South Carolina State Bulldogs playoff bound

SCSU Coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough 

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Malcolm Long had four touchdowns to become South Carolina State's all-time TD leader with 48, and the Bulldogs defeated North Carolina A&T 48-3 on Saturday. With the win, the Bulldogs (9-2, 7-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) earned their third consecutive trip to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

Long threw an 8-yard pass to Tyler McDonald late in the first quarter to start the scoring. He then added his first of three rushing touchdowns, a 1-yard run early in the second quarter.

Gaffney's Long sets SC State TD mark, leads Bulldogs to playoffs

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Gaffney’s Malcolm Long had four touchdowns to become South Carolina State’s all-time TD leader, and the Bulldogs defeated North Carolina A&T 48-3 on Saturday. With the win, the Bulldogs (9-2, 7-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) earned their third straight trip to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

Long, who was tied for the Bulldogs’ career mark with 44 heading in, threw an 8-yard pass to Tyler McDonald late in the first quarter to start the scoring. He then added his first of three rushing touchdowns, a 1-yard run early in the second quarter.

S.C. State earns FCS playoff berth

As Oliver "Buddy" Pough taped his weekly television show early Sunday morning, he remained unsure if his South Carolina State football team had played their final game for 2010 hours earlier.

At 10:10 a.m., the Bulldogs' head football coach got the answer he was hoping for - an at-large berth into the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. The now three-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions will travel to Statesboro, Ga. this Saturday to face Georgia Southern at Paulson Stadium in one of four noon opening round games.

Aggies finish 1-10 season with loss to Bulldogs

As Oliver "Buddy" Pough taped his weekly television show early Sunday morning, he remained unsure if his South Carolina State football team had played their final game for 2010 hours earlier.

At 10:10 a.m., the Bulldogs' head football coach got the answer he was hoping for - an at-large berth into the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. The now three-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions will travel to Statesboro, Ga. this Saturday to face Georgia Southern at Paulson Stadium in one of four noon opening round games.

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2010 Division I Football Championship Field Released

A hot Florida A&M University Rattlers team (8-3, 7-1) that just defeated the #7 FCS ranked Bethune Cookman Wildcats 38-27, (10-1, 7-1 MEAC) was not invited. BCU and S.C. State (9-2, 7-1 MEAC) will represent the conference in the playoffs.

INDIANAPOLIS - The field of 20 teams competing for the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Championship was announced today by the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee.

Appalachian State University (9-2) tops the bracket as the top seed after capturing the automatic qualifying berth from the Southern Conference. The Mountaineers, who won three consecutive championships from 2005-07, are making their 18th appearance and sixth straight overall.

Second-seeded College of William and Mary (8-3) is making its ninth appearance. The Tribe captured the Colonial Athletic Association automatic berth.

University of Delaware (9-2), which is making its 15th overall tournament appearance, is the number-three seed. The 2003 national champion, the Blue Hens tied William and Mary for the CAA championship.

Montana State University (9-2) is the number-four seed after capturing the Big Sky Conference automatic berth. The Bobcats, the 1984 national champion, are making its fifth appearance and first since 2006.

Rounding out this year’s seeded teams is Eastern Washington University (9-2) with the number-five seed. The Eagles are making its eighth overall appearance.

First-round hosts include Big South automatic qualifier Coastal Carolina (6-5), North Dakota State University (7-4), Missouri Valley Football Conference automatic qualifier University of Northern Iowa (7-4), and Georgia Southern University (7-4).

The top four national seeds will host winners from the first round match-ups. Others hosting second rounds game will be Eastern Washington, Bethune-Cookman University (10-1), who was the automatic qualifier from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Gamecocks of Jacksonville State University (9-2) and Stephen F. Austin State University (9-2), who earned the Southland Conference’s automatic bid.

Other automatic qualifiers in the tournament include Robert Morris University (8-2), the Northeast Conference champion, clinched its first trip into the championship. Also making its first trip into the championship is Southeast Missouri State University, winner of the automatic bid from the Ohio Valley Conference. Winning the Patriot League was the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh University (9-2).

Other teams in the field are New Hampshire University (7-4), South Carolina State University (9-2), the defending national champion Villanova University (7-4), Western Illinois University (7-4) and Wofford College (9-2). Along with Southeast Missouri State, North Dakota State and Robert Morris are making their first ever appearance in the championship.

Ten conferences received automatic-qualifying berths: the Big Sky Conference, Big South Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Missouri Valley Football Conference, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference and Southland Conference.

The combination of www.NCAA.com and ESPN’s family of networks will once again provide coverage of all rounds of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Championship.

Television schedules and games times for all rounds of the 2010 championship will be updated daily at the NCAA Sports web site (www.NCAA.com/football).

The 2011 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game is slated for 7 p.m. Eastern time Friday, January 18, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. ESPN2HD/ESPN3.com will televise the championship game.

FIRST ROUND GAMES

November 27 at Conway, S.C.
Western Illinois (7-4) at Coastal Carolina (6-5)

November 27 at Fargo, N.D.
Robert Morris (8-2) at North Dakota State (7-4)

November 27 at Cedar Falls, Iowa
Lehigh (9-2) at Northern Iowa (7-4)

November 27 at Statesboro, Georgia
South Carolina State (9-2) at Georgia Southern (7-4)

SECOND ROUND GAMES

December 4 at Boone, North Carolina, Noon (ET)
Western Illinois/Coastal Carolina winner at #1 Appalachian State (9-2)

December 4 at Nacogdoches, Texas, 3:30 p.m. (ET)
Villanova (7-4) at Stephen F. Austin (9-2)

December 4 at Cheney, Washington
Southeast Missouri State (9-2) at #5 Eastern Washington (9-2)

December 4 at Bozeman, Montana, 2 p.m. (ET)
Robert Morris/North Dakota State winner at #4 Montana State (9-2)

December 4 at Newark, Delaware
Lehigh/Northern Iowa winner at #3 Delaware (9-2)

December 4 at Daytona Beach, Florida
New Hampshire (7-4) at Bethune-Cookman (10-1)

December 4 at Jacksonville, Alabama, Noon (ET)
Wofford (9-2) at Jacksonville State (9-2)

December 4 at Williamsburg, Virginia
South Carolina St./Georgia Southern winner at #2 William and Mary (8-3)

The 2010 championship field consists of eight automatic qualifiers and eight at-large qualifiers.

Big Sky Conference – #4 Montana St. (9-2)
Big South Conference - Coastal Caro. (6-5)
Colonial Athletic Association - #2 William & Mary (8-3)
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference - Bethune-Cookman (10-1)
Missouri Valley Football Conference - UNI (7-4)
Northeast Conference - Robert Morris (8-2)
Ohio Valley Conference - Southeast Mo. St. (9-2)
Patriot League - Lehigh (9-2)
Southern Conference - #1 Appalachian St. (9-2)
Southland Conference- Stephen F. Austin (9-2)

At-Large:

Big Sky Conference - #5 Eastern Washington (9-2)
Colonial Athletic Association - #3 Delaware (9-2)
Colonial Athletic Association - New Hampshire (7-4)
Colonial Athletic Association - Villanova (7-4)
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference - South Carolina St. (9-2)
Missouri Valley Football Conference - North Dakota St. (7-4)
Missouri Valley Football Conference - Western Illinois (7-4)
Ohio Valley Conference - Jacksonville St. (9-2)
Southern Conference - Ga. Southern (7-4)
Southern Conference - Wofford (9-2)

NCAA Press Release 11/21/10

Phillip Sylvester, FAMU ruin B-CU's perfect season

Florida A&M running back Philip Sylvester almost spent more time going backward than forward Saturday during the first half of the Florida Classic. But when a force begins to take motion, something has to give, and in this case it was the Bethune-Cookman defense.

Sylvester had just 2 rushing yards at halftime and it looked like his string of five-straight 100-yard games was in jeopardy. Some halftime adjustments, however, along with a little patience, finally got Sylvester moving forward and after 144 second-half yards, the senior had sparked a FAMU upset of previously unbeaten B-CU 38-27.

"God is so good," Sylvester said from the Citrus Bowl podium after accepting the MVP trophy after the game. "Thank you Rattler nation for not giving up on us

Notebook: FAMU coach making mark

ORLANDO - Prior to Saturday's matchup against Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M coach Joe Taylor was tied with Rattlers coaching greats Jake Gaither and Billy Joe with the most wins in their first three seasons (24). After the win, Taylor sits atop that category. Even with much at stake — a possible at-large playoff bid, a share of the MEAC title and the chance to knock off an undefeated team, he said this win wasn't any bigger than his 221 previous wins.

"All of them are blessings," Taylor said. "No one is bigger than the other on, you just enjoy (each one). This is over 200 (wins) now, so all of them are big and I enjoy them all."


Videographer: tijuanae (ESPN Classic Television Version)

Rattlers spoil Wildcats' dream

ORLANDO -- The last time Florida A&M dashed Bethune-Cookman's hopes of an undefeated season, the annual meeting between the Rattlers and the Wildcats was not yet known as the Florida Classic. With a classic reversal of fortunes in the second half Saturday, FAMU frustrated B-CU once again.

Philip Sylvester ran for all but 2 of his 146 yards during final two quarters and scored three touchdowns as the Rattlers, to the delight of the green-and-orange portion of the 61,712 at the Florida Citrus Bowl, rallied for a 38-27 victory and a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship.

Because of the conference's points system used to break multiteam ties, Bethune-Cookman (10-1) will represent the MEAC in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. The Wildcats and the Rattlers finished 7-1 in league play, as did South Carolina State, which beat North Carolina A&T earlier in the day.

Highlights from FAMU's win over Bethune-Cookman

Three quick things to take away from Florida A&M 38, BCU 27:

•1. Never underestimate the intensity of a Classic. The Wildcats' previous spotless record meant little to the Rattlers who strengthened their series lead 20-10.

•2. Joe Taylor could be in the process of building a Jake Gaither-type legacy. Taylor is the first FAMU coach since Gaither to collect 24 wins in three season. Gaither, who coached from 1945-1969, won six black college national championships.

•3. BCU can brush off this loss quickly as they a still earned a share of the MEAC conference title and already clinched the FCS bid.

Rattlers earn slice of MEAC title

ORLANDO — More than a minute was left in the game as the Florida A&M football team moved closer to the end zone. As the clock kept running, the Rattlers lined up for a second-down play on Bethune-Cookman's 3-yard-line and the FAMU fans were deafening.

Rattlers' quarterback Austin Trainer handed the ball off to running back Philip Sylvester. Sensing that he would get his third touchdown, the crowd went bonkers as Sylvester blazed right up the middle with 28 seconds left. That touchdown capped a remarkable day that saw Sylvester gain 146 second-half yards and rally the Rattlers to a 38-27 victory.



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FAMU BCU Pregame FAMU 38 BCU 27

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JSU Tigers cap off season with win over Alcorn State despite injury to star QB

Most of the records never fell. That convincing margin of victory never happened. But in the end, with its star quarterback watching from the sideline, his throwing arm in a sling, Jackson State won the Capital City Classic. And that, as they say, is all that matters. "I'll be straight with you," JSU coach Rick Comegy said, "it was about winning."

Comegy's Tigers beat Alcorn State 27-14 on Saturday afternoon, thanks to four early touchdowns, a stiff defensive effort and an inept opponent.

The Tigers (8-3, 6-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference) hit the eight-win mark for the third time in Comegy's five years, and they did it in front of more than 43,000 at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, the largest Classic crowd in four years.

Notebook: Therriault falls short of most school records

This wasn't how the season was supposed to end for Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault. He was supposed to be the new holder of a bevy of school records. Not sulking in the locker room with a broken collarbone. The latter, though, was the truth Saturday afternoon in Jackson State's 27-14 win over Alcorn State. Therriault failed to break most of the half-dozen school passing marks he was on the cusp of breaking entering the game.

Therriault did break Robert Kent's record for completions in a season. He needed just seven of those and had 16 in his 25 minutes played Saturday. He also broke the school record for completion percentage in a season. With his 16-of-22 performance against Alcorn, Therriault has a 58.3 completion rate, surpassing Jimmy Oliver's 58.0 mark.

Jackson St. - Alcorn State



Injuries force Tigers to play QB shuffle

Of all the weeks, of all the games, of all the unfortunate breaks. Jackson State backup quarterback Dedric McDonald suffered a foot injury at practice earlier this week.

That wasn't too big of a deal - until starting quarterback Casey Therriault suffered a broken collarbone in the second quarter of JSU's 27-14 win over Alcorn State. With McDonald in crutches on the sideline, Mark Thigpen, a true freshman and graduate of Callaway High School, was thrown into the mix.

But the Tigers weren't about to burn Thigpen's redshirt without trying someone else. Tight end Renty Rollins was moved to quarterback - a disastrous move that likely cost JSU points.

Braves' attack fizzles in 2010 finale

Alcorn State's offensive production in the Braves' 27-14 loss to Jackson State could be exemplified by one play. With Alcorn trailing 21-7 early in the second quarter, the Braves lined up at the Tigers' 1-yard line. Alcorn freshman quarterback Brandon Bridge ran up the middle, but fumbled the ball into the end zone.

Jackson State recovered and returned the ball 94 yards. The Tigers scored two plays later on a run from junior quarterback Casey Therriault to take a 20-point lead. Alcorn coach Earnest Collins said the 14-point swing was incredibly detrimental.

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Videographer: jaybmuszic

Morehouse loses to Wingate in playoffs

WINGATE, N.C. -- Morehouse got plenty of breaks in Saturday afternoon’s 63-41 loss to Wingate in the first round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs.

The Maroon Tigers (8-3) recovered three fumbles, returning one for a touchdown, and set up another score with an interception. And they rolled up 471 yards of offense. Running back David Carter rushed for 167 yards and two more touchdowns on 29 carries, and quarterback Byron Ingram passed for 168 yards and ran for a touchdown.

But it wasn’t enough to stop a high-powered Wingate offense, which shook off a 17-7 deficit at the end of the first quarter and ended Morehouse’s first football postseason in front of nearly 4,000 fans at Irwin Belk Stadium.

Haffly's 7 touchdown passes get Bulldogs' offense back on track

WINGATE, N.C. - Sooner or later, the Wingate Bulldogs' football team scores some points. The South Atlantic Conference champions rode its high-powered offense to its first conference title. And in their first-ever NCAA Division II playoff game on Saturday, the Bulldogs (9-2) shook off early mistakes and a 10-point first-quarter deficit to blitz Morehouse 63-41 in front of about 4,000 fans at Irwin Belk Stadium.

"We want to score every time we get the ball, and we believe that we can," said Wingate quarterback Cody Haffly, who passed for 477 yards and a school record seven touchdowns as the Bulldogs rolled up 614 yards. "We're a resilient, veteran team and we didn't panic when we got behind."

Wingate trailed the Maroon Tigers (8-3), also making their first playoff appearance, 17-7 at...

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TSU season ends with second-half collapse

MURRAY, Ky. — Rod Reed's first season as Tennessee State's football coach ended with something that has happened just twice in school history. The Tigers' 28-23 loss to Murray State on Saturday was their sixth straight, joining the 1962 and 1995 teams as the only ones to lose that many consecutive games in one season.


TSU (3-8, 0-7 OVC) led 14-7 at halftime and got 289 yards passing and three touchdowns from Jeremy Perry, who had missed the previous two games with an ankle sprain. But Murray State (6-5, 5-3) scored three touchdowns in the third quarter, and the Tigers couldn't catch up. Murray State earned its first winning season in five years.


TSU coach has low self-grade

Tennessee State Athletics Director Teresa Phillips said she will wait until the football season ends to evaluate first-year Coach Rod Reed.

If TSU (3-7, 0-6 OVC) loses to Murray State (5-5, 4-3) then it would match the most consecutive losses in one season by any Tiger team, joining the six losses in a row by the 1962 and 1995 squads. It would also be the first time since joining the OVC in 1988 that the Tigers failed to win a conference game. Even if they win, the Tigers will finish last in the OVC for the second time, joining the 1995 team.

TSU offense gets a boost as quarterback returns

After being shut out over the past six quarters, Tennessee State's offense could get a lift today with the expected return of starting quarterback Jeremy Perry. The junior was sidelined the past two games with a high ankle sprain. He was able to practice this week, took most of the snaps with the first unit, and said he would play through the lingering pain when the Tigers try to snap a five-game losing streak in their season finale at Murray State.

With Perry out, the offense collapsed in the second half against Eastern Illinois after senior Dominic Grooms helped the Tigers jump to a 28-7 halftime lead.

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Videographer: Cassfl (TSU vs. APSU, 9/18/2010)

NCCU Eagles falls to ODU

DURHAM, N.C. -- In its final game playing as an independent, the Monarchs downed North Carolina Central at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium, 33-21, to close out the 2010 season.

The win was ODU's fifth straight since its loss against #14/16 Cal Poly that dropped the Monarchs to 3-3 on the season. The Monarchs conclude the season at 8-3 and bring its two-year total to 17-5 overall and head into the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) next year.

Redshirt junior Thomas DeMarco passed for 286 yards and a touchdown before being sidelined in the third quarter with a shoulder injury. Redshirt sophomore Reid Evans led the receiving corps with 111 yards on eight catches, while Mario Crawford, who last week become the second Monarch to surpass the 1,000 yard career rushing mark, ran the ball 15 times for 55 yards.



ODU closes second season with 33-21 win at NC Central

DURHAM, N.C. —  Old Dominion got only a bit more than a half from quarterback Thomas DeMarco but that's all the Monarchs needed to beat North Carolina Central 33-21 on Saturday at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium in the season finale for both teams.

DeMarco led Old Dominion to a 30-14 halftime lead as he passed for 281 yards in the first half. He added five more on his lone completion of the second half before leaving the game with an injured shoulder after the first series of the third quarter following a long interception. He finished 22 of 32 for 286 yards and a touchdown.

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