Norfolk State cracks Top 25 for first time since 2007

Norfolk, Virginia -- No. 24 is not enough.

That's where the Norfolk State football team sits in The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 poll released Monday. It's the first national ranking for NSU since 2007.

FCS/FATHEAD.COM TOP 25

Team (No. 1 votes)	Record	Points	Pvs.
1. Ga. Southern (125)	6-0	3,871	1
2. Northern Iowa (18)	5-1	3,732	2
3. N. Dakota State (9)	6-0	3,509	4
4. Montana State (2)	6-1	3,502	3
5. Wofford (3)	5-1	3,354	5
6. Appalachian State	4-2	2,957	6
7. Sam Houston State	6-0	2,808	10
8. Lehigh	6-1	2,795	8
9. Maine	5-1	2,481	12
10. Jacksonville State	5-1	2,480	11
11. James Madison	5-2	2,275	13
12. Montana	5-2	2,083	14
13. New Hampshire	4-2	2,062	6
14. William and Mary	4-3	1,882	16
15. Towson	5-1	1,795	17
16. Delaware	4-3	1,371	9
17. Indiana State	5-2	1,235	21
18. Richmond	3-3	843	20
19. Alabama State	6-1	768	24
20. North Dakota	4-2	747	23
21. Old Dominion	5-2	671	18
22. Massachusetts	4-2	668	NR
23. Jackson State	6-1	529	25
24. Norfolk State	6-1	511	NR
25. South Dakota	4-3	477	15

That didn't satisfy linebacker Corwin Hammond.

"My dad and I were talking about it today," Hammond said. "We're No. 24. I'm not going to name names, but there are teams ahead of us with three losses. If we're unbeaten in the MEAC, we should at least be ahead of teams with three losses. But those things have never respected us. It's why we always play with a chip on our shoulder."

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Prairie View misses chances against Alabama State

Prairie View, Texas - Prairie View A&M came back to earth a bit with Saturday's 20-7 loss to conference rival Alabama State.

The Panthers (4-3, 4-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) saw their three-game winning streak end under a mountain of missed opportunities. They outgained Alabama State 456-296 in total yards but committed three turnovers and missed three field goals. Prairie View also came up empty on four fourth-down attempts, including three inside the red zone.

However, there were some bright spots. The Panthers moved the ball consistently on offense, and the defense had a solid performance. Freshman running back Fred Anderson rushed for 101 yards on 20 carries, becoming the first PV player to top the century mark this year.

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Walker stressing short-term goals for loaded ECSU Vikings

Camden, North Carolina - The surroundings may not have been familiar, but when Elizabeth City State men’s basketball coach Shawn Walker looked around the Camden High gym Sunday, there were plenty of familiar faces.

The Vikings, conducting their second day of preseason practice at Camden because homecoming festivities had the RL Vaughan Center booked, return 12 players from the team that went 18-10 last season, including most of the starters.

Two other known quantities — former CIAA Rookie of the Year Angelo Sharpless and Winston-Salem State transfer Michael Bonner — are also on the roster.

Sharpless sat out the 2010-11 season while mending a broken leg and then dealing with a few undisclosed issues while Bonner was a regular at practice last year, but couldn’t play when he got caught up in an unexpected interpretation of a CIAA transfer rule.

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Johnson C. Smith basketball seeks consistency, avoiding tailspin

Head Coach Steve Joyner Sr.

Charlotte, North Carolina -- J.C. Smith's Golden Bulls want to make winning basketball more satisfying. The Bulls were inconsistent last season, losing four straight early, then going on a 10-game win streak before tailing off going into the CIAA tournament to finish 17-11.

"That's not going to cut it," junior point guard Trevin Parks said Sunday at Golden Bulls Frenzy at Brayboy Gym. "We need to win over 20 games, and I'm willing to take on the task of leading this team on and off the court to make sure my guys are doing what they need to do for us to win."

"We're aware of our season last year, what did do and what we didn't do," coach Steve Joyner said. "We want to better that this year."

Parks, a Division II All-American who averaged 21.2 points per game last season, will have experienced help as the Golden Bulls look to become a quicker, transition-oriented team. Phillip Wood, a 6-foot2 transfer from Talladega (Ala.) College, is expected to ...

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ASU 20, Prairie View 7: Hornets take rival by swarm

Montgomery, Alabama -- It's a formula that continues to work for 24th-ranked Alabama State.

Nick Andrews hauled in a touchdown pass from Greg Jenkins and the defense forced three turnovers to help ASU remain unbeaten in conference play with a 20-7 victory over Prairie View A&M on Saturday at Cramton Bowl.

Saturday's game pitted the top teams in each division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference in what could be a preview of the SWAC Championship Game on Dec. 10.



"It's a championship-caliber game, the best team in the West and the best team in the East clashing," Jenkins said. "Both teams have great defenses, so you can't really expect a high-scoring game."

Jenkins completed 12 of 31 passes for 215 yards, throwing one touchdown pass and running for another as the Hornets (6-1) improved to 6-0 in SWAC play.

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Norfolk State wins Battle of the Bay, beats Hampton U. 34-24

Norfolk, Virginia -- Norfolk State's first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship is now a little closer to reality, while Hampton's first league title since 2006 slipped further out of reach.

The Spartans jumped out to a 20-point lead, then held off a second-half rally to beat the Pirates 34-24 on Saturday at Dick Price Stadium in the 49th annual Battle of the Bay. Norfolk State improved to 6-1 for the second time since joining the Division I ranks in 1997 and 4-0 in the MEAC for the first time since 2007, while Hampton fell to 3-3 and 1-2.

"We preached to our guys all week: This is why you play the game, to be in a position like this and kind of control your destiny," third-year HU coach Donovan Rose said. " … It's real tough. You can't allow a team to get 27 points in the first half."



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Norfolk State loving its spread, thriving in Walley World

NORFOLK, Virginia — With Saturday's 34-24 win over Hampton University, Norfolk State is 6-1 for only the second time since becoming moving up to Division I in 1997. But to trace the Spartans' success, go back to a four-game stretch last fall in which they went 0-4 and scored only two offensive touchdowns.

No coach relishes changing his offensive scheme with four weeks left in the season, but that's what NSU's Pete Adrian felt compelled to do. And ever they ditched the power game and went with the no-huddle spread, the Spartans are 10-1 and averaging 29 points a game.

Norfolk State raced out to a 17-0 first-quarter lead thanks to premium field position. Hampton won the opening coin toss and elected to receive, leaving the Pirates playing into a stiff wind that played a role in punts of 23 and 28 yards on their first two possessions. Those kicks gave the Spartans the ball at the Hampton 39 and 29, and Norfolk State scored touchdowns on both abbreviated drives.

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Big plays at right time put Walley, NSU in rarefied air

NORFOLK, Virginia - A few minutes before kickoff Saturday, the Norfolk State band played its team onto the field to "We Are the Champions." The Spartans, who remain undefeated in the MEAC, like the sound of that, but for the time being, they'd be happy to be included in the FCS top 25. They will be now.

"Hard to keep us out at six and one," coach Pete Adrian said after his team defeated Hampton 34-24 at Dick Price Stadium.

Norfolk State knocked on the door last week, finishing 26th in the vote. The door started to come off its hinges when the Spartans jumped to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. By then, Chris Walley had already thrown two of his three first-half touchdown passes en route to racking up 265 yards through the air.

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JCSU victorious on homecoming 26-19 over Virginia Union

Charlotte, North Carolina – The Johnson C. Smith University football team defeated Virginia Union University 26-19 on Saturday afternoon inside the Irwin Belk Complex during their homecoming contest. JCSU improves to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the CIAA; while the Panthers drop to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference.

The Golden Bulls continue to make new history this season. Head coach Steven Aycock has already picked up four wins just seven games into the year. JCSU had not produced a plus three-win season since 2006; they finished 7-4 in the standings. That season was also marked the last time Johnson C. Smith had been 3-1 in the CIAA.

Aycock earns his first career victory against Virginia Union and their head coach Michael Bailey in his third season (1-2). This is also the first homecoming win for Aycock. Johnson C. Smith is 3-0 at home this year.

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