2015 All-SWAC Football Teams Announced

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Alabama State University, Alcorn State University, Grambling State University and Mississippi Valley State University received the four major 2015 Southwestern Athletic Conference postseason football awards in voting conducted by league head coaches and sports information directors. The conference made the announcement on Wednesday, just three days prior to its 2015 Toyota SWAC Football Championship on Saturday, Dec. 5, at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Grambling State quarterback Johnathan Williams was named Offensive Player of the Year. Alabama State linebacker Kourtney Berry was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year while Alcorn State’s Marquise Warford landed the Newcomer of the Year award. Rounding out the postseason accolades, Mississippi Valley State receiver Booker Chambers was tagged Freshman of the Year.

Southern led the way with 11 selections and five landing on first team. Alcorn State and Grambling State finished second with six and four picks receiving first-team votes respectively. 

Williams led Grambling State to a 9-2 overall record (9-0 SWAC) and its first Western Division title since 2011. He helped GSU become the first school to earn a perfect conference record since 2008. The grad student ranks first in the FCS and in the SWAC in touchdown passes (36), first in the conference in passing yards (2,910), third in the SWAC in passing yards per game (262.8) and total offensive yards per game (294.6). Helping those averages was a big win over Prairie View A&M in which Williams passed for 429 yards inlcuding six touchdowns.

Berry led the SWAC and finished fifth in NCAA in tackles with 130. He registered double digit tackles in seven games with a season-high 19 against GSU.  Twice Berry has been named SWAC Defensive Player of the Week in 2015.  Berry is also listed on the CFPA Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.

Chambers led the Delta Devils in scoring with seven touchdowns. The true freshman hauled in 15 receptions for 194 yards and three touchdowns.  Chambers returned 35 kickoffs for 777 yards and a long of 88 yards. Used in a variety of roles, he also rushed for three scores and one passing touchdown.  Chambers totaled1,098 all-purpose yards on the season.

In his first Division I collegiate season after transferring from Memphis, Warford racked up nearly 1,000 all-purpose yards.  He led the Braves in receptions and was second on the team in receiving yards.  He was also fourth on the team in rushing yards while finishing with five touchdowns. 
 

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Johnathan Williams (Grambling State)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Kourtney Berry (Alabama State)

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Marquise Warford (Alcorn State)

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Booker Chambers (Mississippi Valley State)

COACH PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Broderick Fobbs

FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
QB	Johnathan Williams	Grambling State
RB	Johnta’ Hebert	Prairie View A&M
RB	Lenard Tillery	Southern
OL	Isekelli Ongosia	Alcorn State
OL	Detonio Dade	Alcorn State
OL	Justin Miller	Grambling State
OL	Anthony Mosley	Southern
OL	Damian Love	Alabama State
WR	Chad Williams	Grambling State
WR	Daniel Williams	Jackson State
TE	Jordan Payne	Alcorn State

DEFENSE
DL	Stacey Garner	Alcorn State
DL	Darien Moody	Alcorn State
DL	Javancy Jones	Jackson State
DL	Gabe Echols	Southern
LB	Kourtney Berry	Alabama State
LB	Damon Watkins	Alcorn State
LB	Willie Duncan	Arkansas-Pine Bluff
DB	Guy Stallworth	Grambling State
DB	Warren Gatewood	Alcorn State
DB	Danny Johnson	Southern
DB	Marquis Green	Mississippi Valley State

SPECIAL TEAMS
K	Ryan Deising	Jackson State
P	Cory Carter	Texas Southern
RS	Willie Quinn	Southern

SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
QB	Austin Howard	Southern
RB	Darryan Ragsdale	Alcorn State
RB	Martez Carter	Grambling State
OL	Jordan Johnson	Prairie View
OL	Terrell Lee	Southern
OL	Reginald Redding	Southern
OL	Markus Cook	Jackson State
OL	Kerry Williams	Alabama State
WR	Derric Griffin	Texas Southern
WR	Chester Rogers	Grambling State
TE	Montrell Jones	Southern

DEFENSE
DL	Demarcus Berry	Arkansas Pine Bluff
DL	Jamison Goins	Grambling State
DL	DeVohn Reed	Prairie View
DL	Michael Jolivet	Grambling State
LB	Darien Anderson	Alcorn State
LB	Aaron Tiller	Southern
LB	Arkez Cooper	Grambling State
DB	Dionte McDuffy	Southern
DB	Robert Porter	Jackson State
DB	Marquice O’Leary	Prairie View
DB	Dominique Weaver	Prairie View

SPECIAL TEAMS
K	Marc Orozco	Grambling State
P	Haiden McCraney	Alcorn State
RS	Booker Chambers/Octayvious Miles	Mississippi Valley State/Alabama A&M

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS

DII Football Notebook: Take aways from the Second Round

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana -- The second round of the playoffs provided some more upsets and some interesting story lines, although not quite as shocking or surprising as the opening round.

With teams like Grand Valley, Northwest Missouri, CSU-Pueblo and Shepherd surviving, we have some traditional playoff teams still in the mix - three that have won national championships. Slippery Rock, West Georgia, Tuskegee and Emporia State are providing us with some new blood, giving the playoffs a great balance.

Slater's Homecoming

Tuskegee upset North Alabama to advance to the regional finals against West Georgia. It is significant for a couple of reasons.

Tuskegee is once again showing it can compete with the best teams in Division II after opting out of the playoffs for so many years. It now has playoff wins against teams from two other conferences in this year's playoffs. The Golden Tigers will have to beat West Georgia in order to have an opportunity to beat a team from a third conference. They have represented the SIAC well.

Also, Tuskegee's coach Willie Slater was the offensive coordinator for Bobby Wallace and UNA when the Lions won three national championships in a row from 1993-1995. The Lions remain the only team to accomplish this.

CONTINUE READING

Alcorn State Braves hope experience pays off

LORMAN, Mississippi -- In last year’s SWAC title game, Southern was the team with title game experience while Alcorn State was participating in the contest for the first time.

Familiarity proved to be overrated last season as the Braves beat the Jaguars, 38-24, to earn their first conference title in 20 years.

Now it’s Alcorn State’s turn to fill the role of experienced champion when it faces Grambling in the SWAC title game on Saturday (3 p.m., ESPNU) at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

This is the Tigers’ first appearance in the conference championship game since 2011.

“You hope it helps a little bit,” Braves coach Jay Hopson said. “Guys that have played in the game kind of understand the situation, and they understand the environment they’re in. I always think it’s a little bit of an advantage, but at the end of the day, you have to go play football and that is what it comes down to.”

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Grambling's offensive line the unsung heros of 2015

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- A dynamic quarterback and arguably the conference's best wide receiver corps almost went to waste in 2014 due to Grambling's inability to consistently run the ball.

With nearly every offensive skill players back for 2015, the Tigers vowed to improve their physicality, improve their offensive line and improve their run game. It's worked wonders so far.

Once the offense's biggest weakness, Grambling's offensive line has easily become a position of strength and a key reason why the Tigers were able to roll through the Southwestern Athletic Conference with a 9-0 mark.

"They've been basically the unsung heros all year long. They've allowed us to really run the football effectively and keep (quarterback) Johnathan (Williams) upright and then allowing him to hand the ball off from time to time where he doesn't have to do as much running," Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs said. "That's been something that's been good for us this season."

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Southern University marching band does mind-blowing cover of Adele's 'Hello'

ALWAYS WATCH IN 1080p HD, WIDE SCREEN

NEW ORLEANS -- The Bayou Classic falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Southern University (of Baton Rouge, not New Orleans; this distinction is incredibly important) and Grambling State square off against each other, more often than not for sole ownership of the top spot in the SWAC division.

What I’m getting at is that this is an event in Louisiana every year, and the Battle of the Bands, which takes place before the actual game is arguably the best part. During this year’s competition, Southern University’s marching band – known affectionately, and appropriately as “The Human Jukebox” – absolutely knocked a rendition of Adele’s smash hit Hello out of the park.


ALWAYS WATCH IN 1080p HD, WIDE SCREEN

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Celebration Bowl to Officially Invite North Carolina A&T

ATLANTA – The first invitation for the inaugural Celebration Bowl – to be played on Saturday, Dec. 19, at noon from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta – will be extended to the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference (MEAC) College Football Champion, North Carolina A&T State University, during halftime at the school’s men’s basketball game on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Executive Director of the Celebration Bowl, John Grant, will be on site to officially deliver the invitation to university chancellor Harold L. Martin. The tipoff for the basketball game against The University of North Carolina at Greensboro is set for 7:30 p.m.

“Congratulations to back-to-back MEAC Champion North Carolina A&T for scoring their ticket to the inaugural Celebration Bowl,” said Grant. “We are excited for the Aggies to join us in this historic match-up against the winner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.”

The opponent facing North Carolina A&T’s Aggies in the Celebration Bowl will be decided during the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championship game on Saturday, Dec. 5, where Grambling State University will take on Alcorn State University


ALWAYS WATCH IN 1080p HD, WIDE SCREEN

Establishing itself as the very first bowl game of the season, the Celebration Bowl is a new Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) postseason football bowl owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. It is a championship-style game between the MEAC and SWAC division champions and will be televised on ABC. ESPN is working with the 100 Black Men of Atlanta to manage the game’s ancillary events which include youth symposium, robotics showcase, college and job fair, fan experience and more.

Tickets are on sale now at the Georgia Dome box office or at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional details are available at www.thecelebrationbowl.com. Follow on Twitter and Facebook.

For MEAC fans, a special rate of $99/night is being offered at the Marriott Marquis, and is available for December 17-19. Please visit Celebration Bowl for more details.

For SWAC fans, a special rate of $89/night is being offered at the Hilton Atlanta, and is available for December 17-19. Please visit Celebration Bowl for more details.

The Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center is also offering a special rate and is available for December 13-20. Please visit Celebration Bowl for more details.

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

B-CU Terry Sims named MEAC football coach of year

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Bethune-Cookman Football first-year head coach Terry Sims was honored as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, announced Monday afternoon by the league office in Norfolk, Virginia. In addition, five B-CU student-athletes were named to the all-conference first team, while another five were selected to the second and third team, respectfully.

Terry Sims, having taken over the reins of the Wildcats program on December 22, 2014, guided the Wildcats to a share of the MEAC title in 2015, including a 9-2 overall finish and 7-1 mark in league play. For the Maroon and Gold, the title represented the school’s fourth consecutive (eighth overall), matching South Carolina State (1980-83) for the second-longest streak in MEAC history.

The Wildcats were victorious over in-state rival Florida A&M, 35-14 in the annual Florida Blue Florida Classic to secure their stake in the conference title. B-CU led the MEAC in several statistical categories, including scoring offense (31.4 avg/g), total offense (445.0 avg/g), rushing offense (191.8 yds./g), pass offense (253.2 avg/g), and pass efficiency (164.1 efficiency). The Cats also hold top 10 positions in the FCS in passing yards per completion (6th) and team passing efficiency (3rd). B-CU entered the STATS FCS Top 25 poll in the final ranking of the season (25th) and have slowly climbed the FCS Coaches Poll to reach No. 21 following the last game of the regular season.

Also representing Bethune-Cookman on the All-MEAC First team was quarterback Quentin Williams (Tampa, Fla.), wide receiver Jawill Davis (Miami, Fla.), offensive lineman Dariusz Bladek (Kissimmee, Fla.), linebacker Robert Way (Belle Glade, Fla.) and defensive back Marquis Drayton (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.).

Williams, a redshirt senior, enjoyed statistically his best season at Bethune-Cookman in 2015. He finished the regular season as the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) leader in passing efficiency (187.2), third in passing yards per completion (16.45), tied for 23rd in passing touchdowns (19), tied for 39th in points responsible for (134), 40th in passing yards (2,171), tied for 40th in points responsible per game (12.2) and 46th in passing yards per game (196.9).

Davis is earning his first postseason accolade, finishing the year leading Bethune-Cookman in receptions (39) and receiving yards (788). He ended the campaign with a team-high matching six touchdown receptions, and finished ninth in the league for receptions per game (3.5). He was second in receiving yards per game (71.6), and ended 46th in the FCS for total receiving yards.

Bladek, a redshirt junior offensive tackle, was a preseason all-conference selection, and earns his first postseason award. Bladek helped pave the way for the Wildcats to lead the MEAC in several statistical categories, including scoring offense (31.4 avg/g), total offense (445.0 avg/g), rushing offense (191.8 yds./g), pass offense (253.2 avg/g), and pass efficiency (164.1 effic.). He also blocked for quarterback Quentin Williams to earn three MEAC Offensive Player of the Week awards throughout the campaign.

On defense, redshirt senior linebacker Robert Way led the Wildcats with 70 tackles, adding a team-high 11 stops behind the line of scrimmage. He also broke up a team-best eight passes from his outside linebacker position, going on to recover two fumbles and force another.

Joining him on the first team for defense was redshirt senior strong safety Marquis Drayton. The Ft. Lauderdale, Florida native amassed 37 tackles on the season, including 21 primary stops. He stepped in front of three passes for interceptions, taking one back 30 yards for a touchdown against Morgan State in the year’s final home game. His three interceptions allowed him to end the year tied for third in the league in that category. He would also finish the year second in the MEAC for kick return yards, averaging 23.4 yards per return.

Representing the Cats on the All-MEAC Second Team was running back Anthony Jordan (Atlanta, Ga.), tight end Ja-Quan Lumas (Orlando, Fla.) and linebacker Donald Smith (Tampa, Fla.). On the third team was running back Michael D. Jones (Sarasota, Fla.) and junior punter Jonathan Cagle (Pensacola, Fla.).

North Carolina A&T running back Tarik Cohen was selected as the MEAC Offensive Player of the Year. Javon Hargrave of South Carolina State took the Defensive Player of the Year award. Both student-athletes received the top honors just one year ago. North Carolina Central’s Dorrel McClain earned Rookie of the Year honors and North Carolina A&T State’s Brandon Parker was selected as the Offensive Lineman of the Year, as voted on by the MEAC’s head football coaches and sports information directors.

For a complete list of this year’s All-MEAC Team members, please visit MEACsports.com.

Follow Bethune-Cookman Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics), Twitter (www.twitter.com/BCUathletics) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/BCUathletics) for all of the latest news and updates. Fans also receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year, via the social media outlets or www.BCUathletics.com.

COURTESY MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS