MEAC Announces 2016 Post Season Football Honors

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champion North Carolina Central University and runner-up North Carolina A&T State University dominated the 2016 All-MEAC Football Team with 30 student-athletes between both teams. The team is voted on by the MEAC’s head football coaches and sports information directors.

North Carolina A&T State’s Brandon Parker was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Offensive Lineman of the Year, for the second consecutive year, while teammate Elijah Bell earned Rookie of the Year honors. North Carolina Central’s Jerry Mack was selected as Coach of the Year.

Parker started all 12 games for the Aggies, at left tackle, this season. He paved the way for the MEAC’s top scoring offense (35.2 points/game), 12th nationally. North Carolina A&T State led the MEAC in rushing offense averaging 203.8 yards per game, with 27 rushing touchdowns. Parker led an offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks in the conference (13th nationally), while amassing 2,385 passing yards and 26 receiving touchdowns. The Aggies had seven games with 400-plus yards of total offense including three games of 500 yards or better. On the ground, the offensive line paved the way for six games with 200-plus rushing yards with a high of 313 yards.

As a freshman, Bell led the Aggies in total receiving yards (631) and ranked third in the MEAC in receiving yards per game (52.6). He earned MEAC Rookie of the Week honors after catching two touchdown passes in a win over South Carolina State. He had a pair of 100-yard receiving games this season and was the second freshman in school history to have a 100-yard receiving game when he had 101 yards in the game at Tulsa on Sept. 17. Bell finished the season with eight touchdowns, averaging 18 yards per reception.

Since arriving at North Carolina Central in 2014, all head coach Jerry Mack has done is win as the Eagles won the 2016 MEAC Football Championship outright after winning a share of the title in 2014 and 2015. A finalist for the Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year Award, Mack led the Eagles to a national ranking for the first time in school history as an FCS member and has won 15 consecutive contests versus MEAC opponents. This past season, the Eagles finished third or higher in 16 of the MEAC’s 31 statistical categories while also fielding the top dual threat quarterback in the conference in Malcom Bell. The Eagles had the highest single game offensive output in the MEAC this past season along with the highest scoring output. Mack is the first NCCU head coach to win 24 contests in his first three seasons with one more contest scheduled as the Eagles will play in the 2nd annual Air Force Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17 in Atlanta, Ga.

In a partnership with the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame, the league’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year will be announced as part of the festivities surrounding the 59th NFF Annual Awards Dinner, Tuesday, Dec. 6, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

Listed below are the 2016 All-MEAC teams:

2016 MEAC Football All-Conference Teams

Offensive Lineman of the Year: Brandon Parker, North Carolina A&T State

Rookie of the Year: Elijah Bell, North Carolina A&T State

Coach of the Year: Jerry Mack, North Carolina Central

First-Team Offense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
QB	Malcolm Bell	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Richmond, Va.
RB	Tarik Cohen	Sr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Bunn, N.C.
RB	Anthony Philyaw	Jr.	Howard	Los Angeles, Calif.
WR	Rashawn Proctor	Sr.	Hampton	Hampton, Va.
WR	LaVontis Smith	Sr.	North Carolina Central	Maben, Miss.
TE	Leroy Hill	r-So.	North Carolina A&T St.	Smithfield, N.C.
C	Carl Jones	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Nashville, Tenn.
OL	Brandon Parker	r-Jr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Kannapolis, N.C.
OL	Wes Cole	Sr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Norwood, N.C.
OL	Tarrance Wells	Sr.	North Carolina Central	Oxon Hill, Md.
OL	Toree Boyd	Sr.	Howard	Miami, Fla.

First-Team Defense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
DL	Marquis Ragland	r-Sr.	North Carolina A&T	Fayetteville, N.C.
DL	Angelo Keyes	r-Sr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Kinston, N.C.
DL	Marquis Smith	Sr.	Savannah St.	District Heights, Md.
DL	Frederick Henry-Ajudua	Sr.	North Carolina Central	Durham, N.C.
LB	Darius Leonard	r-Jr.	South Carolina St.	Lake View, S.C.
LB	Dayshawn Taylor	r-Jr.	South Carolina St.	Lincolnton, Ga.
LB	Jeremy Taylor	Jr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Kinston, N.C.
DB	Jacques Bryant	So.	Florida A&M	Tallahassee, Fla.
DB	Diquan Richardson	Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Alvin, S.C.
DB	Phillip Henry	r-Sr.	South Carolina St.	Manning, S.C.
DB	Mike Jones	r-Jr.	North Carolina Central	Baltimore, Md.
P	John Barron	Sr.	Savannah St.	Marietta, Ga.
PK	Cameron Marouf	Sr.	Norfolk St.	Woodbridge, Va.
RS	Mike Jones	r-Jr.	North Carolina Central	Baltimore, Md.

Second-Team Offense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
QB	Lamar Raynard	r-So.	North Carolina A&T St.	High Point, N.C.
RB	Ramone Simpson	r-So.	North Carolina Central	Wilmington, N.C.
RB	Yahkee Johnson	Jr.	Hampton	Richmond, Va.
WR	Denzel Keyes	Sr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Kinston, N.C.
WR	Elijah Bell	Fr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Wheeling Park, W.Va.
TE	Jack Willenbrock	Gr.	Hampton	West Chester, Pa.
C	Darriel Mack	r-Jr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Cilo, S.C.
OL	Javarius Leamon	r-Sr.	South Carolina St.	Woodruff, S.C.
OL	Jamaal Symmonett	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Nassau, Bahamas
OL	Johnny Cruz	Sr.	Hampton	Yorktown, Va.
OL	Keonte Cash	Sr.	Florida A&M	Miami, Fla.

Second-Team Defense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
DL	Antonio Brown	r-Jr.	North Carolina Central	Jacksonville, Fla.
DL	Stefen Banks	So.	Savannah St.	Columbus, Ohio
DL	Elijah Price	Jr.	Florida A&M	Jacksonville, Fla.
DL	Jai Franklin	Jr.	Morgan St.	Clinton, Md.
LB	Reggie Hunter	r-Jr.	North Carolina Central	Henderson, N.C.
LB	LeGrande Harley	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Durham, N.C.
LB	Greg Gibson	Sr.	Morgan St.	Houston, Texas
DB	Sandy Chapman	Sr.	Norfolk St.	Raleigh, N.C.
DB	Jason Baxter	r-Jr.	South Carolina St.	Manning, S.C.
DB	Alden McClellon	So.	North Carolina Central	Lake Butler, Fla.
DB	Craig Johnson	Sr.	Howard	Brooklyn, N.Y.
P	Christian Faber-Kinney	Gr.	Hampton	Williamsburg, Va.
PK	Brandon McLaren	r-Sr.	North Carolina Central	Miami, Fla.
RS*	Khris Gardin	Jr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Morganton, N.C.
RS*	Frank Brown	r-Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Third-Team Offense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
QB	Jaylian Williamson	Gr.	Hampton	Chesapeake, Va.
RB	Arshon Spaulding	Sr.	Savannah St.	Brunswick, Ga.
RB*	Jamaruz Thompkins	Sr.	Bethune-Cookman	Tampa, Fla.
RB*	Mike Waters	Fr.	Delaware St.	Philadelphia, Pa.
WR	Brandon Norwood	Jr.	Florida A&M	Atlanta, Ga.
WR*	Kyle Anthony	Fr.	Howard	Miramar, Fla.
WR*	Mason Rutherford	Jr.	Delaware St.	San Bernadino, Calif.
TE	Willie Gillus, III	Sr.	Morgan St.	Suffolk, Va.
C	Victor Ishmael, Jr.	r-Jr.	South Carolina St.	Miami, Fla.
OL	Nick Leverett	r-Fr.	North Carolina Central	Concord, N.C.
OL	Daquan Blake	Jr.	North Carolina A&T St.	Leavenworth, Kan.
OL	Robbie Stephenson	Jr.	South Carolina St.	Fairburn, Ga.
OL	Justin Evans	r-Jr.	South Carolina St.	Florence, S.C.

Third-Team Defense

Pos.	Name	Cl.	School	Hometown
DL	Ja’Quan Smith	r-Jr.	North Carolina Central	Miramar, Fla.
DL	Chris Lee	Jr.	Norfolk St.	Woodbridge, Va.
DL	Curtis Alexander	So.	Florida A&M	Quincy, Fla.
DL	Kevin Thompson	r-Jr.	Bethune-Cookman	Baltimore, Md.
LB	Devin Vandyke	Gr.	Hampton	Lorton, Va.
LB	Mulik Simmons	Jr.	Savannah St.	Savannah, Ga.
LB	T.C. Livingston	r-Jr.	Norfolk St.	Suffolk, Va.
DB	Brandon Walker	Sr.	Norfolk St.	Chester, Va.
DB	Carl Garnes	So.	Morgan St.	Columbus, N.J.
DB	Terry Jefferson	r-Fr.	Florida A&M	Miami, Fla.
DB	Brendan Cole	r-Jr.	Hampton	Hampton, Va.
P	Colby Blanton	r-So.	Florida A&M	Jacksonville, Fla.

COURTESY MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS

Raeburn, Savannah State Tigers look forward to continued progression following 3-7 season

HEAD COACH ERIK RAEBURN

SAVANNAH, Georgia -- Resiliency, Perseverance, Effort, and Heart.” These are all components of the message that Savannah State Tigers head football coach Erik Raeburn preached and taught to the student-athletes of the SSU football program throughout the season as a new season and era kicked off.

Raeburn was hired as the Tigers new head coach in March 2016 after Earnest Wilson III announced that he would be accepting a new head coach’s position at Elizabeth City State University and would be resigning from SSU.

Raeburn and the Tigers practiced and trained through many steaming hot summer days to prepare for a season that showed a lot of potential for the Tigers to make some noise.

During the preseason scrimmages, the Tigers introduced the “No Fly Zone” defensive scheme for a defensive unit that had improved greatly and there was much optimism throughout the Tiger Nation fan base.

Fans would get their first look at the Tigers in their season opener at Georgia Southern on September 3, but it was a disappointing outing for the Tigers as they were defeated 54-0 by the Eagles. The Tigers followed that up by traveling to Southern Mississippi University the next week and losing 56-0.

However, fans were still encouraged despite the huge margins of defeat because the strides and improvements that the defense had made were coming to full fruition, but there were lingering questions about the team’s offense which was struggling mightily.

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Grambling has eyes on Houston, SWAC title

2016 BAYOU CLASSIC  REMAINS A WINNER WITH ATTENDANCE AT 67,845, the largest crowd for the annual classic since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and forced the move of the game to Houston.

NEW ORLEANS — Minutes after claiming a decisive victory on the Superdome turf, a few Grambling players held up the shiny Bayou Classic trophy and hoisted it in the air while coach Broderick Fobbs reached to the sky with the Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division trophy.

The crowd erupted. Toward the front of the celebration, Grambling held the most important object — a sign indicating the Tigers were headed back to Houston for the 2016 SWAC championship.

Chants of "H-Town! H-Town! H-Town!'' filled the front of the stage. Ruston native Justin Miller danced to the beat of the repetitive words.

Grambling is coming for the title that Alcorn State hasn't relinquished in the past two years.

"Ever since they clinched their side, we said we need our remix," Grambling running back Martez Carter said following a 52-30 win over Southern on Saturday. "We sung this song before. We're just going to remix it a little bit and we're going to have a different ending to it."

Talk of returning to Houston is nothing new around the program. Ever since a 49-21 loss to Alcorn State in the 2015 title game, Grambling (9-1, 9-0) has vowed to finish business this time.

At just 5-5 on the year, Alcorn State, the two-time defending league champions, wrapped up the East division a few weeks ago to secure its spot in Houston.



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Alabama State Lady Hornets draw #11 Florida in NCAA Tournament

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- The NCAA Division I women's volleyball selection show watch party brought cheers and a reflection on their accomplishments Sunday night on the campus of Alabama State University in the theater room of the student center as the Lady Hornets discovered their bracket fate.

The season will continue for Alabama State with a trip to Gainesville, Florida to take on the No. 11 Gators in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

ASU capped off their perfect conference regular season of 18-0 with a SWAC Championship triumph last Sunday in Jackson, Miss. after rallying back to defeat Texas Southern in four sets.

It extended their consecutive conference winning streak to 21 straight matches.

Now, Alabama State (24-8) will take on Florida (26-3) for the second time in three seasons in a NCAA Tournament match up on Friday, Dec. 2 at Florida for a 7 p.m. ET / 6 CT start in Gainesville.

It marks the Lady Hornets' third overall NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four seasons.

"She means a great ordeal to this team," said senior Jamie Coleman of head women's volleyball coach Penny Lucas-White.

"You're able to just go to her about any situation. She knows volleyball like no other so whatever she says is gold. She also acts like a mother figure for us and helps us come together as a team. Since I've been here, we've been nothing but been very successful."

Alabama State has won at least 20 games in each of the last four seasons.

"It's a surreal feeling," Coleman said.

"I don't really think that it's hit me yet. I do understand that we've been to four SWAC championship matches and won three of them and made three NCAA Tournament trips. I don't necessarily think that I understand the full magnitude of it, but I just know that it's great. To be a part of it, to succeed at that and come here to do what I set out to do, I'm just really excited for this weekend. It's something that will stick with me forever."

ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Howard University Volleyball To Battle No. 3 Wisconsin In NCAA Tournament

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Champion Howard University volleyball team will face No. 3 Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship, the NCAA announced on Sunday.

The Bison will battle Wisconsin (25-4) on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET in UW Field House. Wisconsin will be one of the host sites for the first and second rounds of the tournament. Washington State (21-11) will take on Marquette (23-8) on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. in UW Field House. The winners of Thursday's matches will face off for a berth to the NCAA Regional.

Howard enters the postseason with a 26-5 overall record, having finished a perfect 12-0 in MEAC play. The Bison earned an automatic bid into the tournament by defeating Florida A&M, 3-1, for their second straight MEAC Championship.

The Bison are poised to make their third overall and second consecutive appearance in the tournament. Thursday's matchup will be the first-ever meeting between Howard and Wisconsin.

Check back to www.HUBison.com throughout the week for more information and a preview of Thursday's match.

HOWARD UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Women's college volleyball: Field for 2016 DI championship announced; Howard at Wisconsin, Alabama State at Florida

MEAC CHAMPIONS ROSTER
HOWARD UNIVERSITY BISON
OVERALL SEASON RECORD: 26-5, MEAC 12-0

SWAC CHAMPIONS ROSTER
ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY HORNETS
OVERALL SEASON RECORD: 24-8, SWAC 18-0

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball committee announced on Sunday the 64-team field that will compete in the 2016 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship. Thirty-two conferences were awarded an automatic qualification, while the remaining 32 positions were filled with at-large selections to complete the bracket.

2016 DI Women's Volleyball Championship: Interactive Bracket | Printable Bracket

The top 16 teams were seeded nationally and placed within four regions. The University of Nebraska, Lincoln, the defending national champion, earned the top seed followed by No. 2 University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, No. 3 University of Wisconsin-Madison and No. 4 University of Texas at Austin.

Per the established bracketing principles the top 16 seeds were provided the opportunity to host. Additionally, team pairings were determined by geographic proximity, with the exception that teams from the same conference were not paired during the first- and second-rounds.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 led all leagues with eight teams selected from their conferences to compete in the championship tournament. The Big 12 Conference was third with six programs advancing to the tournament. Pennsylvania State University and Stanford University are the only two teams that have earned berths to all 36 championship tournaments. Three programs are making their first appearances in the tournament: University of North Dakota, Boise State University and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

During the previous 35 years of the championship 10 schools have won a national title, eight of which earned a place in this year’s bracket.

Previous winners competing in the field are: UCLA (1984, 1990, 91, 2011), University of Hawaii, Manoa (1982, 83, 87), Nebraska (1995, 2000, 06, 15), University of Southern California (1981, 2002, 03), Stanford (1992, 94, 96, 97, 2001, 04), Penn State (1999, 2007, 08, 09, 10, 13, 14), Texas (1988, 2012) and University of Washington (2005).

First- and second-round matches will be played December 1-3 at 16 campus sites. Teams winning both matches will move on to regional play December 9 and 10. Regionals for the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will be held at four non-predetermined campus sites, which will be announced after play concludes, on December 3. At each site, four teams will compete in single-elimination regional semifinal competition. All regional semifinal matches will be shown on ESPN3. Regional final matches will air on ESPNU.

The regional winners will advance to the national semifinals and championship final co-hosted by the Ohio State University and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on December 15 and 17. Both national semifinal matches as well as the championship match will be broadcast by ESPN2.

COURTESY NCAA MEDIA RELATIONS

Home Sweet Home: Georgetown Men’s basketball picks off Howard Bison in return to Verizon Center

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Georgetown men’s basketball team (3-4, Big East) defeated Howard (0-5, MEAC), 85-72, on Sunday afternoon. While the Hoyas led from the tip to the final buzzer and the Bison never threatened, Georgetown’s cushion was earned early on, as they had built a 16-0 lead by the under-16 timeout, and then were outscored 72-69 in the subsequent 36 minutes. Graduate guard Rodney Pryor led the Hoyas with 26 points as well as 6 rebounds. Redshirt junior guard James Miller carried Howard with 30 points. This was the closest game of the season for a Howard team with a KenPom ranking of 308th amongst Division I schools.

Georgetown invested fully in the press in the early minutes, and it payed dividends, yielding three early steals sparking the early lead. Junior guard L. J. Peak had four steals on the game to compliment his 14 points. Peak also limited himself to three personal fouls, an area in which he chronically struggles, despite starting for the Hoyas. However, after building a lead as large as 17, Georgetown began to struggle. Learning from their initial miscues, Howard began breaking Georgetown’s pressure, and midway through the second half, the lead was back to single digits.

“We knew they were going to press us, but not having [senior]point guard [James Daniel III] on the floor, we kinda had to learn on the fly,” said Howard Head Coach Kevin Nickelberry. Daniel, who averaged over 27 points a game last season, is out indefinitely with a sprained ankle.

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PVAMU Women's Basketball Grabs First Road Victory; Hands Marshall Thundering Herd First Loss

PVAMU ROSTER

EDINBURG, Texas -- The Prairie View women's basketball team closed out the final day of the Feast on the Border Tournament with a 78-68 win over Marshall

Alexus Parker paced another impressive game as she scored a season and team-high of 25 points, including three three-pointers and making 8-of-10 at the free-throw line. Teammate Tori Carter posted 24 points, four assists and two steals, and Dominique Newman made her first start scoring 14 points.

The Thundering Herd (4-1) took control of the game early creating a 7-0 run lead, but eventually PVAMU got on the board after back-to-back free throws made by Parker at the 6:25 mark. Marshall continued on their spree to advance its lead to 13 points, however, the Lady Panthers would not relent and cut the lead to six on back-to-back buckets starting off with a jumper by Parker and PV forcing a turnover to allow Newman to place a three-pointer. Carter's bucket closed out the quarter with the Lady Panthers trailing by six, 20-14.

Prairie View A&M continued the momentum from the first quarter into the second, resulting in a 10-0 run. PV only allowed seven second-quarter points as Marshall led only 27-26 at halftime.

After the half, the Lady Panthers came out determined battling back taking their first lead of the game. Neither team allowed the other to relinquish the lead keeping it close throughout the third quarter. La'Sha Haynes free throws knotted the game for a sixth time at 41, before Prairie View A&M ended the quarter with a 46-45 lead over the Herd.

Newman opened up the fourth quarter with her fourth three of the contest to extend the lead at 49-45. After a brief Marshall run to give them their final lead at 56-54 with just over five minutes to play, the Lady Panthers took control for good with a 9-0 run.

The Lady Panthers return to action Tuesday, November 29th at Texas Tech at 6:30 p.m.

BOX SCORE

PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Preview: Texas Southern vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team returns from the Thanksgiving break on Sunday when it plays host to Texas Southern at Blackham Coliseum.

Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. Live video streaming will be available on RaginCajuns.com with the game being broadcast in the Lafayette area on KHXT 107.9 FM and ESPN 1420-AM, with fans also able to hear the game worldwide on the Radio Pup app.

The game against Texas Southern (4-1) marks the final regular-season contest for Louisiana in its former home before moving back to the newly refurbished Cajundome on Thursday against Nicholls. Louisiana, which has worn retro uniforms during its games at Blackham Coliseum, will be auctioning off the uniforms after the game. The Ragin' Cajuns will honor several of its former players and coaches before the game, including the late Beryl Shipley, who was recently inducted into the UL Athletics Hall of Fame.

Louisiana (3-2) earned its first non-conference road victory since defeating Louisiana Tech in 2013 as it cruised to an 82-70 win at James Madison on Wednesday. Frank Bartley and Jay Wright combined for 55 points as the Ragin' Cajuns shot 57 percent from the floor and pulled away from a 39-31 lead at halftime.

Bartley, who is second in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring, leads Louisiana with a 19.2 average with Bryce Washington ranked 10th in the league in scoring (14.4) while leading the SBC in rebounds (11.4). Jay Wright averages 13.0 points per game for the Ragin' Cajuns with freshman Justin Miller averaging 10.8.

TSU (4-1), off to its best start under head coach Mike Davis, defeated James Madison, 67-56, last Monday behind a balanced scoring attack of three players in double figures. Dulani Robinson led all scorers with 17 points and seven assists against the Dukes with Zach Lofton contributing 16 points and Derrick Griffin racked up recording a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

GAME 6: Louisiana (3-2) vs. Texas Southern (4-1)
November 27, 2016 | 4 p.m. CST | Lafayette, La. | Blackham Coliseum (5,000)
TV: None
Radio: KHXT 107.9 FM / ESPN 1420 AM | Talent: Jay Walker (PBP)
Video: RaginCajuns.com
Live Stats: RaginCajuns.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsMBB; @ULRaginCajuns
Series: Texas Southern leads, 1-0
In Lafayette: 0-0 | In Houston: Texas Southern leads, 1-0

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Bob Marlin (Mississippi State, 1981)
Career Record: 458-260 (24th season), Record at UL: 110-94 (7th season)

TEXAS SOUTHERN
Head Coach: Mike Davis (Thomas Edison St., 2000)
Career Record: 317-210 (17th season), Record at TSU: 80-58 (5th season)

STORY LINES
• Louisiana plays its final regular-season game today at Blackham Coliseum – its former home from 1950-84 before moving to the Cajundome.

• The game will pit two of the nation's top offensive rebounders in Louisiana's Bryce Washington (8th, 4.8) and Texas Southern's Derrick Griffin (4th, 4.8).

• Louisiana looks to extend its win streak to four games after opening the season with losses at Minnesota and Montana State.

• A win would mark the first time in school history the Ragin' Cajuns would have won four straight games during the month of November.

• A win would give Louisiana a 4-2 record in the month of November, one win shy of the 2013-14 squad that started 5-2 in the opening month and would reach the NCAA Championships.

QUICK HITS
• Louisiana is ranked nationally in the top-20 in turnovers forced (10th, 19.2), steals per game (15th, 9.8), offensive rebounds per game (16th, 15.0), is 22nd in turnover margin (+5.2) and is 24th in scoring offense (87.8).

• Bryce Washington is ranked eighth nationally in offensive rebounds per game (4.8), 11th in rebounds per game (11.4), 13th in double-doubles (3) and 20th in total rebounds (57).

• Jay Wright (16th, 2.6) and Frank Bartley (32nd, 2.4) are ranked in the top 50 nationally in steals per game.

THE SERIES
• The meeting between Louisiana and Texas Southern is the second between the schools with TSU claiming a 74-71 overtime victory over the Ragin' Cajuns on Nov. 16, 2012 in Houston.FAYTET

UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Challenge accepted: Grambling succeeds in going after Southern's stingy secondary in Bayou Classic victory

NEW ORLEANS -- Grambling could have taken the easy way out Saturday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The Tigers could have attacked Southern’s young defensive line — a line that has allowed the fourth-most yards rushing of any team in the conference.

Keeping the ball on the ground would have allowed Grambling to wear down the Jaguars defense while avoiding their hawkish secondary, which entered the Bayou Classic with 19 interceptions and had allowed only 205 yards passing per game.



Challenge accepted.

Instead of using the running game to set up the passing game, Grambling went right at the heart of the Jaguars defense.

By the end of the night, Grambling threw for 315 yards on a 75 percent completion rate, the second-most Southern allowed all season.

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Bayou Classic: Turnovers pivotal as Southern stumbles, Grambling pulls ahead

NEW ORLEANS -- Southern's defense has produced a plethora of turnovers this season, but a relentless Grambling offense helped turn the tables Saturday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The Jaguars, who had feasted on turnovers to the tune of a plus-17 turnover margin, were thrown off by an early pair of their own unforced mistakes. The turnovers helped morph a game expected to be a memorable Bayou Classic into one Southern would prefer to forget.

Southern had a chance to go into halftime with the lead, but a fumble and an interception set the table for Grambling to run up a 52-30 win. It was the most points Grambling has scored on Southern since a 55-20 win in 1977.

“It's one or two plays in the football game (that make the difference), the momentum swung from that moment forward,” Southern coach Dawson Odums said. “We talked about that all week: You’ve got to protect the football.”

The first turnover came with five minutes left in the first quarter and Southern trailing 7-6. The Jaguars were in the process of finishing a 12-play, 88-yard drive that could have given them the lead, but ball-handling problems changed that.

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Bayou Classic notebook: No safety nets, Willie Quinn falls short of 1,000 and the Lenard Tillery era comes to a close

NEW ORLEANS -- Southern’s tight ends had been one of quarterback Austin Howard’s favorite targets all season.

Whenever Howard needed a quick outlet under pressure, Dillon Beard or Austin Opara or even freshman Jeremias Houston were always a safe option to dump the ball off.

Not Saturday.

Grambling clamped down on Howard’s safety nets all night in the Bayou Classic, limiting his targeting of tight ends to just five of his 44 attempts.

All of the targets went to Beard, who reeled in three receptions for 36 yards, all of which came in the second half.

Quinn falls short
One of Southern’s most prolific careers ended without a 1,000-yard season.

Senior receiver Willie Quinn fell 45 yards short of one of the few milestones to elude him the past four years after gaining 60 yards on six receptions Saturday.

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2016 Bayou Classic: Grambling's 'dominant' offensive performance sinks Southern, 52-30

NEW ORLEANS -- Grambling went into Saturday's 43rd annual Bayou Classic with the reputation as the best offense in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, and it did everything it needed to to live up to that title.

The Tigers clinched a spot in next week's SWAC title game against two-time defending conference champion Alcorn State by racking up 571 yards of total offense on the way to a 52-30 win over Southern. But what made their performance so special was how they went about doing it.



Grambling came in with the reputation as an explosive passing offense, but it took over Saturday's game by pounding Southern's defense with the running game and it eventually paid off in the second half.

"We did a really good job of running the football," said Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs. "We saw some things from the way they were lining up in the first half and we were able to take advantage of it. We did a good job of running the football with (running backs) Martez Carter and Jestin Kelly and all those guys did an exceptional job of getting the ball into the endzone.

"We have a lot of exceptional athletes and they were on display tonight."

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Darrell Walker brings NBA experience and new attitude to Clark Atlanta University

ATLANTA, Georgia -- There’s a wind of change coming to Clark Atlanta University, a historically black university in the heart of Atlanta — change coming by way of the school’s Division II men’s basketball program and its new head basketball coach, Darrell Walker.

“Just because you’re in Division II doesn’t mean you have to act like it,” said Walker during a recent interview. The former NBA assistant and head coach (Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Hornets, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks), Continental Basketball Association head coach (Rockford Lightning) and WNBA head coach (Washington Mystics) took what many might have thought was an easy opportunity for him — to coach the college game — as a direct challenge.

“I’ve been trying to get into college coaching for a while,” said Walker as he prepared for the inaugural Darrell Walker Art and Basketball Fundraiser at the Thomas W. Cole Research Center for Science and Technology on the Clark Atlanta campus on Nov. 3. “When this opportunity came open, I applied, and here I am.”

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Scoring droughts doom Northern Kentucky in loss to NC Central

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Kentucky – The Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team used a 19-5 run to come within five points of North Carolina Central with 21 seconds to play on Saturday, but fell to the Eagles, 82-74, at BB&T Arena despite 20-point performances from both Drew McDonald and Lavone Holland II.

With the loss, NKU moves to 3-3 overall while the Eagles improve to 3-2.

BOX SCORE

STAT LEADERS

• McDonald turned in his third double-double in the last four games and posted his fourth-straight game with 20 or more points. He brought down 11 rebounds including seven on the offensive end and tied Holland with a team-best 20 points.
• Holland reached the 20-point mark with a 6-for-12 showing from the field including a 3-for-7 performance from behind the arc.
• Freshman Blake Spellman dished out a career-high and team-best five assists in 19 minutes of action.

TURNING POINT

• The Norse led throughout the first portion of the game until North Carolina Central closed the first half on an 18-0 run. The Eagles claimed their first lead of the game amid the run when they jumped ahead 30-29 with 5:04 left in the half.
• McDonald and Holland combined for 11 points across a two-minute span to bring the Norse within four of NCC at 53-49 with 10:50 on the clock, the closest they would get to the Eagles throughout the remainder of the game.

FIRST-HALF SUMMARY

• The Norse claimed their largest lead of the game as they rode an 8-0 run to lead it 17-8 at the midway point of the first period. The run featured a pair of triples from Cole Murray and Spellman as the Norse held NC Central without a field goal for over three and a half minutes.
• The Eagles chipped away at the deficit using 9-for-12 shooting across the final seven minutes as they put together their 18-0 run. The Eagles' Patrick Cole – the game's leading scorer – contributed eight points to the run as he closed the half with a game-high 15 points.
• North Carolina held a 23-18 edge in first-half rebounds, with the Norse bringing down nine offensive boards to NCC's six.

SECOND-HALF SUMMARY

• Spellman broke NKU's scoring drought with a triple at the 17:35 mark to spark eight uninterrupted points from the Norse that also included a three from McDonald and a Williams layup.
• The run helped bring the Norse within seven as they cut the NCC lead to 44-37 with 16:17 remaining.
• McDonald and Holland then chipped in for 11 combined points to come within four of NCC at 53-49 with 10:50 on the clock.
• The Eagles responded 11 uninterrupted points to get back out to a 66-51 lead with just under seven minutes to play.
• NKU out-scored NC Central, 19-5, over a five minute span to come within five with 21 seconds left to play but the Eagles would close out the victory with four points in the final stretch.

GAME NOTES

• While McDonald has posted four-straight games with 20 or more points, Holland has turned in back-to-back 20-point performances. The junior has 45 points across the last two games.
• Despite being narrowly out-rebounded 41-39, the Norse brought down 16 offensive boards to NCC's seven. NKU has out-rebounded its opponents 65-40 on the offensive glass this season. The only game in which the Norse did not win the offensive rebounding battle was against Miami (Ohio) when the teams were tied with eight offensive rebounds apiece.
• Northern Kentucky shot 51.3 percent in the second half on 16-for-31 shooting, including an 8-for-15 (53.3 percent) showing from three. The Norse out-scored NCC, 45-40, in the second period.

NEXT UP

• The Norse open a two-game road swing on Wednesday, Nov. 30 when they travel to take on in-state foe Morehead State at 7 p.m.  NCCU travels on Nov. 28 to University of Missouri - Columbia.  The game will be a televised on the SEC Network.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS