The "unofficial" meeting place for intelligent discussions of Divisions I and II Sports of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC).
America's #1 blog source for minority sports articles and videos. The MEAC, SWAC, CIAA, SIAC and HBCUAC colleges are building America's leaders, scholars and athletes.
LORMAN, Mississippi — Two weeks ago, Alcorn State was challenged. Grambling State beat the Braves 41-14 in a battle between the two supposed best teams in the SWAC.
The Tigers forced seven Alcorn State turnovers and sent Alcorn State into its bye week needing to recharge and reevaluate what it needed to do to compete with Grambling if they meet again in the Dec. 2 SWAC Championship game.
It was clear early against Alabama A&M Saturday that the Braves were the better team. It just wasn't clear if they had made improvements on their struggles against Grambling State. They led 19-10 at the half, but it could have been so much more. There were dropped touchdown passes and dropped interceptions and missed chances to blow the Bulldogs out.
Then the second half came, and the Braves made themselves clear.
Noah Johnson broke a 69-yard touchdown run. Then he ran in another from 16. Then P.J. Simmons took in a 43-yard touchdown run himself.
Alcorn State quarterback Noah Johnson reads the defense. CONTINUE READING
ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina – Senior Robert Chesson (Annapolis, Md.) rushed for a career-high 304 yards on 20 carries and set several new Bowie State and CIAA Single game records along the way in the Bulldogs 77-21 regular season finale over Elizabeth City State on Saturday afternoon.
Chesson's performance etched his name in the CIAA Record Book, setting a new single game rushing yards record (304) and Most Points in a game with 48. He also tied the CIAA Single Record for rushing touchdowns with seven which also sets a new Bowie State Single Game Record.
In addition to Chesson, Hall contributed 299 passing yards, completing 17-of-25 passes and one touchdown. Senior Brandon Britton (Columbia, Md.) hauled in a team-high six receptions for a team-high 80 yards.
Junior Roger Richardson (Glen Dale, Md.) paced the Bowie State defense with a personal-best nine and a half tackles.
The Bulldogs rolled up 742 yards of total offense which second best in school history compared to 444 for Elizabeth City State's Vikings.
Daquan Neal paced the Elizabeth City State Vikings on offense with 290 passing yards and 72 rushing yards, both team-highs. Dajuan Greene had a game-high 135 reception yards on a game-high nine receptions in the loss.
Vincent Thomas led the Vikings defense with 10.5 tackles, which included 1.5 tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
The Bulldogs lit up the Roebuck Stadium scoreboard first at the 8:56 mark of the first quarter on a 10-yard run by Chesson. Sophomore Gene Carson added the extra point for the early 7-0 lead. Chesson punched it in again at the 5:36 mark, pounding in from 4-yards out to take a 14-0 lead.
Chesson found the end zone again at the 14:26 mark of the second quarter, this time for a 28-yard score and a 21-0 advantage.
Daquan Neal completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Dajuan Greene and Joshua Laverty added the extra point, trimming Bowie State lead to 21-7 with 11:15 to go in the second quarter.
After being pinned deep following an Elizabeth City State punt, Bowie State quickly responded with a 97-yard touchdown jaunt by Chesson to give the Bulldogs a 28-7 cushion at the 10:42 mark of the second quarter.
The Vikings cut the Bulldogs lead in half with 2:45 left in the first half when Neal completed a 34-yard touchdown pass to David Watford.
Chesson got those points back on its next possession, going 73 yards in five plays, strolling into the end zone from 1-yard out to send Bowie State into halftime with a 35-14 advantage.
The Bulldogs scored on its opening possession of the third quarter when Chesson walked in for the score from 1-yard out to pad the Bowie State lead at 42-14.
Neal connected with Greene again for a score, this time for a 19-yard score at the 9:04 mark of the third quarter, but the Vikings trailed 42-21
Junior Maurice Williams (Baltimore, Md.) recorded his third touchdown of the season on a run around the left side of the Vikings defense, for a 15-yard score to extend the Bulldogs lead to 49-21.
Chesson scored his seventh touchdown of the contest on a 4-yard run, giving Bowie State a 56-21 cushion early in the fourth quarter. Chesson scored again at the 10:53 mark of the final quarter when Hall connected with him for a 13-yard score to pad the Bulldogs lead at 63-21. BSU's Williams notched a 3-yard touchdown run with 1:33 remaining and sophomore William Flowers (Baltimore, Md.) sealed the victory with a 55-yard interception return for a score to account for the final margin of 77-21.
This wraps up the regular season for the Bulldogs as the team will now await notification of NCAA post season play. Bowie State came into the game ranked #20 in the AFCA Coach's Poll and #5 in the NCAA Super Region 2 Poll. The top eight teams in each region receive a bid to post season play. BOX SCORE
JACKSON, Mississippi | The Alabama State University football team won their third consecutive contest, spoiling the homecoming festivities for Jackson State University as they walked away with a 13-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) victory.
"There are a lot of things that we can get better at," Alabama State interim head coach Donald Hill-Eley said. "But you are talking about three wins a row, two homecomings and a Classic. These guys want to play, where we are weak we are also strong. It is good to see, and this atmosphere will allow these guys to be successful in life, start down and build up.
"Those are the type of things we want to create with these young men, the bottom line is not how you start but how you finish. I put in front of them that this university was started by nine slaves, and if that is not enough to hang your hat on. If God can put it in front of you, there is nothing to stop you."
The win was the third consecutive for Alabama State (3-5, 3-2 SWAC), and the second time they have spoiled homecoming festivities this season – the first coming against Texas Southern.
"I told the guys if you start losing homecoming then you will be someone's homecoming," Eley said. "I don't think we will be able to break the float out next year."
Alabama State jumped on top early with a pair of Hunter Hanson field goals in the first half, knocking home a 39-yard field goal with 1:03 remaining in the first quarter that gave the Hornets a 3-0 lead. He would add another later in the half, this one from 43 yards – a new career long – that gave the Hornets a 6-0 lead.
"It's homecoming," Eley said. "They are 1-7, but you are talking about homecoming. There were 30,000 people in there, and there were about 29,500 in there for Jackson State. Those guys wanted to play hard against somebody and we knew they were not just going to lay down, but we figured if we could get ahead of them and the fans started leaving that we could take their will."
Jackson State (1-8, 1-4 SWAC) trimmed the lead to three on a field goal with 1:17 to play in the half, trimming the score to 6-3. The Hornets had a chance to score late in the half as they reached the 32-yard line of Jackson State; however, the pass from Darryl Pearson, Jr. was knocked out of bounds as the block went to zero.
The Hornets came out in the second half and took the opening kickoff 65 yards down the field against Jackson State. The 14-play drive ate up 6:31 on the clock, and Pearson put an end to it with 17-yard touchdown run with 8:29 to play in the quarter.
"We talked about it in the locker room and made some adjustments," Eley said of the first drive of the second half. "Coach (Trey) Dunbar was able to put the ball in the right personnel's hands and we put together a long drive. We started to see those guys get gassed against a big team. He was able to make the right calls against their personnel that ended in a score."
The opportunistic Alabama State defense came up big again for the Hornets this week as they forced five turnovers, including four interceptions. Joshua Hill picked off a pair of passes on the day, returning them for 68 yards – including one that went down inside the Jackson State 30 yard line before it was called back for a penalty. Dennis Roberts IV and Robert Easterwood each intercepted a pass, while the Hornets also recovered a fumble.
The Hornets went for a fifth interception, but it was just out of the reach of Kurron Ramsey as the clock was winding down. As he missed it, Ramsey found the bushes just off the sideline and had to be helped out by teammates.
"Once the defense gets churning it's tough," Eley said. "We want to keep those yards on turnovers but we didn't because we had too many penalties on them. Some of them were effort, but others were guys not doing what they were supposed to do."
Jarkeith Ruffin finished the day with a team-high seven tackles, while Roberts had six for a Hornet defense that recorded four tackles for loss.
Pearson ran for a team-high 53 yards on nine carries – while adding 61 through the air, while George Golden added 46 yards on 13 carries. Robert Pritchett III also added 40 yards on six carries in the win.
The Hornets finished with 264 yards of total offense with 203 coming on the ground, while Jackson State was held to 203 yards – most of that coming in the fourth quarter.
Alabama State returns to action next week as they return home for the first time since October 5 when they will face defending SWAC champion, Grambling State. Kick is set for 2 pm at ASU Stadium and can be seen on the SWAC Digital Network. BOX SCORE
Follow the Hornets
For complete coverage of Alabama State University football, please follow the Hornets on social media @BamaStateFB (Twitter), /BamaStateSports (Facebook) and @BamaStateSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Alabama State athletics at BamaStateSports.com.
ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Virgil Davison scored five of his 14 points in overtime Saturday to help Xavier University of Louisiana earn a 70-69 men's basketball victory against LeMoyne-Owen.
The XULA men (3-0) will play their home opener at 7 p.m. Monday against Miles at the Convocation Center.
Jalen David scored 11 points, Rayshawn Mart had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Innocent Kukulu scored 10 for XULA. Joseph Williams grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds, and Elex Carter had a career-best 13. Kukulu and Davison made three 3-pointers apiece. It was homecoming for LeMoyne-Owen but also for Davison and Williams, who are Memphis natives.
The Gold Rush led for approximately 9 1/2 minutes — there were 12 ties and 14 lead changes — and improved to 4-0 in overtime in Alfred Williams's two seasons as head coach.
"Hard-fought battle," the XULA coach said. "It was a great team win, especially on the road. Virgil and Joseph came home and came through big at the right time."
Rashawn Ellis scored 31 points and Daaron Maston 10 for LeMoyne-Owen, an NCAA Division II member which counted the game as an exhibition. XULA, however, counted the game in its regular-season record and statistics.
LeMoyne Owen led 33-29 at halftime, and the teams were tied at 63 at the end of regulation. The Magicians missed two shots on the final possession. BOX SCORE
LAFAYETTE, Louisiana — Xavier University of Louisiana led NCAA Division I Louisiana-Lafayette at halftime and was tied in the 35th minute before falling 59-50 Saturday in a women's basketball exhibition.
It was the best performance of the season for the Gold Nuggets, who lost by 31 and 21 points to NAIA teams in their first two regular-season games.
Essence Wells scored 12 points, Gina Smith 11 and DeDe Martinez eight for XULA. Smith and Martinez blocked two shots apiece. Mikayla Bates grabbed 11 rebounds, and Martinez had 10.
Ty'Reonne Doucet was 6-of-6 from the floor and scored 15 points for the Ragin' Cajuns. Skyler Goodwin had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Simone Fields had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
XULA led 22-20 at halftime and tied the score at 46 on a Wells 3-pointer with 5:46 remaining. The Cajuns outscored the Nuggets 13-4 thereafter, and Fields scored six during the run.
UL Lafayette outshot XULA 40 to 32.2 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Gold Nuggets 44-39. XULA made 7-of-7 second-half free throws.
The Gold Nuggets will visit LSU-Alexandria at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
HAMPTON, Virginia – North Carolina Central University junior safety Davanta Reynolds' second interception of the day came in the end zone with 37 seconds left to preserve a 14-6 road victory over Hampton University at Armstrong Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The NCCU defense also put points on the scoreboard when senior Ja'Quan Smith deflected a pass that was intercepted and returned by sophomore Kawuan Cox for a 6-yard go-ahead touchdown in the second quarter.
Just before intermission, the Eagles' offense found the end zone when freshman quarterback Chauncey Caldwell fired a strike over the middle of the field to senior receiver Jacen Murphy for a 27-yard touchdown. Murphy finished with seven catches for 145 yards, his second straight 100-yard receiving game (10 receptions for 189 yards, 2 TD last week vs. Delaware State).
Senior linebacker Reggie Hunter collected a game-high 11 tackles with a sack, while senior lineman Roderick Harris tallied six takedowns, including 3.5 hits for a loss with a sack and a forced fumble. Reynolds' added four tackles, including a sack, to go along with his two picks, the fifth and sixth of the season for the junior safety.
Up next, NCCU hosts Bethune-Cookman in the
Eagles' final home game of the season on Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium. For tickets, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina – Fayetteville State University has inserted another historical note in the record books during its Sesquicentennial Celebration. The Broncos defeated Winston-Salem State 23-22 in Bowman Gray Stadium to take the CIAA Southern Division Title and a trip to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championship game.
In another nail-biter, Darnell Walker (Charlotte, NC) crossed the goal line from one-yard out with 30 seconds remaining to tie the game at 22. David Lamb, who stayed calm and collected during the Rams timeout, kicked his third game-winner to send FSU to the championship game.
Tyeous Sharpe (Winston-Salem, NC) set the drive up with a 36-yard punt return to the Rams two-yard line. A holding penalty backed the ball up to WSSU’s 20-yard line.
Stevie Green led the offense with 129 yards; 56 rushing and 73 receiving. He scored the first points of the game, during the opening drive, with a 41-yard pass from Richard Latimer (Charlotte, NC).
Winston-Salem State returned the favor with an 8-yard run by Jahi Linebarger, but the point-after-kick by Davon Goble failed. The Rams led 12-7 at halftime after Daniel Rivera kicked two field goals from 37 and 25 yards out.
After intermission, WSSU tacked on ten (10) more points for a 22-7 lead with a 9-yard run by Linebarger and another field goal by Rivera (33 yards).
With 2:10 left in the third quarter, Brandon Smith (Red Springs, NC) put the Broncos back in the game with an 89-yard kickoff return. The extra-point kick was blocked, which set the score at 13-22. Later in the fourth quarter, Lamb nailed a 44-yard field goal at the 9:51 mark to inch closer at 16-22.
With a little over five minutes left in the game, Lamb punted the ball 51 yards to the Rams 9-yard line. The Bronco defense pinned the Rams on their one-yard line, which had them facing a 4th-and-17. That is when Sharpe had his big return.
The final drive of the game started with 24 seconds left on the clock. On 2nd-and-3, Rod Tinsley threw a 47-yard strike to Quincy Jackson, who streaked down the Rams sideline, and was tackled at the Broncos one-yard line. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by WSSU backed the ball up to the FSU 16-yard line. WSSU downed the ball on the FSU 19-yard hash mark. With four seconds left in the game, Rivera pushed a 36-yard field goal wide right.
For the first time since 2004, FSU has defeated Winston-Salem State.
Fayetteville State will face Virginia State University in the Salem, Virginia for the CIAA Title.
LORMAN, Mississippi — Two weeks ago, Alcorn State was challenged. Grambling State beat the Braves 41-14 in a battle between the two supposed best teams in the SWAC. 
