Grambling laments missed opportunities

Photo: GSU RB #23 Frank Warren missed pass vs. Pitt.

The Times - Shreveport

PITTSBURGH — Grambling State left Heinz Field with more than a 34-10 defeat at the hands of the University of Pittsburgh on Saturday.
They left knowing they had squandered some opportunities as well.

The Tigers (1-1) had a punt blocked and a pass intercepted to lead to two Pitt touchdowns and eventually a 21-0 lead with 11 minutes gone.

The Tigers also hurt themselves with 108 yards of penalties. They also failed to score three times after moving the ball inside the Pitt 10 during the second half.

"They (Pitt) played an excellent game and I take nothing away from it, but we helped them a great deal," GSU coach Rod Broadway said. "When you have three passes intercepted, a punt blocked and get the ball inside the 20-yard line four times without scoring, then you've got a problem.

"Pitt's a very talented team but I thought we missed an opportunity to close the gap a little bit. We need to do a better job of coaching."

Photo: GSU Tiger Band performs before 30,852 at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA .

Despite giving up 34 points, Grambling's defense allowed 321 yards offense to Pitt. The Panthers had 202 yards passing and 119 rushing.

"I thought our defense actually played pretty well," Broadway said. "We gave up 34 points and 280 yards (actually 321), but most of that came in the first half when Pitt had the ball on our side of the 50 a lot."

Offensively, though, the Tigers struggled against Pitt.

Grambling quarterback Brandon Landers was 19-of-40 passing for 155 yards. He threw one touchdown, but he was intercepted three times.

"We have to get better at converting in the red zone," Landers said. "That's one thing that coach really stressed to us after the game, and we know it's true.

"You have to convert those kinds of chances if you're going to be successful against a team like Pitt. We'll keep working on it. We have two more weeks before our next game to get it right."

SU Jaguars can’t overlook Prairie View this time

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

What Southern has to do this week, the Jaguars should already know.

Southern is 2-0, just like last year. Southern is facing Prairie View on Saturday, just like the Jaguars did at this point last year.

For them, what happened last year has to be remembered — and what happened last year can’t be allowed to happen again.

A year ago, their season dissolved in an amazing fourth-quarter collapse on a cauldron of a field in Houston. The result of blowing a two-touchdown lead late in the fourth quarter: PV won its first game against Southern since 1971 with a 26-23 overtime decision.

That loss began a stretch, for Southern, of five losses in six games.

What Southern (2-0, 1-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) will face in a 6 p.m. season opener Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium is a Prairie View team (2-0, 1-0) that is better than last season’s edition and one which has the confidence, unlike previous Panthers teams, that Southern is no longer invincible.



This looms as a big early season Western Division showdown.

Southern beat Mississippi Valley State 23-6 Saturday in Chicago, while PV, with Val Ford returning two blocked punts for first-half touchdowns, beat Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference member North Carolina A&T 22-7 in Los Angeles.

Southern, after two straight losing seasons, is trying to live up to the program’s good name under Pete Richardson and A.W. Mumford. A win Saturday would continue the momentum and help erase memories of last season, with Prairie View players taunting Southern players relentlessly at game’s end.

Prairie View is still trying to scratch out respect as a conference contender, something the program, so down in the 1990s, hasn’t had for decades. A win Saturday would give them consecutive victories over Southern, something which last happened when the Panthers won three straight from 1962 through ’64. That would be a powerful statement.

There should be a tremendous sense of clarity and will from both sides.

This is going to be quite the home opener.

Make sure you’ve got tickets.

Photo: SU QB Bryant Lee vs. MVSU, runs for first down.

Do more of this

Southern has a nice trio at running back, with Darren Coates (25 carries, 197 yards, two touchdowns), Brian Threat (15 carries, 117 yards, one TD) and Kendrick Smith (nine carries, 61 yards — plus two receiving TDs Saturday). Coates, in the season opener, and Threat, Saturday, have already posted their first career 100-yard games.

Make that a four-man threat, with quarterback Bryant Lee (30 carries, 88 yards, one TD) included.

The Jaguars already have 531 rushing yards so far. At this point last season, they had 58. More, the 531 is almost half of what SU totaled in 11 games last season: 1,233.

Work more on this

Southern has to avoid the slow starts on offense. Granted, the first offensive play of the season was a 90-yard touchdown run. The point here, though, is getting into a rhythm as a unit. Once SU gets going, the Jaguars have been dynamite.

“We made a few adjustments. &hellip We have to figure out what defenses are doing,” said Richardson, who also mentioned the exuberance of youth as a possible factor in keeping SU from settling in.

Quick hits

Saturday’s reported attendance of 49,872, though the entire upper deck on the West side was empty and the stadium seats 61,500, was better than any total, even the Bayou Classic (47,136), that saw the Jaguars last season. The total was certainly better than the last time SU played Valley in Chicago, with 9,069 coming to see the Jaguars win 51-30 in the 1997 season opener. The public address announcers were often way out of line, talking about betting on the game while in progress and drinking Courvoisier after the game. Then, there were lines like, “He jumped on that boy like he caught him stealing out of his momma’s purse.”

Up next

Southern hosts Prairie View at 6 p.m. Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium. The home opener begins a stretch where SU plays five of its next six games at home. SU is at home for three games in October and will take that final Saturday off.

Little time to lick wounds for Jackson State Tigers

Photo: Daniel Brooks, 6-4/235 Sr. DE

By David Brandt, Clarion Ledger

The JSU Game
Who: Texas Southern (0-2, 0-2 SWAC) at Jackson State (0-2, 0-0)
When: Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
TV: ESPNU
Radio: JSU Network (WOAD-1300 AM and 105.9 FM, Jackson)

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, Jackson State defensive end Daniel Brooks can be funny and gregarious - almost a larger than life comic influence on the Tigers' locker room.

But in the rare moments when he's angry - when his eyes cloud over and his expression turns grim, he can also be downright intimidating.

And the half hour following JSU's 16-13 loss to Tennessee State on Saturday would certainly qualify as one of those extended moments.

But after a little time to cool down, Brooks' face softens and the senior sighs for a second before scratching his head, trying to find a bit of good news despite the Tigers' 0-2 start to the season.

He finally has to settle for this:

"What doesn't kill us will make us stronger," Brooks said. "You've got to go through rough times to enjoy the success. This is our rough time. But it won't last forever."

And Jackson State would probably prefer that the troubles end immediately, especially considering the Tigers have just three days to prepare for a Thursday night game at 6:30 p.m. against Texas Southern.

It is JSU's first Southwestern Athletic Conference game of the season and is also nationally televised on ESPNU.

Comegy's mantra during the preseason has been winning a SWAC championship. And if that's the case, the only thing lost so far is a little shine off the second-year coaching staff who could seemingly do no wrong in last season's 6-5 rejuvenation.

And even though it's undeniable that JSU has struggled through the first two games, there were a few more positives against Tennessee State than in the season-opening debacle against Delta State. Among them:

Kicker Eric Perri's school-record 50-yard field goal and earlier 44-yard field goal.

Running back Erik Haw, who returned from injury to rush for 82 yards on 17 carries. It was the junior's best game since midway through last season.

A defense that has consistently been stingy, allowing Tennessee State only 16 points on Saturday.

"I think we're playing good enough defense to win ballgames," Comegy said. "I'm just concerned with our offense. We need to be moving the ball better and generating a little more offense."

Texas Southern (0-2 overall, 0-2 SWAC) has also lost twice to open the season. The Maroon Tigers were blown out by Prairie View A&M 34-14 in their opener before falling 21-10 to Alabama State on Saturday.

Haw said the shorter week to prepare for Texas Southern could be a positive, forcing JSU to immediately focus on the upcoming game instead of dwelling on the Tennessee State loss.

"It's the ups and downs of football and you've got to deal with adversity," Haw said. "There's no time to sit and feel sorry for ourselves. We've got to get back to work."

Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band

Tennessee State coach says some fans gave up on Tigers

Photo: TSU Athletic Director Teresa Phillips

By MIKE ORGAN, The Tennessean

James Webster is most proud of his Tennessee State players for not giving up on themselves and hanging on to win Saturday's game against Jackson State.

The Tigers coach is perplexed, however, by those who did give up on his team before the game ever started.

Webster said he heard from fans that threw in the towel on the Tigers after their season-opening, 49-23 loss to Alabama A&M. It was the first thing he brought up after Saturday's 16-13 win at the Memphis Liberty Bowl.

"I think there were some people who gave up on us for the season after we lost by whatever we did to Alabama A&M,'' Webster said. "That is something I don't understand."

One person who didn't give up was TSU athletics director Teresa L. Phillips, one of the first to greet the Tigers Saturday night as they came out of the locker room after rallying to win.

"Our president (Melvin Johnson) didn't give up on us and our AD didn't give up on us,'' Webster said. "And that's all I worry about because they're my boss and they're leaders. They were very supportive of us and encouraged us, and that's what matters to me."

Mentally tough

Webster said his players proved their tenacity Saturday, not becoming frustrated despite scoring only two touchdowns, and hanging tough until the final play. That's when Eric Benson kicked a 35-yard field goal in the rain for TSU's only lead.

"There was no question about it, mental toughness was the main thing we improved on from the first game to the second,'' Webster said.

"If we would have had the same mental toughness in the Alabama A&M game that we had in this game, I think we would have won the Alabama A&M game. We showed it when we were behind the entire game (against JSU) but continued to play hard."

It won't get easier for TSU this week when the Tigers travel to Austin Peay, even though the Governors were picked to finish last in the OVC in their first year back in the league. They beat Indiana State Saturday 32-17 and are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2002.

Hall's status: Starting cornerback Marquez Hall, a transfer from Vanderbilt, suffered a high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter against JSU. He is day-to-day.

SCSU Pough ready to talk about USC

By THOMAS GRANT JR., T&D Senior Sports Writer

COLUMBIA — Let the talk begin.

For weeks, South Carolina State head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough deliberately avoided talking about the first-ever game against the University of South Carolina. The reason was simple as the Bulldogs had a very important ‘prior engagement’ a week earlier with Bethune-Cookman which demanded their full attention.

A loss to the Wildcats now only would have put SCSU behind the ‘eight ball’ for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season title, but created the nightmarish prospect of having to defeat a Football Bowl Subdivision team to avoid an 0-3 start.

With the 24-13 win over the Wildcats, the Bulldogs can head to Columbia this Saturday relaxed knowing their standing in the conference will remain unchanged regardless of the outcome with the Gamecocks.

The lifted burden was especially evident in a relieved Pough’s post-game comments when asked about returning to the university he spent five years as a running backs’ coach under Lou Holtz. While excited about coaching at Williams-Brice Stadium again, Pough’s much happier about going there off a conference win.

"This makes me feel 100 times better going in there not 0-2," he said.

Quarterback Cleveland McCoy, who was a freshman when the Bulldogs faced Benedict in the 2004 Palmetto Capital City Classic at Williams-Brice Stadium, also believes his team will play more loose because of Saturday’s win.

"If we lost this game, it would been...because Bethune-Cookman is a MEAC team," McCoy said. "That counts and going into Carolina with your head down, that’s not a good thing. They’re coming in there to embarrass us, so that’s the great thing we wanted to do (Saturday)."

McCoy also believes the experience with Air Force, plus taking inspiration from what fellow Football Championship Subdivision team Appalachian State did to Football Bowl Subdivision team Michigan, will aid the Bulldogs against USC.

"We want to go in there and win and by any means necessary," McCoy said. "We don’t want to say ‘Well, we’re going up there to lose because that defeats the purpose of playing football. We want to have a shot at winning. Appalachian State won, so there’s no telling what we can do."

The one Bulldog whose arguably most looking forward to facing USC is former Clemson defensive lineman Xavier Littleberry. As the only SCSU player who have played against the Gamecocks during his one season with the Tigers, he still carries a ‘grudge’ against his former school’s biggest rival.

"I just feel like once they’re my rival, they’re always my rival and that’s going to be a real big game for me," he said.

Kickoff for Saturday’s first-ever contest between USC and SCSU is 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the SCSU Ticket Office by calling (803) 536-8579 and Time Warner Cable will air the game on a pay-per-view basis.

Bulldog notes

The Bulldogs’ 279 rushing yards were 32 more than the combined total yards of Bethune-Cookman. Travil Jamison came off the bench to lead SCSU with 70 yards...With the win, SCSU improved to 37-5 under head coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough when leading or tied at halftime. Last year’s 10-9 loss to Delaware State was the only time that has taken place in conference play...Pough evened his record to 3-3 against Bethune-Cookman, leaving Hampton as the only MEAC team he does not own a winning record against...Corey Council’s 98-yard kickoff touchdown return was just the latest by a Wildcat player against SCSU. In fact, four of the five longest kickoff returns in Bethune-Cookman history have come at the Bulldogs’ expense, including current head coach Alvin Wyatt, who had a 102-yard return against SCSU in 1972. Wyatt’s return is tied for second in school history with John Osbourne, who also had a 102-yard return in 1972 against SCSU and four shy of the school mark set by Vincent Nobles in 1966 against the Bulldogs...A week after averaging 40.9 yards a punt in the high altitude at Air Force, punter Aaron Haire of Orangeburg-Wilkinson did even better with five punts averaging 48 yards, including a 61-yarder...Saturday’s game lasted three hours and seven minutes...Pough will hold his weekly press conference at 9 a.m. today in the athletics building.

FAMU narrows search for men's basketball coach to final five

By Heath A. Smith, Tallahassee Democrat

The search for Florida A&M's next men's basketball coach has been narrowed to a list of five finalists.

University of Michigan assistant coach Jerry Dunn, Mississippi State assistant coach Robert Kirby, Georgia State assistant coach Eugene Harris, Chipola Junior College coach Greg Heiar and former Colorado assistant men's basketball coach Paul Graham are expected to be interviewed for the position in person or by phone this week, according to FAMU Athletic Director Nelson Townsend.

"No one has been contacted yet," Townsend said. "We have some very good candidates."

Townsend said he expects to meet the self-imposed Sept. 15 deadline to name a new coach. FAMU fired Mike Gillespie Sr., the university's coach for the past six years, last month.

"I feel confident that we'll be on time," Townsend said. "We have not set an interview schedule yet."

The seven-member search committee met for three hours Saturday after going through the resumes of more than 50 applicants last week, according to state Sen. Al Lawson, who is on the committee.

Lawson said each committee member chose a list of 10 applicants to be voted on by the committee Saturday.

Each applicant from that pool who received two votes from the committee moved on to the next round of votes until the list was paired down to five finalists.

Lawson said that in addition to picking the five finalists, the committee made a motion that he be a part of the interviewing process along with Townsend and FAMU President James Ammons.

MEAC/SWAC Scoreboard - Week 3 (Sept 13th-15th)

MEAC Scoreboard - Week 3, Sept. 13-15, 2007

Norfolk State (1-0)
@Rutgers (2-0) #15 AP Poll
3:30 PM ET
Rutgers Stadium, Piscataway, NJ
Internet & TV: ESPN 360, GamePlan Pay-Per-View
Radio: WOR, WCTC, WENJ, WRSU
TV: MSG in the New York/New Jersey; Cox Cable in New Orleans; Charter Cable in St. Louis and Time Warner-Wisconsin.
Radio: WNSB Hot 91.1 FM in the Hampton Roads area. WNSB’s audio stream is also available on the web by logging onto www.nsu.edu/athletics and following the ‘Listen Live’ link.

Delaware State (2-0)
@Kent State (1-1)
4:00 PM ET
Dix Stadium, Kent, OH
Internet Audio & Video: http://www.kentstatesports.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=11400&KEY=
http://www.dsuhornets.com/

Bethune Cookman (1-1)
@Savannah State (1-1)
4:00 PM ET
Ted Wright Stadium, Savannah, GA

Winston Salem (1-1)
@ Morgan State (1-1)
4:00 PM ET
Hughes Stadium, Baltimore, MD
RADIO: Morgan State Radio Network WEAA - 88.9 FM:
Rob Long (play-by-play) & Kelvin Bridgers (color).
INTERNET: http://www.morganstatebears.com/
http://wssurams.cstv.com/
INTERNET COVERAGE: Live Audio and Live Stats

Hampton (1-0)
@North Carolina A&T (0-2)
6:00 PM ET
Aggie Stadium, Greensboro, NC
TV: Tape Delay ESPNU (10 PM)

Howard U.(0-1)
@ Florida A&M (0-2)
6:00 PM ET
Bragg Memorial Stadium, Tallahassee, FL
Howard Internet Live TV: http://www.broadcasturban.net/player/hubison/player.htm
FAMU Internet Live TV: http://www.BlackCollegeSportsNetwork.net/FAMU/Men.html

South Carolina State (1-1)
@ South Carolina (2-0)
7:00 PM ET
Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC
Internet & TV: ESPN 360 & ESPN GamePlan

SWAC Scoreboard - Week 3

Thursday, Sept 13th
Texas Southern (0-3) 7
@Jackson State (1-2) 28 Final
7:30 PM ET
Veterans Memorial Stadium, Jackson, MS
TV: ESPNU live

Saturday, Sept 15th

Alcorn State (0-2)
@UAB (0-2)
7:00 PM ET
Legion Field, Birmingham, AL
Internet Audio & TV: Gameday Central: http://all-access.cstv.com/cstv/player/player.html?code=albr&sport=m-footbl&category=live&media=43266

Alabama State (2-0)
@Arkansas Pine Bluff (1-1)
7:00 PM ET
Pumphery Stadium, Pine Bluff, AR

Prairie View A&M (2-0)
@Southern University (2-0)
7:00 PM ET
Mumford Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA
TV: Cox Sports TV
Radio: SU Sports Network

Mississippi Valley State (1-1)
@Alabama A&M (2-0)
7:30 PM ET
Milton Frank Stadium, Normal, AL

Grambling State-Idle

Division I Independent - Scoreboard Week 2

Elizabeth City State
@North Carolina Central (2-1)
2:00 PM ET
Giants Stadium – The Meadowlands – East Rutherford, N.J. (80,242 capacity)
The New York Urban League's 37th Annual Whitney Young Football Classic
Audio: http://web.nccu.edu/campus/athletics/audio.html

Bethune Cookman (1-1)
@Savannah State (1-1)
4:00 PM ET
Ted Wright Stadium, Savannah, GA

Guest Band: Mississippi Valley State University "Valley Band"