Saturday, August 26, 2017
S.C. State linebacker Darius Leonard gives Bulldogs reason to be optimistic
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- Coming out of Lake View High School, linebacker Darius Leonard was used to being on the football field for just about every snap.
So when Leonard arrived at South Carolina State in the fall of 2013, the last thing he expected was to sit on the sidelines for an entire season.
But sitting out as a freshman and redshirting might have been the best thing that ever happened to Leonard.
Like a lot of athletes that S.C. State head coach Buddy Pough recruits, Leonard came to Orangeburg as an undersized player at his position. The lanky, 6-3 Leonard had the height and quickness to play linebacker in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, but weighed just 185 pounds and needed a year in the weight room and at the training table.
Leonard’s talent became apparent after just a handful of practices. There was talk early in Leonard’s freshman season about burning his redshirt year and getting him on the field.
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So when Leonard arrived at South Carolina State in the fall of 2013, the last thing he expected was to sit on the sidelines for an entire season.
But sitting out as a freshman and redshirting might have been the best thing that ever happened to Leonard.
Like a lot of athletes that S.C. State head coach Buddy Pough recruits, Leonard came to Orangeburg as an undersized player at his position. The lanky, 6-3 Leonard had the height and quickness to play linebacker in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, but weighed just 185 pounds and needed a year in the weight room and at the training table.
Leonard’s talent became apparent after just a handful of practices. There was talk early in Leonard’s freshman season about burning his redshirt year and getting him on the field.
CONTINUE READING
Eyeing defensive upgrade, FAMU has conference title aspirations
TALLAHASSE, Florida -- Florida A&M coach Alex Wood knows what it takes to improve. And it will only come with progress on defense.The Rattlers gave up 39 or more points in four of their 10 games against FCS opponents. FAMU was somehow quite good against the pass, ranking fifth nationally, yet allowed 223 rushing yards per game (105th in the FCS).
“We’ll be exciting, colorful, explosive and play good defense,” Wood said. “To win a championship, you have to play really good defense.”
Wood is right. And just the fact that the Rattlers are discussing the prospects of winning a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title is also a significant point. FAMU last won a MEAC championship in 2010, when it shared a piece of the title. Seven years and three coaching changes later, there is optimism for the future as FAMU tries to build on a 4-7 season.
FAMU returns its leading tailback and two top receivers.
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Just the facts: FAMU vs. Texas Southern
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The skinny: Florida A&M kicks off the college football season with a Week Zero game against SWAC foe Texas Southern at noon on Saturday. It’s the first time FAMU has opened its season at home since 2011 – coincidentally, that’s the last time FAMU had a winning season. The Rattlers came on strong last season with Ryan Stanley as the team’s starting quarterback. FAMU won four of its last seven games, but the season ended with a disappointing showing in the Florida Classic. Florida A&M (4-7, 4-4 MEAC last season) vs. Texas Southern (4-7, 4-5 SWAC last season)
When/where: Noon, Saturday, Bragg Memorial Stadium
TV: ESPNU
Radio: 96.1 FM
Texas Southern looking to climb the ranks of the SWAC after going 4-7 last season. The Tigers lost their starting quarterback in the first game of the season. Jay Christophe is back now as a redshirt senior. Still Texas Southern lost some key pieces on defense and switched to a 3-4 this offseason.
There’s a lot of buzz surrounding this game in the HBCU sports world. It’s the first game of the year, and the only one that’ll be on national television during its noon time slot. Some fans have worried about the potential heat in Bragg, but FAMU’s administration has taken steps to provide some relief during what promises to be a sweltering game.
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Saturday's FAMU game could be a season opener to remember with a national spotlight
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta may be getting all the attention, but the fans on the Highest of Seven Hills know which game is really kicking off the college football season.
Florida A&M’s Week Zero game against Texas Southern – dubbed the Jake Gaither Classic – is the first Division I football game being played this season. Yes, it’s a contest between two teams that went 4-7 last season, but it’s the first taste of real college football anyone is going to get.
For FAMU fans, this is the best first look at the Rattlers in years.
I know it’s going to be hot – high noon near the end of August is no joke in Tallahassee – but this is a season opener, at home, on national television and it’s not against a powerhouse opponent.
FSU has its “greatest opener of all time” set for Sept. 2. FAMU has its “greatest opener of Milton Overton Jr.’s tenure as athletic director” set for Saturday.
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Florida A&M’s Week Zero game against Texas Southern – dubbed the Jake Gaither Classic – is the first Division I football game being played this season. Yes, it’s a contest between two teams that went 4-7 last season, but it’s the first taste of real college football anyone is going to get.
For FAMU fans, this is the best first look at the Rattlers in years.
I know it’s going to be hot – high noon near the end of August is no joke in Tallahassee – but this is a season opener, at home, on national television and it’s not against a powerhouse opponent.
FSU has its “greatest opener of all time” set for Sept. 2. FAMU has its “greatest opener of Milton Overton Jr.’s tenure as athletic director” set for Saturday.
CONTINUE READING
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Bowie State Looks to Finally Win the CIAA Championship Game
BOWIE, Maryland -- During the late 1970’s then Houston Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini made a bold declaration after a second straight AFC Championship Game loss to the great Pittsburgh Steelers. “Last year we knocked on the door, this year we banged on it, next year we’re going to kick it in.” The Oilers never went back to that championship game and ultimately became the Tennessee Titans.
Bowie State finds themselves in the same circumstance entering this season. For the last two years they’ve lost to Winston Salem State in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Championship game which drives everyone in the program as they try to find the key to get that last victory and bring a football championship home.
“Our veteran leaders have had a lot of success and done all we asked of them so I would like to send them out with a championship,” head coach Damon Wilson told the AFRO.
Despite not having as many full scholarships or a complete full time coaching staff, Bowie State has dominated the northern division of the CIAA. The Bulldogs know what it takes to win the division but with Virginia State, Virginia Union and Chowan closing the gap nothing is guaranteed.
NCAA Division II rules state football teams can award a maximum of 53 full scholarships yet Bowie St. can only offer 11. Those same rules also mandate that programs can totally compensate seven full time staff coaching positions yet they can only afford two. The financial disparity that separates them from the other elite programs in the CIAA is not an excuse but a reality that hovers over the program every year.
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Bowie State finds themselves in the same circumstance entering this season. For the last two years they’ve lost to Winston Salem State in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Championship game which drives everyone in the program as they try to find the key to get that last victory and bring a football championship home.
“Our veteran leaders have had a lot of success and done all we asked of them so I would like to send them out with a championship,” head coach Damon Wilson told the AFRO.
Despite not having as many full scholarships or a complete full time coaching staff, Bowie State has dominated the northern division of the CIAA. The Bulldogs know what it takes to win the division but with Virginia State, Virginia Union and Chowan closing the gap nothing is guaranteed.
NCAA Division II rules state football teams can award a maximum of 53 full scholarships yet Bowie St. can only offer 11. Those same rules also mandate that programs can totally compensate seven full time staff coaching positions yet they can only afford two. The financial disparity that separates them from the other elite programs in the CIAA is not an excuse but a reality that hovers over the program every year.
CONTINUE READING
WSSU Rams gearing up for opener against UNC Pembroke
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Coach Kienus Boulware of Winston-Salem State needed to get away from his phone and office and the usual distractions of a busy day before practice earlier this week.
He found his escape by lining the team’s practice field with red paint, and the results were pretty good.
“It’s a great way to kind of clear my mind,” Boulware said about the maintenance duty that’s obviously not part of his contract. “I don’t mind doing it every now and then.”
It’s a good bet not many head coaches would take the time to line the team’s practice field, but to Boulware it’s just another way of building his program.
The Rams have a few practices left before their opener at UNC Pembroke on Aug. 31 in a Thursday night game. They have lost to Pembroke in each of the last two openers.
Boulware’s Rams have experience all over the field having lost only six starters from last season’s 9-3 team that won the CIAA for the second straight season and went to the Division II playoffs.
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He found his escape by lining the team’s practice field with red paint, and the results were pretty good.
“It’s a great way to kind of clear my mind,” Boulware said about the maintenance duty that’s obviously not part of his contract. “I don’t mind doing it every now and then.”
It’s a good bet not many head coaches would take the time to line the team’s practice field, but to Boulware it’s just another way of building his program.
The Rams have a few practices left before their opener at UNC Pembroke on Aug. 31 in a Thursday night game. They have lost to Pembroke in each of the last two openers.
Boulware’s Rams have experience all over the field having lost only six starters from last season’s 9-3 team that won the CIAA for the second straight season and went to the Division II playoffs.
CONTINUE READING
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