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Saturday, October 31, 2009

Week Eight: No Suprises in MEAC/SWAC

Prarie View A&M head football coach Henry Frazier III and the Panthers are doing the laughing now as the team to beat in the SWAC.

Lookin' Ahead

As expected, South Carolina State is steamrolling everyone in the MEAC and Prairie View A&M is the class of the SWAC. We don't see South Carolina State stumbling with a remaining schedule consisting of Howard, Morgan State and North Carolina A&T. If the Bulldogs stay healthy, they should make some real noise in the FCS Playoffs.

The only unanswered MEAC question is--will the FCS Playoff Selection Committee invite Florida A&M with only two losses? FAMU loss two road games, to #11 ranked Miami and highly regarded MEAC power S.C. State. Just expect the Rattlers to continue to find a way to win with QB Curtis Pulley and electrifying kick returner, LeRoy Vann leading the way. The Rattlers remaining games starts with North Carolina A&T at home next Saturday. Coach Joe Taylor has a homecoming date with Hampton on Nov. 14. But the snakes must face an in-state rival with no place to go and nothing up for grabs other than state bragging rights. Look for the regular season final with Bethune Cookman to be a game where legends are born--for Curtis Pulley, LeRoy Vann and a host of Rattlers defenders. You don't want to miss this barn burner on Nov. 21 at the Orlando Citrus Bowl.

Close call, but expect to see Joe Taylor's FAMU Rattlers in the FCS Playoffs! Now, let's catch up on last week games.

Florida A&M 34, Norfolk St. 20
South Carolina St. 21, Hampton 9
North Carolina A&T 30, Howard 19
Delaware St. 35, Morgan St. 22
Winston Salem St. 16, Bethune Cookman 10
Alabama St. 24, Alcorn St. 17
Jackson St. 25, MVSU 16
Arkansas Pine Bluff 38, Edward Waters 12
Prairie View 16, Southern 14
Old Dominion 38, Savannah St. 17

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HORNETS PUT STOP TO MSU'S 5-GAME WINNING STREAK, 35-22
Bulldogs put the bite on Pirates' celebration
Aggies end 11-year drought at Howard
A&T spoils Howard's homecoming in 30-19 victory
Morgan streak ends in 35-22 loss
Former coach Hayes returns to Winston-Salem State as AD
WSSU hires Bill Hayes as athletics director
Winston-Salem defeats Bethune-Cookman 16-10
Final: Alabama State 24, Alcorn State 17
ASU gets first SWAC victory
JSU wins 15th straight over Valley
Jackson State rallies to beat Valley
UAPB powers past Edward Waters
Arkansas-Pine Bluff tops Edward Waters 38-12
Babers leads Prairie View past Southern

Prairie View in driver's seat

Panthers break through
Fourth Quarter Heroics Propels Panthers To A 16-14 Win Over Southern
SSU falls to newcomer Old Dominion
Six-cess: ODU clinches winning record with 3rd-straight win

Monday, October 19, 2009

Michigan Wolverines 63, Delaware State Hornets 6

Attendance: 106,304 @ Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI

DSU never had a chance in game that was lopsided from the get-go

Nothing about Saturday worked out for Delaware State. Only half the team was on the field for the national anthem. The Hornets had only one first down -- on a Michigan penalty. The defense allowed 28 points. They had a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown. Then they got to breathe, because the first quarter was over. While Delaware State, a Football Championship Subdivision (I-AA) team, found more of a rhythm as the game progressed, the Hornets appeared severely overmatched, losing to Michigan, 63-6, at Michigan Stadium.

"We came to play an outstanding football team and an outstanding football team showed up," Delaware State coach Al Lavan said. "Essentially, except for moments in the third quarter, they dominated us -- with our help. Make no mistake about it, Michigan played just like they played on the DVDs. ... I was not shocked, but I was surprised at how much the domination was." The Wolverines (5-2, 1-2 Big Ten) set a modern school record for total offense with 727 yards, tied a record with the 28 first-quarter points and set another with 442 yards in the first half.

Wild day: Delaware St. loses twice, gets $550K

Two losses in one day won't seem so bad once Delaware State checks its bank balance. The Hornets lost to Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, a game they agreed to play despite having a previously scheduled conference game the same day. By rule, the Hornets were forced to forfeit their contest against fellow Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe North Carolina A&T, giving them two losses in one day. The reason for the double-booking? Michigan paid Delaware State $550,000 to give up the loss and make the trip to the Big House.

The far superior Wolverines squad had little trouble against the second-tier program, posting a 63-6 drubbing. The Wolverines (5-2) set team marks with 442 yards in the first half and 727 total in the game. They matched a school record with a 28-point first quarter and led 49-3 with their second-highest score by halftime.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLES.

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Running wild: UM rolls with record 727 yards of offense

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Battle of Bands: SCSU 101 vs. FAMU Marching 100

South Carolina State 35, Florida A&M 20

FAMU vs. SCSU REPLAY: Watch Replay »

Victory a big rush for SC State

ORANGEBURG - Will Ford picked the perfect stage to make history on Saturday before 24,449 fans at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. The senior running back from Travelers Rest ran for 141 yards and two touchdowns to help the 12th-ranked Bulldogs score a 35-20 win over No. 22 Florida A&M in a key MEAC game. It was the Bulldogs' 14th consecutive conference win - a school record - and their seventh victory in a row against Florida A&M. In the process, Ford became S.C. State's all-time leading rusher. His 7-yard run on the first play of the second half allowed him to surpass previous leader Michael Hicks.

Ford, who has 4,164 rushing yards, also moved into second place on the MEAC rushing chart. He needs 480 yards to surpass Hampton's Alonzo Hampton. "Getting a win is always the first priority, but luckily I was able to get the record too," Ford said. "It was a great day all the way around. We knew this was a game we had to win, and playing in front of a crowd like that made it even more special."

Famu's MEAC hopes bitten by Bulldogs

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — FAMU is going to need a lot of help from somebody else in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to remain in contention for the league title. South Carolina State simply refused to give the Rattlers an assist. Saturday, the Rattlers sputtered in every way possible, falling prey to costly mistakes and an SCSU defense that allowed only 35 yards rushing. FAMU got 320 yards in the air but that meant little in a 35-20 loss that jeopardizes its chances of winning its first conference title in more than a decade.

"They just played a little harder than we did for whatever reason," said Coach Joe Taylor after FAMU's first conference loss this season at Dawson Stadium. "Their defensive line kept on our offensive line and rushed (quarterback Curtis) Pulley the whole day." Both teams came into the game with undefeated MEAC records, their only losses being to BCS schools. Conference championship implications and even a post-season berth added to the hype that drew the second largest crowd (24,496) to attend a home game for the Bulldogs.

Photo Gallery: FAMU v SC State

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Arkansas-Pine Bluff 20, Jackson State 13 (O.T.)

LATE RALLY LIFTS GOLDEN LIONS PAST JACKSON STATE TIGERS

JACKSON, MISS. — Monte Coleman knew the decision he had just made was risky. But that didn’t mean it was necessarily difficult. His Arkansas-Pine Bluff team had just taken a three point lead on a Carlos Reyes field goal from 38 yards out in an overtime series that was made possible by a spark lit by the insertion of backup quarterback Josh Boudreaux. But a personal foul penalty on Jackson State’s Malcolm Palmer gave Coleman the option of extending the lead and making it a little bit harder on the Tigers. His team had the potentially winning points on the scoreboard, and Coleman took them off.

“We had momentum,” he said. “That’s what I was counting on.” Coleman’s faith was paid back by Boudreaux, who hadn’t seen game-action since a season-opening loss to Arkansas-Monticello on Sept. 5. Two plays after the penalty, Boudreaux scrambled to his left, saw Raymond Webber in the back of the end zone and lofted a pass that landed safely in the senior wide receiver’s arms. A James Harrell tip of a Tray Rutland pass on fourth-and-2 ended Jackson State’s hopes of forcing another overtime period, and it set off a celebration alongside UAPB’s sideline as the Golden Lions finished the improbable 20-13 overtime win at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

THORNTON GETS PICKS LEAD

JACKSON, MISS.— One of the biggest disappointments that came from last week’s canceled game against Alcorn State was the nullification of the stellar defensive statistics Arkansas-Pine Bluff put up through two quarters on Oct. 1. That game was canceled after halftime because of a rain and lightning storm and, among those numbers lost to Mother Nature, was Kevin Thornton’s fifth interception of the season. That development upset UAPB coach Monte Coleman and Thornton, a senior free safety who has made it his mission this year to break the school’s career interception record — even if nobody can seem to figure out what that record is. In the Golden Lions first game since that night it didn’t take long for Thornton to get the interception back.

Kareem Copeland's Talking Points

Jackson State had several opportunities to put Arkansas-Pine Bluff away, or at least extend the lead, but couldn't. JSU forced UAPB into a three-and-out after scoring the first touchdown of the game, but quarterback Tray Rutland threw an interception on the very next play. Not only was the pass picked off, but Carlos Everett had two steps on the defender when the ball was underthrown. The Golden Lions had four drives that stalled after a maximum of four plays, but Rutland threw interceptions on three of the ensuing drives.

Taking a U-turn

It's almost impossible to imagine two more different scenes within the same locale. Seven days ago, Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium was the site of the world's largest Jackson State party after a win over Southern. On Saturday, silence reigned supreme despite the blaring of the Arkansas-Pine Bluff band. Seven days ago, JSU players ran around the field waving the pep squad's flags. On Saturday, Terrance Onyiuke and Marcell Young sat dejected on the metal bench, staring at the grass in front of them. It was the look of a team that was two minutes from victory but watched its opponent score 14 straight points for a 20-13 overtime victory in front of an announced crowd of 11,082.

For JSU football coach, death of wife a loss like no other

They had driven 10 1/2 hours, from Jackson to Cincinnati. Only 53 miles remained to their destination of Xenia, Ohio, when the oldies radio station played a song Jackson State University head football coach Rick Comegy had heard a thousand times - the 1971 Bill Withers hit, Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone. This time he listened to the lyrics. Every word felt like a knife to the heart. ... Ain't no sunshine when she's gone/only darkness every day/ain't no sunshine when she's gone/and this house just ain't no home anytime she goes away ... A family friend was driving Comegy and his 15-year-old son Rick Jr. to a hometown memorial service for Comegy's wife of 25 years, Connie, who died June 22 of cancer. She was 54. In the passenger seat, Comegy wanted to let it all out. Cry. Scream. Kick. Punch the dash. "But I couldn't let Rick Jr. see me like that," he says.

Tigers' defense falters at crunch time

Jackson State will find itself in the midst of a defensive battle quite often this season. That's what happens when a club excels on defense and employs a low-scoring, ball-control offense. So, there was no surprise when neither offense could get going when JSU hosted Arkansas-Pine Bluff. However, the Dark Side defense rarely gets outplayed, but it did Saturday in a 20-13 overtime loss. "I walked the sideline and I was looking in the eyes of guys that weren't even playing and the guys that were playing, I knew we were going to win that football game," UAPB coach Monte Coleman said. "It was something about tonight that was going to be no give up by anybody.

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Sunday, October 11, 2009

Grambling State Tigers 41, Alabama A&M Bulldogs 20

Grambling goes 'wild': New formation earns A&M victory

GRAMBLING, LA -— The Wildcat offense is the latest trend to permeate throughout the football world. It’s seen every Friday night in the high school ranks. Arkansas put it on the map two years ago. It’s even in the NFL, with the Miami Dolphins leading the charge. And on Saturday, it made its first big splash at Grambling. With dual-threat quarterback Greg Dillon hobbled by an injury, Grambling inserted backup wide receiver Rodale Pippen into the lineup as its Wildcat quarterback, and Pippen ran for two scores in Grambling’s 41-20 victory over Alabama A&M.

A&M still has no wins at Grambling

GRAMBLING, La. - There's something about Robinson Stadium that brings out the worst in Alabama A&M. It happened to the Bulldogs again Saturday as the Tigers broke open a close game in the second half and won going away. Trailing by a point early in the second quarter, A&M watched Grambling score 27 unanswered points en route to yet another lopsided loss - this time 41-20 - before an announced crowd of 2,661 in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game. "We played poorly today," A&M inside linebacker Afu Okosun said. "They hit us with a lot of quick stuff, and we didn't make the plays to stop them from driving down the field. Once they got rolling, it was hard for us to stop them."

Grambling earns first conference win over Alabama A&M

Grambling earned its first conference win of the season on Saturday, pulling away from Alabama A&M in the second half for a 41-20 victory. It was Grambling's first win in three games, and it came on the heels of losses to Oklahoma State and Prairie View A&M. The first half was a back-and-forth affair. Grambling scored on its first possession, marching 88 yards in just four plays, capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Greg Dillon to wide receiver Bakari Maxwell. It didn't take long for Alabama A&M to respond. Quarterback Kevin Atkins moved the Bulldogs deep into Grambling territory, and Jeremy Licea narrowed the GSU lead with a 27-yard field goal to make it 7-3.

READ MORE, CLICK EACH TITLE.

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Ala A&M vs Grambling
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Alabama A&M University Maroon and White Marching Band @ Drumline 2009 show in Chattanooga, Tennessee 10/5/2009

#11 Miami (FL) 48, Florida A&M Rattlers 16

Hurricanes not rattled

UM manhandled Florida A&M, beating the Rattlers for the seventh time in a row. Six Hurricanes scored one touchdown apiece, and 12 Canes caught at least one pass in the rout.

The FAMU Marching 100 did not disappoint. The No. 11 Miami Hurricanes did pretty well, too. Though the biggest cheers Saturday night went to Florida A&M's famed marching band for its tribute to Michael Jackson, the University of Miami showcased plenty of its own young talent in a 48-16 victory against the Rattlers. Starting quarterback Jacory Harris played the first half and completed 16 of 24 passes for 217 yards and touchdowns to wide receiver Leonard Hankerson and tight end Jimmy Graham. Harris did enough to power UM (4-1) to a 31-3 halftime lead, but he was pressured more than usual and did a good deal of scrambling. Harris threw two interceptions.

Watch ESPN's 360 FAMU Rattlers vs. Miami Hurricanes Game Replay

Junior tailback Damien Berry got the first carries of his career and made them count. Berry rushed for 162 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries. It marked the most rushing yards by a Hurricane since Tyrone Moss had 195 yards in 2005 at the Orange Bowl. ``I was a little nervous,'' Berry said. ``My heart was going 150 miles an hour. After I got in and I got used to it, everything went great.'' Berry scored UM's final touchdown on a 35-yard run down the left side in the fourth quarter.

Rattlers get good experience by playing Hurricanes

MIAMI GARDENS — Jacory Harris had already engineered six touchdown drives and yet the Miami crowd kept cheering for more. They rooted a little louder each time that FAMU's defenders found one of the few gaps to put pressure on Harris. Linebacker Greg Boler quieted them for a moment. He sacked the Hurricanes' star quarterback, briefly disrupting yet another drive that still ended with a Miami touchdown on the way to a 48-16 victory. The Rattlers defense didn't have too many other shots at Harris or any other Miami playmakers for that matter, but the unit showed some encouraging signs. The defensive front created enough of an opening to pressure Harris into two mistakes that resulted in interceptions for Fabian Wilson and Curtis Holcomb.

The interceptions were the first by the defense in five games. That they came against a BCS team is a statement — however small — for the defense. "The experience was good," FAMU coach Joe Taylor said. "We will be better as a result. That was some good competition and we competed. It's definitely going to make us better for the rest of the way."