Saturday, November 8, 2014

Former UNC athlete sues school over academic scandal

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina -- A former University of North Carolina football player has become the first to sue the university over an 18-year academic scandal that kept athletes eligible to play sports by taking classes that never met.

Mike McAdoo was a football player who lost his eligibility in 2011 when he was accused of getting too much help with a paper, and was one of the first athletes revealed to have taken part in "paper classes," for which the only requirement was completing a single paper.

Now he's suing the university in federal court, saying UNC broke its promise to give him an education in return for playing sports. His lawsuit is a class-action suit that the other 3,100 students who enrolled in the fake classes -- nearly half of whom are athletes -- could easily join.

"From selection of a major to selection of courses, the UNC football program controlled football student-athletes' academic track, with the sole purpose of ensuring that football student-athletes were eligible to participate in athletics, rather than actually educating them," says his lawsuit, filed Thursday by the law firms of Ferguson, Chambers & Sumter in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Mehri and Skalet in Washington, D.C.


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Albany State wins seventh straight, tops Fort Valley 32-21

COLUMBUS, Georgia — At the middle of the field, center Victor Moli grabbed the tall trophy and proceeded to hoist it high into the air.

As Moli celebrated with his teammates, fans snapped pictures of the team and the scoreboard, savoring every moment of Albany State’s 32-21 victory over Fort Valley State in the 25th annual Fountain City Classic at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

The Rams had clinched the SIAC East Division last week, but they still wanted to beat their rivals. It often wasn’t pretty, but it extended Albany State’s seven-game winning streak where they will head into the conference championship game next Saturday in Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl. They will get a rematch with Tuskegee, who defeated Miles College 48-33 Saturday night, for the West Division title. The Tigers were the last team to beat Albany State.

The Rams will also hold bragging rights over their arch-rivals for another year, too.

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Lincoln (Mo.) Blue Tigers Drop Home Finale to McKendree

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri -- Despite a record-breaking performance by Khiry Draine, the Lincoln football team fell to McKendree, 56-36, in its 2014 home finale on Saturday (Nov. 8).

Draine caught eight passes for 172 yards and two scores, causing Draine to break one Lincoln single-season record while tying another. Draine now has 841 receiving yards on the year, surpassing the LU program record of 791, which was set back in 2011. Draine also has nine touchdown receptions on the season, becoming the third Blue Tiger to ever have that many in a year and the first since Mike West accomplished the feat in 1977.

More than half of Owen Jordan's passing yardage went to Draine, as Jordan finished 22-for-33 for 259 yards and three scores. Christopher Willis had the other touchdown reception, finishing with six catches for 31 yards. Quan Guion and Morris Henderson both had three receptions while Rashyied Melvin and Delvon Rouser each had one. Henderson also scored a pair of touchdowns, one on the ground and one on a kick return, and ended his day with 25 carries for 90 yards.

McKendree (4-6, 4-3 GLVC) scored points on each of its first eight drives and only punted once during the contest. The Bearcats out-gained the Blue Tigers, 561-359, thanks to a balanced attack in which McKendree rushed for 296 yards and passed for 265. Lincoln (2-8, 1-6 GLVC), meanwhile, was held to just 100 yards on the ground.

The Bearcats held a 14-0 lead before Lincoln got on the board on Henderson's one-yard touchdown run. That play capped off a 65-yard drive in which LU converted twice on fourth downs, once thanks to a penalty and the other courtesy of a 17-yard reception by Draine. McKendree took control of the game after that point, scoring 20 unanswered on three consecutive touchdowns, though Treston Pulley blocked the Bearcats' point-after try after the last score.

The Blue Tigers got back on the board late in the second quarter, this time after driving 75 yards in just over five minutes. Guion made two big catches on the drive, including one for 10 yards and another for 24, and Henderson picked up a key third down with a six-yard reception. Draine finished the drive with a five-yard scoring catch to pull the Blue Tigers to within 20. McKendree finished the half strong, though, moving down to the LU 17 in the final 1:02 before kicking a 34-yard field goal to enter the intermission up 37-14.

McKendree scored a touchdown and a field goal on its first two drives of the second half, but Henderson put LU back on the scoreboard with an 87-yard kickoff return for a score. It was the second kickoff return for a score by Henderson on the season and the first since a 91-yard return against Langston in the season opener. Henderson became one of just five players in NCAA Division II to return score twice on kickoff returns in 2014. The extra point attempt bounced off one of the uprights, keeping Lincoln down, 47-20. The Blue Tigers tried a surprise onside kick afterwards, and did end up recovering, but were unable to score on the ensuing drive.

Another field goal by McKendree made the score 50-20 early in the fourth quarter, but a 60-yard reception by Draine allowed the Blue Tigers to get on the board again. Draine accounted for 89 yards on that drive, making a 10-yard catch on 4th-and-7 before making a 19-yard touchdown reception. Lincoln opted to go for two, and Rouser caught Jordan's pass to cut the Bearcat lead to 50-28.

It didn't take the Bearcats long to get back on the board, however, as a 70-yard kickoff return led to an eight-yard touchdown run on the ensuing drive. For the second time in the game, though, the Blue Tigers blocked the extra point, with Addison Tucker getting his hand on the ball. The Blue Tigers kept the momentum going on their next drive, as a 22-yard catch by Draine followed by three carries for 25 yards by Henderson eventually led to Willis' one-yard touchdown catch. Lincoln again chose to go for two and were nearly stuffed, but Henderson managed to pick up a loose ball and race into the end zone for the conversion. Neither team was able to score after that, leading to the 56-36 final.

Pulley had a big game, leading the Lincoln defense with 12 tackles while blocking the extra point and a punt. Eric Howard and Tucker each had 10 tackles, with Howard also registering a sack, and Kerry Roby and Paul Dodson each had eight tackles. Robert Daniels broke up two passes while Davon Walls made two tackles for loss. Jeremy Rives added five tackles and broke up a pass.

With Saturday being Lincoln's final home game of the season, the Blue Tigers' seniors were honored during a halftime ceremony. Draine, Henderson, Willis, Guion, Jacob Morris, Roby, Reginald McMillan, Rashyied Melvin, Ray Reese, Floyd Earl, Julio Segura, Brandon Tovar, J.J. Johnson, Walls and Howard were all recognized for their contributions during their time at Lincoln. This was also Heroes Weekend, with area military, police officers, fire fighters, EMTs and paramedics all honored for their service to the country and community. A moment of silence was also held for Darryl Blackmon, a former all-league football player who, the week before, was tragically killed in a car accident.

The Blue Tigers will close the 2014 season on the road next Saturday (Nov. 15), as Lincoln will make the short trip to Rolla, Mo. to play Missouri S&T in a 1:00 p.m. CST contest.

Box Score

Dan Carr, Assistant AD for Media Relations
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY BLUE TIGERS ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Langston sneaks into NAIA rankings at No. 23

PHOTO COURTESY LANGSTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

LANGSTON, Oklahoma  -- The NAIA ratings voters have noticed. Langston University (6-3) is No. 23 in this week’s football rankings, putting itself in decent position to make the playoffs. The Lions beat Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) 38-10 on Saturday and need to beat Bacone on Nov. 15 to win the Central States Football League championship — and then crack the top 20 to qualify for the postseason. 

If the opportunity arises, expect Langston to keep the hammer down on offense to impress voters.

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Alabama A&M falls 41-14 to Alcorn State, won't make it to SWAC title game



HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Alabama A&M lost Saturday to Alcorn State 41-14 in a failed bid to make a run at the SWAC championship.

Alcorn State (8-2, 6-1) showed why it's the best team in the conference, in a dominating performance featuring 350 yards in total offense and a 159-yard rushing night by John Gibbs, Jr.

With the win, the Braves won the SWAC's Eastern division and punched their ticket to play in the SWAC title game on Dec. 6 in Houston, Tex.

Alabama A&M, having a rejuvenated season in which they were picked to finish last in preseason conference polls, now sits at 3-2 in the Eastern division and 4-6 overall.

Alcorn State led 35-0 at halftime, but the Bulldogs held the Braves to just six points in the second half.

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North Carolina A&T Aggies Blank MSU, Remain In First Place

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- There is more to North Carolina A&T football than just All-MEAC running back Tarik Cohen. The Aggies proved it convincingly Saturday afternoon at Aggie Stadium with a 45-0 win over Morgan State.

The Bears (5-5, 4-2 MEAC) and the Aggies (8-2, 5-1 MEAC) came into the game two of four teams in the conference with one loss, therefore, the expectation was for there to be a grueling slugfest for the top spot in the MEAC.

It didn’t turn out that way. The Aggies used a career afternoon from quarterback Kwashaun Quick as he threw for a career-high 249 yards and four touchdowns on 22-for-29 passing. Senior receiver Desmond Lawrence caught eight of those completions for 56 yards. Sophomore receiver Denzel Keyes caught two more touchdown passes after catching three two weeks ago against Florida A&M.



Freshman running back Marquell Cartwright had 62 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The Aggies showcased a little diversity on defense too. The Aggies shutout a MEAC opponent for the first time since a 28-0 win over N.C. Central on Nov. 23, 2013.

Fifth-year linebacker D’Vonte Grant intercepted two passes, and sophomore Marquis Ragland had nine tackles, three for loss and 2 ½ sacks as the Aggies did not allow a point despite the Bears making three trips into the red zone.

And oh yeah, it case anyone forgot, Mr. Cohen had 56 and a touchdown on seven carries. He also went over the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season making him the first player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season as a freshman and sophomore.

“Cohen is special,” said A&T head coach Rod Broadway. “We have a lot of good guys. Give the guys upfront a little credit. Tarik is a special talent but Cartwright is a good player too. I thought that Quick did a good job of operating and running the team today. We are starting to develop the type of offense that we need to have around here.”

With the Bears geared to stop Cohen and the running game, A&T’s passing game began to take effect early. Quick completed a 42-yard pass to Xavier Griffin on the Aggies second possession of the game. It led to a 21-yard field goal by Cody Jones to give A&T a 3-0 lead. Grant’s 55-yard interception return on MSU’s next possession gave the Aggies a first down from the Bears 16-yard line. Cohen turned that into a 16-yard touchdown an early 10-0 lead.

A&T’s next drive did feature a lot of Cohen. He carried the ball three times for 27 yards during a 13-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard TD pass from Quick to Keyes as the 6-foot-4 Keyes out-jumped the defender for the score. Keyes’ next touchdown was even more spectacular. He made a one-handed grab with Morgan State’s Antonio Jefferson draped all over his other arm to give the Aggies a 24-0 lead with 1:32 remaining in the first half.

All of sudden a game that was supposed to feature two of the top teams in the conference was turning into a blowout.

“We didn’t make any statement, we just played,” said Broadway. “We just try to make improvements and get better every week. I don’t know anything about statements. We hopefully got a little bit better today, and we can continue to grow as a football team.”

Broadway’s football team went into the locker room with a 31-0 lead after Grant’s second interception gave A&T a first down at the Bears 37. A holding penalty pushed the Aggies back 10 yards, but it did not matter. With the clock running under 40 seconds remaining in the half, Quick found Cartwright on a screen pass that turned into a 47-yard touchdown pass.

“That sucker can play can’t he?” Broadway asked referring to Grant. “Grant has been doing the same thing for us for four years. I am going to miss him when he leaves.”

Grant, who made career interceptions No. 7 and 8 on Saturday, was honored before the game along with seven other seniors on Senior Day. Joining Grant in playing their final regular-season game at Aggie Stadium were offensive linemen Ronald Canty, Olin Leak, William Raymond Robinson III, receivers Quentin Todd, Lawrence, Ashanti Foster-Felder, defensive end Daniel Pinnix and kicker Jose Garcia-Camacho.

A&T’s seniors have two more regular-season games remaining – both on the road – as they try to win a conference title in their final season. The Aggies play at Savannah State on Nov. 15 at 2 p.m., before playing archrival N.C. Central in Durham on Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. The Aggies tied atop the conference with Bethune-Cookman and S.C. State.

“We know the task at hand, obviously,” said Grant. “We all have social media so we know we are in first. Winning a championship is something that hasn’t been done at A&T in a long time, so we feel as if we owe it to the community, fans, students and everyone to play hard every game. We come out every day trying to make it happen.”

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Hampton U men's basketball | MEAC preview

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference comes off of an excellent season in which it produced a top-shelf champ — North Carolina Central — and a successful relocation of the conference tournament, to Norfolk. N.C. Central advanced to the NCAA tournament just three years after moving up from Division II. The Eagles rewarded coach LeVelle Moton with a new contract, and they will challenge for the title again. The league's current power base appears to swing from Durham, N.C., through Hampton Roads and north to Baltimore.

5 STORYLINES

REPEAT. It's not often that a championship team loses a conference Player of the Year and an able point guard, and still gets picked to win the league. But Moton has holdovers from last year's 28-6 team and several key transfers. POY Jeremy Ingram and point guard Emmanuel Parks are gone, but Jamal Ferguson (Marquette), Nimrod Hilliard (Lamar) and JC transfer Rashaun Madison should man the backcourt. Forwards Jordan Parks (10.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg), Jay Copeland (7.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Karamo Jawara (7.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg) are veterans. The frontcourt will be supplemented by transfers Enoch Hood (JMU), 6-11 Nate Maxey (Texas A&M-CC) and JC Jeremiah Ingram.

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SC State drops FAMU on Senior Night

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M’s defense kept making plays, but the offense failed to capitalize and only found the end zone once in the second half as the Rattlers fell 34-17 to the South Carolina State Bulldogs in the team’s final home game of the season.

Interim head coach Corey Fuller called his team “undisciplined” and said penalties and turnovers doomed his team, despite the defense forcing three turnovers. The Rattlers stopped the Bulldogs twice in the red zone, and multiple times gave the offense prime field position.



“They were tougher than us,” Fuller said. “You can’t have that many turnovers in football and expect to win. You can’t be that undisciplined on the field.”

The Rattlers turned the ball over three times and had nine penalties for 71 yards. With the loss, the Rattlers only have one home win in the last two seasons.

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Virginia State Trojans Are Kings Of The North

RICHMOND, Virginia — All week long in the lead up to the contest between Virginia State and Virginia Union, Trojans head coach Latrell Scott discussed why this type of game meant so much to him. Sure, it meant a lot because of its CIAA Title game implications with the winner of the game being crowned Northern Division champions, but there was another aspect which made it special.

Scott had been a regular visiter to Hovey Field as a child. Although he had no affiliation to either school at the time, Scott would cheer on the Panthers alongside his father whenever they would attend. It's why with the game getting out of hand in the fourth quarter, the normally vocal coach allowed himself to relax.

He surveyed his surroundings as he stared around a stadium packed as full as could be with fans from both schools cheering on their team's chances of making the title game. He turned behind him and saw the entire visiting stands filled with Virginia State alumni and students who have stuck behind the program and sensed history in the making.

Then, Scott looked out toward the field and saw ...



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WSSU beats Fayetteville State to clinch division title

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina -- Winston-Salem State is going back to the CIAA championship game.

The Rams, the two-time defending league champions, overcame a 7-0 halftime deficit to beat Fayetteville State on Saturday 17-7.

With the win the Rams (9-1, 7-0) clinched the Southern Division title and will now take on Virginia State on Saturday in Durham for the CIAA championship. The Trojans (8-2, 7-0) beat Virginia Union on Saturday to win the Northern Division title.

The Rams won their 32nd straight game against CIAA opponents and finished the regular-season unbeaten in conference play for the fourth straight season.

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Week 11: HBCU Football ScoreCard


Johnson C. Smith University junior linebacker Austin Jacques talks football, entrepreneurship and majoring in music performance.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2014

MEAC
Bethune-Cookman 13, Norfolk State 7  Watch Replay 
North Carolina A&T 45, Morgan State 0
North Carolina Central 47, Hampton 13 (Homecoming)
South Carolina State 34, Florida A&M 17
Howard 51, Savannah State 21

SWAC
Grambling State 38, Mississippi Valley State 23 Highlights  »Watch Replay 
Alabama State 26, Jackson State 10
Alcorn State 41, Alabama A&M 14
Prairie View A&M 51, Arkansas Pine Bluff 23 (Homecoming)
Southern 30, Texas Southern 20

OVC
Tennessee State 31, Austin Peay 27

CIAA
Johnson C. Smith 31, Livingstone 14  Commemorative Classic 
Chowan 50, Lincoln (Pa.) 20
Bowie State 35, Elizabeth City State 30
Virginia State 33. Virginia Union 12
Winston-Salem State 17, Fayetteville State 7
Saint Augustine's 16, Shaw 9

OTHER CONFERENCES
Millersville State 34, Cheyney 12
Shepherd 24, West Virginia State 10
Kentucky Wesleyan 53, Virginia University Lynchburg 13
Delta State 73, Concordia-Selma 6
Edward Waters 20, Warner 14  3 O.T.
McKendree 56, Lincoln (Mo.) 36
#23 Langston 38, SW Assembles of God 10

SIAC
Stillman 31, Clark Atlanta 26 (Homecoming)
Central State 44, Lane 25
Paine 45, Benedict 34
Morehouse 26, Kentucky State 20
Albany State 32, Fort Valley State 21, Fountain City Classic
Tuskegee 48, Miles 33


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Fayetteville State faces another must-win CIAA showdown against Winston-Salem State


FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina -- Fayetteville State coach said this week's practices were unremarkable. Nothing special.


"We're just going about our business," Lawrence Kershaw said. "Nobody's putting any extra emphasis on anything, which is good."

Today's game against CIAA heavyweight Winston-Salem State (8-1 overall, 6-0 CIAA) certainly qualifies as a big deal. A win would give the Broncos (5-4, 5-1) the Southern Division title and a spot in next week's league championship game. A loss would end their season.

But again, none of this really showed up in the form of especially intense practices. Kershaw said his team seemed unfazed.

Perhaps that's because this season's Broncos team has been most comfortable when the stakes have been uncomfortably high.

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Today's Feature Band: Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul



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NCCU chases home win as MEAC dominoes fall



DURHAM, North Carolina — One of the dominoes that needed to fall for N.C. Central went down Thursday night when Bethune-Cookman beat Norfolk State.

Norfolk State joins NCCU as a two-loss team in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. That leaves Bethune-Cookman, N.C. A&T, Morgan State and S.C. State as the remaining one-loss squads in the league.

Morgan State and A&T play each other today, so another domino will drop for NCCU (4-5, 3-2 MEAC).

The Eagles just need to make sure they don’t fall Saturday, Nov. 8, when homecoming guest Hampton shows up to crash the party (2 p.m., NCCUEaglePride.com).

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Southern University football vs. Texas Southern game capsule

When/Where: Saturday at 6 p.m. at A. W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge

Television: This weekend's game won't be aired on television, but there will be a live stream on gojagsports.com.

Radio: WYNK 97.7

Coaches: Southern — Dawson Odums (second season as head coach, was interim in 2012, 19-12). Texas Southern — Darrell Asberry (third season, 9-22).

About Southern: The Jaguars (6-3) will put their four-game winning streak on the line when they square off against the Tigers (5-4) this Saturday, but the improved play of Southern quarterback Austin Howard could help the Jaguars continue their roll. Howard has thrown for 1,036 yards and tossed 8 touchdowns during Southern's winning streak, and the freshman hasn't committed a turnover in the past two games. Howard is also engineering a Jaguar offense that ranks fourth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in total yards per game (424.1).



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Friday, November 7, 2014

XU Gold Nuggets conclude another unbeaten run in GCAC

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NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana won 25-23, 25-21, 25-17 Thursday at Dillard to finish unbeaten in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's volleyball for the fourth consecutive regular season.

The Gold Nuggets (18-5, 14-0) have won 57 consecutive matches against GCAC opponents, 48 in the regular season. They have a 55-match win streak against HBCUs.

Xavier defeated Dillard, its longtime city rival, for the 11th consecutive time.

The Gold Nuggets will be the No. 1 seed in the GCAC Tournament and play their next match in that event on Nov. 14 at XU's Convocation Center. Xavier will seek a fourth consecutive GC
AC Tournament title and berth in the NAIA National Championship.

Dillard (12-11, 10-4) finished third in the GCAC regular season.

Earlier in the day, XU senior outside hitter Chinedu Echebelem was announced as a member of the Capital One Academic All-District 2 college division team.

Box Score

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

from THE EDITOR: FAMU Football Gets An A+

rattlersFAMU Rattlers vs South Carolina State Bulldogs    scbulldogs
November 8, 2014
3:00 P.M. EST
Bragg Memorial Stadium
Tallahassee, Florida
Radio: 96.1 FM/Video: Rattler Vision
Weather Forecast: 66 degrees; Cloudy


Tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 PM I will be sitting at Bragg Memorial Stadium with my grandson and another guest to watch the FAMU Rattlers attempt to tackle the South Carolina State Bulldogs. Last week the Rattlers won the battle, but lost the war to the Norfolk State Spartans. Had the Rattlers been able to overcome their mistakes, coaches and players alike, they would have easily won the game. They should have won the game.

This is not the first game they should have won. The first game of the ...

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TSU Tigers Travel to Clarksville to Face APSU, Saturday



 
NASHVILLE, Tennessee  –  On Saturday, the Tennessee State football team will travel to Austin Peay, looking to break the squad’s five-game losing streak.
 
Scouting TSU
The Tigers come into Saturday’s contest with a 4-6 overall and a 1-5 OVC record, having just lost to Eastern Kentucky at home, 56-42. TSU’s 42 points were the second-most for the team and quarterback Mike German tossed four touchdowns – three of which went to Isaiah Freeman.
 
Scouting APSU
Austin Peay has won just once this season and sit at 1-4 in league play. The squad’s victory over Murray State in its last home game on Oct. 18 snapped the nation’s longest losing streak at 18 games. The Governors have lost their last two contests by a combined score of 93-7.
 
Three Keys to the Game
 
Stick With It
Three weeks ago, the Tigers shuffled the offensive line, sticking players at four of the five new positions. Among those were Shaq Anthony who moved to left tackle and Kevin Kenton who became the team’s center. The change-up has worked wonders, and the unit has not given up a quarterback sack in 207 straight plays a span of two-and-a-half games. The last sack surrendered was in the second quarter against UT Martin. The Tigers have found a good starting five, and need to stick with it moving forward.
 
Come Out of the Locker Room Strong
Even at 4-6, Tennessee State has outscored its opponents, 253-214, this season. The disparity occurs despite the fact that the team has given up 84 points in the third quarter, while only scoring a total of 54. TSU has only 10 points in the last three games during the period immediately following halftime. Whether it is rust or lack of focus, the Tigers need to buck the trend this Saturday to finish off Austin Peay and not let the Governors keep it close.
 
Play the Gaps
The TSU run defense has struggled to stop opposing running games the past few weeks and has allowed an average of 295 yards on the ground during the last two losses. What is more alarming is the way that opponents have gained those yards – through the middle. EIU’s Jalen Whitlow and Shepard Little each had long runs through A and B gaps on Oct. 25 and EKU’s Dy’Shawn Mobley and Jared McClain produced some more last week. TSU is good enough not to need more defenders in the box, but the defense needs to have better gap integrity and come off more blocks on Saturday.
 
TSU is 10-6 all-time against APSU and have won two straight in rivalry by a combined, 62-20. Rod Reed is also 2-2 against the Governors.
 
Kickoff for Saturday’s contest is scheduled for 4 p.m. and it will be Austin Peay’s annual homecoming game.
 
COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Late free throws move Albany State past XU Rush, 62-61

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NEW ORLEANS -- Larry Bullock's two free throws with 7.7 seconds remaining Thursday lifted Albany State to a 62-61 men's basketball victory against NAIA No. 13 Xavier University of Louisiana.

The Rams rallied from a 15-point deficit in the final 12 minutes to become the first non-NAIA opponent to defeat the Gold Rush (3-1) in the Convocation Center, which opened two years ago.

Albany State, an NCAA Division II member, counted the game as an exhibition. But Xavier counted it as a regular-season game.

Bullock, who scored 19 points, gave the Rams their first lead of the second half, 60-59, on a basket with 37 seconds remaining. Xavier regained the lead on the next possession, 61-60, on Morris Wright's basket with 24 seconds to play.

After Bullock made his decisive free throws, Wright missed a shot in the lane with two seconds remaining, and the Rams controlled the rebound.

It was a role reversal from last season, when Bullock's turnover with 13 seconds remaining set up Wright's 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds remaining in a 71-68 XU victory.

Wright scored 15 second-half points and for the game made 10-of-11 free throws. Chris Wheeler scored 15 points and Earl Farnum 11 for Albany State, which will open its regular season one week from Friday against West Florida in the Holiday Inn Classic at Valdosta, Ga. Wheeler and Farnum made three 3-pointers apiece.

Anthony Goode scored 17 points, Morris Wright 12 and Gary Smith a season-high 10 for Xavier. Jarvis Thibodeaux grabbed eight rebounds, and Wright tied his season high with seven assists.

Goode and Smith combined for all the points in an 11-0 run which gave Xavier a 17-13 lead in the eighth minute. A 15-2 run in the final seven minutes gave the Gold Rush a 35-27 halftime lead, and Thibodeaux's basket with 11:59 remaining gave the Rush a 49-34 advantage.

Xavier outrebounded the Rams 36-30, but Albany State outshot Xavier 39.2 to 38 percent from the floor and committed six fewer turnovers. Both teams made nine 3-pointers.

Xavier will play another NCAA Division II opponent, Miles, at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

Game preview: Jackson State at Alabama State

THE GAME

When: 1 p.m., today

Where: ASU Stadium

Records: ASU (4-5, 3-4 SWAC); JSU (3-6, 1-5)

On the air: TV – None. Radio – WKXN-FM 102.7

Twitter: @tagayle

Hashtag: #MyASU, #ASU

FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY

1. No rest for the weary: Outside linebackers Deontrelle Silmon and Daerius Washington may get a little less rest this week as their backups continue to drop with injuries. Torrey Davis started in place of the injured Silmon at the beginning of the season but it out for the season and the next available backup, freshman Dominique Jackson, is sidelined as well. "We're thin," ASU coach Reggie Barlow said. "Torrey Davis tore his ACL and Dominique Jackson, a freshman who was playing, rolled his ankle so he didn't travel last week."

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Tuskegee and Miles are familiar foes as they battle Saturday for the SIAC Western crown

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- It's a similar picture once again as the road to the SIAC championship game winds down.

As has been the case in recent years, Miles and Tuskegee continue their stranglehold on the SIAC's Western division and will play Saturday for a chance to play in the conference championship on Nov. 15 in Montgomery.




The teams both lead the SIAC in different categories, and both teams' coaches expect the game to be a battle.

CIAA commissioner excited about weekend finish

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- The CIAA was due for some good luck.

The conference has been trying to move on since last November, when its football championship game between Winston-Salem State and Virginia State was cancelled because of a restroom attack that made national headlines.



This weekend, the spotlight should be back on the field for the WSSU-Fayetteville State and Virginia Union-Virginia State games. They’ll decide division titles and set the field for the Nov. 15 CIAA championship game in Durham.

“There’s a lot of excitement, not only for this weekend, but for next weekend and the championship game,” said Jacqie McWilliams, the commissioner of the CIAA. “With what happened last year, and the cancellation of the game, we are really anticipating an exciting weekend in Durham. And I think this season has been a great one with a lot of parity, and you can see that because there are four teams with chances to win their respective divisions.”

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Aycock to make Livingstone game; JCSU coach OKd after school review

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- Johnson C. Smith football coach Steve Aycock will be on the sidelines at Saturday’s Commemorative Classic against Livingstone.

Aycock, who has coached the Golden Bulls to a 2-7 season, confirmed to The Post he was reinstated for the season finale at McGirt Field. Earlier in the week, he was scheduled for exclusion, but school officials reversed course on Thursday evening after an unspecified investigation.

"It wasn't a disciplinary action or a grade issue," Aycock said on Friday morning.

JCSU officials also declined comment on whether Aycock was sanctioned or the reason why. He led practices in preparation for the Livingstone game, a renewal of the oldest rivalry in black college football that dates to 1892. The Golden Bulls lead the series 47-30-3.

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Exhibition: Uptempo SSU women slip past Armstrong 96-84

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- It should be another good season for women’s college basketball in Savannah.

Savannah State and Armstrong put on an offensive show for an enthusiastic crowd at Tiger Arena before the deeper Tigers pulled away for a 96-84 victory in a crosstown exhibition game dubbed “Battle by the Marsh.”

Both teams open their seasons for real on Nov. 14. SSU will host Columbia College. ASU travels to Florida to play Saint Leo in the Saint Leo Classic.

“This was a good game for us just to get a different look against a different opponent,” said Tigers coach Cedric Baker, whose squad won 19 games last season before falling in the semifinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament.

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Broadway, North Carolina A&T Aggies focus on details

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- The logjam atop the MEAC football standings will clear up a little bit this week.

Two one-loss teams met Thursday night in Virginia, with Bethune-Cookman (8-2, 5-1 MEAC) taking a 13-7 win at Norfolk State (4-6, 4-2).

Two more one-loss teams clash at 1 p.m. Saturday at Aggie Stadium, when N.C. A&T (7-2, 4-1) plays its home finale against Morgan State (5-4, 4-1).

It’s a crucial game.

“One game doesn’t make a championship,” A&T coach Rod Broadway said. “It’s your body of work that makes a champion. Yes, it’s a big game — because it’s the next game.”



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