Junior QB Darius Smith ready to lead Alcorn into 2012 opener

LORMAN, Mississippi — Last season, Alcorn State quarterback Darius Smith was thrown into the fire when he took over for departed starting quarterback Brandon Bridge midway through the Braves' season.

This year, Smith knows that he is the man under center from Day 1, but he said he is not letting the lessons he learned last season be forgotten.

"Last season I was kind of thrown into it, but it definitely helped me get ready for the upcoming season," Smith said. "I wasn't expecting to play, and I didn't study like I should have. But now I know I'm the guy and am taking the time out (to prepare)."

Saturday, Smith and the Braves will take the field for the first time under a new coaching staff led by head coach Jay Hopson when they face Grambling State University in the Port City Classic. Smith said he is ready for the challenge and ready to show how his game has improved.

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Q&A with UMES men's basketball coach Frankie Allen

COACH FRANKIE ALLEN

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland  -  After four seasons in Princess Anne, UMES coach Frankie Allen  admits that he thought his program would be further along by now.

The Hawks went 7-23 during the 2011-12 season, giving Allen a record of 34-89 at UMES. But Allen, the former Virginia Tech, Tennessee State and Howard coach, is optimistic that things will be better for the Hawks starting this year.

UMES returns two starters in junior guard Louis Bell and junior forward Ron Spencer, and three reserves in senior center T.J. Kosile, senior forward Pina Guillaume and sophomore guard Ishaq Pitt.

Joining those five veterans will be an “infusion of new blood.” Allen has added six players to his roster: Jarrod Davis, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound freshman forward from Lakewood, N.J.; Kevin Mays, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound freshman forward from Brooklyn, N.Y.; Troy Snyder, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound junior forward from Chicago who transferred last year from Wisconsin-Green Bay; Donald Williams, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior guard from Hyattsville who played at Prince George’s County Community College; Kyree Jones, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound sophomore guard from Indianapolis who comes from Kankakee (Ill.) Community College via Northern Illinois; and Francis Obumneme, a 6-foot-10 junior center from Nigeria who played at Monroe (N.Y.) Community College.

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SU's Stump Mitchell says Dray Joseph earned starting QB job

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - After Southern coach Stump Mitchell settled on a starting quarterback, he brought candidates Dray Joseph and J.P. Douglas in for a meeting. There, Mitchell pulled out a piece of paper that listed the facts.

Joseph had won the quarterback battle. The numbers said so.



“I gave them a sheet that showed exactly what both of those guys did,” Mitchell said. “There’s no sense in me having closed-door meetings. We’re all family. We should be able to talk. We should be able to discuss. I didn’t want one guy to think I was telling him something and another guy something different.”

Mitchell told them both that this season will be a very different scene from the last one. Joseph will be the man in charge, Douglas will be his backup, and the only way they’ll switch roles is if Joseph gets injured.

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New position, more plays for WSSU Rams DeGeare

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina - Athletes often have trouble giving up a position they've played most of their lives, but Jamie DeGeare knew he wanted to see more action in his final football season at Winston-Salem State.

So when coaches asked him about switching from quarterback to fullback, DeGeare needed to think about it. But after remembering how little fun he had as backup quarterback in 2011, he figured he'd enjoy the season much more if he played more.



"In the spring, I was able to get prepared for all the contact that's involved," DeGeare said Saturday, after catching a short touchdown pass from Kameron Smith in a scrimmage. "It's actually coming along pretty well right now, and I'm excited about the season starting."

DeGeare starred at Glenn High School and ...

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Strike Up the Band, Talladega College has started a Marching Band Program

TALLADEGA, Alabama — Talladega College, it’s the home of the famous Amistad Murals, championship men’s and women’s basketball teams, an illustrious list of graduates that became university presidents, the first meeting place of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Andrew Young, alumni in business, science, education, healthcare and industry world-wide; and now adding to its current list is a new marching band. Talladega College started a marching band program this summer.

Over 100 prospective and current students expressed an interest in participating in the College band. Activities were set with a Band Camp which was held on the campus July 29 through the first week of August. The new band will perform at sports events, parades, celebrations, concerts and make special guest appearances. Following the summer camp, the band students will continue with instruction and begin performance in the fall.

“We are looking forward to this new program at the College. With music, you have the ability to inspire, unite and uplift an audience and community. Our program is attracting students from across the southeast. They are excited to come and be a part of the ‘first-ever’ Marching Band at Talladega College,” remarks President, Dr. Billy C. Hawkins.

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Evelyn White also adds, “I think the Band is a tremendous asset. It will boost the level of excitement and enjoyment at our sports events and other occasions on the campus.”

The College is eager to launch and increase the ‘Dega sound’ as we touch others with music and more.

Talladega College Band members marched and danced their way through New Orleans streets on August 22, 2012, in their first on-the-road performance, after holding the school’s first-ever band camp only three weeks ago. The 100 plus member band was on the roster as a part of the Prince Hall Shriners’ parade in New Orleans.

According to a release from the college, most of the band students are from New Orleans and surrounding areas. They had a chance to perform for their home crowd and national visitors in a parade that in the past has taken four hours to complete.






ABOUT TALLADEGA COLLEGE

Talladega College, with the assistance of the American Missionary Association, was founded in 1867, by the descendants of the slaves who helped to build its first building, Swayne Hall-now a national historic site. Talladega College was the first institution in the state of Alabama to admit qualified persons of any race or ethnic origin.

The private, four year, co-educational, liberal arts college offers 17 majors grounded in the liberal arts. Its athletic programs are members of the States Collegiate Athletics Association, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) and the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.). Talladega College offers seven intercollegiate sports teams: for women, basketball, softball and volleyball; for men, baseball, basketball, golf, and soccer.

The college is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.

COURTESY TALLADEGA COLLEGE MEDIA RELATIONS

ASU Hornets prepares for MEAC/SWAC Challenge

MONTGOMERY, Alabama - It's gameweek on the gridiron, as Alabama State head football coach Reggie Barlow met with the media on the SWAC Coaches Teleconference Monday morning.

The Hornets will take on Bethune-Cookman in the MEAC-SWAC Challenge Sunday in Orlando, Fla. at 11 a.m. CT/Noon ET live on WVAS 90.7 FM/HSRN.com/ESPN.

Barlow previewed this week's matchup with the Wildcats, the first time the teams have met since 2008. And while this is the Hornets second time playing in the Challenge, it will be first experience in the game in Orlando.

“We're really excited about an opportunity to represent the SWAC in this game,” Barlow said. “It's a blessing to have that platform and take our guys to Orlando, which is a great city. It's almost like a bowl game from all I've heard about the things they'll have the kids do. Also, we're getting the opportunity to play a good team in Bethune-Cookman. Coach (Brian) Jenkins has done a great job over the last two years. So it'll be a challenge; they have a lot of great players coming back.”

Excerpts from the SWAC Conference Call:

On being picked to win the SWAC's Eastern Division: “Whenever you recognized and picked by your peers, that says our coaches have gone out, got talent, brought it in, and coached 'em up. However, I'm not sure any of us have been accurate on (predicting) who's going to finish first. I understand we have to do it and it's a prediction, but in our conference there's so much parity. On the East, you have good teams and all of them have really good players, so there's no telling what's going to happen. Being picked to finish first in anything is a good thing, but you still have to play the game in the rectangle.”

On what concerns him the most about Bethune-Cookman: “One, they have about 15 Division I transfers on their team. That doesn't always transfer to success, but obviously the guys they have that transferred there, he coached them at Rutgers and other schools. They have a big, big offensive line. I imagine if you put their line and size up against any team in NCAA football, they'll measure up well. They have two real solid running backs. They run the ball well (with a pair of players that combined to rush for nearly 1,800 yards)…They have Eddie Poole, who's a big-time receiver. He has nice size and runs great routes. The other factor is the unknown. We haven't played them since (Coach Jenkins) has been there, and they also have a new (offensive) coordinator. It's kind of hard to know what you'll get. There will be a lot of adjusting on the fly after the first quarter or so.”

On playing on national television representing the SWAC in the game: “There's a lot of notoriety that comes with this game and an opportunity for people to see us all over the country. For our guys, our team, and our school, we're blessed. We're not just playing for Alabama State. That's our approach for this game. This is about Walter Payton and Jerry Rice and all those wonderful Grambling players like Doug Williams and all these guys that have represented the SWAC. That's what we're going to do, be a representation of the SWAC. It's a blessing to be a part of it.”



COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Alabama A&M football: Bulldogs have 2 main goals this year

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Alabama A&M reported for preseason practice back on July 30. Now, after practicing for almost a month, game week has arrived and the Bulldogs couldn't be happier.

A&M takes on Tuskegee in the season opener for both teams Saturday night at 7 at Legion Field in Birmingham. It is the second game of a four-year deal between the two schools.



"It's a big game because it's our season opener and we want to set the tone for the way we're going to play," running back Kaderius Lacey said. "We've set some lofty goals and in order to reach them we need to come out and beat Tuskegee."

A&M's senior class has put together a number of goals this season, but the biggest ones include winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship and the Black College National championship.



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