NORFOLK, Virginia – Norfolk State linebacker Onyemechi Anyaugo returned a second-quarter fumble 84 yards for a touchdown, and the Spartan defense came up with a key goal-line stand late in the fourth quarter to knock off three-time defending MEAC champion and 22nd-ranked South Carolina State 17-14 on Saturday afternoon in the Fish Bowl Classic at Dick Price Stadium.
The win gives the Spartans (4-1, 2-0 MEAC) just their second-ever win over a ranked FCS team in 24 tries, their third win in 17 games against SCSU, and ends the Bulldogs’ 15-game MEAC road winning streak. SCSU (2-3, 2-1) had not lost a road conference game since falling to NSU, 20-13, on Oct. 6, 2007.
The Spartans trailed 7-3 and the Bulldogs appeared ready to add to their lead just before halftime when SCSU’s Courtney Ingram blocked a Troy Muenzer punt, setting the Bulldogs up at NSU’s 11-yard line with 26 seconds left in the second quarter. But on first down, NSU defender Chad Battles hit running back Jalen Simmons in the backfield and forced a fumble, which Anyaugo scooped up and returned 84 yards up the sideline for a 10-7 NSU lead.
The Spartans added to their lead late in the third quarter with a three-play, 62-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Chris Walley capped the drive with 2-yard TD run to make it 17-7 with 1:40 left in the quarter. The big play on the drive was Walley’s 41-yard completion to Xavier Boyce, which included a personal foul on SCSU at the end of Boyce’s run.
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'Kick in the gut': S.C. State loses to Norfolk State, 17-14
NORFOLK, Va. - Buddy Pough was struggling for answers Saturday night. Two plays that he called "kicks in the gut" - one to end the first, one to all but end the second - had Pough in a place that he has only been twice in his South Carolina State football team's last 27 MEAC games, trying to explain a conference loss.
And, yet, Pough insisted he was not down on his team following its 17-14 loss to Norfolk State. "We made too many mistakes," Pough said. "We gave them too many chances, but we fought our way back in it. If there is ever a time you feel good about the amount of fight in your kids, it's these times that make you feel that way."
The final "kick in the gut" came with 3:36 to go in the game when S.C. State kicker Blake Erickson's potentially game-tying 20-yard field goal pushed wide left. Norfolk State took over and ran out the clock against the stunned visitors from Orangeburg.
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Sunday, October 2, 2011
Chowan Hawks Hurt by Turnovers, Fall to Virginia Union 43-29
RICHMOND, Virginia – Chowan University could not overcome six turnovers against Virginia Union University, as they fell to the Panthers 43-29 on Saturday. The Hawks fall to 1-4 on the season (0-3 in CIAA play), and VUU is now 4-2. The Panthers totaled 479 yards of total offense, much of which was aided by Chowan miscues. After Virginia Union scored on their first offensive drive, they forced a fumble on Chowan's first play from scrimmage. Chowan forced a Panther punt, however, to thwart their drive.
The Hawks began their next possession on their own four yard line, following the punt. Again, on the first play of the drive, Virginia Union stopped Hawks running back JR Williams in the end zone for a safety. With 9:36 left in the first quarter, VUU owned an 8-0 lead.
The Chowan defense picked up as the quarter went on, and David Fulton intercepted a VUU pass with 5:11 remaining in the first quarter. Four plays later, Adrian Ferns found the end zone to bring the score to 8-6. Chowan's attempt at the two-point conversion failed.
On Virginia Union's next drive, quarterback Cheston Hickman rushed it in from 52 yards out to extend their lead to 15-6. They again struck on their next drive, going 46 yards on six plays. 45 seconds into the second quarter, the Panthers had a 22-6 lead.
The Hawks responded later in the second quarter, as Patrick Charles took Chowan's second interception to the VUU 42 yard line. Three plays later, freshman quarterback Jordan Roby found Robert Holland in the end zone to bring the score to 22-14.
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XU's Didavi, Taylor qualify for small college championships
ATLANTA, Georgia -- Xavier University of Louisiana's Loic Didavi defeated teammate Steffen Giles-Osborn 6-2, 6-4 in the men's singles final, then teamed with Zach Taylor for a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 doubles upset of William Carey's top-seeded Jody Claasen and Thomas Rizk on Sunday in the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional tennis championships.
The victories qualified Didavi and Taylor for the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships at Mobile, Ala., on Oct. 13-16. It will be the first time Xavier will be represented at that event.
"It feels weird being on this end of it," ninth-year Xavier coach Alan Green said. "Winning a fall regional . . . it's great."
A year ago the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets had no finalists in this event, to which Xavier played host. But the arrival of Didavi, an XU junior and a two-time second-team NAIA All-American at Auburn Montgomery, and other key recruits is making Green, an eternal optimist, even more excited.
"I have a good feeling about our teams," Green said.
Didavi, winner of the singles A-flight at the HBCU National Championships one week earlier, has yet to lose a set in eight singles matches at Xavier. He's 5-1 in doubles with Taylor, an NAIA All-American in doubles last season with Hassan Abbas, now an XU student assistant coach.
"The singles final was a treat to just watch as a fan because both our guys were involved," Green said. "It was different in doubles. We got off to a good start, then William Carey picked up their game and handled us in the second. We regrouped in the third set and closed out the match."
Didavi and Taylor, the A-doubles runner-up at the HBCU tourney, were seeded second this weekend. Didavi made amends for a loss as a top seed in the NAIA fall regional doubles final a year ago.
Didavi was the No. 2 singles seed, and Giles-Osborn was unseeded. Giles-Osborn upset William Carey's eighth-seeded Ricky Keppeler in three sets in Saturday's semifinals.
The Mobile event will conclude Xavier's fall competition. The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will play dual matches during the spring semester, and Green will announce that schedule by the end of December.
"We'll be playing a lot of ranked teams in the spring," Green said. "We'll be going back to AUM's tournament and back to California for several matches. We're looking forward to playing the best competition available and bringing out the best in our players."
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
The victories qualified Didavi and Taylor for the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships at Mobile, Ala., on Oct. 13-16. It will be the first time Xavier will be represented at that event.
"It feels weird being on this end of it," ninth-year Xavier coach Alan Green said. "Winning a fall regional . . . it's great."
A year ago the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets had no finalists in this event, to which Xavier played host. But the arrival of Didavi, an XU junior and a two-time second-team NAIA All-American at Auburn Montgomery, and other key recruits is making Green, an eternal optimist, even more excited.
"I have a good feeling about our teams," Green said.
Didavi, winner of the singles A-flight at the HBCU National Championships one week earlier, has yet to lose a set in eight singles matches at Xavier. He's 5-1 in doubles with Taylor, an NAIA All-American in doubles last season with Hassan Abbas, now an XU student assistant coach.
"The singles final was a treat to just watch as a fan because both our guys were involved," Green said. "It was different in doubles. We got off to a good start, then William Carey picked up their game and handled us in the second. We regrouped in the third set and closed out the match."
Didavi and Taylor, the A-doubles runner-up at the HBCU tourney, were seeded second this weekend. Didavi made amends for a loss as a top seed in the NAIA fall regional doubles final a year ago.
Didavi was the No. 2 singles seed, and Giles-Osborn was unseeded. Giles-Osborn upset William Carey's eighth-seeded Ricky Keppeler in three sets in Saturday's semifinals.
The Mobile event will conclude Xavier's fall competition. The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will play dual matches during the spring semester, and Green will announce that schedule by the end of December."We'll be playing a lot of ranked teams in the spring," Green said. "We'll be going back to AUM's tournament and back to California for several matches. We're looking forward to playing the best competition available and bringing out the best in our players."
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
Backup QB leads Prairie View A&M past Grambling State
DALLAS - Backup quarterback Jonathan Troast led four touchdown drives in the second half to lead Prairie View A&M to a 31-23 victory over Grambling State on Saturday night at the Cotton Bowl.
Troast, who replaced injured starter Jerry Lovelocke after halftime, connected with Greg Thurmond twice on touchdown passes and once with Spencer Nelson to help the Panthers (3-2, 3-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) erase a 10-3 deficit and take a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter. The Panthers added another score late in the fourth quarter to boost their lead to 14.
Grambling State (1-4, 1-3) scored with just over two minutes left but missed the extra-point attempt. The Tigers attempted and recovered an onside kick but Prairie View was awarded possession after Grambling State was penalized for illegal touching.
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Troast, who replaced injured starter Jerry Lovelocke after halftime, connected with Greg Thurmond twice on touchdown passes and once with Spencer Nelson to help the Panthers (3-2, 3-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) erase a 10-3 deficit and take a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter. The Panthers added another score late in the fourth quarter to boost their lead to 14.
Grambling State (1-4, 1-3) scored with just over two minutes left but missed the extra-point attempt. The Tigers attempted and recovered an onside kick but Prairie View was awarded possession after Grambling State was penalized for illegal touching.
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State Judge backs award in former Grambling coach-firing suit
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| Melvin Spears, Head Football Coach Alcorn State University |
State District Judge Wilson Fields denied Grambling’s request for a new trial.
At the request of Spears’ attorneys, Fields also tacked on another $43,000 in penalty wages to the jury award. “His ruling today upholds the intent of the jury,’’ said Jeffrey Cody, one of Spears’ attorneys, after the court hearing.
GSU attorney Charles Tabor said the school can proceed with its appeal to the state 1st Circuit Court of Appeal in Baton Rouge.
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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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VISIT: WVSUYELLOWJACKETS
VISIT: WEST VIRIGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY
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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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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