Touchdown Saturday: South Carolina State Bulldogs vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

Bulldogs brace for USC test

Winston-Salem State was a trap game. Now S.C. State is readying itself to enter a proverbial "hornet's nest" Saturday at South Carolina. That is how Bulldogs coach Buddy Pough is approaching the second meeting between the schools. While S.C. State (3-0) has the national ranking (No. 14 by the FCS coaches poll) and is seeking its first 4-0 start since 1997, the Gamecocks (3-1) are riding high following their 16-10 win over previously fourth-ranked Mississippi. That goes without mentioning the adjustment the Bulldogs face in playing at raucous Williams-Brice Stadium. "But at the same time, we'd like to try to get in there and try to run it down their throat and control the ball for 40 minutes, said Pough. "

Bulldogs turn attention to game against South Carolina

A weary Malcolm Long would have rather put off a day talking about this Saturday’s nationally-televised game against the University of South Carolina. The Gaffney native and junior quarterback had just posted his best statistical game as a college player, throwing for 274 yards on 22 of 33 passing in a 27-10 victory over Winston-Salem State Saturday. Instead of just celebrating the win as the Palmetto State’s only undefeated team, he took rapid questions from the media about the second game in three years between the two in-state schools.

S.C. State Bulldogs best defense for the Gamecocks may be a punishing running game with RBs Travil Jamison (32) and speedster Will Ford.

South Carolina's best since Holtz

COLUMBIA -- Mississippi might have been the worst No. 4-ranked college football team in poll history, though the Rebels are probably at least the fourth-best team in the state of Mississippi. It was not even close to a sellout, though a hundred thousand more Gamecock fans will swear they were at Williams-Brice Stadium to see South Carolina's first-ever home win over a top 5 opponent. But this is Steve Spurrier's best South Carolina team and the soon-to-be-ranked Gamecocks proved it Thursday night with a 16-10 Southeastern Conference win. "Our fans needed this one," Spurrier said, "as well as all of us." C'mon, now. Admit it.

SC State hopes for glory in nationally-televised USC game

SC State is getting ready to make its second trip ever to Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday to play the Gamecocks. There are going to be plenty of eyeballs on this game since it's nationally-televised. The Bulldogs are excited about the big-time exposure. SC State's visit to Air Force in September 2007 was the program's first taste of division one football. These days, you can call the Bulldogs veterans. Over the past two seasons, they've traveled to UCF, Clemson and South Carolina, but Saturday's game against the Gamecocks has the added bonus of national airtime.

"I think it means a lot," said SC State Coach Buddy Pough. "I think if anytime you've got an opportunity to have that kind of publicity and notoriety around the whole world -- because that's what you deal with when you deal with the ESPN family of channels -- I think it's really, really special."

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Game Time: 7 pm ET, Columbia, S.C.
Saturday 10/3/09
TV: ESPN Classic
South Carolina State Bulldogs at South Carolina Gamecocks

Battle of Bands 9/26/09: Florida A&M vs. Tennessee State

Florida A&M Rattlers 31, Tennessee State Tigers 12

FAMU Marching 100 Baritone Horn section get down in dance routine at Atlanta Football Classic.

FAMU wins again in Atlanta Football Classic

Florida A&M continued its dominance of Tennessee State in the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic on Saturday, rolling to a 31-12 victory before a crowd of nearly 52,000 at the Georgia Dome. It was the eighth straight win in the series for the Rattlers (4-0), who were led by QB Curtis Pulley’s 315 passing yards and two second-half TD passes. Those passes helped FAMU pull away from the Tigers (1-3), who had a 12-10 halftime lead behind TD runs from Preston Brown and Calvin McNairl.

Florida A&M rolls

Tennessee State already knew Curtis Pulley could win a game with his legs. This time, he proved his arm was just as useful. Pulley, Florida A&M's quarterback, was 24-of-34 for a career-high 315 yards and two touchdowns to earn his second consecutive Bank of America Football Classic Most Valuable Player award and lead his team to a 31-12 victory at the Georgia Dome on Saturday. Most of Pulley's production came when it was most needed, as the Rattlers pulled away in the second half to remain undefeated.

The Tigers looked strong in the first two quarters, keeping Pulley from hurting them too badly and taking a 12-10 lead into the locker room. But 192 of Pulley's passing yards and both touchdowns came in the final 30 minutes, and the reason for A&M's resounding win was evident to Tennessee State coach James Webster Jr. "The difference in the ball game was the quarterback, Pulley," Webster said. "He took it to another level in the second half. Pulley made the plays with his legs and his arm. He found the receivers, and we didn't challenge the receivers like we should have challenged them."

FAMU cruises past Tennessee State, 31-12

ATLANTA — Quarterback Curtis Pulley stood on the small stage, the Atlanta Classic MVP trophy latched in his arms, while cameras snapped away. The eyes of the media might have been on Pulley, but he wouldn't forget the rest of the FAMU players that were spread around the field level. "It's great to have those guys as my teammates," Pulley said after leading the Rattlers to a 31-12 victory over Tennessee State at the Georgia Dome.

Later on, Pulley would thank his receivers who helped him to a career-high 315 passing yards. "It was just great to make plays with our receivers," he said. "We have been kind of balanced in the first couple of games, but we just opened it up. The O-line did a great job of not letting any pressure get back there (to the pocket) and the receivers did a good job of getting open." Pulley never stopped relying on what he could do with his arm, and for the first game this season he didn't outdo himself running the ball. He carried nine times for 23 yards, a career low.

FAMU receiver Elliott has good outing despite drops

ATLANTA — After dropping four passes last week against Howard University, FAMU receiver Kevin Elliott fired off a text to offensive coordinator Lawrence Kershaw. "I apologized and I told him I would never play like that again," Elliott said after finishing the Atlanta Classic on Saturday with six catches for 64 yards. "I'm real hard on myself." Elliott might have to beg Kershaw to give him more time in the passing game because he dropped three in FAMU's 31-12 win over Tennessee State. However, he was the second leading receiver behind Isaac West's 134 yards on a day that quarterback Curtis Pulley threw for a career-best 315 yards.
























FAMU WR Javares Knight fights for additonal yardage against TSU Tigers.

Preserving Atlanta Classic makes financial sense

ATLANTA — Ken Howard came early before a mid-afternoon downpour disrupted tailgating. He and his buddy Robert Mosby had to make the rounds. Always a lot of folks to meet and greet whenever they come to the Atlanta Football Classic. They don't know everybody who calls out their names in the tailgating crowd, but they respond. Been almost 30 years since they graduated from FAMU, where Howard was batter known as "White Man." They called Mosby "Big Dog," the names they heard a lot this weekend.

Howard is teaching music now and brings the message of what black college football meant to him as a younger man and what it still means. He still comes to these games, the high cost of driving from Fort Lauderdale notwithstanding. Reports of flooding in Atlanta weren't going to deter him, either. "It means a lot to us," he said, explaining why he spent $200 for tickets to share Saturday's experience. "I'm an educator and I tell my kids a lot of those black athletes played at FAMU." He doesn't have many to talk about right now, but maybe one day they'll be talking about the tandem of quarterback Curtis Pulley and receiver Isaac West who both had a career days in beating the Tigers 31-12.

Attendance: 51,950 at the Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA

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Battle of Bands 9/26/09: Alcorn State vs. Southern University

Southern Jaguars 48, Alcorn State Braves 42

Jaguars offense heats up

Southern University senior wide receiver Juamorris Stewart might have said it best following the Jaguars 48-42 win over Alcorn State on Saturday night. “Anything can happen in the SWAC,” Stewart said. “We’ve got to come out every week and play our best.” Southern had just built a seemingly comfortable 20-point fourth-quarter lead only to have Alcorn State rally for three late scores. As things turned out, Southern couldn’t breathe easy until Evan Alexander recovered an onside kick with 19 seconds left.

The play put a cap on a wild finish that seemed improbable early on as both the Southern and Alcorn State offenses took their time heating up. “We had to find our rhythm and chemistry on the field,” Southern center Ramon Chinyoung said. “Of course, in the second half we made a lot of adjustments. We knew what we could and couldn’t do, and that’s how we were victorious in the second half.”

Southern University Coach Pete Richardson had to work to the last 10 seconds to pull-out the victory over Alcorn State.

SU wins thriller

So when Byron Williams darted up the right sideline, broke a tackle near midfield and broke loose for a 91-yard kickoff return that gave Southern a 20-point lead over Alcorn State in the fourth quarter Saturday night at A.W. Mumford Stadium, what, exactly, was he thinking? “I was like, ‘Yes, it really hurt ’em.’ But I didn’t really pay attention to the clock,” Williams said. “They had a lot of time to get the ball back and score.” And the Braves scored. A lot. As the final minutes came to a close in this Southwestern Athletic Conference opener, the Jaguars had to hold on for dear life as Alcorn erupted for four touchdowns in a rally that just fell short in a 48-42 thriller.

Alcorn’s Buckley shines in air

Alcorn State senior quarterback Timothy Buckley didn’t want to leave Southern’s campus with a loss. Neither did his offensive mates, or first-year coach Earnest Collins Jr. Don’t get this misunderstood. Though Alcorn was outscored 100-0 in its first two games, its opponents were Football Bowl Subdivision foes. On the road. Against fellow Football Championship Subdivision foe Southern (3-1, 1-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference), Alcorn (0-3, 0-1) put together a performance that would have made former quarterback Steve McNair proud. And if the Braves could have gotten another defensive stop or sustained another offensive drive, his five-touchdown performance may have been enough to win. Instead, his Braves fell 48-42 Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium.

How They Scored: Southern-Alcorn State

First quarter
SOUTHERN — Juamorris Stewart 11 pass from Bryant Lee (Josh Duran kick) at :11. DRIVE: 6 plays, 40 yards, 1:55. KEY PLAYS: SU goes for it on fourth-and-6 at the Alcorn 25, converting when Lee hits Stewart on a stop route. One play later, Stewart gets a key block from wideout Corey Cushingberry and hops into the end zone. Southern 7, Alcorn 0.

Chatman returns to field

After missing two games and sitting on the bench for the first half of Southern’s 48-42 victory over Alcorn State, strong safety Gary Chatman finally got back on the field. But he didn’t do it at strong safety. Chatman, a starter at drop linebacker the past two years, returned to his old position during the third quarter of Saturday’s wild game, and he did so out of necessity. SU’s linebacker corps was already thin heading into this game, thanks to a handful of minor injuries and a virus that spread through the unit.

Drop linebacker David Daye didn’t dress out because of flu-like symptoms. Then, during the game, linebackers Marcus Clark missed time because he was getting re-taped, and André Coleman stepped out with an apparent injury to his left arm. In stepped Chatman, who’s still recovering from a sprained ankle, which he suffered in the season opener at Louisiana-Lafayette.

Attendance: 16,940 at Mumford Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA

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Coastal Carolina 28. North Carolina A&T 7

Quarterbacks falter in Aggies' loss to Coastal

CONWAY, S.C. -- The way N.C. A&T's offense failed to move the ball in the first half, a two-touchdown halftime deficit appeared insurmountable. Outside of one second-half series, the Aggies did little but confirm that in the third and fourth quarters. A&T lost 28-7 to Coastal Carolina on the road Saturday night, leaving coach Alonzo Lee's team still searching for answers on offense. "We have to execute better with our quarterbacks," Lee said. "We've been back and forth; we've shown spurts of doing really good things. And then, boom, we fall on our face. &ellipses; We're going to simplify a little bit more. We simplified some this week. We'll simplify a little more next week until we can get the nuts and the bolts."

Even with a scaled-back playbook, A&T (2-2 overall) quarterbacks Carlton Fears and Lewis Kindle struggled, overthrowing and undershooting receivers throughout the night. Fears -- who finished the game 7-of-22 with two interceptions -- didn't help his cause of holding on to the quarterback job. His first pick, a second-quarter job by Coastal Carolina defensive back and North Carolina transfer Tavorris Jolly, looked all too easy for the CCU player, who barely moved to cause the turnover. Kindle was inserted on the Aggies' next possession. But after three running plays, he drilled CCU (2-2) linebacker E.J. Brown in the chest with his first pass attempt. The Chanticleers squeezed a field goal out of that turnover.

Box Score Photo Gallery

Chants pound out win

CONWAY -- Teams typically spend their bye weeks focusing on their weaknesses. Coastal Carolina began working on its ailments a week early. Despite a passing game that may have taken a step back, the Chanticleers established the running game and began to find an offensive rhythm in the second half of a 28-7 win over North Carolina A&T Saturday. The Chants rushed for 304 yards, including a combined 239 yards from tailbacks Eric O'Neal and Tommy Fraser, and their defense was solid for a fourth consecutive week, sending Coastal to its off week at 2-2.

Quarter-by-quarter breakdown

First quarter
Key moment Coastal Carolina was gashing North Carolina A&T's defense for big gains on its second drive. Tailback Eric O'Neal and quarterback Jamie Childers had several long runs, helping the Chanticleers drive to A&T's 23 before Childers' first-down pass was picked off in the end zone by Quay Long. The man A&T punter Alex Grubb had three first-quarter punts and pinned all of them inside Coastal's 20-yard line: one at the 8, one at the 15 and one at the 3.

Attendance: 7, 367 (Sold-Out) at Brooke Stadium, Conway, S.C.

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Norfolk State Spartans 40, Bethune Cookman Wildcats 14

5 interceptions drop B-CU to 0-3

NORFOLK, Va. -- A Saturday off last weekend didn't cure what ails the Bethune-Cookman football team. Fumbles, which haunted B-CU in its first two losses, weren't a problem Saturday. The Wildcats held on to the ball after losing seven fumbles in the first two games. But B-CU quarterbacks combined to throw five interceptions, as B-CU fell into a 23-0 hole on its way to a 40-14 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference loss to Norfolk State at William "Dick" Price Stadium.

The loss dropped the Wildcats to 0-3 for the first time since 1993, when they started 0-9 under Sylvester Collins. The 26-point loss, the Spartans' largest margin of victory in the 20-game series, also dropped the 'Cats to 0-2 in the MEAC. Injuries hit B-CU as hard as Norfolk State did, as the 'Cats lost senior running back Phillip Kirkland on their first offensive play (high ankle sprain) and senior defensive back Antonio Cox (dislocated shoulder). The 'Cats' highlight was a rally late in the first half when they scored two touchdowns in the final seven minutes to cut their halftime deficit to 23-14. Sophomore back Jonathan Moment capped scoring drives of 78 and 80 yards with TD runs from the 1.

Spartans QB Dennis Brown had a career-high 270 yards on 16-of-28 passing with one interception against BCU.

NSU cruises to victory

NORFOLK -- DeAngelo Branche rushed for three touchdowns and Dennis Brown threw two scoring passes to Chris Bell as Norfolk State routed Bethune-Cookman 40-14 yesterday. Branche had 106 yards on 20 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 1, 3 and 1 yards for the Spartans (1-1 MEAC 2-2). Brown had a career-high 270 yards on 16-of-28 passing with one interception, while Bell's 213 yards receiving on nine catches was also a career high. The pair connected on touchdown passes of 62 and 26 yards.

The win was Norfolk State's most lopsided in the 20-game series. Johnathan Moment scored on two 1-yard runs for the Wildcats (0-2, 0-3) to cut the Spartans' lead to 23-14 at halftime. Norfolk State scored twice in 27 seconds in the third quarter. After Bell's second touchdown, Terrell Whitehead had a 57-yard interception return to set up Branche's last score.

Attendance: 7,040 at Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk, VA

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