West Virginia State snaps 13-game losing streak

INSTITUTE, West Virginia - Apparently, West Virginia State learned its lesson - but not a moment too soon.

In their first home game three weeks ago, the Yellow Jackets failed to protect a halftime lead against Virginia State and consequently saw a two-year losing streak continue to grow.

On Saturday, they found themselves in the same position - desperately clinging to a late-game lead - only this time, they held on. Just barely. State's defense held Seton Hill on three plays from the 15-yard line in the closing seconds to secure a 27-21 West Virginia Conference victory in the muck and mire of water-logged Lakin Field.

The dramatic finish in front of a homecoming crowd of 797 ended a 13-game losing streak for the Jackets (1-3, 1-1), who hadn't won since Nov. 7, 2009 against Fairmont State.

"I tell the guys all the time not to get too low over a loss or too high over a win,'' said State coach Earl Monroe, "but I've got to let the lettermen enjoy this a little bit. It's been a long time coming. You want to get that one off your back, and hopefully we can start a new streak.''

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18-15 loss to Tuskegee could be a serious blow to FVSU season

Fort Valley, Georgia - After last week’s critical win against Benedict College, the Wildcats of Fort Valley State University (FVSU) entered last night’s game (Oct. 1st) against the Golden Tigers of Tuskegee University with the same sense of urgency. With a record of 1-3, the team was well aware that another conference loss could have disastrous implications on their season. In the match up against the winless Golden Tigers, the outcome now leaves many wondering just what the future holds for the Wildcats this season.

Despite the disappointing result, things started well for FVSU. After the teams traded punts for the first seven minutes of the game, the Wildcats scored first with 7:45 remaining in the quarter when freshmen running back Travis Richmond broke free on a 67-yard touchdown run. While the extra point attempt failed, the Wildcats took the early 6-0 lead.



That margin held until the 9:40 mark in the second quarter. After a 15-play, 81 yard drive by Tuskegee stalled at the FVSU 14 yard line, the Golden Tigers converted on a 27-yard field goal by Eduardo Murillo. The Wildcat lead was cut to 6-3.

On the ensuing kick-off, a Wildcat fumble was recovered by Tuskegee at the FVSU 27 yard line. Five plays later, Golden Tiger Quarterback Justin Nared gave Tuskegee its first lead of the game with a two-yard touchdown run. With the converted extra point, Tuskegee led 10-6.

The Wildcats inched closer to Tuskegee in the third quarter when junior kicker Justin Rosenbaum converted a 47 yard field goal with 12:05 left. The kick narrowed the Golden Tiger lead to 10-9.

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Blocked kick saves FSU Broncos' win over Saint Augustine's

Fayetteville, North Carolina - Fayetteville State's Austin Turner kicked the go-ahead field goal and the special teams blocked Saint Augustine's ensuing 25-yard attempt Saturday night. That's what it took for the Broncos to claim their first win of the season, a 31-28 overtime thriller at Luther "Nick" Jeralds Stadium.

"Under all of the adversity that we faced tonight, I told my players they had no idea how much they accomplished tonight," Broncos coach Kenny Phillips said. "They didn't complain about mistakes and just played football."

The Broncos (1-4, 1-1 CIAA) overcame an early 14-point deficit and six turnovers for the victory.
"It doesn't matter where you start the game, but how you end it," Turner said.

Saint Augustine's (2-3, 1-1) scored on the third play of the game when Teddy Bacote connected with Jamian Smith for a 62-yard touchdown.



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Despite mistakes, Southern University hangs on to beat MVSU

ITTA BENA, Miss. — At least once before, they’d been burned on this play. They knew that at some point, they’d see it again.

So in the final minute of Southern’s sloppy-but-important 28-21 victory Saturday at Rice-Totten Stadium, with fans screaming, momentum shifting and Mississippi Valley State facing a fourth-and-9 it had to convert, defensive tackle Dexter James prepared for the most important play. He adjusted his face mask and placed one hand on the grass.

A few yards behind him, linebacker Jamie Payton took his place and stood firm. They prepared for anything, but they both had a sneaking suspicion. They watched for a screen.

Payton: “As soon as they snapped the ball and let the defensive line go through, I knew it had to be a screen coming from somewhere.”



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Douglas answers the call for SU

ITTA BENA, Miss. — When the call came, quarterback J.P. Douglas expected it. Southern’s freshman backup knows the drill by now.

Saturday afternoon at Rice-Totten Stadium, in an ugly-but-important 28-21 win against Mississippi Valley State, the Southern offense was moving, but it often struggled to reach the goal line. The starter, Dray Joseph, mixed a handful of masterful moments with the occasional mistake.

And a vicious wind, coming in from the north and gusting to 20 mph, didn’t allow for many easy throws. But that didn’t really make a difference. Second-year coach Stump Mitchell has said all along he wants Douglas to play a little in every game — and in three of the past four weeks, he’d been true to his word.  So when Mitchell told Douglas to hit the field at the start of the third quarter Saturday, Douglas said he knew what to do.

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Bethune-Cookman dominates Miami early before being worn down in the end

MIAMI GARDENS — Bethune-Cookman had the best evidence it had Miami concerned for at least one half Saturday: The players saw it in the Hurricanes' eyes.

"If you looked in their eyes they were a little timid. But they got a couple of big plays and they started relaxing and talking a little more trash," said Bethune defensive end Ryan Davis. "I thought we had them worried."

The Wildcats' first game against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent in their 86-year history ended with a 45-14 loss, a game in which the Hurricanes were able to wear down their undermanned opponent with 31 second-half points.

Still, Bethune-Cookman coach Brian Jenkins wasn't about to walk away satisfied just because his team hung close for more than a half. "If you're looking for me to say moral victory, you're not going to get that out of me. I don't know what that is. I don't believe in that," said Jenkins. "You win or you lose and we lost the game."

But not without making an impression.




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Strong second half powers Miami Hurricanes past Bethune-Cookman

Miami, Florida - It took two plays over 19 seconds to startle the home crowd from its slumber Saturday. And that’s about how long it seemed Miami outplayed Bethune-Cookman University in the first half.

But as flat as the Canes often appeared, they persevered in the end, awakening in the second half and defeating the lower-division Wildcats 45-14 in front of an announced Sun Life Stadium crowd of 40,387.

The pair of second-quarter touchdowns, in a span of less than two minutes, gave UM a lead it would never relinquish. Those plays, each of which equaled one drive:

• A 56-yard pass from Jacory Harris to Tommy Streeter, in stride, that ate nine seconds off the clock and made it 7-7 with 7:16 left in the second quarter.

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XU Rush, Nuggets work quickly at Gulf Coast Stampede

Gold Nuggets Zahri Jackson

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Freshman Zahri Jackson ran 5,000 meters in 19 minutes, 19.7 seconds Saturday to lead a slew of Xavier University of Louisiana cross country runners with notable times in the Gulf Coast Stampede.

Jackson, who finished 18th out of 122 runners, ran the second-fastest 5K in XU women's history. She set the school record of 19:15.18 three weeks earlier.

Freshman Catherine Fakler was 24th in a career-best 19:43.8, the fifth-fastest time in XU history. Another freshman, Hali Yarmush, was 31st in 20:03.6, No. 9 on the Gold Nuggets' all-time list. And senior Anna D'Souza, a three-time All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference performer, was 42nd in 20:31, her best time as a collegian.

Prior to this season only one XU female, Ebony Harding, had covered a 5K in less than 20 minutes. She did it four times. Jackson and Fakler have done it twice each this season.

Gold Rush Matt Pieri

In the 8K men's race, junior and defending GCAC champion Matt Pieri placed 21st out of 98 runners in 26:51.1. It was the fastest 8K by a Gold Rush runner since Farris Gransberry set the school record of 25:54 at the 1998 GCAC meet.

Kwame Jackson was 27th in a career-best 27:27.1 and was seventh out of 34 freshmen.

The Gold Nuggets scored 153 points to finish sixth out of 16 schools and improve to 32-14-1 through five meets. They were 22-27 a year ago. The XU women finished ahead of city rival Loyola by 71 points after losing to the Wolfpack in the first two meets this season.

The Gold Rush were fifth out of 13 teams and are 29-16 after finishing 18-22 in 2010.

Individual champions were Stephanie Ledgerwood (17:54) of Southern Miss in the women's race and Harding's Philip Biwott (25:20.1) in the men's. Harding won both team titles, scoring 49 points in the women's division and 20 in the men's.

Xavier's next event will be the University of Dallas Invitational in Irving, Texas, next Saturday. It will be the final race for the Rush and Nuggets before the GCAC Championships on Oct. 22 at Clinton, Miss.

Results:  Men    Women

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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Successful homecoming for W.Virginia Wesleyan Jonas Jackson

NCAA Division II West Virginia Wesleyan College coach Jonas Jackson, a native of Boston, is the first African-American head coach in the history of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). WVWC Director of Athletics Ken Tyler originally named Jackson the interim head coach this summer, and that part of the title was removed before the Bobcats (5-0) 37-26 win at Lincoln University of Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Buckhannon, West Virginia -- Jonas Jackson is a long way from home, in more ways than one.

A long way from Harwich Street in Dorchester, and his late grandmother, Sallie Jones. A long way from Hiawatha Road in Mattapan, and Elsie Jackson, his other grandmother, now 85. Two strong, caring women who raised the quiet boy on the tough streets of the city.

A long way from Lewenberg Middle School, the BNBL courts, and Simco’s on the Bridge. Those memories resonate in his soul.

Nor has he forgotten the countless individuals at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional who stepped forward, starting with football coach Tom Lopez, who saw promise in the Metco student, and gave Jackson a push and guidance. Line coach Gary Justason and his wife, Nancy, welcomed the wayward teen into their home when he had no place to live.

And that is why his trip back to the area, albeit on a bus that departed Buckhannon, W.Va., Thursday at midnight, means so much to the 32-year-old Jackson. The 1997 L-S graduate will return as the head coach of West Virginia Wesleyan College for today’s nonconference matchup at Bentley University (Waltham, Massachusetts), a pair of Division 2 football programs that lit up the scoreboard with 50-point efforts in their openers last week.

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