Sunday, August 13, 2017

Only way to go is up: DSU Hornet players feeling positive during scrimmage

DOVER, Delaware — There’s a familiar refrain around Delaware State University’s preseason football camp.

All the Hornets can do is improve on last season after a 0-11 record.

“There’s only one way to go from last year,” said junior running back Brycen Alleyne. “The only way we can go is up. We’re on the up right now. Last year was last year, we’re definitely a different team than last year.”

“The only way we can go is up,” agreed sophomore quarterback Keenan Black. “We’re not focused on last year. The intensity has changed from last year and it’s like night and day. We’re moving up and trying to get better every day.”

“All we can do is go up,” Black added. “That’s what we got. That’s it.”

That’s the type of cautious optimism highlighting the camp so far. The Hornets know last year was the worst case scenario and they think they have the pieces in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

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S.C. STATE FOOTBALL: Linebacker corps features 2 of the best

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- Prior to the start of preseason football drills on Aug. 2, the consensus among the S.C. State defensive staff was that the front line would be the strength of the Bulldog defense in 2017. Nearly two weeks later, and after about 10 practices, that opinion has not changed.

But another group receiving a lot of praise is the S.C. State linebackers who, throughout camp, have demonstrated they are not very far behind the defensive line in talent and expectations. Two players in last year’s starting rotation – Tyler Smith and Shaquan Brock – have graduated and will be missed. But the staff is not expecting any drop-off in performance or execution.

“Between the linebackers and the defensive front,” they make up the strength of our football team this year,” Bulldogs head coach Buddy Pough said. “If our linebackers play up to their potential, we should be pretty good overall on defense and give our opponents a little something to think about.

“The depth of the group is still being developed, but we expect this position to play at a very high level.”

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Texas Southern Tigers open second week of practice in full pads

HOUSTON, Texas -- Texas Southern Tigers football kicked off the second full week of Fall camp with a spirited full pads practice session on Monday.

TSU Defensive Coordinator Tom Anthony has liked what he has seen out of the Tigers defense up to this point of camp and is pleased with the overall level of depth the Tigers boast defensively.

"I think we did a good job or recruiting a lot of depth on our football team at multiple positions on the field," said Anthony. "We have three guys that started nine of our eleven games last season in Sean Jones, Archie Rice, and Dondre Dobbins. With that being said pretty much every other spot on our defense is open."

Texas Southern has several key positions open on both sides of the ball and that has clearly become evident with the high level of completion exhibited throughout the Tigers practices.

"We have a lot of new faces having lost so many starters from last season," said Anthony. "The first week of camp was really good as far as position battles and guys competing for a job. Just seeing guys out there competing at a high level has been one of the positives from the first week of camp."

TSU will open the 2017 campaign on the road versus the Florida A&M Rattlers in Tallahassee. Despite not knowing too much about the varying personnel packages they will have to line up against Anthony seems confident in his teams' ability to adapt and adjust.

"We're focusing on the basics right now," said Anthony. "We'll go into that game with a lot of solid favorite calls out of our packages and our kids know that the first game of the season is always going to be about adjustments seeing as how team can change a lot schematically from year to year so we'll have to adjust to anything new that we might see."

Tickets for the 2017 Labor Day Classic which will be held this season at the TSU Tigers home BBVA Compass Stadium are currently on sale at the TSU and PVAMU bookstores as well as Wolf's Department store and the BBVA Box Office. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.axs.com.

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Alabama State wraps up second scrimmage of Fall Camp

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- The Alabama State University football team completed its second scrimmage of the Fall Camp on Saturday morning at the ASU Football Stadium.

"We have improved in every phase and that's what we set out to do," Alabama State head coach Brian Jenkins said. "I think the day was prosperous for us. We saw some better things than we did in the last scrimmage. It was good to see some of the young guys get in there and perform and do some things."

The Hornets worked on all facets of the game as the offense improved from its first scrimmage.

"The offense is rhythm and timing," Jenkins said. "You've got to catch your rhythm and timing and that does take some time. But today the timing was a lot better and the rhythm was a lot better, which was good to see."

Alabama State's defense picked up where it left off in Wednesday's scrimmage and continues to show improvement from the defensive scheme that first-year defensive coordinator Osita Alaribe has installed.

"The defense is doing a good job and that's only going to make us better offensively," Jenkins said. "I'm glad to see the guys swarming the ball and glad to see the guys tackling the way that they are. Today they picked up where they left off on Wednesday."

The special teams have shown improvement during the fall and have made big strides with the addition of freshman kicker Hunter Hanson.

"I am very excited to have him in camp," Jenkins said. "I've been telling people that I thought this kid was special. I thought we really got lucky when we signed him. He has great work ethic and fits right in. He has a great championship leg and he will help us tremendously."

The Hornets have three more practices before school begins on Wednesday.

Alabama State will play six games at the ASU Football Stadium, including the opener – The Labor Day Classic: A Marion Nine Invitational – against Tuskegee. Tickets are still available and fans are encouraged to purchase tickets by calling the Alabama State University box office at (334) 229-4551 or (334) 229-8479. Fans may are able to purchase tickets online by clicking here or clicking here.

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AAMU's Spady pleased with Bulldogs after first scrimmage


SCRIMMAGE PHOTO GALLERY

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- To say that Head Coach James Spady was pleased after Saturday's scrimmage is an understatement.

In fact, he was more than pleased.

"I was pleased," he said. "I was so pleased with the way we competed."

And, speaking of competing, Spady said it's a "tight race" for the starting quarterback's position.

Redshirt junior Damian May and freshman Aqeel Glass are the prime contenders for the starting spot and both played well Saturday, Spady said.

The Bulldogs ran about 100 plays in the game-like situations which included referees.

On the offensive side, receiver Monte Jones had a couple of big grabs – one for a touchdown and the other negated by a downfield holding call. Running back Jordan Bentley broke loose on a 64-yard run and May, Glass and Dylan Smith engineered several drives.

Senior Nick Carden showed why he's the All-SWAC preseason team kicker and his left foot gives the Bulldogs a long-range scoring threat.

The defense also made several stops and pass breakups, forcing the offense into the field-goal situations.

And, as an added touch for some HBCU football atmosphere, the Marching Maroon & White marched into Louis Crews Stadium.

As for the Bulldogs, "We've made a tremendous amount of progress," Spady said. "They're doing the little things every day."

Spady did say there were things still to work out, such as game management by the quarterbacks, blocking assignments and the like.

But, overall, you can say he was "pleased."

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Florida A&M Offense Shows Marked Improvement in Scrimmage

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- The Florida A&M football team had their best scrimmage of camp, led by quarterback Ryan Stanley. While the FAMU defensive unit continues to provide a stingy front, the first string offense broke the scoring with a long pass from Stanley to a streaking Marcus Williams. The beginning of what looks to be a more balanced team, still led by it’s defense, but with signs of explosiveness on offense, is just what head coach Alex Wood needed to see.

“We did some good things today on both sides of the ball. Obviously, our defense is just a little ahead of the offense at this point, but the offensive unit is beginning to show the signs of getting in sync and that’s exciting,” Wood said.

The veteran defensive ends continue to press the No.1 offense. Wood continues to pit the No.1 offense against the No.1 defense. While Calvin Darville and Elijah Price are arguably the best defensive end tandem in the conference, the offensive line is finding ways to solve them at times. Antonio Miller comes in as the third defensive end with a burst of pursuit hard to defend by any of the teams the Rattlers faced last year.



Miller feels the defense is gelling well in getting prepared for this season. “We’re coming out with a lot of energy and enthusiasm to get to the ball. We’re trying to shut down the run and force teams to pass. We feel we have the defensive backs to win that game and the ends that can get to the quarterback,” Miller said.

With exactly two weeks to the kickoff of the 2017 season, Stanley is eager to get to the first game. “We’re kind of tired of hitting one another. We are ready to play someone else, we’re ready for the season to start. Coming out for our third scrimmage you could see a big difference offensively. Across the board we’re getting our assignments down. As a whole we did a good job. Defense did a good job today too. We had a good hot day today and we took advantage of it,” Stanley said.

Special teams showed improvement as well as redshirt freshman Kalil Clark is proving that he is the man to beat as placekicker. The competition to replace All-MEAC punter Colby Blanton is still wide open as Clark joins three others competing for that position.

The Rattlers will open the season Aug. 26 against the Texas Southern Tigers in a 12 noon start. The game is designated as the inaugural Jake Gaither Classic and will be broadcasted on ESPNU.

The Rattlers will make an appearance at two events that have been combined into one. The Rattler Booster Kickoff and Fan Day have been combined into one big event this year. On Sunday, Aug.20, the Rattler Boosters will host their annual kickoff at the Al Lawson Center at 2PM. Tickets are $25 and include lunch. Patrons of the kickoff will be first in line to get autographs from the football team when doors open at 4PM for the general public for Fan Day, which is free of charge. The Rattler volleyball team will also be on hand to sign their posters as they prepare for the opening of their season.

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NCCU Football Invites Fans to Attend Scrimmage, ‘Meet the Eagles’



DURHAM, North Carolina -- Fans of North Carolina Central University football will have an opportunity to see the team in action and up close on Saturday, Aug. 19, starting at 5 p.m. with an intrasquad scrimmage and followed by the annual "Meet the Eagles" at O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium on the campus of NCCU. Admission is free.

Fans will be able to meet the student-athletes and coaches of the 2017 NCCU football team, who will also be available for pictures and autographs. The NCCU Sound Machine marching band and NCCU cheerleaders will also be in attendance, and there will be inflatables for the kids.

NCCU kicks off the 2017 football season on Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. against Durham neighbor Duke University in the Bull City Gridiron Classic. The Eagles first home game is scheduled for Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. versus Shaw University inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

Season tickets are on sale now. For ticket information, call the NCCU Ticket Office at 919-530-5170 or visit NCCUEaglePride.com.

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