NSU wins 4th MEAC cross country title in row

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland -- Norfolk State won its fourth consecutive MEAC men's cross country title Saturday at Maryland-Eastern Shore. The Spartans finished with 30 points. Florida A&M was second with 54.

Hampton won the women's title with 53 points. The Spartans women were fifth.

NSU's Josef Tessema was the individual winner, completing the 8-kilometer course in 25 minutes, 24.73 seconds. It was Tessema's fourth straight all-conference honor.

Other Spartans to earn all-MEAC honors: Vincent Rono (sixth in 26:25.75), Amos Kipkosgei (eighth, 26:32.74), Philemon Kimutai (19th, 26:48.55) and Damtew Adnew (13th, 27:07.19).

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NSU Men Win 4th Straight MEAC Cross Country Title, Women Place 5th

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland – The Norfolk State men’s cross country team won its fourth consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship and 11th in the last 12 years on Saturday morning on the campus of Maryland Eastern Shore. The Spartans amassed 30 points. Florida A&M was second with 54.

Hampton won the women’s title with 53 points. The Spartan women placed fifth with 162 points.

The Spartan men were paced by senior Josef Tessema, who won his first title. He finished the 8-kilometer course in 25 minutes, 24.73 seconds to give NSU its third individual champion in the last four years. It was Tessema’s fourth straight all-conference honor.

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Hampton pulls away from SSU, 22-5

Savannah, Georgia -- An ugly game looked pretty to Savannah State for 30 minutes. But the Tigers couldn’t generate offense in the second half, and a strong defensive effort was wasted during a 22-5 loss to Hampton on SSU’s homecoming at T.A. Wright Stadium on Saturday.

Savannah State dropped its fourth game in a row and fell to 1-7 overall, 1-4 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.

Hampton, which played without MEAC passing leader quarterback David Legree, has won two straight while improving to 5-3, 3-2 in conference play.

“Any loss, whether you play well or not, it’s a not a great feeling,” said SSU linebacker Nate Clay, who had a game-high 16 tackles, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a tackle for loss that resulted in a safety.

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SSU NOTEBOOK: Tigers defense plays well despite loss to Hampton

Savannah, Georgia -- Savannah State’s defense played its best game of the season Saturday against Hampton University. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough.

The visiting Pirates scored 19 points during the final 16 minutes and 35 seconds and defeated the Tigers, 22-5, before SSU’s announced homecoming crowd of 10,375 at T.A. Wright Stadium.

After an opening 56-yard drive that resulted in a field goal, SSU held Hampton scoreless and to just 141 yards for the next 38 minutes.

The Pirates played without MEAC-leading passer David Legree, but a week ago beat North Carolina Central when Travis Champion came off the bench and led the team to two touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime.

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Click here to view photos from the game.

B-CU Wildcats win 3rd straight, 34-6 over NCCU Eagles

DURHAM, North Carolina -- It's not unusual for a team to get a lopsided victory in a homecoming game. What is unusual is when it's the visiting team that puts the big numbers on the scoreboard.

Bethune-Cookman did just that Saturday, drilling a struggling North Carolina Central team 34-6 to spoil the Eagles' homecoming at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium. It was the first time in six years that North Carolina Central lost its homecoming game.

B-CU (5-3, 3-2 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) scored the first 34 points of the game. Running back Anthony Jordan had two touchdown runs, running back Rodney Scott and quarterback Jackie Wilson each had one rushing TD and receiver Patrick Harris caught a scoring pass for the Wildcats.

"Our guys operated the scheme that they were coached to do and were successful at it," said B-CU coach Brian Jenkins, who saw the Wildcats amass 525 yards of offense. "The main thing is we were careful with the football, and that was a positive factor in the game, and that's why we were effective offensively."

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WILDCATS CAPTURE CONVINCING WIN AT NCCU HOMECOMING GAME

DURHAM, N.C. – Bethune-Cookman University sophomore quarterback Jackie Wilson passed for 183 yards and ran for another 113 yards to spark the Wildcats to 525 total yards and a 34-6 victory over North Carolina Central University inside a packed O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium celebrating NCCU’s homecoming.

Wilson completed 12-of-15 passes for 183 yards and an 11-yard touchdown strike to Patrick Harris in the third quarter. His team-high 113 ground yards came on just nine carries, including a 3-yard touchdown scamper right before halftime.

B-CU sophomore running back Isidore Jackson also surpassed the century mark with 108 rushing yards, while Anthony Jordan found the end zone twice and Rodney Scott had 57 rushing yards and a score. As a team, the Wildcats rushed for 333 yards, averaging 7.2 yards per carry.

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Bowie State Falls in the Snow to Shepherd

Shepherd, West Virginia -- Finally … Bowie State University’s (BSU) six-week football road trip has ended. But unfortunately for Bowie, it ended with a defeat in the snow to the Shepherd University Rams, 38-17 Oct. 29.

Shepherd kicker Eric Dobratz put the first points on the board for the Rams with a 35-yard field goal at the 10:28 mark of the first quarter. Running back Kenny Williams punched it in from seven yards out to extend the Rams lead to 10-0 with 6:10 left in the opening quarter.



Bowie State senior quarterback Clifton Budd tiptoed around the right end for a six-yard touchdown and fellow senior Michael Gagne kicked the extra point, trimming the early deficit to 10-7. However, William McKenzie took the ensuing kickoff 70 yards to the house, giving Shepherd a 17-7 lead.

Budd flipped a pass to junior receiver Reginald McIntyre for a seven-yard touchdown and Gagne's extra point made the score 17-14 with 12:59 remaining in the second quarter.

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Norfolk State Spartans win, stays in first place in MEAC

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Linebacker Corwin Hammond got everything he asked for. Brutal conditions for an offense. Ideal for a defense seeking redemption. Cold weather, wind and a crucial MEAC win.

The Spartans beat North Carolina A&T 14-10 on Saturday in front of 18,752 fans thanks to a dominant defensive effort that included seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss.

Clinging to a 14-10 lead in the second half, the Spartan defense, with help from a 22-mph wind, held the Aggies scoreless despite three trips inside the NSU 13-yard-line. "Everyone remembers these kinds of games," Hammond said. "The rain, even if the fans leave, it's what we had to do to redeem ourselves."

As the game approached and weather reports worsened, Hammond was practically giddy about the prospect, despite the chaos the conditions could, and did, play on NSU's pass-first offense.

"Man, let it rain, let it rain," Hammond said earlier this week, still steamed after giving up 245 yards on the ground to Bethune-Cookman. "Let it rain. We'll see who's tough. Let them run the ball."



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Aggies' last drive falls incomplete

Norfolk, Virginia -- N.C. A&T is 13 yards short of first place in the MEAC. Randy Maynes scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 7:12 left to lead Norfolk State to a come-from-behind 14-10 victory over the Aggies at Dick Price Stadium on Saturday.

A&T's last chance to win ended with three consecutive incomplete passes from the Norfolk State 13-yard line in the final 47 seconds.

A&T wide receiver Torrian Warren, a Dudley graduate, got his hands on the fourth-down attempt. But he couldn't hang on, his bid for a diving catch in the end zone failing when the ball jarred loose on impact with the ground.

"We should have won this ballgame, just like we should have won last week's ball game (at Howard)," A&T coach Rod Broadway said. "We've got to teach our guys how to win. They don't know how to win or how to finish right now. That's (the coaches) responsibility. They're playing fairly hard. We're just not putting them in a good enough position to win."

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Morgan Bears remain in MEAC hunt, shut down DSU Hornets

Dover, Delaware -- Morgan State did what they had to do on a dreary, windy and rain-soaked day for the Hornet's Homecoming. They protected a slim lead, played solid defense and ran the ball.

In just his fourth college game, Tracy Martin ran for a game-high 154 yards on 38 carries and scored the only points of the game, helping the Bears grind out a 12-0 victory over Delaware State and stretch their winning streak to three straight.

As a result of the win, the Bears are in a tie for first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with Norfolk State. MSU's remaining games are against Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 5), Norfolk State (Nov. 12) and Hampton (Nov. 19).

The Bears played smash-mouth football throughout most of the ballgame and simply dominated the time of possession (39:53 - 20:07) -- recording their first shutout since October 7, 2006 when they posted a 32-0 win on the road against North Carolina A&T.

MSU (5-3, 4-1 MEAC) has won four of its last five and the defense has not allowed an opponent to crack the scoreboard for the last seven quarters.

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Howard Bison Shut Out at Home Against S.C. State Bulldogs 31-0

Washington, D.C. -- After a momentum-building win the previous week in their homecoming game against North Carolina A&T, the Howard Bison was looking to go over .500 for the first time this season in a home affair with the South Carolina State Bulldogs on Oct. 29 at Greene Stadium.

But a slow start buried the Bison in a 17-0 first quarter hole as the Bulldogs went on to shut out the Bison 31-0 in front of a disappointed and cold crowd on a rainy, dreary afternoon at Howard’s Senior Day and final home game of the season.

“This was the worst game we have played all season,” first-year Howard head coach Gary Harrell told reporters after the game. (South Carolina) State has been a great program for years in this conference and you just cannot give them the kind of opportunities we gave them early in the game.”

Rain, sleet and wind helped the Bison commit a series of first half miscues. A botched snap and a fumble highlighted Howard’s first two possessions, setting the Bulldogs up with short fields and easy scoring opportunities. By the time Howard settled in on offense, the weather had gotten to freshman signal caller Greg McGhee, whose hands reportedly numbed up due to the freezing weather, according to Harrell. “Greg’s hand numbed up and he struggled all day,” Harrell revealed to Bison reporters. “He did not have a good game today.”

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