Transfers attest to Norfolk State's strides

NORFOLK, Virginia - Mike Privott grew up loving Norfolk State. But when it was time to decide where he’d play in college, he didn’t think about the Spartans.

The all-time leading tackler at Lake Taylor, Privott, a linebacker, wanted to test himself at a top FBS school. He picked Louisville.

But even if he was interested in FCS football, he said, it’s unlikely NSU would have been his choice.

“Probably somewhere like Hampton or JMU; those were the top programs,” Privott said. “I probably would have done something like that. (The Spartans) were the home team, but they weren’t winning.”

That changed last year when NSU won its first MEAC championship.

Something else changed, too. Head coach Pete Adrian welcomed a rare transfer from a high-level FBS program when linebacker Brent Singleton arrived from Minnesota. Lynden Trail, a linebacker from Florida, followed.

Then a third transfer arrived: Privott.

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20th-ranked Lindsey Wilson stymies XU Nuggets in opener

CLEVELAND, Tennessee — Kailey Moorhead's 12 kills and Kristi Hager's 27 digs Friday helped NAIA No. 20 Lindsey Wilson defeat Xavier University of Louisiana 25-16, 25-23, 25-7 in the women's volleyball season opener for both teams at the Lee Invitational.

The Blue Raiders limited Xavier's two best offensive players of a year ago, Taylor Reuther and Moira Kirk, to a combined six kills and a minus-.070 hitting percentage. Kirk's two kills were the fewest of her XU career, and Reuther's minus-.091 hitting percentage — four kills and seven errors in 33 attack attempts — was her worst.

Chinedu Echebelem recorded her third career double-double at Xavier, 12 kills and 12 digs. Freshman Alexis Clay had 17 digs.

Echebelem had seven kills in the second set to help the Gold Nuggets build a 20-16 advantage. But Lindsey Wilson scored six of the next seven points to take the lead for good, and Taylor Hayne closed the set with a kill.

Lindsey Wilson's Angela Mlachnik served all four of her aces during a 16-3 run to open the third set.

"We played really well in the second set," XU coach Christabell Hamilton said. "The first set we were a little nervous, and the third one we lost all momentum because we couldn't pass at all. We are very young and still trying to find a lineup that works and get used to each other on the court."

Four of the eight Nuggets who played were freshmen. Franziska Pirkl started at setter and had 20 assists and five digs, Claudia Haywood had four kills and two blocks, and Darian Harris had five digs in their collegiate debuts.

Lindsey Wilson outhit Xavier .264 to .069 and had advantages of 42-26 in kills, 60-51 in digs and 9-0 in aces.

It was the first time Xavier opened the season against a ranked opponent. The Gold Nuggets will play another ranked team, No. 3 Lee, at 7 p.m. EDT Friday.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

MEAC champs NSU ready to take foes’ best shots

NORFOLK, Virginia - Most of the Spartans acknowledge the adage is true: It’s tougher to repeat as football champions than it is to win the first one.

That doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

“Oh, it’s definitely harder to repeat,” senior Terrence Pugh said. “There’s no doubt about that. We’re also up for the challenge. We’re not sneaking on anyone’s radar. We have to work twice as hard to win this year.”

Things are different at Norfolk State, which won its first MEAC title in 14 tries last season, erasing a reputation for being a good – but not great – program.

Now, opponents will see the Spartans as owners of a championship tradition. Conference rivals especially will get up for the games.

One reason is the MEAC’s coaches and sports information directors made the Spartans the ...

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Tuskegee looks to bounce back with a young team -- again

TUSKEGEE, Alabama - As he enters his seventh season at the helm, head coach Willie Slater is not quite sure what to make of his 2012 Tuskegee team.

"We had a lot of young players who played last year and we've got a lot of them," Slater said. "We went 4-6, so I'm not sure if they can play or not."

Predictably, the newcomers took their lumps adjusting to college football. Tuskegee started 1-4 in 2011 before bouncing back to win three of its final five games.



This season the Golden Tigers return 67 lettermen, including six starters on offense and five on defense.

"We've got 18 seniors, but we have mostly sophomores and juniors," Slater said. "I think we've got a lot of young players who can play."

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SIAC champion Miles seeks to make turnaround the norm

FAIRFIELD, Alabama -- Perhaps no one symbolized Miles' dramatic turnaround in 2011 more than quarterback David Thomas.

In his first season as a starter, Thomas passed for 2,088 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 489 yards and 11 touchdowns, leading the Golden Bears to their first SIAC championship since 1985 and their first bowl game appearance.

"I did well," Thomas said modestly. "It took a lot of hard work. I thank the coaching staff and my teammates for hanging in there with me."

Thomas' performance wasn't overlooked. As the senior from Opelika embarks on the 2012 season, he does so as the first-team quarterback on the preseason All-SIAC team.



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Louisiana College Football Tour 2012: Father-Son Combo to Lead SWAC Favorite Grambling

GRAMBLING – He's tall, a lot like his father, but the 200-pound official listing is probably stretching things. D. J. Williams doesn't look that heavy.

That could be a problem, because a lot is resting on his shoulders as Grambling seeks to defend its Southwestern Athletic Conference football title.



Williams will likely be the starting quarterback, a position he held more than half the time, when the Tigers open up next Saturday in Shreveport's Port City Classic against SWAC rival Alcorn State. And his father, Grambling head coach and former NFL standout Doug Williams, has confidence in him.

"Everyone wants to know about the quarterback situation," the elder Williams said. "We don't have a quarterback situation. We have a starting quarterback and we have some good backups that I won't hesitate to play."

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McCall: Jackson State's up-and-coming receivers may top last year's

JACKSON, Mississippi  -  Rico Richardson may get most of the attention of opposing coaches, but Jackson State offensive coordinator Derrick McCall knows there's more to the Tigers receiving corps than the senior burner. Much more.

E.J. Drewery, at 6-foot-6, is hard to miss, much less bring down, and the recent addition of former Ole Miss receiver Tobias Singleton gives McCall what he feels to be his deepest - and fastest - group yet.

"We've had guys we've felt comfortable with on the opposite side (of Richardson), but I've never had guys with this caliber of speed on the field at the same time. "I'm very excited about our receiving corps," McCall said. "It's probably the highlight of our offense."

A year ago, JSU led the SWAC in scoring offense (35.8 points per game), total offense (490.9 yards per game) and pass offense (348.1). And despite graduating some key pieces to that success - namely quarterback Casey Therriault and receiver/tight end Renty Rollins - McCall believes this year's group of receivers may be even better.

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