Thursday, October 23, 2014

Sims finds a home at WSSU

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Even though quarterback Phillip Sims of Winston-Salem State has been on campus for nearly 14 months some find it hard to believe that he’s even there at all.

The way Sims arrived at WSSU isn’t all that complicated.

“Well, some of the assistant coaches called, and I answered my phone,” Sims said this week during an extended interview at the Bowman Gray Stadium Fieldhouse.

Sims, a Parade All-America in high school in Chesapeake, Va., is one of the most high-profile recruits to land at WSSU. After playing a part in Alabama’s run to the national championship as a redshirt freshman in 2011, he transferred to Virginia, where he started half the games for the Cavaliers in 2012.



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Savannah State at NCCU: Young Tigers wary of tough Eagles



DURHAM, North Carolina — Size matters.

In the game of football, the bigger the players are, the harder they fall on opponents who are not as genetically gifted.

Yet strength is at least equally important with respect to smaller players possessing the power to leverage their will against larger opponents.

Second-year Savannah State coach Earnest Wilson III will tell you that he’s got some talent on his team. But the Tigers are young. And they’re not very strong.

Yet the freshmen actually have been more productive than the Tigers’ upperclassmen — the rookies just have to get stronger, Wilson said.

“Their strength is just now beginning to come. They’re beginning to find out how to work out in a Division I setting,” Wilson said.

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A win in Greensboro would put Rattlers near top of MEAC

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- A two-win streak over teams with a combined 1-14 record is one thing, but Florida A&M head coach Earl Holmes knows taking down one of the top teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference could change the narrative of the Rattlers’ entire season.

The Rattlers (2-5, 2-1 in the MEAC) will take on the North Carolina A&T Aggies (6-2, 3-1) Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. Florida A&M is coming off two straight wins for the first time in Holmes’ tenure as head coach, and a third straight win would put FAMU near the top of the MEAC.



It would also help erase an 0-5 start that had Holmes shifting coaching personnel around and contemplating a quarterback change.

“We’re a young team,” Holmes said.

“The sooner the young guys can ...

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Healing underway, winning returns at rejuvenated Grambling

GRAMBLING, Louisiana — In the months since he became head football coach at his alma mater, Broderick Fobbs has had several conversations with his predecessors. He talks occasionally with former coach Doug Williams. He has touched base with Rod Broadway. And of course, there's one other.

"I've talked with Coach Robinson," Fobbs says, "when no one else is around."

Grambling's new coach laughs. But then he points at the portrait of the late Eddie Robinson, which dominates one wall in his office, and reiterates:

"Normally, it's right here at this desk when I'm looking at that picture. One thing's for certain, he's definitely loud and clear. … He's definitely present here — and we're excited to have him with us."

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Across the Line: Les East on Southern

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State and Southern meet for the first time since the 2013 SWAC championship game last December.

But much has changed on both sides since then.

The Jaguars (4-3, 3-1 SWAC) are without the quarterback-wide receiver duo of Dray Joseph and Lee Doss who produced the game-winning touchdown for the title victory.

The Tigers (3-4, 1-3 SWAC) also feature a new lineup, with a few returners from that championship game. For JSU, this game is hopefully a fresh start after a disappointing first half of the season. They're looking to rebound after being upset by Mississippi Valley State and its former head coach Rick Comegy 27-23.

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Alabama A&M’s Spady quickly learns Classic’s importance

BIRMINGHAM – Alabama A&M first-year head coach James Spady already knows enough about the Magic City Classic to know it can make or break a coach’s resume.

Spady, the former tight ends/co-offensive line coach at Nevada (2010-13) and offensive coordinator at Grambling State (2007-09), will be roaming the sidelines for the first time as the A&M boss Saturday when the Bulldogs (2-5, 1-3) entertain Alabama State (4-3, 3-2) in the 73rd annual Magic City Classic at Legion Field.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., and the game will be televised by ESPN3 and ESPNU on a delayed basis later that evening.

“I’ve been coaching for 22 years, but I already know there is no game like this one,” Spady said. “It’s just off the charts. I think as players and as coaches, it’s an honor and privilege to play in a game of this magnitude.

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Alabama A&M prepares for 'off the charts' Magic City Classic



BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Calling the Magic City Classic "off the charts," Alabama A&M Head Football Coach James Spady spoke to reporters at a press conference Wednesday kicking off the annual game between the Bulldogs and Alabama State.

"This is off the charts," Spady said of the 73rd annual game Saturday at Legion Field. Kickoff is 2:30 p.m. "This is something special; something we want to give honor to."

This is Spady's first Classic but he wasn't shy about where he believes it ranks in his 22-year coaching career – which included several Bayou Classics between Grambling and Southern when Spady was an assistant with Grambling.



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