Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Southern Jaguars open camp focused on the future

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- The Southern University football team reports to camp Wednesday exactly 248 days since the Jaguars walked off the field at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome following a 34-23 loss to Grambling State.

The loss put to rest arguably one of the most frustrating seasons since coach Dawson Odums took over the team in 2013 with Southern winning consecutive games just once all year.

Since then, there’s been little relief from the memory.

Odums said he doesn't yet know what this team is capable of after spending another spring under the thumb of NCAA sanctions due to insufficient Academic Progress Rates

But the past is the past and Odums and the Jaguars are ready to start focusing on the future.

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Tuesday, August 2, 2016

In year two under Latrell Scott, Norfolk State looks to take big step forward

NORFOLK, Virginia — As with every time a new coach arrives, there was an adjustment period. A different staff brings a different philosophy, and cohesion doesn’t come overnight.

But when preseason practice begins Friday, Norfolk State will be in year two of the Latrell Scott Era. The Spartans will have a returning quarterback for the first time since 2011, nine starters back from a defense that was solid by the end of the season and a positive outlook.

“Of course a MEAC championship,” quarterback Greg Hankerson Jr. said of the team’s expectations. “We’ve been working extremely hard, and I can see the progression through all the players.

“Everybody’s been competing against each other, with each other, pushing each other to be better. I feel this season will be good for us.”

Scott isn’t predicting a berth in the Celebration Bowl, which goes to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion, but he clearly expects better than the 4-7 record NSU had in 2015.

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Monday, August 1, 2016

TSU to Honor 1956 Football Team at John Merritt Classic



NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The 1956 Tennessee State football team, one of the best in program history, will be honored at the 18th annual John Merritt Classic on Sept. 3 when the Tigers open the season at Nissan Stadium versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff. It will mark the 60th anniversary celebration for the undefeated team.

Under the direction of second-year Head Coach Howard Gentry, the 1956 squad racked up a number of impressive victories en route to a perfect 10-0 record and a Black College National Championship.

“These men were resilient back when they played, and they are still coming back every year to support the university and the football program,” Tennessee State Director of Athletics Teresa Phillips said. “This year marks their 60th anniversary, so I felt it was appropriate to honor them. Although they didn’t get to play under the legendary coach John Merritt, another great coach of ours, Howard Gentry, Sr. guided them to the National Championship. We wanted them to know how loved and appreciated they are 60 years after their success.”

Running back Jesse Wilburn, a native of Memphis, guided the Tigers’ ground game on the season, while Robert Crawford led the passing attack.

The star-studded 1956 squad featured a number of players who earned All-America honors during their time at TSU including guard and captain James Buford (’56), tackle Charles Gavin (’56 & ’57), halfback Fay Mitchell (’56), end Leon Jamison (’57), end Charles Walker (’59) and tackle Fred Metcalf (’59).

The Tigers rolled through the regular season, yielding just 31 points (3.4 points per game) in the first nine games. The stretch included shutout victories over Grambling State (33-0), Maryland State (6-0), Kentucky State (40-0) and Lincoln University (47-0).

For their efforts, the Tigers were invited to the Orange Blossom Classic at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla. to take on Florida A&M to crown the 1956 Black College Champion.

Playing in front of a crowd of more than 40,000, the Tigers found themselves in a back-and-forth game with the high-powered Rattlers. In the waning seconds of the game, the Tigers clung to a 41-39 lead as FAMU had the ball on the TSU one-yard line. Needing just a field goal to win, the Rattlers instead elected to send their offense on the field. After a delay of game penalty pushed FAMU back to the six-yard line, the TSU defense came up with three defensive stops to earn the 41-39 victory and win the Black College National Championship.

“What we accomplished that year was tremendous,” said Fred Metcalf, who was a freshman on the 1956 team. “If you look at the scores of the games that we played, you can tell that we had a very good football team. The way the Florida A&M game ended, our defense outlasted their offense.”

The team, which gets together every 20 years to catch up, was also honored during the Homecoming football game in 1996.

For more information on how to purchase football tickets online, visit TSUTigers.com/tickets. Fans can also visit the TSU Ticket Office, located on the first floor of the Gentry Center, or call (615) 963-5841.

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ASU's Berry craves SWAC championship finish

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Brian Jenkins will start his second season at Alabama State with perhaps the most productive and reliable player in the Southwestern Athletic Conference — Kourtney Berry.

“I’m honored to have a chance in my coaching career to coach Kourtney Berry,” Jenkins said. “Phenomenal young man. He’s the keystone to our defense. There is no secret to that. He’s a very humble young man.”

The 2015 SWAC defensive player of the year, Berry has posted 363 tackles in three seasons, but has yet to win a conference title. So he enters his final year looking to lead the Hornets to their first SWAC championship since 2004.

ASU starts preseason practice Tuesday and opens the season Sept. 3 at Texas-San Antonio.

“I continually speak it into existence and just try to work every day to make sure it comes true,” said Berry, who has received his bachelor’s degree and is pursuing his master’s degree.

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UMES men will face Michigan, Wichita State in 2016-17

PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland -- UMES will play at least one school from a Power 5 conference this season.

On Saturday, Dec. 17, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s men’s basketball team will travel more than 650 miles to take on the University of Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines of the Big Ten announced their non-conference schedule on Wednesday, July 27.

The Hawks are one of 14 non-conference opponents that the Wolverines will face in the 2016-17 season. The time for the game has not been set. Michigan will also take on Howard, another Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference school, on Friday, Nov. 11.

Michigan finished last season with a 23-13 record and lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Notre Dame.

UMES, which finished last season with a 10-22 (7-9 MEAC) record and a first round exit in the MEAC tournament, has not released any parts of its schedule for the 2016-17 season. However, several dates have been confirmed by other schools.

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Norfolk State Football Preview

NORFOLK, Virginia -- The Norfolk State football team has been predicted to finish sixth in the MEAC this season according to the preseason poll of head coaches and sports information directors. In addition, seven Spartans were named to the preseason All-MEAC teams when the conference released its preseason awards and predictions at the annual media day event in downtown Norfolk on Friday.

NSU senior quarterback Greg Hankerson, junior defensive lineman Chris Lee, senior cornerback Sandy Chapman and senior kicker Cameron Marouf were voted to the preseason All-MEAC second team. Senior running back Gerard Johnson, sophomore defensive lineman Walter Brantley and sophomore kick returner Marcus Taylor were named to the third team.

Hankerson is the MEAC's returning leader in total offense after amassing 2,475 yards rushing and passing last year, his first season at NSU after transferring from Florida Atlantic. Hankerson passed for 2,052 yards with 13 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He also led NSU with 423 rushing yards and scored three times on the ground, including TD runs of 77 and 57 yards.

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Hampton Pirates Football Preview

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HAMPTON, Virginia -- The Pirates were selected to finish fifth in the MEAC this season, its third under head coach Connell Maynor. Hampton (6-5, 5-3 MEAC in 2015) received one first-place vote and tallied 265 points in the preseason poll. Last season was Hampton's first winning year since 2011.

Wide receiver Twarn Mixson and punter Christian Faber-Kinney were each named Preseason First Team All-MEAC, as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) released its preseason teams and predicted order of finish on Friday. Both were unveiled during the annual Football Press Luncheon at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott Hotel.

Mixson was a First Team All-MEAC selection last season after catching59 passes for 1,027 yards and nine touchdowns – becoming just the second Pirate ever to record a 1,000-yard receiving season. He led the MEAC in receptions (5.9 per game) and receiving yards (93.4 per game). Mixson recorded five 100-yard receiving games last season – including a career-high 172 yards on nine catches at Savannah State. He was also a Second Team All-State honoree from the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID), and BoxToRow and SBN Sports both named him a Black College All-American.

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