Delta Devils kick off spring practice under new leadership

ITTA BENA, Mississippi – Mississippi Valley State kicked off spring practice Tuesday morning at Rice-Totten Stadium, marking the beginning of the Rick Comegy era.

The Delta Devils practiced in helmets only for roughly two hours, as the returning players and new staff participated in their first official practice of the offseason.

"Everything went according to our practice plan," said head coach Rick Comegy. "I was very happy to see the kids adjust to the style of practice that we run. I'm sure it was kind of foreign to a lot of them, but they adjusted well."3



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The first-year coach said he was pleased with his initial observance of the Delta Devils.

"We got a chance to see their agility and moving around," he said. "We're pretty athletic…..Once we get pads on, we can really find out where the heart lies."

MVSU will be back on the field Tuesday at 5:30 a.m. in preparation for the Green & White Game which is scheduled for April 12 at 1 p.m. at Rice-Totten Stadium.

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FAMU's Holmes puts all position up for grabs

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- At the end of almost every football game that FAMU lost last season, coach Earl Holmes was left shaking his head in disbelief. The Rattlers finished the season with just three victories in 12 games.

On Monday when FAMU began spring practice for the 2014 season, Holmes was upbeat. He was obviously glad to be making a fresh start in his second season as head coach.

In a sense he is starting over, considering that he’s told his players that no matter their role last year, they’ll have to use the 15 days of workouts to prove they are worthy of being a starter.

“We don’t have a starter yet until we find 11 guys on offense and 11 guys on defense and special team,” Holmes said. “It’s all about building a team. We’ve got to do this the right way. As of now, we don’t have any starters so all of the positions are opened.”

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Former SSU tennis star Phyllis L. Oliver-Mattox dies from cancer

SAVANNAH, Georgia  -- Phyllis Mattox, a former Savannah State tennis star who was inducted into the SSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011, died Saturday after a battle with cancer.

Mattox, 38, played for the Tiger tennis team from 1994-98. The Warner Robins native was a four-time All-SIAC player and was the conference player of the year after her undefeated senior season in 1997. Her teams won conference titles in her junior and senior seasons.

Mattox earned her bachelor and masters degrees from SSU and had worked the last nine years for the Duval County School System in Jacksonville, Fla., as a teacher and district reading coach before her recent promotion to vice principal.

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LB Jones to transfer from Wake Forest to Benedict Tigers

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  -- Kevis Jones’ considerable promise will never be realized at Wake Forest.

Jones, a highly athletic redshirt freshman who played a reserve role last season at outside linebacker, plans to transfer to Benedict College, a Division II program in Columbia, S.C. Jones said he is making the move because he wants to play quarterback, one of several positions he played as a star at Northeast High School in Oakland Park, Florida.

“I want to play quarterback,’’ Jones said Tuesday. “I have no hard feelings toward Wake Forest.’’



Dave Clawson, who succeeded Jim Grobe as head coach in December, said he understood Jones’ feelings and he wished him well.

Clawson also said that Ben Emert, a redshirt junior fullback, will graduate with his class and not return for his redshirt senior season. Emert played in 10 games last season, but did not start.

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DSU football: Obado take over at quarterback

HEAD COACH KERMIT BLOUNT
(Courtesy: DSU Hornets Athletics)

Esayah Obado has big shoes to fill as quarterback for the Delaware State football team

DOVER, Delaware  --  Esayah Obado has some awful big shoes to fill.

The Delaware State red-shirt sophomore is poised to become the Hornets' third starting quarterback in as many seasons. He follows in the footsteps of Nick Elko, the 2012 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference offensive player of the year, and Corey Murphy, who led the MEAC with 2,307 passing yards last season.

"We're looking forward to him taking the reins," said Delaware State coach Kermit Blount, who has a 14-19 record in his first three seasons with the Hornets. "We felt that he did a tremendous job when we put him in games last year. He managed games very well from the perspective that we had to play him."

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Obado appeared in four games last season, completing 21 of 40 pass attempts for 168 yards and two interceptions. He also rushed for 82 yards on 19 carries.

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LB Noble assuming new role on Jackson State's defense

JACKSON, Mississippi  --  Stacy Noble has pulled on a defensive linemen’s jerseys when they’re incorrectly aligned. He yells over at his fellow linebacker to move when he anticipates a running play.

On the field, Noble appears the vocal leader.

But that wasn’t defensive coordinator Derrick Burroughs’ first impression of him.

“When I first got here, I thought he was very quiet,” Burroughs said. “But he’s not. When he steps on the field, he just kind of lets loose.”

As spring practice continues, the Tigers want the sophomore Noble to transform into the instructive player they’ll need at inside linebacker. Noble played in 11 games last season as a freshman, but his duties were largely limited to special teams.

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SC State Bulldogs Continue Spring Workouts

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- During the   8^th of 15 scheduled spring workout sessions held Tuesday morning, South Carolina State continued to conduct team-style drills on offense and defense during a lively and very intense practice, according to head coach Buddy Pough

 "We have a lot of work to do and we have to figure out who can be in certain positions to help us moving forward," said Pough. "We are starting to move some guys around and put them in different positions to see how things work."

"It's about time for us to start showing some evidence of being able to go out and execute things," he continued. "So it will be interesting to see where we are at during this coming Saturday."

 Pough added, despite the success in the past it's not unusual that this team is where they are at during this point in spring drills.

SC State,  midway through spring workouts with seven dates left -- including the annual Spring Garnet & Blue game --, will play a 12-game schedule in 2014. The Bulldogs open the campaign on Aug. 30 when Pough's team battle intrastate rival Benedict College in the Palmetto Capital City Classic in Columbia.

 SC State will conduct their annual Pro Day Wednesday (Apr.2) with approximately 15 seniors from the 2013 team, which are scheduled to work out for pro scouts from National Football League teams.

Bulldog Pro Day Schedule

2014 Spring Practice Schedule
 Practice #                  Date                          Time
9                                  Wed, April 2                6:30 AM
10                                Fri, April 4                   6:30 AM       
11                                Sat, April 5                10:30 AM        Scrimmage
12                                Mon, April 7                6:30 AM
13                                Wed, April 9                6:30 AM
14                                Fri, April 11                 6:30 AM       
15                                Sat, April 12               1:00 PM          Spring Game

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