Strong Second-Half Surge Lifts NSU over Hampton, 24-14

NORFOLK, Viriginia --  Norfolk State rebounded from a seven-point halftime deficit by outscoring Hampton 17-0 in the second half to take a 24-14 win in the 53rd annual Battle of the Bay on Saturday afternoon at Dick Price Stadium.

The win is the first in the NSU tenure of first-year Spartans' head coach Latrell Scott and came in the team's home opener after three straight road games against Division I FBS competition. The victory also gives the Spartans (1-3, 1-0 MEAC) their first two-game win streak against the Pirates (2-2, 1-1 MEAC) since 1990-91.

Gerard Johnson ran 20 times for 119 yards and a touchdown, his first 100-yard game as a Spartan. Quarterback Greg Hankerson Jr.passed for 176 yards and another score, and the Spartans scored 14 points off four Hampton turnovers.

Hampton had the 14-7 lead and the momentum heading into the second half after scoring a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. But NSU played its best quarter of the season in the third period, outscoring the Pirates 17-0. NSU took the second-half kickoff and drove 69 yards in 13 plays, capping the drive on Cameron Marouf's 24-yard field goal to draw within 14-10.

NSU forced a Hampton three-and-out on the next possession, then drove for the go-ahead score. Hankerson found Isaac White for a 12-yard TD pass with 3:16 left in the third quarter to give the Spartans a 17-14 lead. The big play on the drive was Hankerson's 3rd-and-7 completion for 37 yards to White where Hankerson eluded at least four Pirate pass-rushers and hurled a deep ball into the wind to White, who caught the ball on his knees.

The Spartans wasted little time in adding to their lead. NSU cornerback D'Metrius Williams intercepted Hampton quarterback David Watford on 3rd-and-21 on the Pirates' next possession, setting the Spartans up at the HU 38. Johnson dashed around the right end for 32 yards on the next play. Two plays later, freshman Quintreil Chung bulled his way into the end zone from 2 yards out, increasing the Spartans' advantage to 24-14 with 1:09 remaining in the quarter.

The NSU defense closed it out from there with a strong effort in the fourth quarter. The Spartans had two fourth-down stops and forced two turnovers in the fourth quarter. NSU linebacker Kyle Archie intercepted Watford with 2:10 remaining, and the Spartans sealed the win when Lamonte Clark sacked Watford, forced a fumble and Spartan linebacker James Byers recovered it with 1:14 left.

The Spartans took a 7-0 lead with 5:03 left in the first quarter when Johnson scored on a 23-yard TD run. The score was set up by aDeon King interception, which the senior linebacker returned to the Pirates 23.

Hampton seized control in the second quarter with two long scoring drives. Christopher Dukes' 7-yard TD run capped a 14-play, 90-yard drive with 7:03 left in the second quarter that knotted the score at 7-all. Watford then hit Rayshad Riddick with a 10-yard TD pass with 53 seconds left before halftime, capping a 12-play, 80-yard march to give HU a 14-7 lead going into the half.

Watford completed 21-of-44 passes for 180 yards and three interceptions for the Pirates. 

White (67 receiving yards) and DeAndre Sangster (34) led NSU with three receptions apiece. 

Safety Leroy Parker had a team-high 11 tackles, one for loss, for the Spartans. King tallied 10 tackles, one interception, half a tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries. Williams had a strong game in the secondary with six tackles, three pass breakups and an interception.

The Spartans are back on the road next week for a 1 p.m. game at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Box Score

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Skillon throws 2 TDs as MSU handles Howard 21-13

CHICAGO, Illinois -- Redshirt senior quarterback Moses Skillon threw two touchdowns as Morgan State defeated Howard 21-13 in Mid-Eastern Conference play on Saturday at the 18th annual Chicago Football Classic at Soldier Field.
 
Skillon played the biggest role in the victory by completing 16 of 29 passes for 211 yards for the Bears (1-2, 1-0). Redshirt senior wideout Andrew King also had a stellar night for the MEAC defending champions. King was on the receiving end of both of Skillon's touchdown passes and finished with a season-best 115 yards receiving.

Junior running back Orlando Johnson scored the first points of the game on a 3-yard touchdown run. The extra point by Chris Moller gave the Bears 7-0 lead at the 5:34 mark in the first quarter.
 
Skillon threw TD passes of 10 yards and a season-long 64-yards to King to extend the Bears lead to 21-0 midway through the second quarter.
 
Skillon had the Bears on the move again on their next possession, connecting with Ricky Fisk for a 7-yard pickup. But Fisk was stripped of the ball by Howard's Craig Johnson who took it 27 yards for a Bison touchdown, closing the gap to 21-7 at halftime.
 
In the second half, Morgan State went scoreless and gave up two field goals by Howard's John Fleck.
 
Howard's (0-4, 0-2) starting quarterback Jamie Cunningham struggled against the Bears aggressive defense. Cunningham threw for 58 yards, before being replaced by Kalen Johnson in the second quarter. Johnson completed 12 of 23 passes 96 yards and was sacked three times and was picked off by MSU's senior cornerback Desean Summers.
 
Morgan State's offense compiled 419 yards against the Bison defense to help post the Bears first win of the season and improved MSU head coach Lee Hull's record against Howard to 2-0.
 
Greg Gibson led the Bears defense with eight tackles, while Joel Scott harassed the Bison all night by recording three tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a pair of QB hurries and a sack. The Bears posted seven tackles for loss; seven hurries, three sacks and limited Howard's offense to a pair of field goals.

Bear Note
Lamont Brown III was named the Chicago Football Classic MVP. The redshirt junior led the Bears on the ground with 11 carries for 75 yards (6.8 avg).

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Southern University Human Jukebox Showcase at UGA

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TD returns help Grambling State hang on against Prairie View A&M

DALLAS, Texas -- On the Cotton Bowl turf Saturday night, Grambling State coach Broderick Fobbs wiped the sweat from his brow one last time.

Grambling State had just scored a wild 70-54 victory over Prairie View A&M in the Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic before an announced crowd of 51,328.

"I tell you, it's probably the ugliest football game we've played," Fobbs said. "It feels like we lost the game, but we're fortunate to get out of here with a victory."



Grambling (2-2, 2-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) never trailed and led by 22 points on four occasions. Prairie View (2-2, 2-1) stayed close and refused to fold.

The difference was Grambling sophomore Martez Carter.

In each half, Carter returned a kickoff for a touchdown, including a 100-yard, fourth-quarter return that appeared to take the wind out of Prairie View. With Grambling holding a 56-48 lead with 3:46 left, Carter fielded the kickoff in the end zone, found a crease in the middle of the field and outran the coverage.

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Pass rush, ground game came up big in JSU win

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State defensive coordinator Alonzo Lee said he would switch things up with his game plan after the defense had allowed an average of 51.6 points per game through the first three games of the season.

The Tigers' defense looked more aggressive in a 34-30 win against Texas Southern on Saturday. Lee believed the defensive front was going to cause some havoc soon and it certainly did against TSU.

JSU's defensive line accounted for five sacks. Defensive end Teddrick Terrell posted two, while fellow end Keontre Anderson had a sack and a half and defensive tackle Cornelius Henderson had one.

Henderson had eight tackles. Javancy Jones recorded half of a sack and eight tackles, too.

The Tigers piled up 10 tackles for loss.

TSU rushed for 151 yards, but 58 yards came on one play. The other 36 rushes went for just 93 yards.

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Alabama State Picks Up First Win at Mississippi Valley

HEAD COACH BRIAN JENKINS
ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY HORNETS

ITTA BENA, Mississippi -- Alabama State picked up their first win of the season and in the process Head Coach Brian Jenkins picked up his first win as the Hornets head coach as ASU defeated Mississippi Valley State 45-15.

 
"Our guys came out and played, they played physical and we executed early," Head Coach Brian Jenkins said.  "I'll tell you what Mississippi Valley is headed in the right direction.  They were a tough, physical football team and we had to earn everything we got tonight."

"My hat goes off to them they gave us a hard game tonight.  The scoreboard may not have shown it, but they made us fight every step of the way."
 
ASU's redshirt freshman quarterback Ellis Richardson had a coming out party tonight.  He had a hand in five touchdowns, rushing for three and throwing for two.  He had a game and career-high 98 yards rushing, with one of his scores coming on a 41 yard touchdown burst.  The others came on a three-yarder in the first quarter and a four-yard run to end the Hornets scoring.
 
He also completed 11 of his 18 passes for another game-high 127 yards and the two scores.  Of the Hornets 444 total yards, he was a part of 225 of them.
 
His first touchdown pass was a nine yard fade route to Josh Davis early in the game and he threw a strike to tight end Wyndell Archie from 28 yards out in the third.
 
"We settled him (Richardson) down and put him in situations he could be successful in and we finally out graded our offense," Jenkins said.  "Finally our guys understood doing their job.  We challenged each guy to just do his job and they did that tonight and we were able to execute our offense."
 
The Hornets rushed for a season-high 317 yards on 45 carries averaging seven yards per carry.
 
The Hornets defense had their most complete game of the year allowing 281 total yards, with half of those coming in the fourth quarter with the outcome already decided.
 
The Delta Devils only managed 97 yards rushing on 24 carries, and had a tough night throwing the ball as well.  MVSU played three quarterbacks and between them completed 22 of their 43 attempts for 184 yards.
 
Once again, Kourtney Berry led the way with a game-high 13 tackles and Dominique Jacksonchipped in with 10.  ASU had nine tackles in the backfield and also had a fumble recovery and an interception.
 
The Hornets kicking game continues to be a strength as Trevor Vincent averaged 40 yards per punt and also pulled down a fake punt in the opening half and ran for 12 yards and a first down to keep a scoring drive going.
 
Freshman David Albert continues to be solid on all field goals and extra points, knocking down a 21 yard field goal and connecting on his six extra point attempts.
 
Tonight's game was the first of four games in 20 days for the Hornets.  The first of two short weeks begins next as ASU will travel to Houston to face Texas Southern Thursday, Oct. 1 in an ESPNU telecast game set for 6:30 p.m.
 
A reminder for the media as the Hornets enters the short week.  Jenkins weekly press conference will be moved from Wednesday to Tuesday at 1 p.m. and his radio show which usually runs on Thursday night will also move to Tuesday.  It will still be held at Wow Wings in Eastdale Mall and will begin at 6 p.m.

BOX SCORE

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East: Forgot those FBS blowouts — Southern had as good of an opening month as anyone could hope for

ATHENS, Georgia — Realistically, September couldn’t have gone any better than it did for Southern.

Sure, it began with a lopsided loss (62-15 at Louisiana Tech) and ended with another (48-6 at No. 7 Georgia on Saturday).

But this month and this season were never going to be judged by the outcome of those games, which earned the Jaguars a cool $1 million combined.

That’s a big boost to Southern’s bottom line, and the football bottom line is looking pretty good, too.

That’s because the Jaguars sandwiched two Southwestern Athletic Conference victories — 50-13 at Mississippi Valley State and 50-31 against Jackson State in the lone home game to date — between those games against Football Bowl Subdivision foes.

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No. 7 Georgia pulls away from Southern in the third quarter for 48-6 victory

ATHENS, Georgia — Southern has a football team, too.

Much of the attention around these parts leading up the Jaguars’ game at No. 7 Georgia on Saturday focused on Southern’s widely acclaimed marching band.

The expectation was that the Bulldogs would have victory in hand well before the Human Jukebox took the field for halftime at Sanford Stadium, allowing the faithful to relax and enjoy the show before looking ahead to next week’s Southeastern Conference game against Alabama.

But the Jaguars football team created some anticipation for the second half as well.

Southern settled down after falling behind by 17 points in the first quarter, closed within 11 and was behind just 14 points at halftime.



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A happy Homecoming and a Louis Crews Classic win for the Bulldogs

NORMAL, Alabama   – The Alabama A&M offense took a while to get warmed up Saturday, but when it did, it produced – to the detriment of visiting Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The Bulldogs (1-2 overall, 1-1 SWAC) trailed 9-7 at intermission but erupted for three third-quarter touchdowns in a 28-9 Homecoming win over UAPB.  The win was the first at home for second-year Head Coach James Spady and it ended a two-game losing streak to the Golden Lions.

"I'm proud of the second-half adjustments our coaches made," Spady said. "Our team really gave great effort and executed well in the second half.

"They pressed and won the game."

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Saturday's win also made the Homecoming festivities much more enjoyable for the Bulldogs fans.

"It's a happy Homecoming for the Bulldog faithful," Spady said.

The offense chewed up 206 yards on the ground on the strength of Harvey Harris' 131 yards rushing on 14 carries. For Harris, a sophomore, it was the third 100-yard game of his career.

The Bulldogs added another 339 through the air as quarterback De'Angelo Ballard was 20 of 30 passing with no interceptions and three touchdowns while Tevin McKenzie scored three touchdowns.

For UAPB, Marcus Terrell was 15 of 25 for 279 yards, one interception and one touchdown – that to Brian Handley to give the Golden Lions a 6-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Golden Lions, leading 6-0, ran the score to 9-0 just 13 seconds into the second quarter on Jamie Gillan's 23-yard field goal.

After that it was all A&M.

McKenzie scored on a 29-yard run in Spady's pistol offense and Cesar Ramon-Diaz's point after made it 9-7 with 5:56 left in the half. The Bulldogs had a last-second chance to take the lead at the half, but Ramon-Diaz's 23-yard field was blocked.

But the Bulldogs wasted little time in the second half, taking the kickoff and marching 78 yards in 7 plays, capped by a 14-yard touchdown pass from Ballard to McKenzie to take a 14-9 lead.

A&M ran the score to 21-9 on a Ballard-to-McKenzie 34-yard touchdown pass. The two-play, 87-yard drive was highlighted by a 53-yard over-the-shoulder catch from Ballard to Devon Johnson.

The Bulldogs later capitalized on a turnover on UAPB's next possession when Ballard found O'Darious Williams for a 9-yard touchdown pass and a 28-9 lead with 5:19 left in the third quarter.

A&M is on the road next Saturday at Coastal Carolina.



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Alcorn State overcome slow start to defeat Concordia College

LORMAN, Mississippi - Braves overcome slow start to defeat Concordia College, 40-7

Despite a slow offensive start in the first half, the Alcorn State University Braves (2-0, 3-1) picked up the pace in the second half to defeat the Concordia College Hornets (0-3) 40-7.

MARQUIS WARFORD was responsible for the Braves two first half scores with an 8-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter and a 62-yard touchdown on a pass from JOHN GIBBS JR. to give the Braves a 13-0 lead going into the second half.

The Braves came out swinging in the third quarter. Darryn Ragsdale, who finished the game with 137 rushing yards, finessed his way through the Hornets' defense for an 85-yard rushing touchdown to put the Braves up 19-0. A few plays later, Gibbs completed a 69-yard touchdown pass to JORDAN PAYNE to add to the lead.

Aaron Baker kept the Braves momentum going in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run. Backup quarterback LENORRIS FOOTMAN threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to JORDAN PAYNE for his second touchdown of the game to put the Braves up 40-0. The Hornets avoided a shut out with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Jarvis Chambers to Marquis Wade for their only score of the game.

The Braves will travel to Little Rock, Arkansas to take on Arkansas-Pine Bluff next Saturday at 4 p.m.

Braves fans are encouraged to log on to alcornsports.com for the latest news, scores and updates on Alcorn State athletics. Fans can also access the latest information on Alcorn State athletics through social media by following @BRAVESSPORTS on Twitter, @alcornstatesports on Instagram or liking the Facebook page at Facebook.com/AlcornStateSports

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XU's Bruins reaches consolation final at South Regional

Sha'Nel Bruins: junior from Colfax, La., and graduate of Grant High School

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Sha'Nel Bruins won three women's singles consolation matches Saturday to reach the title round of the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional Championships at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center.
    
Bruins, a junior, won 8-2 in the opening round against Luz Padilla of Point, 8-2 against Kirsten Dickens of Brenau in the quarterfinals and 8-2 against Patricia Recalde of Brenau in the semifinals. Bruins will play Georgia Gwinnett's Judith van Fraaijenhoven in the final at 9 a.m. Sunday at XU Tennis Center. Xavier will be the site of the finals after two days at City Park.
    
 Bruins is Xavier's only representative in the finals. Georgia Gwinnett produced all the finalists in the main draw of men's and women's singles and in men's and women's doubles.
    
Bruins and Brandi Nelson lost 8-4 to Auburn Montgomery's fourth-seeded Celine Lenertz and Alejandra Gil in the quarterfinals of doubles.
    
XU newcomer Karan Salwan suffered his first losses of the fall in the semifinals of singles and doubles. Salwan lost 6-3, 6-1 to defending champion and top-seeded Jordan Cox in singles and, playing with Tushar Mandlekar, lost 8-3 in doubles to unseeded Lachlan McPhee and Matias Hatem. Salwan was seeded fourth in singles and second in doubles with Mandlekar.
    
Xavier's fourth-seeded Kyle Montrel and Kevin Chaouat lost 8-5 to Georgia Gwinnett's Tony Licata and Luke Moreland in men's doubles quarterfinals. In singles quarterfinals, fifth-seeded Montrel lost 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8) to third-seeded Hatem.
    
The all-Georgia Gwinnett finals will consist of Cox against second-seeded Kevin Konfederak in men's singles, top-seeded Cox and Konfederak against McPhee and Hatem in doubles, top-seeded Valeria Podda against Alyona Vasilyeva in women's singles and second-seeded Podda and Helga Pinones against Vasilyeva and Chiara Di Salvo in doubles. Vasilyeva and Di Salvo upset AUM's top-seeded Paula Diaz and Anna Rudolfova 8-6 in the quarterfinals.
    
Also starting at 9 a.m. will be the doubles finals. The main-draw singles finals will follow.
    
The men's singles consolation final will be played in Hattiesburg, Miss., because William Carey teammates Andreas Brune and Leonard Sechi are the participants. Sechi defeated Xavier's Adam Albrecht 9-8 (7-5) in the first round.

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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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XU's Salwan, Montrel reach quarterfinals of NAIA South Regional

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Karan Salwan and Kyle Montreleach won a pair of men's singles matches Friday to advance to the quarterfinals of the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional Championships at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center.
     
Salwan, the No. 4 seed, defeated Kyle Howell of Point 6-0, 6-0 and Matias Destefanis of Auburn Montgomery 6-3, 6-1. Salwan will play Georgia Gwinnett's sixth-seeded Lachlan McPhee next.
     
Montrel, seeded fifth, rallied to defeat WIlliam Carey's Andreas Brune 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-1) in the opening round, then beat AUM's Federico Lombisano 6-3, 6-2. Montrel will meet Georgia Gwinnett's third-seeded Matias Hatem next.
     
Montrel and Salwan also advanced to the doubles quarterfinals. Montrel and Kevin Chaouat, seeded fourth, defeated Point's Howell and Steven Tracy 8-2. Salwan andTushar Mandlekar, seeded second, beat William Carey's Hunt Guidry and Leonard Sechi 8-4.
     
Xavier's Sha'Nel Bruins and Brandi Nelson advanced to the women's doubles quarterfinals after an 8-2 victory against William Carey's Hannah Bradford and Kayla Rycraft. The Gold Nuggets' Vashni Balleste upset Brenau's sixth-seeded Patricia Recalde 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of singles but was eliminated in the next round.
     
Main-draw quarterfinals and semifinals and all remaining rounds of consolation singles will be played Saturday at City Park. The finals will be Sunday at XU Tennis Center.

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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Southern's Gales undergoes successful surgery Sunday

ATHENS, Georgia -- Southern University wide receiver Devon Gales underwent a successful spinal surgery Sunday afternoon.

Gales suffered several fractures in his neck that were stabilized. He continues to have movement in his upper body and remains in good spirits and will remain at Athens Regional until he is released to return to Baton Rouge for further treatment.

The Gales family, along with Interim Athletics Director Roman Banks and the entire Southern University family, would like to thank Athens General, The University of Georgia and all of the many people who aided in his care during this unfortunate event. We are extremely thankful for all of the prayers and well wishes that Devon has received from many people nationwide.

Also, special thanks to the Georgia football program and Sports Medicine staff for all of their love and support that they have shown Devon during this difficult time.

Due to the overwhelming amount of love shown to them from everyone, the family is asking for privacy at this time. They appreciate and request your continued prayers and thoughts.

If you would like to send cards or well wishes to Devon, please send them to:

SU Athletics:
C/o Devon Gales
PO Box 9942
Baton Rouge, LA 70813

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FAMU Lets TSU Slip Away In Home Opener, 30-14

Devondrick Nealy gives FAMU the early lead with an 83-yard punt return
against Tennessee State.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  The visiting Tennessee State Tigers staged a 23-point scoring surge in the second half to overtake the FAMU Rattler football team for a 30-14 non-conference victory in Bragg Memorial Stadium Saturday night.

The setback saw the homestanding Rattlers (0-4) hold a 14-7 lead early in the third period on a 46-yard pass from Carson Royal to Kareem Smith, which broke a 7-7 halftime tie, with 12:05 left in the frame.

FAMU electrified their home fans who came 18,020 strong for the 2015 home opener, when former Jefferson County prep star Devondrick Nealy took at TSU punt and scorched the far sideline for an 83-yard TD return and a 7-0 lead with 11:03 left in the half.

Tennessee State (3-1) would even the count 7-7 before halftime when Tallahassee native Ronald Butler tossed a 12-yard scoring strike to to Mahlon Medley.

The Rattlers 14-7 third quarter lead faded late in the frame, when Butler hit Patrick Smith with a 38-yard scoring toss for a 14-14 tie with 4:54 left.

Things continued to slide away from the Rattlers, when Jason Morrow tackled running back Devondrick Nealy in the end zone for a safety, and a 16-14 TSU lead with 44 seconds left in the third.

Ronald Butler tossed his third scoring pass of the game in the fourth period, capping a 68-yard drive with a 32-yarder to Patrick Smith for a 23-14 edge with 13:32 left in the game.

TSU closed out the game with a 13-play, 80-yard drive, capped by Erick Evans’ one-yard run with 31 seconds left.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: The Rattler Defense stood up strong for the most part Saturday, holding TSU to 370 yards, well under their pre-game average…. FAMU rushed for 40 yards on 27 carries, led by Nealy’s 20-yards on five carries…. QB Carson Royal passed for 161 yards and a score, on 10 of 21 passing, while Brandon Norwood led with four receptions for 47 yards…. Ronald Butler of TSU went 16-for-34, for 194 yards and three TDs through the air, while Tevin Hooks led the Tigers’ ground game with 117 yards on 13 carries, and Patrick Smith topped the TSU receiving charts with seven grabs for 109 yards and two scores…. LB Akil Blount had 11 tackles to lead the FAMU defense, with DT Michael Lovejoy and LB Kashawn Butler each getting five solo stops.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Rattlers hit the road for the only time in October, as they head to Savannah,COU Georgia to face winless Savannah State next Saturday, October 3 at 7 p.m. in T.A. Wright Stadium.

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Southern issues statement on WR Devon Gales status

ATHENS, Georgia --Southern University wide receiver Devon Gales sustained a spinal injury during Saturday's contest against the University of Georgia in Sanford Stadium.

Gales will remain under the care of the doctors at Athens Regional until further notice.

Southern University and the Jaguar Nation asks for your continued prayers for Devon and the entire Gales family during this difficult time.

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WSSU Rams 'want to get this win for Gaddy'

ROCKY MOUNT, North Carolina  -- More adversity hit Winston-Salem State this week when a player was seriously injured in practice.

As if the Rams’ 0-3 record wasn’t bad enough, they now must begin conference play with heavy hearts as freshman Marquise Gaddy recovers from spinal cord injuries at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

The Rams take on Elizabeth City State at 4 p.m. in Rocky Mount in the Down East Viking Football Classic. The game, which will be played on the natural grass field at the Rocky Mount Athletic Complex, can be heard locally on WTOB (1380).

“To be honest, we are 0-3, so we should be motivated already,” said safety James Bullock of the Rams. “But we look at Gaddy as a family member, and we will carry him with us even if he can’t be with us physically. We want to get this win for Gaddy.”

WSSU players will wear a special decal with Gaddy’s number 28 on their helmets for this game. The decals arrived in Rocky Mount on Friday night and will be applied to their helmets before the game.

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3 keys to success for Bethune-Cookman against Savannah State in MEAC football opener

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DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  -- It's been a mixed bag for Bethune-Cookman in its opening three games of the football season.

After suffering a 45-0 blowout loss at Miami, the Wildcats responded by winning a 56-53 shootout over Grambling State. Last week, in its home opener, B-CU committed three turnovers but survived a scare from Division II Lane College for a 7-3 victory.

However, the Wildcats have consistently dominated Saturday's opponent, Savannah State. They have won the last 15 meetings against the Tigers, dating back to 1992, by a combined score of 600-180.

Savannah State enters on a 23-game losing streak overall. Its last win came against Fort Valley State, another Division II program, on Sept. 14, 2013.

Here are three keys to success as the Wildcats look to improve to 3-1.

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Given another chance, Norfolk State coach Latrell Scott uses his experiences as a life lesson

NORFOLK, Virginia  --  Browsing through his T-shirt drawer Tuesday morning, Latrell Scott found several of the blue and white variety. Those were his colors in college, he’s proud to say, and they’ll always be a part of his wardrobe..

Just not on this Tuesday morning. It wouldn’t look good for Norfolk State’s football coach to show up at his first “Battle of the Bay” news conference with a Hampton University T-shirt. Even if it was underneath his dark suit and green and gold tie.

Because while Scott’s diploma says Hampton University, his paycheck is signed by Norfolk State.



Norfolk State coach Latrell Scott discusses his team's 0-3 start against a killer schedule.

“My wife and I are both Hampton graduates, so a lot of our friends kid us about it,” said Scott, who played tight end at HU from 1994-98. “I don’t make any bones about it, I’m a Hampton fan outside of the business. I look at their score every week. I’ve gotten a hundred messages saying, ‘Good luck, but we’re not pulling for you.’ ”

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3 TSU coaches have JSU on resumes

JACKSON, Mississippi  -- Texas Southern coach Darrell Asberry played quarterback, earned team MVP honors as a senior and was an assistant coach and offensive coordinator at Jackson State.

TSU assistant head coach/offensive line coach Carl Roberts spent many years as JSU’s offensive line coach. TSU offensive coordinator John Shannon held the same post at JSU from 1994 to 2000. He was named AFCA Division I-AA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2000 and took home some other awards that season.

As of Monday, the three coaches hadn’t had the chance to talk about TSU’s matchup with JSU in the W.C. Gorden Classic, which kicks off at 6 p.m. tonight at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, but they grasped the significance.

“We haven’t all sat down and talked about the game,” Asberry said during the SWAC teleconference on Monday. “The relationship us three have is very unique and we understand, as coaches, what this one means to us.

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Football Preview: West Georgia vs. Clark Atlanta

CARROLLTON, Georgia  --  It's Homecoming for the University of West Georgia, as the Wolves will put their national ranking on the line at University Stadium on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. This week's opponent for the 2nd-ranked team in the nation will be in-state and in-region foe Clark Atlanta. The Wolves come into the game with a 3-0 record on the year, while the Panthers are 0-3.

Gameday Timeline
8:00 AM - UWG Athletic Complex Opens for Tailgating
8:00-10:00 AM - Setup allowed for The Hill (Student Zone Tailgate)
10:00 AM - Homecoming Parade
12:00 PM - Ticket Booths Open/The Hill Opens
12:30 PM - Wolf Walk at Wolf Plaza (Greet the team)
After the Wolf Walk - Gates Open
2:00 PM - UWG vs. Clark Atlanta

It's a new week for the West Georgia Wolves, a team that seems to be dominating the Special Teams landscape in the Gulf South Conference after the first three weeks of the season under new Special Teams Coordinator Matt O'Brien.

The Wolves have produced the first three GSC Special Teams Players of the week from three different areas of the game. Telvin Brown won it after the first week as a punt returner, then Hunter Heck the second week as a kicker. Last week, it was Marcus Sayles and his efforts to block two punts that earned that title.

Senior quarterback Dallas Dickey made it two of the four weekly Gulf South Conference awards, as he was 15-of-21 for 180 yards and four touchdowns last week. The four scores were the most for an individual thus far on the year in the GSC.

West Georgia's defense continues to dominate, allowing just 35 yards rushing to Fayetteville State last weekend and giving up an average of 215 yards per game on the season.

The West Georgia Wolves come into the fourth week of the 2015 season with an opportunity to move to 4-0 for the second time in as many years. UWG reached 5-0 last year before their first loss of the season, which many would say helped propel them to a region championship. The Wolves welcome Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe Clark Atlanta this week, a return game from last year's road game in Atlanta.

This will be the eigth meeting between the two teams, with West Georgia holding a 5-2 lead in the all-time series. The Wolves won the last meeting, last season in Atlanta by a 42-2 margin. This will be the fifth different venue in the history of this series, as the two programs have met at Grisham Stadium, Roy Richards Stadium, Panther Stadium and Lakewood Stadium before this weekend's contest in University Stadium.

West Georgia is coached by Will Hall, who is in his second season at West Georgia. He has an overall record of 40-14 in his fifth year as a head coach. In 18 games at the helm of the UWG program, Hall is 15-3. The interim head coach at Clark Atlanta is Kevin Ramsey, who is in his first season as the leader of the football program for the Panthers after three seasons at Alabama State as the defensive coordinator.

Injuries have hobbled the Wolves in recent weeks, but Hall and his staff have placed three starters who have been out in recent weeks back into the depth chart for the coming weekend. Senior safety Carlos Hutton saw limited action against Miles, but was out against Catawba and Fayetteville State. Junior running back LaMarcus Franks, who was the No. 1 back coming out of fall camp, has yet to see the field and junior receiver Telvin Brown, who returned a punt for a touchdown in the opening week. All three are back in the depth chart for the CAU game.

West Georgia has three individuals who are leading the nation in a statistical category, led by senior quarterback Dallas Dickey, who is tops in the nation in completion percentage at .738. Punt returner Telvin Brown, who should return this week in a receivers role, but he is tied for first in the nation in punt returns for a touchdown. Senior kicker Hunter Heck is tied for best in the nation in field goal percentage, as he is perfect on the year and junior cornerback Marcus Sayles is tied for #1 in the nation in blocked kicks with three.

Dickey has had one of his best years as a passer thus far this season, but he is also the Wolves' leading active rusher. He has 378 career carries for 1,455 yards and 17 touchdowns. The yardage is good for 14th all-time at UWG and is the best among quarterback, and he is 33 yards from moving into 12th place on the all-time list.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA SPORTS INFORMATION

Former Southern basketball star, coach Tommy Green dies Friday at 59

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Former Southern star basketball player and head coach Tommy Green, a 1991 inductee to the school’s Hall of Fame, died Friday. He was 59.

Current Southern men’s basketball coach and athletic director Roman Banks and Cheryl Michelet, communications director at BREC, confirmed Green’s death Friday. Green had served as BREC’s director of athletics for several years, ending in the fall of 2012.

A 1978 cum laude journalism graduate at Southern, Green was a longtime assistant men’s basketball at Southern, starting in 1987-88, and took over the program in September 1996 after Ben Jobe left to take over at Tuskegee.

Green went 74-64 in five seasons before being let go after the first year of a three-year contract, in March 2001.

Green was selected in the second round of the NBA draft by the New Orleans Jazz in 1978 after the point guard helped Southern to the Southwestern Athletic Conference title that season. He was co-captain that season, his fourth as a starter after a standout career at Baton Rouge’s McKinley High.

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Gameday preview: Southern at Georgia

ATHENS, Georgia -- THE NEXT LEVEL: Jaguars plan to go full speed at Georgia, then heal up in the open week

Southern coach Dawson Odums was half-kidding when he said earlier this week, “Hopefully, we’ll come back with the same number of guys we go up there with.”

But realistically, the Jaguars’ physical condition coming out of this game is a legitimate concern.

Georgia’s players are bigger, stronger and faster than Southern’s overall. Additionally, the Bulldogs have about two dozen more scholarship players, enabling them to constantly rotate fresh players into the game to face weary ones.

In short, this is a physical mismatch.

“We definitely want to stay healthy because we have a whole season ahead of us,” nose tackle Gabe Echols said.



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Xavier's Salwan, Montrel reach NAIA South Region quarterfinals

Tournament home page

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Karan Salwan and Kyle Montrel each won a pair of men's singles matches Friday to advance to the quarterfinals of the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional Championships at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center.
   
Salwan, the No. 4 seed, defeated Kyle Howell of Point 6-0, 6-0 and Matias Destefanis of Auburn Montgomery 6-3, 6-1. Salwan will play Georgia Gwinnett's sixth-seeded Lachlan McPhee next.

Montrel, seeded fifth, rallied to defeat WIlliam Carey's Andreas Brune 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-1) in the opening round, then beat AUM's Federico Lombisano 6-3, 6-2. Montrel will meet Georgia Gwinnett's third-seeded Matias Hatem next.
    
Montrel and Salwan also advanced to the doubles quarterfinals. Montrel and Kevin Chaouat, seeded fourth, defeated Point's Howell and Steven Tracy 8-2. Salwan and Tushar Mandlekar, seeded second, beat William Carey's Hunt Guidry and Leonard Sechi 8-4.
    
Xavier's Sha'Nel Bruins and Brandi Nelson advanced to the women's doubles quarterfinals after an 8-2 victory against William Carey's Hannah Bradford and Kayla Rycraft. The Gold Nuggets' Vashni Balleste upset Brenau's sixth-seeded Patricia Recalde 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of singles but was eliminated in the next round.
    
Main-draw quarterfinals and semifinals and all remaining rounds of consolation singles will be played Saturday at City Park. The finals will be Sunday at XU Tennis Center.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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