Southern wary of long road trip to Alabama, Odums incidentally 'took all the shine'

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- This weekend’s trip to Alabama A&M is so long, senior offensive lineman Jamal Boulden’s music playlist won’t even cover half of it.

“After four hours the playlist repeats itself,” Boulden said. “But I plan on being in deep sleep by then.”

Southern’s trip to Huntsville, Alabama, will take eight and a half hours by bus. It is the longest road trip on the Jaguars schedule this season, and it’s why the team is leaving on Thursday instead of its usual departure day of Friday. Coach Dawson Odums doesn’t want the team having a travel hangover.

“It’s been a tough game,” Odums said. “It’s off the beaten path. It’s like you’re driving, then all of a sudden the school shows up.”

Odums said the travel itself is not that big of an issue since it doesn’t throw the team’s schedule off too much. But there’s also the additional challenge Odums figures to encounter during the game itself.

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Derrick Griffin dismissed from Texas Southern football team

HOUSTON, Texas --Two-sport Texas Southern star Derrick Griffin has been dismissed from the Tigers’ football team but will remain eligible for basketball.

Griffin will remain eligible to play basketball at Texas Southern for his sophomore year under former Indiana head coach Mike Davis. The forward took to Twitter Tuesday morning to share his outlook and imply that his focus will now shift to basketball, rather than an effort to transfer and get another shot on the gridiron.



In Griffin’s 2015-16 redshirt freshman basketball campaign, he was awarded the SWAC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, First team All-SWAC and was an honorable mention AP All-American.

The two-sport star, whose name has been removed from the Texas Southern football roster on its athletics site, was equally impressive on the football field for TSU last season. He was named Second Team All-SWAC and led the conference with 11 touchdown catches. He had six catches for 90 yards and one TD this season before his dismissal.

Griffin was once considered the No. 3 recruit in the nation at wide receiver and signed to play football at Miami, but was ruled academically ineligible, leading him to Texas Southern.

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SCSU Bulldogs' Coach Pough on 0-3 start: We will move on

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- SC State head football coach Buddy Pough readily admits he never wants to have three straight FBS-level programs on the Bulldogs schedule again.

Playing at Central Florida, Louisiana Tech and Clemson the past three Saturdays was an experience, but not one Pough or members of his program want to relive.

In three losses, the Bulldogs were shut out twice and lost by a total score of 150-24, with the most lopsided loss coming on Saturday at Clemson in a 59-0 defeat.

Of course, Pough and his team knew this was going to be a tough September, perhaps the toughest any SC State football team has ever faced, in terms of competition.

But, even with the Bulldogs athletic department bringing in right around $1 million in funding from the three larger FBS programs for enduring the back-to-back-to-back road losses, there is still little consolation for a young team trying to improve each week.



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Jackson State to "evaluate" quarterback position

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State may have a new starting quarterback this weekend.

Coach Tony Hughes said Monday that the Tigers plan to “evaluate” the position ahead of their game against the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 4 p.m. Saturday in Little Rock, Arkansas, though he added the team does that each week at every position.

A change seems possible after senior LaMontiez Ivy was pulled after just three possessions in last Saturday’s 35-14 home loss to Grambling State. He had been 5 of 8 for 46 yards and had just thrown his third interception of the season, but Hughes said the two weren’t related and that the team planned to use Lyles in the game regardless.

“It had to do with we need(ed) a spark,” Hughes said. “We need(ed) to maybe change something up. Let’s go with the fastball pitcher. We’ve tried the changeup pitcher.”

Redshirt freshman Brent Lyles went 19 of 35 for 150 yards and an interception in place of Ivy and made his case for the role after leading the Tigers (0-3, 0-1 SWAC) on several drives.

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'Sky's the limit' at Grambling thanks to improved defense

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — The last few years around Grambling's football program have brought about high-scoring, potent offenses with feast or famine defenses.

Shootouts generally ensued with the Tigers' defense ranking toward the bottom of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. When the defense did play well, it was often short-lived for a week or two at a time.

So far in 2016, Grambling is operating smoothly as a complete football team, one equipped with a strong offense and a capable defense. Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs learned as much in Grambling's 35-14 win at Jackson State over the weekend. The Tigers allowed just one offensive touchdown and held JSU to 275 yards of offense.

"The mark of a team that has a chance to be a successful team is having the ability to win in several different ways," Fobbs said. "Last week I thought we did a really good job of really playing good defense and then our offense complemented our defense. In times past, our defense has always complemented our offense."

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Rush win 2 doubles titles, repeat as HBCU team champ

COLLEGE PARK, Georgia — Xavier University of Louisiana won a pair of doubles titles Saturday to help the Gold Rush repeat as men's team champion in the 16th annual HBCU National Tennis Championships.
     
The four-man XULA squad finished two points ahead of Florida A&M. XULA was the only NAIA member in the 17-school event. Thirteen teams were from NCAA Division I, and three were from NCAA Division II.
     
"We obviously did not have the deepest lineup here," said 14th-year XULA coach Alan Green, whose Gold Rush were the NAIA national runner-up in May, "but our four guys competed hard for three straight days and found a way to get it done. I could not be prouder of the effort they gave."
     
Thomas Setodji and Karan Salwan defeated Bluefield State's Anthony Braem and Alexander Rudeco 8-3 in the A-bracket doubles final. Tushar Mandlekar and Adam Albrecht won the B-bracket in an 8-6 decision against North Carolina Central's Sebastian Bromley and Brooks Campbell.
     
Salwan, Mandlekar and Albrecht repeated as HBCU doubles champions. A year ago Salwan won the A-bracket with Mandlekar, and Albrecht and then-senior Manav Chakmawon the B-bracket.
     
Also winning an individual title was senior Sha'Nel Bruins, who prevailed in the women's singles consolation B-bracket in an 8-6 decision against Bethune-Cookman's Phatsimo Ruele.
     
The Gold Rush produced a pair of singles runner-ups. Setodji lost 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4 to NC Central's Gabriel Cucalon in the A-bracket final, and Mandlekar lost 6-0, 6-1 to FAMU's Courage Okungbowa in the B-bracket final. Cucalon ended Salwan's bid for a second consecutive A-bracket title with a 6-3, 6-1 decision in the semifinals.
    
"When you look back on how our guys scored their points, a huge match was when Adam and Tush won in the doubles quarterfinals," Green said. "They saved two match points and came back and won in a tiebreaker. If we don't win that match, we don't repeat as team champion."
     
XULA will return to Georgia next week for its second fall event, the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional Chamoionships at Lawrenceville. That tournament will begin Friday.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Aggies, Golden Tigers Remain On Top in Week 3 of HSRN Polls

HARTLY, Delaware – Despite a loss to Tulsa, North Carolina A&T maintained its top spot in the HSRN FCS Football Poll. Tuskegee University remained on top in the Division II/NAIA Poll thanks to a come-from-behind win over Florida A&M in the 5th Quarter Classic in Mobile, AL.

In the Division I FCS poll, Tennessee State jumped from 4th to 2nd and picked up three first place votes. Grambling State, Prairie View A&M and Alcorn State completed the top five. Hampton and Arkansas-Pine Bluff entered the top ten for the first time this season. The Pirates claimed the moniker of “The Real HU” by knocking off Howard, 34-7, in the Nation’s Football Classic. UAPB edged Alcorn State, 45-43, in three overtimes before a national television audience on ESPNU.

In Division II, Tuskegee’s 20-17 win over Florida A&M left no doubt about their strength in the division. The Golden Tigers are undefeated and captured 11 of 12 first place votes of the HSRN pollsters.

Virginia State held on to second place leading a strong representation for the CIAA. Virginia Union, Lane and Bowie State complete the top five. VUU (8th to 3rd) and Albany State (9th to 6th) made the biggest jumps this week. Chowan returned to the top ten following a 35-28 win over West Florida.

Week 3 – Rankings
Division I FCS
	School (First Place Votes)	Record	Pts	Last Week
1	North Carolina A&T (10)	2-1	125	1
2	Tennessee State (3)	3-0	111	4
3	Grambling State	1-1	108	3
4	Prairie View A&M	2-1	81	5
5	Alcorn State	1-1	73	2
6	Southern	1-2	64	6
7	Bethune-Cookman	0-2	51	5
8	North Carolina Central	1-2	33	9T
9	Hampton	1-2	25	NR
10	Arkansas-Pine Bluff	1-2	13	NR
	Others receiving votes
	S.C. State, Alabama A&M, Texas Southern
	Alabama State, Morgan State
Division II/NAIA
	School (First Place Votes)	Record	Pts	Last Week
1	Tuskegee (11)	3-0	116	1
2	Virginia State	3-0	101	2
3	Virginia Union	1-2	63	8
4	Lane	3-0	62	5
5	Bowie State	1-2	61	3
6	Albany State	1-2	44	9
7	Winston-Salem State	1-2	31	4
8	Miles	1-1	26	7
9	Chowan	2-1	25	NR
10	Morehouse	2-1	23	6
	Others receiving votes
	Langston (1), Fort Valley St., Elizabeth City St.,Benedict,
	Johnson C. Smith, Shaw, Fayetteville St.

Mizzou Football Looks For Rebound vs. Delaware State

GAME 4: Mizzou (1-4) vs. Delaware State (0-2) | GAME NOTES | DEPTH CHART
Date: Saturday, Sept. 24	SEC Network Dave Neal, Matt Stinchcomb Olivia Harlan
Time: 3:00 p.m. CT
City: Columbia, Mo.	Tiger Network (Sirius 93 / XM 192) Mike Kelly, Howard Richards, Chris Gervino
Site: Faurot Field / Memorial Stadium (71,168)

COLUMBIA, Missouri -- Mizzou Football and head coach Barry Odom will look for a bounce-back win as they welcome Delaware State of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to The Zou on Saturday (Sept. 24) for a 3 p.m. kickoff on SEC Network. Mizzou is 15-0 all-time against teams from the FCS, including a 34-3 win over Southeast Missouri in last year's season-opener.

Coach Odom's team suffered a 28-27 setback at the hands of Georgia last weekend as the Bulldogs scored the go-ahead score with 1:29 remaining on a 20-yard TD pass from Jacob Eason to WR Isaiah McKenzie on 4th-and-10 to stun the Tigers, who led for much of the game. Mizzou nearly got into field goal range after WR J'Mon Moore took his eighth catch into Bulldog territory on the first play of the ensuing drive, but a fumble gave the ball to Georgia to seal the win for the Bulldogs. Despite the fumble, Moore was outstanding in the game, totaling 196 yards on eight catches with a pair of scores. It was the ninth-best performance ever by a Mizzou wideout.

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Historically Black Schools Pay the Price for a Football Paycheck

CLEMSON, South Carolina — Clemson played South Carolina State in college football on Saturday. Both universities field Division I teams, and that is pretty much where the similarities end in terms of athletics.

The No. 5 Tigers have an $83.5 million athletic budget, which includes six strength and conditioning coaches, and chartered jets for some road games. South Carolina State, a historically black school, has an athletic budget of a little more than $9 million and just one strength coach. It travels to games on a bus.

As part of the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference, Clemson is a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision, the top level of college football. The Bulldogs play in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, which is made up of small historically black colleges and universities (known as H.B.C.U. teams). Under N.C.A.A. rules, big-time schools like Clemson can hand out 85 football scholarships, while the lower-tier Football Championship Subdivision schools like South Carolina State can offer only 63. You get the picture.

Is there anyone who thought that the Bulldogs had a chance at an upset, like that time in 2007 when Appalachian State beat Michigan? Or like that time (Saturday) when North Dakota State knocked of No. 13 Iowa? No. The last time Clemson and South Carolina State played, the Tigers won, 73-7.

Buddy Pough, the Bulldogs’ coach, acknowledged last week that his team’s task was hopeless.



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