Friday, August 30, 2013

Tulane Opens 2013 Campaign With 34-7 Win Over Jackson State

Junior QB Nick Montana (son of NFL Hall of Famer Joe
 Montana) debut at Tulane saw the transfer toss a pair of
 touchdown passes while completing 6-of-14 passes for
144 yards.
(Courtesy Tulane Athletics)
Final Stats |  Quotes |  Notes |  Photo Gallery 

NEW ORLEANS  --    During his weekly press conference on Tuesday in the James W. Wilson, Jr., Center, second year Tulane head football coach Curtis Johnson said his team would be taking on a "faceless opponent" in the season-opener as he wanted his team to focus on execution and coming away with the ultimate goal of a win no matter who his team was squaring off against.

On the sideline two days later in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the faces on his sideline were all smiles when the final horn sounded as the Green Wave defeated Jackson State, 34-7, to open the campaign on a high note. Tulane's offense grounded out 158 rushing yards - including a 50-yard, two-touchdown performance by senior running back Orleans Darkwa - and a defense that forced six turnovers courtesy of four interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries.

"The victory was outstanding tonight," Johnson said. "It's good to be 1-0. There is a lot to improve on. We'll get better as the season goes on. (The running game) was the first thing that we talked about last year at the end of the season. We have to establish the running game. I thought those guys did pretty well.

"When our defensive line puts pressure on the quarterback, (six turnovers) are the kinds of numbers you'll get. That was the same thing we did with (former New Orleans Saints safety Darren) Sharper. He ran about a 5.3 40 (yard dash), but he was just back there getting catches because we put a lot of heat on guys. That's exactly what we want to do."

Tulane's six takeaways and four interceptions were the most by a Green Wave team since forcing eight turnovers on the strength of five picks and two fumble recoveries at Army on Sept. 20, 2003. The offense's rushing effort, meanwhile, was the most by the team since rumbling for 185 yards at Hawai'i on Nov. 26, 2011, in that year's season finale. Thirteen of Tulane's 34 points came after Jackson State turnovers, and the Green Wave's 27-point margin of victory was the team's largest in a season opener since defeating The Citadel, 54-6, on Sept. 19, 1953, at old Tulane Stadium.

The Green Wave wasted little time jumping ahead as sophomore cornerback Lorenzo Doss intercepted a pass on the first drive of the game and Tulane took advantage seven plays later when senior preseason All-American kicker Cairo Santos nailed a 22-yard field goal to stake the home team to a 3-0 lead less than five minutes into the contest.

Following a Jackson State punt on the ensuing possession, the Green Wave got an 11-yard run by junior running back Rob Kelley, a 43-yard pass from junior quarterback Nick Montana to senior wide receiver Ryan Grant and consecutive five-yard runs by Darkwa, the second of which saw the native of Nashville, Tenn., cross the goal line to put Tulane ahead, 10-0.

Two plays later, senior linebacker Kyle Davis picked off a pass to set up a 34-yard Santos field goal and Tulane added a 14-yard scoring strike from Montana to junior wideout Justyn Shackleford with 5:41 to play in the second quarter to send the Green Wave into the locker room at the half with a 20-0 lead. Jackson State had chances to get on the scoreboard twice in the second quarter only to fumble twice inside the Tulane five-yard line and sophomore free safety Darion Monroe and junior strong safety Sam Scofield fell on the respective loose balls to send the Tigers away empty handed.

Senior cornerback Jordan Sullen posted the team's third interception of the game midway through the third quarter to set up a Darkwa one-yard touchdown plunge with 3:30 to play in the period, and Montana found redshirt-freshman wide receiver Devon Breaux from 11 yards out for a score with 9:38 to play in the game to account for Tulane's final tally.

Jackson State avoided the shutout on a nine-yard touchdown run by quarterback Evan Ingram with 4:34 left in regulation, and the Green Wave defense made sure the Tigers would get no closer as rookie cornerback Jarrod Franklin joined the interception parade with a pick of his own with under a minute to go.

Monroe led the team with nine tackles (6 solo, 3 assists) while senior nickelback Derrick Strozier followed with six (2 solo, 4 assists). Sophomore defensive end Royce LaFrance had 1.5 of Tulane's seven tackles for loss and senior defensive end Julius Warmsley posted the squad's lone sack. Grant led the Wave's aerial assault with three receptions for 82 yards.

JSU starting quarterback LaMontiez Ivy paced the Tigers with 133 yards on 9-of-17 passing, but both he and Ingram - who was 6-of-12 for 111 yards - tossed a pair of costly interceptions. Tommy Gooden led all players with 64 rushing yards on 20 carries while Zach Pendleton had a game-high 95 receiving yards on three grabs. John McNabb led the Jackson State defense with 11 stops (9 solo, 2 assists), including a pair of sacks to go with a forced fumble.

The Green Wave return to action on Saturday, Sept. 7, when they play host to South Alabama at 2:30 p.m. in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. For tickets to that game, as well as future Green Wave events, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office. The Ticket Office is located on the first floor of the Wilson Center on Ben Weiner Drive, and tickets can be purchased in person, over the phone at 504-861-WAVE (9283) or via the Internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.

COURTESY TULANE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS 

Defense Dominates in Season-Opening Win: Western Illinois 42, Hampton 9

MACOMB, Illinois – Western Illinois could not have asked for a better performance from its defense in the football team’s 42-9 season-opening win over Hampton University on Thursday night. The Fighting Leathernecks forced nine turnovers (six interceptions/three fumbles), and scored on three of those turnovers as the program snapped a six-game losing streak dating back to last year.

The game also marked the debut of head coach Bob Nielson. The team scored the most points in three years, and did not commit a turnover on offense, while the defense recorded five-or-more takeaways for the first time since the opening round playoff win in 2010.

Western began the scoring when junior safety Jonathon Rollins intercepted a pass and put Western 1st-and-10 on the Hampton 40. The Leathernecks needed 10 plays to score a touchdown, Nikko Watson’s 1-yard run. Kevin Kintzel rushed in for the 2-point conversion midway through the first quarter.

Hampton (0-1) responded in the second quarter with a 21-yard TD pass from Jaylian Williamson to Antwon Chisholm. Their 2-point try failed. On the ensuing drive, Nathan Knuffman pinned Hampton on the two. On second down, Kintzel forced a fumble and senior Ryan Demming scooped up the loose ball and scored a 6-yard TD – the first of his collegiate career.

The Pirates took the opening kick of the second half and marched down inside the redzone. JUCO transfer Dallas Nichols quickly put his name in the Western record book as he picked off a pass on the three and raced 97 yards for a touchdown. It marked the longest interception return in Leatherneck history, and the eighth-longest in Missouri Valley Football Conference history.

Both teams traded punts, then Kintzel struck again. The junior linebacker picked off Brian Swain on the 12 and ran in for his first collegiate score making it 28-6.

Adam Brown’s 40-yard field goal with just under four minutes left provided the final margin.



Rollins set a career-high with two interceptions in the game, the first two of his career. Kintzel recorded his second career pick and his second career forced fumble. Demming recovered his third career fumble. Devon Butler and Nichols both had their first career interception, while for Davis it was the sixth of his career (now three away from 10th place all-time).

"Well, it's always great to win. Give credit to our kids. They've worked hard, they surely deserved to win the football game today. There were a lot of good things,” said head coach Bob Nielson. “As I've said all along, our defense is certainly ahead of where our offense is right now. I think they have a chance to be a very good unit and they certainly showed that today. Forcing turnovers is one of the things that we talked about as one of the keys to this game... the fact is that you need to win the turnover margin [early in the year]. We not only won it, we won it substantially today and as a result got the score separated, so that was one of the good things.”

Overall the defense recorded eight tackles for a loss as Demming recorded the unit’s lone sack. Nichols also had a fumble recovery on the night to go with his five tackles. Western allowed 247 total yards of offense, just 88 on the ground, while gaining 262 in the game.

Offensively, Watson registered his sixth career 100-yard game tallying 108 on 27 attempts. Norvell completed 14-of-24 passes for 84 yards.

True-freshman Lance Lenoir, Jr. had five catches for 29 yards. Knuffman averaged 36.4 yards on his seven punts, with a long of 54 yards and placing four inside the 20-yard line. Both of his field goal attempts were blocked (42 and 23 yards).

Williamson threw for 113 yards to lead Hampton, but all three Pirate quarterbacks threw two interceptions. Chisholm led the receivers with 56 yards. Carvin Johnson and Delbert Tyler had 11 tackles each, two of the four Pirates with at least 10 tackles.

According to Nielson, despite the lopsided score there is certainly room for improvement.

“Some things we've certainly identified that we need to continue to improve upon. I thought we showed a little bit of a spark at times offensively, but not nearly as consistently as we need to be. We made some good plays in the kicking game; we also had some bad plays in the kicking game and that's got to be shored up. I'm disappointed that with the amount of time we spent on the kicking game in the preseason that we didn't execute better in some of
those areas,” said Nielson. “It's a great way to start the season with a win. Now, as I told them on the field, our job is to make week two a week where we make a quantum leap of improvement and there's certainly room to do that."

Western will play host to Quincy University on Saturday, September 7th. Kickoff at Hanson Field is scheduled for 1 p.m.


The Pirates will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 7, when they head to Zable Stadium in Williamsburg, Va. to take on William & Mary at 7 p.m. For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

Game Boxscore

GAME NOTES: The last time Western had at least five turnovers in a game was at Coastal Carolina in the 2010 road playoff win (4 INT/1 FR)… Western had not reached 40-plus points since putting 65 on MVFC-rival Illinois State in 2010… In all, 16 Leathernecks made their debut but only two were true-freshman (Lenoir, Jr. and Joey Borsellino)… Western finished tied for 10th nationally last year with 16 interceptions, now with six already to start the 2013 campaign… Watson recorded a 100-yard game for the third straight time to start a season, each of his three years as a Leatherneck… Thirteen of the team’s 15 pass receptions were by newcomers (2 by Salomon)… Temperature at kickoff was 90 degrees… Western won the time of possession battle, 30:37 to 29:23… Western was 6-of-17 on third down and converted 2-of-3 on fourth down. Hampton was 4-of-11 on third down… The Leathernecks also committed 10 penalties totaling 81 yards… The 42 points scored in a season-opener were the most since putting 45 up against Valparaiso in the 2010 opener. It was also just the third time scoring 40-plus in the opner since 1998.

 
COURTESY WESTERN ILLINOIS ATHLETICS
COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Spoken 4 Communications Game Preview -- NCCU vs. Duke



DURHAM, North Carolina --  Spoken 4 Communications "Every Child Deserves to Be Heard" previews the 2013 edition of the Bull City Gridiron Classic pitting NCCU against cross-town foe Duke. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m., but fans are encouraged to tune in at 3:30 p.m. as Chris Hooks (play-by-play), Joe Simmons (Color analyst), and Anthony Sharp (sideline reporter) break down the matchup between the two teams.

For more information about NCCU athletics, visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or download the NCCU Sports Network app available in the App Store, Google Play and Amazon.

By Chris Hooks, Assistant Sports Information Director/Broadcast Media Coordinator
COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Former PVAMU Basketball Standout Signs Professional Contract

JOURDAN DEMUYNCH
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas  --  Former Prairie View A&M men's basketball standout Jourdan DeMuynck has moved on to the professional ranks after inking a contract with Keravnos Strovolou in the Republic of Cyprus.

DeMuynck is the projected starter at shooting guard for his team which plays in the league's top division (A).  He's joining a squad which advanced to the semifinal round of the 2013 Cypriot Play-Offs and finished 3-1 in the EuroChallenge last season.  A native of San Leandro, Calif., DeMuynck had an impressive career for the Panthers as he led them to the 2013 SWAC Tournament Finals while also earning All-SWAC Second Team and All-Tournament Honors.

DeMuynck's signing continues a tradition of Panther standouts earning professional opportunities overseas under head coach Byron Rimm II.  Since 2010, a total of five players have moved on to the professional ranks after completing their careers at Prairie View A&M.

"I'm proud of what Jourdan has accomplished," said Rimm.  "It shows if you put in hard work on-and-off the court, you can achieve your dreams."

COURTESY PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SU Jaguars make last-minute tweaks for season-opener

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  -- The Southern football team hit the practice fields for the final time Wednesday in making last-minute preparations before the season-opener Friday against Houston.

“The guys seemed to be really focused,” coach Dawson Odums said. “But you could see the nervous energy, and the guys are just ready to see a different colored jersey.”

Odums was looking for his team to be sharp Wednesday.

“We didn’t want to do too much today,” Odums said. “We wanted to keep the players fresh. We wanted to polish a few things up today.

“We wanted to see good tempo and just polish the little things up in preparation for the game, getting ready for Friday.”

Since the beginning of fall practice, Odums and his staff have preached a positive attitude to the players.

“We have to stay in the foxhole together,” Odums said. “We all have to be there for ...

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Jackson State invades the Superdome to face Tulane

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana  --  Jackson State is the first Little 7 member to open its season.

The Tigers travel to New Orleans for a Thursday night showdown against Tulane in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The 7 p.m. contest is the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Jackson State is led by defensive back Qua Cox, preseason SWAC defensive player of the year, and running back Tommy Gooden.

"I feel really good about this team," Tigers coach Rick Comegy said.

Tulane coach Curtis Johnson isn't overlooking the Tigers, who lost in the SWAC championship game last season.

"Everything is a challenge with us," Johnson said. "Jackson State, they're new. We haven't seen them. When you're playing against new opponents and you don't know them, you've got to be sure that your stuff is ready. On our stuff, we've got to be good at everything. You've got to know your assignments.
"We can't have a bunch of mentals. If we do that, it'll give us a chance to win."

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Alabama State football: Assistant Hendrick placed on administrative leave

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- Alabama State will enter its season opener with special teams duties split among several coaches after placing special teams coordinator John Hendrick on paid administrative leave.

Hendrick, the defensive ends coach and special teams coordinator for the Hornets, was placed on administrative leave for unspecified reasons Aug. 13. Head coach Reggie Barlow refused to go into specifics regarding Hendrick’s situation but left the door open for his return at the end of the 2013 season.

“Of course, you always think the world of all your coaches and respect them, but I think for us, I’m all about good chemistry and good vibes. And we ... had a situation where we had to not part ways ... but we just wanted to take a step back and look at our special teams area and give the other coaches some responsibility in that,” Barlow said. “Obviously, we’ve changed a bit here. But the foundation of what we believe in and how we operate is about the team and esprit de corps, working together in harmony. And if you can’t do that, then obviously you can’t work here.”

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