WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- I keep waiting for Winston-Salem State to go conservative. I guess I’ll be
waiting a long time.
It struck me that no matter the stage, or the situation in any game, Coach
Connell Maynor always lets his players make plays. A lot of coaches, and I mean,
big-time coaches, sometimes never let their players do what they’ve been
practicing.
Most coaches tend to tighten up and be conservative on play calling but
Maynor’s different. And that’s why he’s such a good coach and won’t be stalking
the sidelines at WSSU that much longer.
Maynor, who is 35-3 in his three seasons, is heading to the biggest stage of
them all – the national championship game. The Rams will take on Valdosta State
on Saturday in Florence, Alabama.
“It’s not rocket science,” Maynor said about his style of going for it on
fourth down especially when the Rams’ offense has proven to be able to move the
ball during a game. “I’ve been saying this for three years. We are going to play
to our strengths and the defenses weakness. If you blitz we are going to throw
screens and slants…. But you have to have players.”
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Sunday, December 9, 2012
SWAC Championship: 95-yard TD pass helps lift UAPB to 24-21 win against Jackson State
ESPN3 VIDEO: UAPB BACKBREAKER 95 YARD TD
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- It took a history-making play for Arkansas-Pine Bluff to make school history.
A 26-yard field goal in overtime by Arkansas-Pine Bluff kicker Ryan Strickland lifted the Golden Lions to a 24-21 victory against Jackson State (Miss.) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game Saturday at Legion Field.
But it was an improbable 95-yard touchdown pass, the longest play ever in the conference title game, from UAPB quarterback Ben Anderson to wide receiver Willie Young late in regulation that that gave them the chance to capture their first SWAC crown.
"What a game. There were a lot of records that were set today," Golden Lions coach Monte Coleman said. "This was the first overtime game in SWAC (championship) history. This was the first SWAC (championship) victory for UAPB. It was the first 10-win season for UAPB."
Down seven, with a little more than two minutes to go, the Golden Lions were pinned deep in their own territory after the Tigers downed a 38-yard punt by Tony Dean at the UAPB 4-yard line.
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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- It took a history-making play for Arkansas-Pine Bluff to make school history.
A 26-yard field goal in overtime by Arkansas-Pine Bluff kicker Ryan Strickland lifted the Golden Lions to a 24-21 victory against Jackson State (Miss.) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game Saturday at Legion Field.
But it was an improbable 95-yard touchdown pass, the longest play ever in the conference title game, from UAPB quarterback Ben Anderson to wide receiver Willie Young late in regulation that that gave them the chance to capture their first SWAC crown.
"What a game. There were a lot of records that were set today," Golden Lions coach Monte Coleman said. "This was the first overtime game in SWAC (championship) history. This was the first SWAC (championship) victory for UAPB. It was the first 10-win season for UAPB."
Down seven, with a little more than two minutes to go, the Golden Lions were pinned deep in their own territory after the Tigers downed a 38-yard punt by Tony Dean at the UAPB 4-yard line.
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Winston-Salem State Rams win 41-18 to advance to title game
Watch Replay 
VIDEO: Connell Maynor talks to his team after the game
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Second-ranked Winston-Salem State punched its ticket to the Division II national championship game and punched West Texas A&M in the process.
The Rams rolled to a 41-18 victory against the 16th-ranked Buffaloes in front of about 8,500 at Bowman Gray Stadium on Saturday night.
“The guys were ready to play,” Coach Connell Maynor of WSSU said. “We knew that was a good football team, and I told the guys there’s going to be some adversity with two well-coached teams. There were two good football teams out there.”
But the Rams were the better team.
WSSU (14-0) racked up 511 yards using a deadly combination of quarterback Kameron Smith and a solid rushing game.
Running back Maurice Lewis had 118 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns, and Bryce Sherman, who hasn’t played much at running back in recent games, added 73 yards on 10 carries and also scored a touchdown.
PHOTO GALLERY: WSSU beats West Texas A&M
Purchase photos from this album
VIDEO: WSSU celebrates at Bowman Gray Stadium
VIDEO: WSSU
fans and players celebrate after winning a Division II semifinal playoff game on
Saturday night
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Senior ends Harris, Wilkerson step up for WSSU Rams
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- With Winston-Salem State needing some timely big plays to get rolling, two
senior defensive ends provided Saturday night.Neither Mareece Harris nor Justin Wilkerson had the opportunity to play last season when the Rams came up just short of getting to the Division II national championship game in a semifinal loss to Wayne State. Wilkerson was injured, and fellow transfer Harris wasn’t yet eligible.
But this time, they both played key roles as WSSU derailed West Texas A&M 41-18 and advanced to next Saturday’s title game against Valdosta State in Florence, Ala.
West Texas A&M, coming off a victory against No. 1 Colorado State-Pueblo in the quarterfinals — its third straight win on the road, swaggered into Bowman Gray Stadium with a quarterback that had thrown for 44 touchdowns this season and a running back who had rushed for nearly 1,500 yards.
The Buffaloes were averaging 40.1 points and hadn’t scored fewer than 24 until Saturday, when the Rams’ defense stifled them significantly.
“We got word they had been talking a lot, talking a lot of trash, and this defense knew we had to come out and step up,” Harris said. “We put in a lot of hard work this week, Coach put us in position to make plays, and it was up to us to execute. And that’s what we did.”
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FLORENCE BOUND! Valdosta State tops Minnesota State-Mankato 35-19
Blazers to make appearance in fourth national championship game; faces Winston-Salem State University Rams, CIAA Champions.
MANKATO, Minnesota – Valdosta State compiled 498 yards of offense as the Blazers defeated Minnesota State-Mankato at Blakeslee Stadium in the NCAA Division II National Semifinals Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Blazers improved to 11-2 and advances to next week's NCAA Division II National Championship game at Braly Stadium in Florence, Ala. Minnesota State-Mankato ends its season at 13-1.
The 498 yards by VSU marked the most given up by MSU on the season, which entered the game as the No. 3 defense in the nation in total yardage as it allowed just 267.7 per game. The game comes just two weeks after Valdosta State tallied 525 yards in the second round of the Division II playoffs against West Alabama, which was the fifth-ranked defense in the nation at the time.
The game marked Valdosta State's fourth trip to the national semifinals and the fourth time that the Blazers have advanced to the national championship game.
Minnesota State-Mankato dominated the first quarter of play as it held the ball for a little over 11 out of the first 15 minutes of play. Valdosta State ran just seven plays during the frame and managed just 36 yards. Meanwhile, the Mavericks ran 22 plays for 118 yards while taking a 3-0 lead. Sam Brockshus scored the only points of the quarter as, on the second MSU possession of the game, he capped off a 14-play drive with a 29-yard field goal.
Minnesota State-Mankato pushed its advantage to 10-0 less than three minutes into the second quarter when Adam Thielen caught a 17-yard pass, before Valdosta State got back in the game with a pair of long drives.
After falling behind 10-0, Valdosta State marched 82 yards on 10 plays to score on an eight-yard catch by Gerald Ford. The big play on the drive came when Cayden Cochran found Seantavious Jones for a 39-yard gain to the MSU 12. Two plays later, Cochran, who completed four-of-six passes on the drive, found Ford across the middle to cut the VSU deficit to 10-7 with 8:20 to go in the second quarter.
VSU forced a punt, which was downed on the VSU three, on the next Maverick drive and took over on marched 97 yards to take the lead. Austin Scott opened the drive with a 28-yard run while three plays later Cochran and Ford hooked up for a 22-yard gain. A Regginald Lewis 25-yard catch moved the ball to the MSU 12 before Cochran found Seantavious Jones in the right corner of the end zone to put VSU ahead 14-7.
After having a ball go off the fingers of a leaping Ford in the end zone to end the first half, Valdosta State pushed its advantage to 21-10 on the first drive of the second half. The Blazers took the opening drive 75 yards on 13 plays. Lewis got the Blazers into scoring position when he caught a screen pass, used his hand to keep his balance while spinning out of a tackle and ran 34 yards to the MSU 5. On the next play, Cochran ran a quarterback keeper up the middle for the score.
MSU marched 51 yards for a 39-yard Brockshus field goal on its ensuing drive, only to have the Blazers respond with Cochran's second rushing touchdown on the next drive to put VSU in front 28-13 with 14:40 to play in the game.
The Mavericks quickly answered the score as Andy Pfeiffer scored on a one-yard run just over three minutes later. However, the extra point was missed, as was a field goal on the ensuing MSU drive to give the Blazers a 28-19 lead with just over three minutes to play.
The Blazers closed out the scoring with 24 seconds remaining when Austin Scott took a hand-off around right end and raced 31 yards for a touchdown.
Scott ran for 158 yards, leaving him eight yards shy of 1,000 on the year. Cochran added 40 yards rushing while completing 16-of-28 passes for 278 yards. Jones caught four passes for 122 yards while Ford had eight catches for 76 yards, giving him 1,020 yards on the season.
Jeremy Grable led the Valdosta State defense with 12 tackles, including 10 in the first half, while Chris Pope had 10.
Minnesota State-Mankato registered 436 yards of offense, much of which came from quarterback Jon Wolf, who ran for 127 yards while completing 11-of-24 passes for 195 more. The Mavericks tallied 241 rushing yards and 195 through the air.
Tickets for next weekend's national championship game will be on sale in the Valdosta State Athletic Offices in The Complex beginning at 8:30 a.m. Monday morning. All tickets to the event are for reserved seating and cost $25. Valdosta State has an allotment of 1,000 tickets behind its bench while additional tickets on the VSU side of the field can be purchased at www.d2championship.com or at www.ncaa.com.
Box Score
COURTESY VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
MANKATO, Minnesota – Valdosta State compiled 498 yards of offense as the Blazers defeated Minnesota State-Mankato at Blakeslee Stadium in the NCAA Division II National Semifinals Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Blazers improved to 11-2 and advances to next week's NCAA Division II National Championship game at Braly Stadium in Florence, Ala. Minnesota State-Mankato ends its season at 13-1.
The 498 yards by VSU marked the most given up by MSU on the season, which entered the game as the No. 3 defense in the nation in total yardage as it allowed just 267.7 per game. The game comes just two weeks after Valdosta State tallied 525 yards in the second round of the Division II playoffs against West Alabama, which was the fifth-ranked defense in the nation at the time.
The game marked Valdosta State's fourth trip to the national semifinals and the fourth time that the Blazers have advanced to the national championship game.
Minnesota State-Mankato dominated the first quarter of play as it held the ball for a little over 11 out of the first 15 minutes of play. Valdosta State ran just seven plays during the frame and managed just 36 yards. Meanwhile, the Mavericks ran 22 plays for 118 yards while taking a 3-0 lead. Sam Brockshus scored the only points of the quarter as, on the second MSU possession of the game, he capped off a 14-play drive with a 29-yard field goal.
Minnesota State-Mankato pushed its advantage to 10-0 less than three minutes into the second quarter when Adam Thielen caught a 17-yard pass, before Valdosta State got back in the game with a pair of long drives.
After falling behind 10-0, Valdosta State marched 82 yards on 10 plays to score on an eight-yard catch by Gerald Ford. The big play on the drive came when Cayden Cochran found Seantavious Jones for a 39-yard gain to the MSU 12. Two plays later, Cochran, who completed four-of-six passes on the drive, found Ford across the middle to cut the VSU deficit to 10-7 with 8:20 to go in the second quarter.
VSU forced a punt, which was downed on the VSU three, on the next Maverick drive and took over on marched 97 yards to take the lead. Austin Scott opened the drive with a 28-yard run while three plays later Cochran and Ford hooked up for a 22-yard gain. A Regginald Lewis 25-yard catch moved the ball to the MSU 12 before Cochran found Seantavious Jones in the right corner of the end zone to put VSU ahead 14-7.
After having a ball go off the fingers of a leaping Ford in the end zone to end the first half, Valdosta State pushed its advantage to 21-10 on the first drive of the second half. The Blazers took the opening drive 75 yards on 13 plays. Lewis got the Blazers into scoring position when he caught a screen pass, used his hand to keep his balance while spinning out of a tackle and ran 34 yards to the MSU 5. On the next play, Cochran ran a quarterback keeper up the middle for the score.
MSU marched 51 yards for a 39-yard Brockshus field goal on its ensuing drive, only to have the Blazers respond with Cochran's second rushing touchdown on the next drive to put VSU in front 28-13 with 14:40 to play in the game.
The Mavericks quickly answered the score as Andy Pfeiffer scored on a one-yard run just over three minutes later. However, the extra point was missed, as was a field goal on the ensuing MSU drive to give the Blazers a 28-19 lead with just over three minutes to play.
The Blazers closed out the scoring with 24 seconds remaining when Austin Scott took a hand-off around right end and raced 31 yards for a touchdown.
Scott ran for 158 yards, leaving him eight yards shy of 1,000 on the year. Cochran added 40 yards rushing while completing 16-of-28 passes for 278 yards. Jones caught four passes for 122 yards while Ford had eight catches for 76 yards, giving him 1,020 yards on the season.
Jeremy Grable led the Valdosta State defense with 12 tackles, including 10 in the first half, while Chris Pope had 10.
Minnesota State-Mankato registered 436 yards of offense, much of which came from quarterback Jon Wolf, who ran for 127 yards while completing 11-of-24 passes for 195 more. The Mavericks tallied 241 rushing yards and 195 through the air.
Tickets for next weekend's national championship game will be on sale in the Valdosta State Athletic Offices in The Complex beginning at 8:30 a.m. Monday morning. All tickets to the event are for reserved seating and cost $25. Valdosta State has an allotment of 1,000 tickets behind its bench while additional tickets on the VSU side of the field can be purchased at www.d2championship.com or at www.ncaa.com.
Box Score
COURTESY VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Saturday, December 8, 2012
14-0 Winston-Salem State to play for NCAA Division II National Championship
Winston-Salem, North Carolina -- Tonight, a great West Texas A&M University Buffaloes team was literally run over by a stronger, faster, smarter WSSU Rams team by the score of 41-18. The Rams will face Valdosta State (11-2), a 35-19 winner over Minnesota State - Mankato (13-1), for the National Championship on Saturday, December 15 at Braly Municipal Stadium, Florence, Alabama.If you missed both of these games, you may view at ESPN3 by clicking here.
With the win, the Rams becomes only the second HBCU to play for a NCAA Division II National Football Championship. Central State University (Ohio) holds the distinction of being the first, losing the championship to North Dakota State 41-21 in 1983 at McAllen, Texas.
More to follow later...
Arkansas-Pine Bluff works overtime for SWAC title
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference's most consistent team this season also was
its most resilient. That was evident Saturday at Legion Field when Arkansas-Pine Bluff overcame a two-touchdown deficit, forced overtime with a late 95-yard touchdown pass and then beat Jackson State in the extra session, 24-21, to win the SWAC Championship Game for the first time and the conference title for the second time.
UAPB, which trailed by 14 points twice in the first half, never led in the game until Strickland's field goal. The Golden Lions tied the game, though, on a stunning 95-yard pass from Benjamin Anderson to Willie Young with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
ESPN Video Championship Game Highlights
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