Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Jackson State hopes to avoid another Hail Mary situation

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State's first win was, indeed, memorable.

But coach Harold Jackson doesn't want another dose of it, more so, for the play of events that forced the Tigers to turn to a Hail Mary.

"This is a game I never want to get involved with against," Jackson said in Monday's weekly teleconference. "We had the opportunity to win this ball game without a Hail Mary but unfortunately we didn't do what we had to do to take care of business."

JSU (1-0) is coming off a season-opening 22-17 win over Florida A&M, thanks to a 50-yard, Hail Mary touchdown with 1.6 seconds left.

As his team prepares to host Virginia-Lynchburg (0-1) on Saturday, Jackson said it'll devote about 10 minutes every practice this week in the red zone; the Tigers scored only one touchdown after five trips inside the 20-yard line.

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Two Former N.C. A&T Aggies Make NFL Practice Squads

GREENSBORO – Two North Carolina A&T Aggies from the 2013 football team made NFL practice squads, which were announced by the respective teams on Tuesday.

Former Aggies right tackle Nathan Isles is member of the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks practice squad, while former Aggies cornerback Ayodeji Olatoye made the Baltimore Ravens practice squad. Both men signed as undrafted free agents.

Isles (6-5, 324, Atlanta, Ga.) came to North Carolina A&T to play defensive line. By his sophomore season he was a fixture on the Aggies offensive line at right tackle. He helped Mike Mayhew lead the conference in rushing in 2011 and assisted Tarik Cohen in doing the same in 2013. Isles played more than 1,500 snaps, started 31 games (two as a defensive tackle) and made 42 appearances.

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Week 2: HBCU Football Schedule


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THURSDAY, Sept. 4 (All Game Times Shown in Eastern Time Zone)

CIAA
Livingstone College at Millersville (Pa.), 6 PM
Cheyney at Lincoln (Pa.), Battle of the First, 7 PM 

SIAC

Kentucky Wesleyan College at Kentucky State. 7:00 PM
Paine at Shorter 7:30 PM

SWAC
Texas College(0-0)  at Texas Southern (1-0), 8:30 PM

SATURDAY, Sept. 6

The Missouri Classic at Arrowhead Stadium
Langston (Ok) vs. Lincoln (Mo) at Kansas City, Missouri,  3 PM 

CIAA
Siena Heights at Virginia Union, 12 PM
Saint Augustine's at Indiana (Pa.) 12 PM
Johnson C. Smith (0-0) at Charlotte (1-0), 12 PM, TV: American Sports Network Broadcast @ Charlotte
Virginia State at California (Pa), 1 PM
Saint Anselm at Bowie State, 1 PM
Elizabeth City State (0-0) at North Carolina Central (0-1), 5 PM
UNC Pembroke at Winston-Salem State, 6 PM
Fayetteville State at Chowan U., 7 PM
Shaw at Miles, 7 PM


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SIAC
Alabama A&M (0-1) at Tuskegee (0-0), 1 PM
Clark Atlanta at Central State (Ohio), 1:30 PM
Benedict (0-1) at Lane (0-0), 2 PM
Delta State at Fort Valley State, 2 PM
West Alabama at Stillman, 3 PM
Albany State at Valdosta State, 7 PM
Morehouse (0-0) at Edward Waters (0-1), 7 PM
Shaw at Miles, 7 PM

SWAC
Alabama A&M (0-1) at Tuskegee (0-0), 2 PM
Tennessee State (1-0) at Alabama State (0-1), 5 PM  TV: ASPIRE NETWORK
Alcorn State (1-0) at Southern Mississippi (0-1), 7 PM,
Virginia University Lynchburg (0-1) at Jackson State (1-0), 7 PM
Concordia College (0-0) at Arkansas Pine Bluff (0-1), 7 PM
Central Methodist (0-0) at Southern U. (0-1), 7 PM
Mississippi Valley (1-0) at Illinois State (0-0), 7:30 PM
Grambling State (0-1) at Houston (0-1), 8 PM

OVC
Tennessee State (1-0) at Alabama State (0-1), 5 PM  TV: ASPIRE NETWORK

MEAC
Bethune-Cookman  (1-0) (Bye Week)
Howard (0-1) at Rutgers (1-0), 12 PM, TV: Big Ten Network
South Carolina State (1-0) at Clemson (0-1), 12:30 PM, Gameplan/ESPN3
Morgan State (0-1) at Holy Cross (0-1), 1 PM
Liberty (0-1) at Norfolk State (0-1), 4 PM
Elizabeth City State (0-0) at North Carolina Central (0-1), 5 PM
Delaware State (0-1) at Delaware (0-1), 6 PM
William and Mary (0-1) at Hampton (0-1), 6 PM
Savannah State (0-1) at Georgia Southern (0-1), 6 PM, ESPN3
Coastal Carolina (1-0) at North Carolina A&T (1-0) 6 PM
Florida A&M (0-1) at Miami (Fla.) (0-0), 7 PM, ESPN3

NCAA Division II Football Season Opens on Thursday


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Monday, September 1, 2014

Former Alabama State Hornets Make NFL Rosters

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Two former Alabama State University Hornets have been named to the 53-man rosters for the start of the 2014 National Football League (NFL) season.

Tarvaris Jackson will enter his ninth season in the NFL and will once again be a member of the reigning Super Bowl Champions, Seattle Seahawks.

Former All-SWAC running back Isaiah Crowell will be on the Cleveland Browns roster as the season begins. The undrafted Crowell helped his cause by rushing for over 100 yards in the final preseason game for the Browns.

Greg Jenkins, who played last season for the Oakland Raiders, has been placed on the Raiders Injured/Reserve list after suffering an injury late in camp.

Terren Jones who was in camp with the Falcons once again this season, did not make it through the final cut down to the 53-man roster. Jones had suffered a concussion during camp which caused him to miss some practice time, hindering his chances of making the team.

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WSSU's Fields lands on Tampa Bay's practice squad



TAMPA BAY, Florida -- Carlos Fields, a former linebacker at Winston-Salem State, has been added to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad.

Fields, 6-1 and 240 pounds, was the two-time defensive player of the year in the CIAA. He had been in camp with the Oakland Raiders after signing in May as a free agent rookie but was among the final cuts on Saturday.

Fields, a four-year starter for the Rams from Henderson, was in on seven tackles during his three preseason games with the Raiders.

“I didn’t have a chance to make the Raiders’ practice squad but I was offered to get on the practice squad of Kansas City or Seattle but I just thought that Tampa was the best fit for me,” Fields said by telephone after his first practice in Tampa on Monday afternoon.

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SWAC Announces Football Student-Athletes of the Week

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  --  The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced the football student-athletes of the week Monday afternoon.  After earning the dramatic 22-17 win over Florida A&M University Saturday night, the Jackson State Tigers took home three of the four weekly awards.

Sophomore LaMontiez Ivy (East St. Louis, Ill.) was named offensive athlete of the week, junior Ryan Deising (Nashville, Tenn./Pearl-Cohn) specialist of the week, and junior Robert Porter (Roseville, Mich./Northland College) earned newcomer of the week.  Alabama State’s Torrey Davis (Fayetteville, Ga./Fayette County) was named defensive athlete of the week.


Ivy led Jackson State to the first win of the Harold Jackson era on a 49-yard Hail Mary to DeSean McKenzie with one second left in the game.  He completed 25 of 42 passes for a game-high 269 yards.  Ivy also picked up 15 rushing yards in the win and connected with nine different receivers during the game.

Davis made the first start of his collegiate career and finished the game with a career-high 13 tackles, eight solo, against 16th ranked Sam Houston State.  The redshirt sophomore also forced a fumble and recorded a sack and two tackles behind the line for a total loss 14 yards.

Deising made three of four field goal attempts and went 1-for-1 in extra point kicks, scoring 10 of Jackson State’s 22 points against FAMU.

And Porter recorded seven tackles, four solo, to earn newcomer of the week.  He also had a pass breakup in the Tigers win.



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MEAC Announces Weekly Football Honors


NCAT’s Cohen and McRae, MSU’s Acker, DSU’s Scott and Hampton’s Gregory and Rose Earn Top Weekly Honors 

NORFOLK, Virginia – North Carolina A&T State’s Tarik Cohen was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Offensive Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday. Cody Acker, of Morgan State, was named Defensive Player of the Week.

Hayden Gregory of Hampton was named Rookie of the Week while teammate Ronald Rose earned Offensive Lineman of the Week honors. Delaware State’s Aris Scott and N.C. A&T’s Tony McRae earned Co-Special Teams Player of the Week accolades, respectively.

Cohen (RB, 5-6, 172, So., Bunn, N.C.) was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2014 MEAC/SWAC Challenge Presented by Disney. Cohen averaged 16.1 yard per carry on the way to 166 total rushing yards and two touchdowns in the Aggies win over Alabama A&M. He also caught two passes for 20 yards in the team’s season opening victory.

Acker (LB, 6-1, 220, Sr., Landover, MD) recorded a career-high 19 tackles, four solo, with one for a loss of two yards in the Bears’ season opener against Eastern Michigan.

Gregory (LB, 6-0, 220, Fr., Nashville, TN) led the Pirates with 10 total tackles and one sack for an 8-yard loss in the Pirates’ season opening against Old Dominion.

Rose (OL, 6-5, 253, Sr., Fr. Washington, MD) anchored Hampton’s offensive line that amassed 416 yards of total offense against FBS opponent Old Dominion. He graded out at 94-percent of all of his assignments and posted five pancake blocks.

Scott (KOR, 6-3, 210, So., Harrisburg, Pa.) ran a kickoff back 98-yards for a touchdown in the Hornets’ season opener against Monmouth.

McRae (KOR, 5-9, 175, Jr., Laurinburg, N.C.) returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown in a 47-13 victory over Alabama A&M. The score was the second career kickoff return for a touchdown for McRae. He also recorded 120 yards in kickoff return yardage in the annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge game.

Other Top Performers 

Colby Blanton (FAMU) averaged 51.2 yards on four punt attempts, including a 77-yarder in the first half against Jackson State.

Robert Council (MSU) completed 18 of 28 passes for 269 yards with three touchdowns against Eastern Michigan. He also picked up 71 yards rushing on 15 attempts in the 31-28 loss.

Alex Glover (SCSU) amassed six solo tackles, three for a loss of 17 yards, with one sack for an 11-yard loss in a shutout victory over Benedict College (63-0).

Gerald Hearns (FAMU) rushed for 56 yards on 16 carries and was the Rattlers’ receiving leader with five catches for 35 yards and a go-ahead score with 46 seconds remaining in his first collegiate start.

Damien Fleming (FAMU) completed 16 of 27 passes for 188 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for 59 yards on 10 carries in a loss to Jackson State.

Denzel Jones (NCAT) collected 10 tackles, five solo, with one for a loss of one yard in the Aggies’ win over Alabama A&M.

Breon Key (HAMPTON) recorded two interceptions for four yards and tallied two tackles in a loss to Old Dominion.

Adrian Kollock, Jr (SCSU) completed 15 of 18 passes for 160 yards and rushed four times for 22 yards with one touchdown against Benedict College.

Kenneth Melton (NCAT) made five tackles, two solo, and recorded a half sack and one tackle for a loss to help the Aggies defeat Alabama A&M.

C.J. Moore (NCCU) returned a fumble 31 yards for a touchdown and recorded nine tackles (4 solo) against East Carolina.

Jerome Pettiway (SCSU) averaged 47.5 yards on two punt attempts in a 63-0 win over Benedict College.

Darren Pinnock (MSU) graded out at 91-percent on his assignments as he helped the Bears rack up 479 yards of total offense against Eastern Michigan. He also recorded a pair of pancake blocks.

William Ray Robinson III (NCAT) graded out at 91-percent on his assignments as he helped the Aggies with 415 yards of total offense against Alabama A&M. He also recorded five pancake blocks.

Dylan Shaddix (NSU) punted eight times for a 39.6 yard average with four landing inside Maine’s 20 yard line. He also tied his single-game highs in total punts and punts that landed inside the opponent’s 20 yard line.

Nathaniel Tilque (NCCU) averaged 40.6 yards per punt (9 punts for 365 yards), including a long punt of 53 yards with three placed inside the 20-yard line against East Carolina.

Matthew Thompson (MSU) helped pave the way for the Bear offensive unit that posted 479 total offensive yards, including 210 yards rushing against FBS opponent Eastern Michigan.

Lynden Trail (NSU) recorded eight tackles, three solo, including four for a loss of 15 yards and 1.5 sacks for a six yards loss against Maine. He also forced two fumbles, recovered one, and posted two breakups against Maine.

Peter Tulloch (FAMU) returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown and recorded nine tackles, five solo, with one breakup against Jackson State.

Erik Williams (B-CU) tallied a career-high eight tackles, with six solo, including 3.0 sacks for a loss of 12 yards. He also recorded two hurries with one deflected pass in the Wildcat’s 14-12 victory over FBS opponent Florida International.

Jorrian Washington (HAMPTON) finished the day with 129 yards on kick-off returns including 243 all-purpose yards against Old Dominion.

Milton Williams III (DSU) caught six passes for 121 yards with one touchdown against Monmouth.

Jaylian Williamson (HAMPTON) connected on 32 of 45 passes and recorded a Hampton record high of 407 passing yards with three touchdowns against Old Dominion.

Domanic Wilson (SCSU) received a grade of 89-percent as he aided the Bulldogs to 541 yards of total offense including six pancake blocks against Benedict College.




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