Saturday, October 6, 2012

Weekend of Oct. 4-6



Nation's Oldest HBCU Classic Has A Lot Riding for Morehouse and Tuskegee Today


    A lot is riding on today's installment of the nation's oldest continuously running matchup between historically black college and university football teams, the 77th Annual Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic in Columbus, Ga.
    Tuskegee (4-1) can start to truly assert themselves in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference western division, where three teams are unbeaten in conference play.  They'd also avenge a loss to Morehouse last season, which snapped a long winning streak in the series.
    The Maroon Tigers (2-3) have had two heartbreakingly-close losses this season and then seen injuries to their two top running backs - last year's SIAC Player of the Year David Carter and Shelton Hamilton.  A win would keep them in contention for the SIAC East Division crown and give them the pick-me-up they need.
    Carter returns to action today while the SIACs other top back, Tuskegee's Derrick Washington tries to keep pace.  Carter and Washington are tied for first in the SIAC with 101 yards per game rushing averages this season.
    It's also a game where the conference's top scoring defense, Tuskegee who only gives up 13.7 points per game, faces the SIAC's second-best scoring offense in Morehouse, which puts up a little over 31 points a game.
      Kickoff in Columbus is 2 p.m.

UNDEFEATED TENNESSEE STATE, ALABAMA A&M AND WINSTON-SALEM TRY TO STAY UNBLEMISHED

                                                                   Alabama A&M quarterback Deaunte Mason

HBCU top-ranked Tennessee State faces a stiff test as they step back into Ohio Valley Conference play to host Eastern Kentucky.
    The Big Blue Tigers (5-0) easily has the toughest game of the nation's three undefeated HBCU football teams.  Eastern Kentucky is 4-1 this season and is ranked 16th in the country among Football Championship Series (formerly Division I-AA) teams, their highest ranking since 1999.  That year they lost to Tennessee State the week they were ranked this high.  But the Colonels have already defeated one ranked FCS team this year, 24th ranked Southeast Missouri.  Tennessee State, now ranked 24th in the country in the FCS, has beaten EKU twice in the schools' last three meetings.
     Alabama A&M (5-0) goes down to the Delta to take on a Mississippi Valley State team that is 1-3 after being shellacked by Northwestern State 45-14 last week.  A&M's Deaunte Mason will try to continue his astounding streak of throwing for at least three touchdowns and rushing for two TDs in three straight games.
    Winston Salem State (5-0), Division II's fourth ranked team nationally, goes to Charlotte to take on Johnson C. Smith, a 1-3 team that scores a lot of points.  They average nearly 31 points a game and nearly 400 yards of total offense.  The problem for them is they give up 32 points per game.  Winston Salem drilled Bowie State 35-3 last week and leads the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association in offense and defense.


Schedule for Week of Oct. 4-6

SWAC

Southern vs. Alcorn State (ESPNU - 9:30 pm tape delay)
Jackson State vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff  (SWACTV 6 pm)
Texas Southern vs. Alabama State
Alabama A&M vs. Mississippi Valley State
Prairie View vs. Grambling

MEAC

South Carolina State vs. North Carolina Central (Circle City Classic, Indianapolis, Ind)
Florida A&M vs. Howard
North Carolina A&T vs. Bethune Cookman
Delaware State vs. Norfolk State
Morgan State vs. Savannah State

CIAA

Bowie State vs. Chowan
Elizabeth City State vs. Virginia State
Fayetteville State vs. Shaw
Winston Salem State vs. Johnson C. Smith
Lincoln vs. Virginia Union
St. Augustine's vs. Livingstone

SIAC

Morehouse vs. Tuskegee (77th Annual Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic, Columbus, Ga)
Albany State vs. Lane (Music City Classic, Macon, Ga)
Stillman vs. Benedict
Clark Atlanta vs. Miles
Kentucky State vs. Fort Valley State

INDEPENDENTS/OTHER CONFERENCES

Eastern Kentucky vs. Tennessee State
Missouri University of Science and Technology vs. Central State





Monday, October 1, 2012

Sept. 27-29


Top-Ranked Tennessee State Goes to 5-0 After Routing Arkansas-Pine Bluff



Tennessee State quarterback Michael Germain through for 262 yards and two touchdowns as the Big Blue Tigers scored 28 unanswered second-half points to rout Arkansas-Pine Bluff 40-13 in a rousing homecoming win Saturday.

TSU, also celebrating the school's 100-year anniversary, fell behind early as Lions quarterback Benjamin Anderson hit Ladarius Eckwood on a 42 yard pass in the game's second play.  Arkansas Pine-Bluff settled for a field goal on that drive, but followed up with another long Anderson to Eckwood connection - a 55-yard touchdown - on the next drive to go up 10-0.

TSU got on the board with a Telvin Hooks touchdown run (they missed the extra point) in the second quarter and added a field goal before halftime to take a 12-10 lead into the locker room.

The two teams traded field goals to begin the third quarter when the Big Blue defense stiffened and the offense exploded for four touchdowns.  Hooks ran for another touchdown while Germain had two touchdown tosses during their scoring explosion.  Hooks finished with 108 yards rushing, his career best.

TSU is now 5-0 for the first time since 2001 and now goes into Ohio Valley Conference competition when they host Eastern Kentucky Saturday.  Arkansas-Pine Bluff falls to 3-2 and hosts Jackson State next Saturday.

Deaunte Mason's Three Touchdowns to Lead Alabama A&M Over Grambling 



Deaunte Mason threw for three touchdowns for the third straight game to lead undefeated Alabama A&M to a big 38-17 win over Grambling in the Louis Crews Classic and Hall of Fame Game in Huntsville.

Mason threw touchdown passes of 30, 32 and 30 yards to lead the Bulldogs to another win and their best season start since 1966. Mason has accounted for 13 touchdowns in the last three games.  One of those touchdowns passes Saturday went to Kaderius Lacey who ran for 165 yards and added a rushing touchdown.

The school also honored legendary coach Louis Crews with a new statue in the foyer of the stadium that bears his name.  Twenty-two of the schools greatest football players were also inducted into the Alabama A&M Hall of Fame before the game.

Alabama A&M is now 5-0 on the season and visits Alcorn State Saturday.  Grambling falls to 0-4 and goes to Dallas Saturday to take on Texas Southern in the State Farm Classic.


Saturday stars: 






- Doug Cook, Lincoln - 343 yards passing and four touchdowns against Johnson C. Smith





- Brad Davis, Elizabeth City State - six solo tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and four quarterback hurries against St. Augustine



- Derrick Washington, Tuskegee - 218 yards rushing and two touchdowns against Fort Valley State
- Aquanius Freeman, Howard - 212 yards rushing and 2 TDs against Savannah State
- Deaunte Mason, Alabama A&M - three touchdown passes and 247 yards against Grambling
Dedrick Anderson, Johnson C. Smith - 161 yards rushing and two touchdowns against Lincoln
- Donnay Ragland, Morehouse - 149 yards passing,  one touchdown pass and 131 yards rushing against Clark Atlanta
- Kaderius Lacey, Alabama A&M - 165 yards rushing and two touchdowns against Grambling
- Tyrone Laughinghouse, St. Augustine - 248 all-purpose yards including a 95-yard kickoff return and a 77-yard punt return

Scores from Sept. 27-29

SWAC

Alabama State 54, Alcorn State 14
Southern 21, Florida A&M 14
Alabama A&M 38, Grambling 17
Tennessee State 40, Arkansas Pine Bluff 13
Jackson State 34, Prairie View 13
Sam Houston State 50, Texas Southern 6 (Thursday, Sept. 27)

MEAC

Howard 56, Savannah State 9
South Carolina State 14, Norfolk State 0
Southern 21, Florida A&M 14
Bethune Cookman 38, Hampton 26

SIAC

Tuskegee 49, Fort Valley State 18
Stillman 32, Lane 22
Albany State 17, Kentucky State 14
Morehouse 34, Clark Atlanta 16
Miles 50, Benedict 7

CIAA

Winston Salem State 35, Bowie State 3
Elizabeth City State 23, St. Augustine's 21
Chowan 27, Fayetteville State 3
Lincoln 55, Johnson C. Smith 53
Livingstone 23, Virginia Union 21
Shaw 16, Virginia State 6

Independents

Central State 23, William Jewell College 21