Monthly Archives: August 2012
Shaw’s Defense Battered By University of Charleston
- James Stallons and James Langford in action against the University of Charleston (WV). Shaw lost 44-26 on the road.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - James Langford rushed for three touchdowns for Shaw, but it wasn’t enough as the Bears fell to Charleston 44-26 Thursday night at the University of Charleston (WV) Stadium in the team’s season-opener.
Langford, who collected only 50 yards on his way to the three scores, was outdone by Charleston’s All-American Jordan Roberts who rushed for 238 yards and scored a touchdown. Robert Massey didn’t mince words when assessing his team’s performance after his first game as Shaw head coach.
“We lost in all three aspects of the game,” Massey said. “The defense gave up almost 500 yards, including 350 on the ground. You can’t win when you’re giving up yardage like that. And the special teams gave up long kickoff returns and had botched punts. But we will continue to improve.”
Shaw’s special team issues started in the first quarter when Vinny Pacifico’s punt was blocked, giving the Charleston the ball on the Shaw 14. Two plays later, Roberts got his touchdown with a 13-yard rush to give UC a 7-0 lead with 7:24 left in the first.
The problems continued when Shaw’s next punt traveled only 24 yards before going out of bounds, giving UC another short field. Six plays and 39 yards later, Charleston’s quarterback, Maurice Leak, punched the ball in from two yards out giving UC a 14-0 lead.
After a 20-yard return by Langford on the ensuing kickoff, the Bears began what would be a 75-yard drive that ended in the opening seconds of the second quarter when Langford barreled through the line for a one-yard touchdown run, trimming the lead to 14-7.
Charleston responded with a long drive of their own, going 72 yards in eight plays, ending with a 14-yard strike from Leak to Shaq Williams to give them a 21-7 advantage.
Midway through the second quarter, the Bears got the ball on their 34-yard line and Langford and quarterback James Stallons combined to move the ball down the field. Stallons connected on two critical passes to keep the drive alive, and Langford amassed 26 yards – including a 13-yard run to score his second touchdown of the evening. A missed the extra point left the Bears trailing 21-13 with 5:21 left in the half.
The Shaw defense then let down, allowing the Golden Eagles to score 13 unanswered points to close out the second quarter.
Another special teams miscue – a kickoff that went out of bounds – left UC with good field position, bettered when Roberts opened the drive with a 52-yard run. Two plays later, Leak rushed five yards for a touchdown, giving UC a 28-13 lead. Puma Nuredini knocked in two more field goals to give the UC a 34-13 halftime advantage.
After giving up a 33-yard kickoff return, the Bears found themselves trying to defend another short field. Leak connected with Dustin Phelps for a 30-yard pass that closed out UC’s scoring and gave them a 44-20 lead with 4:29 left in the third.
After Bryce McClain recovered a fumble for the Bears with 10:24 left in the game, Stallons engineered a drive that went 60 yards in nine plays, including five completed passes for a total of 58 yards – five more yards than Shaw had gained through the air in the entire first half. Langford punctuated the drive with a one-yard run into the end zone, making the score 44-26 after a Stallons’ two-point attempt failed.
Stallons finished the game 18 for 28 for 195 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Ruffin was the leading receiver with four catches for 93 yards.
“Stallons showed some poise in the pocket and De’Angelo Ruffin and Derek Grant really stepped it up in the second,” Massey said. “Our offensive line is a work in progress though. We will get better.”
The Bears return home to face Miles College Saturday, September 8 at 1:00 p.m. The game is Kids Day and all children under 14 will be admitted for $5.
Cue Comes Up Big For SC State In Opener
South Carolina State’s Richard Cue escapes the grasp of a Georgia State defender in Thursday night’s 33-6 win.
ATLANTA, GA—Redshirt junior quarterback Richard Cue threw for a career-high 300 yards connecting 19-of-29 for three touchdowns and two interceptions, to lead South Carolina State to a 33-6 victory over Georgia State, Thursday night at the Georgia Dome.
The Bulldogs offense racked up 488 yards total offense , with junior wide receiver Caleb Davis and senior Lennel Elmore each finishing with over 100 yards receiving on the night.
“It was a good game and I am very proud of our team,” said SC State head coach Buddy Pough. “We made some big plays near the end of the half that made a difference for us in the game.”
The Bulldogs struck first on a 72-yard pass from Richard Cue to senior Lennel Elmore to move ahead 7-0 in the opening drive of the first quarter. The Panthers answered on a 36-yard field goal by sophomore Matt Ehasz to make the score 7-3 at the 6:33 mark in the second-half.
Sophomore linebacker Justin Hughes made the biggest play on the night on defense, causing a fumble after sacking quarterback Ben McLane for a 3-yard loss on GSU’s 23 yard line with 0:048 seconds left in the half. Cue connected with junior Tyler McDonald for a 22-yard touchdown toss with 0:14 seconds left to put SC State ahead 14-3.
South Carolina State closed out the first-half with a 14-3 lead over Georgia State.
Cue connected with McDonald once again for a 13-yard touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 21-6 advantage with 6:32 left in the third quarter. Senior kicker/punter Nick Belcher booted two back-to-back field goals of 21 and 26 yards to put SC Stat ahead 27-6 with 5:40 left in the game.
Defensive back Dominique Mitchell’s 68-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown with a 1:14 left sealed the victory and gave SC State its first win of the season.
The Bulldog defense pitching their first shutout of the season, not allowing a touchdown was led by sophomore linebacker Justin Hughes with eight tackles and two sacks, while newcomer and JUCO transfer Kimario McFadden finished with six in the victory.
Davis led the receiving corps with 10 catches for 110 yards, while Elmore added three catches for 117 yards and McDonald also with three for 52 yards and two touchdowns.
“It’s always important to start the season on a positive note, especially when you have to play your conference rival (Bethune-Cookman) next week at home.”
SC State will return to action on their first home-opener of the season when the host the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman next week at Dawson Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
Hampton Drops Opener On The Road
Hampton quarterback Travis Champion completed 18 of 23 passes for 98 yards and one touchdown in his team’s 41-31 loss to Tennessee Tech on Thursday.
Tennessee Tech’s display of first-half fireworks proved to be too much for Hampton to overcome as they dropped their 2012 football season opener on the road on Thursday 41-31 at Tucker Stadium.
“Generally, they (Tennessee Tech) came out more spirited then we did overall,” Pirates head coach Donovan Rose said. “With the score 31-7 at the half, I don’t think anyone thought that we had a chance to win the game, better yet mount a comeback, and for that I am pleased with the overall effort.”
The Pirates got off to a very slow start on both sides of the ball in the first half, while the Golden Eagles seemed to be operating on all cylinders. The Golden Eagles scored 31 points while going a perfect 4-for-4 in the red zone behind the efforts of quarterback Tre Lamb. Lamb threw for 279 yards, connecting on 19 of 26 passes with three touchdowns in the first-half alone. He finished 24 of 35 passing for 339 yards and threw for three touchdowns with no interception.
The Golden Eagles closed out the first half with 384 yards of total offense.
Hampton (0-1) showed signs of life in the first half behind quarterback Travis Champion. Champion drove his team 75 yards in 14 plays for their first score of the game, when freshman Blake Hayes ran in from six yards out for his first collegiate touchdown.
The second half started out promising for Hampton, as Jorrian Washington took the opening kickoff 100 yards for the touchdown to give them their second score of the game.
Hampton also caught a break when when the Tennessee Tech fumbled a fair catch that the Pirates recovered on Tennessee Tech’s 5-yard line, leading to a Jeremiah Schwartz score from one yard out, cutting the deficit to 31-24 in the third quarter.
Tennessee Tech, though, was not quite done as Lamb drove his team 76 yards on just 11 plays for his fourth touchdown pass of the night to make the score 38-24 early in the fourth quarter.
The Golden Eagles scored again off a 25-yard field goal to make the score 41-24, before Champion drove the Pirates another 75 yards for a touchdown, connecting with Jarvis Brown from two yards out to make the score 41-31 with less than two minutes left in the game.
Tennessee Tech (1-0) had one of its best games in recent years, as they combined for 548 yards of total offense on 82 plays behind Lamb, who threw for 339 yards and four touchdowns. They also held Hampton to under 200 yards of total offense, including just 89 yards on the ground.
Hampton will try to rebound from its loss as it hosts Old Dominion next Saturday at Armstrong Stadium.
HBCU Gameday: Hampton At Tenn. Tech Preview
Hampton running back Antwon Chisholm will be relied on heavily in tonight’s season-opener at Tennessee Tech.
Hampton has been in a transitional phase the last couple of years as Donavan Rose has retooled the team in his image. His team went 7-4 in his third season (5-3 in the MEAC) and it is expected to be in the upper echelon of the conference once again.
Thursday’s game against Tennessee Tech should be a good gauge into how far the team has come, as it the host team won a share of the 2011 Ohio Valley Conference championship. Last year Tech set school records for points scored and yards per game while making the FCS Playoffs for the first time in school history. The team added ex-Tennessee Vol Da’Rick Rodgers earlier this week. The All-SEC receiver caught 67 passes for 1,040 yards last season and is being reunited with his high school quarterback, Tre Lamb.
The Pirates will have to rely on ball control and defense if they plan on slowing The Golden Eagles offensive attack. Those areas appear to be their strength heading into the season as they will rely heavily on running back Antwon Chisholm and a defense that held teams to under 22 points per game last season and had a plus-13 turnover margin. Chisholm led Hampton with just under 800 yards and 8 touchdowns last season, one year removed from being named the MEAC’s Rookie of The Year. The defense will be anchored by linebacker Lyndell Gibson, a Virginia Tech-transfer who led the MEAC with 14 tackles for loss last season.
Although Hampton may be ineligible for the playoffs this season due to APR issues, a win against Tennessee Tech would definitely be a positive start and put the conference on notice that the team is on its way back to the head of the MEAC pack. If Chisholm and the offense can move the ball and the defense can keep Rodgers and Lamb from recreating their high school magic, the Pirates may be able to come up with a nice road win in Cookeville.
White QBs At HBCUs: Get Used To It
Matt Goggans will become the first Caucasian to start at quarterback for North Carolina Central when they host Fayetteville State on Sept. 1.
The struggles of Black quarterbacks to break into the mainstream football world has been pretty well documented. Almost as soon as majority institutions began accepting Black players, they conveniently moved them to other positions. And if a player was given a chance at the college level, they had little chance of making it under center in the NFL.
Slowly, but surely, these things have changed in the last 30 plus years of football. There are now several Black QBs starting in the NFL and dozens of them in major D-I football.
So with the changing dynamics of the quarterbacking world, it only makes sense that historically black colleges and universities are experiencing the ripple effects in their programs. When North Carolina Central and Shaw start their seasons on Sept 1, the starting signal-callers for both teams will be Caucasians for the first time in each school’s history.
Matt Goggans, a 6-2, 225lb quarterback from Pine Grove, California will lead NCCU’s offense on the field against Fayetteville State on Sept. 1. Goggans enrolled at NCCU in the fall after transferring from Fullerton College. NCCU coach Henry Frazier said he was impressed by his composure in the pocket.
“Matt came here in January, and he got the reps in spring practice. He’s a pure pocket passer, and his pocket presence is more comfortable to me as a coach.”
When James Stallons comes out on the field Thursday night against Charleston (WV) he will stand out not only because of his skin color but also his height. The 6’6 , 210 lb Macomb, MI product won the starting job over Quishon Odom, who led the Bears to the 2010 CIAA championship.
Despite the fact that some schools still have never had non-Black starters, White quarterbacks at HBCUs are nothing new. Eddie Robinson had a backup quarterback at Grambling as early as the 1970s. Chris Walley led Norfolk State to its first MEAC championship in school history, last year.
In a 2005 interview with Black America Web, former Florida A&M Sports Information Director Alvin Hollins explained why White players quarterbacks at HBCUs have become more prevalent in the last decade.
“Now that you see more black quarterbacks at bigger schools, what’s basically happening is that the white kids who can play are getting squeezed out, so they have to go to a Division I-AA or [smaller programs],” Hollins said.
Anyone who has been around HBCUs for any amount of time can tell you that they aren’t always the most “change-friendly” places of higher learning. Many of the alumni come from a time when they were the only option for black students and athletes, and they are resistant to change. The thing is, the days when HBCUs had the pick of the litter in terms of Black athletes is long gone.
Don’t get me wrong, the likelihood that you’ll ever see a five-star QB, Black or White, turn down Florida State for FAMU or Bethune-Cookman is never going to happen. But if your school had the chance to pick up a solid three-star recruit, would you be willing to take a lesser player simply because he is Black? Of course not. The goal at HBCUs athletic departments, like all athletic programs, is to win.
Having gone to an HBCU, I know from experience there is nothing like the spirit of community and pride that these institutions can inspire in the lives of young African-Americans. Hopefully this will stay intact for generations to come. But if HBCUs want winning athletic programs, they’d better get the best players they can on the field, regardless of color.
The Links: Aug 28
News links from around HBCU land.
ESPN previews MEAC/SWAC Challenge
Tuskegee scores significant RB transfer
Elizabeth City State names former Howard backup starting QB
Multiple kickers at Virginia State
The Washington Post previews Howard’s 2012 season
Jamie DeGeare switches from QB to FB for WSSU
UMES Hitter Named Division I Player Of The Week
UMES Saitaua Iosia has been named AVCA Player of the Week for the second time in less than one year.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The American Volleyball Coaches Association has announced today that University of Maryland Eastern Shore outside hitter Saitaua Iosia has been honored as the Sports Imports Division I Player of the Week.
The AVCA honors the top weekly performance in all three Divisions of NCAA volleyball. This is the second time that Iosia has won this weekly award, the last time being on November 8th, 2011. She currently is the only ever MEAC player to have been recognized with this award and has been named Division I Player of the Week two of the last five times the recognition has been given. The last person to earn a second AVCA Division I Player of the Week was Kelly Murphy of Florida, who got a weekly honor in 2010 and 2011.
“I’m honored to be named for this award,” says Iosia, “I could not have done it without my teammates, my coaching staff, and all the support I get from my friends and my family.”
“It was a great opening weekend for our team,” said UMES head coach Don Metil, “Saitaua’s level of play and consistent hitting efficiencies on the outside were some of the best performances since my time here at UMES. She is well deserving of the first AVCA weekly award this season.”
The reigning MEAC Player of the Week led the Hawks to three victories this past weekend to win the SFC Terrier Invitational. UMES defeated NJIT, tournament host St. Francis (NY) and Radford, all in four sets, to start the season at 3-0. Iosia, the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, earned a double double in all three matches, leading off with 21 kills and 14 digs on Friday against NJIT. The next day, she followed up with 19 kills and 16 digs against St. Francis, and ended Saturday hitting .408 against Radford, tallying 24 kills and 17 digs. In total, Iosia hit .359 over the weekend with 64 kills and 47 digs and seven blocks.
CIAA Tabs Carpenter as Commissioner
Hampton, VA. – It’s a new day in the CIAA. The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) announced the appointment of Jacqie Carpenter as Commissioner of the conference, on August 27.
“The CIAA Board of Directors is pleased to welcome Jacqie Carpenter as our new Commissioner. She is a very talented athletics leader who brings rich and varied experience and skills from years at the NCAA. We welcome her tremendous enthusiasm for the future of the CIAA. These are the principal reasons that the Board chose her to lead our conference to a higher level of excellence” said Dr. Mickey L. Burnim, Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Carpenter is the first appointed African-American female Commissioner of the CIAA. The CIAA, celebrating the Centennial of its founding in 1912, is comprised of predominantly Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) spanning the east coast from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. She replaces longtime CIAA Commissioner Leon Kerry, who resigned his post last November. She will assume her duties in early September.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to work closely with the CIAA Board of Directors and staff to develop a forward-looking strategic plan. We will provide effective, stable management reflective of the CIAA’s remarkable history. Our focus will be to deliver a successful second century to the CIAA within a culture that assures the highest quality experience and opportunities for our student-athletes and membership” said Carpenter.
Carpenter comes to the CIAA from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), where she was promoted from assistant to associate director in her initial championship assignments. In more than nine years with the NCAA, she served as Director, Championships and Alliances, Director of the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship and finally, on the leadership team of the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship managing one of the largest events in the country, with annual viewership exceeding 150 million. Carpenter’s various responsibilities included oversight of tournament external operations and lodging, collaboration with corporate partners and champions, and the development of an industry leading community relations program for the championship.
Carpenter earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Hampton University in 1991 while participating in volleyball and basketball and was a member of the 1988 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship team. Continuing her education, she earned a Master of Arts in Sports Management and Administration from Temple University in 1993. Carpenter also was the head volleyball coach and assistant women’s basketball coach at Virginia Union University and is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Women in Athletic Administration (NACWAA) and the Black Women in Sport Foundation (BWSF).
NCAA Punishes Bison Involved In Textbook Scandal
Howard quarterback Greg McGhee may be one of up to 14 players ruled ineligible by the NCAA for Sept. 1′s opening game vs. Morehouse.
Howard is hoping the 2012 season will be the year it moves toward the front of the pack in the MEAC. If it is to do so, it will have to rely on it depth to get through the first portion of the season as the Washington Post reports that up to 14 players have will be declared ineligible for early season games by the NCAA.
The ruling is part of an ongoing investigation into violations regarding improper use of textbook allowances. While the NCAA has not issued the names of the players involved, Howard football coach Gary Harrell said the list of ineligible players could include quarterback Greg McGhee and linebacker Keith Pough. McGhee is the conference’s reigning Rookie of The Year and Pough was chosen as the conference’s preseason defensive player of the year.
The number of games the players will miss has yet to be determined, however all of the players involved will at least miss the season opener against Morehouse in RFK Stadium on Sept. 1. They could miss up to three games, according to the report.
“Right now, it’s not a distraction,” Howard coach Gary Harrell told the Post. “We understand the situation. Whatever the ruling is, whatever the NCAA’s plan, we have our plan as well.”
Obviously, this is bad news for Howard. They improved their record by four games last year, largely due to the performance of the McGhee and Pough. McGee completed nearly 57 percent of his passes and tossed 13 touchdowns last season, while Pough finished with 95 tackles, 21 of which went for losses. Howard was picked finish eighth in the conference by coaches and SIDs.
Breaking News: Central State To Join SIAC
Central State will join the SIAC in 2013.
Atlanta, GA—The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Council of Presidents, by unanimous vote, approved the application of Central State University to become a football member of the SIAC, effective July 1, 2013.
Starting in 2013, the Marauders will compete against Kentucky State, Lane College, Stillman College, Tuskegee University and 2011 SIAC Champion Miles College in the West Division. Albany State University, Benedict College, Clark Atlanta, Fort Valley State, and Morehouse will continue to compete in the East Division.
“We are pleased to add Central State University as an associate member of the SIAC,” SIAC Commissioner Gregory Moore added. As the perennial NCAA Division II football attendance leader, I am certain that SIAC fans will welcome the addition of Central State University as we expand our footprint into Ohio.”
In its storied football history, Central State has won three NAIA Football National Championships and produced numerous players drafted or signed as free agents by the National Football League. The list includes former Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Champion offensive lineman Eric Williams, New Orleans Saints defensive back Vince Buck, and Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Hugh Douglas.
