FAMU's Terry Johnson proving worth to coaches

In an odd kind of way, Terry Johnson believes a knee injury that sidelined him last year might have hastened his development.

While he couldn't play last season when he was a freshman coming out of Rickards High School, Johnson watched his Florida A&M teammates from the sidelines. It wasn't the happiest time in his young college football career, but Johnson admits that having a year to watch seniors Curtis Holcomb and Qier Hall helped him understand how to become a better cornerback.


Videographer: TheFranchisesports; FAMU QB Battle

FAMU offense shines in spring scrimmage

The display that the Florida A&M offense put on during the first spring football scrimmage was enough to give on-lookers the impression it had more than just four days of practice.

Both quarterbacks Austin Trainor and Tyler Bass won praise from coach Joe Taylor and running back Eddie Rocker made it his personal showcase on an overcast Saturday morning. When they got through the 77 plays, the offense was almost flawless in terms of penalties, with just one called for a delay of game.

FAMU coaches not letting players slide

There is no time for slouching during spring football practice. Day after day the Florida A&M coaches make that clear to every player, whether they're on scholarship or they're walk-ons.

Case in point, associate head coach George Smalls, who usually is mild-mannered, got up close and personal with one of the players on his defensive unit earlier this week.

"Get set," Small said. When he didn't get much of a response, Smart turned up the volume a little louder. "Get set; you're standing around fooling," he bellowed.  Not a detail goes unnoticed, especially when the team gets into segment drills. Coaches on both sides of the ball are seemingly doing more nit-picking because the expectations are greater for the upcoming season following a finish last year that won the Rattlers a share of the MEAC title.

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JCSU under lights for spring football finale

Johnson C. Smith’s spring football game will be held under the lights. The Golden Bulls will scrimmage April 11 at 7 p.m. at McGirt Field. The game is free and open to the public.

Smith went 2-8 in 2010 and must replace quarterback Ryan Carter (Harding High) and all-CIAA receiver Jeremy Franklin. The defense, which allowed an average of 39 points a game last season, also needs retooling.

“Football is a game of measurements and spring ball gives our coaching staff the chance to measure where we are as a team to this point,” head coach Steve Aycock said. “We have some kids that may step into new roles this season and this is a part of the preparation process.”

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Fayetteville State Releases 2011 Football Schedule

Fayetteville, NC – Football season never feels like it is too far away, and it feels even closer for Fayetteville State Broncos fans as the tentative 2011 football schedule has been released.

Fayetteville State will open its 2011 season with the Third Two Rivers Classic against UNC Pembroke at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3. The game will be played at Luther “Nick” Jeralds Stadium as the two programs clash to open their respective grid seasons for the third consecutive year.

The Broncos, who finished the season 5-5 a year ago to complete a season at .500 or better for the eighth time in head coach Kenny Phillips’ 11 years at the helm, are then scheduled to travel to play St. Paul’s for their first road game of the season on Sept. 10.

After that, Fayetteville State will begin a stretch of four home dates in a span of five games, kicking off with a 6 p.m. game against Elizabeth City State on Sept. 17 before traveling to rival Winston-Salem State on Sept. 24 to open CIAA play. Fayetteville State will then host St. Augustine’s (Oct. 1, 6 p.m.) and Virginia State (Oct. 8, 6 p.m.).

Homecoming is scheduled for Oct. 15 against Shaw. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m.

Fayetteville State will close its regular season with three games on the road: at Livingstone (Oct. 22, 1:30 p.m.), Johnson C. Smith (Oct. 29, 4 p.m.) and Virginia Union (Nov. 5, 1 p.m.).

FSU Broncos 2011 Football Schedule

Date Opponent / Event Location Result

09/03/11 vs. UNC Pembroke Fayetteville, NC 6:00 p.m.

09/10/11 at St. Paul's TBA TBA

09/17/11 vs. Elizabeth City State Fayetteville, NC 6:00 p.m.

09/24/11 at Winston-Salem State * Winston-Salem, NC TBA

10/01/11 vs. Saint Augustine's * Fayetteville, NC 6:00 p.m.

10/08/11 vs. Virginia State * Fayetteville, NC 6:00 p.m.

   BRONCO HOMECOMING

10/15/11 vs. Shaw * Fayetteville, NC 2:00 p.m.

10/22/11 at Livingstone * Salisbury, NC 1:30 p.m.

10/29/11 at Johnson C. Smith * Charlotte, NC 4:00 p.m.

11/05/11 at Virginia Union * Richmond, VA 1:00 p.m.

* CIAA Conference Game

VISIT: FSU BROCOS

Chowan University Announces 2011 Football Schedule

MURFREESBORO, N.C. – Chowan University has announced its 2011 football schedule. The Hawks, led by Tim Place in his fourth season, will have five home and five road games next season.

Chowan kicks off the 2011 season with a home Thursday night matchup against Livingstone College on September 1st at 6:00pm. They will then hit the road for four of their next five games, including their only non-conference road game of the season, a September 10th matchup against UNC-Pembroke (6:00pm).

The Hawks will host the Rams of Winston-Salem State University on Saturday, September 17th at 6:00pm. Chowan will open CIAA play on Saturday, September 24th, when they travel to Virginia State University to take on the Trojans at 6:00pm.

Chowan travels to Richmond, VA for an October 1st tilt with the Panthers of Virginia Union University. Kickoff time for that game has yet to be announced. The Hawks will hit the road again on Saturday, October 8th when they travel to Lincoln University (PA) for a 1:00pm matchup with the Lions.

A three-game home-stand begins on October 15th, as the Hawks host Saint Paul's College (6:00pm) in the Homecoming game. Shaw University will travel to Murfreesboro on Saturday, October 22nd for a 6:00pm kickoff.

Chowan's final home game of the 2011 season will be Saturday, October 29th against Elizabeth City State University at 12:00pm. This will be the school's annual Hall-of Fame game.

The Hawks take the road to close out the season at Bowie State University on Saturday, November 5th. A 1:00pm kickoff is set in Bowie, MD.

Chowan is coming off a 3-7 season in 2010. The Hawks finished fourth in the CIAA North with a 3-4 conference record.

VISIT: Chowan Hawks

Virginia Union picks Jaaber to replace Coker as head coach

Virginia Union University has handed the keys to its men's basketball program to Luqman Jaaber, a 30-year-old regarded as a young gun in the coaching business.

Jaaber takes the place of Willard Coker, who guided the Panthers to a 55-25 record in three seasons, but whose contract was not renewed last week.

The new coach was named the 1999 Times-Dispatch player of the year as a senior at George Wythe. In 2005, he helped Virginia Union win a national championship under coach Dave Robbins, who regarded Jaaber as a coach on the floor. Robbins often would ask Jaaber to pass along a certain instruction to the team, only to find that Jaaber already had done so.


Videographer: jsjunot; Virginia Union University introduces Luqman Jaaber as the Panthers' head men's basketball coach on March 30, 2011.

Luqman Jaaber Named Head Men's Basketball Coach

Virginia Union University named Luqman Jaaber to become the eighth coach in the history of the VUU men's basketball program, it was announced at a press conference in the Wilder Library on March 30.

Jaaber was introduced as the Panthers' head coach by VUU President Dr. Claude G. Perkins and Athletic Director Michael Bailey.

Jaaber, 30, had been an assistant coach for the VUU men's basketball team in 2008-09 and 2009-10 and was the captain of VUU's 2005 National Championship Basketball Team.

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VISIT: VUU Panthers

Barker, Robinson Lead HU to Best Offensive Performance

BOWIE, MD. -- The Howard softball team extended their winning streak to three games on Wednesday afternoon after racking in a pair of victories against Bowie State. The Lady Bison (8-17) outscored their opponent 25-3 and achieved their largest and second-largest margin of victory of the season thanks in large part to freshman Brittany Barker and junior Lorae Robinson.

Both Barker and Robinson tallied five runs a piece against the Lady Bulldogs (11-12). Barker batted .833 (5-of-6) and tallied three RBI while Robinson averaged .625 (5-of-8) and brought in two runs.

Robinson got her first hit against Bowie State with an infield single following Christine Sborz’s leadoff double in the first. Both Sborz and Robinson would return advance home following wild pitches and a fly out to center field.

The Lady Bison exploded in the second inning with eight runs, marking the most runs that HU has scored in a single inning thus far in the season. Samantha Gatson opened up a hitting frenzy for the Bison with a single through the left side, as Trina Kindred and Andascha Moore followed with singles of their own. Sborz tabbed an RBI with her second double and Robinson immediately followed with a double of her own to bring in two additional runs. Rebbecca Kirshner, Emily Johnson and Moore added singles in the monumental inning, and Ciera Gordon posted Howard’s third double, bringing in another run.

The Lady Bulldogs were able to hold Howard in the third, however Gatson lit up the scoreboard once again with a solo home run in the fourth.

Howard’s opening win in the doubleheader marked the team’s second shutout win of the season, coming a mere game after their 6-0 shutout win over George Mason in the Cherry Blossom Classic. The 13-0 victory was Howard’s largest margin of victory on the season, ousting their previous season best of eight runs coming in their 9-1 win over La Salle (Feb. 25, 2011).

Carly Martin and Gatson split the mound in the five-inning opener. Martin faced 11 batters and struck out three, walked one and surrendered a mere hit in her three innings of work. Gatson came in for the final two innings and gave up two hits and struck out two batters.

In the second game Emily Johnson took over the pitcher’s circle and struck out ten and walked only one batter. Johnson allowed three runs on nine hits, securing the 12-3 victory for the Bison.

Also securing the Bison’s second win of the day came from a strong offensive output in the sixth and final inning. Robinson leadoff with a bunt for a single and went on to steal second. Marisa Coats doubled to bring Robinson home. Barker launched a three-run homer to bring the Lady Bison up 11-3. HU sacked their 12th run of the game from Moore who scored on a wild pitch.

The Lady Bison will return to the nation’s capital to take on Delaware State in a double header on Saturday, April 2 beginning at 1 p.m. For more information on Howard’s softball team, visit www.Howard-Bison.com.


By Tiffany White, Sports Information Assistant
Howard University

B-CU: Question Marks

A year ago, the excitement of football coach Brian Jenkins' first spring practice at Bethune-Cookman was palpable.

Fans wanted to know what the new coach would bring to the table. What kind of offense would he install to replace the triple-option that the Wildcats had stuck to for 12 seasons? Could he revive a program that had slipped back into mediocrity after making the playoffs in 2002-03?

The answers surpassed even the most optimistic expectations. B-CU won a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship in Jenkins' first season and hosted a Division I-AA playoff game. As for the offense, quarterback Matt Johnson was named MEAC Offensive Player of the Year, leading a prolific unit that averaged 38.2 points and 425.6 yards per game.

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