Taylor likes effort by Florida A&M Rattlers in scrimmage

TALLAHASSEE, Florida - The officiating crew that worked Saturday’s scrimmage on FAMU’s practice field was just as busy along the sidelines as it was covering plays. That’s because the offense and defense each had a few big plays of their own.

With every one of those plays, players from both sides crossed the line to congratulate the playmakers.

Early on, running back Eddie Rocker caused most of the rah-rah along the line. Then, as the 66-play scrimmage winded down to end the second week of preseason practice, the defense came alive.

Just before special teams wrapped up the simulated game, the offense was turned away on consecutive drives with stops at the 2- and 11-yard lines.

Coach Joe Taylor seemed pleased with the two-and-a-half-hour scrimmage.

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TSU Tigers Defense Shines in Saturday’s Scrimmage

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - An unseasonably cool Saturday had the Tennessee State football team practicing on the outside field.

The scrimmage provided an opportunity for coaches to gauge the team’s progress and evaluate some of the younger players. For the coaches, one side really stood out.

“I thought the defense flew around today,” head coach Rod Reed said. “It was total domination today by our defense, which you like to see.”

The defense played with reckless abandonment for most of the practice, forcing a handful of turnovers. However, the offense was able to complete a few passes and break a couple of long runs.

“We are going to get big plays out of our offense. [Quarterback] Mike German has a big arm, and we have some backs that can break it at any time,” Reed said.

With two weeks of practice under their belts the TSU football team switches their focus to just one thing.

“FAMU.”



COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Former SU coach watches scrimmage

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - Among the crowd of family, friends and fans at Southern’s football scrimmage on Saturday, there stood another familiar face. Former Jaguars coach Pete Richardson showed up to take in the lightning-shortened practice, which he said was his first in nearly 21/2 years.

Richardson was fired in 2009, opening the door for current coach Stump Mitchell’s hiring, and both men said they maintain a good relationship.

“We’ve always been together,” Mitchell said. “There’s nothing between coach Richardson and myself but friendship.”

Added Richardson: “I see him every now and then. I tried to step out of it and give him his chance to do his program, and I think that’s the way it should be.”

That hasn’t always been easy for Richardson, especially not with a handful of players still suiting up whom he recruited.

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2012 Labor Day Classic: Prairie View A&M vs. Texas Southern

HOUSTON, Texas  -  Tickets for the highly-anticipated 2012 State Farm Labor Day Classic (http://labordayclassic.wordpress.com/) football contest featuring Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern are now on sale. The Prairie View A&M Panthers will face SWAC foe Texas Southern on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. in Houston's Reliant Stadium.

Prairie View A&M is the home team for the 28th edition of the State Farm Labor Day Classic and is seated on the west side of Reliant Stadium while TSU will sit on the east side.

In addition to all Ticketmaster outlets and Ticketmaster.com, tickets can also be purchased at Reliant Stadium, the Prairie View A&M University on-campus bookstore, TSU's on-campus bookstore, Wolf's Department Store (2701 Dowling Street, Houston, TX) and online at www.PVPanthers.com.

FAMU trio sets standard in classroom, on the field

TALLAHASSEE, Florida - You could say that FAMU nose guard Padric Scott has a one-track mind – going straight ahead to tackle whatever stands in his path. During his first two seasons with the Rattlers he didn’t take that approach just on the field. He did it in the classroom as well.

In fact, so did linebacker Brandon Hepburn and offensive lineman Robert Hartley. This season all three will be playing their final season as graduate students, marking a first in recent history that FAMU has had more than one football player who has a degree with a year of eligibility remaining.

“It takes focus,” said Scott, a Lincoln High School grad who started his collegiate career at Stanford University. “It’s not that hard. I think it’s harder to get sidetracked than it is to stay on course.

“A lot of people say they want to do great things but they don’t want to put in the effort to be great. You have to put that laser-sharp focus into everything you do so you can’t say you want to play football and don’t go to class.”

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Depth in trenches bodes well for Jackson State this season

JACKSON, Mississippi - Richard Hughes knows the deal.

Jackson State's senior safety has played enough football in his life to understand a team's success - or failure - can be traced to the trenches.

So as JSU readies for its 2012 season opener at Mississippi State on Sept. 1, he knows that despite the fact the Tigers return eight defensive start-ers, it's the big boys up front who will ultimately set the tone.

"It starts down in the trenches with the defensive line," Hughes said. "It sounds like a cliche, but it really does migrate. As long as the D-line and linebackers are on the same page, the secondary can work."

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Belaire product Benay Pryer a hit at Southern

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - There’s no missing Benay Pryer.

At 6-foot-5, 310 pounds, Southern’s new defensive tackle stands out immediately — a giant, hulking No. 99 that immediately caught his teammates’ eyes when he arrived for fall training camp.

At first, kicker Gregory Pittman thought Pryer must be a coach. Offensive lineman Zach Brown didn’t know much about Pryer either, but he sure seemed like a valuable asset.

“He just looks like he would be a good player,” Brown said. Turns out, he is.

In just two weeks as a Jaguar, the Baton Rouge native and former Belaire High School standout has worked his way up from mysterious newcomer to starter, where he has a chance to become a hometown hero with the first-team defense.

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