SWAC Football Teleconference - Week 13

Alabama A&M - James Spady 

Alabama State - Brian Jenkins

Alcorn State - Jay Hopson

Jackson State  - Derrick McCall

Mississippi Valley State - Rick Comegy

Prairie View A&M - Willie Simmons

Grambling State - Broderick Fobbs

Southern - Dawson Odums

Texas Southern - Darrell Asberry

Arkansas-Pine Bluff - Monte Coleman

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Lemon squeezes more of his talent to push JCSU Golden Bulls

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- Stedmon Lemon thought he knew it all.

In Lemon’s first season at Johnson C. Smith, the junior college transfer flashed brilliant offensive skills to earn all-CIAA recognition but didn’t always buy into coach Steve Joyner’s team-first concept. So, Lemon thought long and hard about his role with the Golden Bulls and decided to become more coachable.

“Last year I had a lot to say back,” he said. “This year, I’m trying to take a lot more in and trying to listen to become a better player because at the end of the day, I need him more than he needs me.”

The change in attitude is paying ...

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FAMU Lady Rattlers Upend Kennesaw 69-67 In Overtime

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  – It took an extra frame, but the Lady Rattlers of FAMU (2-3, 0-0 MEAC), defeated the Owls of Kennesaw State (2-4), 69-67 on a put-back by Khadejra Young. The game marked the first contest played in the Lawson Center under the new four quarter rule implemented this season by the NCAA.

Shalaunda Burney-Robinson had the hot hand for the Lady Rattlers, pacing the team in the first half. Head coach LeDawn Gibson credited her development as a sophomore to focusing on her play in the off season. “Shalaunda’s play was key for us getting off to a good start. Her improvement was expected this season as we were able to concentrate on her in the off season. Bringing back coach Latasha Shipman-Ganus was huge as well, as she specializes in teaching players how to maneuver in the post,” Gibson said.

Burney-Robinson and Young both led the Rattlers with 15 points each. Olivia Antilla scored 14 points and Cedricka Sweeting added 11 to round out the foursome of double-figure scorers. Burney-Robinson also led the Rattlers with eight rebounds, while also collecting two assists.

The Owls were led by Taylor Smith, who led all scorers with 17 points. Deandrea Sawyers had 12, Jasmine McAllister had 11 and Iceis Walker chipped in 10 to lead the Owls. McAllister would grab a game-high 13 rebounds to round out her double-double on the night.

The Rattlers led 21-17 after the first quarter and took a 34-32 lead into halftime. After the third quarter the score was 51-48 in favor of FAMU. At the end of regulation, the teams were tied at 63.

Gibson is please with the depth on her team. “Last season, I really couldn’t look down my bench and feel confident that the players we were putting in could get the job done. We had three key players lost before the season began. This season, I can look down with confidence and substitute at any position. That makes the difference in how we can stay in games. I’m proud of our ladies for hanging in there when we needed to,” Gibson said.

The Rattlers were dominated by KSU last season 79-58 in Kennesaw, Ga. The turnaround for this year’s team was not lost on the players. “We definitely felt like we owed them something for the way we got blown out last year,” Young said.



What’s next: The Lady Rattlers will travel to Kennesaw to play in the Kennesaw Tournament, Nov. 28-29.

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THE BRIGHT SIDE: Despite losing record, Savannah State football team makes strides

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- Earnest Wilson remains optimistic about building a winning football program at Savannah State. He’s in it for the long haul like a marathon runner stepping up to the starting line.

This isn’t the beginning for the Tigers’ third-year coach. Wilson now has two recruiting classes in place. He’s encouraged about his players’ improvement and strengthened by opposing coaches’ praise.

If ever there was a coach to run with the challenge of building a program at Savannah State, Wilson is the guy.

“I know I’m the right man for the job,” he said, after the season ended Saturday against South Carolina State.

The 2015 campaign had some incremental progress from the previous year — one more win, an offense producing four more points and 12 more offensive yards a game, a defense giving up 11 yards and three points less a game.

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HBCU notebook: B-CU's Williams puts bow on stellar senior season

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania -- When longtime intrastate rivals Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M battle in the annual Florida Classic in Orlando, Florida, it’s usually expected that a player on one of these teams is going to have a big-time performance.

This season’s matchup didn’t disappoint.

Bethune-Cookman quarterback Quentin Williams put on quite a show last Saturday at the Orlando Citrus Bowl, throwing three touchdown passes and rushing for another score to lead the Wildcats to a 35-14 victory over the Rattlers.

The 5-foot-11, 209-pound senior completed 15 of 18 passes for 226 yards, helping B-CU grab a share of its fourth consecutive MEAC championship. Williams also earned ESPN.com HBCU Player of the Week honors. B-CU shares the conference title with North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T. The Wildcats finished the season 9-2 overall and 7-1 in the MEAC.

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Grambling's resurgence has Williams' fingerprints, Fobbs' passion

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- There's an elephant in the room during this spectacular season at Grambling State, a campaign in which the Tigers have won eight straight heading into this weekend's Bayou Classic before a trip to the SWAC championship game the following week.

With every touchdown catch by Chad Williams and every kick return by Ka'Jandre Domino, there's been a keen observer of the Tigers residing in the nation's capital. And Doug Williams can only imagine what it would have been like coaching those players.

"You think about the success that they're having, you gotta think about the job that the coaches I brought in there did recruiting, because the guys that are making plays... every receiver we brought in there, except one," Williams said. "So we expected them to be doing what they're doing."

It was just two years ago that Williams was let go by the Tigers during a tumultuous 2013 season best remembered for players refusing to play a game against Jackson State for a myriad of issues including subpar facilities, poor allocation of travel money and long road trips. It was a complete bottoming out for a program once considered the gold standard for historically black colleges under the legendary Eddie Robinson.

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Who has SWAC’s best skill players?

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — Before the season started, Southern coach Dawson Odums talked up the Jaguars’ wide receiver corps as not only one of the best in the Southwestern Athletic Conference but in the country.

“We’re very talented at wide receiver,” Odums said before Southern played Louisiana Tech in September.

Led by Willie Quinn and Randall Menard at receiver and quarterback Austin Howard throwing to them, the defending SWAC West champions had all the pieces together. Throw in 1,000-yard rusher Lenard Tillery and the Jaguars boasted one of the top offenses and top skill players in the conference.

But through 10 games of the 2015 season, Grambling has claimed a stake in the SWAC arms race.

“I think our kids are the best players in the conference,” Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs said Monday. “Everybody has a guy or two to three guys that can get things done. We feel we have the best in the conference.”



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