FORT VALLEY, Georgia -- The scene would have made for a unique picture. Stadium lights still on, family and friends mingling as players emerged from the locker room, the stadium all but empty except for workers. And there was the shot: a punter and his ball.
The punter was Marquette King, a lone figure on the football field, except for a bag of footballs. The game was over, but King’s work – no matter how well he had done his job earlier – wasn’t. There would be King, while teammates dispersed, punting into the night air. That scene has played itself out with regularity since King went from Rutland to Fort Valley State, after some games and after scores of practices.
FVSU Punter Marquette King punts a 76 yard punt against Clark Atlanta.
“He’s definitely one of the most obsessive guys I’ve had,” said Haskel Buff, Fort Valley State’s special teams coach and defensive coordinator. “He takes an unbelievable amount of pride in his job and doing it well.” It’s paying off.
King is fifth nationally in Division II with a 43.8-yard punting average, which leads the SIAC. That figure would rank 26th among all Division I punters.
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Thursday, October 27, 2011
SIAC West on line when Stillman meets rival Miles
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama | Trying to bounce back from its worst loss of the season, the Stillman College football team remains in contention for a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference division title.
“If I win, I win the West,” said Teddy Keaton, Stillman's first-year head coach. “If Miles wins, they win the West. This game is bigger than it's ever been. It's the first time that both of these schools have got a chance to play for the SIAC championship. That's huge for both programs. They're both under new leadership. I have great respect for coach (Reginald) Ruffin and the job he's done with his team up there. It's going to be a battle. They have some weapons. They've been playing really good football over the course of the last three or four weeks.
"We've got a lot of kids on our team from Birmingham. They have a lot of kids on their team from Tuscaloosa. So there's a lot of rivalry, a lot of bragging rights that goes into it.”
Last Week: Stillman Tigers took an ole fashion beatdown at FVSU Homecoming.
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“If I win, I win the West,” said Teddy Keaton, Stillman's first-year head coach. “If Miles wins, they win the West. This game is bigger than it's ever been. It's the first time that both of these schools have got a chance to play for the SIAC championship. That's huge for both programs. They're both under new leadership. I have great respect for coach (Reginald) Ruffin and the job he's done with his team up there. It's going to be a battle. They have some weapons. They've been playing really good football over the course of the last three or four weeks.
"We've got a lot of kids on our team from Birmingham. They have a lot of kids on their team from Tuscaloosa. So there's a lot of rivalry, a lot of bragging rights that goes into it.”
Last Week: Stillman Tigers took an ole fashion beatdown at FVSU Homecoming.
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Transit authority: Johnson C. Smith basketball adding speed for up tempo attack
Charlotte, North Carolina -- Expect fewer one-man fast breaks from Johnson C. Smith basketball this season. The Golden Bulls were pedestrian last season despite having All-America guard Trevin Parks as one of Division II’s best transition players. The goal this year is to get everyone up to play at a quicker pace.“This team right now is built around him,” JCSU coach Steve Joyner said. “He had to carry us a number of occasions last year and he has that type of ability, but we’re hoping some of the other young players, especially those freshmen who’ve turned into sophomores, will be able to take more of a leadership role in terms of what we need to do offensively, defensively, rebounding – the whole nine yards.”
“We are a transition team that’s going to get out on the break, but we’re disciplined to the point that if we have to slow the game down and manage the clock we can do that,” said Parks, who averaged 21.3 points and 4.4 assists per game last season en route to earning the CIAA player of the year award. “As a point guard, it starts with me managing the clock and I think I’ll do a good job putting everybody in their correct spot on the court and milking the clock if we have to slow it down.”
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WSSU Notebook: Team returns to full strength for Shaw
Winston Salem, North Carolina -- Winston-Salem State will be at full strength for the first time in weeks when it plays Shaw on Saturday at Bowman Gray Stadium.
Several players who have been held out of recent games with injuries will be available, coach Connell Maynor said. Included in that group are wide receivers Jamal Williams and Patrick Terry, defensive lineman Barry Tripp and linebacker Khendra Reid.
“We are pretty healthy, and I don’t think we’ll have to hold anybody out…,” Maynor said. “We’ve got guys with bumps and bruises, but that’s expected at this point in the season.”
Maynor said that trainers Rob Woodall and Ian Mushinski have done excellent work keeping the Rams healthy.
“They both know that we want guys back to near 100 percent because we’ve got enough depth,” Maynor said. “And the players understand we want them healthy, because it’s a long season.”
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Rams can't afford to overlook Bears
Winston-Salem State, coming off lopsided wins against Livingstone and Edward Waters, will try to remain unbeaten Saturday when it plays Shaw, last season's CIAA champion. The ninth-ranked Rams (8-0) have been steamrolling CIAA opponents and already have clinched a berth in the CIAA championship game, but Saturday's home game is important for many reasons.
To continue their drive to the Division II playoffs, the Rams must keep winning. Shaw, 2-6 and out of contention, could be viewing this as its championship game this season. Kickoff is set for 1:30 at Bowman Gray Stadium.
"It's going to be four quarters of pure football," coach Connell Maynor of WSSU said. "They are the defending champions, and there is no quit in the Shaw players because they've proven it over the years."
The Bears have won four of the last seven CIAA titles, and Maynor said they're better than their record. "The coaching staff over there didn't just wake up and forget how to coach," Maynor said.
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Several players who have been held out of recent games with injuries will be available, coach Connell Maynor said. Included in that group are wide receivers Jamal Williams and Patrick Terry, defensive lineman Barry Tripp and linebacker Khendra Reid.
“We are pretty healthy, and I don’t think we’ll have to hold anybody out…,” Maynor said. “We’ve got guys with bumps and bruises, but that’s expected at this point in the season.”
Maynor said that trainers Rob Woodall and Ian Mushinski have done excellent work keeping the Rams healthy.
“They both know that we want guys back to near 100 percent because we’ve got enough depth,” Maynor said. “And the players understand we want them healthy, because it’s a long season.”
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Rams can't afford to overlook Bears
Winston-Salem State, coming off lopsided wins against Livingstone and Edward Waters, will try to remain unbeaten Saturday when it plays Shaw, last season's CIAA champion. The ninth-ranked Rams (8-0) have been steamrolling CIAA opponents and already have clinched a berth in the CIAA championship game, but Saturday's home game is important for many reasons.
To continue their drive to the Division II playoffs, the Rams must keep winning. Shaw, 2-6 and out of contention, could be viewing this as its championship game this season. Kickoff is set for 1:30 at Bowman Gray Stadium.
"It's going to be four quarters of pure football," coach Connell Maynor of WSSU said. "They are the defending champions, and there is no quit in the Shaw players because they've proven it over the years."
The Bears have won four of the last seven CIAA titles, and Maynor said they're better than their record. "The coaching staff over there didn't just wake up and forget how to coach," Maynor said.
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Texas Southern sets 2012 schedule at new stadium
Houston, Texas -- Texas Southern football will begin play in the new TSU/Dynamo Stadium in 2012 with at least six home games, the SWAC university announced Wednesday.
The 22,000-seat stadium is scheduled to open in May. The Tigers' first home game will be Sept. 15 against Jackson State.
TSU's other SWAC home games will be against Alabama A&M (Sept. 22), Grambling State (Oct. 27), Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Homecoming Day (Nov. 3) and Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 17). The Tigers also will host Sam Houston State from the Southland Conference (Sept. 29).
TSU will open the 2012 season against SWAC rival Prairie View A&M on Sept. 1 in the Labor Day Classic. A site has not been determined, but the TSU/Dynamo Stadium is an option.
View: TSU/Dynamo Stadium LIVE Webcam
TEXAS SOUTHERN 2012 TENTATIVE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME
Sept 1 * @ Prairie View Prairie View, TX (Labor Day Classic) TBA
Sept 8 @North Texas State Denton, TX TBA
Sept 15 *Jackson State TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Sept 22 *Alabama A&M TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Sept 29 * Sam Houston State TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Oct 6 *@ Alabama State Montgomery, AL TBA
Oct 13 *@ Southern Baton Rouge TBA
Oct 20 OPEN
Oct 27 *Grambling TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Nov 3 *Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Homecoming) TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Nov 10 *@ Alcorn Alcorn, MS TBA
Nov 17 *Mississippi Valley TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Nov 24 OPEN
Dec 8 SWAC Championship Game TBA TBA
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The 22,000-seat stadium is scheduled to open in May. The Tigers' first home game will be Sept. 15 against Jackson State.
TSU's other SWAC home games will be against Alabama A&M (Sept. 22), Grambling State (Oct. 27), Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Homecoming Day (Nov. 3) and Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 17). The Tigers also will host Sam Houston State from the Southland Conference (Sept. 29).
TSU will open the 2012 season against SWAC rival Prairie View A&M on Sept. 1 in the Labor Day Classic. A site has not been determined, but the TSU/Dynamo Stadium is an option.
View: TSU/Dynamo Stadium LIVE Webcam
TEXAS SOUTHERN 2012 TENTATIVE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME
Sept 1 * @ Prairie View Prairie View, TX (Labor Day Classic) TBA
Sept 8 @North Texas State Denton, TX TBA
Sept 15 *Jackson State TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Sept 22 *Alabama A&M TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Sept 29 * Sam Houston State TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Oct 6 *@ Alabama State Montgomery, AL TBA
Oct 13 *@ Southern Baton Rouge TBA
Oct 20 OPEN
Oct 27 *Grambling TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Nov 3 *Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Homecoming) TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Nov 10 *@ Alcorn Alcorn, MS TBA
Nov 17 *Mississippi Valley TSU/Dynamo Stadium TBA
Nov 24 OPEN
Dec 8 SWAC Championship Game TBA TBA
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This Magic City Classic is the biggest yet
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- There's big, and there's bigger. Then, there's the Magic City Classic.
Particularly the one coming up Saturday afternoon at Birmingham's Legion Field.
"Opportunities like this," Alabama A&M football coach Anthony Jones said earlier this week, "are rare."
Oh, there's the usual pomp surrounding the annual football game/fashion show/band battle - not necessarily in that order, of course - but the circumstance is even more intriguing in this, the 70th edition of the event.
Alabama State is 6-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. A&M is 4-1. Alabama State is ranked No. 1 in the latest Sheridan Broadcasting Network poll. A&M is No. 5.
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Particularly the one coming up Saturday afternoon at Birmingham's Legion Field.
"Opportunities like this," Alabama A&M football coach Anthony Jones said earlier this week, "are rare."
Oh, there's the usual pomp surrounding the annual football game/fashion show/band battle - not necessarily in that order, of course - but the circumstance is even more intriguing in this, the 70th edition of the event.
Alabama State is 6-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. A&M is 4-1. Alabama State is ranked No. 1 in the latest Sheridan Broadcasting Network poll. A&M is No. 5.
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Men's Basketball Team preview: Florida A&M Rattlers
Tallahassee, Florida -- Clemon Johnson was around during the days when Florida A&M was a perennial powerhouse in the SIAC. As a senior, he helped the Rattlers reach the Division II tournament for the final time in 1978.
Hired as the program's new coach this May, Johnson sees no reason his alma mater cannot recapture the glory days of old.
"We expect to win the conference. There's nothing else," Johnson said. "We're definitely going to reach for the sky. I just want them to have the faith in me coaching them."
Johnson carries quite a basketball resume into his first Division I coaching job. As a player with the Rattlers, he set team records for rebounds in a game (25), a season (412) and a career (1,494). All three marks remain intact. Johnson also ranks among the top 20 in career scoring at A&M, with 1,381 total points.
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Hired as the program's new coach this May, Johnson sees no reason his alma mater cannot recapture the glory days of old.
"We expect to win the conference. There's nothing else," Johnson said. "We're definitely going to reach for the sky. I just want them to have the faith in me coaching them."
Johnson carries quite a basketball resume into his first Division I coaching job. As a player with the Rattlers, he set team records for rebounds in a game (25), a season (412) and a career (1,494). All three marks remain intact. Johnson also ranks among the top 20 in career scoring at A&M, with 1,381 total points.
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