Transfer receiver sparkles in TSU win over AAMU

Spillman scores twice against Alabama A&M

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — JaJuan Spillman isn't asked to do too much for Tennessee State. Since he's still new to the program, all that's expected of the Louisville transfer is that he score touchdowns. He does that well. The lightning-fast receiver touched the football three times through the first three quarters of Saturday night's game at Alabama A&M and scored twice. Spillman's big plays set the stage for a 34-13 win before a crowd of 10,072. The victory helped TSU snap a three-game losing streak to the Southwestern Athletic Conference power.

The last time TSU won its opener was in 2004, when the Tigers beat A&M 42-7. Finally beating the Bulldogs would have been more difficult without Spillman's heroics. After returning the opening kickoff for a short gain, Spillman got wide open early in the second quarter deep down field and caught a 65-yard pass from Antonio Heffner for a touchdown. The next time he touched the ball, 6½ minutes later, Spillman broke loose for a 94-yard kickoff return and another score.

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Attendance: 10,072, Lewis Crew Stadium, Huntsville, AL (Capacity: 21,000)

MEAC/SWAC Battle of the Bands 8/30-31/2008

FAMU Marching 100 Drill

FAMU Marching 100 Dance Routine

Hampton University Marching Force Band
Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South Marching Band
Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul Marching Band
Alabama A&M University Maroon and White Marching Band

Weevils surprise UAPB Golden Lions

PINE BLUFF, AK — Is it too early to assume there’s more to the Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils than previously thought? UAM’s 21-7 season opening victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Saturday at Golden Lion Stadium in Pine Bluff suggests as much. The NCAA Division II Boll Weevils entered Saturday having won six games in the past three seasons, and were picked to finish last in the 11-team Gulf South Conference in a preseason poll. But that didn’t keep UAM from manhandling the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA ) Golden Lions offensively and defensively.

Sophomore quarterback Scott Buisson ran for 95 yards and a touchdown and added 193 passing yards and two touchdown passes for the Boll Weevils. “This ain’t a last-place team,” UAM Coach Gwaine Mathews said. “Defensively, I thought we had something to prove. I thought tonight, we did.” A defensive unit that surrendered more than 40 points per game in 2007 limited UAPB to 183 yards passing and intercepted Golden Lions quarterback Jonathan Moore three times.

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Attendance: 8,126 @ Golden Lion Stadium, Pine Bluff, AK (Capacity: 12,500)

SE Louisiana Lions stave off Alcorn Braves to spoil Jones' debut

LORMAN, MS - Ernest Jones saw his share of amazing comebacks in his playing days at Alcorn State during the Steve McNair era. In his head coaching debut at his alma mater, Jones came oh-so-close to seeing another one. Tim Buckley's fourth-down pass with six seconds left was just out of the grasp of Channin Pugh and Alcorn dropped a 34-28 heart breaker to Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday night in the season opener at Jack Spinks Stadium.

"I marched up and down the field during that drive and told my guys that we have a chance," said Jones, who replaced Johnny Thomas. "I played with a miracle-maker. Steve McNair made miracles happen and games like that we were in all the time. The expectations were that we were going to drive down the field and win the football game." And the Braves almost did that.

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Attendance: 3,000, Jack Spinks Stadium, Lorman, MS (Capacity: 22,500)

NSU Spartans turn it on, rout Virginia State

NORFOLK, VA - Slow start, fast finish. How fast? Usain Bolt kind of fast. The Spartans didn't just win, they overpowered their rivals from Division II Virginia State in the Labor Day Classic on Saturday 47-7 before a festive crowd announced at 17,132 at Price Stadium that appeared far larger. Speaking of big, the 40-point margin of victory was the greatest in the annual series that dates to 1963.

The Spartans (1-0) rang up the first 47, with 28 of those points earned in the second half. Virginia State's lone score came with 1:34 left in the game when NSU had a collection of backups on defense. After missing all of the 2007 season due to eligibility issues, running back DeAngelo Branche showed as much rust as a shiny new vehicle. A white towel hanging from his gold pants exclaimed "I'm back!" in colored marker, and the Trojans couldn't argue. Scoring three touchdowns, which matched his previous high from the entire 2006 season, the sophomore showed off elusive moves that should make him the MEAC's best.

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Attendance 17,132 @ Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk, VA (Capacity: 30,000)

Nevada Wolf Pack off to fast start with 49-13 win over Grambling State

The Grambling State marching band opened its halftime show with Earth, Wind and Fire's "Let's Groove Tonight." The Nevada football team took it literally. The Wolf Pack made the expected first-game miscues -- and a few unexpected bumbles -- but otherwise had a fairly crisp and ground-dominating start to the 2008 season with a 49-13 victory over Grambling State before 20,078 fans at Mackay Stadium on Saturday night. It marked the first time since 2003 that the Wolf Pack opened the season with a victory.

"It's great to get that first win under our belt," said sophomore quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who rushed for three touchdowns. "We haven't had that in the past few years. "(We) still had a lot of mistakes, though, and we need to improve those for next week." Nevada dominated the running game on both sides of the ball, totaling 426 yards and seven rushing touchdowns, averaging a whopping eight yards per carry. Four hundred yards rushing is amazing," Kaepernick said. "That tells you right there the kind of work our offensive line has put in the offseason and the kind of work they put in tonight.

Grambling State University Tigers Marching Band


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Attendance: 20,078 @ MacKay Stadium, Reno, NV (Capacity: 31,545)

Jacksonville Third quarter does in Savannah State

SSU Coach Robby Wells starts Tiger career at 0-1, as he learned Saturday morning that 11 players were ineligible to play against Jacksonville because of NCAA Clearinghouse issues. The Dolphins are a non-scholarship program in the Pioneer League.

Jacksonville (Fla.) University cornerback Robson Noel guaranteed a victory against Savannah State University and his teammates delivered Saturday night. After a scoreless first half, Jacksonville scored 17 points in the third quarter and held on for a 20-7 victory. A Memorial Stadium crowd of 4,441 watched as the Dolphins spoiled the head coaching debut of SSU's Robby Wells, and gave JU second-year head coach Kerwin Bell his first road win.

"I just knew our team was ready to play," said Noel, who made four tackles. "I'm very relieved. I owe it all to my teammates." Jacksonville, which does not offer athletic scholarships, is a member of both the Football Championship Subdivision and the Pioneer Conference. The Dolphins won their season opener for the first time since 2002, when they beat Lenoir-Rhyne, 37-27. SSU has not won its season opener since 2004, a 41-34 double-overtime victory at Norfolk (Va.) State.

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Attendance: 4,441@ Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 15,000).