HU is caught short on margin call

Dave Fairbank, Daily Press

NORFOLK - Last-second drama and emotional swings aside, the annual Hampton-Norfolk State border conflict Saturday was about margins for error.

The Pirates, circa 2007, have a much smaller margin than recent versions that sacked and pillaged the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Norfolk State, meanwhile, has greatly improved its ability to withstand all manner of deficiencies.

Thus, as we steam down the backstretch of the MEAC season, Hampton already has as many conference losses as in the previous three years combined and sits in the middle of the pack.

The Spartans, a punchline of a program until very recently, sit unbeaten atop the league standings after their 20-19 exorcism Saturday at Dick Price Stadium.

"They made one more play than we did," HU coach Joe Taylor said.

He was correct, but the Pirates have rarely been in a position where one or two plays were decisive as they rolled through the regular season -- especially where Norfolk State was concerned.

The Pirates and Norfolk State were rivals the way mudslides and hillside homes were rivals. HU had won nine of the past 10 games in the series and the past five by an average of 37.4 points.

It was apparent early that there would be none of that on this day.

The Spartans were game and better equipped to compete, while Hampton was unable to overcome 112 yards in penalties, three empty trips into the Norfolk State red zone, the lack of a running game …

Oh, and just for grins, a brain-lock safety in the first half that only turned out to be the decisive points.

Granted, it's unfair to single out Hampton quarterback T.J. Mitchell for his two-point transgression of intentionally grounding the ball while in his own end zone.

He delivered a championship-caliber performance much of the afternoon, especially given that the Pirates couldn't muster a consistent rushing attack and that he was under duress from the Norfolk State pass rush for most of the second half.

In fact, Mitchell almost pulled this one out -- twice -- in the final minute. He led the 41-yard touchdown drive, scrambling the final 16 yards himself, that pulled HU within one point with 27.7 seconds remaining.

Norfolk State's Don Carey caused joy on one sideline and dismay on the other when he knifed in and blocked the tying extra point to preserve the Spartans' one-point lead.

But HU's perfectly executed onside kick and recovery gave the Pirates one more chance. And Mitchell got his team 24 yards closer with a completion to Justin Brown that gave freshman kicker Carlo Turavani a fighting chance at a game-winning field goal that drifted wide in the dying moments.

As sweet as the victory against Hampton, some within the Spartan camp viewed the game more as another step in the program's resurrection under third-year coach Pete Adrian.

"I just think it feels great that we're playing to our potential," said linebacker and Woodside High product Maguell Davis, who along with twin brother Marquez patrol the middle and help provide a physical and effective presence on defense that had been lacking.

"We don't really worry about who we're playing," Davis said. "We just emphasize the fact that if we play how we play, then we're pretty competitive. And that's what we've been doing a good job at: playing to our potential."

Norfolk State is 3-0 in games decided by one score or less, with victories over the three-time defending league champion Pirates and preseason favorite South Carolina State.

Hampton, meanwhile, is 2-2 in games decided by one score or less. That Norfolk State has ascended and the Pirates have come back to the pack was never more evident than Saturday.

"It hurts," HU defensive end Marcus Dixon said. "Being senior year (and) losing two games hurts. We have to take this pain to the next game and the game after that and win out and not worry about what anybody else is doing. We have to take care of ourselves."

HU loses Battle of Bay to NSU

By Marty O'Brien, Daily Press

Don Carey’s extra-point block helps Norfolk State end years of futility against rival Hampton.

NORFOLK - The Battle of the Bay had become so one-sided in Hampton University's favor the past four years, Norfolk State coach Pete Adrian had renamed it "The Slaughter of the Bay."

But the Spartans' 20-19 victory over Hampton on Saturday not only rejuvenated the rivalry, it produced the most exciting ending in the 45-year history of the series. NSU did not clinch the victory until the Pirates' Carlo Turavani missed wide right on a 48-yard field-goal attempt with 2.1 seconds left in the game.

The first NSU victory in the series since 2001 has huge implications in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference race. The Spartans (5-1, 4-0 MEAC) remain tied with Delaware State for first in the league.

Hampton (4-2, 3-2) saw its hopes of winning a fourth consecutive conference title dashed during an electric final 30 seconds. The Pirates had dominated the Spartans the past four meetings, winning by an average score of 52-9.

"Coach Adrian (joked), 'I can finally smile. I finally beat your behind,' " Pirates' coach Joe Taylor said. "People are going to come after the three-time defending champion. We did some good things but didn't make enough plays.

"They just made one more play than we did; that's the bottom line."

The final half-minute featured four huge plays. The first was T.J. Mitchell's 16-yard touchdown run to pull the Pirates within a point.

What was arguably the game's biggest play came next. NSU's Don Carey burst through the middle of the line and blocked Turavani's extra-point attempt as the score remained at 20-19.

"I had a clean shot at it," Carey of his block. "On another kick, I recognized that (Hampton's Carson Byrd) was stepping out before I stepped in. So I told our guys to take him out wide.

"I can't describe it. I was in tears."

Photo: Justin Brown makes a catch that gives Hampton a first down and gets the Pirates closer to field-goal range. The 48-yard game-winning field-goal attempt, though, was wide right, giving Norfolk State the 20-19 victory.

























The Pirates nearly turned them into tears of agony. James Butts recovered the ensuing onside kick at his own 44-yard line to give the Pirates a final shot at victory.

Mitchell passed to Justin Brown (seven receptions, 152 yards) for 22 yards to move the Pirates to the NSU 32 with 22 seconds left. But Mitchell's next two passes were incomplete before Turavani trotted onto the field with 7.1 seconds remaining. Turavani's field-goal attempt was long enough, but drifted wide of the upright.

The Pirates and Spartans entered the game as the MEAC's top two scoring teams, but the contest was dominated by defense.

Neither could establish the run and generated only 143 total yards on the ground.

Quarterbacks Mitchell (23-of-48 passing 277 yards) and Casey Hansen (17-of-33, 233 yards) of NSU were responsible for much of the offense. The Pirates led 10-5 at half, thanks in part to Mitchell's 10-yard TD pass to Jeremey Gilchrist (8 catches, 73 yards).

But Mitchell was called for intentional grounding while passing from his own end zone early in the second quarter, giving the Spartans two points on a safety. The score would come back to haunt the Pirates.

The Spartans scored twice in the second half on 1-yard TD runs. The second made it 20-10 NSU with 10:24 left in the game. Dario Walker's spectacular leaping catch for 26 yards set up the first one.

Hansen passes of 13 yards to Jeremy Wicker and 16 yards to Dexter Bailey set up NSU's next touchdown.

The 50-yard drive followed Eric Bullock's tackle of Hampton's Kevin Beverly for no gain on fourth-and-inches at midfield.

Earlier in the game a Hampton drive ended at the NSU 16 as Anthony Olumba stopped Beverly for no gain on fourth-and-inches.

"They clogged everything up," Hampton offensive guard Dennis Conley said. "It seemed like they had our number on everything we tried to do."

Turavani's 31-yard field goal and Mitchell's TD run gave the Pirates hope in the waning moments.

But Carey produced the biggest of the big plays in the final 30 seconds.

"Hampton was a school I was looking at and their coach told me I couldn't play college ball," Carey said. "To come out and get this block today to win it, that just sent me over the top.

"It's gratifying to let him know he was wrong."

Hampton Pirates are probably playoff purged

Photo: r-Sr. QB Casey Hansen #3, r-Jr. Center and Brandon Nance #63.

By MARTY O'BRIEN, Daily Press

NORFOLK — It's not the kind of thing players are fond of talking about, but Norfolk State's 20-19 victory over Hampton University on Saturday had important Football Championship Subdivision playoff implications.

The loss means that the Pirates have almost no chance of defending the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title they've won the past three seasons. The MEAC usually receives only one playoff berth, so it is unlikely the Pirates (4-2, 3-2 MEAC) could get an at-large berth to the FCS playoffs even if they win their final five games. The Pirates reached the playoffs the previous three seasons.

"We have to take care of our business," HU defensive end Kendall Langford said. "We just have to win out and let everything take care of itself."

Winning out would give the Spartans (5-1, 4-0) their first MEAC title and first FCS playoff berth. They are currently tied for first in the MEAC with Delaware State. But NSU linebacker Maguell Davis says it is to early to starting thinking playoffs.

"I definitely feel we have the potential to be a playoff team," he said. "But if you're focusing on something like playoffs, that's distracting you from your opponent the next week and they can come and sweep the carpet from under you.

"The way I look at it, we keep playing hard and look back and we'll be pretty happy with the results."

STILL IN FRONT

The Spartans' victory means they will remain ahead in the Battle of the Bay series for at least the next two seasons. NSU denied Hampton a chance to tie the series and now leads 23-21-1.

Norfolk State won the first five games in the series, beginning with a 42-0 victory in 1963, and has been ahead ever since. The Spartans' six-game winning streak against HU from 1969-74 also remains a series high. HU carried a five-game winning streak against NSU into Saturday's game.

Photo: r-Jr. WR Dario Walker

BIG CROWD

Attendance was 27,756, the second largest gathering in the history of Dick Price Stadium. The attendance record at Dick Price is 34,000, set in 1997 for the stadium opener against Virginia State.
NSU quarterback Casey Hansen attributed the crowd to the importance of the matchup.

"This was a big-time win," he said. "You can feel the rivalry. Here it's so much greater. It makes you want to play to the best of your ability. It feels great and it's going to feel great for one night.
"The reality is that we have to come back and Monday and get ready for another game."

THIS AND THAT

Norfolk State's win over No. 18 HU is its first against a team ranked in the Sports Network's top 25. The Spartans were 0-18 against nationally ranked teams. … Hampton defensive end Kendall Langford, the MEAC's highest rated NFL prospect, did not have a sack entering the NSU game. He had 2.5 sacks and 11 total tackles on Saturday. … NSU plays at Florida A&M at 7 p.m. Thursday. Hampton hosts South Carolina State for homecoming at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Norfolk State University Spartan Legion Marching Band(10/13/07)

NCCU freshmen deliver on Senior Day

By MIKE POTTER, The Herald-Sun

On a day dedicated to honoring experience and longevity, it was the young folks who got the job done for N.C. Central.

Freshmen scored every point and came up with the biggest defensive play of the game as the Eagles held off North Greenville 17-14 on homecoming and senior day Saturday at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

True freshman Corey Harris' first career catch was a touchdown reception, redshirt freshman Tim Shankle scored the other TD and true freshman kicker Taylor Gray added the other five points including his first field goal for NCCU.

The win for NCCU, in its first season in the Football Championship Subdivision, improved the Eagles to 5-2 and assured that this senior class will be the first since 1989 to graduate without enduring a losing season.

Division II North Greenville is 1-6 after losing three straight games, all to FCS opponents.

Stadford Brown completed 14 of 33 passes for 174 yards for the Eagles, including five completions to Will Scott for 73 yards. True freshman Justin Campbell carried the ball 12 times for 64 yards, while Shankle added 11 for 37.

"The freshmen had a great day today," first-year NCCU coach Mose Rison said. "It's been kind of a process, but they're starting to grow up.

Photo: NCCU Head Football Coach Mose Rison

"Corey made a big catch, and we had been telling him [that] he's overdue. Justin Campbell has missed several days of practice through Monday with that bug that's been going around, and he did a great job coming in when Shankle got tired. And Taylor Gray's kick was huge, particularly since it won the game for us."

Eric Moeller completed 19 of 32 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions for NGU, which both scored and allowed its lowest point totals of the season.

"It's tough to play three [FCS] teams in a row, but as a Division II independent, that's the kind of thing you have to do," North Greenville coach Mike Taylor said. "Defensively, that was one of the best games we've played. We did well on offense, but we didn't have the ball that much. They like to slow the game down, and they did a good job of that."

The Crusaders got on the board first on their second possession, going 60 yards in 11 plays with Travis Shaw going in from 1 yard out. Michael Sears' conversion attempt was wide right, and it was 6-0 with 4:59 left in the quarter.

NCCU quickly responded with a drive to take the lead. The Eagles went 66 yards in nine plays, with Brown finding Harris at the goal line from 22 yards out for the freshman's first career catch. Gray added the kick and NCCU was up 7-6 with 14:54 left in the half.

"I knew the linebacker was on me, so I could beat him," Harris said. "Then I got hit hard at the goal line and got my first touchdown and my first concussion on the same play."

The Eagles increased the lead with 1:45 left in the half, when Shankle went in from 4 yards out. The touchdown capped a four-play, 28-yard drive that started after freshman Rakeem Vick intercepted a Moeller pass at the NCCU 49 and returned it 23 yards.

"That touchdown felt great," said Shankle, who has three touchdowns on the season. "It was a long time coming. Coach said he was going to give me the ball this season, and I got it a lot more since [Jeff] Toliver got injured [and was out for the season after two games].

"It was great to see what Justin did today. Now we've got a one-two punch." Gray attempted a 52-yard field goal on the final play of the first half, but it came up short after a shaky snap.

NGU evened the score on its first possession of the second half, going 70 yards in nine plays with Moeller hitting Jarvis Garrett from 9 yards out at the 10:59 mark. Moeller passed to Travis Talbert for the two-point conversion to tie it at 14.

Gray gave the Eagles a 17-14 lead with 14:52 to go, hitting from 22 yards out to finish a 14-play, 92-yard march.

"We've gotten snap-hold-kick together a lot better now," said Gray, an Orange High alumnus who replaced senior Brandon Gilbert after he was injured two games into the season. "This one was for the seniors. They've done all the hard work and deserve this."

The Crusaders had a chance to tie with 9:18 left, but Adrian Escalona's field-goal try was short.

"It was great to see the way the freshmen played today," said Eagles linebacker Derrick Ray, who was in on nine tackles including two for losses with a sack, an interception and four deflections in his final home game. "They helped win homecoming for us. It's easy to see the program is going to be in good hands."

NOTES -- Attendance was a sellout of 11,327, which was the largest crowd ever to see North Greenville play. … Saturday's contest was NCCU's last of the season against a Division II opponent. The Eagles visit Savannah State on Oct. 20, then travel to Western Kentucky -- which is transitioning from the FCS to the Football Bowl Subdivision -- on Oct. 27. NCCU ends its season on Nov. 10 at Winston-Salem State.

North Dakota State 58, Mississippi Valley State 7

Courtesy: NDSU Athletic Media Relations

Photo: Shamen Washington returned the second half kick a career long 96 yards to help NDSU defeat Mississippi Valley State, 58-7.

ITTA BENA, Miss.--The North Dakota State University Bison lived up to their new No. 1 ranking Saturday, October 13, with a 58-7 win over Mississippi Valley State in front of 4,986 fans at Rice-Totten Stadium. It was the 10th straight win for the Bison and dropped MVSU to 1-5 overall.

Eight different NDSU players scored touchdowns as the Bison (6-0) remain undefeated heading into a matchup at the University of Minnesota next Saturday, October 20. The Golden Gophers were the last team to hand NDSU a loss when they defeated the Bison, 10-9, last season in the Metrodome.

Quarterback Steve Walker threw just 10 total passes but recorded three touchdowns. He finished the game 7-for-10 for 85 yards with the three touchdowns and one interception. He was replaced in the second quarter by Nick Mertens, who finished 6-8 for 112 yards and a three yard touchdown pass to Ryan Parsons.

Walker had touchdown passes of 16 yards to Pat Paschall, 18 yards to Gary Williams and of five yards to Jerimiah Wurzbacher. His final touchdown to Wurzbacher came at the 5:17 mark of the second quarter and gave the Bison a 30-0 lead heading into halftime.

NDSU used four different quarterbacks during the day in Walker, Mertens, Parsons and Mitch Brecke.

Shamen Washington returned the second half kickoff a career long 96 yards for a touchdown and Shawn Bibeau added the point after attempt for a 37-0 lead. Bibeau was a perfect 8-8 on extra points.

On the ground NDSU was led by Pete Blincoe, who carried the ball 16 times for 113 yards that included a touchdown at the 6:23 mark of the fourth quarter to put NDSU’s final points on the board and make the score 58-0. For MVSU, Ryan Burciaga hit Rob Fox with a five-yard touchdown pass at the 2:16 mark of the fourth quarter to break the shutout and put the final tally on the game at 58-7.

Tyler Roehl carried the ball just five times for 60 yards and scored the game’s first touchdown with a 21-yard run. Paschall carried the ball 13 times for 72 yards.

Defensively, the Bison were lead by Nick Schommer and Ramon Humber who each recorded five solo tackles. Schommer added an interception and Humber had an eight-yard sack.

The Bison held an advantage in total yards over MVSU of 469 to 163. NDSU averaged 10.9 yards per play. It turned the ball over two times.

North Dakota State will play the Gophers (1-6, 0-4 Big Ten Conference) starting at 11:07 a.m. Saturday, October 20, in the Metrodome. Minnesota lost Saturday to Northwestern 49-48 in double overtime. The Gophers held a 35-21 fourth quarter lead in the game.

PVAMU vs. Alabama State Photo Gallery

Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm

Prairie View beats ASU Hornets for first time in 76 years

Photo: Prairie View's Chris Gibson runs past Alabama State's Adrian Hardy during the game Saturday at Cramton Bowl.

By Josh Moon, Montgomery Advertiser

There have been many firsts in Reggie Barlow's brief tenure as Alabama State's head coach. He would just as soon forget those that came on Saturday.

Offensive problems and the complete lack of a kicking game set the Hornets up. Prairie View A&M, for the first time in 76 years, knocked them down.

Barlow lost his first game at Cramton Bowl and ASU dropped its third straight, 17-6 to Prairie View.

"It's tough when you lose, especially at home," Barlow said. "We just didn't do enough to win. I think we've got good players here, but I think we need to go back, regroup and figure out what we can do better, because we've got to play better than this. This was pretty pitiful."

The Hornets couldn't play much worse offensively.

They had just 251 yards of total offense for the game and only 101 in the second half.

"This is a situation now where we're going to have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what we're doing wrong as coaches," Barlow said. "Maybe we need to stop worrying about what we, as coaches, are wanting from the players and worry more about what's best for those players. Something's got to change, I'll say that."

Again, the ASU passing game struggled.

A combo of Chris Mitchell and Alex Engram completed just 10 of 27 pass attempts for 98 yards and an interception. That included Engram missing six of his final seven passes and Mitchell hitting only seven of his 17 attempts in the game.

"I don't know what the issue is," Engram said. "We certainly want to play better, it's just not happening."

In the meantime, ASU's offensive ineptitude has allowed opponents to pound away at the Hornets' defense early and control the clock. Then they take advantage of a tired defense late in game.

Photo: Alabama State's Joel Raggins is brought down by Prairie View's Yavarian Richardson.

"It is frustrating, because we're losing and that's always going to be frustrating," cornerback Brandon Averett said. "I think we're playing OK as a defense, but as long as the offense is scoring, we could do more."

That's a tough standard, especially considering the way Saturday's game played out.

Up until the final minutes of the third quarter, Prairie View had one successful drive in the game that came on its first possession and resulted in a Brady Faggard 44-yard field goal.

ASU answered that score on its next possession when Jay Peck capped an 11-play, 76-yard drive with a one-yard TD run. With no reliable place-kicker, the Hornets were forced to attempt a two-point conversion, but a Jason Bruce pass fell incomplete.

ASU led 6-3 until the 3:02 mark of the third quarter, when Golden Lions QB Mark Spivey connected with Gabriel Osaze-Ediae on a 14-yard scoring play. That wrapped up a 6-play, 64-yard drive and gave Prairie View a 10-6 lead.

Desperately searching for offense at that point, Barlow pulled his starter Mitchell and inserted Engram. The results were the same. ASU failed to pick up a first down and had to punt. After getting the ball back from the Golden Lions, ASU mounted its only serious threat of the half.

After a 20-yard completion from Engram to Steve Briggs and a couple of timely Prairie View penalties, the Hornets found themselves on the Golden Lions 33, facing third and two. The coaches called a run-pass option play for Engram, who sprinted out to his right and launched a pass toward the end zone and over the head of wideout Fred Ragdale.

Barlow was livid on the sideline. He jerked his headset off and began yelling at pretty much everyone.

"We wanted Alex to turn the ball upfield and get the first down," Barlow said. "I've got to learn to control my emotions a little better and remember that we're dealing with kids here. I just felt like he could've picked up the first down."

Engram later explained to Barlow that he didn't know it was third down. He thought the penalty on the previous play had given the Hornets a first down, and that's why he threw deep.

On fourth down, the coaches gave him another shot. This time, he turned it upfield. And went nowhere.

Prairie View took over on downs and marched down the field for the game-clinching score, a 7-yard Donald Babers run.

Missed FG attempt keeps TSU winless

Photo: Alcorn State wide receiver Nate Hughes (5) catches pass for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

By BRANDON C. WILLIAMS, Houston Chronicle

Alcorn St. spoils homecoming party with 22-20 victory

It was a shame that Lady Luck left Alexander Durley Stadium early Saturday afternoon because Texas Southern could have used some of her charm in the final five seconds of its homecoming game.

Instead, TSU lost to Alcorn State 22-20 when Tigers kicker D'Javan Conway missed a 27-yard field-goal attempt as time ran out.

Texas Southern falls to 0-6 overall and 0-5 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play.

"What a gut check," Tigers coach Steve Wilson said. "He (quarterback Donnie Shorts) drove us downfield and put us in a position, but we missed the kick. There's nothing more you can say about that."

With TSU taking over at its 20 with 1:11 remaining and no timeouts, Shorts, who replaced injured starter Tino Edgecombe, marched the Tigers to the Braves' 10-yard line. Shorts had runs of 28 and 7 yards as he made up for a fumble at the Alcorn State 44 that appeared to put the game away with 2:30 remaining.

Conway's kick appeared to be good, but the wind pushed the the ball about four feet wide of the goalpost.

"He's hit that kick before," Wilson said of Conway. "I just feel bad that he didn't hit it."

The final drive concluded what had been a roller-coaster afternoon for Shorts, who threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Davis to give the Tigers a 17-10 lead at the half. But Shorts' performance was offset by his fumble and an interception that led to the decisive score — a 3-yard scoring pass from Tony Hobson to Nate Hughes with 10:46 remaining.

The Braves (1-5, 1-4) won despite totaling only 142 yards of offense as the TSU defense had its best showing of the season. Led by ends Derrick Gray (2 1/2 sacks) and Matthew Valmore, linebacker Mike Boyd and cornerback Chris Salvant, the defense held its ground all game long.

The Tigers' offense helped make it easy for Alcorn State, committing four turnovers. Caesar Cobb returned an Edgecombe fumble 60 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter, and Roderick Williams' 81-yard interception return early in the fourth quarter opened the door for Hughes to catch the second of his two TD passes.

TSU's special teams provided two of the games' biggest plays. The standing-room-only crowd got its biggest thrill of the day when William Osbourne returned a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers a 10-7 lead in the second quarter. Then, a blocked punt by linebacker Willie Blakney set up a Conway field goal of 22 yards late in the third quarter, which gave TSU a 20-16 lead.

The field goal actually proved beneficial for the Braves, whose defense denied the Tigers, who had first-and-goal at the Alcorn State 6, a chance to break the game open.

"We wasted an awful lot of opportunities," Wilson said. "We just couldn't make the most of them."

With the loss, the prospect of a winless season looms large for TSU.

"All we can do is hold our heads up and keep fixing our mistakes," Boyd said.

Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Marching Band

SWAC commish checks out Southern environment

By Kareem Copeland, Clarion Ledger

BATON ROUGE — Duer Sharp just had to see for himself.

The Southwestern Athletic Conference interim commissioner was scheduled to be in Little Rock, Ark., to watch Arkansas-Pine Bluff host Grambling on Saturday. But then came the situation with Jackson State coach Rick Comegy calling the environment around Southern football games "hostile" and expressing concerns over bringing family.

Sharp ended up giving Comegy a written reprimand, but decided to attend the Jackson State-Southern game to see if there was any truth to the statements.

"You hear so many things, but to actually have first-hand experience and actually be at the game ... ," Sharp said, "I just wanted to be here. After everything ... it's probably best that I be here."

Sharp said finding a solution for the incident wasn't a problem. Comegy made the comments during the SWAC coaches teleconference Monday and the league issued its statement Wednesday.

"You just deal with the facts," Sharp said. "Then you got to enforce the bylaws. There's policy there that dictates what your actions are going to be.

"But sometimes based upon the severity of the offense, I'm allowed to kind of supercede the policy. But we felt like this (was) someone basically misspeaking."

So how was the trip to Baton Rouge?

"Everything's good," Sharp said. "It's good for Southern and it's good for Jackson and the rivalry that it's 25 minutes before the game and people are still coming over the bridge.

"I haven't had any complaints from anybody."

Photo: JSU Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band Drum Majors

PERFECT AGAIN

Jackson State kicker Eric Perri won SWAC special teams Player of the Week after going 3-for-3 on field goals last week.

The sophomore from Miami put on a repeat performance in JSU's 32-26 win - going 3-for-3, again.

Perri connected on field goals of 27, 37 and 27 yards. Saturday marks the third consecutive game he has gone 3-for-3

Perri is 11-for-13 on the season.

BREAKOUT EFFORT

Jackson State receiver Chris Johnson had a career-high 160 receiving yards against a pass defense that was giving up 198.5 yards through the air.

The senior caught five balls, including a 58-yarder and a 5-yard touchdown.

"I can't say too much about myself because it's a team thing," Johnson said.

JSU Tigers stay focused

By Kareem Copeland, Clarion Ledger

JSU dodges distractions, repels feisty SU's comeback efforts

BATON ROUGE - The Jackson State football team was seemingly oblivious to various distractions leading into Saturday night's game against Southern University.

First the Sonic Boom was coming. Then it wasn't. Then it was again.

Coach Rick Comegy was given a written reprimand from the Southwestern Athletic Conference on Wednesday for comments concerning the atmosphere around Southern football games.

Photo: Coach Rick Comegy talks with JSU defense during 4th quarter of game with SU.

But the Tigers didn't blink.

Never was that resolve more evident than when JSU weathered comeback after comeback by the Jaguars en route to a 32-26 victory before an announced 24,600 at A.W. Mumford Stadium.
Jackson State (4-2, 4-0 SWAC) may not have let the events of the past week affect them, but it was on the Tigers' minds.

"We just knew no matter what happened on the outside, if the band came or they didn't come, we were going to play football," JSU linebacker Marcellus Speaks said. "That's what we did.

"We only had 1,000 seats. They had people everywhere. But we knew if we kept playing hard and kept giving it all we had, we would come out good, everything would be all right."

JSU receiver Chris Johnson added: "We had a whole lot of people downing us. Saying we were scared of coming down here. We used that as motivation."

The Tigers seemed a little rattled after an opening possession that featured two fumbles - one retained and one lost. But the Tigers marched 79 yards on nine plays on the very next possession, scoring when Jaymar Johnson pulled in an 8-yard touchdown pass from Jimmy Oliver.

But every time the Tigers scored, Southern (5-2, 3-2) answered. The lead changed five times before the Tigers pulled away.

"We've got a team that's got a lot of get-me-up," Comegy said. "They don't want to lose. You can be behind and all you've got to do is want it more and you can win it. You've got to want it more."

Jackson State overcame four turnovers, including three interceptions from a sporadic Oliver. The senior quarterback completed 21 of 31 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns, but two of his interceptions led directly to 14 points.

However, his passing yardage was a season-high.

"Jimmy's our magic man," Comegy said. "What you (always) find behind him is a win. You can't be bad when you've got a guy like Jimmy Oliver as your quarterback."

With Oliver having an up-and-down night and the Tigers behind 20-17 at halftime, the JSU running game was a constant.

Erik Haw had another phenomenal outing with 135 yards on 23 carries. Lavarius Giles chipped in 36 yards on 10 carries.

The Tigers put up 181 rushing yards on a Southern team that had been allowing 14.8 yards a game.

"Having a running game is essential to having a championship team," Haw said. "Offensive line, offensive line ... those guys don't get enough credit."

The four consecutive SWAC wins matches last year's perfect start. Coincidentally, No. 4 came against Southern in 2006.

The Tigers hope the comparisons end there as JSU went on to lose its next three and four of the last five.

JSU pounds SU in second half

Photo: JSU defender Marcus Bernard (80) sacks Southern University quarterback Warren Matthews.

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Jackson State beat Southern on Saturday night.

Really beat the Jaguars.

Southern, which had dominated the second half all season, finally was bettered after halftime, with Jackson State overcoming a three-point halftime deficit by pounding away with a steady offense to claim a 32-26 Southwestern Athletic Conference victory at A.W. Mumford Stadium.

After a three-interception first half, Jackson State quarterback Jimmy Oliver stopped pressing, finishing with 308 yards passing, with Erik Haw powering his way for 135 of the Tigers’ 181 rushing yards. Wide receiver Christopher Johnson added career-high 160 yards and one second-quarter touchdown receiving.

Meanwhile, Southern, which opened the game without its senior center, one of its top wide receivers, its top linebacker and one of its top running backs, wore down from Jackson State’s relentless play.

As Jackson State held the ball for 22:30 of the second half, the Jaguars took a physical beating.

Going out were:

SU’s top wide receiver Gerard Landry, who had two touchdown catches, went out with a sprained left ankle with seven minutes left in the third quarter.

Quarterback Bryant Lee re-injured his right ankle — seriously injuring it for the first time — in the final minute of the third quarter.

Up-and-coming true freshman linebacker Corey Ray, who had reconstructive surgery on both shoulders over the winter, suffered a shoulder dislocation with 5:17 left in the third quarter.
Starting linebacker Allan Baugh injured his left knee in the fourth quarter.

Though Jackson State held SU to a season-low 23 rushing yards, Southern running back Darren Coates had 110 yards and one TD on eight catches. Plus, seldom-used sophomore wide receiver Clevan White had career highs of 107 yards and eight catches. Lee was 21-for-29 for 254 yards and three TDs before the injury.

“This is tough. This is a game we had in our hands,” Coates said. “It’s just time for some young guys to step up and fill in the shoes of the old guys. There’s no time to wait on them. You just have to have some young guys to step up and play big.”

At one point, Southern ran out of space on its training table on the sideline for injured players in the second half. Landry and Lee were back-to-back, while Ray was put on a mobile stretcher. Landry and Lee eventually left together on a field service truck.

“Guys started going down,” SU coach Pete Richardson said. “We don’t have the depth. They kept pounding us up front. Those things happen.”

Southern (5-2, 3-2), with a two-game losing skid, entered with a 79-23 advantage over opponents in the second half. But Jackson State (4-2, 4-0 SWAC), with a four-game winning streak, outscored the Jaguars 15-6 in the second half.

“We’re in great shape, and most of the time in the second half all year long we’ve been dominating pretty good,” Jackson State coach Rick Comegy said. “I’m not taking anything away from their shape, but we’re in excellent shape in the second half. And I thought we’d come back.”

Warren Matthews, a sophomore, threw his first-career touchdown pass to Nick Benjamin, who caught his first-career touchdown, to get the Jaguars within 30-26 by converting a third-and-16 with 6:22 to play.

Photo: SU linebacker Allan Baugh is tackled by running back Cody Hull after Baugh intercept-ing a pass.

But then Jackson State ran five minutes off the clock. SU got the ball back with 1:10 to play at its own 2-yard line, which led JSU defensive end Sam Washington drawing a safety for a 32-26 lead with 1:03 left. Washington had Matthews in the grasp, when Matthews threw the ball away.

“This was a terrible loss for us,” Southern free safety Glenn Bell said.

Southern led 20-17 at halftime after two interceptions of Oliver.

First, Efe Osawemenze’s interception at the Jackson State 38 with 48 seconds remaining set up Lee’s 7-yard TD pass to Landry with 21 seconds until halftime.

Then, after Haw broke a 55-yard run to the SU 11 with 11 seconds left, Bell tipped and intercepted Oliver to preserve the threat.

From there, Oliver, who was pressing in the first half, settled down. Oliver went 11-for-13 for 123 yards and a TD in the second hallf.

“You just have to get Jimmy and put it up on the chalkboard for him at halftime, let him see it and then once he sees it, understands it and gets a good concept of what we want him to do, and he did it,” Comegy said.

Jackson State took control with a 10-play, 92-yard drive that led to a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jaymar Johnson and a 24-20 lead with 7:29 left in the third quarter.

Landry went out on Southern’s next offensive play.

Then JSU went 57 yards to set up a 37-yard Eric Perri field goal for a 27-20 lead with 1:15 left in the third quarter.

Ray left during that series, getting the worst of a lick on Haw, and Lee went out on Southern’s next offensive play after the score.

Perri’s third field goal gave JSU a 30-20 lead with 11:12 left.

Matthews, 6-for-12 for 83 yards and one touchdown, was good on a 72-yard touchdown drive to get the Jaguars within 32-26.

Jackson State ran for 181 yards and held the ball for 39:50.

“They kept on running it, and we just couldn’t stop it,” SU cornerback Efe Osawemwenze said.

UAPB's reign at an end

By Mike Marzelli/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas-Pine Bluff's swan song as champions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference's Western Division was likely sung following Saturday's Delta Classic for Literacy.

With five games remaining on their conference schedule, UAPB is now 1-3 in SWAC play and four games behind Grambling for first place when the tiebreaker is factored in. That means the Golden Lions would need to win all five of their remaining games and have the Tigers lose four of their remaining five while also getting losses from Southern and Prairie View to win the division.

Not likely.

So what does that mean for UAPB going forward? Fourth-year head coach Mo Forte summed it up in one word in the home locker room of War Memorial Stadium following the game.

“Pride,” he said. “It's all about pride right now, pride and getting better. These kids have a lot of pride and they're going to continue to come out and play to win. They need to maintain their pride and our pride as a football team, that's all I'm telling them.”

The bad news for the Lions is that things won't be getting any easier. They have just entered what Forte has called the toughest stretch of any schedule he's had as a head coach, with a SWAC Championship rematch at Alabama A&M looming on Thursday with just two full days of practice to prepare for it.

Following that the Lions will travel to Jackson State for the Tigers' homecoming before returning home to close out the season against PVU, Southern and Texas Southern.

“We're a struggling football team that's just trying to find itself and that's all we can do the rest of the way is try to get better,” Forte said. “We're still very inconsistent and we just can't seem to get anything sustained and heading in the right direction but we're going to need to to maintain that pride against the good team we still have left to play.”

Moore hurt

Quarterback Johnathan Moore was icing his injured right throwing hand on the sideline after he left the game in the fourth quarter.

The injury did not appear to be serious and Moore will be reevaluated today.

Meanwhile, reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year Chris Wallace was efficient in relief in nearly leading the Lions to a comeback win.

“Chris came in and found open receivers and delivered the ball where he had to to really get us two touchdowns,” Forte said. “Our kids all fought back hard and he led the charge.”

Blown opportunities

Twice UAPB found itself knocking on the door inside the Grambling 10-yard line. The difference in the eventual final score may have been tied directly into the fact that the two trips produced a total of three points.

Midway through the second quarter Moore found Demetrice Beverly for a 33-yard reception down to the Grambling 5-yard line, but a 15-yard penalty to guard Patrick Kapuniai on the Lions' next play pushed the ball back to the Grambling 20-yard line and UAPB eventually kicked a field goal.

Late in the third quarter, Moore hit Raymond Webber for 46 yards down to the Grambling 12-yard line, but after UAPB moved down to the Tigers' 6, Moore threw into quadruple coverage and was intercepted in the end zone.

Penalties drive a stake through UAPB's heart

By Mike Marzelli/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF

LITTLE ROCK — It would have been no less than another 'Miracle on Markham', but like many of the other positive things the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff put together Saturday afternoon, it was eventually snuffed out by a penalty.

'It' was a stunning 63-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chris Wallace to wide receiver Jason Jones with 48 seconds remaining in the second annual Delta Classic for Literacy that would have tied the game for the Golden Lions and given them a chance to move in front of Grambling State with the extra point. However, it all fell apart with a flag for illegal motion, nullifying the play and UAPB's chances in a 30-24 loss to the first-place Tigers before 40,067 at War Memorial Stadium.

The defeat likely ends the Lions' chances of a second consecutive SWAC Western Division title, as it drops them three games behind the Tigers with five games to play.

The play in question came as a result of a furious rally by the Lions (1-5 1-3 SWAC) in the final minutes, as Wallace took over for an injured Johnathan Moore and led his team 86 yards in nine plays to pull UAPB within six on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Raymond Webber with 1:16 to play. The Lions then recovered an onside kick before the reigning SWAC Player of the Year hit Jones over the middle and watched his senior wideout break out of a pile of tacklers and sprint down the home sideline into the end zone.

Amid mass hysteria on the UAPB sideline, no one saw the yellow flag lying on the far side of the field behind the original line of scrimmage.

“I don't even know what to say, I just feel like we got robbed,” Wallace said. “I wasn't even aware of [the flag], I was just busy celebrating. We did all we could do, I just feel like we got robbed.

“This hurts like never before.”

Referee Anthony Johnson couldn't give UAPB's on-field coaches the number of who the penalty was on, saying only that it was a player who followed wide receiver Raymond Webber in motion that failed to set himself prior to the snap.

Head coach Mo Forte never saw the infraction as he watched the play unfold from the press box, where he has coached each of his team's past two games.

“I don't know if it was the right or wrong call because I was just following the play downfield, but that's one part I don't like about being in the press box, that I'm not in touch with the officials.” Forte said. “It was disappointment, just disappointment. I was really happy we scored and I just couldn't believe it. It just hurt and took the wind right out of my sails to have a kid give that kind of effort and have it all be for naught.”

The play was hardly the deciding factor in the game for a Golden Lions team that was penalized 11 times for 105 yards and turned the ball over five times, including four fumbles.

UAPB racked up 454 total yards, with 369 yards coming through the air, to outgain the Tigers in both categories. Yet after Moore hit Jones for a 79-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game that eventually led to a 10-0 UAPB lead, the Lions shot themselves in the foot nearly every time they had a chance to gain an edge in the game.

The first Grambling (5-1 5-0 SWAC) touchdown of the game came as a direct result of 35 yards of UAPB penalties and after the teams went to halftime tied 10-10, two of the Tigers' three second-half touchdowns came following Lion fumbles.

The fourth and final fumble was the most damaging, as Moore (16-of-23, 276 yards, one touchdown, one interception) laid the ball on the ground at his own 36-yard line with 9:12 remaining in the game and the Lions down just 24-17 after UAPB's defense had forced a three-and-out on the previous possession. The junior signal-caller was forced to leave the game after injuring his throwing hand on the play, giving way to Wallace (9-of-13, 93 yards, one touchdown)

Five plays later, Grambling had extended its lead to 30-17.

“Over 100 yards in penalties and five turnovers, both of those are ridiculous numbers,” Forte said. “Not many football teams are going to win games with those numbers because … the penalties just killed us.

“We've been struggling a lot and penalties and turnovers really just take away from everything you feel like you're accomplishing.”

One of the lone bright spots for UAPB was its passing numbers, as Jones went for 104 yards and a touchdown, Webber for 109 yards and a score and Demetrice Beverly 81 yards to out-do the Tigers' heralded receiving corps. Grambling quarterback Brandon Landers finished 22-of-38 for 214 yards and a touchdown.

The Lions were again plagued by an inability to run the ball, as Martell Mallett finished with just 28 yards on nine carries in contrast to Grambling's 145 yards on the ground.

The Golden Lions return to action Thursday night at Alabama A&M in a rematch of the 2006 SWAC Championship.

MEAC, SWAC and TSU Gallery

Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands

Today's MEAC/SWAC Score Finals

Here are some of the final scores for today in the MEAC and SWAC. I hope no one is surprised and that their favorite team(s) won.

Morgan State won its homecoming game against Howard University, but had to go to over-time to get it accomplished. Final score Morgan State 36, Howard 33. Attendance was 14, 987 at this big party. MEAC rushing leader Chad Simpson was shut down by the Bison defense and held to 13 rushes for 15 total yards. However, Mr. Simpson caught two passes for 106 yards including an 84 yard TD.

Delaware State shuts out North Carolina A&T Aggies 27-0 on the road before 9,934 Aggie fans. This extends the Aggie streak to 23 straight losses. What's more amazing is DSU only completed 3 of 9 passes for 31 total yards and was held to 39 rushes for 125 yards on the ground. A&T had a total of 182 yards of offense with turnovers being equal at one each. So, Aggie fans, how did A&T give up 27 points? (a) Brandon Hudson 84 Yd Kickoff Return for TD (Peter Gaertner Kick); (b)Peter Gaertner 32 Yd FG; (c) Vashon Winton 1 Yd Run for TD (Peter Gaertner Kick); (d)Peter Gaertner 45 Yd FG; and (d) Akeem Green 86 Yd Interception Return for TD (Peter Gaertner Kick). Game over.

Florida A&M University Rattlers got whipped on the road like they were playing a Football Bowl Championship ranked team. Unfortunately, they were playing South Carolina State University Bulldogs who were taking out early season losses to the Air Force Academy, University of South Carolina and Norfolk State University on the Rattlers rear ends. The final score was SCSU 49, FAMU 14. The Bulldogs probably set several records for opponent points and yards scored against the Rattler defense. At last count in the third quarter, the Bulldogs had racked up 579 yards and was leading 49-7.

Thankfully, Coach Buddy Pough called off the 'dogs in the fourth quarter. However, this one was real ugly and was televised on ESPNU to the entire nation to see on a delayed broadcast basis. Hopefully, Rattler football fans won't waste their time watching this one at 10:00 p.m. tonight. The Rattlers are in need of some serious HELP. 21,500 was in attendance to watch Cleve McCoy rush for 136 yards, Will Ford rush for 142 and Jonathan Woods 126 yards. SCSU set a FAMU record with 611 yards recorded against the Rattlers. FAMU finally put QB Eddie Battle into the game who completed 5/7 passes for 54 yards and one TD.

Norfolk State is for real--just ask Hampton University. Final score in that contest--NSU Spartans 20, Hampton Pirates 19. The MEAC championship will be decided on November 10th in Dover, at Delaware State University. Expect the Spartans to mow down FAMU, Howard and Morgan before the big contest with DSU. There is a chance that the MEAC will send two ranked teams to the FCS playoffs and possibly three. Let's watch how this plays out for NSU, DSU, Hampton and SCSU. Attendance was 27,757 for this barn burner that was won by NSU on a blocked Hampton extra point after TD with 00:27 remaining in the contest. Norfolk defense limited Hampton to 82 yards on the ground on 34 rushes. The only question remaining is who won the battle of the bands?

NCAA Division I Independent North Carolina Central University played to the level of its competition in Division II, North Greenville University before a homecoming crowd of 11,327. The NCCU Eagles won 17-14 on a 22 yard FG with 14:52 left in the contest. This one lacked excitement.

Prairie View gets respect with a 17-6 road victory over Alabama State in the Cramton Bowl. The Panthers are a respectable 4-2 overall and 3-2 in the SWAC, as the Hornets fall to 4-3 overall and 3-3.

Poor Mississippi Valley State got the devil kicked out of them by undefeated North Dakota State of the Great West conference on MVSU home field. The 6-0 Bison is ranked #1 in the coaches poll for the FCS. This playoff team beat Valley 58-7 without breaking a sweat. They are scheduled to move to the Gateway conference next season. MVSU is 1-5 on the season.

In the battle of the worst that the SWAC has to offer, Alcorn State won at Texas Southern 22-20 to spoil the Tigers homecoming game. Texas Southern Coach Steve Wilson 0-6 Tigers have a road date with MVSU before facing Grambling, Southern, UAPB and University of Houston. Can you say--just never mind. I may get whistled for illegal procedures or unnecessary piling on, by higher authority.

Grambling knocks off UAPB---Grambling State 30, UAPB 24---as the Golden Lions fumbled 5 times in the game, and had 11 penalties for 105 yards. Great turnout with 40,067 in attendance for the Literacy Classic.

Jackson State beats the Southern Jaguars 32-26 and now leads the SWAC East at 4-0. Big game, great win for JSU on Southern's home turf.

Division II Morehouse is taking FCS Division I Independent Savannah State University to the wood shed with a 32-14 final score.

-beepbeep

Good start goal of SU offense

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Jackson State at Southern
WHEN: 6 p.m. today.
WHERE: A.W. Mumford Stadium (25,500).
TV: CST (Tape-delayed 3:30 p.m. Sunday).
RADIO: KQXL-FM, 106.5.
RECORDS: Southern 5-1, 3-1 SWAC; Jackson State 3-2, 30.
LAST MEETING: Jackson State 31, Southern 28, 2006.
SERIES: Jackson State leads 26-22.

Once Southern gets rolling in a football game, there might not be a better team in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

SU coach Pete Richardson has lauded his team for playing hard for 60 minutes. The impressive part of that is, this is a team that is thin on the offensive line and inexperienced all over.

The concern, though, is not in the finishes but in how Southern starts.

The Jaguars (5-1, 3-1 SWAC), who host Jackson State (3-2, 3-0) at 6 p.m. today in A.W. Mumford Stadium, have scored three first-quarter touchdowns in six games this season.

And that includes breaking a 90-yard touchdown run on their first offensive play of the year.

“We have to be ready to go from the time the ref blows the whistle,” Richardson said.

SU has been outscored 48-18 in the first quarter. SU’s best scoring quarter is the second, with 61 points.

The Jaguars have outscored the opposition a staggering 79-23 in the second half. Of those 23 points, six have come from three safeties, and one of the two touchdowns came in the final minute. They also gave up a field goal after a fumble.

“We have to pick up our intensity as far as getting off to a good start,” Richardson said. “That’s part of my responsibility, to get them ready to go and get them focused so we can get off to a good start.

“I wish I had a magic wand that I could figure it out.”

The last two home games have had the Jaguars stuck in their worst starts.

SU fell behind Alabama A&M and Tennessee State a combined 55-12. After falling back by 21 and 22 points, the Jaguars eventually outscored both teams 57-12 — rallying for a 41-34 win over TSU but losing 31-28 to A&M.

“We’ve been talking the whole season about slow starts,” wide receiver and team co-captain Gerard Landry said. “Last week, we got off to a slow start and it came back to bite us in the end.”

Slow starts haven’t been exclusively the domain of the offense. The defense’s worst quarter has been the first one — at least in two games (A&M and TSU accounting for 41 of the 48 first-quarter points against SU this season).

For its 20 first-quarter points, Tennessee State set up a 1-yard score with a 60-yard flea-flicker, scored on a 61-yard pass play on a third-and-12 and broke a 49-yard touchdown run.

For its 21 first-quarter points, Alabama A&M quarterback Kelcy Luke didn’t throw an incompletion and the Bulldogs never needed a third down. And two wide receivers teamed on a 55-yard TD pass.

“We have to stop giving up the big plays and putting ourselves in the doghouse,” SU free safety and team co-captain Jarmaul George said.

Southern scored on its second possession against A&M — after a 50-yard kickoff return to the A&M 45-yard line and a 37-yard pass to running back Darren Coates to convert a third-and-11. But Landry said he never felt the offense found its rhythm.

“We still weren’t playing with that momentum,” Landry said. “You watch film, we were like lackadaisical. We have to get it pumping from the first play.”

“What stood out more than anything last week was we had key penalties in some areas when we had a little momentum going,” SU offensive coordinator Mark Orlando said.

Playing at home could be an issue.

“Any time you have a young football team, that’s part of the learning process, especially playing at home,” Richardson said.

Then again, of the six teams Southern has played so far, A&M and TSU had the best quarterbacks and best overall offenses.

Jackson State, with elusive quarterback Jimmy Oliver and a deep running game led by Erik Haw, is on par with A&M and TSU.

Jackson State’s defense, likewise, may be better than A&M’s.

“They’re a real physical defense,” SU quarterback Bryant Lee said. “They might be one of the best defenses we’ll face all season. Basically, they all like to come after the quarterback and shut down the run.”

After losing a week ago, Southern is in a must-win situation to keep up in the Western Division with No. 25 Grambling (4-1, 4-0).

The Jaguars have lost five straight October games and are 1-7 in the month since 2005.

“We’re going to have to get out to a good start,” Richardson said. “We can’t afford to fall behind by a couple touchdowns and expect to dig our way out every game. We have to get focused and get ready to go because we’re going to play against a fine football team.”

The idea is to mate a better start to the strong finishes.

“It’ll gradually get easier and easier for us, instead of us having to play comeback all the time,” Lee said.

The idea is to not wait until the team breaks a good sweat.

“Focus. From as soon as the kickoff, we have to get on our horses, right then and there, no holding back, nothing, just let it all out,” George said. “We can’t fall behind early in the game.”

Southern University Human Jukebox Marching Band 2007

Jags' versatile QB could pose test for JSU Tigers

By Kareem Copeland, Clarion Ledger

JACKSON STATE AT SOUTHERN
When: Today, 6 p.m.
Radio: WOAD-1300 AM

Bryant Lee may wear No. 16, but there's no doubt he is the No. 1 priority when Jackson State steps on the field at A.W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge tonight at 6.

The Tigers (3-2, 3-0 SWAC) have to contain the SWAC's most prolific offensive entity to have any hope of pulling out a victory against Southern University (5-1, 3-1).

"He'll take over a game," JSU defensive coordinator Darrin Hayes said about the S U quarterback. "He's got a good strong arm. Makes good decisions. He does a lot with his feet, too. He's a very formidable quarterback. Probably one of the best we've faced this year.

"He's a guy you definitely have to be aware of and leery of, make sure we keep him in that pocket."

Lee leads the conference in total offense (252.2 ypg) while passing for 1,331 yards and rushing for 182. His 14 combined touchdowns account for over half of the conference's No. 3 scoring offense (26.3 ppg, 23 touchdowns scored).

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound sophomore will line up under center or in shotgun. He'll throw or run at will out of designed option plays.

Lee leads the Jaguars with 91 rushes.
"They're using him just right; he's operating that offense like no other," JSU coach Rick Comegy said. "Like they used that young man at Texas that year (Vince Young). They try to put him in that role, where he can throw short passes and kill you with his legs."

Hayes added, "I guess they feel if they can't get the passes off, he can take it in his own hands."

Lee's ascension to stardom has been fairly smooth for a first-year starting quarterback, throwing just three interceptions. However, Southern coach Pete Richardson would like Lee to throw the ball away more instead of taking big losses. He's been dropped for minus-164 yards in 2007.

"He's an individual that's really growing as a quarterback," Richardson said. "He's built confidence in himself and our football team. They know he can make things happen."

Fortunately for the Tigers, their defense has been the most consistent unit thus far - barring the 27-15 loss to Delta State in the season opener.

JSU boasts the No. 1 total defense (221.2 ypg), No. 3 scoring defense (17.2 ppg), No. 1 pass defense (111.8 ypg) and No. 2 rush defense (109.4 ypg) in the SWAC.

"I think we're under the radar right now," Comegy said about his team, "and I kind of like being that way."

Prairie View no pushover for Alabama State University

Photo: ASU RSSr., RB Jay Peck, Columbus, OH

By A. Stacy Long, Montgomery Advertiser

Prairie View, once college football's laughingstock, isn't providing comedy relief anymore.

The Panthers, who play Alabama State today at Cramton Bowl, have a 3-2 overall record -- including a 2-2 mark in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Those two league losses weren't exactly blowouts.

Prairie View lost by 10 at Southern and fell by three against Grambling State.

"Prairie View is the real deal now," ASU defensive lineman Chris Preer said. "They have just as good athletes as anybody. They're competing and they're no pushover team."

The Hornets (4-2, 3-2 SWAC) learned all about Prairie View's resurgence last season when they played at Prairie View and barely pulled out a 10-7 victory. A 45-yard touchdown pass from Alex Engram to Antonio James early in the fourth quarter provided the difference.

The game was scoreless at halftime.

"I always heard people say that Prairie View was pretty sorry back in the day," ASU linebacker Michael Figgers said. "Last year they were pretty good. We were in some trouble down there last year. They're looking real good this year, too. We're going to come out fighting."

Prairie View lost an NCAA-record 80 straight games from 1989 to 1998 -- the second-longest streak is a paltry 44-gamer. That went a long way toward cementing its reputation as a SWAC patsy. But the reborn Panthers opened this season with two straight victories, including a season-opening 34-14 drubbing of Texas Southern.

"Just from playing them last year, I can see the difference from what I've heard," Preer said. "It's going to be a tough game, but if we prepare well and play our game, I think we'll come out on top."

Preer believes last year's close call had as much to do with ASU's bad attitude as with Prairie View's good play.

"A lot of guys had the mentality last year that Prairie View is sorry and that's an easy win," he said. "Not anymore."

And anyway, Alabama State has its own losing streak to deal with.

The Hornets won their first four games, rallying in the fourth quarter for each victory. But they stumbled two weeks ago and fell 21-2 to Southern University. Last week, they lost 32-20 at Jackson State.

"As a head coach, the thing I was most disappointed in was our sense of urgency as a team," ASU coach Reggie Barlow said. "I didn't think we had the sense of urgency that I was looking for. That's on me.

"I have to do a better job of selling that to our assistant coaches, our players, everybody in our program, even the secretary. I need her to step it up. We'll get it."

Jackson State scored on two of its first three possessions and improved on that in the second half. The Tigers had four scores the first five times they touched the ball.

Erik Haw rolled through the Hornets for 159 yards and three touchdowns, including a 66-yarder in the fourth quarter that sealed the win.

"The last couple of weeks, we've been starting off a little slow," Figgers said. "Before, we always come up with a big play and someone lights that match to get us going, but we haven't had that the last two weeks.

"I'm sure we'll get things back together. It hasn't been a big problem, just a play here and there and we're back in the ballgame."

Jackson State totaled 285 yards rushing on Alabama State, which allowed an average of less than 110 yards rushing its first five games.

"It hurts, especially when a team isn't supposed to do that," Preer said. "Taking nothing from Jackson State, but we're a lot better than what the score showed and the stats. We have to get back to what we do best, playing Hornet ball."

The Hornets don't feel they were that far away in either loss.

"We could easily be 6-0," Figgers said. "There's no team that has been better than us. We've just had a couple of slipups. We'll be back to normal.

"We're going to get everything back this week."

Praire View A&M University Marching Storm and the Black Foxes

Today's SWAC football games

Photo: AAMU Marching Maroon and White Band

Huntsville Times

Today's games

Prairie View (3-2, 2-2 SWAC) at Alabama State (4-2, 3-2 SWAC); Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, 1 p.m.

The Panthers need three wins in their last five games to post their first winning season in decades. Prairie View's two losses have been at Southern (12-2) and against Grambling (17-14) at Dallas. The Panthers are among the best defensive teams in the league and have been among the top rushing teams.

Alabama State has dropped its last two games since opening the season with four straight wins. QB Chris Mitchell and Alex Engram have struggled the last two weeks. Combined, they have completed just 13-of-51 passes for 176 yards, three TD and three INT. Last week, ASU's defense allowed 285 yards rushing in a loss at Jackson State.

Prediction: Alabama State 17, Prairie View 14

Alcorn State (0-5, 0-4 SWAC) at Texas Southern (0-5, 0-4 SWAC); Durley Field, Houston, Texas, 2 p.m.

The Braves or Tigers will get their first win of the season today. Alcorn State coach Johnny Thomas has been able to get his team off the deck in recent years, but it doesn't appear that will happen this season. Thomas, who has managed to hang on, might not be able to keep his job if he doesn't get the Braves turned around.

The same can be said of Texas Southern coach Steve Wilson. The Tigers are 4-34 in Wilson's four seasons.

Prediction: Texas Southern 17, Alcorn State 14

No. 3 North Dakota State (5-0) at Mississippi Valley State (1-4); Rice-Totten Stadium, Itta Bena, Miss., 2 p.m.

The Delta Devils, who have been outscored 70-3 in their last six quarters, have allowed 135 points the last three games. WR/return specialist Clarence Cotton has two fractured vetebrae and has not played in the last two games. MVSU coach Willie Totten said Cotton's season is likely over and the team will apply for a medical redshirt. QB Paul Roberts has a concussion and likely won't play, while QB Semaj Williams, who started in place of Roberts against Grambling, has bruised rubs.

North Dakota State crushed MVSU 45-0 last season in Fargo, N.D.

Prediction: North Dakota State 52, Mississippi Valley State 10

Grambling (4-1, 4-0 SWAC) at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-4, 1-2 SWAC); Golden Lions Stadium, Pine Bluff, Ark., 4 p.m.

The Tigers have been the most dominant team in league play. Grambling, which has allowed just two offensive TDs in SWAC play, disposed of Alcorn State, Alabama A&M, Prairie View and Mississippi Valley State by a combined score of 119-30. QB Brandon Landers has been very efficient, along with freshman RB Frank Warren and Cornelius Walker. WR Clyde Edwards and Reginald Jackson are ranked among the league's best.

The Golden Lions, who started 1-3 last season before running off seven straight wins to claim the West Division title and reach the championship game, are 1-4. Duplicating last year's run won't be easy. QB Chris Wallace, the preseason Offensie Player of the Year, was benched weeks ago and running backs Martell Mallet and Mickey Dean have been ineffective behind a revamped offensive line.

Prediction: Grambling 31, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 10

Jackson State (3-2, 3-0 SWAC) at Southern (5-1, 3-1 SWAC); A.W. Mumford Stadium, Baton Rouge, La., 6 p.m.

Tigers coach Rick Comegy upset many folks earlier this week with comments about how hostile the environment was at Southern even though he has never coached a game there. JSU has won three straight games since dropping its first two but has arguably the most difficult schedule in the East Division. After today's game, the Tigers host Grambling and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, visit Alabama A&M and Prairie View and host Alcorn State.

Southern suffered its first setback last week with a home loss to Alabama A&M. The Jaguars, trying to keep up with Grambling, are in a must-win situation. Southern's defense, which had been dominant until last week, needs to return to form against Jackson State, which has hit its stride over the last three weeks.

Prediction: Southern 24, Jackson State 20

Last week: 3-1

Season total: 24-8

Reggie Benson

Photo: Alcorn State University Sounds of Dyn-O-mite Marching Band.

Football: Howard University at Morgan State

Records: Bison 2-3, 0-2 MEAC; Bears 3-3, 1-2
When: Hughes Stadium, Baltimore
Where:1 p.m.
Radio: 88.9 FM

HANG ON TIGHT: Howard leads the MEAC in time of possession and pass-efficiency defense. Part of that ability to hang onto the ball can be attributed to third-down efficiency, in which the Bison rank second in the league. Individually, quarterback Brian Johnson is second in the conference in total offense with 258.6 yards per game and third in passing with 194.4 yards per game.

BEARING DOWN: Morgan State leads division I-AA in takeaways with 18 and ranks second in tackles for losses and sacks (3.67 per game). Bryan Wilson is tied for first nationally in forced fumbles, and Jerrell Guyton leads the country in tackles for losses (2.42 per game).

SLOW STARTS: The Bison have a chance to jump out to an early lead. The Bears have outscored their opponents in every quarter but the first, in which they have been outscored by a combined 35-7 this season.

OUTLOOK: The overall play of the Morgan State defense and the improved consistency of the two-quarterback offense have been the primary reasons the team has put together back-to-back wins. Can the Bears extend that streak to three straight victories at homecoming? QBs Byron Selby and Mario Melton didn't have eye-popping stats (13-for-23 for 130 yards) last week, but they didn't throw any interceptions.

The Bears are getting too many penalties (111 yards), a fact that will eventually hurt them in key situations. However, nothing seems to halt senior All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference RB Chad Simpson, who runs for high yardage game after game. Simpson had 181 yards, including a 46-yard TD last week. LB Jarrell Guyton keeps on making key stops on defense, with 10 tackles last week.

Howard Bison always plays some of its best football against Morgan State, and is hoping some of the momentum from last week's 41-14 romp over Cheyney University will carry over to this game. The Bison are 0-2 in league play but have two potent offensive weapons in QB Brian Johnson and RB Terry Perry.

SCSU versus FAMU

Times and Democrat

FLORIDA A&M (2-3, 1-1) at SOUTH CAROLINA STATE (2-3, 1-1) 2 p.m.

AT STAKE: It's a "must-win" game for both teams as another defeat would drop the loser out of contention for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship. SCSU head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough is looking to remain perfect against the Rattlers (4-0) during his tenure and remain undefeated (12-0) in nationally-televised games.

LAST OUTING: SCSU def. by Norfolk State 20-13 (double overtime); FAMU def. by Winston-Salem State 27-23

LAST YEAR'S RECORDS: SCSU (7-4, 6-2 in the MEAC); FAMU (7-4, 5-3 in the MEAC)

THE LAST TIME THEY MET: (Oct. 7, 2006) won by SCSU 28-21. "Thunder and Lighting" carried the day for the Bulldogs as DeShawn Baker and Will Ford combined for 285 of the team's 315 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Travance Jackson accounted for SCSU's opening score by recovering a punt blocked by Phillip Adams and returning it 4 yards for a touchdown. The Bulldogs led by as many as 21 points before FAMU closed the gap with two, fourth-quarter touchdowns. SCSU would hold on to extend its longest winning streak in the series.

SERIES RECORD: FAMU leads 30-14-2

FIRST MEETING: 1930

ALL-TIME RECORDS: SCSU (372-242-28); FAMU (531-263-23)

FIRST SEASONS OF FOOTBALL: SCSU (1907); FAMU (1906)

Photo: SCSU Head Football Coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough

HEAD COACHES & RECORDS: SCSU's Oliver "Buddy" Pough (42-20 overall, 30-11 MEAC) 6th season; FAMU's Rubin Carter (15-12 overall, 11-8 in the MEAC) 3rd season

DID YOU KNOW: SCSU head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough led Fairfield-Central to a Class 3-A title in 1996...FAMU head football coach Rubin Carter played 12 seasons with the NFL's Denver Broncos, where he was an "Orange Crush" teammate of former Bulldog Barney Chavous...SCSU has three former players (Deacon Jones, Marion Motley and Harry Carson) inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, more than all the Palmetto State's Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Division and Division II programs combined. FAMU does have four entries in the College Football Pro Football Hall of Fame, with former head coach Billy Joe receiving induction this year, joining fellow former Rattlers' coach Jake Gaither, and former players guard Tyrone McGriff and halfback Willie "Galloping Gal" Galimore....FAMU is the only historically black college to win the Division I-AA (now the Football Championship Subdivision) national championship, taking it in 1978..Both SCSU and FAMU had four players make the preseason All-MEAC first-team. The Rattlers' First-team selection at quarterback Albert Chester, however, quit the team last week...FAMU is playing its third straight game away from Tallahassee, while SCSU is playing just its second home game...SCSU has won seven straight games at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium dating back to the 2005 season...Pough is 4-0 against Florida A&M...Under Pough, the Bulldogs are 38-5 when leading or tied at halftime and 4-15 when trailing.

Lights, Camera, Action - SCSU enjoys playing on TV

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

"I guess it's somewhat of a good thing that we play on TV a bunch because our guys do seem to play well, and I guess it's somewhat of a...feather in our cap a little bit that the conference and the TV stations think enough about us to bring us on TV. I just hope we can go on and continue to play well because when you play well, folks know it."

- SCSU head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough in 2005 about his team's perfect record in nationally-televised games on cable.

Recent history shows just one other group the South Carolina State football teams looks forward to playing in front of more than the home fans at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

That group -- the national cable television audience that will watch the Bulldogs' contest against Florida A&M today. During the Oliver "Buddy" Pough era, SCSU is 12-0 when playing before the roving cameras providing a live feed of the action for viewers of ESPNU, ESPN2, BET and the now-defunct Black Family Channel.

Coming off a disappointing double-overtime loss to Norfolk State and mired in a season-long offensive slump, the Bulldogs are hoping the bright lights and playing in a venue where they've won seven straight will help spark a reversal of fortune.

"Hopefully, anything that we can use at this point that gives us the possibility that we'll play good, I'm happy about," Pough said on Monday. "So I'm glad we're on TV. I look forward to us playing well in front of not only our homecrowd, but a nationally-televised audience."

Over the years, viewers both nationally and regionally have witnessed a slew of Bulldogs put forth career-defining performances in winning efforts. Some of those big performances included:

-- In his first game at Williams-Brice Stadium, former University of South Carolina running back Derek Watson scored a season-high two touchdowns for SCSU in a 52-7 win over Benedict College in the 2002 Palmetto Capital City Classic.

-- Running back Coty Martin rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns to earn MVP honors at the 2003 Palmetto Capitol City Classic won by SCSU 41-7.

-- Wide receiver Tavarus Morgan broke both the school single-season reception record in a 27-15 win over Florida A&M in 2003 and the career receptions mark against Tennessee State last season.

-- Defensive back Dewitt Ellerbe scored two touchdowns on a 75-yard interception return and a 90-yard blocked field goal return in SCSU's 49-9 trouncing of North Carolina A&T in 2003.

-- The SCSU defense held Tennessee State running back Charles Anthony, at the time the NCAA Division I-AA's leading rusher, to a season-low 51 yards in a 30-13 win at the 2004 Circle City Classic.

-- Defensive back Ryan Hemby, formerly of Orangeburg-Wilkinson and Clemson, intercepted two passes which helped rally SCSU to a 28-14 victory over Bethune-Cookman in 2004.

-- Running back DeShawn Baker becomes the first Bulldog since Chad Eaddy in 2000 to surpass 1,000 yards in a season after rushing for 121 yards and two TDs in a 34-28 win over North Carolina A&T. The victory also clinched a share of the lone Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season title won so far under Pough.

Most recently, quarterback Cleveland McCoy has shined on the small screen. In 2005, he earned MVP honors at the inaugural MEAC/SWAC Challenge with 243 yards and a touchdown and had a career-best 277 passing yards and two touchdowns in a 65-15 rout of Morgan State.

Photo: Cleveland McCoy, Sr. QB, 6-2/213

Last season, McCoy overcame an arm gash and a poor effort the previous week against Florida A&M by rushing for 114 yards and a touchdown and completing 8 of 14 passes for 81 yards in a 13-6 win over nationally-ranked and defending MEAC champion Hampton.

SCSU's offense, ranked last in scoring and passing efficiency, could use a similar performance against the Rattlers. At the same time, Pough insists the players are oblivious to the television cameras save for the constant interruptions.

"To be perfectly honest with you, television games for us, we've had enough of them where it's pretty much just a regular game for us," he said. "We don't really actually recognize the fact that we're on TV while we're playing except for the fact that you get some extra timeouts. You've got a guy out there with a red hat on that won't let you play most of the time."

With the "meat" of the schedule coming up with Hampton, Delaware State, Howard and Morgan, today's game is all about picking up momentun for the Bulldogs.

"The only thing we promise is that we're going to play the very best that we can," Pough said. "Winning and losing happens because you do things good. The best thing I can tell them is that this team is still an exciting, fun football team to watch. I think you should come out and enjoy and support in that way. We've only been at time one time and that time, we did win at home. Hopefully, with a few more home games, we'll get a foundation of winning good enough that we can spring forward to the rest of the season."

Breakout: LISTING OF SCSU's NATIONALLY-TELEVISED CABLE WINS UNDER POUGH

2002

SCSU 52, BENEDICT 7 (MBC/BLACK FAMILY CHANNEL)

SCSU 26, NORTH CAROLINA A&T 9 (BET)

2003

SCSU 41, BENEDICT 7 (MBC/BLACK FAMILY CHANNEL)

SCSU 27, FLORIDA A&M 15 (MBC/BLACK FAMILY CHANNEL)

SCSU 49, NORTH CAROLINA A&T 9 (MBC/BLACK FAMILY CHANNEL)

2004

SCSU 30, TENNESSEE STATE 13 (BET)

2005

SCSU 27, ALABAMA STATE 14 (ESPN2)

SCSU 35, NORFOLK STATE 21 (ESPNU)

SCSU 23, HOWARD 9 (ESPNU)

SCSU 65, MORGAN STATE 15 (ESPNU)

2006

SCSU 13, HAMPTON 6 (ESPNU)

SCSU 28, HOWARD 10 (ESPNU)