Texas State Manhandle Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 65-0 Victory

SAN MARCOS, Texas -- Texas State wore out the PA announcer’s voice in the press box with this popular refrain.

The commentary usually went as follows: “Touchdown, Bobcats...Tyler Jones to name that wide receiver for fill in the blank amount of yards.”

Texas State scored early and often — and looked flawless doing it — as Dennis Franchione’s team routed Arkansas-Pine Bluff 65-0 on Saturday night inside Bobcat Stadium. There wasn’t all that much drama for the 17,813 fans who attended the game and watched the Bobcats rack up a school-record 697 yards.

“We just tried to come together as team to run this offense,” sophomore quarterback Tyler Jones said. “It was a first time for a lot of new guys coming out there and playing. This was definitely a statement that we not in the FCS anymore. We’re in the FBS.”

The Golden Lions might have realized their ultimate fate for the night when Jafus Gaines hauled in a pass from his back for Texas State’s third touchdown of the first quarter. Gaines stretched out for pass, bobbled the ball for a second, fell to the ground and still had enough time to snag the pigskin before it touched green turf for his first career receiving touchdown.

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COURTESY  Otis Jefferson

FAMU Rattlers Come Up Short In 22-17 Last Second Loss to JSU

JACKSON, Mississippi  -- Jackson State’s Hail Mary prayer was answered as time expired here Saturday evening, lifting the homestanding Tigers to 22-17 win over visiting Florida A&M in the W.C. Gorden Classic at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Tigers (1-0) scored on a 49-yard pass from La Montiez Ivy to DeSean McKenzie, which passed through the hands of defender Terry Johnson.

FAMU (0-1) rallied in the game’s final moments to take a 17-16 lead on senior Damien Fleming’s two-yard swing pass to freshman halfback Gerald Hearns with 46 seconds left, capping a 67-yard drive.

The Rattlers led 10-6 at the half, thanks to Fleming’s first scoring toss, a 21-yard pass into coverage to Dennis Hallwith 30 seconds left in the second period, which erased a 6-3 Jackson State lead.

JSU’s Ryan Deising booted a pair of first half field goals, a 22-yarder for the game’s first points with 7:29 left in the first quarter, and a 20-yarder with 2:31 left in the half, which broke a 3-3 tie.

FAMU’s Chase Varnadore nailed a 25-yarder with 7:37 left in the second period to tie the game, 3-3.

Jackson regained the lead at 13-10 on Rakeem Sims’ one-yard plunge with 4:11 left in the third period, before Deising’s 25-yard fielder extended the Tigers lead to 16-10 with 14:47 left in the game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: The Rattlers allowed 439 total yards to Jackson Saturday, but limited them to field goals when the Tigers got into the red zone on three different occasions.

FAMU finished with 302 total yards, led by Fleming’s 188 yards passing and 59 yards rushing. He hit on 16 of 27 passes, tossing a pair of scoring strikes.

Freshman Gerald Hearns rushed for 56 yards on 16 carries, while finishing the night as the leading receiver with five receptions for 35 yards and a TD.

Defensive back Peter Tulloch led the Rattlers with nine tackles and one interception he returned 60 yards to set up Varnadore’s second quarter field goal. Safety Neal Cunningham also had nine tackles, while Terry Johnson and Akil Blount had eight each.

Jackson State’s Rakeem Sims rushed for 117 yards on 19 carries, while Ivy passed for 269 yards, completing 25 of 41 passes and one score.  

WHAT’S NEXT: The Rattlers head to Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida  to take on the University of Miami at 7 p.m.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Eastern Michigan University 31, Morgan State 28: Rushing attack saves the day for Eagles in season-opener

YPSILANTI, Michigan -- Forget the quarterback battle.

Eastern Michigan University relied on its run game to power it to a season-opening 31-28 victory over Morgan State Saturday night at Rynearson Stadium.

Bronson Hill, Ryan Brumfield and Darius Jackson combined for 243 yards on 44 carries and three scores. As a team, the Eagles ran for 292 yards on 49 carries.

Even after a lengthy lightening delay, the trio of backs helped EMU overcome a defense, and secondary that struggled giving up 479 yards of total offense.

Each player made timely contributions over the course of the game.

After Morgan State went up 28-21, Hill prevented the Eagles from giving the ball right back with a string of strong runs. He carried the ball four straight times on the ensuing drive, picking up a pair of first downs across midfield.

He ran the ball four times for 35 yards on the drive.

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Bass, Smith Lead TSU Over EWC, 58-6

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Junior running back Tom Smith found solid footing on a soggy opening night, leading Tennessee State past Edward Waters, 58-6, in the 16th annual John Merritt Classic on Saturday night.

Smith had 151 yards on 12 carries and added four touchdowns en route to being named the Offensive MVP.

Smith’s four rushing scores were the most for a Tiger since Trabis Ward’s four against Southeast Missouri on Oct. 13, 2012.

Anthony Bass was named the game’s Defensive MVP after recording four stops, two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and an interception.

Bass anchored a defensive unit that only allowed 76 yards of total offense, five first downs and did not give up any points.

The Tennessee State offense got off to a slow start, fumbling on the first play from scrimmage and then committing three straight false start penalties.

TSU finally found the end zone at the 5:31 mark, as German hit fellow senior Je-Marc Sears with a short pass and then the tight end ran the rest of the way for a 24-yard touchdown. The rain soaked turf caused a bad hold on the point after, so TSU was forced to settle with a 6-0 lead.

A Bernell Brooks interception later in the first set up a 23-yard Carter field goal, and the Tigers held a 9-0 lead with only a minute to go in the first.

Tennessee State’s special teams produced a big play to kick off the second period as De’Ante Saunders ran back a punt for a score, making the score 16-0 with just over 12 minutes to play before halftime.

Saunders’s punt return for a touchdown was TSU’s first since Oct. 8, 2011 when Weldon Garlington scampered 91 yards against Southeast Missouri.

Javon Brandon and reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Year Bass each recorded their first career interceptions in the second quarter - two of the eight combined first half turnovers.

Transfer running back Tom Smith and Stephen Hopkins combined for 127 yards on 10 carries and two scores in the second quarter, and TSU led EWC 30-6 at the break.

The TSU defense was impregnable in the opening 30 minutes, only allowing 18 yards of total offense, including negative-one on the ground, and only one first down.

Smith scored two more touchdowns within the first five minutes of the second half to put TSU up by 38 and the Tigers forced their fifth turnover to close out the third quarter.

After another turnover late in the stanza, Martine Stevenson took the first play of the fourth period 17 yards for a touchdown and finished the contest with 92 yards on 10 carries.

Running back Greg White added a late score as part of his 98-yard day and the Tigers walked away with a 52-point victory.

There were a total of 11 turnovers in the contest and TSU committed 18 penalties for 102 yards.

The Tigers will hit the road next weekend for a date with the Hornets of Alabama State. Kickoff is scheduled for Sept. 7 at 4 p.m.

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Alcorn State Braves Rushing Attack a Success in Season Opener Win over Virginia University of Lynchburg Dragons

PHOTO COURTESY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

LORMAN, Mississippi  -- A heavy dose of offense mixed with a strong defense helped the Alcorn State University Braves to a 55-7 victory over Virginia University of Lynchburg in their home opener on Saturday.
 
Despite the one-sided victory, Alcorn State University head coach Jay Hopson said that there are still things the Braves could work on.
 
"It was a great game, but we still need to work out some kinks in our play. There were a few sloppy plays that every first game has, so hopefully we can improve on those mistakes in the second game of our season," said Hopson.
 
Alcorn State University Quarterback John Gibbs Jr. agreed with his coach's feelings about being more efficient.
 
"There were some small things that we have to pick up on. I had some overthrows in the second quarter, but I eventually got into a good rhythm toward the end of the first half," said Gibbs.
 
The Braves got off to a fast start, scoring on a trick play that resulted in a 39-yard touchdown from running back Darryan Ragsdale to wide receiver Jordan Payne added a six yard score to put the Braves up 17-0 in the first quarter.
 
The Braves continued their assault in the second quarter when Ragsdale sprinted for 36-yard score.  Quarterback John Gibbs Jr. threw to a wide open Charles Hughes for an 77-yard touchdown that added to the team's lead making the score 31-0.
 
Kicker Haiden McCraney nailed a 29-yard field goal to give the Braves a 34-0 lead at the half.
 
Ragsdale gave the Braves a 41-0 lead after scoring on and eight yard touchdown for his second rushing touchdown of the day.
 
Josh Ivery scored his first career receiving touchdown on a 17-yard pass from Lenorris Footman. 
 
After Lynchburg scored their only touchdown, Ivery found the end zone again for a 44-yard touchdown to finish off the visiting dragons.
 
Gibbs completed 7-of-12 passes for 148 yards and one touchdown.  Ivery carried the ball five times for 68 yards and caught one pass for 17 yards.  Ragsdale finished the day with 73 yards on six carries and scored two touchdowns.
 
Now that the Braves have captured this victory, they are looking forward to next week's matchup against the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles in Hattiesburg, Miss. Gibbs is confident that if the Braves execute properly, they can leave "Hub City" on top.
 
"We have to play Brave football.  Coach Hopson always preaches excellence and precision on both sides of the ball to us.  Our play during games start on Monday with practice and studying film. If we have a great practice, we will have a great game."
 
Game time between the Braves and Southern Mississippi next week kick off at 6 p.m.

COURTESY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS  

Savannah State Dominated by MTSU Raiders

MURFREESBORO, Tennessee  – Middle Tennessee strung together an impressive performance to stifle Savannah State 61-7 in the Raiders' 100^th season-opener at Floyd Stadium on Saturday.

The Raiders (1-0) produced 519 yards of offense and limited the Tigers on defense to 219 yards. The Raiders' 61 points and 54-point margin was the largest ever in a season-opener. The previous record occurred in 1954 when MT put up 52 against Stewart Air Force Base.

Despite rainy conditions throughout the game, the Raiders jumped out early marching down the field 75 yards to take a 6-0 lead. MT added 28 more points in the first half to take a 34-0 lead.

Redshirt junior Austin Grammer had a stellar debut as starter, completing 15-of-17 passes for 88.2 percent, which matched the second-best in school history. Grammer threw passes of 50 and 47 yards, respectively. The Tuscaloosa, Alabama native finished with 250 yards and a touchdown.

MT used its strong corps of receivers as five different players had 30-plus yards.Marcus Henry totaled 84 yards, including a 47-yard catch from Grammer. Ed'Marques Batties caught four passes for 42 yards. Junior tailback Jordan Parker had the longest catch of the day in the first quarter, reeling in a 50-yard strike from Grammer.

The Raiders had nine different backs tote the pigskin, netting 228 yards and six rushing touchdowns. Jeremiah Bryson and Shane Tucker posted two touchdowns each. Reggie Whatley added 65 yards, while Tony Rowland connected on 63.

Defensively, the Raiders forced two fumbles and picked up an interception. Trey Wafford returned a 20-yard fumble for a touchdown in the third quarter. In the first half, Kevin Byard picked up his 10^th career interception, which tied him for seventh in program history.

Linebacker Quay Watt led the Blue Raider defense with seven stops. Leighton Gasque and Shaquille Huff each added a sack, while T.T. Barber posted two tackles-for-loss.
On the opening drive, sophomore Shane Tucker barreled through for a 13-yard touchdown to give MT a six-point edge. The Raiders subsequently missed the two-point conversion. Grammer found Parker for a 50-yard strike on the Blue Raiders second drive of the day. It would set up a five-yard touchdown pass from Grammer to Tucker. Erdely ran in the third touchdown of the day with a three-yard scamper up the middle, giving MT a 20-point edge.  

In the third quarter, the Raiders blocked their 49^th kick in the Rick Stockstill era whenRaynard Felton rejected a field goal. It marked the first blocked field goal since 2012 against FIU. Batties showed his versatility with a 61-yard punt return in the third quarter, stretching MT's edge to 47-0. 

Middle Tennessee hits the road next week for a 2:30 p.m. contest. The game is televised on the Big Ten Network.

COURTESY MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS