Sports Update
A year ago, KSU fell on the road to MC, 14-3. The KSU offense struggled throughout having two touchdowns called back due to penalties. The defense kept the Thorobreds in the game, only allowing 57 yards of total offense in the second half, and not allowing the Marron Tigers to add to their lead with points in the final two frames.
The Thorobreds (2-2, 1-0) are coming off back-to-back wins against Kentucky Wesleyan College and Central State University, and have started off conference play with 1-0 mark for the second time in three seasons. The Maroon Tigers (2-0, 1-1) dropped their latest contest with Miles College 27-24, but share a similar SIAC victory with KSU, as they defeated CSU 35-33 on Sept. 16.
Frankfort, Ky.-After a registering a 6-0 showing in the SIAC East/West Crossover, freshman outside hitter Robin Poole and sophomore setter Hannah Smyers were awarded weekly volleyball honors from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference office on Tuesday afternoon.Poole was named the Offensive Player of the Week as she led the way for the Thorobrettes by totaling 63 kills during the Crossover. Poole notched double-figure kills in four of the six matches held at the Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Alabama. The Katy, Texas native recorded double-doubles against Clark Atlanta University and Albany State University. She currently leads the team in double-doubles with five.
PANTHER FOOTBALL REWIND
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Prairie View A&M University football head football coach Willie Simmons addressed the media earlier Monday on the SWAC head coaches teleconference.
The Panthers (1-2 overall, 1-0 SWAC) improved to 3-0 in SWAC openers under Simmons, with two of the victories coming on the road. PVAMU’s 34-0 win at Alabama State Saturday night was the first shutout since 2009, as the defense limited the Hornets to just seven first downs and 127 yards total offense, forcing three turnovers.
On The Alabama St. Game: “It felt good to go on the road in a hostile environment amidst a lot of adversity – delayed flight (on Friday), a short lightning delay before the game started – and to be able to come out with the win. It was a much-needed win, our first win of the season. It was great for it to be in conference play, and to start out the conference 1-0 and keep our long-term goals intact. I’m proud of the guys for the way they competed. Proud of the way they handled all the adversity thrown at them. I thought it was about time for them to put a complete game together in all three phases…I tip my hat to the defense for pitching our first shutout in conference play during my tenure here. They had a dominating effort on that side of the ball. MORE
Johnson named SWAC Defensive Player of the Week
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | De’Aumante Johnson became the latest Grambling State football player to earn Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) weekly honors, the conference announced on Monday morning.
Johnson was named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Week after his performance against Mississippi Valley State on Saturday.
The Plain Dealing, La. native, who also earned the SWAC College Madness Defensive Player of the Week honor on Sunday, accounted for eight points in the 38-6 victory over the Delta Devils. His 25-yard interception in the opening quarter began the scoring for the Tigers. That interception was just one of three on the night for the senior defensive back. He finished the night with four solo tackles, including one for a loss of yards and three interceptions.
The SWAC defensive award was the second consecutive for the Tigers as De’Arius Christmas picked up the honor after the win against Jackson State.
Terry named SWAC Defensive Player of the Week
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | Grambling State University junior midfielder Brittany Terry was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Defensive Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday afternoon.
Terry registered the game-winning goal in Grambling State’s 2-1 victory over Howard on Sunday. Her flip throw-in found the back of the net with just 20 seconds remaining to lift the Lady Tigers to the thrilling SWAC victory.
Grambling State (3-5 overall, 1-0 SWAC) returns to action at 4 p.m. on Friday in a SWAC match against Jackson State at the GSU Soccer Complex.
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Central State loses to Kentucky State at the Circle City Classic
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – The Marauders of Central State University fell, 34-22, to rival Kentucky State University at the Circle City Classic on Saturday.
KSU scored on its first two possessions with a pair of field goals from Turner Warren. Afforded ample time in the pocket throughout the first half, KSU quarterback Paul Campbell began the game completing 11 of 14 passes which included a 43-yard strike to Desmo Williams to set up the game’s first touchdown at the 8:55 mark of the second quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Terraris Saffold put CSU on the board with an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. For Saffold, it was the second straight week he scored from 80+ yards. An extra point try by Trevor Teel was good and CSU trailed, 13-7. The Thorobreds responded with a methodical 13 play, 62 yard touchdown drive ending with kicker Turner Warren running across the goal line for the score on a fake field goal.
CSU managed to get within Teel’s range and knocked a 32 yard field goal to cut the deficit down to 10 as the first half expired.
KSU quickly re-seized the momentum thanks to the legs of their premier running back Brett Sylve. On the first drive on the third quarter, Sylve recorded runs of 21 yards and 18 yards. He capped off the drive by scoring untouched from 4-yards out to give KSU a 27-10 lead.
CSU quarterback Trent Mays<http://maraudersports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=1840>, who entered the day as the passing leader in the SIAC, connected with Lavon Meeks for 31 yards down to KSU’s 2 yard line. Darien Nelson broke a tackle to score on the next play. A missed extra point attempt off the goal post resulted in CSU trailing, 27-16, at the 6:38 mark of the third quarter.
With the game still in the balance, a high snap over Mays’ head ended up in a KSU recovery and touchdown. With 6:31 remaining, KSU appeared in complete control, 34-16. CSU refused to give in and scored on its next offensive possession as Mays rushed for a score from 20-yards out.
With 4:20 left on the clock, CSU opted to attempt the onside kick. KSU successfully recovered and closed the game on out with the powerful running tandem of Sylve and Tyon Wilkerson.
The KSU offense totaled 475 yards compared to CSU’s 224.
Sylve led all players with 155 rushing yards and a score. Campbell hit 26 of 39 targets for 244 yards and 1 touchdown as KSU improved to 2-2 overall with a 1-0 record in the SIAC West Division.
Saffold shined for CSU on special teams as he accumulated 6 kick returns for 178 yards. On defense, Mikey’ion Hunter<http://maraudersports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=1845> was impressive with a game-high 14 tackles.
Falling to 0-4 overall and 0-1 in divisional play, the Marauders hope to turn the season around when they travel to play Benedict College.
Defense sparks Tigers to victory over Delta Devils
ITTA BENA, Miss. | De’Aumante Johnson recorded three first-half interceptions as the Grambling State University defense came up big on Saturday night with a 38-6 victory over Mississippi Valley State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opener for both teams at Rice-Totten Stadium.
“We didn’t play well,” Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs. “We had a lot of guys out and sometimes when you have a lot of guys out, it’s hard to find that chemistry. I thought we did a good job to keep fighting regardless of the situation. The defense was stellar tonight. They did not only an awesome job of stopping them but scoring points as well.”
After both teams went three-and-out on its first offensive possession, Grambling State’s defense came up with the first score of the night with 10:35 remaining in the opening quarter.
On a third-and-eight play, De’Aumante Johnson picked off MVSU quarterback Jett Even and went 35 yards down the right sideline to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead.
After another three-and-out for the Delta Devils, Grambling State was driving, but a fumble on the exchange at the MVSU 2-yard line gave the Mississippi Valley State the ball back.
But the Delta Devils didn’t have it for long as Even’s pass was intercepted by Johnson, his second pick of the day, to set up good field position.
The Tigers picked up their second score of the night with 2:55 remaining in the first quarter when Marc Orozco booted a 36-yard field goal to extend the Grambling State lead to 10-0.
Grambling State picked up two points on a safety, its second in as many weeks, to extend the lead to 12-0 with 13:44 left in the second quarter.
The Tigers closed out the first half with 10 points in the final 10 minutes.
Orozco kicked a 37-yard field goal with 9:58 left to push the advantage to 15-0 and Geremy Hickbottom connected with Devante Davis for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 1:43 remaining to extend the margin to 22-0.
Grambling State put the game out of reach with 11:42 left in the third quarter as Nicholas Black ran untouched for a 21-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a commanding 29-0 lead.
A James Crosby 4-yard touchdown run cut the margin to 29-6, but the Tigers blocked the extra point and Johnson returned the ball for the two-point conversion.
Grambling State put the final touches on the night on a Lyndemian Brooks touchdown run to give the Tigers a 38-6 victory.
Inside the Numbers
- Geremy Hickbottom was 4-of-13 passing for 38 yards.
- Dre’ Fusilier rushed four times for 83 yards, including a 53-yard run
- Darrell Clark caught four passes for 30 yards.
- The Tigers finished with 247 total yards of offense, including 195 on the ground.
- Mississippi Valley State registered 254 yards, and was held to minus 82 yards rushing.
- Christopher Fowler threw for 319 yards on 29-of-40 passing.
- Darrion Harper caught nine passes for 122 yards, while Quinn McElfresh added 113 yards on nine catches.
- Ja’Terious Pouncy led the Tigers with 10 tackles, including eight solo stops.
- De’Arius Christmas registered six tackles, including two for a loss of 19 yards.
- De’Aumante Johnson finished the night with four solo tackles, three interceptions and a two-point conversion.
News & Notes
- Grambling State improved to 53-5-2 all-time against Mississippi Valley State
- The Delta Devils picked up their first first down with 8:55 remaining in the first half.
- After starting the season with a loss at Tulane, Grambling State has now won three straight.
- Grambling State came into the game ranked No. 22 in the FCS Coaches Poll and the STATS FCS Top 25 Poll, No. 3 in the BOXTOROW Coaches and Media Poll and No. 1 in the SBN Black College Football Poll.
- Saturday night’s victory against Mississippi Valley State was the fifth straight in the series as head coach Broderick Fobbs remained unbeaten against the Delta Devils.
Up Next
Grambling State steps out of SWAC play for a week as the Tigers visit Soldier Field on Saturday, Sept. 30. Grambling State will meet Clark Atlanta in the Chicago Football Classic with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m.
-www.gsutigers.com-
DEFENSE DOMINANT IN FOOTBALL’S SWAC-OPENING WIN AT ALABAMA STATE
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Prairie View A&M University football team opened Southwestern Athletic Conference play with a dominant 34-0 win Saturday night at Alabama St.
The Panthers (1-2, 1-0 SWAC) held Alabama St. (0-4, 0-1) to 127 total yards and only seven first downs, forcing three turnovers and scoring a touchdown of its own as PVAMU recorded its first shutout since Oct. 17 2009, a 38-0 home win over Miss. Valley St. The shutout is the first on the road since a 15-0 win at Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Oct. 18, 2008.
“It’s a conference win, so it’s very important in the fact that it steps one to achieving our ultimate goal, which is the SWAC Championship,” said PVAMU head coach Willie Simmons, who teams are now 9-0 in SWAC road games in opposing venues. “I’m proud of the guys, proud of their effort, and proud of the way they came out and responded. It’s something to build on. We’re definitely happy to be 1-0 in conference play, and ready to get back to work.”
Anthony Stubbs forced a fumble on the second play of the game, which was recovered by Ju’Anthony Parker. The first of two Sta’Fon McCray touchdown runs gave Prairie View A&M a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. McCray rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
In the second quarter, a 37-yard interception return by Parker gave PVAMU a 14-0 lead with 6:36 to play until halftime. Later in the quarter, a 61-yard touchdown pass from Lavell McCullers to Markcus Hardy gave the Panthers a 21-0 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, McCray rushed on the first three plays of the second half for 65 yards on the scoring drive, ending with his nine-yard scoring run for a 28-0 lead.
Zach Elder ended the scoring with a 21-yard field goal in the third quarter and a career-long 47-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the final margin.
McCullers completed 14 of 27 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown, as the Panthers gained 409 total yards (234 rushing, 175 passing).
Prairie View A&M football returns home to host Jackson St. Saturday at 4 p.m. at Panther Stadium. Tickets are available online at pvpanthers.com/tickets.
#pvamufootball
BEARS STRUGGLE IN A LOPSIDED AFFAIR; SHAW ROUTED BY BOWIE STATE, 76-7
Shaw football struggled to find their offensive and defensive rhythm in the loss
BOWIE, Md. – The Shaw University football team gave up 35 unanswered points in the first quarter en route to a 76-7 loss at Bowie State University in its Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference opener Saturday night at the Bulldogs Stadium. BSU gave Shaw its worst defeat since 1978, when the Bears lost to Winston-Salem State, 72-0. The Bears gave up 76 points tonight, the most in program history.
With the loss, Shaw stands 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the CIAA, while BSU remains undefeated at 4-0 overall and 1-0 within the conference.
BSU scored on the opening drive off an 18-yard pass from Amir Hall to Kerrick Pollock to give the Bulldogs the early 7-0 lead over Shaw. A three and out for the Bears resulted in BSU’s Robert Chesson scoring on a 23-yard rush, following the extra point from Gene Carson to extend their lead 14-0 at the 9:30 mark. An out-of-sync Bears team went three and out again the next possession down only to allow the Bulldogs to add to their score after a 46-yard pass from Hall to Brandon Abrams for BSU’s third-straight touchdown of the game in the first quarter.
Despite the early deficit, the Bears were still in the contest thanks to penalties from the Bulldogs that led to first downs for Shaw but an attempted field goal from sophomore kicker Beni Kinsemi (Charlotte, NC) was partially blocked as the Bears trailed 21-0 with 2:42 remaining in the first stanza.
BSU would add 14 more to the scoreboard ignited by an 80-yard reception touchdown for Lansana Seay, followed by a 20-yard reception touchdown for Brandon Britton that pushed the Bulldogs lead 35-0 heading into the second quarter.
After scoring another touchdown and field goal by the Bulldogs to lead 45-0 over Shaw, the Bears finally got on the scoreboard when Woodruff connected with junior running back Michael Sherman (Powder Springs, GA) for a 20-yard pass touchdown to close out the first half.
Similar to the opening, BSU scored 17 points in the third and 14 in the fourth quarter while shutting out Shaw which ultimately proved to be too much for a Bears comeback.
Shaw finished with 233 yards of total offense that featured just 99 rushing and 134 passing compared the Bulldogs who amassed 725 total offense (258 on the ground, 476 through the air). In his second start at the quarterback position, sophomore Vidal Woodruff (Tampa, FL) completed 13-of-29 passing for 137 yards, three interceptions and one touchdown. He was sacked five times in the contest.
Sherman had a team-best 107 yards rushing on 19 carries and a touchdown while freshman Daniel Bender (Jacksonville, FL) had six receptions for 79 yards.
Junior defensive back Hakiem Swann (Portsmouth, VA) led the Bears defense with a game-high 10 total tackles (7 solo) and a tackle for loss. Sophomore linebacker Devon Hunt (Rockingham, NC) added eight tackles, one sack and a tackle for loss while freshman defensive back Kevin Sherman (Powder Springs, GA) contributed seven tackles and a tackle for loss.
Shaw will return to action Saturday, Sept. 30 at Durham County Memorial Stadium where the Bears will play host to Elizabeth City State University at 1 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on Shaw football and its 13 varsity sports teams, please visit www.shawbears.com.
editor@urbanmediatoday.com
Next Game
Opponent: Benedict
Date: Saturday, September 30
Kickoff: 6 pm
Venue: Charles W. Johnson Stadium – Columbia, South Carolina