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GRAMBLING — Grambling's offense is playing at such an elite level that the Tigers shut down the power on campus earlier this week.
Well, it depends on whom you ask.
It happened last Monday, the players said. Saturday was a figurative repeat occurrence.
The Tigers' potent offense was participating in pass skel, a football term for 7-on-7 drills, and was so effective that the players, led by quarterback DeVante Kincade and wide receiver Chad Williams, started yelling 'We're lights out!' as campus went dark.
"That's what we do. We're so lights out we cut the whole lights off around campus," Williams said.
Grambling (5-1, 5-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) turned the lights out on Arkansas-Pine Bluff in what coach Broderick Fobbs described as the most impressive victory he's seen in his 18-year coaching career. The Tigers pasted Pine-Bluff, 70-0, on homecoming at Eddie Robinson Stadium to extend their conference win streak to 14 games.
WILBERFORCE, Ohio — Legendary Florida A&M University and Central State University football coach William “Billy” Joe will be inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
Joe was one of six inductees selected from a list of 25 finalists who had been determined earlier by the BCFHOF Selection Committee.
Joe’s coaching career began in 1972 at Cheney University. He also spent two seasons on the pro level as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Eagles before arriving at Central State in 1981.
It took little time for Joe to turn the Marauders into a perennial powerhouse. His 1983 team finished the regular season 10-0 and went on to a NCAA Div. II finals appearance. Joe led the Marauders to five consecutive Black College national championships from 1986 to 1990. The pinnacle of his tenure in Wilberforce came in 1990 and 1992 when his teams won the NAIA Div. I National Championship.
Joe also coached at Florida A&M from 1994 to 2004. He led the Rattlers to an unprecedented five Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles. After a two year hiatus from coaching, Joe accepted the head coaching position at Miles College in 2007. He retired in 2010 with 243 career coaching victories. He is second to only Eddie Robinson in wins at historically black colleges.
Prior to coaching, Joe had on outstanding career as a player. Drafted by the Denver Broncos in the ninth round out of Villanova in 1963, Joe made an immediate impact and was named the AFL Rookie of the Year. After being traded to Buffalo, Joe helped lead the Bills to their 1965 AFL championship victory over the San Diego Chargers. He later played for the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets.
Joe is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Central State University Athletics Hall of Fame. His number 35 jersey is officially retired at Villanova University. CONTINUE READING The Coach Billy Joe File (243 wins 133 losses, 2 ties): Bio Billy Joe made the transition from a successful professional playing career to becoming one the most highly decorated black college football coaches in history. After two seasons as an assistant coach he got his first head coaching job at Cheyney State in 1972. He had a winning club that first season and stayed with the Wolves for six more years. Joe then honed his skills with two years as an assistant in the NFL before taking the head job at Central State (OH). There he turned the Marauders into a national black college power. In 13 years at CSU he had six seasons where he lost only one game. His second team made it to the NCAA Division II finals, the first of 11 consecutive playoff teams. In both 1990 and 1992 his teams won the NAIA national championship. In 1994, he moved to Florida A&M. Joe quickly built this program as well. His second team won a league title while his third went to the first of six straight playoff appearances with his 1999 team advancing to the national semi-finals. On the Black College level he won six national championships and is second only to Eddie Robinson on the all-time black coaching win list. Greatly respected by his peers, he served the American Football Coaches Association as both president and vice president. High Points
Cheyney University (1972-1978), Central State University (1981-1993), Florida A&M University (1994-2004) and Miles College (2007-2010) … Won five consecutive Black college football national championships (1986-1990) … Won two NAIA National Football Championships (1990, 1992) … Finished coaching career with 243 wins, second only to Eddie Robinson among coaches at black colleges … College Football Hall of Fame inductee (2007) … As a player, was 1963 AFL Rookie of the Year with the Denver Broncos … Greatly respected by his peers, he served the American Football Coaches Association as both president and vice president ... Born October 14, 1940 in Aynor, South Carolina.
Location: Houston
Date/Time/TV: Nov. 30, 7 p.m., Pac-12 Networks
Game location: McKale Center
Series with UA: One-time appearance ($90,000 fee)
Last season: 18-15 (16-2 SWAC), RPI: 182
Coach: Mike Davis (fifth year, 76-57)
Go-to guy: F Derrick Griffin (13.3 ppg, 11.0 rpg).
Glue: G Dulani Robinson (9.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.3 apg in 2014-15 at Pacific).
Key newcomers: Robinson, G Zach Lofton (Minnesota transfer), G Damontrae Jefferson (freshman), G Jalen McCloud (juco transfer)
Upside: Despite spending the early part of last season with the Texas Southern football team, Griffin pulled a SWAC trifecta: Winning the conference’s player of the year, defensive player of the year and newcomer of the year awards. He was also an honorable-mention AP All-American. Davis has won back-to-back SWAC titles and filled considerable holes this season with a variety of recruits. CONTINUE READING
NORFOLK, Virginia – Greg Hankerson passed for 219 yards and threw touchdown passes to three different Spartans, helping Norfolk State snap a six-game losing streak with a 27-14 Homecoming win over Morgan State before 18,405 fans at Dick Price Stadium on Saturday.
Running backs Gerard Johnson (5-yarder) and Larry Bishop (2-yarder) and wideout Chuma Awanna (63-yarder) caught the scoring passes for the Spartans (2-6, 1-4 MEAC), who converted on all four of their trips inside the Morgan State (2-5, 2-3) red zone. The Spartan defense, meanwhile, forced three turnovers and tallied four sacks.
The first turnover NSU forced led to the game's first touchdown. Safety Brandon Walker sacked Morgan State quarterback DeAndre Harris and forced a fumble, which NSU defensive lineman Chris Lee recovered at the MSU 24-yard line. Two plays later, Hankerson hit Johnson leaking out of the backfield for a 5-yard TD play with 6:42 left in the first quarter.
The Bears tied the game up on a 16-yard TD pass from Harris to Landen Malbrough at the 13:54 mark of the second quarter. But Cameron Marouf kicked a 27-yard field goal to give the Spartans a 10-7 lead entering halftime.
NSU dominated the third quarter. The Spartans had not scored a third-quarter point since the season-opening win over Elizabeth City State, but outscored the Bears 14-0 in the third period on Saturday. A short MSU punt set up NSU at the Bears' 29-yard line midway through the quarter. Two plays later, Hankerson found Bishop on a 2-yard TD pass to give NSU a 17-7 lead with 7:59 left in the stanza.
The back-breaker came five minutes for Morgan State. On 3rd-and-14 from the NSU 37, Hankerson rolled to his right and hit Awanna in the flat. Awanna broke a couple of tackles and outraced the rest of the defense for a 63-yard TD play, his first career touchdown. Marouf's PAT gave NSU a 24-7 lead with 2:37 left in the quarter.
Marouf added a 20-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter. Malbrough caught a 17-yard TD pass from Harris with 52 seconds left in the game to account for the final points.
Hankerson completed 17 of 30 passes and did not throw an interception while completing a season-high three TD passes. He also led NSU with 59 yards rushing on 12 attempts.
Marcus Taylor caught a team-high seven passes for 53 yards and also had a 59-yard kickoff return in the first half. Awanna had a team-high 66 yards on two receptions.
The Spartan defense made a strong showing Saturday. NSU's four sacks tied a season high. Defensive lineman Hadji Gaylord had two, while Lee and Walker had one apiece. Lee notched three of the Spartans' eight tackles for loss in addition to recovering a fumble, and Gaylord also blocked a Bears' field goal in the second quarter. Sandy Chapman and T.C. Livingston both made interceptions for the Spartans.
Harris threw for 161 yards and two scores for the Bears.
NSU takes to the road for its final three games, beginning next Saturday with a 5 p.m. game at Savannah State. BOX SCORE Photo Gallery Matt Michalec, Asst. AD/Communications NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
LORMAN, Mississippi — The record was broken, and so was the streak.
Senior running back Lenard Tillery on Saturday broke the Southwestern Athletic Conference rushing record, and Southern beat Alcorn State 41-33, ending a five-game losing streak in the series that dated to 2011.
“Defensively, we forced some turnovers. Offensively, we put the ball in the end zone,” Southern coach Dawson Odums said. “When you do that, it makes coaching fun.”
Tillery ran for 195 yards — one shy of matching his career high — and three touchdowns. He needed 114 yards to break the SWAC career rushing record. The record-setting run came on a 30-yard scamper on third-and-long in the third quarter.
After the game, he said he was happy about a career first — a win against Alcorn State.
“It means a lot to me as a senior to finally overcome that obstacle,” he said.
While Tillery was gashing Alcorn State, Braves quarterback Lenorris Footman was doing the same to Southern’s defense.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- For the fifth straight year, Florida A&M's women's cross country team is on top of the MEAC.
FAMU track director Darlene Moore's crew captured its fifth conference title in a row on Saturday in Smyrna, Delaware. The Rattlers are the first team in the history of the conference to win five consecutive titles.
Junior Judith Kibii -- who was named the MEAC women's cross country Athlete of the Week four teams this season -- finally broke through to place first in the race after finishing second in her freshman and sophomore years. She finished the race with a time of 18:02.60, nearly 10 seconds faster than second-place finisher Jennaya Hield, from Maryland-Eastern Shore.
Kibii was named Outstanding Performer. She's the second FAMU runner in school history to capture the individual women's cross country title. Moore was named Outstanding Coach for the fifth year in a row. CONTINUE READING
NORFOLK, Virginia -- With only five teams above .500 in conference, the MEAC might not be the conference that sports the most awe-inspiring brand of basketball. But it was home to the leading scorer in the nation. Back to that in a bit.
Hampton took regular-season and conference tournament titles to punch the team’s ticket to the Big Dance. In the tournament, the Pirates ran into a buzzsaw in Virginia, though.
The Pirates will look to make it three straight trips to the NCAA tournament this year, but that task will be significantly more difficult in the 2016-17 season — especially given the departure of the team’s top three scorers. That's the same issue facing the Spartans of Norfolk State who came in third in the MEAC, so the top tier of the conference is likely to see some different schools in the mix come season's end.
Teams like South Carolina State (tops in assists per game in the MEAC) and Bethune-Cookman (tops in blocks per game) might be licking their chops at that prospect, but there's a lot of basketball that needs to be played first. Both teams have their respective leading scorers returning — guard Eric Eaves (17.6 ppg) and guard Jordan Potts (16.0 ppg, 4.3 apg) — but a lot can happen between now and March. Best player
How does 27.1 points a contest sound? Sounds like you’re talking about the leading scorer in the country. And if so, that means you’re talking about James Daniel III. CONTINUE READING
GRAMBLING — Grambling's offense is playing at such an elite level that the Tigers shut down the power on campus earlier this week.
