Southern University football vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff game capsule

When/Where: Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at A. W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge

Television: The homecoming game won't be televised live on Saturday but will be available on tape delay at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Radio: WYNK 97.7 FM

Coaches: Arkansas Pine Bluff — Monte Coleman (7th season, 32-39). Southern — Dawson Odums (2nd season as head coach, was interim in 2012, 15-12).

About Southern: If the Jaguars' season could be characterized by one word, it'd be inconsistent. Through five games, Southern (2-3, 1-1 SWAC) has neither won nor loss more than one consecutive contest. While that has kept the Jaguars from plummeting in the conference standings, their inability to string together a few wins has kept the defending SWAC champions in the middle of the pack nearly midway through the season.



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Game preview: Fort Valley State at Tuskegee

THE GAME

When: 1 p.m. today

Where: Cleve L. Abbott Stadium

Records: Tuskegee (2-2, 1-0 SIAC); Fort Valley State (3-1, 2-0)

On the air: TV – none. Radio – SteveSoulRadio.com

Twitter: @EthanGBernal, @mgmsports

Hashtag: #TUPride

FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY

1. Persistence paying off: Through the first three games of the season, sophomore running back Hoderick Lowe had struggled to return to the form of his freshman season that earned him All-SIAC preseason honors. Developing his game inside the tackles, and keeping with the game plan, Lowe broke out for 131 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s win over Lane.

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Alcorn stomps Alabama State, leads SWAC East

LORMAN, Mississippi – It was suppose to be one of the best matchups of the season in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Instead, it was all Alcorn State.

Behind a stubborn defense and a very strong running attack, the Braves ran past the preseason division favorite Alabama State 33-7 Thursday, taking sole possession of the SWAC East.

And now, Alcorn State (5-1, 3-0 SWAC) controls its own destiny. With just two more matchups with teams from the East, the Braves can clinch the divisional title.

"We have to a short memory," third-year Alcorn coach Jay Hopson said. "We can't celebrate this too long. That is the thing about football. You stack the poker chips at the end of the season, not in the middle."

Still, the Braves continue to build off their 9-3 record from last year. It was the most wins the program won since 1994, when the legendary Steve McNair played.

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TSU Tigers Look for 2-0 OVC Start at SEMO

WATCH LIVE | LISTEN LIVE | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- On Saturday, the Tennessee State football team will compete in its OVC road opener at Southeast Missouri State.

 

Scouting TSU
The Tigers (4-1, 1-0 OVC) are red-hot, in the midst of a three-game winning streak in which their defense has surrendered a total of 14 points. TSU is coming off a, 27-7, victory over Florida A&M in the homecoming game, a contest in which Big Blue scored a pair of touchdowns on defense.

 

Scouting SEMO
The Redhawks are having a rebound year and sit at 3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play. SEMO has won two straight, including a 24-23 upset of then-No.3 Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 20 and a win over UT Martin. Saturday marks SEMO’s homecoming game.

 

Three Keys to the Game

Stop Snyder
Southeast dual-threat quarterback Kyle Snyder has been his team’s biggest impact player so far this season, accounting for 14 total touchdowns (10 with his arm, four from his legs). His 84 points rank him second in the FCS in scoring behind All-American candidate Vernon Adams from Eastern Washington (128 points). The Redhawks go as their quarterback goes, but fortunately, TSU has the No. 3 ranked pass defense (129.4 y/g) and are fourth in the FCS in scoring defense (10.8 p/g). Stopping Snyder will be of paramount importance for the Tigers if they want to improve to 2-0 in conference play.

 

Throw it Towards the End Zone
Tennessee State has gone 10 straight quarters without a passing touchdown and may be without the services of the season starter at quarterback Mike German for the third straight game. The good news for Ronald Butler or whoever the TSU quarterback will be, is that SEMO has allowed 14 passing touchdowns on the year and 83 percent of opponent red zone chances have resulted in points. Last year, the Tigers threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns in 40-16 blowout over the Redhawks at LP Field. SEMO is an improved team since then, but TSU will benefit from a similar production on Saturday.

 

Keep the Streak Alive
The Tennessee State defense has returned one interception for touchdown in three straight contests, all from different defenders. Against Tennessee Tech two weeks ago, Ronnie Vinson’s pick-six was the difference in a 10-7 Tiger win. TSU leads the nation with 10 interceptions on the season and Snyder can get careless with the ball, as evidenced by his six giveaways. The Tigers might need all the easy points they can get as SEMO averages 36.6 points per game, second in the OVC.

 

TSU holds a 12-10 edge all-time in the series and has won three straight. Rod Reed is also 3-1 against the Redhawks, which is his second-best mark versus all Ohio Valley Conference opponents behind Tennessee Tech.

 

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. and fans can follow the links above to watch or listen to the contest.

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Defensive breakdowns concern Morgan State coach Lee Hull

BALTIMORE, Maryland  -- Thanks to redshirt sophomore running back Herb Walker Jr., Morgan State has the 10th-best rushing offense in the Football Championship Subdivision at 259.8 yards per game.

Things, however, are not as good on the other side of the ball.

While the Bears (2-3 overall and 1-1 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) rank decently in the country in average points allowed (39th at 22.6) and average yards surrendered (48th at 361.6), the defense also ranks 93rd against the run (217 yards per game), is tied for 111th in first downs (118), and ranks 116th in third-down conversion percentage (51.1 percent).

The unit's play has been especially disconcerting when the team needs a defensive stop. In a 29-26 loss to Holy Cross on Sept. 6, the defense gave up five first downs – including one after a conversion on third-and-16 – on the Crusaders’ game-winning touchdown.

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Shouppe reloads FAMU baseball with juco pitchers

COURTESY FAMU ATHLETICS

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- As much as coach Jamey Shouppe and his FAMU baseball players wanted to get to the NCAA playoffs last season, they just didn't have the depth – especially pitching -- to make if through their conference tournament.

So it's easy to understand why Shouppe reloaded with junior college arms to bolster his pitching staff for the upcoming season. For the past two weeks, they've been on display as the team goes through fall workouts.

It's the start of a long road that Shouppe hopes will lead to a better finish than 26-26, which marked the first time since 2003 that the program had a finish at .500 or better.

"We have more choices; a lot more depth," Shouppe said, following Wednesday's practice. "We feel good about a lot of things, but we still have a long way to go; a lot of work to do. We still have guys that we are teaching different things and the guys are giving us everything they have.

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NCCU to take on Tar Heels in Chapel Hill Nov. 14

DURHAM, North Carolina  -- As inconsistent as Roy Williams’ North Carolina Tar Heels have been lately, and as steady as LeVelle Moton’s N.C. Central Eagles were last season, NCCU fans have legit reasons to like the Eagles’ chances when the teams meet at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill on Nov. 14 (8 p.m., ESPNU).

That game in the Dean Dome will be the season opener for both teams, after which the Eagles will swoop around the country to deal with more big-name programs, according to the schedule NCCU’s athletics department released Wednesday.

“My philosophy on scheduling remains the same,” Moton said. “We will not shy away from top competition. We take every challenge head-on, and with the amount of newcomers we have to mix in, this schedule will truly reveal what type of team we have.”

This will be Moton’s sixth year as the head coach at his alma mater, and he’s never had a team as big and tall and long as the one he’ll take into the 2014-15 season.

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