DSU finds all-purpose playmaker in Wilder

Senior defensive end has eyes on another title

DOVER, DE -- Alimayo Wilder might cause some confusion for opposing quarterbacks when they see the No. 12 for Delaware State University's football team crashing through their offensive line in hot pursuit. That's because that number is usually reserved for quarterbacks. Instead, Wilder is one player who hopes to eat quarterbacks when it comes to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Football Conference this fall.

Delaware State opens its season on Sept. 4 when it hosts Florida A&M at Alumni Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

"This is the number [12] that I've had since high school," said Wilder, a native of Baltimore. "It's the number that I've always worn and I've embraced it. "In high school [at Baltimore Polytechnic] I played quarterback, wide receiver and a lot of different positions, so I just stuck with that number. It's an all-purpose number to me." Wilder has grown into an all-purpose player in DSU defensive coordinator Ray Petty's 4-3 defense.

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NCCU Eagles continue upgrading

Excerpt:

This season, as they face nine FCS opponents, NCCU athletic director Ingrid Wicker-McCree said the school has negotiated -- not counting gate proceeds -- guaranteed revenues of $300,000, which includes a game against Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Calif., that will pay $135,000. It's a revenue stream generated by the toughest schedule in school history. The Eagles host Fayetteville State in their season-opener on Sunday.

They play four games at home and seven on the road, where they travel to five states, including California for the first time since Nov. 27, 1988. Still, the Eagles could claim a school-record fifth consecutive winning season. But it will be a challenge, with the Eagles (who finished last season 6-4 overall with one victory over a Division I team) facing three FCS teams ranked in national preseason polls, including James Madison (Sept. 6) and Cal Poly (Nov. 8). JMU will pay the Eagles $75,000 for participating in that second-week contest.

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ASU plays guessing game with Rattlers

Game week brought change to Alabama State's football practice on Monday, as the Hornets began focusing specifically on their first opponent, Florida A&M. Work for the third- and fourth-string players was cut drastically. The ASU offense and defense began using only the plays and formations the coaches feel will be most effective against FAMU. And the intensity turned up a notch.

Hornets wide receiver Cedric Harris (#82) 6-1/195 Junior, Hillsboro, AL beats Linebacker Adrian Hardy (#53) 6-2/202 Sophomore, Selma, AL during Hornets Spring game.

"We're ready to go," senior cornerback Brandon Averett said. "We've had a good camp and we're just ready to go play for real and see how we stack up." This will be the first big test for Averett and his defensive teammates. One of the knocks on the spread offense, which the Hornets began using in the spring, is that it has a softening effect on a team's defense. The theory is that because the defense is going against a finesse-style offense every day in practice, the defensive players become less physical and have problems stopping power teams.

FAMU is a power team.

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Senior Blanks has been anchor of WSSU's offensive line, making 31 consecutive starts

During yesterday's Meet the Rams Day at Bowman Gray Stadium, fans got to admire the new field house and the new large scoreboard. Just how much Winston-Salem State uses that scoreboard will likely come down to how well the offensive line performs this season.

Leading that unit will be senior Joe Blanks, who has made 31 straight starts and hasn't missed a game at right tackle since he left high school. It's rare for a lineman not to be moved around during his career, and it's even rarer when a lineman starts his first season out of high school.

Blanks, who was recruited by several Division I programs coming out of high school in Erie, Pa., signed with WSSU and has been everything that Coach Kermit Blount had hoped for. Blount likes to redshirt freshmen when they arrive, but Blanks was too good for that. "He's a right tackle and that's his position and he's anchored it the last four years," Blount said. "We are happy to have him right there."

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Ray Ray McElrathbey Begins a New Chapter at HU

There is a 13-year-old running around in Cook Hall, hanging out with the football players and playing video games. Fahmarr McElrathbey seems like a typical kid but he's far from that. He followed his brother Ramon "Ray Ray" McElrathbey to Howard University from Clemson University where his brother is an alum and also played football.

While most students have classes, extracurricular activities and maybe a job to juggle, McElrathbey who is a graduate student studying Mass Communications, has more responsibilities than the average college student. In 2006, he adopted Fahmarr from his mother who is a recovering drug addict. And wherever big brother goes, little brother isn't too far behind. Finding a place to live and searching for the perfect school for Fahmarr are some of the decisions the 21-year-old has to make.

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SSU strives for first winning season since 1998

Savannah State is at least nine months away from joining an athletic conference. The football program will complete its three-year NCAA probation in May, 2009. It is perhaps longer away from beating a Football Championship Subdivision opponent. Since joining the FCS in 2002, SSU has beaten only two FCS teams: Morris Brown in 2002 and Norfolk State in 2004. Morris Brown eliminated athletics in 2003.

SSU is 6-58 in that span, including two winless seasons (0-12 in 2003 and 0-11 in 2005). The Tigers haven't finished .500 or better since 1998, when they went 7-4 in Division II. With an aggressive new coach and an easier 12-game schedule featuring six non-FCS opponents, this might be the year SSU takes the next step toward progress and finishes .500 or better. "From a fan standpoint, I guess that's probably the goal," SSU coach Robby Wells said. "But from any coach who is competitive like me, I want to win every game."

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SSU 2008 SCHEDULE

Aug. 30 JACKSONVILLE 7 p.m. Memorial Stadium
Sept. 6 *LIVINGSTONE TBA TBA
Sept. 13 Winston-Salem St. 6 p.m. Winston-Salem, N.C.
Sept. 20 Bethune-Cookman 4 p.m. Daytona Beach, Fla.
Sept. 27 %Howard 6 p.m. Miami
Oct. 4 Clark Atlanta 1:30 p.m. Atlanta
Oct. 11 ^Ch. SOUTHERN 2 p.m. Memorial Stadium
Oct. 18 Mississippi Valley St. 1 p.m. Itta Bena, Miss.
Nov. 1 #CONCORDIA 2 p.m. T.A. Wright Stadium
Nov. 8 Edward Waters 5 p.m. Kingsland
Nov. 15 Webber International 1 p.m. Babson Park, Fla.
Nov. 22 North Carolina Central 1 p.m. Durham, N.C.

HOME GAMES ALL CAPS
*Joe Turner Classic
%Miami Classic
^Military Appreciation Day
#Homecoming

Taylor upbeat after FAMU scrimmage

Coach Joe Taylor didn't see too many things that he didn't like during FAMU's final football scrimmage Monday afternoon. The defense dominated again, this time making five interceptions and taking one back for a touchdown. But in spite of that, the offense showed improvements from a week ago. "I saw some good things," Taylor said, following the scrimmage that was postponed three days by Tropical Strom Fay. "We scored (and) had some good hits on defense. We definitely needed this."

The Rattlers hadn't practice since Friday because of poor weather conditions caused by the storm. The inactivity was obvious in the first series of play with quarterback Eddie Battle running the offense, as was the case for back-up Curtis Pulley. But both of them settled down and managed to each throw a touchdown. After they got going, Taylor was able to get a better look at the offense against a simulation of the defense that they would see against Alabama State in Saturday's opener.

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