Sunday, October 26, 2014
FCS Title races completely change
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SportsNetwork.com) -- The race for FCS conference titles apparently was replaced on Saturday by the one seeking the deepest race.
There are plenty of candidates after a handful of last year's automatic playoff qualifiers turned their noses on having the inside track toward their conference title.
On a day of upsets in which seven Top 25 teams lost, including three of the top eight, the Big Sky, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Southland and Northeast conferences all had their nationally ranked first-place squad go down.
Bethune-Cookman's road loss to South Carolina State was the least surprising, but it left the MEAC in a scramble with six of its 11 teams having one loss each. Having played an extra conference game already, North Carolina A&T is 4-1 and holding a slight edge on Bethune, South Carolina State, Morgan State, North Carolina Central and Norfolk State, which are 3-1 each. But South Carolina State has pivotal wins over Bethune and North Carolina A&T, and that could lead to the Bulldogs earning the automatic playoff bid at the finish line.
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Magic City Classic 2014: 2-Minute Drill of A&M 37, Alabama State 36
The Bulldogs were behind but they never got down. Not emotionally, anyway. They stuck to their guns and kept striving. That had to be difficult with Alabama State seeming to go down the field at will. But A&M found enough defense to stay within striking distance. Ultimately, they struck with the game-winning touchdown.
KEY MOMENT
Fans couldn't leave their seats after Lee found Tevin McKenzie on the 49-yard pass that gave A&M the lead. They had to sit tight as the Hornets drove down the field. The game wasn't settled until the Hornet freshman Preston Clark missed a field goal in the final seconds.
WHAT FANS ARE SAYING
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Jaymason Lee 'got up off the ground' and led Alabama A&M to Magic City Classic victory
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- When last Jaymason Lee was at Legion Field, he was being taken off the field after being crushed by a hard-rushing UAB pass rush.
Lee, who led his Alabama A&M team to a 37-36 win over Alabama State in the 73rd State Farm Magic City Classic, had a similar early exist more recently as the Bulldogs battled Southern University.
But against the Hornets in a rivalry game that keeps alive their playoff hopes, the Bulldogs leaned on their senior quarterback. And Lee leaned on his offensive line, believing it would keep him upright when it mattered most.
At halftime, Lee was 8 for 15 for 95 yards and an interception. He was sacked three times in that span.
The Hawaiian and his offensive line picked up their game after intermission and he finished 19 of 35 for 319 yards. He had that one interception and finished with five sacks, but had three TD tosses.
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Lee, who led his Alabama A&M team to a 37-36 win over Alabama State in the 73rd State Farm Magic City Classic, had a similar early exist more recently as the Bulldogs battled Southern University.
But against the Hornets in a rivalry game that keeps alive their playoff hopes, the Bulldogs leaned on their senior quarterback. And Lee leaned on his offensive line, believing it would keep him upright when it mattered most.
At halftime, Lee was 8 for 15 for 95 yards and an interception. He was sacked three times in that span.
The Hawaiian and his offensive line picked up their game after intermission and he finished 19 of 35 for 319 yards. He had that one interception and finished with five sacks, but had three TD tosses.
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Homecoming Central: FAMU Homecoming 2014 Info -- I'm So FAMU (Video)
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| COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS |
Continuing a trend that started in 2013, we will precede the Homecoming Rattler Vision broadcast of the game with a one hour special, starting at 1:30 p.m., capturing the full week of activities leading up to the game. The video is produced by sports information interns and was acclaimed across the campus last year.
FAMU Homecoming Links:
FAMU TICKET OFFICE
FULL SCHEDULE OF OSA EVENTS
TO WATCH LIVE ON RATTLER VISION
FAMU GEAR
Visit FAMU's #1 Fan and his commentary at: from THE EDITOR (http://sportsedit.org/).
WATCH IN 1080p HIGH DEFINITION, WIDE SCREEN
COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
XU's Bruins, Albrecht are runners-up at Big Easy Classic
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| No XU titles at the Big Easy Tennis Classic, but sophomore Sha'Nel Bruins beat a Big 12 Conference player today. |
NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana sophomores Sha'Nel Bruins and Adam Albrecht were flight-3 consolation runners-up Saturday in the Big Easy Tennis Classic at the University of New Orleans.
Bruins beat a Big 12 Conference player before losing 6-4, 6-2 to Southeastern Louisiana's Lucia Bustamante in the women's final. Albrecht lost 6-3, 6-4 in the men's final to Austin Racine of Troy.
Bruins won twice Saturday, defeating West Virginia's Yvon Martinez 7-5, 1-6, 1-0 (10-5) in the quarterfinals and XU teammate Dasia Harris 6-2, 7-5 in the semifinals.
Albrecht defeated a pair of Jackson State players -- Richie Agarwal 7-5, 2-6, 1-0 (10-7) in the quarterfinals and Ryan Swanier 7-6, 6-4 in the semifinals.
In the men's singles flight-1 main draw, Xavier's Nikita Soifer lost 6-4, 6-3 to UNO's Timo Kranz in the semifinals. Soifer and Tushar Mandlekar reached the doubles semifinals, beating UNO's Christoffer Applegren and Luis Albuquerque 8-7 before losing 8-6 to UNO's Rui Silva and Blake Gregor.
This was the final competition of the fall semester for Xavier. The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will resume their schedules with dual matches during the final week of January.
Results: Men Women
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
TSU Hall Sets New Personal-Best in 28-3 Loss at EIU
CHARLESTON, Illinois – The Tennessee State football team dropped its fourth consecutive game, 28-3, at Eastern Illinois on Saturday. The Panthers scored three of their touchdowns in the second half.TSU (4-5, 1-4 OVC) was out gained by EIU (3-5, 3-1 OVC) 370 to 287 and turned the ball over three times.
Darion Hall set a new career high with 10 carries for 67 yards, and helped TSU to 108 rushing yards – its highest total in three weeks.
Mike West led the Tiger defense with 10 tackles, but the unit failed to record a takeaway for the second straight week.
The Tigers’ defense kept the Panthers off of the scoreboard during the first quarter, but the TSU offense was unable to put any points, either, totaling 26 yards and one first down.
EIU finally broke the tie when Jalen Whitlow hit Adam Drake with a 28-yard strike for a touchdown. Drake was able to haul in the pass with De’Ante Saunders in perfect coverage. The big play put the Panthers up, 7-0, at the 13:33 mark.
The TSU offense put its first solid drive together in the waning minutes of the first half. Mike German completed big passes to Tom Smith (17 yards) and Isaiah Freeman (12 yards), marching the Tigers down to the one-yard line. On fourth and goal from the EIU-1, TSU’s fullback Stephen Hopkins was turned away and the Tigers still trailed by seven.
Tennessee State had one more chance to score before heading to the locker room, but Lane Clark’s 44-yard field goal attempt missed wide-right.
Ronald Butler came in at quarterback for TSU to start the second half and led the Tigers down to the EIU 25-yard line. Clark made up for his miss earlier, drilling a 42-yard field goal down the middle to cut the score to 7-3 with 11:40 on the clock in the third quarter.
Butler had the TSU moving in the right direction later in the period, but Anthony Goodman picked him off on a pass towards the sideline and raced 46 yards into the end zone. The score put the Panthers up, 14-3.
The Panthers added another touchdown early in the fourth quarter when Whitlow wiggled loose and outran TSU defenders 67 yards.
TSU drove the ball all the way down to the four-yard line, but in a microcosm of the game, had a holding penalty and then a fumbled a snap to give the ball back to the Panthers.
EIU added another touchdown on a Shepard Little 50-yard touchdown with four minutes to go, and the Panthers walked away with a, 28-3, win.
TSU will try to get back in the win column when the team hosts Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. at LP Field. The contest will mark the final home game for the Big Blue Seniors.
NOTES: TSU was held without a point during the first half for the first time all season. Last time that happened was Dec. 7, 2013 at EIU… Tiger kickers are now 8-of-18 on field goal attempts this season… TSU has not allowed an opposing receiver to gain over 100 yards was Oct. 26, 2013 when EIU had three (Erik Lora, Keiondre Gober and Jeff LePak)…Darion Hall carried the ball for the first time since Sept. 27 against Florida A&M…With Butler’s interception in the third quarter, TSU has now thrown a pick-six in back-to-back contests… TSU failed to score a touchdown for the first time since Nov. 2, 2013 at EKU… TSU is under .500 for the first time since the 2013 opener against Bethune-Cookman... The four-game losing streak is the longest since 2011…
COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Hopson Picks Up 20th Career Win, Braves Rout Prairie View in High Scoring Affair
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- The Braves knew going into this weekend's matchup against Prairie View that they had to score in the upper 50's to win. Well, the Braves did just that defeating the Panthers 77-49 at Blackshear Stadium in Prairie View, Texas.
Billy Shed got the party started racing down the field for an 83 yards on a pass from quarterback John Gibbs, Jr. to place the Braves inside Prairie View's 10-yard line. Three players later, freshman running back Arron Baker scored from three yards out to put the Braves ahead 7-0.
After a forced fumble by the Braves defense, backup quarterback Lenorris found his way into the end zone for a four-yard touchdown which pushed the Braves lead to 14-0.
Prairie View rebounded with back-to-back touchdowns to tie the game at 14-14 but the Braves held their composure. Gibbs connected with Anthony Williams III for a 20-yard touchdown to put the Braves back ahead 21-14 just before the end of the first quarter.
Prairie View missed on a field goal opportunity and the Braves took advantage of the opportunity to score. Williams III found the end zone again from four yards out to give the Braves a 28-14 lead.
On the first play of Prairie View's next drive, Damon Watkins intercepted a pass and with a great return he placed the Braves on the Panthers five-yard line. Two plays later, Baker scored his second rushing touchdown of the day to extend the Braves lead to 35-14 8:57 to go in the second quarter.
Prairie View answered the Braves touchdown with one of their own to cut the lead to 35-21. The Braves answered right back on a 49-yard pass from Gibbs to Brandon Vessell to push the Braves lead back to three touchdowns 42-21.
The Braves allowed Prairie View to score again to make the score 42-28. Gibbs hit one of his receivers again from three yards out to push the lead to 49-28 heading into the locker room.
A total of 35 and 42 points were scored between the two teams in the first and second quarter, respectively.
The Braves were unsuccessful on their first drive of the third quarter but Prairie View managed to score on their first drive of the third quarter to cut the Braves lead to 49-35.
Baker's 16-yard touchdown on the Braves next drive gave the Braves a 56-35 advantage.
The Braves would score point number 63 after a 42-yard punt return by Anthony Williams, Jr. which put the Braves in great field position.
Running back Robert Clay would score the Braves final touchdown and Prairie View scored two more times to finalize the game with the Braves winning 77-48.
The last time the Braves scored 70 points or more was in 1967 when the Braves hung 101 points on Paul Quinn.
Gibbs finished the game with a career-high 362 passing yards on 18-of-27 passing and a season-high four touchdowns. Baker carried the ball 15 times for a career-high 149 yards and three touchdowns. He also averaged 9.9 yards per carry.
Kicker Haiden McCraney recorded a career-high 11-for-11 on PATs and accounted for 11 of the Braves 77 points.
With the win, Head Coach Jay Hopson earns his 20th career victory as the Braves head coach.
The Braves (7-2, 5-1) are open next week before returning to league play on Nov. 8th at Alabama A&M.
Box Score
COURTESY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Billy Shed got the party started racing down the field for an 83 yards on a pass from quarterback John Gibbs, Jr. to place the Braves inside Prairie View's 10-yard line. Three players later, freshman running back Arron Baker scored from three yards out to put the Braves ahead 7-0.
After a forced fumble by the Braves defense, backup quarterback Lenorris found his way into the end zone for a four-yard touchdown which pushed the Braves lead to 14-0.
Prairie View rebounded with back-to-back touchdowns to tie the game at 14-14 but the Braves held their composure. Gibbs connected with Anthony Williams III for a 20-yard touchdown to put the Braves back ahead 21-14 just before the end of the first quarter.
Prairie View missed on a field goal opportunity and the Braves took advantage of the opportunity to score. Williams III found the end zone again from four yards out to give the Braves a 28-14 lead.
On the first play of Prairie View's next drive, Damon Watkins intercepted a pass and with a great return he placed the Braves on the Panthers five-yard line. Two plays later, Baker scored his second rushing touchdown of the day to extend the Braves lead to 35-14 8:57 to go in the second quarter.
Prairie View answered the Braves touchdown with one of their own to cut the lead to 35-21. The Braves answered right back on a 49-yard pass from Gibbs to Brandon Vessell to push the Braves lead back to three touchdowns 42-21.
The Braves allowed Prairie View to score again to make the score 42-28. Gibbs hit one of his receivers again from three yards out to push the lead to 49-28 heading into the locker room.
A total of 35 and 42 points were scored between the two teams in the first and second quarter, respectively.
The Braves were unsuccessful on their first drive of the third quarter but Prairie View managed to score on their first drive of the third quarter to cut the Braves lead to 49-35.
Baker's 16-yard touchdown on the Braves next drive gave the Braves a 56-35 advantage.
The Braves would score point number 63 after a 42-yard punt return by Anthony Williams, Jr. which put the Braves in great field position.
Running back Robert Clay would score the Braves final touchdown and Prairie View scored two more times to finalize the game with the Braves winning 77-48.
The last time the Braves scored 70 points or more was in 1967 when the Braves hung 101 points on Paul Quinn.
Gibbs finished the game with a career-high 362 passing yards on 18-of-27 passing and a season-high four touchdowns. Baker carried the ball 15 times for a career-high 149 yards and three touchdowns. He also averaged 9.9 yards per carry.
Kicker Haiden McCraney recorded a career-high 11-for-11 on PATs and accounted for 11 of the Braves 77 points.
With the win, Head Coach Jay Hopson earns his 20th career victory as the Braves head coach.
The Braves (7-2, 5-1) are open next week before returning to league play on Nov. 8th at Alabama A&M.
Box Score
COURTESY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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