Transfer-heavy TSU aiming for turnaround

James Webster accepted the daunting task three years ago of trying to rebuild Tennessee State's football program. It has been a slow go - the Tigers are just 13-20 during his tenure - but he says this year's team is ready to turn the corner. "This should be our best team since I've been here," said Webster, whose team went 5-6 last season, losing four games by 16 points. "It's not the most experienced team, but as far as talent is concerned, it is the best team."

The Tigers did that with nine Division-I transfers. Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones, whose Bulldogs host the Tigers in Saturday's season opener, has taken notice. "We're expecting a very, very talented team to come in here," Jones said. "They've got good size and speed in all the right places. They're going to be a tough opponent. "Based on what I'm seeing, they're going to beat a lot of teams this year. Hopefully, we won't be one of them."

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SWAC: In with the new

University of Arkansas Pine Bluff head football coach Monte Coleman

Fresh faces, schedule changes could impact SWAC

So many new quarterbacks. Another crop of new coaches. And a return to the seven-game format, along with a new tweak to the master schedule. This is Southwestern Athletic Conference football 2008.

New quarterbacks

Southern, with SWAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Bryant Lee, and Prairie View, with Mark Spivey getting a sixth season of eligibility for a medical hardship after going 5-1 as a starter in the Panthers’ last six games, are the two known, successful constants. The rest of the conference spent the spring and preseason camp and this week evaluating quarterbacks.

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Grambling names Greg Dillon starting QB

Grambling, LA --Sophomore Greg Dillon has emerged from a three-man quarterback derby to be named the starting quarterback, Grambling coach Rod Broadway announced Tuesday. Dillon, on the scout team last season, edged out redshirt sophomore J.P. Tillman, a Missouri transfer. Broadway said both should play Saturday at Nevada. (Freshman Brendan Crawford was also in the race.) Dillon threw the only touchdown pass in two scrimmages. The derby became necessary after senior Brandon Landers was ruled academically ineligible in the summer.

Grambling coach Rod Broadway opens second season as head of the Tigers at the University of Nevada on Saturday.

“We’re not going to ask our quarterback to do a lot for us,” Broadway said. “We just want him to learn how to manage the game.” Though Frank Warren, last season’s SWAC Freshman of the Year, returns at running back, the offense is in for a major overhaul. Two freshmen — Quint Roberts (6-3, 325) at right tackle and Greg McGrue (6-foot-8, 360 pounds) at right guard — are expected to start. Another, Sanford Banks (6-5, 303), could play at right tackle.

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‘Four-Headed Monster’: SCSU could have its hands full with UCF backfield

ORLANDO, Fla. - The good news for South Carolina State’s defense is All-American running back Kevin Smith no longer carries the football for Central Florida. Instead, the Bulldogs will have to deal with what the Knights hope will be a “four-headed monster” out of the backfield. With four freshman tailbacks on the depth chart, head coach George O’Leary plans to use a “running back by committee” for Saturday’s season-opener against S.C. State and beyond.

“I’m going to possibly play all four of them and each and every game,” O’Leary said. “They all bring something different to the table. The freshmen have great speed and vision and that’s what I look at. The one thing I think that I was concerned about was obviously pass protection and they all bow up and put a hat on people which is what you’re looking for in the protection.”

In Ronnie Weaver (6-0, 202 lbs.), Brynn Harvey (6-1, 215), Latavius Murphy (6-3, 215) and Brandon Davis (5-9, 190), the defending Conference USA champions will try to reproduce the NCAA-leading 2,567 yards and 29 touchdowns posted last season by Smith (currently with the Detroit Lions).

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Southern battling unknowns vs. Houston

Not only will Southern be playing up a level on Saturday, but the Jaguars will also be faced with a huge dose of the unknown. Houston’s Kevin Sumlin is in his first year as a head coach anywhere. “That’s the puzzle in this,” Southern coach Pete Richardson said. “We go into the game having to prepare for almost anything because we really haven’t seen them play. “We don’t know what type of philosophy they have. The only thing we can do is look at the coordinators, see where they came from, and hopefully they’ll utilize some of their philosophy.”

By land or air, RS - Junior QB Bryant Lee is ready to lead the Jaguars to victory. The 6-2/200 quarterback is from Boutte, LA/Hahnville H.S.

Southern, a Championship Subdivision team that went 8-3 last season, visits Houston, a Bowl Subdivision team that went 8-5 a year ago, at 6 p.m. Saturday at Robertson Stadium in Houston. Houston had an explosive offense last season, averaging 34.5 points per game, but former Texas Tech offensive co-coordinator Dana Holgorsen could give that spread offense even more oomph. Texas Tech ranked first in passing offense (470.3 yards per game), second in total offense (529.6 ypg) and seventh in scoring offense (40.9 points per game) in the Big 12.

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Skid vs. Alabama State won't bother FAMU's Wilder

Linebacker Vernon Wilder wasn't even born the last time FAMU won a game against Alabama State. A year before he became a Rattler, FAMU lost to the Hornets. But Wilder, not known for much trash-talking, couldn't help letting it know Tuesday that FAMU's skid against the Hornets should end Saturday.

"We are going to blitz them — it ain't no secret," Wilder said at the team's first weekly meeting with the media. "We're going to make them force quick passes and make mistakes. Everybody has to do their job. Everybody has to do what's expected." FAMU hasn't had a win over ASU since 1977, and the Hornets lead the series 20-15-2. The fact that Saturday's game is a matchup of FAMU from the MEAC and ASU of the SWAC is another incentive, Wilder said.
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Beast of the East: UMES, Great Expectations

After last season's 24-4 record, Hawks feeling confident

PRINCESS ANNE, MD -- With a new coach and numerous new players in the mix in 2007, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore volleyball team came out and surprised a number of people with a 24-4 season, which included 22 consecutive match victories and a trip to the MEAC tournament title match against Florida A&M. This season, the Hawks were selected as the preseason pick to repeat as the conference's Northern Division champion, and they return nearly every starter from last year, leading to optimism heading into the '08 campaign.

"The first year I got hired, I knew I had a couple good recruits, but I didn't have any expectations," UMES second-year coach Don Metil said. "But going 10-and-oh in the conference last year, and having my five, six returners and being first in the preseason poll, there's a lot of expectations, not only intrasquad, but outside the UMES community. And I think that's why I've been really, really hard on the girls, because now we do have expectations and I think they're playing well, but I think there are still a lot of errors that need to be cleaned up."

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UMES 2008-2009 VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

VT Hokie Invite
08/29/08 at Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Va. 7:00 p.m. ET
08/30/08 vs. Coastal Carolina Blacksburg, Va. 10:00 a.m. ET
vs. Winston-Salem State Blacksburg, Va. 4:00 p.m. ET

UMBC Tournament
09/05/08 at UMBC Baltimore, Md. 10:00 a.m. ET
09/06/08 vs. Duquesne Baltimore, Md. 10:00 a.m. ET
vs. Niagara Baltimore, Md. 2:00 p.m. ET

Ramada Invitational
09/12/08 vs. Butler Buffalo, N.Y. 12:00 p.m. ET
at Buffalo Buffalo, N.Y. 7:00 p.m. ET
09/13/08 vs. Maine Buffalo, N.Y. 1:00 p.m. ET

09/16/08 at Norfolk State Norfolk, Va. 7:00 p.m. ET

Colonial Challenge
09/19/08 at William & Mary Williamsburg, Va. 7:00 p.m. ET
09/20/08 vs. Elon Williamsburg, Va. 10:30 a.m. ET
vs. Radford Williamsburg, Va. 4:30 p.m. ET

NCA&T Tournament
09/26/08 at North Carolina A&T Greensboro, N.C. TBA
09/27/08 vs. Alabama State Greensboro, N.C. TBA
vs. Kentucky State Greensboro, N.C. TBA

09/28/08 at North Carolina Central Durham, N.C. 11:00 a.m. ET
10/03/08 vs. Morgan State * Princess Anne, Md. 7:00 p.m. ET
10/05/08 vs. Delaware State * Princess Anne, Md. 3:00 p.m. ET
10/08/08 at Delaware Newark, Del. 7:00 p.m. ET
10/10/08 at Hampton University * Hampton, Va. 7:00 p.m. ET
10/12/08 vs. Coppin State * Princess Anne, Md. 3:00 p.m. ET
10/15/08 at American Washington, D.C. 7:00 p.m. ET
10/17/08 vs. Howard * Princess Anne, Md. 6:00 p.m. ET
10/19/08 at Morgan State * Baltimore, Md. 3:00 p.m. ET
10/24/08 at Delaware State * Dover, Del. 6:00 p.m. ET
10/26/08 vs. Hampton University * Princess Anne, Md. 3:00 p.m. ET
10/31/08 at Coppin State * Baltimore, Md. 7:00 p.m. ET
11/02/08 at Howard * Washington, D.C. 2:00 p.m. ET

MEAC Championships
11/14/08 MEAC Championships Hampton, Va. TBA
11/15/08 MEAC Championships Hampton, Va. TBA
11/16/08 MEAC Championships Hampton, Va. TBA

*Conference Event