2015 preview: Mississippi Valley State at a glance

COURTESY MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

ITTA BENA, Mississippi  -- Rick Comegy (2nd season at MVSU, 158-91 record overall)

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE

What happened last year?
It was another in a long line of tough seasons for MVSU as it went 2-9, and 1-8 in the SWAC. There was a long-awaited victory against Jackson State it could hang its hat on, but not much else. The Delta Devils were outscored by an average of 20 points per game, but were competitive in losses to Grambling, Texas Southern and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Three questions for coach Rick Comegy

What did you learn in your first year at Mississippi Valley State? “I learned you have to understand the culture, know your way around and be familiar with the program and the student athletes that live here.”

What’s different about this year compared to last year? “I’ve seen the attitude I’ve been looking for. They (the players) were all tied (to different coaches). I’ve tried to bring (my type) of guys in and see if that’s going to change anything. I’ve seen flashes.”

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Virginia Union hoping two-quarterback system the one

RICHMOND, Virginia  -- Virginia Union’s two-quarterback system was on display Saturday at Hovey Field in the Maroon and Steel game, the final intrasquad scrimmage before the Panthers’ regular-season opener next weekend.

Austin Parker, a 6-foot, 210-pound senior transfer from Purdue, started behind center and took all the first-quarter snaps. Shawheem Dowdy entered in the second quarter and the two shared series for the remainder. Dowdy is a 6-4, 218-pound redshirt junior who played in eight games last season.

Both had success. Parker threw a pair of touchdowns and rushed for one. Dowdy threw for three.

Second-year head coach Mark James was pleased with the way the offense moved throughout the day, scoring 41 points.
 

James said the Panthers will name a starter midweek as his team opens the 2015 season at home against Brevard College on Saturday, but it may not necessarily be a reflection of actual playing time.

“We’re a two-quarterback system,” James said, “so we use both quarterbacks. It’s just a matter of which we use first.”

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WSSU Rams' schedule opens with 5 game at home

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  -- Winston-Salem State’s basketball schedule will test Coach James Wilhelmi’s team early and often.

“We have such a new group of players we felt it was in our best interests to load up on home games early,” Wilhelmi said. “And we were able to get five straight home games, and I think that’s going to help us.”

The Rams will open Nov. 13 against Concord and then play the next night against Charleston at the Gaines Center. On Nov. 17, the Rams will take on UNC Pembroke before playing host to Elizabeth City State on Nov. 21. The fifth home game to open the season will be Nov. 24 against Morris College.

“Our track record is pretty good at the Gaines Center, and this is a good way to get those guys acclimated early,” said Wilhelmi, who will begin his second season as head coach.

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Alabama State preview

FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY

1: Top-shelf line: Senior Damian Love and junior Jylan Ware are both happy to be preseason All-Southwestern Athletic Conference offensive linemen. Check back at the end of the year to see if they’re happier. “It’s a pat on the back right now, but I’d rather get the handshake later,” Love said. “It’s a motivator.” Love, a Stanhope Elmore graduate, said he was preseason All-SWAC as a sophomore. He didn’t make the postseason list. “It’s an honor, definitely, but I see that as a ‘who to watch’ award,” Ware said. “It’s preseason. It’s more of a ‘he was good last year, and he should be good this year.’”

2: Ripe Berry: Middle linebacker Kourtney Berry, after reaching triple-digit tackles each of the last two years, returns for the Hornets. Oh, he’s just a junior. Berry also faces massive expectations. SWAC coaches pegged him as the league’s preseason defensive player of the year. Berry made a league-high 128 tackles last year, including a career-high 20 in a mid-November game with Grambling. He reached double figures in seven games. He was also first-team All-SWAC as a freshman when he started every game and made 105 tackles.

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2015 preview: New faces hope to improve Tigers’ offensive line

JACKSON, Mississippi -- “Tender” and “passive” were two adjectives people within the Jackson State program used to describe last season’s offensive line.

The big men up front struggled mightily, and the rest of the offense took a hit because of it. The running game averaged a measly 3.3 yards per carry, and quarterback LaMontiez Ivy was sacked 39 times.

So it’s not hard to figure out why Tigers coach Harold Jackson went out and stocked up on a bunch of linemen during the most recent recruiting cycle.

Some of those new faces were in the mix for playing time during training camp earlier this summer. Those practices served as a preview of what they’ll see on Saturdays this fall in the SWAC.

“They need to adapt to this league,” offensive line coach Steven Aycock said. “This (the SWAC) is the SEC of the HBCU circuit, and that’s the only way that I look at it. Everybody in this conference plays fast football, and they need to adjust to that.”

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SCSU Hamilton ready to dazzle in final season

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- • ANTONIO HAMILTON (r-Sr., Defensive Back/PR, 6-0, 185, Johnston) – The top returner in the nation and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will suit up for his final season in the Bulldog uniform. A double threat as a defender and return specialist ranks among the top academic scholars in this year’s senior class.

• LAST SEASON: Earned Second-Team and Third-Team All-MEAC honors while playing in 12 games. Led the nation (FCS I-AA) and MEAC with 15 punt returns for 384 yards (25.6 yards per return) and two touchdowns. Returned a 91-yard and 51-yard punt return for touchdown in back-to-back MEAC contests. On defense finished with 36 tackles (34 solo); 4.5 tackles for loss (18 yards); one sack, three interceptions; six pass deflects, and one fumble recovery.

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Tuskegee preview

FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY

1: Lacey’s time: Former Wetumpka star Kevin Lacey went into last season as the unproved backup, but he knows 2015 is his year. The 6-foot-6 quarterback took over as the starter midseason last year, but is coming into this year with the same attitude. Lacey completed 54 percent of his passes for 1,287 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions last season. He also ran for 220 yards and a touchdown. “Last year, coming in as a backup, you kind of want to work harder and practice like the starter. Now I am the starter, but I still don’t want to get complacent,” Lacey said. “I work hard and try to get better each and every day.”

2: Questions along O-line: The thing that’s worried Tuskegee coach Willie Slater most this offseason is, who’s going to block? The Golden Tigers have to replace all five starters along the offensive line, including All-SIAC selections Matthew Reese, Jamil McKenzie and Darrius Moore. “We’re going to be new all away across the front on the offensive line, so there’s a big question mark there,” Slater said. “I don’t know how good we can be, I do think we have potential there though. But we don’t have experience there, that’s the scary part.”

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