Southern Jags Return to SWAC Play vs. Prairie View A&M Panthers

Coach Pete Richardson and Southern University face a defensively strong Prairie View A&M team in the "Battle of the Cats" at Houston's Reliant Stadium this Saturday.

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By: SU Sports Information Dept.

The "Big Cat" Showdown reaches into the state of Texas this weekend, as Southern takes on Prairie View A&M in Houston in a Western Division showdown.

While the Jaguars come in at 4-3 overall, they are 3-0 in conference play, with wins over Alcorn State, Jackson State, and Texas Southern. Southern has one of the most explosive offenses in the nation, scoring at least 32 points in five of seven games this season, including outputs of 35, 45, and 49 points this month alone.

QB Bryant Lee, the SWAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, has combined for 13 touchdowns in October (7 passing, 6 rushing). The Jaguars are ninth in the nation in total offense (442.1 yards per game), 10th in passing offense (283.7 ypg), and 15th in passing efficiency (149.4 rating). Southern has thrown 16 touchdown passes to just four interceptions.

Prairie View A&M comes in to Saturday's tilt with a 6-1 record, 2-1 in SWAC play. Defense is the bread and butter of the Panthers, who have posted two shutouts this season, including a 15-0 road win last week at the Univ. Arkansas-Pine Bluff. In addition, the Panthers have allowed more than 17 points just once this season. LB Zach East, the reigning SWAC Defensive Player of the Year and 2008 winner of the Preseason Award, anchors the unit that leads the nation in scoring defense (13.1 points per game), total defense (192.1 yards per game), and is fourth in both passing defense (137.1 ypg), and pass efficiency defense (95.42 rating). The Panthers have allowed just six touchdown passes this season while picking off 11 passes.

Southern is looking to keep pace with Grambling State in the West race. The Tigers gave the Panthers' their lone loss this season and need a win to stay in the hunt. Last season, Southern's defense proved to be the difference in a 12-2 win. In the last meeting in Houston in 2006, however, Prairie View earned its first win over Southern since 1971. Reliant Stadium will be the site for this Wild West matchup.

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Must Win: Pough says if Bulldogs are to capture MEAC they must beat Hampton Saturday

There was no attempt Monday by South Carolina State head football coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough to play down Saturday’s home showdown with Hampton. During Pough’s weekly press conference, he did not mince words about the game’s importance to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings. He even alluded to last year’s rallying cry of “win or stay home” in describing the ramifications of this year’s outcome against the Pirates.

“We’re the last two teams without a loss in the league and that makes it imperative that we win,” he said. “In their particular case, if they should win, then I think it’s pretty much over. Even if they lose a game from this point on, I don’t see anybody that can beat them. “The team that loses will be at the mercy of the other team from that point on because of the fact that the team that wins will not have a loss and will possibly go through the league with an unscathed record.”

QB Malcolm Long and the SCSU Bulldogs have a mountain to climb in defeating the talent laden Hampton Pirates this Saturday.

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Ax falls on another Aggie coach

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- In the end, it was about confidence. No matter how hard N.C. A&T coach Lee Fobbs tried to restore the confidence of those around him -- his football players, his assistant coaches, the athletics department and fans -- the damage done by under performing players and all those losses was simply too much to repair.

















Finally, N.C. A&T athletic director Wheeler Brown makes the right decision to send Lee Fobbs packing with his 2-28 career record and with $200,000 remaining on his contract to be paid.

That, more than anything else, was the reason A&T athletics director Wheeler Brown offered for firing Fobbs on Monday after just 21/2 seasons as the Aggies' head coach. Fobbs' dismissal took effect immediately. Minutes after informing Fobbs he was being let go, Brown met with assistant coach George Ragsdale and named the former Aggies running back interim head coach for the remaining four games.

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Lee Fobbs is out as N.C. A&T’s football coach.

A&T Athletics Director Wheeler Brown made the announcement today, bringing to an end Fobbs’ run with the Aggies after a 2-28 stint. Brown named George Ragsdale interim coach for the remainder of the season. "We feel like this is the best decision for the program at this time,'' Brown said Brown. "I certainly want to thank Lee for all his efforts over the last 2 1/2 years, and I want to wish him well in all his future endeavors. The program just needs a new direction."

The Aggies, who had lost five straight games when Fobbs took over in 2006, lost another 22 before ending the skid Aug. 30 against Johnson C. Smith. A&T beat rival Winston-Salem State the next week, then lost the next six. Fobbs, who took over the Aggies program, was previously running backs coach at Texas A&M. He played collegiately at Grambling State under legendary coach Eddie Robinson.

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Howard Hands Morgan State A Close Victory

Howard University "Showtime" Marching Band

As usually happens in games between Howard and Morgan State, the outcome came down to the final play. Howard punter Patrick Wolff, filling in for injured place kicker John Mendoza, missed the extra point kick in the second overtime and the Bison lost, 31-30, before a stunned, sellout homecoming crowd at Greene Stadium yesterday. Wolff, who kicked a 21-yard field goal -- the first field goal of his career -- to send the game into overtime, was consoled by several teammates after his extra-point attempt hit the right upright and bounced away.

"Everybody was telling him to shake it off," defensive tackle James Carter said. "You know it wasn't his fault. The game wasn't decided on the one kick." Though Wolff's miss ended the game, the final score was more a product of Morgan State capitalizing on Howard's miscues, missed opportunities and misfortune. The result was strangely reminiscent of the homecoming game two years ago when Morgan State returned a fumble for a touchdown in the second overtime to win, 18-12.

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Attendance: 6853 (68.5%) at Wm. H. Greene Stadium, Washington, D.C. (Capacity: 10,000).
Season Record: Howard Bison, 1-5, 0-3 MEAC; Morgan State, 4-3, 1-1 MEAC.

Rattlers win shootout: Florida A&M 52, Southern 49

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Vann's late return helps FAMU to win over Southern

BATON ROUGE, La. — This time there was no late field goal — just trickery and LeRoy Vann's magic. Vann retuned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown to ignite two quick strikes by FAMU in the fourth quarter and the Rattlers held off every comeback by Southern for a 52-49 victory Saturday night. FAMU dodged the biggest bullet after the Jaguars marched 30 yards to FAMU's 1 following an interception of quarterback Curtis Pulley's pass that was intended for Philip Sylvester. But on his way to the end zone, Southern receiver (and former Godby High standout) Del Roberts lost the ball after a hit by FAMU's Fabian Wilson.

Wilson recovered the ball and the Rattlers ran out the clock — thanks in large part to a fourth-and-1 conversion from their own 11-yard line with 1:54 remaining. FAMU's victory at Mumford Stadium was the third consecutive for the Rattlers on Southern's home field. The previous two were decided on field goals in the closing minutes.

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Southern Jaguars: A matter of inches

Photo Gallery: FAMU 52, SU 49

Rattlers win another wild one over Jaguars

A game in which the two teams combined for 995 yards of offense came down to a matter of inches in the final four minutes. First, Southern University receiver Del Roberts was denied a touchdown on a pass play that would have given the Jaguars the lead. Then, Florida A&M quarterback Curtis Pulley plowed forward and fourth-and-1, clinching a wild 52-49 victory over Southern on Saturday night at A.W. Mumford Stadium. It was the third straight time FAMU (5-2) has scored 50 or more points in a win over the Jaguars (4-3) in Baton Rouge. The other wins came in 2000 and 1998.

Roberts, a Tallahassee native, caught a pass from Bryant Lee and appeared to cross the goal line before fumbling the ball. Fabian Wilson recovered the ball at the FAMU 3 with 3:28 remaining, setting the stage for Pulley to perform one last dramatic act. “I didn’t come in here looking for a shootout, but we got one,” FAMU coach Joe Taylor said. “We made a lot of mistakes tonight, but this is a quality win and we’ll take it.”

Jaguars QB Bryant Lee torched the Rattlers defense for 64 yards rushing - 3 TDs, 407 yards passing and 3 TDs, completing 25-42 with one INT.

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Attendance: 15,107 (53%) at Ace W. Mumford Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA (Capacity: 28,400).

Season Record: Florida A&M Rattlers, 5-2, 1-2 MEAC; Southern Jaguars 4-3, 3-0 SWAC.