Morgan State looks to stay undefeated in MEAC play against Savannah State

SAVANNAH STATE (1-3) @ MORGAN STATE (2-2)

When: Saturday, 4 p.m.

Site: Hughes Stadium, Baltimore

Audio: WEAA 88.9 FM

Series: Morgan State leads 7-0

What's at stake: Saturday's 26-6 victory at Delaware State helped the Bears improve to 2-0 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, but they are in a second-place tie with Norfolk State (2-3 overall, 2-0 in the conference) and need a win this weekend to tie Bethune-Cookman (5-1, 3-0) for first in the league. Morgan State can stay in the hunt for sole possession of first place and get off to its first 3-0 start in the MEAC since 2009 with a win against the Tigers. Since joining the league for the 2011 campaign, Savannah State has finished in last place out of 11 teams every year. The Tigers could avoid a similar fate after defeating Florida A&M, 37-27, a week ago. That victory snapped a 24-game losing streak and a 32-game skid in the conference for Savannah State, which last visited Hughes Stadium on Oct. 8, 2011.

CONTINUE READING

Southern freshmen proving they’re ready to play

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern has undergone a gradual youth movement on its defense.

The Jaguars could start as many as four true freshmen against Alabama State on Saturday. Some of the moves were out of necessity, some because coaches weren’t satisfied with the performance of more experienced players. All, though, are a reflection of the four first-year players — defensive backs Demerio Houston and Andrea Augustine and linemen Christopher Jones and Jaron Johnson — proving themselves during preseason camp and the first four games.

“They’re playing well,” coach Dawson Odums said. “I’ve got to take my hat off to our recruiting. We’re recruiting guys that are ready to play. You don’t want to make a living playing freshmen every year, but that’s the hand we were dealt.

“So we’ve got to get the best out of them and maximize what they can do. But I’m happy about those guys that are playing. They’re really paying dividends. I think that their early success is going to allow us to continue to improve down the stretch because now we’re starting to get some upperclassmen back.”

CONTINUE READING

Morehouse tires of losing to Tuskegee

COLUMBUS, Georgia -- You don't have to point it out to him. Morehouse coach Rich Freeman is fully aware of the Maroon Tigers struggles in the Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic. Entering his eighth season at the helm of Morehouse, Freeman will bluntly tell you the truth.

"Over the few seasons, they have flat out whooped us," Freeman said. "I believe that they have beaten us by a combined 50 points over the past two years, and that's not good enough on our part."

In fact, Tuskegee has outscored Morehouse 124-24 over the past three years and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings over the Maroon Tigers. Morehouse's lone victory over the Golden Tigers in the past decade came in 2011, a tight 17-14 victory at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium.

"We have entered this game with a better record over the past few years and we stumbled," Freeman said. "This year, we are 3-2, but we are five points from being undefeated.

"I told the guys that this game isn't the hurdle, but the month of October is. That has really been our problem over the years. October is the time when you are measured against the best, and we are looking forward to it."

CONTINUE READING

After last year's run, Hampton University's basketball team eager to get started

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Last March, Hampton University went into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament having lost nine of its last 13 games. Yet the Pirates went on a memorable four-game run that weekend, which set up a first-round win in the NCAA tournament.

That type of finish can only help in the offseason. For the 12 players returning, it was positive reinforcement.

“That run made everything easier,” HU coach Edward Joyner Jr. said during Thursday’s MEAC preseason teleconference. “It made recruiting easier, it made walking around campus easier. These guys have bought into what we’re trying to do.

“I’m not saying they (hadn’t) before. When you see the fruits of your labor, that changes everything. Winning cures everything. They’re really looking forward to what’s ahead of us this year.”

CONTINUE READING

Norfolk State prepares for preseason favorite North Carolina A&T

CONTINUE READING

Former Southern coach Mark Orlando now on opposite sideline

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- The four Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships and four HBCU national championships Southern won during his two stops and aggregate 13-year tenure are never far from Mark Orlando’s mind.

“I wasn’t from there, and felt more at home in Louisiana than any other place I coached,” Orlando, now in his first season as offensive coordinator at Alabama State. “The reach out of the fans to the coaches and players was a great experience. I can see it’s still there. They’ve got a great program going.”

The return of Southern’s football program to its former prominence of competing for and winning Southwestern Athletic Conference championship is something Orlando can identify with.

At least for one weekend in October, Orlando hopes to spoil Southern’s run of success through the conference when Alabama State (2-3, 2-2 SWAC) hosts the Jaguars (2-2, 2-0) at 6 p.m. Saturday.

“I remember being part of that tradition, the Bayou Classic, the home crowds, the band,” Orlando said of Southern. “I always felt like in Baton Rouge with LSU and Southern, it was the college football capital of the world. It was an unbelievable energy of college football on a Saturday night in Baton Rouge.”

CONTINUE READING

JSU's Brent knows pressure is on

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State basketball coach Wayne Brent is well aware of the pressure he’s under.

And that’s because as he’s entering the final year of his contract (set to expire in June 2016) and is coming off back-to-back losing seasons, he's placing it on himself.

“I felt pressure the first year (at JSU) when I had three years left. I felt pressure the last year I was at Callaway when I had the best team in the state. I want to win. I hate to lose and I hate to be around a loser,” Brent said after his team’s practice on Thursday morning. “Pressure is on me from me. I’m not used to losing, I don’t want to lose, I don’t want to be associated with people who lose. I want to win. I want to win every time I hit the court. That’s what I’ve been accustomed to.”

Brent has won 11 games in each of his two seasons. The Tigers allowed 63.5 points per game last season, which was the top scoring defense in the SWAC. But JSU shot just 38 percent from the field and 27 percent from beyond the arc, which hurt the scoring output.

CONTINUE READING