Norfolk, Virginia -- Isidore Jackson rushed for a career-high 206 yards on 34 carries, and Dion Hanks intercepted a Chris Walley pass in the end zone in the final minute to seal Bethune-Cookman’s 14-6 win over Norfolk State in an ESPNU-televised MEAC contest Thursday evening at Dick Price Stadium.
The loss is the first in MEAC play for the Spartans (6-2, 4-1), who had their five-game winning streak snapped and had made the national polls -- at No. 24 in The Sports Network rankings -- for the first time since 2007. B-CU improved to 4-3, 2-2.
NSU was held to a season-low 249 yards of offense by the Wildcats, who never trailed. NSU failed to score a TD against an FCS opponent for the first time since a 43-3 loss to B-CU in 2004, a span of 70 games.
B-CU struck first on a 2-yard Anthony Jordan run with 4:08 left in the first quarter. That capped a 14-play, 88-yard drive. The Spartans cut the deficit to 7-3 on a 50-yard Everett Goldberg field goal with just 2:18 left before halftime.
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Bethune-Cookman stuns Norfolk State
NORFOLK, Viriginia -- With Ryan Davis wreaking havoc on defense and Isidore Jackson doing the same on offense, Bethune-Cookman overpowered 24th-ranked Norfolk State 14-6 Thursday night at Dick Price Stadium.
B-CU shut down Norfolk State's high-powered offense most of the night, but the Spartans drove to B-CU's 4 in the final minute with a chance to pull out the win until Dion Hanks intercepted a Chris Walley pass in the end zone to clinch the victory.
The Wildcats (4-3, 2-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) have little hope of winning the conference championship this year, but they were able to play spoiler in handing the Spartans (6-2, 4-1) their first MEAC loss.
They did it by playing power football. Led by defensive end Davis, B-CU kept pressure on Walley all game, holding the conference's top quarterback to 88 yards passing. On offense, the 'Cats kept handing the ball to the rugged Jackson, and he continuously punched holes through the Spartans' defensive front.
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Though at home, NSU looked out of its element
NORFOLK, Virginia -- Norfolk State on Thursday night played its first football game in four years as a nationally ranked team. The Spartans, 24th in the Football Championship Subdivision, also played their third game in 13 days.
They looked significantly more like a team running on fumes, from the 94-yard touchdown drive they yielded to Bethune-Cookman in the first quarter to the interception at the goal line that ended their hopes in the final minute.
Whether it was fatigue, malaise or the unfamiliar dynamic of a midweek night game Dick Price Stadium hasn’t seen since 2005 – likely it was a stew of them all – Norfolk State sputtered through a 14-6 loss to the MEAC-rival Wildcats.
The bright side of NSU’s uncharacteristic display for a crowd announced at 10,053 is that, in this interesting season’s scheme of things, the loss is immaterial to the Spartans’ drive for their first conference title.
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Friday, October 21, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
WSSU enjoying the ride but it might get bumpy
Winston Salem, North Carolina -- About the only suffering coach Connell Maynor has had to endure so far this season is a root canal earlier this week. At 7-0 and ranked 11th in Division II there’s much to be happy about at WSSU these days.
Somebody asked me the other day what is the team’s best feature, their offense or their defense. My response was neither because I think their best attribute is their depth.
While they do have 14 Division I transfers on their roster, several of those transfers don’t start and have to battle each and every day for playing time. That’s a luxury most Division II teams would love to have.
A perfect example is defensive tackle Justin Wilkerson, who originally signed with Duke but never played for the Blue Devils. He transferred to WSSU and with Barry Tripp injured Wilkerson has made an impact.
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Somebody asked me the other day what is the team’s best feature, their offense or their defense. My response was neither because I think their best attribute is their depth.
While they do have 14 Division I transfers on their roster, several of those transfers don’t start and have to battle each and every day for playing time. That’s a luxury most Division II teams would love to have.
A perfect example is defensive tackle Justin Wilkerson, who originally signed with Duke but never played for the Blue Devils. He transferred to WSSU and with Barry Tripp injured Wilkerson has made an impact.
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QB battle: Norfolk's stability, vs. B-CU's versatility
Daytona Beach, Florida - They say that if you have two quarterbacks, you have none. So what does it mean if you have three? The perfect situation, according to Bethune-Cookman coach Brian Jenkins. Norfolk State, on the other hand, has one established starter under center in Chris Walley, who leads the Mid Eastern-Athletic Conference with 1,660 yards passing.
The approaches may be different, but you can't argue with the results. The top two offensive teams in the conference will square off tonight in Norfolk, Va., in front of a nationally televised audience. "It's going to be a good football game," Jenkins said. "A good football game."
Bethune-Cookman at Norfolk State
WHERE: Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk, Virginia
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.
TV: ESPNU
INTERNET: ESPN3
RADIO: WELE (1380 AM), Daytona Beach
Norfolk State (6-1, 4-0 MEAC) is trying to remain undefeated in the conference, while B-CU (3-3, 1-2) is trying to get back in the race.
"Bethune-Cookman is another great football team with a lot of great talent. They have three quarterbacks and they can all play," said Spartans coach Pete Adrian, a former defensive coordinator at B-CU and head coach at Deltona High.
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The approaches may be different, but you can't argue with the results. The top two offensive teams in the conference will square off tonight in Norfolk, Va., in front of a nationally televised audience. "It's going to be a good football game," Jenkins said. "A good football game."
Bethune-Cookman at Norfolk State
RADIO: WELE (1380 AM), Daytona Beach
Norfolk State (6-1, 4-0 MEAC) is trying to remain undefeated in the conference, while B-CU (3-3, 1-2) is trying to get back in the race.
"Bethune-Cookman is another great football team with a lot of great talent. They have three quarterbacks and they can all play," said Spartans coach Pete Adrian, a former defensive coordinator at B-CU and head coach at Deltona High.
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Grambling State host Mississippi Valley State Saturday
GRAMBLING, La. — Homecoming and a winless opponent. Sounds like a recipe for success for Grambling State University on Saturday, doesn't it? Whoa, not so fast.
"While it's great to be at home and having all of the alumni events and grads coming back, it can also be a little distracting," admitted Doug Williams, the Tigers' head coach. "There is always so much going on, it's a challenge to keep the team focused.
"For the players and coaches, there's still a football game to be played and that's what we've got to deal with."
Serving as Grambling State's 2 p.m. homecoming foe at Robinson Stadium will be Mississippi Valley State (0-7, 0-6), which has yet to win in seven games. And the Delta Devils' overall losing streak of 18.games is the second longest in the country. The last time Valley won a game was in November of 2009 when they defeated Lincoln University 16-6.
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"While it's great to be at home and having all of the alumni events and grads coming back, it can also be a little distracting," admitted Doug Williams, the Tigers' head coach. "There is always so much going on, it's a challenge to keep the team focused.
"For the players and coaches, there's still a football game to be played and that's what we've got to deal with."
Serving as Grambling State's 2 p.m. homecoming foe at Robinson Stadium will be Mississippi Valley State (0-7, 0-6), which has yet to win in seven games. And the Delta Devils' overall losing streak of 18.games is the second longest in the country. The last time Valley won a game was in November of 2009 when they defeated Lincoln University 16-6.
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ASU plays musical quarterbacks
Lorman, Mississippi -- Alcorn State appears to have grounded Air Canada. The Braves (1-4) entertain Concordia College at 4 p.m. Saturday. Bridge, nicknamed Air Canada, was benched a month ago as Darius Smith started the Braves’ last two games. Smith is expected to start against Concordia. Bridge was named SWAC’s freshman of the year.“We felt the other guy was the best guy at the time,” Braves coach Melvin Spears said during a SWAC teleconference call. “We’re looking for consistency. He has more poise than Bridge and is not looking to run as much.”
The Braves have had odd back-to-back open dates.
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Preseason All-GCAC team includes Xavier's Hall, Kelly
NEW ORLEANS, Lousisiana — Seniors Keldra Hall and Jazmoné Kelly are Xavier University of Louisiana's representatives on the preseason All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball team announced Wednesday.
GCAC head coaches selected the team, which consists of 10 players. Xavier and Tougaloo are the only schools with two players on the team.
Hall, a 6-foot center from Dallas and a graduate of Molina High School and Angelina College, averaged 8.2 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocked shots per game this past season. Her 108 rebounds were the most by a Gold Nugget in four seasons.
Kelly, a 5-9 guard/forward and a graduate of Cincinnati's Ursuline Academy, averaged 6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds and became the first Gold Nugget since Jackie Tucker in 2003-04 to reach 60 offensive rebounds, 60 assists and 60 steals in the same season
Both Hall and Kelly were All-GCAC in 2010-11, and Hall was the GCAC Newcomer of the Year.
Xavier, 27-7 in 2010-11, will travel to LSU for an exhibition on Nov. 2, then open the regular season two days later against Florida Memorial at The Barn. Both games will tip off at 7 p.m.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
GCAC head coaches selected the team, which consists of 10 players. Xavier and Tougaloo are the only schools with two players on the team.
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| Keldra Hall, left, and Jazmoné Kelly are among five seniors on the 2011-12 Xavier women's basketball team. (click photo to enlarge) |
Kelly, a 5-9 guard/forward and a graduate of Cincinnati's Ursuline Academy, averaged 6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds and became the first Gold Nugget since Jackie Tucker in 2003-04 to reach 60 offensive rebounds, 60 assists and 60 steals in the same season
Both Hall and Kelly were All-GCAC in 2010-11, and Hall was the GCAC Newcomer of the Year.
Xavier, 27-7 in 2010-11, will travel to LSU for an exhibition on Nov. 2, then open the regular season two days later against Florida Memorial at The Barn. Both games will tip off at 7 p.m.
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By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorVISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
Lincoln's Cook continues to impress
Lincoln University, Pennsylvania -- Less than a year ago, Doug Cook was wowing college recruiters and bedeviling opposing defenses as a high school senior in Dania Beach, Florida.Today, the 6-foot, 170-pounder is not only a starter at Lincoln University, but he has already established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the CIAA. And the sky is the limit for Cook’s future.
“He is going to be a very special player,” said teammate Brandon McElwee. “That boy is different from any other true freshman. Wait until you see him in a couple years.”
Cook’s ascent into one of the premier rookie signal callers in all of Division II is hardly a shocker. He was the third-rated quarterback in talent-rich Florida in 2010 and ranked No. 44 nationally by MaxPreps. And through seven games, Cook is second in the 12-team CIAA in total offense, averaging 242 yards per contest.
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