Sunday, September 28, 2014

Grambling State's backup QB leads comeback effort in State Fair Classic win

DALLAS, Texas -- It was a toss-up, really, which team would take home the 2014 Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic title. Grambling State entered the game having won its first game of the season just last weekend, while winless Prairie View A&M had dominated the annual meeting the past three years.

But in the end, momentum trumped history Saturday as Grambling State won 26-20 at the Cotton Bowl.

Grambling played catch up the entire game before notching its first lead toward the end of the third quarter on senior running back Juwan Martin’s 8-yard touchdown run that also proved to be the winning score.

Making the win even more impressive was the fact that Grambling was without its starting quarterback, redshirt freshman Stephen Johnson, who injured his ankle after leading the team to victory last weekend over Jackson State.

And then about halfway through the first quarter, Grambling was without its second choice when senior quarterback D.J. Williams left the game with a knee injury. So the job went to redshirt junior Johnathan Williams.

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S.C. State comes from behind to beat Hampton 17-10

HAMPTON, Virginia — Hampton University and South Carolina State each left sunny Armstrong Stadium with plenty of regrets over botched plays and missed opportunities. A conference road victory eases the sting considerably.

While S.C. State finally converted those chances, the Pirates’ red-zone execution again lacked in a wrenching 17-10 loss Saturday in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

“They made a couple more plays than we did,” HU coach Connell Maynor said. “We left some plays out there on the field. When it comes down to it, they made more plays than we did. We don’t make excuses. We had 60 minutes to prove we were better and we didn’t do it.”

South Carolina State (3-2, 1-0 MEAC) scored two touchdowns in a wild fourth quarter, the second on Jalen Simmons’ 1-yard stroll into the end zone with 1:09 remaining for the eventual winning points.

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A&T Aggies Earn First Conference Win, Beat Howard

WASHINGTON, D.C. – North Carolina A&T put the ball in the hands of a true freshman Saturday afternoon and then relied on its defense to secure an important 38-22 conference win over Howard at Greene Memorial Stadium.

A few Bison (1-4, 0-2 MEAC) dropped passes – 11 to be exact – helped along the way. The Aggies (4-1, 1-0) will take what they can get after winning without the nation’s sixth-leading rusher in sophomore Tarik Cohen and playing the entire second half without starting quarterback Kwashaun Quick who left due to injury.

Instead the Aggies turned to High Point, N.C., freshman Marquell Cartwright to carry the ball in place of Cohen, while freshman Hasaan Klugh took care of the quarterbacking duties for Quick. Cartwright finished with 135 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries. In only two quarters of play, Quick threw for 200 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 14-for-23 passing. He also caught a 3-yard touchdown pass in the first half.

But it was the Aggies defense that remained steadfast despite watching a 28-7 lead dwindled into a 28-22 lead with three minutes, 25 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Cartwright gave his defense a boost by bursting through a humungous hole on the left side to score on a 16-yard touchdown with a minute left in the third quarter to put A&T ahead 35-22.



“I’m so proud of our guys because they just keep overcoming a lot,” said A&T head coach Rod Broadway. “Tarik couldn’t play today. Our quarterback only played a half, but guys just keep rising up and playing for us. That’s a good sign to have as a football team.”

MEAC preseason offensive player of the year Greg McGhee tested A&T’s toughness throughout the afternoon. McGhee closed out the third quarter with a 50 yard run after scrambling around in the pocket to break free. McGhee complemented the 50-yard run with a 10-yard run to the Aggies 4-yard line to open the fourth quarter. But a 5-yard false start penalty, a 1-yard run and three straight incompletions, including a drop in the end zone kept the Bison from scoring.

“He’s a heckuva a player. I’m glad he is gone,” said Broadway about the senior signal caller who threw for 237 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 20-for-44 passing.

Howard’s next possession resulted in a three-and-out before junior cornerback Tony McRae would all but seal the game by intercepting a McGhee pass and returning it 23 yards to the Bison 36. The Aggies came into the game leading the nation in interceptions. McRae’s pick was the team’s 11th. Nine plays after the turnover, sophomore Cody Jones connected on a 40-yard field goal to put A&T in front by 16.

“I thought we should have had 35 or 42 points in the first half,” said Broadway. “We had few too many mistakes that cost us. But any time you can get up 28-7, it’s big for you. Despite what they did to us on that first drive, our defense ended up playing well.”

The Bison took the game’s opening drive 76 yards on seven plays and closed the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run from McGhee. The Aggies offense looked unstoppable for the remainder of the first half. Senior Desmond Lawrence turned a short pass into a 49-yard touchdown receptions thanks to his sprinter’s speed as the Aggies tied the game at 7. A&T used a little trickery as a double reverse turned into a 3-yard touchdown pass from redshirt freshman receiver Caleb Gabriel to Quick on a 4th-and-goal from the 3.

The Aggies scored on three straight possessions to close the first quarter as Cartwright broke through for an 11-yard touchdown run. Junior Darren Bullock closed out A&T’s first-half scoring as Quick found him wide open on a post pattern. After catching the ball, Bullock made a move toward the middle of the field at the 20 to score on the 46-yard catch and run to put A&T ahead 28-7 before Howard scored nine straight to close out the first half trailing 28-16.

Redshirt sophomore nose guard Marquis Ragland led the Aggies with five tackles (all unassisted), two tackles for loss, a sack and he blocked an extra point. Redshirt junior Denzel Jones added a team-high 10 tackles.

“We’re glad to come up here and get out of here with a win but it was costly,” said Broadway. “We have a number of injuries, so we just have to go back and prepare for South Carolina State the best way we know how.”

The Aggies return to Atlanta to face the Bulldogs in the 26th annual Atlanta Football Classic at the Georgia Dome. S.C. State won last year’s matchup in Atlanta, 29-24.

BOX SCORE: A&T 38, Howard 22

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Pough lowkey on getting 100th career win, looks for repeat performance from new QB against Hampton

HAMPTON, Virginia — Don’t expect confetti or balloons flying over the South Carolina State sidelines should head coach Buddy Pough earn career win 100th at his alma mater this afternoon.

Even if today’s Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener against Hampton took place at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium rather than Armstrong Stadium, the achievement would continue to receive low-key treatment from Pough.

“Hopefully, it will happen in a way where we can let it go into the sunset,” said Pough, whose record at S.C. State stands at 99-45.

A week after leading the Bulldogs (2-2) to a 17-7 win over previously ranked Furman, quarterback TeDarius Wiley will remain in the lead role. The North Carolina native was given the nod based on his error-free play against the Paladins and former starter Adrian Kollack Jr. remaining sidelined with his left shoulder injury.



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Sidney Lanier retires jersey of former standout Reggie Barlow

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- Current Alabama State University head coach and former Sidney Lanier High School player Reggie Barlow received a big honor this week as the Poets retired his #8 jersey during a ceremony on Thursday.

"[Current] Coach C.J. Harris and the Booster Club reached out to me and told me that was something they wanted to do," Barlow said. "Obviously I was honored and I do know the tradition and the history and all the great people that have been through Lanier High School and not just athletes. We have had people that have turned out to be lawyers, doctors, mayors, just really top of the line folks. It was a blessing to be honored and have the jersey retired."

Barlow earned All-State honors as a member of the Poets football team, and from there he went on to be an All-SWAC player at Alabama State.



"We didn't win a lot of games (at Lanier)," Barlow said. "I think they looked at the body of work with me being there and being All-State, and coming over here (ASU) and doing what I was able to do here and of course in the NFL. Maybe it was just an accumulation of all those things that have happened to me in my sports career."

After playing in college, Barlow was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 1996 NFL Draft.

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Week 5: HBCU Football Schedule


ALWAY WATCH IN 1080p HD, WIDE SCREEN 

SATURDAY, September 27, 2014

OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE
Florida A&M at Tennessee State (Homecoming), 7 PM, FREE Live Video

MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
North Carolina A&T at Howard, 1 PM
South Carolina State at Hampton, 2 PM
Morgan State at Norfolk State, 4 PM
Florida Tech at Bethune-Cookman, 4 PM
Savannah State at Delaware State, 6 PM
Florida A&M at Tennessee State (Homecoming), 7 PM,  FREE Live Video 

SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Alabama A&M at Mississippi Valley, 5 PM
Prairie View vs. Grambling State at Dallas (State Fair Classic), 5 PM
Southern at Alcorn State, 5 PM, ESPN3
Texas Southern at Alabama State, 6 PM
Jackson State at Arkansas Pine Bluff, 7 PM



OTHER CONFERENCES
Fairmont State at West Virginia State, 1 PM
Point U. at Edward Waters, 2 PM
Langston at Hardin-Simmons, 2 PM
West Georgia at Clark Atlanta, 2 PM
Oklahoma Panhandle State at Texas College, 3 PM
Florida Tech at Bethune-Cookman, 4 PM
Virginia University Lynchburg at Saint Francis (Pa.), 4 PM
Central State (Ohio) at Delta State, 6 PM
Cheyney at Kutztown, 6 PM
Concordia College at West Alabama, 7 PM
Lincoln (Mo.) at Truman State, 8 PM

CENTRAL INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Lincoln (Pa.) at Shaw, 1 PM
Bowie State at Livingstone, 1 PM
Chowan at Saint Augustine's, 1:30 PM
Virginia Union at Johnson C. Smith, 2 PM
Fayetteville State at Virginia State, 2 PM
Elizabeth City State at Winston-Salem State, 6 PM

SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Lane at Tuskegee, 1 PM
West Georgia at Clark Atlanta, 2 PM
Morehouse at Paine, 2 PM
Kentucky State at Stillman, 3 PM
Fort Valley State at Benedict, 6 PM
Central State (Ohio) at Delta State, 6 PM
Miles College at Albany State, 7 PM

ALL GAMES EASTERN TIME ZONE

5 from XU reach regional singles round of 16

NEW ORLEANS -- Five singles players from Xavier University of Louisiana, including top-seeded Nour Abbes, advanced to the round of 16 Friday at the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional Championships at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center.

Abbes, a sophomore who is 22-0 in singles at Xavier, defeated Brenau's Snezhana Kiseleva 6-0, 6-1 and will play Auburn Montgomery's Claudine Maheu at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Also advancing from XU were Brion Flowers and Sha'Nel Bruins in the women's main draw and Tushar Mandlekar and Adam Albrecht in the men's. Mandlekar won twice, including a 6-3, 6-1 decision in the round of 32 against Mobile's Marcio Dal Pont, an honorable-mention NAIA All-American last season.

XU doubles teams of Abbes-Carmen Nelson, Bruins-Brandi Nelson and Mandlekar-Kevin Chaouat advanced to the quarterfinals. Reaching the round of 16 were Albrecht-Nikita Soifer and Flowers-Dasia Harris.

Soifer, seeded fourth in men's singles, lost 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 to AUM's Francisco Mendieta in the round of 32.

All round-of-16 main-draw singles matches will start at 9 a.m. Saturday at City Park, followed by singles consolation rounds at 10:15 and 12:30 p.m., main-draw singles quarterfinals at 11 and doubles at 1:30. Semifinals and finals in the main draw will be conducted Sunday at XU Tennis Center.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA