NORFOLK, Virginia -- Two days after earning a share of the MEAC championship, the Norfolk State football team reaped the rewards. The Spartans jumped to No. 22 in The Sports Network/Fathead.com Top 25 poll on Monday, the highest ranking in the history of the program, while quarterback Chris Walley shared its national Offensive Player of the Week award.
Walley recorded a career-high five touchdowns - three in the air, two on the ground - in Norfolk State's 45-3 win over Savannah State, which clinched a share of the MEAC title, but not a playoff spot. He completed 20 of 25 passes for 271 yards and ran for 72 yards.
"I've always said that the quarterback gets too much credit when it goes well and too much blame when it doesn't," Walley said. Leading the MEAC with an average of 212.2 yards a game, he moved to fourth on NSU's all-time career passing yardage list. He has thrown 15 touchdowns against four interceptions.
READ MORE
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Urban Sports Poll: Winston-Salem State new No. 1 after Grambling upsets Jackson State
Arlington, Texas — Winston-Salem State becomes the fifth team to assume the top spot in the Urban Sports News Black College Poll with their 34-7 win over UNC-Pembroke and Jackson State’s 26-23 loss to Grambling.
The Rams finish the regular season with a 10-0 record and meet Elizabeth City State for the CIAA title on Saturday. Winston-Salem State finishes the season undefeated for the first time since 1978. The win also virtually assured the Rams of one of the six regional bids in their area to the NCAA DII playoffs.
“It's one of our goals — going undefeated in the regular season — but we still haven't done anything,” Coach Connell Maynor told the Winston-Salem Journal. “We haven't won the CIAA and we're not in the playoffs yet so we've got to continue to fight and get prepared. We have to continue to practice hard to get better.”
Winston-Salem State (10-0), Alabama State (7-2), Alabama A&M (7-2), Norfolk State (8-2), and Bethune-Cookman (6-3) hold the Top 5 USN spots for week ten. Jackson State (7-2), Albany State (8-2), Morehouse (8-2), FAMU (6-3), and Elizabeth City State (8-2) round out the next five spots in the USN Poll.
READ MORE
The Rams finish the regular season with a 10-0 record and meet Elizabeth City State for the CIAA title on Saturday. Winston-Salem State finishes the season undefeated for the first time since 1978. The win also virtually assured the Rams of one of the six regional bids in their area to the NCAA DII playoffs.
“It's one of our goals — going undefeated in the regular season — but we still haven't done anything,” Coach Connell Maynor told the Winston-Salem Journal. “We haven't won the CIAA and we're not in the playoffs yet so we've got to continue to fight and get prepared. We have to continue to practice hard to get better.”
Winston-Salem State (10-0), Alabama State (7-2), Alabama A&M (7-2), Norfolk State (8-2), and Bethune-Cookman (6-3) hold the Top 5 USN spots for week ten. Jackson State (7-2), Albany State (8-2), Morehouse (8-2), FAMU (6-3), and Elizabeth City State (8-2) round out the next five spots in the USN Poll.
READ MORE
Pough prepared for tougher N.C. A&T team
Orangburg, South Carolina -- It seems like ancient history to Buddy Pough now.On Nov. 22, 2003, the fortunes of South Carolina State and North Carolina A&T took a precipitous turn. The Aggies had just clinched the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title, while the Bulldogs were looking for their third straight win in the long-running series.
S.C. State routed North Carolina A&T 49-9 that day in Charlotte and the two programs began to head in opposite directions. The Bulldogs have gone on to post a 67-23 record and win four MEAC titles while making three Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearances. The Aggies have had four head coaches combine for a 20-70 mark during that span.
Despite the recent history of dominance, Pough does not see it playing a major role in the outcome of Saturday's latest matchup at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.
READ MORE
Commodores on target in 102-62 exhibition win vs. Gold Rush
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Jeffery Taylor scored 17 points in 16 minutes, and seventh-ranked Vanderbilt shot exceptionally well to start both halves Monday in a 102-62 men's basketball exhibition victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.Taylor, a second-team All-SEC guard/forward the past two seasons, scored 13 first-half points and finished 7-of-9 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the line with four rebounds and three assists.
Vanderbilt made 8-of-9 from the floor to start the game and 9-of-10 to start the second half. The Commodores led 58-32 at halftime, and they took their biggest lead, 87-43, on Kedren Johnson's two free throws with 10:16 remaining.
Johnson scored 16 points, John Jenkins 15 and Shelby Moats 15 for the Commodores, who will open their season at 9 p.m. Friday at home against Oregon. Thirteen of 14 Commodores scored, and none played more than 19 minutes.
Anthony Simmons and Wanto Joseph scored 11 points apiece for Xavier, ranked 21st in NAIA Division I, and Renard Smith scored nine, including two 3-pointers. Gil Mathieu, a sophomore walk-on playing for the first time this season, led the Gold Rush with five rebounds, all offensive.
Vanderbilt outshot Xavier 63.2 to 29.4 percent from the floor. The Commodores outrebounded the Gold Rush 41-20 and had a 12-4 advantage in made 3-pointers. Xavier was better at the line, however, making 28-of-35 free throws to Vanderbilt's 18-of-25. Joseph and Nick Haywood both made 6-fo-6 free throws for the Rush. Xavier committed 11 turnovers and gained 13.
XU junior Denzell Erves, announced earlier Monday as Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week, had eight points, four rebounds and two steals in a team-high 32 minutes.
It was the first time the Gold Rush allowed 100 points since a 103-53 exhibition loss at Texas on Nov. 6, 2006. Xavier has not allowed 100 points in the regular season since 1992-93.The exhibition loss was Xavier's second on the road in three nights against an NCAA Division I opponent. The XU men will resume their regular-season schedule at 6 p.m. Friday against St. Thomas (Fla.) at The Barn.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
Monday, November 7, 2011
CIAA, SIAC championship games set
Every year, there will be decisions and losses that will haunt head coaches throughout the winter. The game most likely to be on the mind for Jackson State head coach Rick Comegy is Saturday’s 26-23 loss at home to Grambling.
It will be a memorable game because the special teams for JSU (7-2, 5-2) were not special at all. Jackson State missed a field goal and its porous kick coverage set GSU (5-4, 4-3) up with short fields to work with all day. Then there was a fumbled punt by JSU freshman Antonio Sutton that helped put Grambling ahead for good.
“You are going to get those types of mistakes,” Comegy said. “It happens. We have to get better at executing plays late in the game.”
Indeed. A pass play gave Jackson State a first down on the Grambling 14 with just 14 seconds remaining and JSU trailing 26-23. With a timeout remaining Jackson State seemingly had enough time to run a play or two aiming for the end zone and the go-ahead touchdown, or at the very least set up an attempt at a field goal to send the game into overtime. JSU, however, mismanaged its opportunity and left the game and the timeout on the field.
READ MORE
It will be a memorable game because the special teams for JSU (7-2, 5-2) were not special at all. Jackson State missed a field goal and its porous kick coverage set GSU (5-4, 4-3) up with short fields to work with all day. Then there was a fumbled punt by JSU freshman Antonio Sutton that helped put Grambling ahead for good.
“You are going to get those types of mistakes,” Comegy said. “It happens. We have to get better at executing plays late in the game.”
Indeed. A pass play gave Jackson State a first down on the Grambling 14 with just 14 seconds remaining and JSU trailing 26-23. With a timeout remaining Jackson State seemingly had enough time to run a play or two aiming for the end zone and the go-ahead touchdown, or at the very least set up an attempt at a field goal to send the game into overtime. JSU, however, mismanaged its opportunity and left the game and the timeout on the field.
READ MORE
Ram Ramblings: WSSU's next task is CIAA title game
 |
| Connell Maynor |
Even though the Rams had just their third unbeaten season in school history they were back practicing on Sunday afternoon. Maynor and the coaches keep the practice short on Sundays and it’s more about working out the soreness from the game on Saturday night.
And if you think that Maynor will relax his 5 a.m. practice routine you don’t know him very well. “We’ll be going at 5 a.m. three days this week just like always,” Maynor said. One of the benefits of those 5 a.m. practices was how the players felt in the chilly conditions on Saturday.
READ MORE
CIAA title game could be a hot ticket
Durham, North Carolina -- The CIAA's football championship game isn't going anywhere. In fact, for it to move from Durham County Stadium, one other thing would have to happen first, said commissioner Leon Kerry. "They are going to have to carry me out of there," Kerry said.The CIAA played a football championship game from 1970 until 1973 and from 1981 to 1992. The game was resurrected in 2000, and it has turned into a money maker for the conference, Kerry said. Winston-Salem State will play Elizabeth City State at 1 p.m. Saturday in this season's title game in Durham, and Kerry is thrilled with the match-up.
"I think it's clear that the two best teams in the conference are there," he said. "And they are both ranked in the region, so that says a lot that both of them are playing for the title."
Kerry also is excited about the prospect of a sellout, and said he wouldn't be surprised to see the 12,000-seat stadium full, especially if the weather is nice. WSSU always has had one of the best traveling fan bases in the CIAA, and Elizabeth City State fans also have a strong reputation for following their teams.
READ MORE
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)