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LANGSTON, Oklahoma -- The Langston Lions kicked off the 2017 campaign with a dominating 30-14 victory over Lincoln (Mo.) on Saturday, Sept. 2 at W.E. Anderson Stadium. This was the 64th annual Battle of the LU's between both schools.
Langston got on the scoreboard after quarterback Milton Harper (SR/Tulsa, Okla.) hit Taj Johnson (SO/Aurora, Colo.) for a 15-yard touchdown pass, capping a five-play 36-yard drive in the first quarter.
The Lions tacked on two more scores in the second quarter after Tyree Hanson scored on a two-yard run and defensive lineman Tyler Bess (SR/Hollis, Okla.) returned a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown to take a 20-0 lead into halftime.
On their opening drive of the third quarter the Lions again marched straight down the field, ending with Harper hitting Daylon Person (SO/Watts, Calif.) for a 45-yard touchdown pass to hold a commanding 27-0 lead at the 13:15 third quarter mark.
The first score for the Blue Tigers came courtesy of the defense when they blocked Jaylen Lowe's punt and returned it to the end zone to pull within 27-7 at the 9:23 mark; Langston countered with a 14-play, 56-yard drive which ended with Abraham Lueveano nailing a 19-yard field goal attempt to make it 30-7.
Lincoln collected the final score after Henry Ogala hit Miles Drummond for a six-yard touchdown to make it 30-14.
This is the second-straight season opening win for the Lions, with both victories coming again the Blue Tigers. Head coach Quinton Morgan improves to 13-2 overall as head coach.
In his first start under center at Langston, Harper finished nine-of-20 for 151 yards and two touchdown passes; Taj Johnson led the way on the ground with eight carries for 36 yards.
Michael Andrade (SO/New Orleans, La.) led the aerial attack with three catches for 30 yards.
Defensively, Jamarie Finnie led the Lions with six total tackles, five solo with a 1/2 sack, 3 1/2 tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
Langston (1-0) heads to Batesville, Ark. next weekend to face Lyon College. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
ALBANY, Georgia — Valdosta State’s offense got going late to help the Blazers extend a streak that began more than 25 years ago.
Unfortunately for the Blazers, it was much too late to prevent a 29-12 loss in their season opener against the Golden Rams Saturday at Albany State University Coliseum.
VSU has played 306 straight games since it was last shut out in its 1991 season opener against Central Florida, but the Division II active record appeared to be in jeopardy against Albany State.
The Golden Rams held the Blazers to just 92 yards of offense in the first half and 138 yards through three quarters as it built a 20-0 lead, but Valdosta State head coach Kerwin Bell believes the biggest mistakes were made on his team’s first few possessions.
“When you play a team every year like this, and these guys have some talent, now they’ve got a coach that’s got them in shape and they’ve got a good scheme, but I still think a game like this you play every year comes down to the first two or three series in the game for us,” Bell said after the game. “When you play a team like that, you’ve got to show them who is in control again. You’ve got to take advantage of what we had.”
Junior Adam Robles got the start at quarterback for VSU, and he connected with receiver Tshumbi Johnson for a 16-yard gain on the first drive of the game.
GREENSBURG, Pennsylvania – The Bowie State University football team opened the 2017 season with a 48-7 road victory at Seton Hill University on Saturday afternoon at Offutt Field.
The victory broke a two-game series skid for the Bulldogs (1-0) who had lost the previous two matchups with Griffins heading into Saturday.
Junior Amir Hall threw for 361 yards and five touchdowns on 23-of-26 passing. Hall, the 2016 CIAA Offensive Player of the Year also accounted for 50 rushing yards, second best on the team.
Junior co-captain Derrick Tate tallied a team-best five solo tackles (six total) while junior teammate John Johnson, IV (Washington, D.C.) and redshirt sophomore Tommar Phillips (Lanham, Md.) added five total tackles each for Bowie State.
Redshirt senior Robert Chesson (Annapolis, Md.) rushed for 77 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries to carry most of the load for the Bulldogs, while junior transfer Lansana Sesay (Bowie, Md.) caught seven passes for a game-high 148 yards in his Bulldogs debut.
As a team, Bowie State amassed 599 total yards of offense (382 passing and 217 rushing) and the Bulldogs defense held Seton Hill to just 151 yards of total (39 passing and 112 rushing). The one glaring negative statistic for Bowie State was penalties as the Bulldogs were penalized 17 times for 175 yards.
"We're very happy to start the season 1-0 but extremely disappointed in the number of penalties we had today", said Bowie State head coach Damon Wilson. When asked what was the most impressive part about the teams play, Wilson said "Our overall effort was outstanding!"
Seton Hill scored the first points of the season as Evan Byrd rumbled 66-yards for the touchdown. Santiago Henao added the extra point for the early 7-0 lead at the 13:55 mark of the first quarter.
Bowie State responded when Hall connected with Clark from 16 yards out with 6:45 to go in the opening quarter. Sophomore Gene Carson (Accokeek, Md.) added the extra point to tie the game at 7-all. The Hall and Clark duo teamed up again at the 3:55 mark, this time for a 62-yard pass, catch and score. Carson's extra point gave the Bulldogs a 14-7 advantage.
The Bulldogs pushed its lead to 21-7, this time on the legs of Hall, as he rushed down the sideline for a 15-yard score with 8:13 remaining in the second quarter. Hall goes deep again, connecting with Sesay for a 57-yard touchdown, pushing the Bulldogs lead to 28-7 over Seton Hill.
Bowie State accumulated 339 yards in total offense in the first half compared to 140 yards for Seton Hill. Penalties were a sore spot for the Bulldogs in the first 30 minutes as Bowie State was flagged 10 times for 95 yards.
Bowie State added six more points early in the third quarter (11:56) when Hall found redshirt senior Kerrick Pollock (Miami, Fla.) wide open in the back corner of the Griffins end zone, extending the Bulldogs lead to 34-7.
Chesson punched it in from 1-yard out and Carson converted the extra point at the 7:29 mark of the third quarter, to give Bowie State a comfortable 41-7 cushion. Redshirt junior Adam Gillis, Jr. scored his first points of the new year, strolling in for a 9-yard rushing touchdown, padding the Bulldogs at 48-7 at the 2:49 mark.
Other top statistical players for Bowie State include redshirt sophomore Geordan Clark (White Plains, Md.) with 85 reception yards and Pollock added 68 reception yards. Redshirt junior Brandon Abrams (Bowie, Md.) finished with 55 rushing yards.
Seton Hill's Byrd was his teams' top offensive player with 67 rushing yards. Noah Davis and Fadan Allen were the Griffins' leading tacklers with seven apiece.
The Bulldogs will hit the road next week when they head to the defending CIAA Champions of Winston-Salem (N.C.) State University to battle the Rams in Bowman-Gray Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. and will be carried live on the ESPN3 app. Winston-Salem State defeated #19 UNC Pembroke 34-31 on Thursday (8/31) afternoon.
MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Senior safety Jonah McCutcheon returned a 46 yard interception for a touchdown with 10:57 left in the fourth quarter and Tuskegee pulled away from Alabama State for a 14-6 victory in Montgomery at ASU Stadium.
A sellout crowd of 25,442 witnessed the Golden Tigers improved to 2-0 over the Hornets in its fairly new stadium that opened in 2012.
Both teams struggled offensively and played through a scoreless first quarter until TU Quarterback Jamarcus Ezell completed a 55 yard pass to Peyton Ramzy with 1:28 left in the first half to take a 7-0 lead. That score marked the 11th time out of the last 13 games against ASU that the Golden Tigers have scored first.
Ezell finished the evening going 7-of-17 for 139 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Ramzy hauled in 66 yards on a pair of catches on the night.
Defensively, preseason All-American Osband Thompson led the Golden Tigers with 14 tackles, two QB hurries, and one forced fumble. Thompson had 10 of those stops at halftime. McCutcheon and Kevin Dawson each had seven tackles while Darnell Hill and Kenderrius Whitehead totaled six tackles apiece. Terance Leatherwood notched TU's lone sack on the evening.
Punter Dalton Hall came up huge for the Golden Tigers. The Hartsville, South Carolina native punted 10 times for 392 yards landing three inside the 20 yard line. He also finished with a long of 48.
ASU's only score came with 1:26 left in the game when Kobie Jones connected with Alex Johnson for a 3-yd touchdown pass.
The Golden Tigers will face Albany State in Phenix City next Saturday for the annual Labor Day Classic. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. EDT.
TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY GOLDEN TIGERS SPORTS INFORMATION
BOILING SPRINGS, North Carolina -- Despite the loss of legendary running back Tari Cohen, there was perhaps less heartburn concerning the North Carolina A&T football team’s offense going into the 2017 season than their defense. At least the offense returned an All-MEAC quarterback, a conference rookie of the year wide receiver and a running back who had 11 career touchdowns despite being a backup.
For one Saturday night at least, the Aggies have now elevated a lot of concern about their defense. The 25th-ranked Aggies held Gardner-Webb to 114 yards of total offense while compiling 414 yards of offense themselves to down the Bulldogs 45-3 at Spangler Stadium. Then there was All-American punt returner Khris Garden who had five returns for 150 yards including an 88-yard touchdown return for his fifth career punt return for touchdown.
N.C. A&T’s defense was so outstanding, they did not allow the Bulldogs to cross midfield until there was 12:32 remaining in the game. GWU quarterback Tyrell Maxwell, the Big South’s preseason player of the year and the conference’s 2016 player of the year, threw for 34 yards and an interception on 6-for-15 passing. Maxwell, the Bulldogs leading rusher last season, mustered only 11 yards rushing on Saturday.
“We wanted to attack him. We wanted to go at him and make him make quick decisions,” said N.C. A&T coach Rod Broadway. “We knocked them off the ball in the first half and made some things happen in their backfield. Even on passing plays, I thought our guys did a good job of really getting up field and putting pressure on him.
Once we made him one dimensional it became an easier game. I was afraid of him coming into the game because he can make so many plays.”
N.C. A&T quarterback, redshirt junior Lamar Raynard, was a scary sight for the Bulldogs. He threw for a career-high 321 yards to go along with three touchdown passes. He also ran one in to account for four of the Aggies seven touchdowns. In the process, Raynard completed 19 of 22 passes and posted an impressive 253.93 quarterback efficiency rating.
Raynard’s favorite two targets were 2016 MEAC Rookie of the Year Elijah Bell and Appalachian State graduate transfer Jaquil Capel. Bell caught five passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Capel posted five receptions for 91 yards. Redshirt junior running back Marquell Cartwright added 58 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
“He started right where he left off (last season),” said Broadway. “We were able to spread the ball around quite a bit. We have so many people capable of becoming big-time playmakers for us. I thought Raynard was sharp tonight in getting the ball out of his hand and getting it to individuals where they can catch it.
He has a lot to work with, so he just has to continue to grow and develop as a player and a leader.”
Raynard completed passes to seven different receivers Saturday night. He completed his first five passes and then completed 13 in a row between the second and third quarters as the Aggies scored on five of their six first-half drives. The biggest pass play of the night came on a 61-yard deep ball from Raynard to redshirt junior Malik Wilson for a 19-0 Aggies lead in the first quarter.
It was the longest completion of Raynard’s career. Gardner-Webb was finally able to stop the Aggies on their ensuing drive to force a punt. But even that went sour when on the first play of GWU’s drive, Maxwell threw a pass that ricocheted off the hands of Aggies cornerback Mac McCain and into the arms of inside linebacker Joshua Patrick for an interception.
Two plays later Raynard connected with Bell on a quick out route. Bell turned up field and ran through three GWU defenders on his way to a 35-yard touchdown. He also scored on the two-point conversion to give N.C. A&T a 27-0 second-quarter lead.
The Aggies then put together a 10-play, 94-yard drive capped off by a Bell 8-yard TD reception to end the half. They then complemented that drive by opening the second half with a 16-play, 75-yard drive that ate up 9:15 off the clock before Jaquil Capel finished it off with a 1-yard touchdown run to give N.C. A&T a 39-0 lead.
Despite the success of the offense, the defense and the punt return team, the Aggies did miss four extra points with two of them being blocked.
“I thought we played good in spurts and bad in spurts. I thought we played an outstanding first half. I was a little disappointed in the second half because I don’t think we followed through with a killer instinct. The most disappointing point is that we missed some extra points. Our protection on extra point has got to get fixed.”
The Aggies will face Division II Mars Hill 6 p.m., Saturday at Aggie Stadium. Tickets are on sale at www.ncataggies.com. Follow Aggies football on Twitter (@ncat_football). Follow Aggie Athletics on Facebook (@ncatathletics), Instagram (@ncatathletics) and Twitter (@ncataggies).
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
NORFOLK, Virginia -- – In front of a crowd of 10,221, the Virginia State University Trojans Football team opened its 2017 season with a 14-10 victory on the road against Norfolk State University .
After a five year hiatus of the Labor Day Classic, the Trojans were able to secure the victory over NSU for the first time since 2005.
FINAL: Trojans 14, NSU 10
Virginia State's quarterback Cordelral Cook (Atlanta, GA) moved the chain for 11-plays and securing a 1-yard touchdown run at the 10:41 mark in the first quarter. The Spartans as safety Bobby Price's interception in the Trojans territory set up a 28-yard field goal by Josh Nardone with 3:46 left in the first quarter. VSU had a strong 7-3 led over NSU at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter favored Norfolk State where NSU punter Taylor Goettie's 32-yard punt pinned VSU at the 1-yard line as heavy rain begin to fall. One play later, Cook fumbled a snap in the end zone and NSU defensive end Nigel Chavis fell on it for a touchdown. The Spartans held a 10-7 lead, which they took into halftime.
Securing the last points of game, Cook ran in a 2 yard touchdown with 5:40 left in the third quarter.
The Trojans outgained the Spartans, 275-214 yards, including a 190-98 edge on the ground. Individually for VSU, Cook finished with 74 yards on a 12-for-19 performance while throwing two interception. Cook also rushed for 22 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Trenton Cannon finished the game with a total of 145 rushing yards for the Trojans.
Virginia State University will return to action next week, as they traveling to take on the Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith University in a nonconference matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. from the Irwin Belk Complex.
For the most up-to-date information on VSU Football please visit www.govsutrojans.com and follow Trojans Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports.
VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY TROJANS SPORTS INFORMATION
LAS VEGAS, Nevada --In his coaching debut, Coach Mike London and the Howard Football team stunned FBS foe UNLV with a 43-40 victory at Sam Boyd Stadium. With the victory, HU picked up its first season opening win in more than a decade. Furthermore, Howard earned its first victory over a FBS foe in program history. The win is also marked as one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
Offensively, the Bison amassed 449 yards, including 309 on the ground. In his collegiate debut, freshman quarterback Caylin Newton displayed his duel-threat abilities as he rushed for 190 yards while throwing for 140 yards. The Atlanta native also accounted for three touchdowns (two rushing and one passing). HU scored on the opening drive in five plays, highlighted by a 52-yard run from Newton, 7-0. UNLV answered with two field goals and pulled within one after the first period, 7-6. Early into the second, Newton connected with Kyle Anthony on a 1-yard touchdown, which capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive, 14-6. After UNLV's Evan Pantels drilled a 26-yard field goal, the Rebels were looking for more until junior linebacker David Hudson stripped the ball carrier and Devin Rollins picked up and ran for a 75-yard touchdown, 21-9. UNLV responded, scoring 10 unanswered to close out the half, 21-19. Anthony Philyaw, the league's Preseason Player of the Year, had 133 all-purpose yards and two rushing touchdowns. After intermission, the Rebels' momentum continued as they took their first lead with a 25-yard pass from Devonte Boyd to Armani Rogers, 26-21. With less than seven minutes left in the third, a 1-yard run from Charles Williams ballooned UNLV's lead to double-digits, 33-21. On Howard's next possession, the Bison manufactured a 14-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by a 3-yard run from Philyaw, 33-28. Less than a minute into the fourth, HU regained the advantage after Philyaw's 11-yard run. Newton converted the two-point play and gave the Bison a three-point lead, 36-33. UNLV's Lexington Thomas put the Rebels back in front with a 3-yard run at the 10:12 mark, 40-36. Midway through the fourth, Newton took HU down the field and scored the go-ahead touchdown, 43-40. With time running down, UNLV stopped the Bison on 4-and-1. A play later, Drew Tejchman forced the fumble and Tye Freeland recovered to seal the deal. Defensively, Leland Lassiter recorded a team-best 11 tackles in the victory. For UNLV (0-1), they amassed 564 total offense. On the ground, Thomas rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort. On Sept. 9, HU meets another FBS foe in Ohio where Kent State awaits. Game-time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Season tickets for the 2017 year are on sale now starting at just $110, for all football home games. To purchase season tickets, click here. Furthermore, the Rise Up Bison season ticket package offers fans the option to purchase a football and basketball package at a discounted rate. Access to the football home-opener VIP tent, pre-reception for Bison Madness (men's & women's basketball), and the spring-sport kickoff luncheon. To purchase season tickets, click here. For complete recaps, results and news of Bison athletics, please visitwww.HUBison.com. HOWARD UNIVERSITY BISON ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS
LANGSTON, Oklahoma -- The Langston Lions kicked off the 2017 campaign with a dominating 30-14 victory over Lincoln (Mo.) on Saturday, Sept. 2 at W.E. Anderson Stadium. This was the 64th annual Battle of the LU's between both schools.
