Sunday, October 26, 2014

Sights and Sounds of 2014 Magic City Classic -- Birmingham, AL







NCCU Dominates Savannah State Tigers, 42-14



DURHAM, North Carolina -- The North Carolina Central University football team created an explosive 42-14 victory against the Savannah State University Tigers Saturday, Oct. 25 in O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

NCCU junior wide receiver Anas Hasic had a game-high and season-best of 174 receiving yards; the most by an Eagle since Oct. 3, 2009, when Will Scott accumulated 179. Hasic also managed three touchdowns with 10 catches during Saturday's showdown.

Eagles quarterback Malcolm Bell passed for 287 yards and was responsible for five out of the six NCCU touchdowns. Saturday's game was Bell's sixth straight contest with more than 200 passing yards and a touchdown.

"I think our team is making strides in the right direction on offense, defense, and special teams," said NCCU head coach Jerry Mack. "They went out there and executed our game-plan to the best of their ability, and that's all I ask for from those guys."

The Tigers were hungry for a win, sitting 0-4 in the MEAC and 0-7 overall, but the NCCU defense—led by Jordan Miles with 10 tackles and 1.5 for a loss—would only allow one touchdown in the first half.

Savannah State quarterback Tino Smith II executed a 56-yard touchdown pass on third down and 18 with 2:06 remaining in first-quarter play.

The Eagles were scoreless in the first quarter, but refused to remain silent as their second quarter opening drive resulted in a tight, six-yard touchdown catch by Hasic. With the extra kick from Eric Fenton, the Eagles and Tigers were tied up at seven with 12:41 on the clock in the first half.

A quarterback sack by Miles and Tre Smith pushed the Tigers back to third down and 18, yet again, only this time the Tigers were unsuccessful on their conversion as the clock ticked down to 5:23.

Bell capped the first half scoring with a one-yard rushing touchdown after 12 plays and 74 yards, leaving only 12.7 seconds until halftime. NCCU took the lead over Savannah State at 14-7 by the end of the second quarter.

With 9:49 left in the third quarter, Bell launched a 50-yard touchdown pass to Hasic, who slipped just past a tackle to run it in the end zone. Hasic's connection with Bell gave the Eagles their 21-7 lead over the Tigers.

The Eagles didn't stop. Bell broke free for a six-yard touchdown continuing the domination and widening the score to 28-7 with 4:16 in the remainder of the quarter.

Michael Jones caught a leaping interception in the end zone with 2:59 to play in the third, but the Tigers decided they weren't going to give up just yet.

On a 47-yard punt by Nathaniel Tilque, Savannah State's Ker-Sean Wilson returned the ball for 54 yards. Two plays and 15 yards later, the Tigers trimmed the lead to 28-14.

Lineman Felix Small contributed to the NCCU defense with seven tackles and three sacks, giving him the most in the last 15 years.

NCCU's fourth quarter was a success, holding the Tigers scoreless and bringing about two more touchdowns.

Andre Clarke got some touchdown action with a two-yard run into the end zone early in the fourth quarter, followed by Hasic's third touchdown of the day with 4:28 left in the game.

Savannah State running back Richard Williams ran around the NCCU defense with 87 rushing yards and 58 receiving yards, but couldn't give the Tigers enough to come out on top.

NCCU finished the game at 42-14 against the Savannah State Tigers, and will return to the field in Daytona Beach, Florida against MEAC opponent Bethune-Cookman Saturday, Nov. 1 at 4 p.m.

Written by Staci Green
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Albany State rips Clark Atlanta 34-12 for Homecoming

ALBANY, Georgia -- They hugged. Dished out high-fives. Then offered words of congratulations.

On this picture-perfect afternoon, the final regular-season season home game at the Albany State University Coliseum served as Senior Day and Homecoming. And no matter how many blown assignments, penalties or turnovers the Rams compiled, this was a day for Albany State.

The Rams scored three first-half touchdowns and routed Clark Atlanta 34-12 before 9,736 on Saturday.

What was even better was the Albany State defense, with the exception of a few busted plays, shut down Clark’s tricky triple-option offensive attack.

Even head coach Mike White had to smile about this one.

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Two Florida A&M Players Dismissed Amidst False JUCO Transcripts Probe

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Former Radford head coach Byron Samuels is having to build from the ground up at Florida A&M. Seven Rattlers transferred out this summer and the whole roster was basically rebuilt. FAMU is also suffering from a postseason ban due to APR violations handed down by the NCAA. It was already expected to be a tough season in Tallahassee but now it may even be tougher for Samuels.

NCAA scholarships yanked, WCC coach fired in transcript probe  

Two JUCO transfers, Jamell Walker and Damien Davis, are off the Rattlers roster and have had their scholarships pulled after it was discovered they had false transcripts. The Journal News of Westchester, New York explains the situation:

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AL LAWSON CENTER
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY

NCAA scholarships yanked, WCC coach fired in transcript probe

VALHALLA, New York -- Florida A&M University has yanked full athletic scholarships from two men's basketball players who used to play at Westchester Community College and a WCC assistant men's basketball coach has been fired amid a criminal investigation into transcript fraud, an investigation by The Journal News has found.

FAMU, already banned from postseason play by the NCAA because of academic performance issues, pulled the scholarships of Jamell Walker, a former standout at Mount Vernon High School, and Damien Davis, a sought-after player from Wings Academy in the Bronx, said Alvin Hollins, the university's assistant sports information director.

WCC assistant basketball coach Richard Fields was fired Oct. 16 after admitting he provided a phony transcript for Walker and forged the signature of an administrator on an eligibility form for Walker, said WCC spokesman Pat Hennessey. Walker and Davis were juniors at FAMU, an NCAA Division I program in Tallahassee, Florida.

"He manufactured a fake transcript," Hennessey said of Fields. "Jamell took one course here. The transcript said he earned a full degree and graduated."

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Hampton blanks Delaware State in MEAC loss

DOVER. Delaware — The offense barely crossed midfield and the defense couldn’t stop the run.

The punting game looked good though — well, for the most part.

Delaware State was thoroughly outplayed in a 23-0 MidEastern Athletic Conference loss to Hampton on Saturday afternoon. The Hornets (2-3 MEAC, 2-7) only had the ball in Hampton territory four times.

“When you’re as inconsistent as we were today you expect to get your butt whooped,” said DSU coach Kermit Blount. “And we got our butt whooped.”

It was Hampton’s (1-3, 2-6) first win over a Division I opponent this season and the first time the Pirates recorded a shutout since 2009.


COURTESY DSU HORNETS ATHLETICS


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Howard Women's Soccer Shuts Out UAPB To Earn SWAC Regular Season Title

VESTAVIA HILLS, Alabama  --  A dominating performance worthy of a champion served as the fitting conclusion to the Howard women's soccer team's inaugural regular season in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Led by a balancing scoring effort, the Lady Bison won the SWAC regular season championship with a 6-0 shutout of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff on Sunday afternoon at the Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex.

HOWARD UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM
2014 SWAC REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS 
ROSTER 
With the win, Howard (10-8-1) completed a 9-1 first run through the SWAC conference and an undefeated 4-0 home slate at their neutral site home field in Vestavia Hills, 15 minutes outside of Birmingham. The victory also ties the program record for of 10 wins in a season, set by the 2001 Lady Bison team.

Howard's win holds other significance as well:

- The championship is the first by any Howard sport since 2007 (Softball, MEAC Regular Season & Tournament);
- With one regular season non-conference game left before the SWAC Tournament, Howard ensured its first overall record of .500 or better since the record-setting 2001 squad;
- Howard's six goals and six-goal victory are the largest totals of the season and the most since a 10-0 shutout of Washington Adventist on October 7, 2013.

Senior midfielder Nia Walcott and junior forward Nikanya Clark each scored a pair of goals and assisted one another while junior forward Rasheeda Ansari and freshman Noelle McCullom added a goal apiece. Walcott and Clark are currently tied for the team lead with eight goals, three assists and 19 total points. Senior Ayanna Carter and freshmen Whitney White & I-sis Wilson recorded assists as well.

Howard scored three goals within a 3:36 span early on and added a fourth in the 36th minute to take a 4-0 over UAPB (2-15, 1-7 SWAC) into halftime. The Lady Bison would add a pair in the 68th and 87th minutes to set the final margin.

COURTESY HOWARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION 

TU Golden Tigers delight packed house for homecoming



TUSKEGEE, Alabama – Tuskegee turned in its sharpest performance of the season, coasting to a 38-9 homecoming victory over Kentucky State on Saturday.

The quarterbacks also played their best game of the year, combining to go 16-for-18 passing for a season-high 291 yards.

Sophomore Kevin Lacey was 10-for-11 passing with 180 yards, and rushed for 19 yards and a touchdown. Senior Justin Nared went 4-for-4 with two touchdowns, and added 24 yards on the ground.

"I've really been focusing on making the right reads and making sure I check where the safeties are when the ball is snapped," Lacey said. "All week, we've been working on this, just trying to get better of making corner reads, safety reads. A lot of the play calls were putting us in a position to make great throws and execute the offense."

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Arkansas-Pine Bluff overcomes deficit to defeat TSU

HOUSTON, Texas -- Benjamin Anderson connected with Willie Young on fourth-quarter touchdown passes of 60 and 69 yards to lead Arkansas-Pine Bluff past Texas Southern 38-37 on Saturday night at BBVA Compass Stadium.

Anderson completed just 12 of 23 passes but finished with 288 yards passing and three touchdowns. Young had three receptions and 142 yards.

Brian Handley, who came into the game with just 179 yards on 46 carries this season, ran for 193 yards and two touchdowns for UAPB (2-5, 1-4 Southwestern Athletic Conference).

TSU (5-3, 3-3) trailed 26-17 at halftime but used touchdown runs by Jimmy Potepa and Daveonn Porter to take a 31-26 lead into the fourth quarter.

The teams combined for 1,096 total yards and just four punts.

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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

WHY ALABAMA A&M WON
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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Homecoming Central: FAMU Homecoming 2014 Info -- I'm So FAMU (Video)

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
TALLAHASSEE, Florida –  Florida A&M University will face the Norfolk State Spartans on Nov.1, for Homecoming 2014.  Find out all you need to know about the game, as well as other events taking place during Homecoming week.

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/).


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COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

XU's Bruins, Albrecht are runners-up at Big Easy Classic

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

S.C. State marching band to appear on ‘Drumline: A New Beat’


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ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- Members of the Marching 101 Band of S.C. State University are gearing up to make their television debut in the Video Hits One (VH1) upcoming original movie “Drumline: A New Beat.”

The film will premiere on the cable television network at 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27.

The storyline is similar to the original “Drumline” movie that aired in 2002. The sequel follows prospective band members throughout their journey of making the prominent Atlanta A&T drumline.

The filming experience has been memorable for members of the Marching 101, who will appear in the film wearing the Atlanta A&T uniforms as extras and doubles.

Lacyona Muldrow, a senior music industry major, will serve as the double for lead actress Alexandra Shipp’s character, Danielle “Dani” Raymond. Initially, the Florence native, who has 20 years of experience playing the drums, was skeptical about traveling to Atlanta to audition.

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Benedict beat Morehouse for homecoming win

COLUMBIA. South Carolina — The Benedict College Tigers won their fourth straight Homecoming game, giving the alumni an exciting 33-15 victory over Morehouse College on Saturday at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium.

Playing without quarterback Cameron Stover, who sat out the game after suffering a concussion last week against Clark Atlanta, the Tigers took advantage of two Morehouse fumbles and an interception for their first home win of the season. Backup quarterback Marcus Graham completed 14 of 35 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. The Tigers rushed for 92 yards on 24 carries.

“I challenged our defense. Our quarterback was down and we put a lot of pressure on our defense because they’ve been playing a little inconsistent in the past three or four weeks,” Benedict head coach James Woody said. “But they came out today and stopped a good football team. I was happy to see those guys hold them down to a minimum.”

Benedict improves to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the SIAC. Morehouse drops to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the SIAC.

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Edward Waters 47, Newport News Apprentice School 21



JACKSONVILLE, Florida  --  Despite three touchdowns by Brandon Jordan -- two rushing, one receiving -- the Builders lost in Jacksonville, Fla.

The Edward Waters Tigers, an NAIA program, scored on seven of their final eight drives.

The winless Builders ran for 196 yards, with sophomore Joseph Hodge leading them with 65 on 13 carries. Jordan gained 55 on eight attempts.

Apprentice freshman Deon Lavender was 4-of-9 in the air for 66 yards and a touchdown, while fellow freshman Caleb Heath was 4-of-7 for 32 yards.

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SCSU hoops kicks off season with ‘Bulldog Madness’

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- South Carolina State men’s and women’s basketball will kick start the 2014-15 seasons with “Bulldog Madness” at 9:37 p.m. Friday at Dukes Gymnasium.

The free event is sponsored by the Department of Athletics and will feature an array of activities, including a 3-point shootout, the men’s dunk contest and guest appearances by the pep band and the S.C. State cheerleaders. Music will be provided by DJ Panda P with door prizes and giveaways available for all in attendance.

The men’s basketball team was picked 12th in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference preseason poll and will open the season on the road with a three-game West Coast swing with stops at the University of Washington (Nov. 14), University of San Francisco (Nov. 16) and defending Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season champion Virginia (Nov. 18).

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Special Teams Comes Up Big in UAPB's 38-37 Win Over Texas Southern


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HOUSTON, Texas -- The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Special Teams came up big as they blocked a Texas Southern University's Eric Medina 37-yard field goal with four seconds left in the game to give the Golden Lions a 38-37 win over the Tigers.

With the win, UAPB goes to 1-2 in homecoming games this season as they have played in their third straight homecoming game. The Golden Lions will play in their final homecoming game of the season as they will host Prairie View A&M at Golden Lion Stadium, Saturday, November 1

In an old fashion heavy weight boxing match both teams combined for over 1,096 yards of total offense as UAPB finished the contest with 514 yards of total offense, where TSU finished the contest with 582.

Brian Handley led the Golden Lions offensive attack as he rushed for 193 yards on 19 carries with two TDs in the contest.

Ben Anderson was finished the contest with 288 yards passing as he complete 12 passes in 23 attempts with one three TDs and one interceptions, while Willie Young finished the contest with 142 yards receiving on three receptions with two TDs.

Daveonn Porter led the TSU ground attack with 187 yards on 18 carries with one TD. While Home Causey passes for 333 yards by completing 27 passes in 35 attempts with one three TDs and one interception.

Steve Carpenter led the TSU receivers with 91 yards on seven receptions with his longest reception being for 32 yards.

Defensively UAPB was led by Willie Duncan with 11 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss, whereas Darveon Trahan led TSU in tackles with nine and one pass breakup.

In the first quarter of this heavy weight match ended in a 10-10 tie as Strickland nailed a 26-yard field goal with 6:31 left on the clock, followed by a C.J. Branch 34-yard TD reception from Ben Anderson. TSU lit up the scoreboard at the 6:06 mark on a 41-yard pass to Porter from Causey, followed by an Eric Medina 42-yard field goal at the 1:02 mark to close out the first quarter.

In the second quarter, UAPB won the round as Handley rushed for two TDs as he scored from 17 yards out, followed by a Strickland 43-yard field goal, while Causey passed for his second TD of the game for TSU to Malik Cross from 17-yards out.

After the completion of the first half UAPB took a 26-17 lead into the break as this was the first time the Golden Lions led in a contest since the second game of the season against Concordia College in their home opener.

In the third quarter, TSU won the run as they scored two TDs to take a 31-26 lead as Jimmy Potepa scored from two-yards out and Porter scoring his second TD of the game from one-yard out.

UAPB took a 32-31 lead as Young scored from 60-yards out with 7:76 mark of the fourth. On the ensuing drive, TSU made the score 37-32 as Larry Clark scored from 16-yards out on a pass from Causey with 2:31 left in game.

Anderson would find Young again on a go route with 2:15 left in the game as young scored from 69-yards out to give the Golden Lions a 38-37 lead.

After three straight road contests, the Golden Lions will return to the comforts of Golden Lion Stadium as they will host Mississippi Valley State on Saturday, November 1 in a 2 p.m. start their first of three home games slated for the month of November.

With the win, UAPB goes to 2-5 and 1-4 in conference play, whereas TSU goes to 5-3 and 3-3 in conference play.

COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS (VIDEO)
COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF SPORTS INFORMATION

North Carolina A&T Aggies Take Over First-Place, Win GHOE

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Homecoming wins always have a little extra weight to them. The alumni, student body and administration all walk out of the stadium with their chest poked out before partaking in a few more tailgates and the fun and festivities scheduled for the evening.

North Carolina A&T’s 40-21 homecoming win over Florida A&M Saturday afternoon at Aggie Stadium had a little more meaning than just giving the alumni something to be proud of, however. The win put the Aggies (7-2, 4-1 MEAC) in sole possession of first place in the MEAC with three games remaining on the Aggies’ schedule.

North Carolina A&T holds a half game lead over Bethune-Cookman, S.C. State, Norfolk State, Morgan State and N.C. Central. The Aggies also improved to 4-0 in homecoming games under head coach Rod Broadway. The Rattlers (2-6, 2-2 MEAC) have now lost three straight to A&T.

“Homecoming is different; look at the crowd and the atmosphere,” said Broadway. “You can feel it around here. It’s the Greatest Homecoming On Earth, and it is big. At (historically black colleges and universities) homecoming is always big, and it was a conference game. It took us to seven wins. I think this is the third year in a row we’ve had seven wins. That means we’re getting a little bit better every year.”



As the Aggies enter what will be a tough fight for the conference crown, they received some good news on Saturday when junior quarterback Kwashaun Quick walked out on the field as the starter. In his first game back after missing three weeks with a knee injury, Quick threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns on 16-for-26 passing.

“I was ready to get back out there,” said Quick. “It was eating me alive not to be out there with the boys. I’m back now and it’s time to move forward and get better from here.”

All three of his TD passes went to sophomore Denzel Keyes who used his 6-foot-4 frame against the smaller FAMU defensive backs to be effective most of the game before using his smarts for what may have been the biggest play of the afternoon.

With the Aggies leading 20-14 in the third quarter, the Aggies decided to take advantage of something they noticed throughout the first half. The FAMU defensive backs were keying on Quick’s movements. Whenever Quick motioned to throw, the Rattlers came forward to stop the short pass or run.

On a 2nd-and-4 from the Aggies 27-yard line, Keyes was scheduled to run an out pattern, but when he saw the corner come up on the Quick throwing motion, he continued to run downfield. Quick spotted Keyes running free down the sideline and connected with the Aggies forward from the men’s basketball team for a 73-yard touchdown and a 27-14 lead.

Keyes finished the day with a career-high 129 yards receiving on five catches.

“My hat goes off to Denzel Keyes, he had some big plays for us,” said Broadway. “That’s where we are developing as a football team. We are getting some pretty good athletes in here now. We are still about 14 short, but once we get 14 more we are going to improve a little bit. We have a few weapons we can go to right now.”

Keyes was not finished. He used his height to go over the top of 6-foot Devonte Johnson to end the third quarter with a 21-yard touchdown reception to give A&T a 33-14 lead after the extra point was blocked.

“He is 6-4. He is a basketball player, a football player and he can make those plays,” said Broadway.

Senior kicker Jose Garcia-Camacho helped the Aggies put the game away as his ensuing kickoff was perfectly placed at the FAMU 24 where no Rattlers were standing. Marlowe Wood swooped in and dove on the live ball to give A&T a 1st-and-10. Desmond Lawrence followed with a 21-yard gain on a reverse. Sophomore Tarik Cohen closed out the drive with a 3-yard TD run to open the fourth quarter.

“We try to tune it out and focus on the game…get our mind right,” said Quick about playing on homecoming. “(The fans) are here to watch us play and we’re here to give them a show. We preach about staying focused all the time. We can’t lose what homecoming is about. It’s about the fans and the alumni coming back, and it’s about us trying to win a football game.”

The Aggies may have had a few homecoming jitters to start. The Rattlers took their opening drive 75 yards on 11 plays as Lemond Bruice scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Damien Fleming. But the Aggies responded with 17 unanswered and led 20-14 at the half.

“We got a couple of guys banged up but to win this game during homecoming is big to the city, community and everybody else benefits from this, so we are extremely happy to have won this game.”

The Aggies will take a week off from competition before playing their home finale against one of the MEAC championship contenders, Morgan State, in two weeks (Nov. 8, 1 p.m.) at Aggie Stadium.

BOX SCORE (.pdf)

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Week 9: HBCU ScoreCard


N.C. A&T Blue and Gold Marching Machine starting at 1:00 minute mark.


SATURDAY, October 25, 2014

MEAC
North Carolina A&T 40, Florida A&M 21
South Carolina State 20, Bethune-Cookman 14
North Carolina Central 42, Savannah State 14
Hampton 23,  Delaware State 0
Villanova 48, Morgan State 28

SWAC
Alcorn State 77, Prairie View A&M 48
Arkansas Pine Bluff 38, Texas Southern 37
Alabama A&M  37, Alabama State 36   Watch Replay    73rd Magic City Classic
Southern 42, Jackson State 28

OVC
Eastern Illinois 28, Tennessee State 3  Watch Replay 

CIAA
Shaw 35, Johnson C. Smith 34
Bowie State 20, Virginia Union 17 O.T.
Elizabeth City State 49, Chowan 33
Winston-Salem State 34, Livingstone 17
Fayetteville State 49, Saint Augustine's 14
Virginia State 63, Lincoln (Pa.) 7

SIAC
Tuskegee 38, Kentucky State 9
Central State 41, Stillman 14
Fort Valley State 23,  Paine 10
Miles 51, Lane 0
Albany State 33, Clark Atlanta 0
Benedict 33, Morehouse 15

OTHER CONFERENCES
Shippensburg 34, Cheyney 13
Wesley College 75, Virginia University Lynchburg 12
Warner 17, Concordia-Selma 12
Virginia -Wise 16, West Virginia State 13
Edward Waters 47, Apprentice School 21
Indianapolis 52, Lincoln (Mo.) 14
Langston (Open)


COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Southern gets early jump at Jackson State, cruises to 42-28 win

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Southern and Jackson State both came out of open dates trying to set the tone for a strong finish.

The Jaguars accomplished just what they wanted, but the Tigers continued sputtering the way they had entering the open date.

Southern jumped to an early 27-0 lead and coasted to a 42-28 victory Saturday night in Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Jaguars won their third straight to improve to 5-3 and 4-1 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They begin a three-game homestand when they face Alabama State next Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.

JSU, the defending SWAC East Division champion, continued its downward spiral under first-year coach Harold Jackson, falling to 3-5 and 1-4.

“We’ve all been ready to get back on the field against an opponent,” Southern defensive end Arthur Miley said. “We were tired of going against each other for a couple of weeks. We knew we had to take momentum away early.”

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Boombox Classic 2014: Southern Human Jukebox vs. Jackson State Sonic Boom