With Lee sidelined, Matthews ready to take helm for Southern

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

There will be no safety net for Southern quarterback Warren Matthews on Saturday.

Last Saturday, Matthews knew all week he was going to start the Jackson State game. But he also knew the team’s No. 1 quarterback, Bryant Lee, had warmed up well and was ready to go on a sore right ankle that caused him to miss the major work days of game-week practice. With Lee’s ankle dramatically worse, Matthews will be on his own this Saturday.

“I feel comfortable with him,” offensive coordinator Mark Orlando said. “We’re not going to shut anything down of what we’re doing. We’ll keep rolling with what we’ve been doing.

“He’s excited about it. He’s enthused. He’s got a great attitude. He works hard.”

Southern (5-2, 3-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) hosts Alcorn State (1-5, 1-4) at 3 p.m. Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.

Matthews, who was redshirted and did not play last season after being out of football as a nonqualifier in 2005, is 6-for-12 for 83 yards and one touchdown.

Lee is 144-for-223 for 1,585 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions this season.

“I know the offense and everything,” Matthews said. “It’s just a matter of execution.

“We’re just going to try to get the timing down.”

Matthews likely will be without senior wide receiver Gerard Landry (409 yards, eight touchdowns) but should have Del Roberts (279 yards, one touchdown).

Landry went out in the third quarter with a high ankle sprain. Roberts (back) missed all of the Jackson State loss and most of the Alabama A&M loss.

Junior C.J. Byrd, who missed most of preseason camp after being in a car accident in late July, will back Matthews.

Byrd started four games last season. He was 32-for-52 for 389 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 155 yards and four TDs.

“C.J. is going to have to get ready, because I think there are some things he can do,” Orlando said.

Matthews is a physically imposing 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, with the strongest arm on the team. Byrd is 5-11, 170. Lee is 6-2, 195.

Photo: QB Warren Matthews, RS Soph., New Orleans, LA/Warren Easton H.S., 6-3/230.

“As far as knowing what we’re doing, he knows it, because, Lord, he’s had a ton of reps at it,” Orlando said. “I feel comfortable with the entire system with him.”

Last month, fifth-year senior J.C. Lewis, the No. 1 quarterback the previous two seasons, left the team after not seeing any action in the first two games.

Redshirt freshman Gary Hollimon is third on the depth chart.

Though the decision on who would be SU’s No. 1 quarterback was expected to be between Lee and Lewis, Matthews’ dramatic improvement in the spring changed all that.

Lee, SU’s starter at the end of last season, eventually outdueled Matthews in preseason camp. But the work Matthews, from Warren Easton High in New Orleans, put in during the spring and summer left an impression on coaches.

“Warren worked hard,” Orlando said. “It was a heckuva battle coming out of spring.

“He’s really improved a lot in the last year or so. He’s got a big-time arm.”

Though he had gotten the majority of practice reps the last two or three weeks to allow Lee more recuperative time, Matthews’ only collegiate action — until Saturday’s start — had been running the ball late in a season-opening win over Florida A&M.

With Matthews starting Saturday, Southern was three-and-out on its initial series. Matthews completed his first collegiate pass, a 5-yarder to Nick Benjamin, to set up a third-and-4. But the shotgun snap got botched, with Matthews falling on the ball for a 3-yard loss.

“I thought he was a little jittery early in the game but when he got settled down he did some good things,” Orlando said. “He was in a tough situation and I thought he did fine.”

Matthews didn’t return until after Lee went out midway through the third quarter.

Matthews directed a 10-play, 72-yard touchdown drive to get the Jaguars within 30-26 with 6:22 left in the game. He converted three third downs — a third-and-5, a third-and-10 and, on a 22-yard TD pass to Benjamin, a third-and-16.

“That’s why I practice,” Matthews said. “I knew going into the week I was going to start. I just had to do what I had to do to get prepared. I did all I could.”

The tradeoff for not having Lee to back him Saturday is Matthews now has some game experience.

“Now I have some experience dealing with the game speed,” Matthews said. “It’s much different. Since I have the experience, it’ll slow down for me once I get into my rhythm.

“After that first completion, it started to slow down.”

What Landry did best is what Matthews will have to do best: stay within the offense.

“Like I told Warren last week, you’ve got a lot of kids around you to help you win this ballgame,” Orlando said. “Don’t feel like you’ve got to go out there and win it yourself.”

“We’re not asking Matthews to win the game for us,” SU coach Pete Richardson said. “We’re just asking him to manage our football team. The players have confidence in him — and we have confidence in him — to do that.”

Photo: Southern University Dancing Dolls performs during half-time.

Gallery & Half-Time Show: UAPB M4

The University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South (M4) and the Golden Girls (10/13/2007).

Making Tracks: WSSU Jeptolo excels in athletics, academics

Photos: Irene Jeptolo, 5-3 Jr.,St. Joseph's Girls H.S., Kapsabet, Kenya

By John Dell, JOURNAL REPORTER

It’s a shame that Irene Jeptolo’s cross-country season has come to an end because she has been on a serious roll for Winston-Salem State.

Jeptolo, a 23-year-old junior from Kenya, dominated just about every race she was in this fall, winning four times in six races. In the other two races she was good enough to finish in the top 10.

“I have been running well,” said Jeptolo, whose English has improved in her three years on campus. “I have had some good training thanks to my coaches and it’s given me a boost.”

Last week, in the Rams’ final meet of the fall, Jeptolo helped them to a third-place finish at the Erskine Invitational in Due West, S.C. She won the 5K with a time of 19 minutes, 12 seconds.

“It was nice to win again,” said Jeptolo, who transferred to WSSU three years ago from a community college in Arizona.

When the Rams were still competing in Division II, she was good enough at the regionals to qualify for the nationals in 2005. But since the Rams are in their transition to Division I they aren’t eligible for the postseason.

Coach Halcyon Blake, who is in her third season of coaching the cross-country and track teams, said that what is most amazing about Jeptolo is her mental toughness. Jeptolo is a nursing major who has been busy working at Baptist Hospital this semester.

“She is doing her clinical-rotation class at the hospital and makes rounds there all throughout the week and even some on the weekends,” Blake said. “And she still finds time to fit in her training.”

Jeptolo’s normal day begins at around 4:30 a.m. She gets to the hospital by 6 a.m. and is there until 2 p.m. before heading to practice.

“I want to either be a pediatric or geriatric nurse, I haven’t decided,” she said. “So this has been a busy semester but I don’t mind.”

Jeptolo is an honor-roll student who plans to graduate in December of 2008.

Perhaps Jeptolo’s best race came near Orlando, Fla., in a meet that had 386 runners. She ran the 5K in 18:16 and finished seventh.

“It was a sprint to the finish and she was right there, so it could have gone either way,” Blake said.

With the indoor-track season starting in late November, Jeptolo will turn her attention to the 3,000 and 1,500 meters. Blake said that Jeptolo might eventually be an outstanding steeplechase runner.

Jeptolo said that her success this fall has a lot to do with her training during the summer, a regimen that was set up by Blake.

“I was feeling that I was prepared for these races,” said Jeptolo who also won at the UNC Pembroke Invitational, the Old North State Championships in Greensboro and the Greensboro Invitational.

“Winning makes me very happy and I’m looking forward to the indoor season,” Jeptolo said.

“I’m having a lot of fun.”

Grambling's knack for the timely turnover keys its run

By Nick Deriso, Monroe News Star

GRAMBLING — Grambling State has built a 5-0 mark in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with an opportunistic defensive attack.
In fact, a league-best plus-eight turnover margin — which ties GSU with Alabama A&M — already includes 12 forced fumbles and 7 interceptions over the first six games.
Grambling had the same number of picks and just three more forced fumbles over the complete 11-game campaign in 2006.

There's a reason for the quick turnaround on takeaways, first-year GSU coach Rod Broadway says: Focus.
"We work on it every day," Broadway said. "We have a five-minute period each day where we work on takeaways — fumble recoveries, stripping the ball and interceptions. We work on all of those things."

In all, GSU would snatch four of five fumbles against Arkansas-Pine Bluff last week, while picking off two passes that led to 84 return yards in the other direction.

The result: A 30-24 win which, coupled with Southern's loss against Jackson State, put Grambling (5-1 overall; 5-0 in the SWAC) up by two the league race for the Western Division crown.

Most impressive was one stretch early in the third quarter when the Tigers held a slim 17-10 lead against Pine Bluff. Grambling would reel off three consecutive momentum-changing turnovers: DeMichael Dizer and Keefe Hall recovered consecutive fumbles, then Kenneth Anio picked off a pass.

The defense kept UAPB on its heels, even while Grambling's offense sputtered.

Anio also had a first-quarter takeaway last Saturday, though kicker Tim Manuel's subsequent 45-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

GSU quarterback Brandon Landers then gave the ball right back with his own interception between the Dizer and Hall fumble recoveries.

"We are plus-eight, but we are still turning ball over way too much," Broadway said. "We've had a chance to distance ourselves, scorewise, over the course of a couple of games, and we turned the ball over and let teams hang in there with us. That's the part that we've got to get corrected."

Up 14 points as the fourth period began, Landers saw another interception returned 50 yards to set up what would be UAPB's final score.

"That was a huge turnover," Broadway said. "They ran it back down to the 28-yard line and they were right back in the football game."

It was a scenario eerily similar to Grambling's late-game fade against Prairie View, another contest that saw takeaways lead to a razor-thin margin of victory. Landers had an untimely interception returned 24-yards for a touchdown to tie things up in the first possession of the fourth quarter at the State Fair Classic.

A penalty for an illegal shift saved Grambling last week, as a blocked kick had before in Dallas against Prairie View.

"Even though we are plus-eight," Broadway said, "we've got to protect the football a little bit better than we have been."

Yet another forced UAPB fumble, again by Dizer, led to Grambling's final touchdown — the deciding points of the game in Little Rock.

NEW ALL OVER AGAIN: Freshman Grambling running back Frank Warren has won his third player of the week honor from the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Each time, he was named newcomer of the week.

Warren helped Grambling to a Saturday night win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 92 yards and two critical touchdowns on 17 carries. He ran for 14-yard, second-quarter TD to begin a rally after GSU fell behind 10-0 then completed the Tigers' scoring with an 18-yard blast on the way to a 30-24 victory.

Warren earned previous newcomer awards after victories over Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley. He is currently third in the SWAC with 528 yards, second with 110 attempts and fifth in the league for yards per game with 88.

Grambling teammate Tim Manuel was also named the SWAC's specialist of the week, after averaging 43 yards per punt, hitting a 45-yard field goal to pull GSU even with Pine Bluff and adding three extra points.

MOVING ON UP: With its fourth straight SWAC win, and fifth overall, Grambling moved from No. 25 to 23 in the Sports Network's poll of Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) teams.

GSU is the only SWAC team in the Top 25, though Alabama A&M appears at No. 28. Grambling's Saturday foe Jackson State follows at No. 37, with in-state rival Southern at No. 41.

Alabama A&M notebook

Huntsville Times

Despite record, Golden Lions concern Jones

Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones admits Arkansas-Pine Bluff scares him. The Golden Lions should.

UAPB (1-5 overall, 1-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference) has been in virtually every game aside from being blown out at nationally ranked Southern Illinois.

That includes a 20-17 loss at New Mexico State in a game where the Aggies kicked a field goal as time expired to escape with the victory.

"I know the potential that UAPB has," Jones said. "They have a good coaching staff. They were picked to win the West. They're putting their stuff together. They've been in all of their games except one. This is a team you can't overlook. They're going to be very, very tough."

The Golden Lions came within an eyelash of knocking off West Division-leading Grambling on Saturday in Little Rock before falling 30-24.

"Anytime you play Grambling down to the wire, it says something about your program and about your team," Jones said. They're playing everybody tough. I know this team is capable of beating us.

They proved that last year. They're a team that concerns me."

Contract still unsigned:Jones had hoped to sign his contract last week, but after reviewing it, he gave it back to athletic director Betty Austin with some revisions.

"I gave my thoughts to it and now I'm just waiting," said Jones, who gave the contract back to Austin on Thursday. "I'm hoping everything is going in a positive manner. I'm not really concerned with that now. I'm just waiting to hear back from there."

The school's board of trustees approved a package last summer that would pay Jones a total package of $155,000, which would make him the fourth-highest paid coach in the league.

Affordable tickets: Tickets for Thursday night's game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff are available at a reduced rate.

Any school in the Huntsville area is eligible to sell tickets to their students for $1.

School officials have to pick up the tickets and distribute them on consignment at their respective schools.

For more information, contact the A&M ticket office at 372-4059. The offer ends Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Local church groups of 25 adults or more can purchase tickets in group quantity for $10 apiece.

All student tickets (ages 6-18) are half price for the game at $3. These tickets are available at any time. General admission tickets that do not fall under one of these specials are $15 in advance and $18 the day of the game.

The A&M ticket office will be open this week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Reggie Benson

Matthews to start at QB for SU

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Southern likely will be without sophomore quarterback Bryant Lee and senior wide receiver Gerard Landry when the Jaguars host Alcorn State at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Lee and Landry both went down with ankle injuries in the third quarter of a 32-26 loss to Jackson State on Saturday.

SU coach Pete Richardson said both are “questionable.”

Lee re-aggravated a right ankle sprain that has bothered him since the second game of the season.

Lee had a brace around the injury last week and sophomore Warren Matthews got most of the first-team reps throughout the week, then started and played the first series against Jackson State in place of Lee.

Matthews, who did not return to the game until Lee went out, will make his second start and this time he’ll stay in the game.

Lee, who started late last season, edged Matthews, who never played last season, in a preseason duel.

Photo: QB Warren Matthews will make his second start for Southern.

“The only thing he’s lacking is experience,” Richardson said of Matthews. “And the only way to get that is to play.”

SU coaches want Lee (144-for-223 for 1,585 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions) to rest Saturday and then have the benefit of an open week. They’d prefer Lee not to risk further injury.

Junior C.J. Byrd, who started in the middle of last season, will be Matthews’ backup, Richardson said.

With fifth-year senior J.C. Lewis leaving the team last month, the team’s three healthy quarterbacks are Matthews, Byrd and redshirt freshman Gary Hollimon.

Matthews, who was 6-for-12 for 83 yards and one touchdown Saturday, likely won’t have the benefit of throwing to the team’s top playmaker.

Landry has a high left ankle sprain and, like Lee, needs rest.

Landry has a touchdown catch in all seven games and eight TDs overall, along with team highs of 34 catches and 409 yards.

“It’s just how much pain tolerance he’s going to be able to take,” Richardson said.

The injuries to Lee and Landry are just two concerning Southern.

True freshman linebacker Corey Ray (left shoulder) will need arthroscopic surgery that likely will end his season, Richardson said.

Ray had reconstructive surgery on the left shoulder in February after having surgery on the right one in late December.

“It depends on him. It’ll take awhile (to recover),” Richardson said.

Sophomore linebacker Allan Baugh (left knee) had an MRI on Monday. Baugh was on crutches Sunday when the Jaguars had a light practice. (SU did not practice Monday.)

Richardson said he expects junior linebacker Johnathan Malveaux to return Saturday after missing the previous three games with a high ankle sprain. Malveaux is the team’s most experienced linebacker and he was SU’s top tackler before the injury.

Malveaux dressed for the Jackson State game, and coaches considered playing him.

Richardson said he also expects junior wide receiver Del Roberts (back) and senior center Demarcus Stewart (calf) to return Saturday. Both missed the Jackson State game.

Roberts, with 30 catches for 279 yards and one touchdown and five rushes for 55 yards, plays a key role in the offense. With Roberts playing little in the loss to Alabama A&M and not at all in the JSU game, the SU offense lost a key component.

Also, Richardson said sophomore wide receiver Juamorris Stewart (concussion) to be fully recovered. Juamorris Stewart did not start, played sparingly and did not catch a pass for the first time this season.

Richardson said junior running back Kendrick Smith (foot), who has missed the last three games, is “questionable” to play Saturday. Smith is off crutches and out of his walking boot, but was still not walking smoothly.

Southern University Human Jukebox Marching Band and the Dancing Dolls (10/13/2007) vs. JSU Tigers

Thomas expects loud fans at Southern

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter

Alcorn State coach Johnny Thomas on Monday used the word “hostile” twice, first describing the crowd and then the environment at A.W. Mumford Stadium, while discussing Saturday’s game at Southern.

However, avoiding a duplicate of the firestorm that began with Jackson State coach Rick Comegy’s remarks on the same Southwestern Athletic Conference teleconference the week before, Thomas quickly explained he meant “hostile” in a positive manner.

“They’re going to be excited, loud and ready for the football game,” Thomas said.

A week earlier, Comegy talked about the upcoming game at Southern as being played in a “hostile situation.”

“I know a lot of people aren’t taking their families. They’re leaving their kids here,” Comegy said.

Those remarks eventually drew a Tuesday statement regretting any misunderstanding from the school’s president and a Wednesday reprimand from the SWAC.

Before a 32-26 victory over Southern in front of 24,600, including a large contingent of Jackson State fans, Saturday, Comegy did not come on the field during pregame warmups and, when he took to the sideline with his team, was flanked by law enforcement representatives.

The game was Comegy’s first at Mumford Stadium.

There were no apparent major incidents Saturday.

Alcorn’s run at SU

Alcorn has won its last three games at Mumford Stadium — 22-20 in 2002, 36-34 in ’03 and 38-16 in ’05.

Thomas said there is no common thread to the successful run.

“I don’t know what it is. I certainly can’t put my hand on it,” Thomas said.

The biggest victory of those three came in 2003, when Donald Carrie, with a Southern defender wrapped around his waist, threw a 24-yard touchdown strike to Charlie Spiller with 40 seconds left in the game. That was the only loss that season for SU, which won the SWAC and black college national titles with a 12-1 mark.

Close first win

In a game matching winless teams, Alcorn escaped from Texas Southern with a 22-20 victory Saturday after a 23-yard field-goal try from TSU’s D’Javan Conway went wide right as time expired. TSU, behind third-string quarterback Donnie Shorts, drove 72 yards with no time outs in the final 1:11 to set up the try.

“Our team now has some confidence,” Thomas said. “We still need to make tremendous improvement on offense, defense and special teams. We can’t play the way we did against Texas Southern against Southern.”

TSU outgained Alcorn 309-147.

Quick look at Southern

Of Southern, Thomas said, “Southern has a winning tradition, outstanding coaching staff and a quality football program. Going down on the Bluff is going to be a tremendous challenge.”

Quick look at Alcorn

Of Alcorn, SU coach Pete Richardson said, “Offensively, they have seven or eight starters who are seniors. (Nate) Hughes is one of the finest wide receivers in the whole conference. Defensively, they’re going to create a lot of pressure. They’re going to play man-to-man (in the secondary).”

Notes

After going 0-11 in 2000, Alcorn has had six straight winning seasons — going 7-4 in 2003 and ’04 and 6-5 in the other four seasons. SU true freshman P Josh Duran is 35th nationally in punting, at 40.5 yards per punt.