DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - It was about as close as you could get to a heavyweight championship fight taking place on a football field Saturday at Municipal Stadium.
For 3-1/2 quarters, South Carolina State took Bethune-Cookman's best offensive shots and were out-pointed both on the scoreboard and the statistics department. Yet the defense enabled the Bulldogs to maintain a puncher's chance late in the nationally televised contest.
With S.C. State holding a one-point lead with four minutes left, the Wildcats prepared to land the knockout punch. Instead, the Bulldogs countered with a lethal blow in the form of Dominique Ellis' 55-yard interception return for a touchdown which sealed a 26-18 victory over Bethune-Cookman in a matchup of two of last year's three co-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions.
"I actually knew it was coming," Ellis said. "They had ran it on me earlier. I played it bad. I knew from the whole jump. I knew it! I knew it from film study. (Defensive coordinator Mike Adams) had us ready."
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Bulldogs pull past Wildcats in 4th quarter to win, 26-18
DAYTONA BEACH -- Brian Jenkins picked up a stat sheet and read the numbers out loud again and again. "We had 397 total yards. They had 211," Bethune-Cookman's coach said. "We had 245 passing. They had 54." If was as if he was trying to make sense of it all.
B-CU dominated the stat sheet but lost the battle as South Carolina State relied on special teams and defense to rally past the Wildcats 26-18 in a key Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game Saturday before a near-capacity crowd of 9,463 at Municipal Stadium.
The Wildcats, normally as adept at holding onto the ball as they are at knocking it away from their opponents, had five turnovers. The big one was Dominique Ellis's 55-yard interception return for a touchdowns with 4 minutes left to give the Bulldogs a 26-18 lead.
B-CU quarterback Jamarr Robinson, who threw three of his four interceptions in the second half, was picked off a final time with 25 seconds left in the game.
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B-CU can't hold on
DAYTONA BEACH -- Coaches never forget big games. And they never forget any and every small detail of big losses.
In the moments immediately after such occasions, it's hard to hide the honest emotions, which explains why Brian Jenkins gave a quick but definitive jab to the makeshift table in front of him as he worked through his post-game press conference Saturday night.
"Two plays . . . two plays," Jenkins said just before delivering a blow to the table.
He was thinking back to a pair of late-game punt returns his team gave up -- two returns brought about by missed assignments, Jenkins said. Jenkins, a stickler for detail, isn't high on missed assignments. When they lead to touchdowns, which lead to defeat, what you get is a head coach who, through 14 games at Bethune-Cookman, has never been this frustrated after a game.
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Sunday, September 11, 2011
XU Nuggets to play exhibition at LSU, 9 games vs. NAIA qualifiers
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| Gold Nuggets Head Coach Bo Browder (Photo credit: XULA Athletics) |
On Friday Browder announced the schedule, which includes nine games against qualifiers for last season's NAIA National Championships. Five of those teams won 27 or more games. Six won regular-season conference or divisional championships and five won conference tournaments.
The Gold Nuggets' first contest will be a Nov. 2 exhibition at LSU — their first meeting with an SEC opponent — then they'll open the regular season two days later at The Barn against NAIA Division II tournament qualifier Florida Memorial.
The other NAIA D-II tourney qualifiers on the schedule are:
• Indiana Wesleyan — Nov. 11 in the Elswick Classic at Georgetown, Ky.
• Holy Names — Nov. 25 on the second and final day of the Xavier Classic.
• Sterling — Dec. 21 in Las Vegas.
Xavier will play five games against NAIA D-I tourney qualifiers:
• Langston — Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving night) at the Xavier Classic.
• Shorter — Dec. 3 at The Barn and Jan. 4 at Shorter.
• Oklahoma City — Dec. 20 in Las Vegas. The Stars eliminated Xavier in the second round of nationals last season.
• Southern Polytechnic — Jan. 3 at Southern Poly.
Xavier, 27-7 last season and two-time defending Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament champion, will play its first GCAC game Jan. 7 in Little Rock, Ark., against first-year member Philander Smith. The conference will employ its traditional double round-robin scheduling after an unbalanced league schedule last season. Second-year member Edward Waters and Jacksonville, Fla., will play host to the GCAC Tournament for the second straight year.In addition to LSU, Xavier's first-time opponents are Indiana Wesleyan, Georgetown (Ky.), Shorter, Southern Polytechnic and second-year GCAC member Fisk.
The schedule includes the annual GCAC home-and-away matchups with city rivals SUNO and Dillard — Dillard will visit Xavier on Jan. 28 for the Crosstown Classic, part of Rush/Nuggets Alumni Weekend — and the Nuggets will visit city rival and 20-game winner Loyola on Dec. 17.
The GCAC will crown a regular-season and tournament champion, and the latter will receive an automatic bid to nationals. But this season's NAIA tournament will be played in Frankfort, Ky., after 22 consecutive years in Jackson, Tenn. Xavier qualified for nationals 15 of the past 17 seasons — 10 of 12 times since Browder became head coach.
"I have another great group of young ladies this season," Browder said, "and we're working hard to get ready for all the challenges this schedule will give us."
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By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorVISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
WSSU storms past Virginia Union 67-16
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| Coach Connell Maynor |
Quarterback Kameron Smith of the Rams opened the game with six straight passes. But when he wasn't moving the offense through the air, he handed off to running back Nic Cooper. Smith completed 15 of 28 passes for 238 yards and four touchdowns. Cooper had his second straight 100-yard game rushing with 113 yards on 12 carries, scoring two touchdowns.
The Rams (2-0) had just a 20-3 lead at halftime, but it turned into a laugher in the second half.
"I wanted triple digits," said center Markus Lawrence, who helped the Rams rack up 493 yards of offense. "If they weren't ready to play, that's their fault. We were ready to play."
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DSU capitalizes on fumble for comeback win
DOVER, DE -- Delaware State was handed the gift of life as a driving rainstorm pounded Alumni Stadium in the closing minutes of the Hornets' home opener against Shaw University on Saturday night.
With 49 seconds remaining, the Bears handed the football to James Langford, who was hit immediately by DSU defensive lineman Olusegun Ayanbiola, who forced a fumble and recovered it at Shaw's 12-yard line.
Two plays later, with the rain still dripping in his eyes, Delaware State quarterback Nick Elko launched a 12-yard pass to Darius Jackson, who caught it for the game-winning touchdown in the right-corner of the end zone as the Hornets capped an improbable 31-27 comeback victory over Shaw in a nonconference game.
"I was very surprised," DSU middle linebacker Brandon Harvey said. "I actually asked the ref, 'Are they going to down the football?' And he said, 'No.' I said, 'OK, we're going to cause a turnover.'"
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Shaw Suffers Fourth-Quarter Collapse - Loses to DSU 31-27
Shaw played three strong quarters against Division I Delaware State on Saturday, but allowed the Hornets to swarm in the fourth - giving up 22 last period points, including a last-minute touchdown that sent the Bears home with a 31-27 loss.
With the loss, the Bears drop to 0-2 while the Hornets improve to 2-0 on the season.
With 1:01 left on the clock, DSU lined up for a field goal that would have tied the game at 27. In a driving rain and into a strong wind, Mitchell Ward's attempt went wide right and the Bears got the ball at their own 20.
After a loss of five on a delay of game penalty, James Langford got the handoff, but Quentin Ferguson forced a fumble, giving the Hornets the ball 13 yards from the end zone. Two plays later, Nick Elko covered that ground with a 13-yard strike to Darius Jackson - giving the Hornets the win.
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With 49 seconds remaining, the Bears handed the football to James Langford, who was hit immediately by DSU defensive lineman Olusegun Ayanbiola, who forced a fumble and recovered it at Shaw's 12-yard line.Two plays later, with the rain still dripping in his eyes, Delaware State quarterback Nick Elko launched a 12-yard pass to Darius Jackson, who caught it for the game-winning touchdown in the right-corner of the end zone as the Hornets capped an improbable 31-27 comeback victory over Shaw in a nonconference game.
"I was very surprised," DSU middle linebacker Brandon Harvey said. "I actually asked the ref, 'Are they going to down the football?' And he said, 'No.' I said, 'OK, we're going to cause a turnover.'"
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Shaw Suffers Fourth-Quarter Collapse - Loses to DSU 31-27
Shaw played three strong quarters against Division I Delaware State on Saturday, but allowed the Hornets to swarm in the fourth - giving up 22 last period points, including a last-minute touchdown that sent the Bears home with a 31-27 loss.
With the loss, the Bears drop to 0-2 while the Hornets improve to 2-0 on the season.
With 1:01 left on the clock, DSU lined up for a field goal that would have tied the game at 27. In a driving rain and into a strong wind, Mitchell Ward's attempt went wide right and the Bears got the ball at their own 20.
After a loss of five on a delay of game penalty, James Langford got the handoff, but Quentin Ferguson forced a fumble, giving the Hornets the ball 13 yards from the end zone. Two plays later, Nick Elko covered that ground with a 13-yard strike to Darius Jackson - giving the Hornets the win.
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Bring On Valdosta State: ASU Rams bounce Wingate
ALBANY, GA -- Wingate quarterback Cody Haffly walked into the Albany State University Coliseum on Saturday evening as one of the best quarterbacks in Division II. He walked off the field in the shadow of Albany State's Stanley Jennings.
Jennings threw for four touchdowns and 307 yards as the seventh-ranked Rams won their home opener against No. 23 Wingate, 49-28.
"Quarterback Stanley Jennings is the best in the nation to me," said ASU receiver Ronnie Tubbs, who had three touchdowns and 136 yards receiving in the win. "We made a huge statement (Saturday night), and from here on out we have to."
ASU's statement win, which improved the Rams to 2-0 and dropped the Bulldogs to 0-2, comes against a Wingate team that nearly knocked off No. 14 Valdosta State last week. Valdosta State -- ASU's opponent next Saturday -- defeated Wingate in double overtime and then stayed unbeaten Saturday with a 24-17 win against Newberry.
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Jennings threw for four touchdowns and 307 yards as the seventh-ranked Rams won their home opener against No. 23 Wingate, 49-28.
"Quarterback Stanley Jennings is the best in the nation to me," said ASU receiver Ronnie Tubbs, who had three touchdowns and 136 yards receiving in the win. "We made a huge statement (Saturday night), and from here on out we have to."
ASU's statement win, which improved the Rams to 2-0 and dropped the Bulldogs to 0-2, comes against a Wingate team that nearly knocked off No. 14 Valdosta State last week. Valdosta State -- ASU's opponent next Saturday -- defeated Wingate in double overtime and then stayed unbeaten Saturday with a 24-17 win against Newberry.
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Bowie State football team breezes past Benedict
Bowie, MD - The Bowie State University football team amassed 473 yards of total offense and improved to 2-0 this season with a 31-14 victory against Benedict College on Saturday afternoon in Bowie.
The Bulldogs led 10-0 at halftime and 24-7 heading into the fourth quarter. Dominique Budd tossed a 33-yard touchdown pass to Kevin James in the first quarter to open the scoring. Michael Gagne added a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Suitland High graduate James Proctor made it a 17-0 Bowie State lead when he caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Surrattsville grad Andre Johnson with 4:13 to play in the third quarter. Benedict answered with its first touchdown less than a minute later on a 66-yard pass from Harlon Samuels to Assad Mujihad. But with 53 seconds to play in the third period, Johnson hit Kendall Jefferson with a 9-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-7.
Samuels threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Houston with 6:20 left in the game. Oxon Hill graduate Kenneth Turner returned a fumble 56 yards for a touchdown with 1:21 to play for Bowie State.
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The Bulldogs led 10-0 at halftime and 24-7 heading into the fourth quarter. Dominique Budd tossed a 33-yard touchdown pass to Kevin James in the first quarter to open the scoring. Michael Gagne added a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter.Suitland High graduate James Proctor made it a 17-0 Bowie State lead when he caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Surrattsville grad Andre Johnson with 4:13 to play in the third quarter. Benedict answered with its first touchdown less than a minute later on a 66-yard pass from Harlon Samuels to Assad Mujihad. But with 53 seconds to play in the third period, Johnson hit Kendall Jefferson with a 9-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-7.
Samuels threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Houston with 6:20 left in the game. Oxon Hill graduate Kenneth Turner returned a fumble 56 yards for a touchdown with 1:21 to play for Bowie State.
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Prairie View tops rival TSU 37-34 on late field goal
Houston, TX - Prairie View A&M kicker Chris Barrick could not have picked a better time to make his first career field goal.
The redshirt freshman connected on a 36-yarder from the left hash mark with four seconds remaining to carry the Panthers to a stunning 37-34 come-from-behind victory over rival Texas Southern in the 27th annual Labor Day Classic on Saturday night in front of 12,567 at Delmar Stadium.
Barrick's boot capped a furious rally from a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit and helped the Panthers (1-1, 1-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) beat the Tigers for the fifth consecutive season and seventh time in the last eight years.
"I knew it was going in," Barrick said. "I wasn't worried about missing."
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The redshirt freshman connected on a 36-yarder from the left hash mark with four seconds remaining to carry the Panthers to a stunning 37-34 come-from-behind victory over rival Texas Southern in the 27th annual Labor Day Classic on Saturday night in front of 12,567 at Delmar Stadium.
Barrick's boot capped a furious rally from a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit and helped the Panthers (1-1, 1-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) beat the Tigers for the fifth consecutive season and seventh time in the last eight years.
"I knew it was going in," Barrick said. "I wasn't worried about missing."
Box score
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