aces. Roam had seven kills and 12 digs.

Spring Hill is 34-5 since the start of the 2010 season and has won 14 of its last 15 at home. The Badgers are 10-0 all-time against Xavier and have the most victories of any XU opponent.

It was Xavier's third consecutive match against a Southern States Athletic Conference opponent to start the season, but it was the first time the Nuggets failed to win a set. They lost in five sets at Belhaven on Aug. 26 and defeated Mobile in five at The Barn on Aug. 29. Spring Hill has lost just one set this season.

Xavier will play Judson (Ala.) at 7 p.m. Thursday at The Barn in the first of three matches in as many days. The Nuggets will travel to Alcorn State on Friday and play Mississippi Valley at 3 p.m. Saturday at The Barn.

NOTES: XU's match against Judson will be White Out Night — fans are encouraged to wear a white shirt Thursday . . . Spring Hill received four points in the Tachikara-NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll announced Tuesday and ranked 39th overall . . . Xavier will play four of its next five matches at home.

Box score

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

Norfolk State Spartans at West Virginia Mountaineers

Norfolk State Spartans Coach Pete Adrian

When: Sept. 10, 2011 - 1 p.m. (BIG EAST Network)
Where: Milan Puskar Stadium (60,000), Morgantown, W.Va.

The Game: West Virginia (1-0, No. 19 Associated Press/No. 24 USA Today Coaches Poll)) faces Norfolk State (1-0) in a non-conference game on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Milan Puskar Stadium (60,000) at 1 p.m. The game will be televised live on the BIG EAST Network.

This marks the first meeting between the two schools and the two coaches. WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen is 1-0 on the young season, and Spartan head coach Pete Adrian (West Virginia, ‘70) is 35-33 in seven seasons at Norfolk State and 37-37-1 in eight seasons overall as a head coach. Adrian played three seasons at West Virginia and was the freshman football coach in 1969 under then-head coach Jim Carlen.

Game Coverage
Television: BIG EAST Network - (Rob King - play-by-play, John Thornton - analyst) will broadcast the game live. The game will be televised on Root Sports in West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania and on MASN in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.  It will be shown on a delay basis on SNY in New York on Sept. 13 at 7 a.m.

Radio: Mountaineer Sports Network - (Tony Caridi - play-by-play, Dwight Wallace - analyst, Hoppy Kercheval - host, Jed Drenning - sideline) will broadcast the game live.
Satellite Radio Broadcast: The West Virginia - Norfolk State game can be heard live on Sirius Channel 93 with the MSN broadcast.
Live Statistics:  MSNsportsNET.com
Twitter Updates: Twitter.com/WVUSportsScores; Twitter.com/WVUSportsBuzz

Against the FCS ...
Heading into Saturday’s contest against Norfolk State, West Virginia is riding an 11-game winning streak against NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponents. The Mountaineers are 11-0 all-time against the division with all games being played at Milan Puskar Stadium. Last season, WVU defeated Coastal Carolina, 31-0, in the 2010 season opener.

Non-Conference Play
West Virginia has a 1-0 record in non-conference action in 2011, defeating Marshall, 34-13, in the season opener. Currently, West Virginia is riding a 17 game non-conference home winning streak. West Virginia’s last non-conference loss at home was a 34-17 defeat to Virginia Tech on Oct. 1, 2005.  On their way to the 17 game non-conference home winning streak, the Mountaineers have defeated Marshall, Eastern Washington and Maryland in 2006, Western Michigan, East Carolina and Mississippi State in 2007,  Villanova, Marshall and Auburn in 2008, Liberty, East Carolina, Colorado and Marshall in 2009, Coastal Carolina, Maryland and UNLV in 2010 and Marshall in 2011.

COMPLETE WVU VS. NSU GAME NOTES
2011 NSU Media Guide

A Step Up in Class: NCCU Sights and Sounds at Rutgers

The NCCU Sports Network gives fans an inside look to the Eagles first-ever contest as an FCS member against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights from the Big East Conference. This video gives fans a chance to see inside the tunnel as the team hits the field, and the atmosphere surrounding the game.



VISIT: NCCUEAGLEPRIDE

Central State displays fight in ‘Classic’ defeat

Dayton, OH - Down by 25 points to Kentucky State in the closing minutes of the Dayton Classic at Welcome Stadium Sunday night, Central State took over the football at its own 6-yard line.

From there, many of the Marauder players couldn’t see the riches of the far end zone, much less anything else except the big loss about to be hung on them in their season opener. Some guys on the CSU bench were hanging their heads, a couple were in tears, but then there was quarterback Jeff Brooks, one of just a handful of seniors on his baby-faced team.

He was a man possessed. He had been sacked several times during the night and had come limping to the sidelines more than once, but now he was back on the field, willing life into his offensive troops as he began to make play after play.

“I’m never gonna quit on these guys ...





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NEXT GAME: CENTRAL STATE VS. NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL -- CLEVELAND CLASSIC, CLEVELAND BROWNS STADIUM, OHIO, 12:00 Noon, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011