Despite Lots of Losses, Rick Comegys is Focused On Winning at Mississippi Valley State

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

No one said it would be easy.

It’s year four of Rick Comegys' tenure as head football coach at Mississippi Valley State and the Delta Devils so far have won a total of four games, as in a record of 4-29.

But this season alone, Comegys is hoping for more wins than that, he said during the Southwestern Athletic Conference Media Day in July.

“I’m sure that the athletic director wants us to have more wins than we’ve had, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “I’m sure alumni as well.  But I’m looking at maybe around .500, something of that nature, to kind of balance that thing out.”

Those five or six wins would be the most that MVSU has won since a 5-6 campaign in 2012.  The program has won five or six games only four times since 2000, including back-to-back, six-win seasons in 2005 and 2006.  Before that, the last back-to-back (to-back) winning seasons came in 1983, 1984 and 1985. That’s back when the legendary Willie Totten was throwing a lot of touchdown passes, those first two seasons to a guy named Jerry Rice.

These Delta Devils look nothing like those teams.  They had the SWAC’s worst offense last season, averaging an anemic 245 yards and 14 points a game. The MVSU roster that appeared in the 2017 SWAC media guide didn’t include last year’s quarterback, Austin Bray, or last year’s leading receiver, Joshua Banks, or rusher in Slade Jarman.

“I believe offensively we’ve got some weapons coming in that can make a difference in what we do,” Comegys said.  “But I think our strength will be defense right now because we’re mature.  But yet and still, we’ve got some quarterbacks coming in that I think will make a big difference.” 

The Delta Devils defense had issues last season also, giving up a SWAC-worst 504 points and 45 points a game.  They lost their leading tackler, but return defensive back Mark Pegues who had 63 tackles last season, and preseason All-SWAC defensive back Everett Nicholas, who picked off four passes last season.  Farrian Toney also returns to the secondary where he had three interceptions, but will also play wide receiver for the Delta Devils. He caught seven passes for 151 yards against Grambling in 2016.

There’s a lot of work to do in Itta Bena to get to at least five wins this season as Comegys hopes.  And the schedule doesn’t help. Besides a high-scoring, but four-win team in Southern Illinois, MVSU faces three post-season FCS teams in their first four games – North Dakota State, Grambling and Charleston Southern.

“But that’s just the way the schedule is,” he said. “The only thing I can say right now is that we’ve got to get our kids prepared to play football and if we can get our kids prepared correctly, we’ll be alright up in there.”

A lot of MVSU’s issues are out of Comegys, or any coach’s, control. A big one -- resources, or lack thereof.  A USAToday study found that of the 347 schools participating in NCAA FBS or FCS football, Mississippi Valley State ranks dead last in the amount of money that a school spends on athletics - $4.29 million.  North Dakota State meanwhile has a $22 million athletic budget and just opened a new state-of-the-art locker room facility.

But Comegys said he is just focusing on getting his team ready to compete.

“[We’re] not where I want to be right at this moment,” Comegys said.  “But I believe by the time we start the season, we’re going to be in a position where we can play with those guys and make a game out of it. If we don’t win, we don’t.  But I’m looking to win those football games.  I don’t care if its Grambling, North Dakota State.  I’m looking to win.” 

Southern Focuses on “The Process” As They Look For a SWAC Title in 2017

(photo by Arthur Williams/Southern athletics web site)

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

For most teams, an 8-3 season with only one loss to an FCS team would be cause for celebration.

Not if you are the Southern Jaguars.

That one loss came in the Bayou Classic to their heated rival, Grambling, in a game that would determine the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s West Division champion and who would play in the SWAC championship game the next weekend.

The loss instead meant the end of an eight-game winning streak and the 2016 season.

But it’s 2017 and the Jaguars have been picked to again finish second in the West to Grambling.  However, that’s not what Southern is thinking about this season.  

“We’ve got an opportunity not only to be a good football team,” said head coach Dawson Odums during the SWAC Media Day in July. “We’ve got an opportunity to put ourselves in position to win a SWAC championship.”

They will do so without last year’s SWAC leading rusher, Lenard Tillery, who finished his career as the SWAC career-rushing leader. Tillery is a big reason why the Jaguars led the SWAC in scoring and were second in total offense.  But now he’s gone. 

Senior Herb Edwards will lead a group that will try to take over for Tillery.

“When young men depart your program, it’s a great opportunity for other men to step up,” Odums said. “If we can get the same production, whether it’s between two guys or three guys, I think we’ll be happy with that position.  [Tillery is] and outstanding football player. We’ll never replace him, but him departing creates a window of opportunity for someone new to step up and now they can showcase what kind of talent they have for our program.”

The offense won’t be bare at all though.  Quarterback Austin Howard returns. Howard threw 29 touchdowns and was second in SWAC passing last season,  But his main target, and the team's big time kickoff return man, Willie Quinn is also gone.  A number of players are looking to step up as the mantra "next man up," has been a popular refrain this fall. 

On defense, the Jaguars’ defense, particularly their rushing defense, was in the bottom half of the SWAC last season.  The spotty defense came to a head in that Grambling game last season as the Jaguars gave up 452 yards of offense – 262 of it on the ground – and six touchdowns in that 52-30 loss.  Grambling also had a kickoff return for a TD.

But four members of last year’s defensive squad, led by defensive lineman Aaron Tiller (60 tackles and nine sacks in 2016), have been named to the preseason All-SWAC team.  Defensive back Danny 

Johnson led the SWAC with seven interceptions, one for a TD, last season, while Kentavious Preston also had 60 tackles and two sacks for Southern.

Odums said his team is focused on making another run at a SWAC title, but not looking ahead to a rematch in November with the team that denied them a shot at it last year.

“It’s not a game we really talk about as a team,” he said of the 2017 Bayou Classic.  “When we sit down with our team the first time and we talk about the mission for our football team, of course you want to beat your in-state rivals. But at the end of the day, we talk about how do we get to that point. And in order to get to that point, we call it ‘chop wood and carry water.’  We’ve got to fall in love with the process.  And the process right now is getting our minds set on coming to camp, having a healthy camp, getting through camp and focusing [season opening, Sept. 3 opponent] on South Carolina State.  We don’t really worry about [the Grambling] game because we’re going to have to play that game. It’s enough to worry about it once you get to it.  

“At the end of the day,” Odums added, “we try to focus on us and if we do that, everything else will take care of itself.”

Florida A&M Looks to Continue Football Rise in 2017

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.     

                        

Thing have been tough the past few years for those part of one of the nation’s top HBCU football fan bases, Florida A&M.

Since 2012, the Rattlers program, which has won 567 games over its history, including the first FCS national championship in 1978, has won only 15 games, the worst five-year period in FAMU football history. 

But buoyed by a second-half of 2016 in which they won four of seven games, the Rattlers go into the 2017 season feeling like they are a team on the rise and ready to look more like the FAMU teams of yesteryear than the ones of yesterday.

 “We’re very close,” said defensive end Calvin Darville during the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Media Day last week.  “This upcoming season, you’re going to see a different team, a different swag. We’ve been working hard all off season and we’re ready to showcase that.”

Others are also beginning to see the Rattlers rise. MEAC coaches and sports information directors picked Florida A&M to finish sixth in the 2017 conference race, which is where they finished last season.  They were picked to finish eighth at the beginning of last season.

The Rattlers have six offensive players who were named to the 2017 preseason All-MEAC team, including quarterback Ryan Stanley who headed a passing offense that was fourth in the conference last season.  His top target, wide receiver Brandon Norwood, returns as do three preseason All-MEAC offensive line picks.  While Stanley and running back Devin Bowers combined for 749 yards rushing last season, head coach Alex Wood will need to shore up a running game that was one of the worst in the MEAC last season.

“We know we can run zone read and we can throw play-action pass off it.  That’s where we’re going to hang our hat on,” Wood said.  “You have to be able to run the football, obviously, to be successful offensively.”

The Rattlers ranked in the bottom half of the MEAC in total defense and defensive scoring in 2016, with real problems stopping the run.  But FAMU’s secondary was the league’s best, allowing just under 159 passing yards a game last season.  They return preseason All-MEAC picks in defensive backs Orlando McKinley and Terry Jefferson.  As a freshman in 2016, Jefferson had 46 tackles, while McKinley was one of the MEAC’s best in passes defended.  Both had four interceptions last season.

“The thing that has to come to fruition for us is playing a lot better defense,” Wood said. “To win a championship, you’ve got to play really good defense and that’s something that we’re going to emphasize.”

They will be under the gun early.  A rugged, first seven games this season includes a strong Texas Southern team from the SWAC, FBS SEC team Arkansas, preseason nationally-ranked Tennessee State, MEAC champ North Carolina Central and NCAA playoff team North Carolina A&T.

“We’ve got a veteran team coming back, which is exciting, and obviously something every coach cherishes when you’ve got a lot of veterans coming back,” Wood said. “We’re excited about the opportunity to line up.” 

North Carolina Central Picked to Win MEAC; Leonard and Philyaw Named Preseason Defensive and Offensive Players of the Year

By ADD SEYMOUR JR.

Despite having to retool a bit on offense, North Carolina Central has been picked to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference race in 2017, according to MEAC coaches and sports information directors.

The Eagles, who didn’t lose an FCS game last season until their one-point loss to Grambling in the Celebration Bowl, had five players chosen to the MEAC’s first team preseason All-Conference defensive squad and have their 2016 leading rusher, preseason All-MEAC 2^nd team pick, Ramone Simpson, returning.  He will also get help from 3^rd team All-MEAC pick Dorrel McClain, their leading rusher from 2015 who missed last season with an injury.  NCCU will have to find a replacement for last year’s offensive leader in dual threat quarterback Malcolm Bell. 

Picked second, with five first place votes, is their rival North Carolina A&T. The Aggies lost star rusher Tarik Cohen to the NFL, but quarterback Lamar Raynard who threw for nearly 1,500 yards and 14 TDs in a run-heavy offense, has been named the MEAC’s first team, preseason All-Conference quarterback.  He will throw to fellow All-MEAC first teamer in wide receiver Elijah Bell, and will have three All-Conference Aggies on the offensive line to block for him. Marquell Cartwright will step in for Cohen.

The MEAC’s leading tackler last season and this season’s preseason MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, linebacker Darius Leonard, returns to lead a defensive-minded South Carolina State squad that’s picked to finish third in the MEAC.  Six SCSU defenders were named to the preseason All-MEAC team, indicative of a team that was led the conference in total defense last season.

Second-team preseason All-MEAC quarterback Larry Brihm Jr. is back to lead Bethune Cookman, a team picked fourth after a surging second-half of 2016 erased an ugly start.  Brihm, the third-ranked passer in the MEAC last year, will throw to Jawil Davis, a third-team preseason All-MEAC pick.

Anthony Philyaw, the second-leading rusher in the MEAC last season, returns for Howard (picked to finish ninth) and has been chosen as the MEAC’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year.  Philyaw rushed for 1,230 yards and nine touchdowns for Howard, a team that has the conference’s second-best rushing offense but had severe problems on defense in 2016.

Here is the full order of finish predictions and the entire preseason All-MEAC first, second and third teams:

1)     North Carolina Central

2)     North Carolina A&T

3)     South Carolina State

4)     Bethune Cookman

5)     Hampton

6)     Florida A&M

7)     Norfolk State

8)     Morgan State

9)     Howard

10)  Savannah State

11)  Delaware State

All MEAC First Team Offense

(POSITION/NAME/YEAR/SCHOOL/HOMETOWN)

QB Lamar Raynard Jr. North Carolina A&T State High Point, N.C.

RB Anthony Philyaw Sr. Howard Los Angeles, Calif.

RB* Yahkee Johnson Sr. Hampton Richmond, Va.

RB* Ramone Simpson Jr. N.C. Central Wilmington, N.C.

WR Elijah Bell So. North Carolina A&T State Wheeling, W. Va.

WR* Brandon Norwood Sr. Florida A&M Atlanta, Ga.

WR* Frank Brown Sr. Bethune-Cookman Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

TE Leroy Hill Jr. North Carolina A&T State Smithfield, N.C.

C Darriel Mack Sr. North Carolina A&T State Clio, S.C

OL Brandon Parker Sr. North Carolina A&T State Kannapolis, N.C.

OL Nick Leverett So. N.C. Central Concord, N.C.

OL Robbie Stephenson Sr. S.C. State Fairburn, Ga.

OL Justin Evans Sr. S.C. State Florence, S.C.

PK Uriel Hernandez Jr. Bethune-Cookman Homestead, Fla.

First Team Defense

DL* Kevin Thompson R-Sr. Bethune-Cookman Baltimore, Md.

DL* Chris Lee Sr. Norfolk State Woodbridge, Va.

DL Ja’Quan Smith Gr. N.C. Central Miramar, Fla.

DL Antonio Brown Sr. N.C. Central Jacksonville, Fla.

LB Darius Leonard R-Sr. S.C. State Lake View, S.C.

LB Dayshawn Taylor R-Sr. S.C. State Lincolnton, Ga.

LB Reggie Hunter Sr. N.C. Central Henderson, N.C.

DB Alden McClellon Jr. N.C. Central Lake Butler, Fla.

DB* Jason Baxter Gr. S.C. State Manning, S.C.

DB* Diquan Richardson Sr. Bethune-Cookman Alvin, S.C.

DB Zerius Lockhart Sr. North Carolina A&T State Auburn, Ala.

P Nathaniel Tilque Sr. N.C. Central Charlotte, N.C.

RS Khris Gardin Sr. North Carolina A&T State Morganton, N.C.

Second Team Offense

QB Larry Brihm, Jr. Sr. Bethune-Cookman Delray Beach, Fla.

RB Herb Walker, Jr. Sr. Morgan State Cleveland, Ohio

RB Mike Waters So. Delaware State Philadelphia, Pa.

WR Kyle Anthony So. Howard Miami, Fla.

WR Mason Rutherford Sr. Delaware State San Bernardino, Calif.

TE Demetrius Ferebee Sr. Norfolk State Roanoke, Va.

C Victor Ishmael, Jr. Sr. S.C. State Miami, Fla.

OL Osman Aguilera Sr. Florida A&M Miami, Fla.

OL Loubens Polinice So. Florida A&M Palm Coast, Fla.

OL Joshua Fala So. Delaware State Manteca, Calif.

OL Cade Pedro So. Delaware State Kailua, Hawai’i

PK Tyler Scandrett Sr. S.C. State Barnesville, Ga.

Second Team Defense

DL Steven Smith Sr. Hampton Norfolk, Va.

DL* Jai Franklin Sr. Morgan State Clinton, Md.

DL* Greg Newell Sr. S.C. State McDonough, Ga.

DL Julian McKnight Jr. North Carolina A&T State Conyers, Ga.

LB Trenton Bridges Jr. Bethune-Cookman DeLand, Fla.

LB* Malik Harris Sr. Delaware State Washington, D.C.

LB* Marcus Albert Jr. North Carolina A&T State College Park, Ga.

DB Brendan Cole Sr. Hampton Hampton, Va.

DB Orlando McKinley Jr. Florida A&M Atlanta, Ga.

DB Terry Jefferson So. Florida A&M Miami, Fla.

DB Devondre Powell Sr. S.C. State Miami, Fla.

P Uriel Hernandez Jr. Bethune-Cookman Homestead, Fla.

RS Frank Brown Sr. Bethune-Cookman Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

 Third Team Defense

QB Ryan Stanley So. Florida A&M Pembroke Pines, Fla.

RB Dorrel McClain Jr. N.C. Central Cary, N.C.

RB Brycen Alleyne Jr. Delaware State Wilmington, Del.

WR Jalen Wilkes Jr. N.C. Central Greenville, S.C.

WR Jawill Davis Sr. Bethune-Cookman Miami, Fla.

TE Desmond Noird Sr. Florida A&M Atlanta, Ga.

C Phillip Norman Sr. Bethune-Cookman Sebastian, Fla.

OL Obinna Nwanko So. Florida A&M Miramar, Fla.

PK Wizdom Nzidee Sr. Delaware State Stone Mountain, Ga.

Third Team Defense

DL* Stefen Banks Jr. Savannah State Columbus, Ohio

DL* Elijah Price Sr. Florida A&M Jacksonville, Fla.

DL* Kenneth Melton Sr. North Carolina A&T State Elizabeth City, N.C.

DL Tyberius Cravens Sr. S.C. State Austell, Ga.

LB Kyle Archie Sr. Norfolk State Virginia Beach, Va.

LB Mulik Simmons Sr. Savannah State Savannah, Ga.

LB Brian Cavicante So. Delaware State Portsmouth, Va.

DB Carl Garnes Jr. Morgan State Columbus, N.J.

DB Keyjuan Selby Jr. Delaware State Bear, Del.

DB Darius Johnson Jr. Morgan State Baltimore, Md.

DB Davanta Reynolds Jr. N.C. Central Tucker, Ga.

P Fidel Romo-Martinez So. Delaware State Banning, Calif.

RS William King Jr. Morgan State Baltimore, Md