Central State overwhelmed by N.C. Central, 42-3, in Cleveland Classic

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Central State can't afford many things while it tries to rebuild a once dominant football program. The school in Wilberforce, Ohio is besieged by financial woes, with only 13 scholarships for its 70-man squad.

The absence of one of those players on Saturday created a void the Marauders were never able to fill. Without injured starting quarterback Jeffrey Brooks, Central State could not get on track, or into the end zone, as it fell, 42-3, to North Carolina Central at the Cleveland Classic at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

The Marauders (0-2) were held to 208 total yards of offense, 89 in the first half.

"It always hurts when your three-year starter is out," said Central State coach E.J. Junior about Brooks. "Jeff brings leadership. He knows the offense. He's a competitor. He would've done better, but he would've been under the same fire from North Carolina Central's defensive line."

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N.C. Central bounces back

CLEVELAND -- N.C. Central coach Henry Frazier III had expected his Eagles to perform better Saturday than they did a week earlier in a 48-0 loss to Rutgers. They did not disappoint Frazier.

For the Eagles, all things considered, played as their coach had hoped. His defenders swarmed to the ball, his offense shoved the Central State defense up and down the football field and his Eagles dominated the Marauders en route to a 42-3 win in the 2011 Cleveland Classic. His team's performance, however, was hardly spotless.

"We still were a little sloppy," said Frazier, in his first season at NCCU. "We still committed a lot of penalties, and we had six or seven dropped passes." Perhaps still unnerved by the Rutgers loss, his Eagles dropped three passes in their first two possessions. Those drops, which led to punts, cost them close to 100 yards of offense and ruined opportunities to grab a quick lead.


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Southern Heritage Classic: Jackson State rallies to win shootout over Tennessee State

JSU's Therriault MVP after throwing three TDs

Memphis, TN - The way Tennessee State and Jackson State were marching up and down the field in the first half of Saturday’s Southern Heritage Classic, JSU coach Rick Comegy was ready to pull out the Dramamine.

Fortunately, the Tigers defense settled down in the second half and JSU managed to erase a 24-21 halftime deficit to beat TSU, 35-29, in front of 43,532 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. “What a see-saw,” Comegy said. “I think I was getting motion sickness it was so up and down. I’m glad we came out with the win.”

The win is JSU’s (2-0) second straight over TSU after dropping the previous seven meetings. Like most of their meetings, this one came down to the wire. JSU led 28-26 and was hoping to take some time off the clock when it took over from its own 11 with 6:34 to play. But a 17-yard pass from Casey Therriault to Rico Richardson gave the Tigers some breathing room.

A 22-yard strike to Keenan Tillman put the Tigers in TSU territory at the 41. That set up a 39-yard run by running back Tommy Gooden, who was tripped up at the 2-yard line.

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Air Raid returns

Rico Richardson spiked the ball into the Liberty Bowl Stadium turf, the Sonic Boom blasted their horns and Jackson State had a second straight win in the Southern Heritage Classic.

Richardson's 21-yard touchdown pass from scrambling quarterback Casey Therriault in the final minutes sealed Jackson State's 35-29 win over Tennessee on Saturday night.

The touchdown toss gave JSU a nine-point advantage with 2 minutes, 4 seconds left and capped quite an offensive performance from a unit that struggled just last week against tiny Concordia College.

Behind a rebuilt offensive line - featuring two new starters - Therriault threw for 337 yards and three scores, and the Tigers had two running backs, Tommy Gooden and B.J. Lee, break 65 yards as they rolled up a whopping 477 yards of offense.

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Jackson State defeats Tennessee State University in wild game

MEMPHIS, TN — After winning seven straight in the series, Tennessee State has now lost twice in a row to Jackson State after Saturday’s 35-29 defeat. A crowd of 43,532 at the 22nd annual Southern Heritage Classic watched Jackson State rally in the second half and then TSU make a late comeback attempt at the Liberty Bowl.

“What a seesaw,” Jackson State Coach Rick Comegy said. “I think I was getting motion sickness it was so up and down.”

Jackson State (2-0) led 28-26 when it took over at its 11 with 6:34 to play. But 17-yard pass from Casey Therriault to Rico Richardson gave the Tigers some breathing room. A 22-yard strike Keenan Tillman put Jackson State in TSU territory at the 41. That set up a 39-yard run by running back Tommy Gooden, who was tripped up at the 2.

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"Classic" Not Just A Game

Memphis, TN - Kick off to the 22nd annual Southern Heritage Classic comes later in the evening but the festivities started long before the teams ever hit the field. It all started with the folks lined up along Park Avenue in Orange Mound. People flooded the streets this weekend taking in the sights and sounds of the Classic parade.

Mamie Harmon said, "I come every year. I owned a house on Dunmoore. I lived over there for 7 years. I watched the parade. Now I live over here and I've been here 4 years and I made every parade."

They come to see the dancers, the high stepping bands including the show stopping Sonic Boom band from Jackson State University and the Aristocrat of bands from Tennessee State University. For the crowd attending, it's a sneak peek of the battle of the bands they hope to see later on the football field. However, the parade is proof the weekend is more than just about the game.



The Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands visited the LeBonheur Children's Hospital of Memphis Tennnessee during their Southern Heritage Classic weekend. The annual visit gives the children inspiration and motivation on Friday afternoon, while allowing the students in the band the opportunity to perform music and give personal time and cheer to the children, before playing in Saturday's parade and football game. (9/9/11, Videographer: Cassfl)




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Howard Bison rally to defeat Morehouse, 30-27

Washington, D.C. - Facing a two-possession deficit early in the second half, the Howard football team stormed back with three consecutive touchdowns before clinging to a 30-27 victory over Morehouse on Saturday in the inaugural Nation’s Football Classic in front of 18,409 at RFK Stadium.

Freshman quarterback Greg McGhee threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Willie Carter with 12 minutes 54 seconds left in the game, giving the Bison a 23-20 lead. Shortly after tailback Charles Brice scored on a 17-yard run for a 30-20 cushion six minutes later, Howard’s first win appeared certain.

But Brice fumbled and Morehouse safety Latavius Watts scooped up the ball and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown with 2:20 to play. Howard recovered the ensuing onside kick, but the Tigers got it back and used a 57-yard pass from quarterback Byron Ingram to wide receiver Derrick Hector to get to the Howard 25 with 17 seconds left.

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Eastern Michigan beats Alabama State Hornets 14-7

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Dominique Sherrer ran for a touchdown and Eastern Michigan piled up 336 rushing yards on the way to a 14-7 victory over Alabama State on Saturday.

Sherrer finished with 111 yards on 16 carries, while Javonti Greene ran 22 times for 146 yards for the Eagles (2-0), who held Alabama State of the FCS to minus-13 yards rushing. Eagles quarterback Alex Gillett ran for 74 yards -- including a 58-yard run that set up Sherrer's 6-yard score in the third quarter -- and threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Nick Olds for the game's only first-half points.

The Hornets offense moved the ball often into Eagles' territory but could score just once time in five drives. The Hornets (1-1) got on the board on Devin Dominguez's 22-yard pass to T.C. McWilliams. Defensively, ASU allowed just two scoring drives and made two takeaways.

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Eastern Rushing Offense Rolls in 14-7 Win

YPSILANTI, Mich. ­— The Eastern Michigan University football team combined a strong rushing game with a stingy defensive effort to record a 14-7 win over a visiting Alabama State University team here Saturday afternoon, Sept.10, in Rynearson Stadium.

The victory gave Head Coach Ron English's Eagles a perfect 2-0 record to start the season, the first time since the 1989 campaign that an EMU football squad won its first two games to start a season.

The EMU rushing game was high energy for the second week in a row with both senior tailback Dominique Sherrer (Cincinnati, Ohio-Colerain) and sophomore tailback Javonti Greene (West Palm Beach, Fla.-Royal Palm Beach) each going over the century mark with Greene gaining 146 yards on 22 rushes and Sherrer adding 111 yards on 16 rushes.

In addition to the two tailbacks, junior quarterback Alex Gillett (Green Springs, Ohio-Clyde) added 74 yards rushing on eight carries. Gillett completed 7-of-19 passes for 61 yards and one score.

Both Sherrer and Greene also had 100-plus yards yards last weekend, Sept. 4, in EMU's season-opening win over Howard University.

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Tuskegee struggles, falls to Langston 33-19

TUSKEGEE -- After one game, Tuskegee's quarterback situation is back to unsettled. Coach Willie Slater said the Golden Tigers will re-evaluate their quarterback decision after Tuskegee struggled in a 33-19 season-opening loss to Langston on Saturday.

"We have some work to do at quarterback," Slater said. "I'll say it like that. We'll look at film and see what really happened, then we'll decide."

Junior Jeremy Williams played the first half and was 9-for-16 for 144 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Sophomore Terry Bradden played the second half and finished 6-of-19 for 43 yards.

"It's a competition, and I have faith in both of them," receiver Wayne Williams said. "Both can throw the ball and run the ball. We'll try to see who can manage the game better. That's the key."

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Langston is 2-0 under first-year coach Mickey Joseph

Langston is 2-0 under first-year coach Mickey Joseph. The Lions stunned Tuskegee (Ala.) 33-19 in its home opener Saturday.

Tailback Carlos Ross ran for 115 yards on 20 carries for Langston, which beat an NCAA Division II program that has won four of the last five Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships. Langston quarterback Darrion Lewis threw two interceptions, but those were negated by 149 yards and two TDs. He completed 11 of 17 attempts.

Langston, which plays its first-five games on the road, will play Missouri Western in St. Joseph at 11 a.m. next Saturday.

Last week, the Lions defeated NCAA Division I, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions in the season opener in Little Rock, Arkansas. Terrance Walker returned a fumble five yards for a touchdown to lead an opportunistic Langston defense as they defeated UAPB 19-12. Walker's score gave Langston a 16-0 lead 14 seconds into the fourth quarter.


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Hawkins knows Southern University has to get back up

Baton Rouge, LA - What was it that Muhammad Ali, Vince Lombardi and Rocky Balboa used to say? They each phrased it a little differently, but the line always went something like this: There’s no shame in getting knocked down. The shame comes when you don’t get back up.

Charles Hawkins knew that. Southern University’s junior wide receiver has known it for a while now. So last weekend, after Tennessee State safety Joseph Wylie leveled him for a second time in the Jaguars’ ugly season-opening loss, leaving Hawkins on the ground with stabbing pains in his chest, rib cage and back, the young wideout knew the deal.

Eventually, he had to get back up. And eventually, he got back in the game.

At 6 p.m. Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium, when the Jaguars (0-1) open Southwestern Athletic Conference play against Alabama A&M (0-1), they’ll try to do the same.

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