Mississippi Valley State tries to find missing link to having winning season

ITTA BENA, Mississippi -- What can you say? It’s been a long three years in Itta Bena – the Delta Devils have only won one football game in the last 1,000 days and change.

But all that could change in 2017, thanks to a defense that may be better than you think and an offense that has matured over the off-season.

Coach Rick Comegy’s squad underwent a youth movement last season, with 26 sophomores and 29 freshmen. Those players are a year older and ready to change the culture at Valley.

The Delta Devils return a capable quarterback in Austin Bray, and Comegy hopes to kick start the running game behind the blocking of second-team All-SWAC offensive lineman Alvin Solomon. All-SWAC defensive back Everett Nicholas is the lone bright spot on a defense that gave up more than 45 points a game last season.

The schedule is brutal early, but features four winnable games against Pine Bluff, Alabama A&M, Virginia-Lynchburg and Jackson State in the middle of the schedule, with the last two at home.

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A look inside Jackson State's 2017 football schedule

JACKSON, Mississippi -- At TCU, Sept. 2

The Tigers would love to get a win, but this game is more about bringing home the bacon for an athletic program facing budget cuts across the board. It should give Tony Hughes a chance to see which quarterback will respond well under pressure, at least.

Tennessee State (Memphis), Sept. 9

This is one the Tigers feel like they should have won last year. They had TSU on the ropes, up by a touchdown in the third quarter of last year’s Southern Heritage Classic. This is a game they’d like to flip, and getting revenge could indicate they are on the right track for a winning season.

At Grambling, Sept. 16

Just how good is that Jackson State defense? We’ll find out in Week 3 when the Tigers travel just west of Ruston, Louisiana for a matchup with the reigning SWAC champs in both teams’ conference opener. Grambling quarterback Devante Kincade lit the Tigers up last year in a 35-16 win in Jackson.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Sept. 23

After a grueling first three games, the Tigers return home for a winnable game against a conference foe that won just one game last year and has shown little signs of improvement. This game should give JSU a chance to get a conference win in front of its home crowd for the first time in 2017.

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2017 SWAC Football television schedule announced

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference released its 2017 football television schedule on Thursday which includes 28 contests that will spread across 10 different networks.

All 10 of the member institutions will be featured on either the ESPN family of networks, ABC, Fox Sports Network, AT&T Sports Net, Peachtree TV, Stadium TV, beIN, the local CBS affiliate WHNT in Huntsville, or the NBC Sports Network. All games are available in standard high-definition.

Among some of the highlighted contests, Texas Southern will kick off the college football season by playing in the first game of the Division I college football slate on Saturday, August 26 against Florida A&M in Tallahassee at 11 a.m. CT. on ESPNU.

Southern University will open their season on Sunday, Sept. 3 in the 13th annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge when the Jaguars host South Carolina State at Ace W. Mumford Stadium. The opener will be known as the Battle on the Bluff in Baton Rouge, La. Kickoff will air live at 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

Four days following at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU, Prairie View A&M will be featured on the first Thursday night football match up on Sept. 7 when it hosts STATS FCS No. 3 ranked Sam Houston State of the Southland Conference for a 6:30 p.m. kick.

In week three, Jackson State travels to take on the defending SWAC Champions and No. 21 Grambling State on the newly installed artificial turf at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium Sept. 16 on ESPN3 at 6 p.m.

Alabama State third-year head coach Brian Jenkins hosts defending SWAC Eastern Division Champion Alcorn State for a Thursday night showdown on Oct. 5 on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m. CT. The 76th Magic City Classic between Alabama A&M and Alabama State will take place in Birmingham, Ala. on Oct. 28 on ESPN3 with a time to be determined. The game will be tape delayed for a broadcast on ESPNU as well. Alabama A&M defeated Alabama State in a one-point overtime thriller in last year’s edition of the game.

SWAC Western Division rivals clash when Grambling State and Southern square off in New Orleans, La. for the Bayou Classic on the NBC Sports Network at 4 p.m. on November 25. The teams finished No. 1 and No. 2 in the SWAC West Division standings a year ago with the division title being decided in this game last season.

The postseason starts with the final edition of the SWAC Football Championship in Houston, Texas on Saturday, Dec. 2 at NRG Stadium. The SWAC Championship game began in 1999 and will forgo the game starting in 2018. The Final Judgement will pit the traditional East and West Division Champions against one another and will be available to also watch on ESPNU. Kickoff time is set for 3:30 p.m.

The TV line up concludes with the Celebration Bowl Saturday, December 16, at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. The multi-purpose retractable roof stadium serves as the home of the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) and Atlanta United FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). The state-of-the-art stadium is set to open on Aug. 26 when the Falcons host the Arizona Cardinals in an exhibition game. It is also scheduled to serve as the hosts of Super Bowl LIII in 2019. Kickoff for the Celebration Bowl is set for 11:00 a.m. CT on ABC.

2017 SWAC football telecast schedule

Date Game Site Time (CT) Network

Saturday, Aug. 26 Texas Southern at FAMU Tallahassee, Fla. 11 a.m. ESPNU

Saturday, Sept. 2 Alabama A&M at UAB Birmingham, Ala. 2:30 p.m. WHNT (Local)

Saturday, Sept. 2 Miss. Valley St. at N. Dakota St. Fargo, ND 2:30 p.m. ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 2 Grambling State at Tulane New Orleans, La. 7 p.m. ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 2 Jackson State at TCU Fort Worth, Texas 7 p.m. FOX Sports Network

Saturday, Sept. 2 Prairie View at Texas Southern Houston, Texas 8 p.m. AT&T Sports Net (Local)

Sunday, Sept. 3 S.C. State at Southern Baton Rouge, La. 1:30 p.m. ESPN2

Thursday, Sept. 7 Sam Houston St. at Prairie View Prairie View, Texas 6:30 p.m. ESPNU

Thursday, Sept. 7 Houston Baptist at Texas Southern Houston, Texas 7:30 p.m. AT&T Sports Net (Local)

Saturday, Sept. 9 Alabama A&M at Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn. 3 p.m. SECN Alternate

Saturday, Sept. 9 Alabama State at Troy Troy, Ala. 5 p.m. ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 9 Miss. Valley St. at S. Illinois Carbondale, Ill. 6 p.m. ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 9 Southern at Southern Miss Hattiesburg, Miss. 6 p.m. Stadium TV

Saturday, Sept. 9 Jackson State at Tennessee State Memphis, Tenn. 6 p.m. Fox Sports Southeast

Saturday, Sept. 9 Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Akron Akron, Ohio 6:30 p.m. ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 9 Alcorn State at FIU Miami, Fla. 6:30 p.m. beIN Sports

Saturday, Sept. 16 Alabama A&M at South Alabama Mobile, Ala. 6 p.m. ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Ark. St. Jonesboro, Ark. 6 p.m. ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 16 Jackson State at Grambling St. Grambling, La. 6 p.m. ESPN3 / ESPNU (tape delayed)

Friday, Sept. 29 Alcorn State at Texas Southern Houston, Texas 8 p.m. AT&T Sports Net (Local)

Thurs., Oct. 5 Alcorn State at Alabama St. Montgomery, Ala. 6:30 p.m. ESPNU

Saturday, Oct. 7 Texas Southern at Kennesaw St. Kennesaw, Ga. 6 p.m. PeachTree TV (Local)

Saturday, Oct. 14 Alabama State at Texas Southern Houston, Texas 2 p.m. AT&T Sports Net (Local)

Saturday, Oct. 28 Alabama A&M vs. Alabama St. Birmingham, Ala. TBA ESPN3 / ESPNU (tape delayed)

Saturday, Nov. 11 Southern at Texas Southern Houston, Texas 5 p.m. AT&T Sports Net (Local)

Saturday, Nov. 25 Southern vs. Grambling State New Orleans, La. 4 p.m. NBC Sports

Saturday, Dec. 2 SWAC Championship Houston, Texas 3:30 p.m. ESPNU

Saturday, Dec. 16 Celebration Bowl Atlanta, Ga. 11 a.m. ABC

Schedule subject to change.

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Alcorn State is once again the favorite to win the SWAC East

LORMAN, Mississippi -- Alcorn State is the favorite to win the SWAC East for a fourth-straight year, but that doesn’t mean second-year coach Fred McNair doesn’t have his work cut out for him.

After a tumultuous off-season full of off-the-field distractions, the Braves are anxious to get back on the field and get back to winning. And there’s plenty of reason to think they’ll do just that.

They return two capable quarterbacks, first-team All-SWAC guard Timothy Gardner and second-team All-SWAC tailback De’Lance Turner. First-team All-SWAC selection Michael Brooks leads a solid defensive line and O.J. O’Neal anchors a secondary that was second in the league in stopping the pass last year.

The schedule sets up nicely, with an adjustment game against Miles College before they jump into the meat of the schedule with Florida International, McNeese State and Southern.

Three questions with Fred McNair

Do you think the guys coming back will use the motivation from losing the SWAC Championship game?

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SWAC preview: Alabama State Hornets

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY

1. ‘Main course’: Alabama State head coach Brian Jenkins said he’s tired of just being in the mix for a conference title. The Hornets finished 4-7 last season, posting their first losing mark since 2009. This season, the Hornets were picked to finish second in the SWAC East behind Alcorn State. “It’s time for us to be in the main course,” Jenkins said. “The East is tough, just like the West. There’s a lot of parody in the league, but I think that’s a good thing. That means that if we’re the last team standing, we’ve earned the right to be called (SWAC) champion.” ASU hasn’t earned that distinction since 2004 and hasn’t reached the SWAC title game since 2011.

2. Next man up? Alabama State has rushed for over 2,000 yards in each of the last four seasons. Last year, the Hornets were once again tops in the SWAC with 220.5 rushing yards per game. Hornets junior Alex Anderson has been plagued by injuries throughout this career, but Jenkins said Anderson is finally healthy enough to carry the load. “Alex has come in 10-12 pounds heavier," Jenkins said. "Last year, he tried to play through some injuries. This year, he has a better understanding of the offense. With the added weight and his health, we expect some big things from him."

3. Defensive reload: ASU has a new defensive coordinator in ...

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Hampton hopes to continue MEAC upswing with swarming defense

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Brendan Cole and Steven Smith are determined to end their Hampton careers by keeping the Pirates on an upward trend.

Following a string of losing seasons, both overall and in the MEAC, Hampton finished 5-3 in conference the past two years.

“We took a big step last year in leadership,” said Cole, a safety and grad student. “The year before we had our first winning season in about three years, so we built off that. Now we’re trying to take that next step, which is just togetherness.”

The defense, which ranked second in the MEAC in yards allowed in 2016, returns most of its starters. Cole and Smith – a senior linebacker and former Salem High standout – anchor the swarming D.

“We fly around and everybody runs to the ball,” Smith said. “Hustle, determination and not giving up.”

While both offense and defense finished in the top five in nearly every category, Smith believes the two weren’t synced in enough games to top the team standings.

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For Norfolk State this year, "there can’t be any more excuses"

NORFOLK, Virginia -- No more excuses.

That’s how tight end Demetreus Ferebee sees it.

As Norfolk State enters its third year of the Latrell Scott regime, most players on the roster are his recruits. And while Ferebee, a redshirt senior, is one of the few holdovers from former coach Pete Adrian’s guys, he recognizes this year should be a pivot toward improvement.

“There can’t be any more excuses,” Ferebee said. “We gotta make it happen.”

The Spartans finished 4-7 overall in each of Scott’s first two seasons, sandwiched in the middle of the MEAC standings. In a favorable light, the first two years were mostly a transition period as new and old recruits mingled.

“The first two years, we were polishing up and getting guys ready,” said Nigel Chavis, a redshirt sophomore defensive end/linebacker. “To me, the third year is when the work shows.”

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