The film won't be much help for ODU vs. Hampton

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

NORFOLK, Virginia  -- The 22 players on Old Dominion's scout teams have been forced to run a wide variety of offensive and defensive formations as the Monarchs prepare for Saturday's opener against Hampton University at Foreman Field.

Hampton has a new coaching staff, led by head coach Connell Maynor, who came from Winston-Salem State. He engineered a remarkable rebirth at Winston-Salem, going 45-6 in four seasons in which the Rams won two CIAA titles and went to the NCAA Division II playoffs three times.

Hampton defensive coordinator Kenny Phillips came from Fayetteville State, where he was the head coach the last 13 seasons.

Maynor ran a pro style offense at Winston-Salem, and had an equal balance between running and passing. But ODU coach Bobby Wilder said he isn't quite sure what to expect on Saturday.

Winston-Salem also ran the spread at times.

CONTINUE READING 

Bearkats Host Alabama State in Home Opener Saturday

HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- Sam Houston State puts the longest current FCS home winning streak on the line Saturday at 6:30 p.m. when the Bearkats play host to Alabama State at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium.

The Kats kicked off their 99th season of football last week on ESPN national television at Cheney, Washington with a 56-35 loss to No. 1 Eastern Washington.

The matchup with the Hornets Saturday is "Orange Out 2014." Special orange t-shirts are on sale at Barefoot Athletics and Barnes & Noble. Game sponsors are Suddenlink and KSAM.

Sam Houston is 24-4 in home openers since moving its football home from Joseph Pritchett Field to Bowers Stadium in 1986. The Kats have won each of their last four home openers.

Overall in 28 seasons at Bowers Stadium, Sam Houston has rolled up a record of 110 victories, 42 losses and one tie. The Bearkats have gone unbeaten at home nine times.

CONTINUE READING  

Southern University defense should be even better in 2014, LB Javon Allen said

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- After the first three games of the 2013 season, the Southern University defense was shell-shocked. The Jaguars had allowed Houston, Northwestern State and Prairie View 1,806 yards and 176 points.

That's an average of 602 yards and 58.6 points, both numbers, at the time, near the bottom of theSWAC and FCS schools.

Southern came out of that stretch 1-2 as the Jaguars offense was able to outgun Prairie View, 62-59, in overtime.

But linebacker Javon Allen, a Karr graduate, said there was no panic on the defense. Head coach Dawson Odums didn't want to blow things up and continued to believe in his unit.

"The problem was that we were getting in position but just a step behind,'' Odums said.

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Delaware State/Monmouth Football Notes

LONG BRANCH, New Jersey  -- Delaware State kicks off the 2014 season against first-time opponent Monmouth University on Saturday, August 30 at 1:00 pm. at Monmouth Stadium/Kessler Field in W. Long Branch N.J. The Hornets return 41 letter winners, including 12 starters from their 2013 squad, which posted a 5-6 overall record, including a 5-3 mark in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Two of DSU’s losses last season were to FCS National Champ North Dakota State and national runner-up Towson.

HORNET OFFENSE

The big question facing the offense is how 2013 back-up Esayah Obado (r-so.) handles starting duties. Obado played in four games as a redshirt freshman in 2013, completing 21-of-40 passes (52.5%) for 168 yards. He did not have a touchdown pass and threw two interceptions. Obado took nearly all of the snaps during the Hornets’ 2014 spring camp. Delaware State signed three quarterbacks during the off-season. Obado’s development will be critical to DSU’s hopes of maintaining its status as one of the MEAC’s top passing teams.

CONTINUE READING 

SC State ready to get football season started

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- South Carolina State opens its football season Saturday with an eye on playing extra games.

After posting a 9-4 record last season while winning a share of the MEAC championship and reaching the NCAA FCS playoffs, the Bulldogs are capable of making it to postseason play again.

They’ll get things started against Benedict in the Palmetto Capital City Classic at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium at 5 p.m. S.C. State coach Buddy Pough, who enters his 13th season with a 97-43 mark, five MEAC titles, and four FCS playoff appearances, can’t wait to get going.

“Anytime you’ve been working against each other for as long as we have, you’re excited about playing,” Pough said. “Our guys just want to get out and play somebody.”

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Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/08/28/3646267/sc-state-ready-to-get-football.html?sp=/99/181/#storylink=cpy

XU adds 2 coaches for track/cross country, 1 signee

Destini Thomas

NEW ORLEANS — Joseph Moses, coach of men's and women's cross country and track and field at Xavier University of Louisiana, announced Wednesday two additions to his staff and one signee.
    
Joining the staff in 2014-15 are assistant coach Quinton Harley and student assistant Donyé Coleman. The signee is sprinter Destini Thomas of Houston.

Harley will coach XU sprinters, hurdlers and relay teams. He comes to Xavier from NCAA Division I's East Carolina University, where he was a volunteer assistant in 2013-14 and a sprinter and hurdler for two seasons. He was part of a staff that coached East Carolina's women to Conference USA indoor and outdoor team championships in 2014.
    
Harley earned All-America recognition at Edison Tech High School in Rochester, N.Y., and at NCAA Division II's Lake Erie College.
    
Coleman competed at Xavier and was All-Gulf Coast Conference four times in women's cross country and twice in outdoor track. As a senior in 2013, Coleman posted her best collegiate time for 5,000 meters — 19 minutes, 42.65 seconds — in a second-place finish at the GCAC Cross Country Championships. She competed at the NAIA Cross Country National Championships each of her final three seasons.
    
Coleman — a resident of Snellville, Ga., and a graduate of Shiloh High School — was a member of GCAC championship teams four times in cross country and three times in outdoor track.
    
Harley is enrolled in XU's graduate school. Coleman is completing requirements for her XU bachelor's degree.
    
"Quinton Harley is a very knowledgeable young coach with a promising future in track and field," Moses said. "Donyé Coleman had a good career at Xavier and will do a good job for us as a student assistant."
    
Thomas was a member of Summer Creek High School's district-champion 400 relay team this year, and she helped the Lady Bulldogs win the team championship. Individually in the 100, Thomas placed second in the district and area meets and was a regional finalist. Her best time this year at that distance was 12.00 seconds. She is a three-time qualifier for the AAU Junior Olympics in the 100.
    
Thomas moved to Houston in 2013 from Maryland, where she was a standout in track and basketball, a class officer and an honor-roll student at St. Mary's Ryken High School.
    
"Destini could be the next great sprinter in Xavier's women's program," Moses said.
    
Xavier won GCAC team championships in men's and women's cross country and women's outdoor track in 2013-14. The cross country teams will begin their season Friday in the Xavier Big Easy Opener at City Park. The women's race will start at 5:30 p.m., and the men's race will follow at 6.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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6-foot-9 transfer from Tuskegee signs with Gold Rush

CHARLES SAVOY

NEW ORLEANS — Charles Savoy, a 6-foot-9 forward from Alpharetta, Ga., has signed an athletics scholarship to play men's basketball for Xavier University of Louisiana.
    
Savoy is a transfer from NCAA Division II's Tuskegee University, where he played the past two seasons. Savoy will be a junior on coach Dannton Jackson's 2014-15 XU roster.
    
Savoy averaged 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 26 games in 2013-14 to help the Golden Tigers go 21-12 and win championships of the SIAC West Division, the SIAC Tournament and the NCAA South Regional. The regional championship was the first for Tuskegee, which was eliminated in the NCAA Division II Elite 8.
    
Savoy — one of four Gold Rush signees this year — is a 2011 graduate of Chamblee Charter High School in DeKalb, Ga. In his senior year he helped the Bulldogs reach the Class 4A state playoffs, and he was rated one of the top 100 prospects in Georgia.
    
Xavier's Gold Rush were 23-9 last season, won the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship for the third consecutive year and qualified for the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship for the fourth straight season. Xavier ranked 16th in the coaches postseason poll.

2014-15 Xavier University of Louisiana Men's Basketball Signees
Josh Freeman, G, 5-10, 160, Jr., Chicago, Ill., Richards HS (Kennedy-King CC)
Jacques Johnson, F, 6-3, 185, Jr., Ridgeland, Miss., Provine HS (East Central CC)
Troy Salvant, G, 6-1, 180, Fr., Marrero, La., Higgins HS
Charles Savoy, F, 6-9, 210, Jr., Alpharetta, Ga., Chamblee Charter HS (Tuskegee)

 

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANAhttps://twitter.com/xulagold
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Lady Rams sweep Gold Nuggets 25-15, 25-18, 25-18

NEW ORLEANS -- Mobile used a 40-17 advantage in kills Tuesday to earn a 25-15, 25-18, 25-18 women's volleyball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.

It was a matchup of teams which appeared in the 2013 NAIA National Championship and are preseason favorites in their conferences.

Bailey Nations had nine kills and Kiki Youngblood eight for the Lady Rams (2-0), and Caroline Ennis and Sara Van Wert had six kills apiece.

Jodi Hill had eight kills for the Gold Nuggets (0-2) and was the only XU player with more than three. Darian Harris and CeCe Williams had nine digs apiece, and Franziska Pirkl had eight.

Mobile scored the final eight points of the first set and used a 7-0 second-set run to erase 8-4 and 13-11 deficits. Xavier scored the first point of the third set, but Mobile scored the next five and never trailed again.

Xavier matched its lowest kills total since resuming its program in 2010.

Mobile committed eight more errors than the Gold Nuggets but outhit Xavier .182 to .025 and had advantages of 7-1 in aces and 41-36 in digs. Katy McCollister had 11 digs for Mobile, and Nicole Armstrong, Cayce May and Hannah Buck served two aces apiece.

The Gold Nuggets defeated Mobile 2-of-3 times a year ago.

Xavier will travel to Wiley for an 11 a.m. match Saturday in Marshall, Texas, then return home to play Edward Waters in its Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opener at 6 p.m. on Sept. 5.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Florida A&M Rattler Football Game One Preview

 THE MATCHUP: The Florida A&M University Rattlers (3-9 in 2013) travel to Jackson, Mississippi to face the Jackson State University Tigers (8-4 in 2013), in the W.C. Gorden Classic at Veterans Memorial Stadium Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Central Time.

GAME TIME WEATHER: Accuweather’s Saturday forecast for the Jackson, Mississippi area calls for warm conditions with a high of 92 degrees and a low of 72, with a 40% chance of a shower in the afternoon.

ON THE AIR: The Rattler Sports Network will air FAMU Football for its’ 31^st season, with a new play-by-play voice, Joshua Jackson, a graduate of the FAMU School of Journalism, and an on-air sportscaster in Jacksonville, Florida…. Veteran color analyst Michael Thomas returns for his 28^th year to provide incisive, expert commentary to listeners, and Jerome Swaine also returns as the Network engineer…. The Earl Holmes TV Show will air statewide on Fox Sports Florida Mondays at 5:00 p.m.,  and locally on Thursdays on WTLH Fox 40 at 11 p.m….. Elton Gumbel, former sports director at WCTV Channel 6 in Tallahassee, will host the weekly highlights show.

SERIES HISTORICAL: Jackson State owns an 8-7-2 lead in the series with FAMU, which began in 1961… FAMU won the opener, 14-8 in the Orange Blossom Classic to claim the 1961 Black College National title, before the Tigers won their revenge and the national title in the 1962 Classic rematch, 22-6… The two squads faced off in the inaugural NCAA FCS playoffs in 1978, with FAMU scoring a 15-10 semifinal victory at Jackson, Miss., en route to the 1978 NCAA title… JSU then won five of the next seven games, with a pair of 10-10 ties during that stretch, but the pendulum had swung towards FAMU, as the Rattlers have won the last three meetings, including a 28-14 win in the 2003 Circle City Classic in Indianapolis…. See Pages 8-9 for more of the FAMU-JSU series.

THE COACHING MATCHUP: FAMU’s Earl Holmes (FAMU ’96) is in his second season as head football coach, bringing a 4-10-0 record (which includes a 1-1 record as acting head coach in 2012) into the 2014 season…. JSU’s Harold Jackson (JSU ’69), is in his first season, after a lengthy career as an assistant coach on both the professional and collegiate levels…. Both coaches are former NFL standouts, with Holmes having played 10 seasons (Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit) as a linebacker, while Jackson played 16 seasons as a wide receiver (Los Angeles, New England, Philadelphia, Minnesota and Seattle).

RATTLERS TO WATCH:  FAMU returns 16 starters from last year’s team, which endured much adversity en route to a  3-9 finish, but the spring and fall camp has spirits high as they approach the the 2014 opener…. Here are the returning starters and their numbers from 2013.

Offense

QB       11-Damien Fleming, 6-3, 210, Sr., Jacksonville, FL

@  106 of 201 passing, 6 TDs, 13 INTs, 1,016 yds; 215 yds rushing, 62 carries, 2 TDs.

TB        24-Lemond Buice, 6-1, 225, R-Sr., Gadsden, AL

@ 238 yards, 68 carries, 3 TDs; 4 receptions, 99 yards, 1 TD, in 12 games

WR      9-Casey Glines, 6-6, 210, R-Sr., Neola, UT

@ 16 receptions, 160 yards, 5 TDs.

TE       82-Michael Morris. 6-4, 225, R-Jr., Jacksonville, FL

@ 6 receptions, 73 yards, 0 TDs.

LG       62-Keonte Cash, 5-11, 310, So., Miami, FL

@ Started the full season as a true freshman. May move to center.

RG      Timothy Jones, 6-6, 290, R-So., Myrtle Beach, SC

@ Started the full season as a true freshman.

WR      81-DeWayne Harvey, 6-1, 205, Sr., Tallahassee, FL

@ 13 receptions, 153 yards, 1 TD.

SLOT  89-Dennis Hall, 5-10, 170, R-Sr., Belle Glade, FL

@ 13 receptions, 138 yards in 9 games.

Defense

LE        44-Derrick Conner, 6-4, 225, R-Sr., Miami, FL

@ 11 tackles (4 solos), 1.5 tackles for loss in 11 games.

NG      92-Michael Lovejoy, 6-4, 265, Jr., Pensacola, FL

@ 31 tackles (20 solos), 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 QB Sacks in 12 games.

MLB    57-William Smalls, 6-2, 205, Sr., Austell, GA

@ 39 tackles (29 solos), 6.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks in 12 games.

ILB       47-Akil Blount, 6-3, 225, Jr., Pittsburgh, PA

@ 51 tackles (32 solos), 8.0 tackles for loss; 1.5 QB Sacks; 1 INT in 12 games.

RCB    5-Patrick Aiken, 5-10, R-Jr., Pembroke Pines, FL

@ 3rd-Team All-MEAC; 42 tackles (32 solos), 4.5 tackles for loss; 1.0 sacks; 4 INTs.

LCB     4-Devontae “Terry” Johnson, 6-0, 183, Jr., Tallahassee, FL

@ 46 tackles (36 solos), 6.0 tackles for loss; 3.0 sacks; 3 INTs; 6 PBU.

Specialists

K/KO  33-Chase Varnadore, 5-11, 170, R-Sr., Tallahassee, FL

@ 35 points scored: 23 of 26 PATs; 4 of 7 FGs (long 41).

LS        39-Tyler Riley, 5-11, 215, Jr., Ocala, FL

@ Started entire 2014 season.

P          36-Colby Blanton, 6-1, 210, R-So., Jacksonville, FL

@ Averaged 39.6 per punt (74 atts); Long of 78; 12 kicks +50 yds; 15 down inside 20.

THE TIGERS TO WATCH:  The Jackson State Tigers made changes in their coaching staff following last season’s  8-4 finish which featured a 34-27 overtime loss to Southern University in the SWAC Championship Game, releasing veteran head coach Rick Comegy (who to moved to Mississippi Valley) and calling home former Tiger and NFL standout receiver Harold Jackson to take the helm in in Jackson.

Jackson, who embarks on his first head coaching assignment, will bring an impressive resume as an assistant coach from the collegiate and NFL ranks to bear in his new job.

JSU took some heavy hits via graduation on offense, which could slow the Tigers’ roll early on, as quarterback Clayton Moore, who passed for over 2,000 yards and 15 TDs, while rushing for another 641 yards and five scores is gone, along with top rusher Tommy Gooden, who rumbled for 875 yards and 6 TDs, plus three of the club’s top receivers (including Gooden), topped by Zachary Pendleton, who had 53 catches for 1,067 yards and 10 TDs…

Returning to the fold will be RB Rakeem Sims (5-11, 225, Sr.), who was the third leading rusher behind the departed Gooden and Moore, scooting for 484 yards on 100 carries, scoring five TDs; Evan Ingram (6-3, 220, Sr.), who passed for 289 yards and one score and LaMontiez Ivy (6-3, 220, So.), who passed for 133 yards, are likely dueling for the starting role under center, while Tobias Singleton (6-2, 190, Sr.) returns after making 30 receptions for 476 yards and two TDs a year ago.

Defensively, the Tigers may be in a bit better shape off the bat with the return of linebacker Ariane McCree (6-2, 240, Sr.), the Tigs’ tackle leader (94 tackles, 48 solos, 14.5 for loss, 2.5 sacks) of a year ago;

Defensive back Ryan Griffin (5-11, 185, Sr.) returns after recording 62 tackles (30 solos), with 8.5 tackles for loss and a team-best three (3) interceptions for 123 yards and one pick six; Defensive end Javancy Jones (6-2, 230, So.), who had 54 tackles (26 solos), with 14 tackles for loss and five (5) sacks; and Linebacker Ted Terrell (6-2, 230, Jr.) who had a team high seven (7) sacks, along with 13.5 tackles for loss and 46 total stops.

Tiger special teams could be clutch too with kicker Ryan Deising (5-8, 170, Jr.) back after hitting 12 of 15 field goals and 33 of 35 PATs, along with punter Darcy Williamson (5-11, 180, So.) who averaged a nifty 41.9 yards per kick, while both return men – punt returner Canard Brown (5-11, 180, So., 8.4 return average) and kickoff returner Jarius Moore (5-11, 205, So., 17.2 average) – are back for action in 2014.

WHAT’S NEXT: FAMU heads south to Miami, Florida next Saturday (Sept. 6) to take on the University of Miami (7:00 p.m. ET) at Sun Life Stadium… JSU will host Virginia University at Lynchburg next week at Veterans Memorial (6:00 Central).

COACHSPEAK EARL HOLMES: “We are very excited about the team coming out of a really good training camp…. Our quarterbacks – Damien Fleming and Carson Royal – really stepped up in the offseason and are ready to lead the club… We are taking our time with Fleming coming off the injury, but there is no doubt he’s the top man… Royal has improved the last three weeks and has moved the team well, so well feel good about our chances if we went to him,” Holmes said during Tuesday’s press conference.

“The key to our improvement so far has been the addition of talent – transfers and high school players – which has given us quality depth, and that helps with your development as a team…. For us, the key is that we have to help each other out, the

offense helping the defense and the special teams helping both….

“The adversity we experienced last year helped us grow as a team, and in many areas are more battle-tested than last year…

“I think we are bigger and stronger on the offensive line, and our entire team is better talent-wise thanks to the transfers and the freshmen we brought in.”

“Jackson State has a new coach (Harold Jackson), but they will be running a spread offense, and a 34 defense… It should be a good test for us out of the gate.”

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Faulkner defeats Nuggets in 4 in XU season opener

NEW ORLEANS (Aug. 23) — Xavier University of Louisiana, despite career highs of 10 kills by Jodi Hill and 22 digs by Darian Harris, lost its women's volleyball season opener, 24-26, 25-22, 25-22, 25-10 to Faulkner on Saturday.
    
The Lady Eagles (2-0) became the first to defeat the Gold Nuggets in their Convocation Center. Xavier was 9-0 in the facility last season and — including four 2012 victories in its previous venue, The Barn — had a school-record 13-match home winning streak.

Faulkner also snapped the Gold Nuggets' school-record 17-match regular-season win streak.

Box Score
Facebook photos
    
Sarah Ford had 11 kills, and Sarah Stout-Dubberley and Brittnay Renfroe had 10 apiece for Faulkner. Lindsay Ortner had 14 digs, and Stout-Dubberley and Cassie Bailie had 12 apiece.
    
Claudia Haywood had eight kills, Jelena Vujicic seven and CeCe Williams six for Xavier. Williams had 13 digs. Franziska Pirkl had 24 assists, nine digs and served two of the Gold Nuggets' four aces.
    
Hill's previous high for kills was nine, achieved twice last season. Harris had a pair of 20-dig matches as a freshman in 2012. Both are juniors.
    
Xavier got kills from Haywood, Vujicic and Jada Broussard to rally from a 21-17 first-set deficit. The Nuggets led 5-1 in the second set before Faulkner scored 15 of the next 21 points.
    
The Gold Nuggets did not lead in either of the final two sets. Faulkner opened the final set with a 9-1 run.
    
Faulkner outhit the Gold Nuggets .173 to .062 and had a 50-37 advantage in kills. Xavier outhit opponents .302 to .030 at home a year ago, and no Gold Nuggets home opponent hit higher than .098 in 2013.
    
Xavier will play Mobile at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Convocation Center.
    
NOTES:  Attendance was 305 — the largest for an XU non-conference match and the second-largest overall since the program resumed in 2010. Xavier averaged 143 per home date in 2013, and its largest crowd last season was 200 . . . Xavier is 1-6 in season openers and 2-5 in home openers . . . Faulkner leads the series 5-1 . . . The Gold Nuggets will play 11 of their first 14 matches at home.
 

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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2014 Xavier University of Louisiana women's volleyball preview

Franziska Pirkl acknowleges the crowd during prematch introductions

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's women's volleyball program will take aim at extending a slew of streaks in 2014.
    
The Gold Nuggets, 26-8 overall and 12-0 in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference a year ago, seek fourth consecutive GCAC regular-season and tournament championships, plus a fourth straight appearance in the NAIA National Championship.
    
Xavier also will enter the season with a 17-match regular-season win streak, a 13-match home win streak (9-0 in 2013) and 43 consecutive victories against GCAC opponents, 34 in the regular season.                        

There are six returning letterwomen, including 2013 GCAC Tournament MVP Claudia Haywood at middle blocker and two-time first-team all-conference setter Franziska Pirkl. A third returning starter is outside hitter CeCe Williams, who was second-team All-GCAC as a freshman in 2012. All three are juniors.
    
"This team is capable of reaching the goals we reached a year ago," said second-year head coach Hannah Lawing, who led the Gold Nuggets to a school-record victory total in her debut season. "We have several new players and some key players to replace, but I believe this team can grow quickly and be as successful as recent Xavier teams."
    
Haywood hit .298 in 2013 — .441 in the GCAC Tournament — and had 180 kills and 58 blocks. At 5-feet-11, she's the team's tallest player.
    
Pirkl had a team-leading 878 assists last season. She also hit .314 with 53 kills, 20 aces, 195 digs and 28 blocks. She has produced 12 assist-dig doubles — two in the national tournament — in two seasons.
    
Williams had 50 kills and 238 digs a year ago. Three times she recorded 17 digs, twice against GCAC runner-up SUNO and the other against nationals qualifier Mobile. All three matches were XU victories.
    
Also back is middle blocker Jodi Hill, who recorded 124 kills and 33 blocks in a breakout sophomore season in 2013, and libero/defensive specialist Darian Harris, who had 96 digs and 12 aces. Both are juniors.
    
"Our juniors are finally taking a leadership role and doing a fantastic job with it," Lawing said. "Claudia and Jodi are turning into greedy hitters who always want the ball, which is something a coach wants to see. Fran has transformed from a shy, timid player to a leader on the court who gives all the credit to her hitters.
    
"CeCe and Darian will run the back row. CeCe is always inquisitive about reading the hitter. Darian is a fantastic communicator who does a great job at serve-receive, defense and setting from the back row. She has made tremendous improvement since she arrived at Xavier."
    
New to the Nuggets are middle blocker/right-side hitter Jada Broussard, setter Ralitsa Hadzhistoyanova, libero/defensive specialist Kayla Jones, outside hitter/defending specialist Kaelan Temple and outside hitter/setter Jelena Vujicic. All are freshmen except for Hadzhistoyanova, a transfer from NCAA Division I's Chicago State.
    
"Our newcomers are talented and bright," Lawing said. "The elements and experience they bring to Xavier will add more variety and depth to our team."
    
Redshirting this season will be outside hitter Taylor Reuther, the 2012 GCAC Player of the Year and All-GCAC and All-Louisiana three times. Reuther had offseason surgery to repair a labral tear in her right shoulder. She expects to play her senior season in 2015.
    
Also new to the program this season is assistant coach Hilary Lobenstein. "As a coach, Hilary brings a great technical aspect to our team," Lawing said. "She can effectively evaluate any position on the floor, and our players appreciate her constructive analysis."
    
Of Xavier's 23 regular-season matches, a school-record-tying 13 will be at home. Eleven of the Gold Nuggets' first 13 matches will be at home, including a school-record five in a row from Sept. 20-29. The GCAC Tournament will return to New Orleans for the first time since 2010, with an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship awaiting the winner.
 
About the Gold Nuggets
• Head Coach:  Hannah Lawing (South Carolina 2011), second season
• Assistant Coach:  Hilary Lobenstein (West Alabama 2012), first season
• 2013 Record:  26-8 overall, 12-0 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (first place)
• 2013 Postseason:  GCAC Tournament champion; first round of NAIA National Championship
• Returning Players:  6
• Newcomers:  5

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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TSU 2014 Football Media Guide Now Available

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- The 2014 Tennessee State Football Media Guide is now available for viewing and for download. Click on the Issue box below to download.

   2014 TSU Football Media Guide

ASU Football Defensive Line Could Be Intimidating

PHOTO COURTESY: ASU ATHLETICS

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- When you return the best rushing defense in the conference and you have your top four defensive linemen returning, and two of those are all-conference performers, things may look good along the defensive front.  That is exactly what the Hornets have coming back along their impressive front line of the defense and may be a reason the Hornets were picked to win the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Back to lead the defensive front will be senior Derrick Billups, a 2013 All-SWAC pick and a 2014 preseason pick.  Another All-SWAC honoree Edward Mosley will man one of the defensive end spots while Chris Terry will man the other.  Justin Mitchell will join Billups at defensive tackle and Roderick Henderson will also be at tackle while Antoinio Humphrey will be at defensive end.

"We know we have some strong and talented players along the defensive front," Head Coach Reggie Barlow said.  "When they are in shape they are tough to deal with.  We know they are going to be the front line of defense and if they play well we know we have a shot on defense."

Former Auburn standout DeMarco McNeil knows what it takes to play on the defensive line of scrimmage after fighting those battles in the SEC four years.  He has coached the Hornets defensive front for the past three years and he likes what he sees from the defensive front.

"So far so good, but there are still a couple of days where they don't come out with genuine enthusiasm but that's football," McNeil said.  "Overall the guys are working hard and they are playing the game the right way.  They do everything I ask them to do and that's all you can ask for from a group."

Only Henderson and Humphrey are not seniors among this group of linemen so the Hornets brought in six new defensive linemen to begin to work into the system so they will be ready when their numbers are called.

"We got some younger guys like Marcus Adams and Andre Wilson who are going to play a lot for us this year," McNeil said.  "The younger guys have been practicing hard and grasping what we are trying to do.  There are a few days where their heads are spinning, but for the most part they give us everything they have."

It will not take long for the defensive line along with the rest of the defense to be tested as they will face a top-20 team in Sam Houston State to open the season this weekend.

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS 

MEAC player of the year Greg McGhee leads Howard football into 2014 season

WASHINGTON, D.C.  -- On a typically muggy late August morning last week, the Howard footballteam was winding down practice when Coach Gary Harrell blew his whistle and called for players to gather for wind sprints. There were a few muffled groans for the least popular portion of drills, but not from quarterback Greg McGhee.

The senior consistently was among the first to finish when his group comprising the skill position players ran the roughly 53 yards from sideline to sideline a half-dozen times. With some teammates hunched over and breathing heavily afterward, McGhee smiled wide as if he were welcoming additional cardio.

Entering his final season, the reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player of the year has been pleasantly engaged in even the most grueling parts of training camp. The mundane details — walking through the Greene Stadium tunnel onto the field, pre-practice stretching and joking with teammates during water breaks — are no longer taken for granted.

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Chiefs Hosting Missouri Classic

KANSAS CITY, Missouri  --  On September 6th, Arrowhead Stadium will once again host the Missouri Classic. This year, the game will feature the Langston University Lions against the Lincoln University Blue Tigers.

Councilman John Sharp and Councilman Jermaine Reed both played a pivotal role in bringing the Missouri Classic back to Kansas City for the second consecutive year.

This will be the 14th straight year the Chiefs have hosted a college football game at Arrowhead Stadium.

Langston University, the game’s visiting team, finished the 2013 campaign with a 6-4 record and a No. 21 overall ranking, missing out on the NAIA playoffs by one spot. Chiefs Hall of Fame RB Mike Garrett, who spent five years in a Chiefs uniform from 1966-70 and is a member of the club’s Super Bowl IV-winning team, is currently the Athletic Director at Langston University.

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Patricia Cage Bibbs shares long-term vision for Grambling athletics

BASTROP, Louisiana  -- Patricia Cage Bibbs has hit the ground running in her new capacity as interim athletic director at Grambling State University.

Relinquishing her duties as women's basketball coach, Bibbs accepted her current position on July 1. She has hardly had time to catch her breath ever since.

“I thought I worked hard when I was coaching basketball, but I have never worked as hard and diligently as I have over the past 45 days,” said Bibbs, who was among the contingent of guests from the athletics department attending Thursday night's gathering sponsored by the Bastrop Chapter of the GSU Alumni Association.

Since taking on her new role, Bibbs typically leaves home at 5:30 a.m. and returns somewhere around 10 p.m.

“I don't have a clock in my office,” Bibbs said. “We don't leave until a particular job is finished.”

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Big crowd expected for Southern at UL game

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana  – Add Southern University’s Jaguar Nation to an anticipated large Cajun Field crowd and UL head football Mark Hudspeth coach feels his team’s Saturday night 2014 season opener could be something special.

The last time Southern played UL in 2009, the 41,357 who witnessed the game set a Cajun Field single game attendance record.

Hudspeth said at his weekly Monday press luncheon that crowd record five years ago could be surpassed when the teams meet beginning at 6:05.

“There have been more than 100 requests for (recreation vehicle parking) for the game. Now tell me where you are going to find more RV’s at a single event .

“If we don’t blow (the Cajun Field attendance record) out of the water I’ll be shocked,” Hudspeth said.

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KHOU College Preview: Prairie View A&M Panthers

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas  --  Next up on my College football preview series is Prairie View A&M.

After a 6-6 season in 2013, head coach Heishma Northern is looking for a couple of more wins during his fourth season. There's a good chance that will happen considering the Panthers feature one of the most explosive offenses in the SWAC.

When you talk Panther football, it all begins with quarterback Jerry Lovelocke The senior from Baltimore already holds numerous offensive records at Prairie View. He threw for 2,833 yards and 23 touchdowns last season and he is one of 8 starters that return.

Running back Courtney Brown will also a factor in offensive game plan, he racked up 1,039 yards and 10 touchdowns, plus, he can dance.

 

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AAMU Football With Two More Practices Before First Game

NORMAL, Alabama  -- With just two more practices this week before the team leaves for the MEAC-SWAC Challenge, Alabama A&M Head Football Coach James Spady wants his players to concentrate on Bulldog football.And one important item: Game week.

The Bulldogs open their season Sunday against North Carolina A&T in the 10th annual MEAC-SWAC Challenge in Orlando.

Though Alabama A&M will represent the Southwestern Athletic Conference in the game, Spady makes it clear that the players know they are representing the Maroon and White.

"We know we represent the SWAC… we’ll represent the SWAC in a stellar way,” the first-year head coach said Monday in a SWAC teleconference.

“We have to make sure Alabama A&M takes care of Alabama A&M.”

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Stokes to start at QB in NSU season opener

HEAD COACH PETE ADRIAN
NSU SPARTANS ATHLETICS

NORFOLK, Virginia  --  Junior quarterback Malik Stokes will start Norfolk State's season opener at Maine on Saturday, coach Pete Adrian said.

Stokes, who threw for 465 yards and two TDs in seven games, including three starts, last season, gets the nod with fellow junior Tyler Clark still nursing an injured hamstring.

"We don't want to play musical chairs, and (Stokes) has had a real good camp," Adrian said Saturday morning at NSU's inaugural Fan Fest.

Stokes' most memorable performance last season was in a 27-24 loss to Old Dominion when he came off the bench to complete 7 of 14 passes for 87 yards and a score. His most forgettable was an 0-for-10 outing in a 38-0 loss at Rutgers.

"I played in some big games," said Stokes, a 6-foot-2 transfer from Bowling Green. "I had a lot of mental errors and a lot of mistakes. I did some good things. All of that is just growth."

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