Chances slip through Spartans’ fingers in MEAC loss to N.C. Central

NORFOLK, Virginia -- All of Norfolk State’s issues so far this season were on display Saturday at Dick Price Stadium.

The Spartans dropped passes. They backed themselves up with untimely penalties and sacks. They fumbled in their own red zone and gave up big plays.

And somehow, they almost found a way to overcome it all.

Malcolm Bell passed for 196 yards and rushed for another 77, including a game-clinching fourth-quarter touchdown, to lead North Carolina Central to a 34-31 win over Norfolk State in the MEAC opener for both teams.

The Spartans (1-3, 0-1 MEAC) lost their league opener for the first time since 2012. They started 2-0 in the conference each of the past three seasons.



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SIAC showdown, SWAC title rematch set

ATLANTA, Georgia -- With little exception – particularly Delaware State’s date 4 p.m. Saturday with Missouri – the games pitting overmatched HBCU teams against teams in NCAA divisions above them are over. It’s time to get on to the games between conference foes.

The featured SIAC game of the week is the battle of unbeatens as BCSP No. 7 Tuskegee (3-0, 2-0 SIAC, 0-0 W) hosts Lane (3-0, 1-0, 0-0 W) Saturday (1 p.m.) in a West Division showdown. Lane features the SIAC rushing leader in junior Marcus Holliday who is averaging 146.4 rushing yards per game. Holliday ran for 214 yards on 19 carries in last week’s 46-44 win over Langston. He also leads the league with four rushing touchdowns. Tuskegee is led by senior quarterback Kevin Lacey who is passing for 203.7 yards per game with five TD passes and just two interceptions. Lacey is hitting on 65.4% of his passes and to lead the league in passing efficiency (252.7).

The two are the top scoring teams in the league with Lane at 33.3 points per game and Tuskegee at 28.0. The other intra-divisional match ups pair Benedict (2-1, 0-0 E) and Fort Valley State (1-2, 0-0 E) in an East Division tilt in Columbia, S.C. (6 p.m.) and Kentucky State (0-3, 0-1) and Central State (0-3, 0-1) from the West Division doing battle at the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis (3 p.m.). The only inter-divisional tilt has Morehouse (2-1, 1-0 SIAC) from the East hosting (2 p.m.) defending West Division champ Miles (1-1, 0-0 SIAC).

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Hampton U. coach Maynor wants nothing to do with 'guarantee games'

HAMPTON, Virginia-- Forida A&M took on Miami and was pounded 70-3. South Carolina State lost 59-0 at Clemson. Howard fell at Maryland and Rutgers (in consecutive weeks) by a combined score of 104-27.

But for each game, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schools took home a six-figure check. In the world of college football, that's known as a "guarantee game" — as in, guaranteed money for a guaranteed beat down.



Several MEAC members have gone that route over the years — Norfolk State played at Rutgers last season — but Hampton University wants no part of it. True, the Pirates played at Old Dominion on Sept. 3 (a 54-21 loss), but the Monarchs remain in the toddler stages of Bowl Subdivision membership. Also, they're not a Power Five program.

"We're a private school, and we don't necessarily feel we have to play those games to generate money," HU coach Connell Maynor said on the MEAC's teleconference call. "We don't want to play a game and lose 70-7 just for the money.

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Coming off bye, DSU faces big challenge at Missouri

DOVER, Delaware — A bye week didn’t necessarily mean a week of rest for the Delaware State football team.

Coach Kenny Carter said the Hornets were going to go at it hard for two weeks of practice before the upcoming game at Missouri on Saturday.

With such a young team that is making mistakes based on inexperience, that’s what DSU has to do in the open week, especially since most of the squad does not have any injury concerns.

“There’s no worrying about trying to get healthy because we’re healthy,” Carter said. “Sure, there’s some guys dinged up a bit, but they’ll be fine. We’re going to work. We’ve got a lot of work to do and we can’t afford to take time off. Young people, and we’re young, they need to learn how to grind.”

And the Hornets (0-2) will need to grind if they want to have a positive experience against a team from the SEC.

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HU gets a bye week to prepare for N.C. A&T

HAMPTON, Virginia — Bye weeks rarely come at a bad time, but for Hampton University, the timing couldn't be much better. Following Saturday's 34-7 blowout of Howard, the Pirates will get extra five days to rest, recuperate and prepare for defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion North Carolina A&T.

"I wish I had two (bye) weeks to prepare for them," Maynor said.

A&T, which beat Bowl Subdivision opponent Kent State in its second game, is the team to beat in the MEAC. But in HU's first three games, Maynor has seen plenty to make him believe his team is capable of playing with the Aggies and competing for the conference title.

The Pirates showed flashes in a 54-21 loss to Old Dominion, sustained them in a 24-14 loss to William and Mary, and put everything together in dominating Howard. Some FBS transfers have made immediate contributions, especially on the offensive and defensive lines.

That 33-point loss to ODU? It was a 31-21 game midway through the third quarter. HU was tied with William and Mary, which is now No. 8 in the FCS polls, at halftime. And last week, Howard avoided the shutout by scoring with 13 seconds remaining in the game.

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Norfolk State tries to get offense clicking

NORFOLK, Virginia -- If it’s not the quarterback, it’s the receivers.

That’s how it’s been for Norfolk State’s sputtering offense: The Spartans can’t seem to put it all together.

Through three non-conference games, second-year coach Latrell Scott has had to live with the maddening fact that he and his staff are getting players into the right spots, but they’re not executing plays.

Senior quarterback Greg Hankerson struggled with accuracy in both a 20-12 season-opening win against Division II Elizabeth City State and a 34-0 loss to then-FCS No. 2 Richmond, throwing over or behind open receivers.

In Saturday’s 35-10 loss at No. 8 William & Mary, Hankerson’s equally open receivers dropped as many as seven passes.

Scott, whose 1-2 team opens its MEAC schedule Saturday with a home game against North Carolina Central, is ready to see things start clicking.

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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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