Tennessee Tech 20, Tennessee State 13

Tech Wins Homecoming Match-up

Sophomore Tim Benford caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Lee Sweeney with three minutes to play and the Tennessee Tech defense, led by redshirt freshman Caleb Mitchell, forced four turnovers as the Golden Eagles defeated Tennessee State, 20-13, in an Ohio Valley Conference game Saturday afternoon in Tucker Stadium. With the win, Tech (5-3/4-2 OVC) captured the league’s Sgt. York Trophy, finishing the series with a 3-0 mark against the three in-state schools.

"We just hung in there and hung in there, and at the end we made plays and that is what this team has been doing," said Golden Eagle head coach Watson Brown. "Every one we've won, we had to make plays in the fourth quarter to win the game, and this one was no different. "I couldn't be more proud of these kids. They've worked their fannies off and they've come a long way," Brown added. "One of the goals is done (York Trophy). We get to bring that trophy back to Cookeville."

TSU head football coach James Webster

TSU coach rips officials after loss

COOKEVILLE, TN — Tennessee State Coach James Webster began criticizing the officials moments after the Tigers' 20-13 loss to Tennessee Tech on Saturday. Webster was livid about the final play, claiming TSU receiver Joseph Hills was interfered with by more than one Tennessee Tech defender while trying to make a catch in the end zone. "He got mauled. How could you not see that?'' Webster said. "He was open, the quarterback got some pressure and he tried to put it up there, and if I've ever seen pass interference that was pass interference."

Webster said the play continued what he has perceived as a pattern of poor officiating against his team that stretches back several years. He said he has repeatedly lodged formal complaints to the Ohio Valley Conference office and seen no improvement. When asked if he believed complaining again would help, Webster said: "I've been following the rules and regulations of the OVC and we get this. "It's not fair to this football program. It's not fair to these football players. It's not fair to the fans, it's not fair to the administration and I have to accept responsibility for it.

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Florida A&M 31, Morgan State 28

Morgan passes up field goal for tie in 31-28 OT loss

Morgan never led in a topsy-turvy contest after one of the league's top offenses struck its defense for two quick touchdowns to start the game. But the Bears kept battling back and eventually had a chance to pull it out after Florida A&M settled for a 35-yard field goal by Trevor Scott on its overtime possession. When the Bears took the ball, Jackson was sacked for a 9-yard loss by LeRoy Vann, the Rattlers' nationally rated kick retrurner. But a 15-yard completion to Terrell White and Jackson's 3-yard gain carried the ball to the Rattler 16 and set up the strange ending.

Donald HIll-Eley said he never considered the field-goal attempt to force a second overtime because "we were down by three and at home and we only needed inches." He applauded his team for consistently fighting back against the offensive assault of Florida A&M quarterback Curtis Pulley, who rushed for 231 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 174 more yard and another TD. We're always going to battle," said Hill-Eley. "We did what we had to do. Jackson played well (16 for 22, 207 yards, two touchdowns) and moved us down the field.."

Scott's 35-yard field goal in overtime lifts Florida A&M to 31-28 victory over ...

BALTIMORE — Trevor Scott kicked a 35-yard field goal on the first series of overtime, and the Florida A&M defense made a fourth-down stop for a 31-28 victory over Morgan State on Saturday. Scott's field goal gave Florida A&M (6-2, 4-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) a three-point lead. On the next series, the Bears tried to convert a fourth-and-1 instead of trying a game-tying field goal, but Florida A&M's Cameron Houston stopped Carlton Jackson to end the game.

"It was a heavyweight fight," FAMU coach Joe Taylor said. "I'm just proud of the way we hung in there, persevered and made the plays."


Around FCS: Florida A&M continues resurgence

Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Since their last FCS playoff appearance in 2001, the Florida A&M Rattlers have looked to re-establish themselves atop the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings. Now, halfway through the 2009 season, the Rattlers are well on their way to accomplishing that goal. The rebuilding stage really took hold in 2008. After the 2007 season in which the Rattlers finished 3-8, Joe Taylor was named the team's third coach in five years, as Rattler fans scratched their collective heads in uncertainty.

The highly respected Taylor wasted no time instilling confidence in FAMU supporters as his team, under then-new Kentucky transfer quarterback Curtis Pulley, went 9-3 in 2008, finishing second in the league behind South Carolina State. Pulley took over the starting duties mid-season in 2008 and proved to be the dynamic leader the Rattlers desperately needed.

Rattlesnake has a fun bite to it

BALTIMORE, MD -- This Rattlesnake thing might just become a common occurrence for FAMU — just as much as coach Joe Taylor loves running the ball. Both times the Rattlers put something a little tricky into the offensive scheme, it produced points Saturday at Hughes Stadium. First it was LeRoy Vann lining up in the backfield. He ran for 12 yards and three plays later the Rattlers were in the end zone. On the next series, running back Philip Sylvester took a direct snap and ran 5 yards. On the next play, Sylvester scooted into the end zone from 19 yards out.

Just like that FAMU was on top. The new formation has to be a keeper. And, apparently, it has to have a unique name — or at least something other than Wildcat, the name of the Rattlers' fiercest rival. So, Rattlesnake it is. Of course, all the points the single-wing formation produced came before Morgan State University fought back and forced overtime. The idea of changing up the offense had been discussed during the first spring after Taylor took over the program two years ago. He and offensive coordinator Lawrence Kershaw hedged.

Vann is searching for the longest yards

BALTIMORE, MD — As elusive as getting one more punt return for a touchdown has become, FAMU return specialist LeRoy Vann isn't giving up on his chase for the NCAA record. Vann took two punts back for touchdowns in two consecutive games earlier this season, but hasn't had a good shot since. He came close Saturday against Morgan State and will have to try again in the Rattlers' three remaining games. Vann's stretch of frustration reached five games going into the game at Hughes Stadium. He needed one punt TD return, which would give him the NCAA record for total TD returns. That one also would tie the FCS single-season mark of five that was set by Curtis Deloach of North Carolina A&T eight years ago.

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South Carolina State 52, Delaware State 10

S.C. State 2nd string QB Derrick Wiley serves as Malcolm Long backup but would be the starter at most MEAC programs.

Delaware State Falls to S. Carolina State

ORANGEBURG, S.C. --- Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference leader South Carolina State racked up more than 500 total yards in a 52-10 win over Delaware State before 21,257 delighted homecoming fans at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs won their fourth straight game to improve to 7-1 overall and 5-0 in the MEAC. SC State has won 16 straight league games since the 2007 season. The defending MEAC champions were ranked 10th in the latest SportsNetwork and AFCA Coaches polls of Top 25 Football Championship Subdivision teams entering the contest.

The Hornets fell to 2-6 overall and 2-4 in the MEAC. The 42-point margin was the Bulldogs' largest over the Hornets since a 52-6 victory in 1979. "South Carolina State is an outstanding team, and my greatest fear this week was realized," said Delaware State head coach Al Lavan, who fell to 2-4 vs. South Carolina State and 38-28 in MEAC games. "We gave the Bulldogs a short field for most of the first half, and they took advantage of every opportunity. South Carolina State showed everyone why they are the best team in our league."

Bulldogs win with full house

ORANGEBURG Tre Young was happy - but puzzled - when he heard his name announced Saturday at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in the late moments of South Carolina State's 52-10 demolition of Delaware State. Young, a senior receiver, had just broken the school record for career reception yards previously held by Charlie Brown (1977-80). With four catches for 135 yards, including a game-changing, 80-yard touchdown toss from Malcolm Long, Young has 1,734 yards.

Just one problem: Young professed not to know anything about Brown, the former Washington Redskins great who - oh, callow youth! - was in attendance for S.C. State's homecoming. "I heard that over the (public-address system), and I was shocked. I never broke any records in high school even," he said. So what about his famed predecessor? "I'm gonna have to Google him," Young said, shaking his head. Never mind that a recount later revealed Young had broken Brown's record the week before, one day before his 24th birthday. These days, S.C. State, ranked 10th in the FCS, is so prolific in all areas that it's easy to lose count.

Photo Gallery: S.C. State vs. Delaware

Little goes right for DSU in blowout

ORANGEBURG, S.C. -- The game was long out of hand when Delaware State quarterback Nick Elko looked to his right and let go of a pass to Phillip Adams late in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon inside Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. It was a nice pass from Elko, a spiral into the flat, and Adams caught it clean. If Adams had been a Hornets' receiver it would have likely been a 10-yard pickup or so. Unfortunately for Delaware State, Adams was a South Carolina State defensive back, by himself in the right place at the right time, and instead of a nice pickup for the Hornets, the senior turned the play into a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown with just 12 seconds to play, giving the 10th-ranked Bulldogs the final points in a 52-10 win.

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Bethune Cookman 31, North Carolina A&T 13

NC A&T Loses Homecoming to Bethune-Cookman 31-13

Greensboro - Bethune Cookman amassed 357 yards of total offense and controlled the time of possession, as the Wildcats spoiled North Carolina A&T's homecoming and Senior Day with a 31-13 victory Saturday. Bethune's sophomore quarterback Maurice Francois ran for 73 yards and a touchdown and threw for another 85 yards, helping his team keep the ball for over 37 minutes in the game. After the Wildcats' Keith Courtney scored from 5-yards out, the Aggies' lone bright spot came on Quay Long's 96-yard punt return for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 going into halftime. Long's return was a school record. In the second half, however, Bethune scored 24 unanswered points, the last touchdown coming on a Ryan Lewis 28-yard interception of North Carolina A&T quarterback Carlton Fears to seal the game.

Bethune crashes the party at A&T

GREENSBORO — Carlton Fears lingered long after all his N.C. A&T teammates had showered and left. Homecoming was over, but the Aggies’ senior quarterback seemed to not want it to end. Not like this. Not with a 31-13 loss to Bethune-Cookman, a wounded, shorthanded team with a gadget option offense and a 3-5 record. Not in the last home game of his college career. So he walked back out into empty Aggie Stadium, clad in his street clothes and letterman’s jacket, for a slow stroll next to the quiet field. Outside in the tent city of tailgating, the party went on and on. But inside, all was quiet and still.

It was as if it had never happened. But it did. The Aggies lost their sixth consecutive homecoming game, sending even the fifth-year seniors away winless on the biggest weekend of the A&T school year. “It feels real bad,” Fears said. “I mean, it’s homecoming and it’s our last game at home. It hurts. It hurts real bad, because we really wanted to go out with a bang this time.” Instead, the Aggies (5-4, 3-3 MEAC) went quietly. They dropped passes. They took bad penalties. They missed tackles and blocks.

Photo Gallery: Bethune-Cookman beats Aggies
Photo Gallery: N.C. A&T homecoming

B-CU's offense explodes

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- They made the long trip shorthanded, bringing along an option offense built on running the ball and milking the clock. But in the second half at sold-out Aggie Stadium, Maurice Francois and the rest of the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats scored 24 straight points and blew out N.C. A&T before a homecoming crowd of 21,500 Saturday afternoon.Francois, B-CU's sophomore quarterback, ran for 73 yards and a touchdown and completed 5-of-7 passes for 85 more yards to lead the suddenly explosive Wildcats (3-5, 2-3 MEAC) to their third win in the last four games.

"The victory here is so sweet, especially after losing our homecoming," B-CU coach Alvin Wyatt said. "We came in here and played against a team that has mostly the same players but with a different attitude and different leadership. They're very impressive on tape and a team that was fierce coming off the football. We knew we had to be at the top of our game." Thing is, they weren't. The Wildcats played without both their starting offensive guards. They moved a linebacker to defensive tackle out of necessity. Running backs Androse Bell (injury) and Joe Morris (illness) didn't make the trip, and neither did the team's leading receiver, JeVaughn Reams.

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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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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.

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Battle of Bands: SCSU 101 vs. FAMU Marching 100