Leffall Helps Howard Overpower Hampton

Washington, DC —- Terrence Leffall rushed for a career-high 182 yards and two touchdowns to lead Howard University to a 20-10 win over Hampton University in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game at Greene Stadium. The win improves the Bison's record to 6-3 and 5-2 in the MEAC while the Pirates fall to 2-6 and 2-4 in the MEAC.

Both teams got off to a slow start as the winds and defenses dictated the early flow of the game. The Bison offense finally got some rhythm as the offensive line and Leffall began to have some success. With the 5-10, 210-pound senior finding gapping holes in the middle of the Pirates defense, Howard got on the board first following a 74-yard, 11-play drive that was capped off by a junior quarterback Randy Liggins' six-yard run after a beautiful play fake to Leffall. The conversion attempt failed and the Bison led, 6-0 with just 50 seconds left in the first quarter.

Liggins started for McGhee and had an efficient game, completing 6 of 12 passes for 58 yards and adding 27 yards rushing and a TD.

"I found out late in the week that I would start," explained Liggins, who has yet to throw an interception this season.

"We preach execution and ball control. The line did a great job today in protection and creating running lanes."

Added Howard head coach Gary Harrell, "We came out old fashion by establishing the run." "Randy did a good job and was able to get us in control of the game."

Both teams had opportunities in the second quarter but potential scoring drives were aborted due to missed opportunities. Howard was finally able to capitalize when freshman defensive lineman Damon Gresham Chisholm forced and recovered a fumble at the Pirates 15-yard line. It took Howard three plays with Leffall bolted in from 18 yards out to make it, 13-0 Howard with 4:23 left in the second quarter.

The Pirates responded by mounting a 10-play, 69-yard drive, but the Howard defense forced the visitors to settle for a 23-yard Taurean Durham field goal to make it 13-3 at the half.

Hampton used the momentum to narrow the deficit to 13-10 early in the third quarter when freshman quarterback Brian Swain finished off a 70-yard drive with a 33-yard scamper up the middle.

"Our defense has to be able to get off the field on third and fourth downs," lamented Harrell. "We have had problems in that area and we have to get better."

Both teams held serve through the rest of the game until sophomore quarterback Greg McGhee engineered a 12-play, 72-yard drive that was capped off with an eight-yard run by Leffall, his second of the day. That was all that the Bison defense needed as it shut down the Hampton offense to preserve the win.

Leffall, who set a school record for carries with 42 in last year's win over Hampton, has now rushed for over 100 yards in each of the games in which he has played this season.

"We followed the game plan," said Leffall. "They trusted me with the ball to win the game today. The offensive line did a great job. It makes my job easy when they block like that."

The Bison defense was led by junior safety Julien David, who tallied 9 tackles, junior linebacker Tabrian Resby, who had 8, and Gresham Chisholm, who finished with four tackles, 3 for losses, 3 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Hampton was led on offense by freshman quarterback Brian Swain, who led his team with 105 yards rushing and was 13 of 23 passing for 91 yards.

GAME NOTES: The win insures that Howard will record its first winning season since 2004…the Bison defense forced 5 Pirate fumbles and recovered two…the offense topped the 200-yard mark for the fifth straight game.

NEXT UP: The Bison travel to Statesboro, Ga to take on the Number 1 ranked team in the FCS, Georgia Southern next Saturday at 2 pm.

COURTESY HOWARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Gold Rush beat Carver, move to 2-0 for 11th consecutive season

NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Simmons scored 20 points, and freshman reserve RJ Daniels made three consecutive 3-pointers late in the first half Sunday to spark NAIA No. 19 Xavier University of Louisiana in an 88-68 men's basketball victory against Carver College.

The Gold Rush (2-0) defeated an Atlanta opponent for the second consecutive day in XU's new Convocation Center. Xavier beat Morehouse 80-66 Saturday. It's the 11th consecutive season that Xavier won its first two games.

Simmons, a two-time All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference forward, was 7-of-8 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the line in 26 minutes. He scored 14 second-half points.

Daniels made three consecutive 3-pointers in less than two minutes. His first trey put Xavier ahead to stay, 26-24. Xavier led 41-34 at halftime and by 24 points five times in the final seven minutes.

Nick Haywood scored 18 points for the Gold Rush. Wanto Joseph had 13 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Daniels and Denzell Erves scored 11 apiece, and Erves grabbed 11 rebounds for his second double-double in as many days.

Nickolas Hood scored 24 points, Joe Comer 19 and Julian Bratton 15 for Carver (0-3).

Xavier committed 24 turnovers, 11 more than Carver, but outrebounded the Cougars 43-17 and outshot the Cougars 59.6 to 44.2 percent from the floor. Daniels made all four of his shots, and freshman John Gibson was 3-of-3 in the final six minutes.

Xavier will play Jarvis Christian at 6 p.m. Friday in the Big Easy Classic at the Convocation Center. Spring Hill will meet Tuskegee at 4 p.m. in the opening game.

More on this game will be posted online at http://www.xula.edu/athletics/news/2012/1104.html


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

Tuskegee RB Derrick Washington rushes for 208 yards in 27-17 win at Miles College

FAIRFIELD, Alabama  --  Big time players. Big time games. Big time plays.
The adage is trite. The adage is true.

And when a running back explodes for a 208 yards on 22 carries on the road against a top-ranked opponent with a spot in the conference title game on the line like Tuskegee's Derrick Washington did in the Golden Tigers' 27-17 triumph at Miles College Saturday, it fits like spandex.

The 6-foot, 215-pounder got it going early, bolting for a 39-yard run on his first carry of the game to go over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

When he got off the ground, he held his hand to his mouth and motioned as if he was feeding himself as he ran back to the Golden Tigers' huddle.

"I'm eating," he said, explaining the celebration. "I want them to feed me because I'm eating. That broke the tone. The line had been talking all week that I needed 33 yards and I'm sure that was over 33 yards to get a 1,000. We just did it right there."

Washington did it all night to help the Golden Tigers' capture their eighth straight victory.

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 2-Minute Drill: Tuskegee 27, Miles College 17

FAIRFIELD, Alabama  --  WHY TUSKEGEE WON...

Derrick Washington had a lot to do with it.  Washington, a Missouri transfer, looked like a man, a grown man, playing against boys all day Saturday. He had 229 all-purpose yards, rushing for 208 on 22 carries and catching a pair of passes for 21 yards. Quite simply he made every play his team needed him to when they needed him to, especially on third down.

"That's a great football player," Tuskegee coach Willie Slater said. "That's all a part of it. You got a great football player you need to use him."

KEY MOMENT

Trailing 21-14 with less than six minutes go, Miles looked as if it was all set to tie the game up. The Golden Bears had driven the ball from the 50-yard line to the Tuskegee 16. However, Miles running back Floyd Graves fumbled an option pitch from quarterback David Thomas and Golden Tigers linebacker Quavon Taylor recovered to thwart Miles' best chance at tying the game in the second half.

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Saint Augustine's Falcons rally to edge Shaw 43-42 on last play of game!

RALEIGH, N.C. – Saint Augustine's University ended the regular season in thrilling fashion.

Brian Richards (R-Jr./Waldorf, Md.) caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Alex Munro (So./Ashburn, Va.) with no time remaining as the Falcons rallied for a 43-42 CIAA football victory over their crosstown nemesis Shaw University before 2,500 fans at Saint Augustine's University Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak to the Bears and gave the Falcons (6-4 overall, 4-3 CIAA) their second winning record in three seasons. The Falcons also stayed unbeaten at home on campus in three games.

"It was one heck of a game by all the guys," St. Aug Head Coach Michael Costa said. "It was about dealing with adversity. On defense, we lose two starting linebackers and guys stepped up. The quarterback goes down and the backup steps up. It was a team effort. The most important thing is we finished."

The Falcons drove nearly the entire length of the field to snatch victory away from the Bears (4-6, 3-4 CIAA), who led the entire game until the final score. The game-winning drive started on the Falcons' 2 with 1:07 remaining in the contest and no timeouts. Aided by two Shaw penalties and a 50-yard catch by Falcon standout Tyron Laughinghouse (Sr./Greenville, N.C.), the Falcons were in striking distance.

The Bears were flagged twice more for holding Laughinghouse on pass plays which put the ball on the Shaw 15 with three seconds left. Munro, subbing in the fourth quarter for an injured Teddy Bacote (Jr./Hampton, Va.), was cool as a cucumber under immense pressure on the final play as he found Richards in the end zone. Richards was draped by a Shaw defender but clamped on to Munro's pass as he fell in the end zone for the winning score. Seconds later, teammates mobbed him on turf as the Falcon fans roared in jubilation in the stands. Moments later, several players doused Head Coach Michael Costa with water in the traditional victory bath.



 "In the end, [Shaw] got fooled," Costa said. "They thought we were going to [Laughinghouse] but someone else stepped up and made the big play."

It was a fitting ending to a wild game. Both teams provided offensive fireworks as they combined for 911 yards. The Falcons set season highs in points and total offensive yards (469). Both Munro and Bacote combined for 307 passing yards and three passing touchdowns while Laughinghouse had seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown in his final regular season game as a Falcon. Roderick Davenport (Orangeburg, S.C.) rushed for a career high 112 yards and two touchdowns while Jermaine Jones (R-Jr./Wilmington, N.C.) and Rowdy Batchelor (R-Sr./Jacksonville, N.C.) each scored a touchdown.

The Falcons relied on an explosive offense to offset the Bears' passing attack. James Stallons threw for 412 yards and six touchdowns on 27 of 54 passing to keep the Bears ahead until the final play. Nick Jones had eight receptions for 104 yards, but the Falcons held standout freshman rusher Marquise Grizzle to minus one yard. The Bears amassed 442 offensive yards.

Victory appeared to be in the Bears' grasp when Stallons found David Jordan on a short pass for a 42-30 lead with 3:52 left., the Bears second 12-point lead in the contest. The Falcons answered quickly with a Munro touchdown pass to Jones with 1:36 left.

Trailing by five points and needing the ball back, the Falcons forced the Bears to punt on the ensuing drive. Stallons, who doubled as a punter, pinned the Falcons with a nice punt near the Falcons' own goal line. Needing a touchdown, the Falcons faced a tough task with no timeouts but Munro engineered the seven play, 98-yard drive for a great Falcon win over their rival on Senior Day.

Both Laughinghouse and defensive end Javarous Faulk (Jr./Macon, Ga.) achieved milestones during the game. Laughinghouse, the university's all-time leader in reception yardage, became the school single-season touchdown leader (16), and Faulk recorded a sack to share the school single-season mark (13) with former Falcon great Alex Hall.

The sack capped an outstanding game for Faulk, who is hearing impaired. He tied for team-high honors with six tackles including two tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries. Linebacker Carlton Butts (So./Thomasville, Ga.) also had six tackles in addition to a forced fumble. Both Chaz Robinson (Jr./Hampton, Va.) and Bryan Jones (R-Jr./Warner Robins, Ga.) each intercepted a pass. For Shaw, Quintero Long totaled a game-high 12 tackles and Keith Lomon added 11.

Before the contest, ten football seniors were honored. They were defensive back Jermaine Browne (St. Croix, US Virgin Islands), defensive end Romeo Deloatch (Redshirt Jr./Hampton, Va.), offensive lineman Stedman Gardner (Gastonia, N.C.), wide receiver Franklin James (Hampton, Va.),center Rory Nixon (Hampton, Va.) defensive end Joe Reed (Anderson, S.C.), running back Deonte Toliver (Gaithersburg, Md.), defensive back Derrick Manning (Waldorf, Md.), Laughinghouse and Batchelor.

COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

FAMU's Taylor focused on local recruits

Rattlers' football roster features 22 players from Big Bend schools

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Florida A&M's recruiting philosophy under coach Joe Taylor has focused on local talent. In fact, 22 players – 17 from Tallahassee – listed on the Rattlers' current roster played high school football in the Big Bend.

Local prep coaches are hopeful that pipeline continues following Saturday's news of Taylor's announcement to retire at the conclusion of the season. The Rattlers played at North Carolina A&T on Saturday.

Taylor's decision, ending his tenure after five years at FAMU, also caught prep coaches off guard.

"I am shocked," FAMU High coach Ira Reynolds said.

"I look at this man's resume, all he has ever done is win. I like coach Taylor and, in my opinion, he's a good coach. I am not sure what prompted him to make this decision. I think it's a loss for the university."

Florida High has an area-high five players at Florida A&M, including senior safety John Ojo, sophomore kicker Chase Varnadore and sophomore receiver Dewayne Harvey. Ojo, considered one of the team's top defensive players, has missed a majority of the season following surgery (turf toe).

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Lamar column: Taylor gave FAMU time to get it right

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  A 3-6 record hasn’t exactly endeared Joe Taylor to the FAMU football program’s loyal – and passionate – extended family this season. After spending as many years as he has in the coaching profession, even Taylor can respect that summation.

Winning games, after all, often trumps everything else in this bottom-line business.

That’s why Taylor’s announcement that he would retire at season’s end as FAMU’s football coach showed the true character of the man who is so beloved by so many of his peers and even more of his players – both past and present.

The guy is a professional, in every sense of the word. He reminded everyone of that once again Saturday morning, as he first told his players of the decision that has been weighing on him in recent weeks.

Joe Taylor saved Florida A&M University from what could have been a sticky situation this offseason. His contract was set to expire at season’s end and, as Taylor surely knows, his return to the Rattlers’ program could have been a hot-button topic among fans, boosters, administrators and other stakeholders.

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With Coach Jenkins ejected, B-CU rallies to defeat Morgan State, 24-13

BALTIMORE, Maryland  --  With its head coach ejected from the game and its starting quarterback hobbling on the sideline, a resilient Bethune-Cookman football team overcame adversity Saturday to remain undefeated in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Isidore Jackson scored the game-clinching touchdown with 1:40 left on a 24-yard run to give the Wildcats a 24-13 victory over Morgan State at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore.

B-CU (7-2, 6-0) can clinch at least a tie for the MEAC title with a win next week at Savannah State. Morgan State fell to 3-6, 2-4.

The Wildcats were penalized 14 times for 164 yards with 60 of those yards coming on consecutive plays early in the second quarter with B-CU leading 10-7. On a Morgan State third-and-13 from the Bears' 25, cornerback Dion Hanks was called for a personal foul and ejected for throwing a punch.

Jenkins argued the decision with the officials and was handed two consecutive unsportsmanlike penalties and was also ejected from the game.

“The ref threw a flag and I questioned it,'' Jenkins said after the game. “I guess he didn't like the way I questioned it and he threw a second flag.

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Morgan State falls, 24-13, to Bethune-Cookman; Wildcats coach, player ejected

BALTIMORE, Maryland  --  Morgan State watched Bethune-Cookman start to unravel early in the second quarter of Saturday's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference matchup even though the Wildcats had a three-point lead at the time.

After defensive back Dion Hanks was ejected for striking a Morgan State player, Wildcats coach Brian Jenkins was also kicked out of the game seconds later for berating the officials. The NCAA does not officially track ejections, but at least three NCAA representatives said Jenkins could be the first head football coach ever ejected from a game.

The Bears, however, missed three field-goal attempts, had two others blocked, and eventually fell to first-place Bethune-Cookman, 24-13, in front of an announced 2,187 at Hughes Stadium. Morgan State lost its fourth consecutive game and fell to 2-3 in the MEAC and 3-6 overall. Bethune-Cookman improved to 6-0 in the league and 7-2 overall.

"We just didn't take advantage of our opportunities," Morgan State coach Donald Hill-Eley said. "The way to close teams out is to minimize mistakes. Our defense came out against a team that has been at the top of the nation with yardage and scoring and we were able to shut them down. Our defense played well."

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