Gold Rush win 4 titles and team scoring at HBCU National Championships

From Ed Cassiere

XULA Sports Information

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. -- Xavier University of Louisiana, led by double winners Karan Salwan and Manav Chakma, won four men's finals and the team scoring Saturday at the HBCU National Tennis Championships.

All four victories by Xavier, a longtime NAIA member, occurred against NCAA Division I opponents

Salwan -- in his first XU tournament after transferring from Utah State -- defeated Bethune-Cookman's Alexander Chepik 7-5, 6-3 in the A-bracket singles final and teamed with Tushar Mandlekar to beat Florida A&M's Walner Espinoza and Courage Okungbowa 8-4 for the A-doubles title.

Chakma, in the B-singles consolation final, defeated Bethune-Cookman's Greg Almeida 8-1. Chakma and Adam Albrecht beat North Carolina Central's Gabriel Cucalon and Tamina Kienka 8-6 in the B-doubles final.

North Carolina Central was second to Xavier in the men's team scoring, and Florida A&M and Shaw tied for third.

"We won the team title by a pretty good margin," said Alan Green, in his 13th year as coach of Xavier's men and women. "Our point total almost doubled the second-place team."

Also contributing to the team title was three-time All-American Kyle Montrel, who reached the A-singles semifinals and the A-doubles semifinals with Kevin Chaouat.

"All the guys played well this weekend," Green said. "This looks to be a promising season for the Rush. Karan has made an immediate impact and looks to be a guy that can help lead us."

Xavier had no women's matches Saturday. Sha'Nel Bruins was a singles semifinalist in the C bracket.

"The Nuggets were low on numbers for this tournament, but we had some good individual performances on that side," Green said. "Sha'Nel Bruins stood out and had a really good tournament. This was a good tuneup for next weekend's regional."

Xavier will play host to the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional Championships beginning Friday at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center will be the venue the first two days, with finals Sept 27 at XU Tennis Center.

Winston Salem State Looks for First Win of 2015 At Tuskegee; Tennessee State Opens OVC Play Against Top Ranked Jacksonville State; The Full Rundown Of ALL The HBCU Football Action Today

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

It's kind of early for a game to be a must-win, but for Winston-Salem State, their battle with Tuskegee today could qualify to some.

Although it won't affect their bid for a CIAA championship, this game is important momentum-wise for a Rams squad that is still trying to jell as newcomers and transfers try to continue the program's legacy of success.   The Rams fell to UNC Pembroke 17-7 in the opener and then to Valdosta State 31-3 last week.

But WSSU head coach Kienus Boulware isn't buying any of that.

"I think putting more of a sense of urgency on where we are right now could cause panic, and we're not going to do that," Boulware told the Winston Salem Journal.

Meanwhile, Tuskegee is looking to keep their momentum going.  After blanking Clark Atlanta in their opener and defeating SIAC rival Albany State in their conference championship game rematch, the Golden Tigers are riding high.

But head coach Willie Slater said his team is not going into this game thinking its a win.  In fact, they know it's Winston-Salem State, a perennial power and a team that's beaten Tuskegee the last two years.

"I just have to be prepared as a coach," Slater said.  "I have to be prepared, our coaches have to be prepared and I have to make sure our players are prepared.  If we give them out best effort and they beat us, then they just beat us.  We just have to prepare.  They are a good football team."

Kickoff in Tuskegee is a 1 pm. The game will be televised on ESPN3.

Tennessee State Visits Top Ranked FCS Team Jacksonville State

Tennessee State will quickly find out where they are this year when they visit Jacksonville State today.

TSU is 2-0 with a comeback win over Alabama State and a solid win over Jackson State the past two weeks.  But they open Ohio Valley Conference play against a team in Jacksonville State who is the nation's top-ranked FCS football team and took SEC power Auburn to overtime last week in a game they could have just have easily won.

TSU is led by freshman quarterback O'Shea Ackerman-Carter, last week's STATS FCS Freshman of the Week after his three touchdown performance against Jackson State.

But one thing the Tigers are going to make sure is that they don't make any mistakes that would help Jacksonville State, which clearly doesn't need any help.

"That is something that you've just got to keep harping on," TSU head coach Rod Reed told The Tennessean.  "You've got to be really detailed and you have to scrutinize it when it happens in practice.  When somebody turns the ball over, you'll see Coach Reed going crazy, you'll see the rest of the coaches going crazy.  You've got to protect the football.  We tell our guys all the time, 'it's OK to punt.'  Punting the football is better than sticking it in their arms and giving them an interception."

Kickoff in Jacksonville, Ala., is at 1 pm.  The game will be telecast on ESPN3.

Here is the rest of todays HBCU football schedule:

SWAC

Mississippi Valley State at Alcorn State
Jackson State at Southern
Texas Southern at Arkansas Pine Bluff
Grambling at Alabama State
Alabama A&M at Prairie View

SIAC

Fort Valley State at Clark Atlanta
Kentucky State at Virginia State
West Alabama at Miles
Lane at Bethune Cookman
Central State at Benedict
Stillman at Albany State
Johnson C. Smith at Morehouse

MEAC

Savannah State at Akron
Chowan at Delaware State
Norfolk State at Marshall
Virginia-Lynchburg at Morgan State
Lane at Bethune-Cookman
North Carolina Central at Florida International
North Carolina A&T at Elon

CIAA

Kentucky State at Virginia State
Central International at Livingstone
Bowie State at Central Connecticut State
Johnson C. Smith at Morehouse
Virginia Union at Gardner Webb
Elizabeth City State at St. Augustine's
Chowan at Delaware State
Fayetteville State at West Georgia
Shaw at UNC Pembroke

OTHERS

Langston at Oklahoma Panhandle State
Lincoln (Mo) at Quincy
Cheyney at Clarion
West Virginia State at West Virginia Wesleyan

David Watford's Three TDs Leads Hampton Over Howard in the Nation's Classic

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

The real HU may not have been ultimately determined after Friday, but Hampton can out as the better team in their 37-19 win over Howard in the AT&T Nations Football Classic.

Hampton quarterback David Watford accounted for 337 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Pirate offense.  Watford threw a first quarter TD and ran for another to give Hampton an early 13-0 lead.  Watford added another touchdown early in the fourth quarter that pretty much sealed the game.

The Hampton offense rolled up 460 yards of offense, 181 of it on the ground as Christopher Dukes had 70 yards and a score.

Howard's offense showed some life after two being shutout twice this season, with  running back Aquanius Freeman rushing for 129 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bison. It was Howard's first loss in the Nation's Classic after defeating Morehouse four years in a row in the game.

The win was the 550th for the Hampton program and came in their 1000th game.

Hampton (2-1, 1-0 MEAC) heads to Norfolk State next week for the State Farm Battle of the Bay while Howard (0-3, 0-1 MEAC)

Winston Salem State Falls to 0-2 After Big Loss to Valdosta State; Full Rundown of Saturday's HBCU Football Action

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

This definitely isn't the Winston Salem State football team you are probably used to.

After losing to Valdosta State Saturday 31-3, they are 0-2 and have scored only one touchdown in two games and have given up 51 points in two games.

Doesn't sound like the Rams program we are used to.

"We've got so many new guys in our lineup, we're still trying to figure it out," Winston Salem State head coach Kienus Boulware said to the Winston-Salem Journal.  "We have to figure whether we're going to be a running team or a passing team, just figure out who we are as a team."

Saturday, the Rams offense again struggled, albeit against the 14th best Division II in the country in Valdosta State.  WSSU only had 178 yards of offense against VSU, 110 of those came from Tyree Massey's 110 yards rushing.

Defensively, the Rams had three sacks and an interception, but allowed 359 yards of offense to Valdosta State Saturday.

Things aren't going to get much easier for Winston Salem State.  They are back on the road to take on Tuskegee next week.

Here is a rundown of the rest of Saturday's HBCU football action:

MEAC

Bethune-Cookman 56, Grambling 53 - At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Bethune-Cookman was leading Grambling 28-27.  After that, the defense ceased.  BCU outscored Grambling 28-26, highlighted by three Quentin Williams touchdowns, to get the win.  Williams threw three TDs and Larry Brihm threw for 219 yards and three touchdowns.  Johnathan Wiliams threw for three touchdowns and ran for another for Grambling.
Richmond 31, Hampton 28 -
Boston College 76, Howard 0 - Boston College rushed for 347 yards in routing Howard.  The Bison could only muster 11 yards of offense - four on the ground and seven in the air.
Samford 58, Florida A&M 21 -
North Carolina 53, North Carolina A&T 14 - One of HBCU football's top teams was no match for the ACC's North Carolina.  UNC's QB Marquis Williams threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another.  His teammate Elijah Hood ran for two scores.
Coastal Carolina 41, South Carolina State 14 - The FCS' top ranked team, Coastal Carolina, jumped out to a 32-point halftime lead in easing to the win. Alex Ross threw for two touchdowns while De'Angelo Henderson rushed for 136 yards and another score.
Kent State 45, Delaware State 13 - Delaware State had -33 yards of offense in a game they were dominated by Kent State. Delaware's State's two touchdowns came off fumble recoveries, one taken for five yards and another for 72 yards.
Duke 55, North Carolina Central 0 - The 655 yards of offense that Duke had in this rout was the most ever surrendered by North Carolina Central in a game to one opponent.   NCCU's Jordan Miles did have a career best 14 tackles.
Old Dominion 24, Norfolk State 10 - Ray Lawry rushed for 215 yards and two touchdowns to lead ODU to the win. Greg Hankerson threw for 163 yards and rushed for 74 to lead Norfolk State, who is 0-2 so far this season.
Illinois State 67, Morgan State 14

CIAA

Virginia State 40, Tusculum 13 - Trenton Cannon's two first quarter touchdown runs helped Virginia State jump out to a 21-point first quarter lead in which they coasted from.  The Trojans rushed for 347 yards. Kavon Bellamy ran for 187 yards while Cannon finished with 152 yards.
Lincoln (Pa) 28, N.C. Wesleyan 17 -
Bowie State 35, Brevard 21 -
Virginia Union 42, St. Augustine's 7 - Shawheem Dowdy threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as VUU has no problem with St. Aug's.  Hakeem Dowdy ran for 153 yards and a touchdown. Miles Pace had six tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery for Virginia Union.
Johnson C. Smith 38, Kentucky State 14 - The Bulls jumped out to a 24-7 lead and never looked back.  Harold Herbin didn't have a great day, but he threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. Both teams combined to throw seven interceptions.
Elizabeth City State 55, Benedict 0 - Daquan Neal threw for two TDs and Jaquez Miles completed two-of-three passes for two touchdowns as ECSU had an easy time with Benedict.  The ECSU defense picked off four passes, had three sacks, recovered a fumble and only allowed 40 yards passing all day.
Campbell 35, Chowan 3 - Campbell jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead to coast to the win.  Chowan only had eight yards rushing the entire game.
UNC Pembroke 14, Fayetteville State 10 - UNC Pembroke follows up their upset win over Winston Salem State last week with their second straight win over a CIAA opponent.  Cliff Jones' 1-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter gave UNC-Pembroke the win.
Wingate 30, Shaw 16 - Wingate scored 28 unanswered points early to coast to the win.  Lawrence Pittman rushed for 147 yards for Wingate while Shaw's Quenton Rucker threw for 206 yards and two late TDs.
Livingstone 48, Virginia-Lynchburg 19 -

SWAC

Texas Southern 63, Bacone 0 - TSU had no trouble with Bacone, a team that lost to Lamar 66-3 last week.  In fact, the 63-0 score mirrors the result last season between the two schools. Johnathan Bowen threw for three touchdowns and ran for three more.
Tennessee State 35, Jackson State 25 - O'Shay Carter-Ackerman threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns as TSU jumped out early to defeat their rivals in Jackson State. Two of his TD passes went for 64 yards.
Texas State 63, Prairie View A&M 24 - Texas State's school-record 35 point first quarter sealed the deal early against Prairie View.  It's the Bobcats' 12th straight win over Prairie View A&M and the third for their head coach, Dennis Franchione.
Alcorn State 31, Alabama State 24 - John Gibbs Jr. ran for a touchdown and threw another during a 24-point mid-game spree that erased a seven point deficit and gave Alcorn State the win.  Gibbs threw for 305 yards.

SIAC

Arkansas Pine Bluff 29, Morehouse 27 (3OT) - Wasn't much going on for the first three quarters as no one scored. But from the fourth quarter until the end of the third overtime, this game went back and forth until the very end when Morehouse didnt convert a 2-point conversion after a TD, giving UAPB the win. Monquavious Johnson had 247 yards and four TDs passing, but was picked off five times by UAPB.  Johnson also rushed for 74 yards. UAPB's Marcus Terrell had 126 yards and a touchdown passing and added 77 yards and a TD rushing.
Stillman 18, Concordia-Selma 15 - Li'John Corder's two fourth quarter TDs lifted Stillman in a game dominated by two good defenses.
Tuskegee 27, Albany State 14 - Kevin Lacey's 79-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter lifted Tuskegee to a late lead while Ricky Norris' 95-yard interception return for a touchdown sealed the win for the Golden Tigers.  Albany State falls to 0-2 after falling to Valdosta State last week.
Fort Valley State 50, Lane 38 - In a wild game, Fort Valley State's two fourth quarter touchdowns in the game's final five minutes erased an early fourth quarter, 2-point deficit. Otis Brown led FVSU with 18 yards passing and a touchdown and 78 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Lane's ground game was completely on point - they rushed for 435 yards. Lane Quarterback Marcus Reynolds ran for 239 and two TDs and threw for 105 and another touchdown. Courtney Bass ran for 133 yards and a touchdown for Lane.
West Georgia 33, Miles 7 - Dallas Dickey threw for 214 yards and a touchdown while Aares McCall ran for 101 yards and a touchdown to lead West Georgia's easy win over Miles. West Georgia rolled up 457 yards of offense.

OTHERS