Tuskegee Rally Falls Short as West Alabama Wins 20-17 in Division II Playoff First Round Game

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

UWG's Seth Hinsley runs through a Tuskegee tackle (photo by Albert Cesare/Montgomery Advertiser)

The Tuskegee Golden Tigers' second-ever NCAA Division II playoff appearance finished much like their first - a loss in a very close game.

In a tough, evenly matched football game, Tuskegee rallied late, but fell short as West Georgia defeated the Golden Tigers 20-17.  West Georgia (10-2) goes on to play second-seeded Delta State next weekend.

Tuskegee was down 13-0 at halftime in an evenly matched game, but pulled to within six, on a third-quarter, 2-yard touchdown run by Michael Thornton.  Trevor Wylie added an early fourth-quarter field goal to pull the Golden Tigers to within three, 13-10.

In a furious fourth quarter, West Georgia quarterback Dallas Dickey countered with a 27-yard touchdown toss to Shaq Hill with 9:20 left in the game, giving them a 20-10 lead.

Both defenses buckled down, but Tuskegee rallied again, with Thornton adding another touchdown with 2:37 left to again pull the Golden Tigers within three. But their onside kick was unsuccessful and West Georgia took the win.

"We made a lot of mistakes in the game," Tuskegee head coach Willie Slater told the Montgomery Advertiser. "I thought there were moments in the game that could have turned things around, but we didn't take advantage of them."

Tuskegee finishes the season 9-3. This was the Golden Tigers' second consecutive playoff appearance, which also have been their only two NCAA playoff games. Last season they lost another tight game, this one to 30-27 to North Alabama.

"We need to get past the first round," Slater told the Advertiser. "This program is good enough to do that. I've been on a lot of playoff teams, and I'm not used to losing this early. These kids fought very hard all season, and I'm very proud of our guys."

Morgan State Earns MEAC NCAA FCS Playoff Bid With Five-Team First Place Tie; Complete Look at ALL of Saturday's HBCU Football Action

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

(photo by Jamal Jackson/Delaware State)

Who would have predicted this at the beginning of the 2014 season?

Morgan State, a football program that has only had four winning seasons since winning the MEAC title in 1979, is now on its way to the NCAA FCS playoffs after finishing 2014 in a first place conference tie.

The Bears (7-5) powered past hapless Delaware State 69-7 Saturday to finish the MEAC season with a 6-2 conference mark.  They finish in first, tied with the same MEAC record as North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, South Carolina Stat and Bethune-Cookman. The Bears hadn't finished above .500 since 2009.

It's the third MEAC conference title for Morgan State, going with their 1979 title and their 1971 championship.

“When they hired me, they wanted to restore the greatness of the football program,” Morgan State head coach Lee Hull told the Baltimore Sun. “They had a great legacy in the ‘60s, ‘70s and early ‘80s, and that’s where they wanted to be. Our goal was to win the MEAC championship and return this program back to greatness. To get it in my first year, you always strive for that, but to get it in my first year is a great experience.”

It was just one piece of a puzzle on a crazy day in MEAC football.

The first domino fell when Morgan State destroyed the Hornets as quarterback Moses Skillon threw for 261 yards and five touchdowns and ran 64 yards and a sixth TD.

Then cross-town rivals North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T hooked up.  North Carolina A&T was alone in first place in the MEAC at the start of the day, already with a share of the MEAC title, only needing to defeat Central to win the MEAC outright and head to the NCAA FCS playoffs.

They didn't.

With 4:31 left and down 21-14, A&T was driving and got to the NCCU 20-yard line. But A&T's Tarik Cohen, who rushed for 203 yards and two touchdowns on the day, got hit by the Eagle's Ty Brown, fumbling the ball and turning over to North Carolina Central who salted the game away.

Not long after that, South Carolina State, a team that seemed headed towards a title but lost a close game to Morgan State two weeks ago, came from behind to defeat Norfolk State 30-20.  The Spartans had led 10-9 early in the second quarter but were outscored the rest of the way 21-10. Jalen Simmons rushed for two touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who finish the regular season 9-3 overall.

And in a game that was scoreless at halftime, Bethune-Cookman's

After all that, five teams - North Carolina A&T, Morgan State, Bethune-Cookman, South Carolina State and North Carolina Central - all finished with 6-2 records and a share of the MEAC title. Never have so many teams finished tied for first in the MEAC and been co-champions.Eefore this year, only twice has as many as three teams shard the MEAC title:  Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M and South Carolina State shared the title in 2010 and Bethune-Cookman, Delaware State and Florida A&M shared the title in 1988.   Three other times, two teams shared the conference title.

Morgan State will wait to see who they will play in the NCAA playoffs while North Carolina A&T and Bethune-Cookman, both with 9-3 records, hope for at-large bids to the playoffs.

“We just made our case,” said North Carolina A&T head coach Rod Broadway. “We had an opportunity to speak volumes and we just didn’t. We are going to let the committee do their job the best they can as we did the best we can today. We had a chance to get into the playoffs ourselves and we didn’t. We don’t have anyone to fault but ourselves.”

The playoff field will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 11 a.m. EST.

MEAC

Howard 30, Hampton 29 (John Fleck kicked a 17-yard field goal with 21 seconds left to life Howard to a thrilling victory in the Battle of the REAL HU. Quarterback Greg McGhee and running back Aquanius Freeman had touchdowns that brought the Bison back from a 26-7 third quarter deficit. Freeman rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns while McGhee threw for 157 yards and rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown to end his Bison career as the MEAC total offense leader. He finishes with 10,168 rushing and passing yards.)

Brigham Young 64, Savannah State 0 (This game was a mismatch from the start. Savannah State, which had the worst defense in the MEAC and one of the worst offenses, finishes 2014 with no wins. Christian Stewart threw four touchdown passes and ran for another for BYU, which led 51-0 at halftime.  Nate Carter rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown. While BYU had 556 yards of total offense, SSU only had 76 - 28 passing and 38 rushing)


SWAC

Alabama State 30, Stillman 29 (

Jackson State 34, Alcorn State 31 (

Arkansas-Pine Bluff 20, Alabama A&M 19 (


OTHERS

Tennessee State 48, Murray State 33 (Tennessee State finishes the season 6-6, but after pulling away early, they made it interesting as Murray State whittled down an early big lead. But TSU quarterback Michael German threw for 463 yards and six touchdowns, with Ryan Mitchell catching 10 passes for 231 yards and three TDs.  Murray's KD Humphries was valiant in defeat, throwing for 467 yards and five touchdowns.  Murray scored 20 fourth-quarter points to make a blowout interesting. German finishes his TSU career as the school's all-time leading passer with 8,664 yards.)

Grand View (Iowa) 38, Langston 3 (In the first round of the NAIA playoffs, 16th seeded Langston was no match for No. 2 seed Grandview, a 9-1 team that hasn't lost to an NAIA team this season. The Vikings only gave up only 149 yards of offense to Langston on a cold, snowy day in which they dominated on offense and defense.  Langston ends the season with a 7-3 record)

Kavon Bellamy Rushes for 131 Yards and Two TDs While VSU Defense Contains Laurino to Defeat LIU-Post 28-17; Virginia State Advances to NCAA D-2 Playoff Second Round

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

Kavon Bellamy scores his second TD (photo by Joe Mahoney/Richmond Times Dispatch)

Virginia State, appearing in their first-ever NCAA Division II football playoff game, defeated Long Island University-Post 28-17 Saturday.  The Trojans, now 10-12 and ranked third in the ?? region, move on to face second-ranked Bloomsburg (Pa) University (10-1) next week

"They're tough. They're resilient and they refuse to lose," Virginia State head coach Latrell Scott said, according to the Hopewell News Patriot. "I call them hard-headed ... We feel like we're a battle-tested team and we just do whatever we have to do as a coaching staff and as a team to come out on top."

Virginia State scored a touchdown in each quarter and withstood a 17-point second quarter outburst by the Pioneers to hold on for the win. 


“We’re proud of our kids,” Scott said, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.“We’re extremely excited to be able to do this for our school, for our fans and for the community.”

The Trojans defense held one of the best Division II quarterbacks in the country, Steven Laurino, in check.  Laurino had been averaging more than 300 yards a game passing and 54 yards rushing this season for a team that averaged 35 points a game this season.  But the Pioneers got less than half of that as Laurino could only manage 260 yards and touchdown in the air along with eight rushes for seven yards and another TD.

Meanwhile, Kavon Bellamy led the VSU offense with 131 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Quarterback Tarian Ayers, returning from a one-game suspension for a DUI arrest two weeks ago, solidly managed the Trojan offense, throwing for 131 yards and rushing for 45 yards and a touchdown.

MEAC Could End Up With As Many as Five Teams Tied for First After Today's Football Action; Here's a Look at All of Today's HBCU Football Action

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

Today will be an interesting final regular season football weekend in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.  Or it will be a simple defining one.

If North Carolina A&T defeats rival North Carolina Central today, they will claim an outright MEAC championship.  But if they don't, a number of scenarios come into play.

According to the MEAC, a loss by North Carolina A&T would trigger one or multiple ties that could affect Bethune-Cookman, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, Morgan State and South Carolina State based on each team’s regular season finish.

North Carolina Central could win the MEAC with a win over A&T today and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA FCS playoff.

But there could also be three three-way ties for first if:

- The three-way tie including Morgan State, North Carolina A&T State, and North Carolina Central all finishing at number one would give North Carolina A&T State the Conference’s automatic bid.  North Carolina A&T State would earn the bid based on its eight (8) point advantage in non-conference play.  Because all teams remained tied after the first criteria, head-to-head, then the automatic bid was awarded based on non-conference wins.

- If North Carolina A&T State, North Carolina Central and South Carolina State finish at number one, a three-way tie would occur and North Carolina Central would earn the Conference’s automatic bid.  In this scenario N.C. Central would hold head-to-head wins over both North Carolina A&T State and South Carolina State.

- If Bethune-Cookman, North Carolina A&T State, and North Carolina Central finish at number one, three-way tie, then Bethune-Cookman will receive the conference’s automatic bid based on its record versus all-tied teams.

But there could also be three FOUR-WAY ties if:

- If North Carolina A&T State, North Carolina Central, Morgan State and South Carolina State all finish in first place, then Morgan State will receive the conference’s automatic bid based on its record versus all-tied teams.

- If Bethune-Cookman, North Carolina A&T State, North Carolina Central and South Carolina State finish first, then North Carolina Central will receive the Conference’s automatic bid.  Again, this determination would be based on N.C. Central’s record versus all-tied teams.

- If Bethune-Cookman, North Carolina A&T State, North Carolina Central, and Morgan State finish at number one, then Bethune-Cookman will receive the Conference’s automatic bid.  The determination of the bid is based on the B-CU’s record versus all-tied teams.

And get this -- there still could be a FIVE-WAY tie for first if:

- Bethune-Cookman, North Carolina A&T State, North Carolina Central, Morgan State and South Carolina State all finish at 6-2 in conference play.  Each team will share the conference title and Morgan State will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS Championship based on its record versus all-tied teams.

Very interesting indeed....

MEAC

North Carolina A&T at North Carolina Central (Everything is on the line here as the two long time rivals battle for the MEAC title. A&T has won five games in a row while Central has won their last two. A&T has played dominant football as they haven't given up a point in nearly a month and their offense has scored at least 31 in every game during their win streak. Central isnt as prolific on offense, but they play hard-nosed defense. The most they've given up in the last four weeks is 34 points in a loss to Bethune Cookman)

Delaware State at Morgan State (Morgan State has a lot on the line while Delaware State is just looking for a win. The Hornets have lost four in a for and five of the last six during a 2-9 season. They have the MEAC's lowest-ranked offense, averaging just 233 yards a game. MSU's Herb Walker Jr. has rushed for 1,160 yards this season to lead the MEAC.

Hampton at Howard (The conference's leader in passing and total offense, Greg McGhee, who became the all-time MEAC leader in career total offense last week, looks to add to his stats today in the Battle to See Who Is the Real HU.  Three of the MEAC's top six rushers will be on the field in Hampton's Jorrian Washington and Howard's William Parker and McGhee. Howard has the MEAC top offense while Hampton is ranked third. Defense is another story. Hampton is ranked ninth while Howard is ranked tenth)

Savannah State at Brigham Young (This one might not be very pretty.Savannah State is winless, has the MEAC's worst defense and third worst offense and they visit one of the nation's major FBS independents.  Brigham Young has won six games this year in a down season for the Cougars)

Norfolk State at South Carolina State (Norfolk State could have very well been one of the teams in the MEAC's mess of first place. But really close losses the last two weeks to Bethune Cookman and North Carolina Central took them out of the race. South Carolina State is still smarting over their loss to Morgan State last week which took them out of a chance of a MEAC title. They are hoping for an outside chance at an NCAA FCS at-large berth.)

Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M (With two scenarios giving them the MEAC's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs, Bethune Cookman is focused on a win.  Florida A&M, after a rocky and bad season, is making this their championship and/or bowl game. They will have to play better defense than they have lately. Aside from a 12-10 loss to Norfolk State two weeks ago and dominating hapless Delaware State 41-7 last week, the Rattlers have lacked defensive sting)


SWAC 

Stillman at Alabama State (Will this be ASU coach Reggie Barlow's last game? Two weeks ago, ASU's AD asked Barlow to step down, though Barlow refused and said he'd play out the season. His team has gone 6-5 this season while he is 48-42 in eight years at ASU. After impressively winning four of their first five, they hit a four game losing streak, but have won their last two, including over Grambling last week. Stillman, which averages 28 points a game behind quarterback Josh Straughan and running back Javonte Thurmon, is looking to finish 6-5. A midseason four game winning streak was a distant memory after they lost the next three. They defeated CAU last week.  This is the 91st Turkey Bowl game.

Jackson State at Alcorn State (Harold Jackson has only been at J-State for a year, but there are already calls for his job after a dismal 4-7 season where they finally broke an ugly five-game losing streak last week. They have a tall mountain to climb today as they face a 9-2 Alcorn State team that is undefeated at home this year and is looking for their first-ever 10-win season.  They boast the nation's top scoring offense at 45.7 points a game and leads the SWAC in 17 offensive and defensive categories)

Alabama A&M at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (It's been a tough season at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a 3-7 team that has actually played decently well over the past month.  They are 2-2 over the past four games, losing to two teams, Alcorn State and Prairie View, in games where they were overmatched. A&M is also 2-2 over their last four games, losing a close one to Prairie View A&M last week.  Defense is the problem for A&M.  They give up a lot of points in losses)

OTHERS

Tennessee State at Murray State (Today marks the end of a disappointing season for the Tennessee State Tigers who are 5-6. The Tigers ended a five-game losing streak two weeks ago. Murray State, long an Ohio Valley Conference power, has had an even worse season as they are 3-8.  But they took nationally ranked Eastern Kentucky down to the wire last week, only to lose by seven. Murray's KD Humphries leads the OVC in total offense, but Murray has the OVC's worst defense.  Good news for TSU quarterback Michael German, who has played well as of late)

Tuskegee Hosts West Georgia in First Round NCAA D-2 Playoff Game

Here is a quick preview of today's first round NCAA Division II football playoff game between West Georgia and SIAC champion Tuskegee.   This is the first time the Golden Tigers have hosted a Division II playoff game and second consecutive year they've made the NCAA playoffs.

"Playoffs are a different level. You're playing some conference's best team," Tuskegee coach Willie Slater told the Montgomery Advertiser. "West Georgia's a good football team. It's going to be hard to beat them. We're going to have to play very well to have a chance. But at the same time, we play well, I think we can play with just about anybody. We have some good players."

The winner of today's game faces Delta State next week.

Virginia State Hosts LIU-Post in First NCAA Division II Playoff Game

The road to a potential national championship begins today when Tuskegee and Virginia State hosts NCAA Division II first round playoff games.

Virginia State will be making their first-ever appearance in the Division II playoffs as they host Long Island University-Post today. The game can be seen live at http://www.vsu.edu/media/football/trojans-vs-liupost-2014.php.

“I think it’s huge,” Trojans coach Latrell Scott told the Richmond Times Dispatch. “It’s huge for our team, it’s huge for our fans, it’s huge for our alumni, it’s huge for our school. It really gives us the ability to showcase what VSU really is and we’re looking forward to trying to get the entire city out to support our guys.”

They host an LIU-Post squad that finished 8-3 and won the Northeast 10 Conference championship and averages 35 points per game. They are led by quarterback Steven Laurino, the conference's Most Valuable Player who threw for 3,305 yards this season and threw 28 touchdowns.  Laurino also led the nation in points responsible for (282), points responsible for each game (25.2) while ranking among the nation's leaders in total offense, completions per game and rushing touchdowns.  Laurino, who ran for 18 touchdowns, is a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award for the top player in Division II football.

He will face one of the nation's toughest defenses in Virginia State.  The Trojans only give up 18 points a game and just 165 passing yards a game.

On offense, the Trojans will have back quarterback Tarian Ayers, who was suspended for last week's CIAA championship game against Winston-Salem State after being charged with DUI, speeding and underage possession of alcohol the week prior.  His replacement, true freshman Niko Johnson, led the Trojans to their win over WSSU, rushing for the game-winning touchdown in being named game MVP.

The winner of today's game faces undefeated Bloomsburg next week.

SIAC and CIAA Again Cancel the Pionner Bowl Football Game Between the Two Conferences

From the SIAC and CIAA:

ATLANTA -- The SIAC and CIAA have announced the cancellation of the Pioneer Bowl for 2014.

SIAC commissioner Gregory Moore and CIAA commissioner Jacqie McWilliams gave affirmation issuing the following joint statements:

"After much consideration, the SIAC and the CIAA Division II Conferences have decided the Pioneer Bowl will not be played this year.
While the Pioneer Bowl stands as the longest running bowl game in the history of black colleges and a national showcase for student-athletes, we decided that it is in the best interest of our membership, fans and student-athletes to not hold the game this year. We are currently undecided if we will reinstate the Pioneer Bowl game in the future."

"The CIAA and SIAC agreed that it was important to explore how best to continue conducting the game, but within the context of our strategic initiatives currently underway. The Pioneer Bowl is a unique opportunity for post play for our student-athletes and our members want to assure its presentation reflects the level of excellence and experience our fans and sponsors expect at all of our championship events. As we explore how best to take the Pioneer Bowl to the next level, we will provide further updates in the future."

Founded in 1997, The Pioneer Bowl has been held in five locations since its inception originally in Atlanta, and in 2012 concluded a three-year agreement with the City of Columbus, Ga. The event was not held in 2002,  2008 and 2013. 

Mens HBCU Basketball Scores for Monday, Nov. 17

Men's HBCU Basketball Scores:

MEAC

Arizona State 49, Bethune-Cookman 39
USC Upstate 63, North Carolina A&T 46
Villanova 81, Maryland Eastern Shore 44
Towson 51, Morgan State 46
Delaware State 104, Baptist Bible College 63

SWAC

Mississippi State 89, Mississippi Valley State 68
Indiana 83, Texas Southern 64
Southern 76, LSU-Alexandria 65
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 56, California State-Bakersfield 49

SIAC

Albany State 73, Auburn-Montgomery 70
Shorter (Ga) 103, Clark Atlanta 87
Middle Georgia 76, Fort Valley State 59
Carroll College (Mont) 69, Spring Hill 62 (OT)
Stillman 74, Concordia-Selma 64

CIAA

Washington Adventist 50, Elizabeth City State 47

Heisma Northern Out as Prairie View A&M Football Coach

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

Prairie View A&M has begun a national search for a new football coach after school officials decided not to renew Heishma Northern's contract. Defensive backs coach Bubba McDowell will serve as interim coach until a successor is named.

 "I wish to thank Coach Northern for his contributions to Prairie View A&M both on and off the field," said athletic director Ashley Robinson. "This was a difficult decision but after careful review and consideration, I have decided to take the program in a different direction."

Northern's team was 5-5 this season, 5-4 in the SWAC. The Panthers started the season 0-4, but won five of their last six games.  Led by the SWAC's second-ranked quarterback and running back in Jerry Lovelocke and Johnta Hebert, Northern's squad was one of the most prolific in the SWAC this season as they were second in scoring and total offense. But they were last in total defense.

Northern, who was defensive coordinator for six seasons before becoming head coach, finishes his four-year tenure at Prairie View A&M with a 19-25 record.

"We are grateful for the progress Coach Northern made both as head football coach and as defensive coordinator," Robinson said. "His leadership and dedication to the students helped to create exceptional student athletes.  It is important as we prepare to break ground on our new multi-million dollar stadium and athletic facility, that Coach Northern's successor shapes the program into a championship level team."

Chowan Defeats Fayetteville State 3-0 to Claim CIAA Volleyball Title; Jordan Miller Named MVP

From the CIAA

The battle for the 2014 CIAA Volleyball Championship ended in decisive fashion on Sunday afternoon.  The Chowan University Hawks topped the Fayetteville State University Lady Broncos 3-0 to earn their third CIAA Volleyball Championship in program history.

The Hawks used 27 team kills and took advantage of 34 Lady Bronco errors to earn the victory.  Melanie Chaussee led all players in the contest with eight kills in the win while Suraya Chase chipped in seven kills and nine digs.  Jordan Miller and Allison Smith each tallied 10 digs in the contest while Smith also dished out 24 assists.  Chase and Brittany Tschida each grabbed five blocks for the Blue and White.

Samira Luis paced the Lady Broncos with seven kills while Shavon Shaw added six kills to aid the effort.  Leah Mackley handed out 13 assists while Decausha McLean hauled in 23 digs for Fayetteville State.  Luis added 18 digs in the loss.  Jayde Jacobs notched four blocks.

Fayetteville State University scored the first point in the contest after taking advantage of a Hawk attack error.  A kill by Brittany Tschida for the Hawks knotted the score 1-1.  From that point forward, the score was tied four times before back-to-back attack errors put the Hawks ahead 13-11.  Chowan maintained the advantage for the remainder of the first set and led by as many as eight (21-13) points before a Lady Broncos' attack error secured the 25-16 victory for the Hawks.

Fayetteville State took an early 2-0 lead in the second set before a kill by Chaussee and a Lady Bronco attack error knotted the score 2-2.   Both teams battled for control of the score and momentum as neither team maintained a lead of more than four points early in the set.  With the Hawks leading 12-8, a kill by Suraya Chase followed by a block (Chase, Tschida) gave the Hawks a 14-8 lead.  Fayetteville State was unable to regain the lead but chipped away at the deficit before suffering a 25-22 loss in set two.

The Hawks came out firing on all cylinders at the start of the third set.  Three Fayetteville State errors along with kills from Chaussee and Miller put Chowan ahead 5-1 early.  The Hawks led by as many as eight points (15-7)before the Lady Broncos clawed their way back to pull within four points (15-11).  Chowan continued to battle past what seemed to be a shift in momentum, and held the Lady Broncos to four points before closing out the set with the 25-15 victory.  Miller confirmed the win for Chowan with a kill.

Miller earned CIAA Tournament MVP honors after notching 37 kills over the course of three matches.

The Hawks blanked all three of their opponents to earn the victory.  Chowan advances to the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championship with the win.  The Selection Show airs at 10:00pm EST on www.thencaa.com

Members of the CIAA All-Tournament Team include:
Jordan Miller (Chowan University)
Nikira Fults (Chowan University)
Rosetta Becerra (Elizabeth City State University)
Samira Luis (Fayetteville State University)
Taylor Norris (Fayetteville State University)
Olivia Porter (Saint Augustine's University)
Deidre Carter (Virginia State University)
Kristin Madison (Virginia Union University)
Olivia Owens (Winston-Salem State University)
TOURNAMENT MVP:  Jordan Miller (Chowan University)

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SIAC and CIAA All-Conference Football Teams Named

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

Over the weekend, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association named their best on the football field this season.

In the SIAC, Fort Valley State linebacker Anthony Furr was named the conference's Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year.  Furr led the SIAC in tackles with 108, had 16.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.  He was twice named the SIAC Player of the Week this season.

Jarvis Small of Albany State led the SIAC in rushing with 1,129 yards in being named Offensive Player of the Year.  Small had 12 touchdowns and has seven straight games of at least 100 yards rushing.

SIAC Newcomer of the Year is Cameron Stover of Stillman. Stover led the conference in passing with 2,136 yards for 237 yards a game, and in total offense with 2,260 yards this season.  Stover threw 19 touchdowns.

Co-Freshmen of the Year went to Clark Atlanta Terrence Montgomery, who had 51 tackles, and Osband Thompson of Tuskegee, who had 63 tackles this year.

Coach of the Year honors are shared by Albany State's Mike White and Tuskegee's Willie Slater.  White's team finished 2014 with a 7-2 record, including a 7-0 regular season conference record and a second-consecutive championship game appearance.  Slater's team won the SIAC title and heads to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the second straight year after a 8-2 overall record and 7-0 SIAC regular season mark.

Here is the entire SIAC All-Conference team:

SIAC Football Player of the Year (MVP)
LeRon Furr (Fort Valley State)

Offensive Player of the Year
Jarvis Small (Albany State)

Defensive Player of the Year
LeRon Furr (Fort Valley State)

Newcomer of the Year
Cameron Stover (Benedict)

Co Freshman of the Year
Terrance Montgomery (Clark Atlanta)
Osband Thompson (Tuskegee)

Co Coach of the Year
Mike "James" White (Albany State)
Willie Slater (Tuskegee)

FIRST TEAM			SECOND TEAM
Josh Straughan	Stillman	QB	Cameron Stover	Benedict
Jarvis Small	Albany State	RB	Jovontae Thurmon	Stillman
Jacquise Lockett	Kentucky State	RB	Hoderick Lowe	Tuskegee
Drelon Freeman	Fort Valley State	WR	Kendariss Brown	Benedict
Antonio Pitts	Miles	WR	Dondre Purnell	Stillman
Tahj Dent	Tuskegee	TE	Zach Thomas	Central State
Jamil McKenzie	Tuskegee	OL	Danny Bunch	Albany State
Matthew Reese	Tuskegee	OL	Javoris Wilburn	Albany State
Darrius Moore	Tuskegee	OL	Tyree Bell	Stillman
Victor Moli	Albany State	OL	Eddie Thomas	Miles
Terrence Owens	Miles	OL	Brandon Baker	Fort Valley State
Braysean Jones	Miles	DL	Jack Ndem	Albany State
Artrell McMillan	Central State	DL	Grover Stewart	Albany State
Bernard Little	Fort Valley State	DL	Julian Morgan	Tuskegee
Craig Drummond	Lane	DL	Gabriel Mass	Lane
LeRon Furr	Fort Valley State	LB	El'Malik Chinn	Tuskegee
Bre'nard Williams	Clark Atlanta	LB	Lydell Simon	Kentucky State
Tavarius Washington	Albany State	LB	Jewell Ratliff	Tuskegee
Travis Lee	Miles	DB	Joseph Blount	Central State
Brian Walker	Fort Valley State	DB	Keionten Miller	Albany State
Michael Robinson	Tuskegee	DB	Will Lacy	Lane
Cameron Stallings	Stillman	DB	Calvin Harris	Albany State
Juan Serna	Fort Valley State	K	Wisdom Nzidee	Paine
Juan Serna	Fort Valley State	P	Temitayo Argoro	Morehouse
Hoderick Lowe	Tuskegee	KR	Dondre Purnell	Stillman
Darius Mitchell	Lane	PR	Devozea Gaines	Tuskegee

In the CIAA, Virginia State head coach Latrell Scott was named Coach of the Year.  His team won the CIAA championship game Saturday and heads to the NCAA Division II playoffs after completing a 9-2 season, winning nine games in a row, and a 7-0 regular season conference record.

Livingstone All-Conference QB Drew Powell and Offensive Player of the Year Jalen Hendricks

Jalen Hendricks of Livingstone was named Offensive Player of the Year.  The junior receiver had 71 receptions for 1,070 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 118 yards per game.

Defensive Player of the Year is Winston-Salem State's Duvontae Covington. The senior defensive lineman had 52 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery in anchoring one of the nation's stingiest defenses.

His teammate, graduate student Brenden Felder, was named Special Teams Player of the Year.

Here is the entire CIAA All-Conference team:

Virginia State ad Tuskegee Selected for Division II Football Playoffs; Winston-Salem State and Albany State Are Left Out

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

Virginia State and Tuskegee are in while Winston-Salem State and Albany State are out.

The 24-team NCAA Division II Football Playoff field was announced Sunday afternoon and the winners of the two D-2 HBCU football conference championships played Saturday, Virginia State from the CIAA and Tuskegee from the SIAC, were selected for the playoffs, which starts on Saturday.

Virginia State, a third seed, hosts No. 6 seed Long Island University-Post, an 8-3 team that won the Northeast-10 championship 58-25 over American International last weekend. The Pioneers have won three in a row and seven of their last eight games - their only loss being a 27-24 defeat at the hands of American International on Oct. 25.

The winner of that game faces second-seeded and undefeated Bloomsburg in Super Region One.

Meanwhile, third-seeded Tuskegee hosts a tough match-up with sixth seed 9-2 West Georgia Saturday. The Wolves, a high-scoring team that has already beaten two SIAC teams in Miles and Clark Atlanta this year, has only lost to North Alabama and Valdosta State, the fourth and fifth seeded teams who face each other in the playoffs Saturday.

This is Tuskegee's second appearance in the Division II playoffs. Last year they lost a close game, 30-27, to North Alabama in the first round.

Delta State, the second-ranked team in Super Region Two, awaits the West Georgia-Tuskegee winner.

Not in the field for the first time in three years is 9-2 Winston-Salem State, which spent most of the year ranked as the top Division II HBCU team, but finishing with their first loss since week two, a tough 22-17 loss to Valdosta State.

Albany State also misses the playoffs after losing twice to Tuskegee this season and opening the season with a 38-10 loss to Valdosta State.

Morgan State Win Over South Carolina State Knocks the Bulldogs Out of MEAC Race; Grambling Loses to Alabama State Setting Up a Big Bayou Classic; Recap of All HBCU Football Action Outside of HBCU D-2 Title Games

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

And now it comes down to an in-town rivalry.

First, Bethune-Cookman lost to Hampton on Thursday night. Then South Carolina State was knocked off by Morgan State Saturday for the first time since 2002.  That leaves North Carolina A&T, a 34-0 winner over Savannah State, alone in the top spot in the MEAC football championship race with one week remaining in the season.

What happened to the three-way, first place tie between Bethune-Cookman, North Carolina A&T and South Carolina State was interesting.  Bethune-Cookman was heavily favored in losing to Hampton. South Carolina State was facing a Morgan State squad that has been strong all season, but was still the underdog.

But no one told the Bears.

In a game that went back and forth througout, Morgan State quarterback Moses Skillon ran a 9-yard touchdown with 58 seconds remaining to lift the Bears over South Carolina State 24-21.  It was Morgan State's first win over South Carolina State since 2002 and first in Baltimore since 1974.  Skillon finished with 289 yards and two touchdowns passing to go with his game winning TD run.

The win was big for Morgan State as the Bears will finish with at least a .500 record mark for the first time since 2009.

"It's a great accomplishment for these guys," said Morgan State head coach Lee Hull, as his team is 6-5 and can finish with above .500 for the only the fourth time since 1979 with a win next week against Delaware State. "I'm proud of them.  This is something that we've talked about as one of our goals.  If we do that, the season would be successful."

It was an even bigger loss for South Carolina State (7-4, 5-2 MEAC) as they are now completely out of contention for the MEAC title and likely an NCAA FCS playoff berth

"It was a very tough loss—we couldn't make anything happen and we didn't play well enough to win the game," said SC State head coach Buddy Pough. "We gave them too many opportunities because we couldn't do anything on offense."

So the only team to stick to the script, North Carolina A&T, now has at least a share of the MEAC title. But they face rival North Carolina Central next Saturday in regular-season finale that could mean an outright MEAC title for the Aggies or a share of the MEAC title with their hated rivals, North Carolina Central if the Eagles pull off the win.

Stay tuned.

Here is the rest of Saturday's HBCU football action. To see the results of the SIAC and CIAA championship football games, go to http://addshbcusportsreport.blogspot.com/2014/11/michael-thornton-td-run-with-38-seconds.html and http://addshbcusportsreport.blogspot.com/2014/11/virginia-state-tops-winston-salem-state.html

SWAC

Malcolm Cyrus

Alabama State 37, Grambling 23 (This game just made the Bayou Classic one of the biggest Bayou Classics in years. Grambling came out fast, leading 13-0, but couldn't keep up with ASU.  Malcolm Cyrus, one of the nation's top rushers, had 180 yards and a touchdown while Daniel Duhart threw three touchdown passes. Grambling QB Johnathan Williams threw for 265 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 62 yards and another touchdown. The Grambling loss, partnered with Southern's win, means the winner of the Bayou Classic on Nov. 29 wins the SWAC West and will face Alcorn State in the SWAC Championship Game. Grambling, which sees is seven game winning streak end, is 7-4 overall and 7-1 in the SWAC)



Southern 44, Mississippi Valley State 13 (The other side of that big Bayou Classic on Nov. 29 had an easier time Saturday as the Jaguars erased a 13-0 first quarter deficit by erupting for 30 points in the second quarter and coasting from there. Lenard Tillery, who had a touchdown run during that second quarter onslaught, rushed for 162 yards to lead a dominating Southern running game that piled up 321 yards. Southern is 8-3 overall and 7-1 in the SWAC heading into the Grambling game)

Prairie View A&M 38, Alabama A&M 35 (In a see-saw game, Jerry Lovelocke threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Dunlap with 21 seconds left to get their fifth win of the season. Lovelocke finished with 313 yards and two touchdowns passing along with a nine-yard touchdown run. Johnta Hebert was also stout for the Panthers, rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns and catching seven passes for 48 yards. Alabama A&M also had some offensive stars as quarterback Jaymason Lee threw for 430 yards and two touchdowns and Harvey Harris rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown)

Alcorn State 56, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 6 (If you thought Alcorn State would slow down after clinching a SWAC title game appearance last week, you were wrong. John Gibbs Jr. led a balanced Braves offense with 200 yards and three touchdowns passing and 75 yards rushing. Brian Handley was a bright spot for UAPB as he rushed for 134 yards)

Jackson State 15, Texas Southern 10 (This game's only offensive touchdown proved to be the game winner as J-State quarterback LaMontiez Ivy tossed a 7-yard TD pass to Jarius Moll midway in the fourth quarter to give the Tigers the win. After starting out 5-1, Texas Southern has now lost five in a row while Jackson State breaks a five-game losing streak)

MEAC

North Carolina A&T 34, Savannah State 0 (No surprises in this game as winless Savannah State, which has the MEAC's worst defense and one of the worst offenses, was no match for the Aggies, who not only are looking for an outright MEAC title,but also an automatic NCAA FCS playoff berth. Tarik Cohen rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Aggies. The A&T defense gave up minus-8 yards rushing to Savannah State. D'Vonte Grant had 11 tackles, three sacks, forced a fumble, intercepted a pass and have five tackles for losses for A&T)

North Carolina Central 19, Norfolk State 14 (Defensive back C.J. Moore blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone with just under six minutes remaining to lift the Eagles to a tough win. Neither offense gelled most of the day as both teams were under 100 yards rushing. North Carolina Central, 4-7 overall, could have a losing record overall but still claim a share of the MEAC title next week as they are 4-2 in the conference.)

Howard 28, Central Connecticut State 25 (Greg McGhee became the MEAC's all-time leader in total offense and he did it in grand style. Down 25-7 midway through the third quarter, McGhee finished the game with three touchdowns runs to give 4-7 Howard the win. With one game remaining next week, McGhee now has 9,913 yards in total offense, breaking the record formerly held by former Howard quarterback Ted White who played from 1994-98)

Florida A&M 41, Delaware State 7 (Quarterback Damien Fleming threw for 337 yards and four touchdowns as the Rattlers routed the Hornets. Fleming moves into second all-time among career FAMU passers with 6,868 yards, behind Quinn Gray, who threw for 7,376 yards from 1998-2001. Saturday he passed up Tony Ezell and Oterman Sampson-Delancy.  He has another chance to move closer to Gray next week against Bethune-Cookman.

OTHERS

Langston 27, Bacone 14 (Langston, now 7-3 and ranked 17th team in the NAIA, gets a win that gives them the Central States Football League conference title and gives them the automatic bid to the NAIA playoffs.

Missouri S&T 14, Lincoln (Mo) 9

Glenville State 30, West Virginia State 7

Michael Thornton TD Run With 38 Seconds Left Lifts Tuskegee to SIAC Football Title

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

Michael Thornton's 3-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds remaining lifted Tuskegee to a wild 47-41 victory over Albany State to claim the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football championship.

The lead had changed hands four times over the last eight minutes of the fourth quarter until Tuskegee's final drive. With 2:40 remaining, Quarterback Justin Nared completed four passes for 57 yards during a drive where the Golden Tigers drove 64 yards in one minute and 42 seconds, culminated by Thornton's TD run.

"We work on the two-minute drill all the time," Tuskegee head coach Willie Slater told the Montgomery Advertiser. "It was no big deal, because we've done it before."

Tuskegee (9-2, 8-0 SIAC) now looks towards the NCAA Division II playoffs while Albany State (7-3, 7-1) holds on to a slim chance of also making the playoff field. The playoff brackets will be announced on Sunday afternoon.

“I had said all week it had to be the team executing at the end that wins it,” Albany State head coach Mike White told the Albany Herald. “And they made it and we didn’t. My hats off to them.  Defensively, we gave up a lot of big plays. Offensively, I thought we left a lot of points out there, especially in the first half. And this is a heartbreaker to lose, but what a great game.”

The game started as fast as it finished as Albany State's Adrian Alexander returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. But Hoderick Lowe followed up with two touchdown runs and Tuskgee's second quarterback, Kevin Lacey, threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Larry Cobb to give the Golden Tigers a 21-7 first quarter lead.

Albany State then ran off 20 unanswered points over the next two quarters on a Frank Rivers touchdown pass, a Tarvarius Washington fumble recovery in the end zone and a Jarvis Small TD run.  The third quarter ended as Tuskegee countered with 10 unanswered points of their own on Trevor Wylie's 48-yard field goal and Nared's 84-yard TD strike to Marquel Gardner to go up 31-27.

From there, the two teams traded fourth quarter touchdowns, culminating in Thornton's game-clinching TD run.  Tuskegee added a safety with 32 seconds remaining.

Hoderick Lowe puts Tuskegee in position for the win with under a minute to play (photo by Albert Cesare/Montgomery Advertiser)

Lowe was named the game's Most Valuable Player after rushing for 150 yards and two touchdowns.  Nared finished with 230 yards and two touchdowns passing while Lacey added 125 yards and a touchdown in the air.  Tuskegee piled up 484 yards of offense.

Despite the score, Tuskegee's defense held Albany State to less than 300 yards (266) of offense, including only 74 yards rushing.  Jarvis Small, the SIAC's leading rusher, could only manage 40 yards on the ground and a touchdown.  Rivers threw for 194 yards and three touchdowns.